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Before We Got Here

Summary:

The story of Boo Seungkwan and all the ups and downs that he went through to finally get to this day. His wedding day. The story begins in high school and continues through to college. He will meet all of the people who will become such an important part of his life and all the experiences they share. First loves, crushes and crushed hearts, short lived romances and long-term relationships alike. Buckle up, because it's a long rollercoaster ride.

Notes:

I've been working on this for MONTHS and it's nowhere near finished, but I have a good number of chapters pre-written, so I've decided to finally start posting, but a few notes before we can start:
-Currently I'm planning to update twice a week for as long as possible
-I've left the location somewhat ambiguous on purpose because a lot of this story takes place in high school and college, but I'm not following any countries actual education system (for example, in this fic the school year runs from august/september to may/june) which I know isn't the case in Korea, but I don't imagine them speaking English if that makes sense??
-EDIT: High School here is three years (like in some countries such as Korea and Japan), so while Seungkwan is in his first year, if this would be a four year system like in the US he'd be a sophomore I guess.
-This will be LONG and a lot will happen
-Please note that:
couples will break-up, maybe get back together, maybe not. Some of the relationships tagged will be platonic (but I've tagged them to keep it more interesting?). I will add new relationships as they are published to prevent some spoilers.
-I understand it might be frustrating to start a fic only to find out later that your fav couple breaks up and doesn't recover, so I am willing to give out spoilers to whoever wants them (but please don't make it public in case some people want to be surprised). Just DM me on my twitter EDIT @ Llama_Cow (was @ boo_dori
-Some members won't show up for a long time
-also this fic will feature underage characters who are sexually active, but I will NOT write about it explicitly. (Let's be honest here, teenagers have sex, so will the teenagers in this story, but the focus will be on how it's part of their story/personal history and development)
-chapters will probably be between 700 and 2000 words each (sometimes closer to 700, sometimes closer to 2000)

Chapter 1: Prologue

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan was standing in front of a tall mirror, carefully going over every detail of his outfit. Today it had to be perfect. Today was one of the most important days of his life. Today was his wedding day. It felt almost surreal that it had finally come. So much had happened from the time that he first met his soon-to-be husband and now. Meeting all of the people who would become such an important part of his life and all the experiences they had shared. First loves, crushes and crushed hearts, short lived romances and long-term relationships alike. Some of them he had met in high school, others when he was in college, but they all meant the world to him.

 

He finally decided that his clothes, his hair and his face wouldn't get any better than they were now and he stepped away from the mirror. He took a deep breath. There was no doubt in his mind that this was what he wanted, but he couldn't completely get rid of that jittery feeling of anticipation mixed with a hint of nerves.

 

He heard the door open behind him, but he didn't turn to see who it was. Strong arms wrapped around him from behind and he felt a soft kiss being pressed against his neck. His lips curled up into a smile, “Isn't it bad luck if we see each other before the wedding?”

 

“Only if someone is wearing a wedding dress,” his fiance whispered in his ear.

 

Seungkwan chuckled, “I haven't done something like that since high school, so I think we're good.” He turned around and took the other man by the hand. He led them to the mirror and stared at their reflection, “Look at us. We're really doing it, huh?”

 

“Looks like it.”

 

“It sure took us long enough before we got here.”

 

“But we got here and that's all that matters.” He wrapped himself around him again and leaned his head on his shoulder. “Nervous?”

 

“Not really,” Seungkwan replied as he tilted his head so they could touch, “We've got the best wedding planners in town. I'm most nervous about you messing up your vows or something.”

 

“We're supposed to say vows?”

 

Seungkwan untangled himself from his arms and huffed, “I swear if you-”

 

His fiance held up his hands in defense, “I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I even wrote them down in case I get so overwhelmed by my love for you and I can't remember what I was going to say,” he said and he patted his front pocket.

 

Seungkwan narrowed his eyes at him. “You're better not being sarcastic.”

 

“I wouldn't dare.” He placed his hands on Seungkwan's hips. “Ready for me to be your husband?”

 

“Just as ready as I am to be yours.” He stared into his loving eyes and almost started to drown. He gently removed the hands that were on his hips. “Can you please get out of here now, so I don't give into temptation? If I kiss you now it'll take away the magic from out first kiss as a married couple later.”

 

“Fine, I'll go,” he answered and walked to the door. Before he opened he turned back to look at Seungkwan and said, “You're wrong, by the way. Every time I kiss you is like magic, so it wouldn't have mattered.”

 

Seungkwan scoffed a little at the statement. “I can't believe I'm marrying you.”

 

“Yeah, me too.”

Notes:

Happy Carat Day! It felt like the right day to start posting this Mt.Everest of a fic.
Please do leave a comment if you want, I greatly appreciate it.
Also feel free to follow me on the bird app @ boo_dori
And again: if you don't feel like starting this fic without knowing who certain characters will end up with and you want to get spoiled send me a DM, lol.

Who will Boo Seungkwan marry~

Chapter 2: HS1-1 First Day

Summary:

Seungkwan has to settle into a new school. He's not off to a great start.

Notes:

(me: I'm going to post on Tuesdays and Fridays. Also me: posts on Saturdays)
Okay, so...I know different countries have different high school systems, but here high school will be three years~
The chapter title 'HS1-1" means High School year 1 chapter 1. I wasn't kidding when I said this was going to be long btw, lol.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan was standing in front of the mirror. Partly to make sure that he looked all right, partly to look himself in the eye and tell himself that he could do this. He wasn't exactly looking forward to his first day at a new high school. He and his mom just moved to this town and the school year was already well on it's way. Cliques would have formed, pecking orders established. As if dealing with his parents divorce wasn't enough, he now had to deal with finding his place in the high school hierarchy for the second time in two months.

He went over the do's and don'ts he had come up with to survive this day, in his head.

Don't introduce yourself as 'Nice to meet you. My name is Boo Seungkwan and I'm gay.”
Don't be a wise-ass or know-it-all during class.
Don't eat lunch by yourself.
Do be yourself, but not too much. Test the waters.
Do try to become friends with the people you sit next to in class.
Do join some clubs for instant social connections and academic elevation.

He took a deep breath and one last look in the mirror. Time to do this.

He was scheduled to meet his new homeroom teacher before the start of class, so he arrived at school rather early. It was still quiet in the halls. A bit creepy, really. His homeroom teacher seemed nice enough. A man somewhere in his early fifties, a bit stern looking, but not unfriendly. He gave Seungkwan his schedule and a copy of the school rules before he gave him a quick tour.

“And here's the club and special events announcement board.” He explained as they walked by a large notice board with lots of papers attached to it, “Our school requires all students to join a club, but it is encouraged to challenge yourself and join at least two. Most clubs only accept new members at the beginning of the year, but I'm sure they're willing to make an exception seeing as you just transferred. If you run into any trouble finding a suitable club just let me know.”

Seungkwan nodded in understanding. “Don't worry, sir. I'll be sure to get right on it!” He had already taken the liberty of checking the list of clubs this school had and had already decided where he wanted to join.

“Good, good.” his teacher replied without much real interest in his voice and he checked his watch. “Right, well, I need to prepare for my own class so I'm going to leave you to it. Just tell the teacher of your first class who you are and they'll introduce you to the class, all right?”

Seungkwan wasn't so sure that he would be, but he nodded. “Yes, sir.”

His teacher put a hand on his shoulder and smiled, “I know it's a lot when you just moved to a new town and you have to join when the year has already started, but you'll be okay. At least our school is boys only.” He laughed, but Seungkwan wasn't sure what the joke was. It must have read on his face because the teacher explained, “I know your last school was co-ed, but here you won't have to worry about girls distracting you from your studies.”

Seungkwan almost scoffed at this remark which was stupid for several reasons, but managed to stop himself in time. He just nodded with an awkward smile. His teacher slapped him on the shoulder and laughed again. Seungkwan was glad when he left him alone. Although he had been right. It would definitely take some getting used to being at a school with just boys. But that was a worry for later because the halls were starting to fill with students and the bell would ring soon.

A few minutes later Seungkwan stood awkwardly at the front of the class. All eyes on him. “So, ehm,” he started, “My name is Boo Seungkwan,” he pretended not to hear the snickers of laughter that his unusual family name elicited from his new classmates, “I just moved to this town and I'm g-...greatly honored to be here and meet all of you.” Wow, way to make a first lame impression he thought to himself.

“Okay, thank you Seungkwan.” the teacher said and Seungkwan was grateful that he wasn't expected to say anything else. “We don't have a lot of empty desks, but you can sit down over there at that one next to Mingyu.”

Seungkwan started to make his way to the back of the class and as he did so he felt the stares of the others in the room following him to his seat. Why did some of them look at him as if he was going off to war or something. It was probably just his imagination. He arrived at the desk, one row from the back. There was one desk between him and the wall and it was occupied by a very handsome boy who looked uncomfortably tall for his desk. He leaned in and whispered, “Hi, I'm Seungkwan. You're Mingyu, right?

Instead of replying the handsome boy looked him up and down and turned his head away in disinterest.

“Rude...” Seungkwan mumbled to himself and tried not to think too much of it.

As it turned out this school had a slightly different curriculum than his old school and luck would have it that he had already covered the current topic. Although, it probably would have been better if he hadn't. Seungkwan couldn't help himself from raising his hand in the air whenever he knew the answer. By the time the bell rang Seungkwan was sure the whole class thought he was an insufferable know-it-all. So far keeping to his dos and don'ts list wasn't going great.

He purposely waited until most of the others boys had left the classroom to check his school map. He didn't want to look like a lost idiot trying to find his locker. But when he was done and got up to leave he noticed that he wasn't the last person left like he had thought. The boy who sat at the desk right behind Mingyu's had one of his arms splayed out and was resting his head on it. He seemed to be asleep. Seungkwan sighed. He never liked people who fell asleep during class. Seungkwan picked up one of his books. The whole class probably already didn't like him, so what was one more? His book landed on the sleeping boy's desk with a loud thud. It was more effective than the bell had been, because the boy groaned and lifted his head.

“Oh, I'm so sorry!” Seungkwan said to him, “Class is over by the way. I suggest you wake up.” The sleeping beauty (damn, Seungkwan hadn't expected him to be a sleeping beauty indeed), stared up at him with a blank expression. Taken aback by this silent gaze Seungkwan decided that it was best to bolt. He quickly made his way to his locker and put some of his books inside. He was surprised to find Mingyu doing the same next to him. Seungkwan decided to give it one more shot. First impressions weren't everything. “Oh, what a coincidence. We're not just classroom neighbors!” he said with a smile and a slight chuckle.

Mingyu didn't smile back, “Don't talk to me.” Without saying anything else he walked away. Seungkwan clicked his tongue and closed his locker. He saw a few boys from his class staring at him and whispering. He decided to let it go. He made his way over to the announcement board to check out some club information and found exactly what he had been hoping to find. After the next class he would have a free study period and he knew exactly what he would do with his time.

Notes:

Comments are love <3

Next time Seungkwan is going to join a club~

Chapter 3: HS1-2 Music Club

Summary:

Seungkwan joins the music club and meets some interesting people

Notes:

So...since my head is refusing to properly write the epilogue for my other fic (Don't Call) and because I can't resist posting more because I feel like the story starts to really take off in a few chapters (the first few are more...setting the scene) I've decided to post another chap~ (My original plan was Tuesday/Friday updates, and technically it's already Tuesday here so...)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan stood before a closed door with Music Club written on it and knocked before he opened it. He was a little bit nervous, but mostly excited. He loved music and thought it was a great way to connect to people. He went inside and was greeted by four confused faces staring back at him.

 

“Yes?” One boy with a guitar in his hands asked.

 

Seungkwan put on his biggest smile and started his self-introduction like he had practiced in his head. “Hi, my name is Boo Seungkwan. I'm new to this school and-”

 

“Are you lost?” The boy interrupted him. He stood up, he wasn't very tall, shorter than Seungkwan, but there was a kind of intimidating aura about him as he looked him up and down with eyes that were hard to read.

 

“Not if this is the music club. It said so on the door.” Seungkwan replied still with a smile plastered on his face. He was determined to make a good impression on at least someone today.

 

“Well...yes it is.” One of the other boys, small guitar or maybe a ukelele in hand, replied.

 

“I saw on the announcement board that you're looking for new members?”

 

The handsome boy with the ukelele looked questioning to a third boy, sitting on the side of the room. If possible, he was even more handsome. No, handsome wasn't exactly the right word, he was glowing like a Greek statue. But Seungkwan wasn't here for any of that. He could care less what these people looked like. He just needed to get into their club. The music club at his old school had been quite popular and they held auditions at the beginning of the year. Seungkwan wondered if this club would have the same high standards.

 

“Oh yeah, I put that up at the beginning of the school year but you're the first one to actually show up.”

 

Maybe not. This is when Seungkwan started to consider that maybe these were in fact all of the music club members.

 

“What can you do?” The short one asked with a tone of impatience in his voice.

 

“I can sing and-”

 

“Okay, sing for us then.”

 

“Jihoon, stop being yourself for a second and treat our guest with some courtesy please.” the Greek statue spoke. “It wouldn't exactly be a bad thing to get another member. We're lucky to even be an actual club at this point.”

 

Jihoon, as he was apparently called, sighed and sat back down. He placed his guitar next to him and crossed his arms. “Fine. Sing for us. Please. I'm on the edge of my seat. Can't wait to be blown away by your vocals.”

 

Seungkwan knew he was being sarcastic, but he also knew that he could sing quite well and he wasn't going to let this guy shake his confidence so easily.

 

Jihoon had been sarcastic and definitely hadn't expected to be actually blown away by this fluffy looking kid, but as Seungkwan's singing filled the room an approving smirk appeared on his face.

 

“Well, fuck. You're in new kid.”

 

The others nodded in agreement.

 

Seungkwan's face lit up, “Really? Thank you so much!”

 

The Greek statue glided over to him and put his arm around his shoulder, “No, thank you! Seungkwan was it? My name is Jeonghan.” He used the arm he had around him to jerk him around as he introduced the other members of the music club, “This here is our trusty leader, Jihoon. He's mostly bark and very little bite...” Still sitting with his arms crossed Jihoon scoffed, but also gave Seungkwan a little friendly nod. “This ray of sunshine is Seokmin, amazing vocals just like you...” Seokmin smiled and Seungkwan could swear the room became brighter. “And finally we have our ukelele boy Jisoo.” Jisoo shook his head, but smiled at Seungkwan.

 

“Please stop introducing me to people as 'ukelele boy'. It sounds weird.” He said to Jeonghan.

 

“That's why it fits you perfectly.” He replied. He leaned in and added with a whisper in Seungkwan's ear, “He might look normal, but he's one of the weirdest people you'll ever meet.”

 

Seungkwan chuckled nervously, not sure what to do with that statement. “So, ehm, now what?”

 

Jisoo walked over to a small desk placed against the wall and pulled out a piece of paper from its drawer that he handed to Seungkwan, “Here. You need to fill this out and hand it in at the student administration so they'll know you've joined the club. We're not too strict about our schedule, but we do try to meet up regularly.”

 

“Okay, I'll go do it right away!” Seungkwan exclaimed in all his excitement. This music club might me a lot smaller than at his last school, but they all seemed nice and he couldn't wait to make some music.

 

“Wait! Give us your phone-number. I'll add you to our club group chat.” Jeonghan said before Seungkwan could take off.

 

As soon as Seungkwan left he already felt his phone buzz.

 

<MC Angel has added you to Talent>

 

MC Angel?” Seungkwan thought to himself. He figured that must be Jeonghan seeing as he was the group's admin. He checked the other names. MC Hoon. MC Ukelele Boy. MC Sunshine. His own name was still, very boring, Seungkwan.

 

===

 

“I'm going to change the new kid's chat name. He said his name was Boo Seungkwan, right? I know the perfect name for him.”

 

Jisoo, who was looking over Jeonghan's shoulder, spoke up, “Jeonghan, no. You cannot name him MC Booty.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Because, you freak,” Jihoon continued in Jisoo's stead, “you'll make him uncomfortable.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Maybe because we've met him for like ten minutes and you're already referring to his ass?”

 

Jeonghan sighed, “Fine, fine. I'll just make him MC Kwan or something.”

 

“By the way...” Seokmin said, “...shouldn't we have warned him that the rest of the school thinks we're super lame and that joining the music club is basically social suicide?”

 

“If we told him that he might not want to join, now would he?” Jeonghan gave Seokmin a gentle pat on the head, “Don't worry, Minnie. I have a feeling that he will fit in well with our little merry band of gays and whatnots.”

Notes:

-Yay some people who are nice to Seungkwan (well...I mean...if you ignore Jihoon's initial attitude towards him)
-Seungkwan is off to join another club next time ft. the sleeping beauty lol (and an NCT member makes a cameo appearance)
-All that Talent in one group chat. Amazing.

Thanks to everyone so far who has shown interest in this story~

Chapter 4: HS1-3 Basketball Club

Summary:

Seungkwan joins the basketball club and runs into a familiar face

Notes:

I just felt like posting a chapter so...here it is!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The rest of the day went by fairly uneventful. Seungkwan didn't make any more attempts to become friendly with his desk neighbor, he decided it wasn't his responsibility if the sleepy boy behind him got a good education or not, and for the rest of the classes he made sure to keep his mouth shut. He didn't really know any of the answers anyway. Lunch was a bit of a rough patch and it was one more thing he couldn't check off of his dos-and-donts list. But no matter, he had more pressing matters to attend to. The Music Club wasn't the only club he wanted to join.

 

Seungkwan figured it would look good on his record if he joined a variety of clubs and sports were always highly regarded. During middle school and the brief period of time he was at his old high school he had been an active members of the school's volleyball team. Unfortunately this new school didn't have one. They did have a basketball team, however, and he was quite good at that too. Good enough to join a high school club for it at least.

 

He had found a schedule for the gym listing which clubs had it reserved for the week and luck would have it that the basketball club had a training session after school today. Might as well get that first awkward moment out of the way.

 

He walked into the gym and it didn't look like they had really started yet. Most of them were standing around talking to each other or casually throwing a ball back and forth. He also spotted the sleeping boy from his class sitting on the side. He was wearing a uniform so he must be part of the club. Great.

 

Seungkwan approached two boys who looked older than him and cheerfully greeted them. “Hi, I'm Seungkwan and I'd like to try out for the basketball club. I understand you usually only accept new members at the beginning of the year, but seeing as I just transferred here I was hoping you'd make an exception.”

 

The two boys looked him over, then looked at each other, and back to him. “Didn't you join the music club?” One of them asked with scorn in his voice.

 

Apparently being new stood out more than Seungkwan had thought. “I don't see how that's relevant.” he replied, not losing focus. “The Music Club has a very flexible schedule so it wouldn't intervene with practice or anything.”

 

“Yeah, well....we don't really have place on our team for someone like you.”

 

“I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean. Can't I just have a try-out? If I suck you don't let me join, if it turns out I'm actually good, which I am, you let me join.”

 

“Go suck a dick, music boy.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“I said-” They both got closer to him, but before things could escalate a voice came from the side.

 

“What's going on here?” A very tall, very handsome, boy with wavy dark brown hair, made his way over to them.

 

“Captain, I was just telling this new kid that we don't need any more members this late in the year.”

 

Seungkwan, ignoring the other boy, smiled at the captain, “Hi, my name is Boo Seungkwan and I just transferred here and would like to join the basketball club. All I'm asking for is a try-out. I'm really good.” He wasn't so sure that he was really good, but this was no time to undersell his abilities.

 

The captain took a basketball from the rack and threw it his way, “All right, fine. You two,” he gestured to the two boys still giving Seungkwan the stink eye, “assist in the try-out, will you.”

 

One of the boys leaned in to the captain and whispered, loud enough for Seungkwan to overhear, “Johnny, this kid just joined the music club, man.”

 

The captain, Johnny, looked over at Seungkwan and for a moment Seungkwan was afraid he'd turn him away. Did the music club really have such a bad reputation?

 

“Stop your bitching and let's go! We have a competition coming up and we don't have time to waste!” He gave a nod to Seungkwan telling him to go ahead.

 

The boy from his class watched on from the stands as Seungkwan showed what he could do and he snickered at the faces of his two dumb teammates who clearly hadn't been expecting him to pull out those moves. The captain blew his whistle and walked over to Seungkwan. He couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but seeing the way Seungkwan's face lit up he assumed they had a new member.

 

Seungkwan didn't participate in the training that day. Instead the captain told him to fill in the form and hand it in before the administration office would close for the day and come to the locker room after to receive his uniform. He had just done so and was about to leave the locker room when some of the other boys came out of the showers. He recognized two of the voices as the two boys who didn't want him to even try-out earlier. Seungkwan, in the hopes of avoiding another confrontation, stayed hidden behind the row of lockers where he was standing while they got dressed.

 

“I can't believe Johnny let him join.” One of the boys said.

 

“I know...I mean, I guess he was okay, but I'm just worried it's not the basketballs he's interested in.”

 

Seungkwan was startled by a sudden loud bang of a locker door being slammed shut.

 

“He was good.” Another boy spoke. Seungkwan didn't know whose voice it was. “What's the problem?”

 

“Come on, dude. We'll be sharing a locker room with him. What if he like...checks us out or something?”

 

Seungkwan felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach. He had felt like the 'go suck a dick' comment from earlier wasn't just a way to tell him to get out of there. No. They assumed he was gay for whatever reason and didn't like him because of it. At least this one guy didn't seem to care.

 

“Girls don't wanna check you out, why should a boy be different? Even if he is gay.”

 

Seungkwan felt a sense of gratitude to the person sticking up for him. He wanted to know who it was and very carefully he peeked around the corner. To his surprise it was his classmate and sleeping beauty. He should really ask him his name tomorrow.

 

He waited until he was sure everybody had left to let out a long breath he had been holding. It would be a lot harder to fit in with this team than with the music club. That was for sure.

Notes:

-surprise Johnny (from NCT, for those of you who don't know him. He won't have a big role or anything, but here he is)
-I feel like everybody already knows who the sleeping beauty is, lol. But since Seungkwan doesn't know his name yet I've decided to not disclose it yet, haha.
-Next time we learn a bit more about what's up with Mingyu

comments are love~

Chapter 5: HS1-4 Lunch and Rumors

Summary:

Seungkwan is determined not to have lunch by himself again and he hears some rumors surrounding one of his classmates.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

It was the second day at his new school. Lunchtime. Seungkwan was determined not to spend another lunch by himself and was standing at the edge of the cafeteria deciding the best course of action. Most of the tables were taken by people he didn't know at all, but there were a few tables with semi-familiar faces (as familiar as they can become in a day and a half) such as some boys from his class that he hadn't spoke to and the basketball team's captain with his friends. But then he spotted one table that seemed like the safest bet if he didn't want to risk getting told to go sit somewhere else. The four boys from the music club. He hadn't really spoken with them since yesterday (he didn't count the waving hand emoji he had sent to the group chat), but they seemed nice enough. Slowly he approached their table. Jihoon was the first to notice him. He nudged Seokmin who was sitting next to him and gestured to the bag placed on one of the chairs. Seokmin looked up at Seungkwan and immediately the corners of his mouth curled up into a bright smile. He removed the bag to open up the seat for Seungkwan.

 

“Thanks.” Seungkwan said as he sat down. “I hope I'm not intruding or anything.”

 

“Don't be silly.” Jeonghan (a.k.a. MC Angel) replied. “Plenty of room.”

 

Seokmin nodded, but added, “Although you're lucky to catch us all together! We don't always all eat in the cafeteria. But if you can't find us we're probably somewhere else.”

 

Seungkwan stared at him trying to figure out if that was supposed to be some mysterious riddle or if he just didn't realize that he just said something less than intelligent. Seokmin's innocent smile suggested the latter. Seungkwan didn't have it in him to point out to him that, yeah, if you're not here you're somewhere else. So he just smiled back. “Right. Well, thanks for letting me sit with you today anyway. I haven't really had much luck making friends with anyone in my class...”

 

“Although you are more than welcome to join us whenever you want, it kinda sucks that you haven't made any friends in your class yet.” Jisoo spoke. “Me and Jeonghan are lucky enough to be in the same class, final year. Jihoon and Seokmin are also together, one year below us. So I guess one year above you.” he explained further.

 

Seungkwan nodded to show he had taken in the information given to him and let out a short sigh, “Well...I'll try to find some friends in my own grade as well, but so far I'm pretty sure everybody thinks I'm super lame and best to be avoided.” A flash of yesterday's events in the locker room shot through his mind. Maybe not everybody.

 

Unnoticed by Seungkwan all the members of the music club shared looks between them.

 

“The guy next to me sure doesn't like me!” Seungkwan kept on talking unaware of the slight tension now hanging around the table, “His locker is also next to mine, but the only thing he has said to me so far is 'don't talk to me'. Isn't that rude? Just because he's all tall and handsome and has this kinda scary aura around him doesn't mean he should just ignore people. I was only trying to be nice!”

 

“Wait, did you say tall and handsome with a scary aura? Don't tell me...” Jeonghan looked around the cafeteria and spotted who he was looking for, “...it's not that guy, is it?” He asked as he pointed in the direction of a table that only had one person sitting at it. And that one person was in fact who Seungkwan had been talking about. Mingyu.

 

“Dude, don't point at him!” Seokmin squealed and pulled down Jeonghan's hand, “What if he sees us!”

 

Seungkwan raised his eyebrows, surprised at Seokmin's slightly panicked reaction, but turned it into a frown when he continued talking, “Oh yeah, that's him. What's up with that guy? Do any of you know him?”

 

“We know of him.” Jihoon answered vaguely.

 

“All I know is that he transferred here from another district because he got kicked out of his old school.” Jisoo answered.

 

“Why?”

 

“We don't know.”

 

“I heard he had a knife.” Seokmin whispered.

 

“I heard he stabbed someone.” Jihoon added.

 

“I heard-” Jeonghan started before he was cut off by Jisoo.

 

“Most people are scared of him or at least avoid him. Although most of those rumors are probably just that. Rumors. Probably.”

 

“Anyway,” Jeonghan said, “He had to repeat the year. That's why he's in your grade.”

 

“Oh...” Seungkwan glanced over at Mingyu again, sitting alone at his table staring at his food. He didn't really look all that dangerous, but seeing as he seemed to dislike Seungkwan anyway he figured it wouldn't be too hard to avoid interacting with him.

 

Seungkwan hesitated before he started talking again, but something was bothering him and for some reason he felt like he could talk to these boys about it, “Guys...can I ask you something else?”

 

“Of course, Seungkwan” Jeonghan replied first.

 

“Do I look...gay, to you?” He didn't meet any of their eyes, but he knew they had heard him despite the low volume he was talking in.

 

“W-why would you say that?” Seokmin chuckled nervously.

 

“Well....yesterday when I went to try-out for the basketball club two of the guys told me that there was no place for 'people like me' and that I should go suck a dick. And I was just wondering if I come across as super gay or something.”

 

“I wouldn't say super gay.” Jeonghan replied in a way that was probably supposed to be comforting.

 

“Seungkwan...” Jisoo said with a bit more sympathy in his voice, “it might be our fault that they think you're gay. Maybe we should have told you that one of the reasons most people kind of avoid the music club is because they think we're all gay. This school isn't the most open-minded of places.”

 

“Oh. I see.” Seungkwan replied, not sure what else to say. But then his curiosity compelled him to ask his next question, “Are you?”

 

“Does it matter?” Jihoon asked as he kept his eyes locked onto him.

 

“N-no. Not really.” Seungkwan replied right away. He didn't want to offend anyone, but he wanted to know just how okay they would be with Seungkwan being gay. Them being gay too would make things a whole lot easier.

 

The other boys all looked at each other and nodded before Jeonghan started to explain, “We're all some sort of non-straight. Me and Jihoon are gay, Jisoo is bi, and Seokmin is...figuring things out.”

 

Seungkwan looked around the table and with that revelation figured it was safe. “I...I'm gay too.”

 

“HA!” Jeonghan exclaimed excited, a little bit louder than he had intended and he had to remind himself that they were still in the cafeteria surrounded by other people. “I told you!” he said in a more hushed voice, “Jisoo was all like 'we can't just assume he's gay' but my gaydar is pretty good.”

 

“So what...all the gays at this school just join the music club?” Seungkwan asked.

 

“Nah, there are a few rogue ones roaming around. Some of them closer than you think.”

 

“What does that mean?”

 

Just at that moment the bell rang and Jeonghan stood up right away, “Oh shit, I still have to get books from my locker. I'll see you guys later.”

 

The rest also got up, Seungkwan included. As they made their way out of the cafeteria Jisoo walked next to Seungkwan, “I hope you can connect with some people in your class, but if you do want to hang out with us and we're not here just use the group chat, okay? The music club really is just our little friend group so don't worry about only talking about club related things in there.”

 

Seungkwan smiled and nodded. Suddenly he cared a lot less about making friends in his own class.

 

“By the way,” Jisoo continued, “you mentioned that you joined the basketball club earlier, right?”

 

Seungkwan nodded.

 

“Have you thought about adding a study club to your resume? I'm president of the English club and you're welcome to join”

 

“But my English isn't that great to be honest...”

 

“All the more reason to join, don't you think?”

 

He hadn't really thought about something such as English club. But he supposed it could be a good idea. With music and basketball he already had arts and sports, adding something a bit more academic would definitely look good and English was probably useful.

 

“Sure. Why not.”

Notes:

-Rumors or...did Mingyu really stab someone :o

-just fyi I know that irl Seungkwan and Mingyu actually were in the same grade, but here I've put 95 in one grade, squeezed 96 and 97 together in one grade, and 98 in another. So...whatevs
-Next one will have some Hansol in it~

Chapter 6: HS1-5 English Club / the Rooftop

Summary:

Seungkwan joins the English Club and is glad to learn someone else from his class is there too. An unlikely threesome hang out on the roof.

Notes:

! This chapter involves a tiny bit of soft drugs (which is another reason I've left the location of this fic somewhat ambiguous since these kind of things are super illegal in some places, but not so much in others, so...I dunno...it just fits the story ^^"")

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan sat at a table third row from the front in the room that was shared by a few clubs, including English and the debate team. He had actually considered joining the debate team, but he hadn't even planned on joining a third club and he figured three clubs was plenty to keep him busy. Jisoo stood at the front of the class and was trying to get everyone's attention. He greeted the club members with his usual friendly smile before he walked over to where Seungkwan was sitting.

 

“I'd like to introduce our newest member, Seungkwan. He just moved here so let's help him settle in, okay?”

 

Seungkwan nodded and smiled, he almost stood up to wave at everyone, but then he remembered he wasn't seven years old. The English club had quite a number of members. Nobody seemed too interested in his presence, but at least he didn't feel the same level of being unwanted as he had in the basketball club.

 

“All right,” Jisoo continued, in English this time, “let's partner up and study some English!”

 

He hadn't even really done anything yet but Seungkwan was already feeling overwhelmed by the amount of English and he was not looking forward to embarrassing himself in front of someone who spoke it much better than him. That and probably no-one wanted to partner up with the new kid anyway. Luckily Jisoo spared him at least part of that, “Hansol, why don't you come here and be Seungkwan's partner? I believe you're in the same class.”

 

Seungkwan perked up at the name. After the locker room defense (or so Seungkwan liked to call the incident in his head) he had been sure to pay close attention during roll call to catch the sleepy boy's name. Of course Hansol wasn't an uncommon name, but Seungkwan was glad that it did in fact turn out to be the boy who sat diagonally behind him in class.

 

Hansol grabbed a chair and sat down across from him on the other side of the table with a smile, “Are you trying to join every club in the school, new kid?”

 

“Just the ones I deem worthy of my presence.” Seungkwan joked and apparently it was funny because Hansol laughed. “But you're not really one to talk,” Seungkwan said to him, “You're in multiple clubs yourself. A bit surprising given the fact you seem to sleep through a lot of class.”

 

Hansol leaned back in his chair and shrugged, his eyes never leaving Seungkwan, “Yeah, well, I enjoy basketball and English is easy for me. Keeps the teachers and parents off my back, you know.”

 

Seungkwan hummed in response.

 

“So, how are you liking it here so far?”

 

“It's okay, I guess.”

 

“That doesn't sound very enthusiastic.”

 

Seungkwan sighed, “In case you haven't noticed, nobody in our class talks to me and those boys from the basketball club didn't really want me to join.”

 

“You didn't have much luck getting seated next to Mingyu, I'll give you that. But don't worry too much about basketball. The captain's cool and those other guys will come around. Jaehyun over there is on the team too. He's alright.”

 

Seungkwan looked over to where Hansol had looked when mentioning Jaehyun and started to wonder if this school had magical powers that made so many of its students above average levels of handsomeness.

 

“Oh and you can always talk to me.” Hansol casually added.

 

“When you're awake.” Seungkwan replied with a teasing smile.

 

“You didn't seem to have a problem with waking me up before. Don't get shy now.”

 

They both chuckled. Seungkwan was starting to like talking with Hansol. He seemed very natural somehow. Like nothing he said was fake or forced.

 

“You joined the music club too, right? At least those guys are nice.”

 

Seungkwan raised an eyebrow, “You know them?” He found it strange that Hansol would know the members of the music club, all older than him and all avoided by a large part of the student body.

 

“Yeah, I know Jeonghan and Jihoon. And Jisoo, obviously.”

 

“How do you know Jeonghan and Jihoon?”

 

“We hang.”

 

“You...hang?” This didn't answer anything, but Hansol's only reply was a simple nod and Seungkwan decided not to ask any more questions.

 

The remaining part of the hour he and Hansol alternated between talking and actually studying English. The study part was mostly just Hansol helping Seungkwan with his pronunciation. By the time it was over Seungkwan had come to the conclusion that he was glad he had joined English club.

 

{The Rooftop}

 

The next day at lunch time Seungkwan didn't see any of the music club members (nor Hansol for that matter) so he decided to see if they really did hang out in the music room. He found Seokmin and Jisoo, but Jeonghan and Jihoon were nowhere to be found. According to the other two they sometimes disappeared to some place and that seemed to be all the information that was going to be provided.

 

At the same time on the roof of the school Jeonghan lay on a bench flat on his back with one arm dangling off the side. With his other hand he was holding up a gummy worm. He stared at it, wiggling it around, “This worm is kinda sexy. Just like you, Hoonie.” He let out a sound that was a mix between a giggle and a snort.

 

“How many have you had? Don't eat too many. I don't want the teachers to get suspicious and take away my edibles.” Jihoon replied and he yanked the candy worm out of Jeonghan's hand only to eat it himself. He sat down with his back against a wall. “Sexy like a worm...weirdo.” But a small smirk was evident on his face.

 

“So, how's the new member of the music club working out for you?” The third member of their rooftop hangout gang asked.

 

“Since when are you interested in the music club?” Jihoon asked Hansol.

 

Jeonghan chuckled, “I don't think it's the club he's interested in, Hoonie.”

 

“Please, he's just new. It's the most interesting thing that has happened at this school all year.”

 

“If you say so.” Jeonghan said, not convinced.

 

“He's actually also in the basketball club and he just joined English.” Hansol continued without reason. He just wasn't done talking about this new kid he couldn't help but be interested in.

 

“Well, looks like you and him will be spending quite some time together then.”

 

“We're in the same class, too.”

 

“You don't say.” Jeonghan replied as if this was new information to him. Jisoo had already told him about how he tried to get Seungkwan some friends in his class by introducing him to Hansol. He probably thought it was innocent like all that, but Jeonghan could see the potential.

 

“We have basketball practice together later. So I'm skipping your special treat today, Hoon.”

 

“When is your next match again?” Jihoon asked.

 

Hansol sighed, “You don't even like basketball, why do you even want to go?”

 

“School spirit.” Jihoon replied and Jeonghan let out a mocking puff of air.

 

“As if. It's because there's a lot of tall men in shorts. That's why.”

 

Jihoon shrugged. Hansol shook his head and sighed. But actually he was sort of amused at the same time, thinking about Jihoon's gloomy figure at a basketball game just there to stare at hot dudes.

Notes:

-Jihoon has a thing for super tall dudes, ok? (thinking of adding the tag 'Jihoon&tall men')
-Hansol was the 'locker room defender' XD
-Okay, so I'm actually looking forward to posting the next one, since some big stuff happens :o

If you're reading this, please drop me a comment <3

Chapter 7: HS1-6 Science Project

Summary:

When Seungkwan gets paired with Mingyu for a science project he's willing to give him another chance, but it doesn't quite go as expected.

Notes:

Guess who's back, back again~

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The first few weeks of his new high school life had come and gone. Seungkwan couldn't really say if it was better or worse than what he had hoped it would be. He wasn't bullied, but he wasn't exactly winning any popularity contests either. He had gotten pretty close with the members of the music club in such a short time. Perhaps it helped that all of them felt a bit like outcasts of the school hierarchy. They weren't at the bottom, it was more like they were standing on the side of the pyramid, not even bothered to be included.

 

Seungkwan didn't mind so much during class. He just focused on whatever the teacher was saying and taking notes. Although today was different. Their science teacher just gave them a project assignment. To be done in pairs. He was sure that even if the teacher hadn't told them to partner up with the person sitting next to them, he would have still ended up with Mingyu. Seeing as no-one seemed to want to work with Mingyu and most of them didn't even talk to Seungkwan. He supposed Hansol was sort of an option. They had gotten to know each other a bit through their shared club activities, but he wasn't sure they were at a friend level where Hansol would be willing to risk his reputation by voluntarily partnering up with him.

 

Either way, it didn't matter. He was stuck with the gloomy mess on his left. After the bell rang Seungkwan stood up with new found determination. If this Mingyu person wasn't going to talk to him, not even when they had to work together, Seungkwan would just do the talking. Mingyu clearly already didn't like him so there was no risk of ruining anything anyway.

 

While all the other boys of the class hurried away as soon as the last bell of the day rang Mingyu was still sitting at his desk, head resting on his hand and seemingly in no hurry to leave. Seungkwan cleared his throat to get his attention. When Mingyu didn't offer a clear sign that he was listening Seungkwan just started talking regardless. “Mingyu, was it?” he said with the best casually-not-really-interested voice he could come up with, “Whose house are we going to, to work on this project?”

 

Mingyu slowly turned his head and looked up at him, somewhat taken aback by Seungkwan's direct approach to him, “What?”

 

“Or do you want to work at it in the school library or something?” I heard he had a knife. Just rumors, Seungkwan. Focus! “That's cool too. A bit quiet but-”

 

“Eh, no a house is fine.” Mingyu replied. His eyes shifted to the side to see if anyone was looking at them, but most kids were already gone and the ones remaining didn't seem to be paying them any mind.

“Okay, cool. Yours or mine?” Seungkwan continued.

 

“Yours?” It came out more as a question than he had intended, but this was probably the longest conversation he'd had with someone at this school and it was new territory for Mingyu. So far for any pair or group related activities the other boys just did the work for him. He never asked them to, they just did. The extra work apparently worth not having to interact with him.

 

“Just come to my house around five. I have music club first.” he placed his phone on the desk and shoved it in Mingyu's direction, “Here. Put your number in. I'll send you the address.”

 

{Music Club}

 

“Seungkwan, we're going out for coffee or something. Are you coming?” Jisoo asked. They had just finished their club activities for the day. Jihoon had written a new ballad and they had been practicing it. Not sure for what. Not like anyone ever actually asked the music club to perform.

 

“No, I can't.” Seungkwan replied as he gathered his things, “I have to go work on this science project with Mingyu.”

 

“Excuse me?” Suddenly all eyes were on Seungkwan.

 

“I said I have to go work on my science project.”

 

“With?” Jeonghan asked.

 

“Mingyu.”

 

“With Mingyu.” Jihoon repeated after him, slowly.

 

“Yeah...what's the big deal?”

 

“It's just...are you sure you're going to work with him?” Seokmin asked hesitantly.

 

“Yes. He's coming to my house.”

 

“He's coming to your house.” This time it was Jeonghan who repeated after him.

 

“Yes. Will you guys stop repeating everything I say! We got partnered up together. So what?”

 

“So what!? Didn't you hear us last time? All the rumors surrounding that guy...he might be dangerous, Seungkwan!” Seokmin pointed out.

 

“Exactly.” Seungkwan swung his bag over his shoulders and stared at this friends, “Rumors. Besides being a bit rude and grumpy he hasn't done or said anything to me for me to be scared of him.”

 

“Has he actually agreed to come to your house? Maybe one of us should come too? Is your mom going to be there?” Jisoo voiced his concerns.

 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes, “Guys, seriously, relax. Go drink your coffee and I'll see you all tomorrow.”

 

{Seungkwan's house}

 

It was five minutes passed five and Seungkwan was starting to think Mingyu might not show up. He picked up his phone from the table and reviewed the message exchange.

 

This is Seungkwan, Boo Seungkwan. Here's my address. See you at 5?

 

Kim Mingyu: OK

 

And that was it. Besides regretting introducing himself as if he was James Bond, Seungkwan didn't see why Mingyu wouldn't come. Maybe he should call him to ask if he could find the place. But not wanting to be a nag he decided to give him a bit more time. Five minutes wasn't so much. Finally, twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang. Seungkwan hurried to the door with very little patience left in his body.

 

“You're late.” He reproached as soon as he opened the door.

 

Mingyu stood in the door opening and didn't say anything. Seungkwan had been practicing how to lecture him on proper manners, but now that he saw him standing there, awkward puppy look on his face, he decided it was best to just let it go. Besides, one of those rumors might be true and he was in no mood to get stabbed or something. So he sighed and moved out of the way, “Come in. You can put your shoes over there.”

 

Mingyu didn't come in right away, he opened his mouth like he was about to say something and closed it again. The second time he opened his mouth without talking Seungkwan raised a brow and asked, “Is there a problem?”

 

“Here!” Mingyu held up a plastic bag and waited for Seungkwan to hesitantly take it from him. Seungkwan looked inside and saw a bunch of snacks. Far too many for just the two of them.

 

“Oh, ehm, thanks. You didn't have to.”

 

“Oh...” Mingyu said, “I just thought...we could eat them while we work on the assignment or something.”

 

Suddenly Seungkwan started to feel bad for the tall boy standing in his doorway. He seemed so uncomfortable and not at all intimidating like he did at school. He smiled at him, “Actually, that's good thinking! Snacks are very important study tools!”

 

Mingyu's face lit up and Seungkwan realized this was the first time that he had seen him smile. It wasn't a bad look at all.

 

+++

 

Books, notes, and empty snack packages were scattered all over the table. They had been working for almost two hours. The awkward atmosphere had gradually evaporated and both of them had focused mainly on their homework. Seungkwan groaned and stood up from the table. He walked over to the couch and let himself sink into it. “We need a break.”

 

He peeked over at Mingyu and followed him with his eyes as he started to clean up the table. He was really nothing like how he was at school, “I said...” he said with a louder voice than before, “We need a break! Stop cleaning and come here, let's watch some TV or something.”

 

Not long after that they were both doubling over with laughter. They had muted the sound of the TV and were giving their own interpretation of the overly dramatic daytime soap that was on. Seungkwan had probably only meant to lightly slap Mingyu's leg in his laughing fit, but without realizing it let his hand linger. Mingyu, on the other hand, definitely noticed and immediately his laughter stopped. Seungkwan looked up at him, surprised by the sudden silence. As he had been leaning in their faces were quite close. “What?” he asked, unsure what Mingyu's confused stare was trying to ask him.

 

Seungkwan's eyes widened when Mingyu's closed. Mingyu pressed their lips together and Seungkwan wasn't sure what to do. He didn't have time to figure it out because Mingyu abruptly pulled away with pure shock on his face. He jumped up and stormed toward the door. It took Seungkwan a moment to snap back into reality. When he did he yelled out for Mingyu to wait, but when he got to the hallway the door slammed shut and Mingyu was gone. Seungkwan decided not to follow.

Notes:

The reason why Mingyu was so late was because he was at the store and couldn't decide what snacks to buy. Sweet? Savory? Does Seungkwan have any allergies? Is it weird if I bring something in the first place? etc. (someone hug him please, he's so awkward T__T)

-Oooh snap! Did you see it coming? o.o
-Please leave me a comment if you want me to drop the next one quickly~ (I don't mean it in a 'if you don't comment I won't post' kind of way, I mean just to let me know. I'll drop it in a few days anyway :D)

Chapter 8: HS1-7 Science Project (continued)

Summary:

Seungkwan tries to talk to Mingyu about what happened yesterday.

Notes:

So...since this chap is basically a part 2 of the last one...I just went ahead and posted it o.o (also...I just want to know what people think about it, I guess.)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan had tried to reach out to Mingyu through text, asking him if they could talk, but no reply. He walked into the classroom the next day and Mingyu was already sitting at this desk. He walked over to his own desk. As he approached he saw Mingyu looking up at him. He looked back. Mingyu seemed scared almost. Scared as if Seungkwan would start yelling at him for kissing him, make a scene, call him gay in front of everybody. Of course he didn't. He just sat down and didn't say anything. This wasn't the time and definitely not the place.

 

Hansol walked in and with a smile on his face asked Seungkwan how the science project was going. Seungkwan hesitantly looked over at Mingyu, who immediately looked away. The tension was almost tangible. Seungkwan gave Hansol an awkward smile and shrugged.

 

As soon as the bell rang Mingyu got up and made his way out of the classroom. Seungkwan hurriedly grabbed his notes and followed, but he was unexpectedly blocked by Jeonghan and Jihoon waiting outside of the classroom.

 

“There you are!” Jeonghan exclaimed, “Would it have killed you to let us know you're still alive!”

 

“W-what are you talking about?” Seungkwan said with his attention only half focused as he was staring down the hallway trying to find Mingyu.

 

Jeonghan cast a glare down the hall where Mingyu just disappeared around the corner, “How did the science project go yesterday? Did Mingyu bring a knife to your house? Did he try to enlist you into a gang?”

 

Seungkwan sighed, “It was fine. Now if you will excuse me.” he pushed passed the both of them and went down the direction Mingyu had.

 

Jeonghan shook his head and sighed, “I think something happened. I can just feel it, Hoonie.”

 

Jihoon shrugged, “Just let it be, Han. I'm sure it's nothing.”

 

“But...”

 

“Hey guys!” Hansol's voice came from behind them, “What's up?”

 

“Nothing. Jeonghan and I are headed to the roof. You coming?”

 

{Rooftop}

 

“Hansol, have you noticed anything about Seungkwan and Mingyu lately?”

 

“Let it be, Jeonghan.” Jihoon said with a stern voice.

 

“What do you mean?” Hansol asked.

 

Jeonghan, completely ignoring Jihoon, continued, “Just...how do they interact? They sit next to each other, right?”

 

“Oh, ehm, they don't interact for the most part. I guess they're doing the science project together, but I haven't noticed anything weird. Why?”

 

Jihoon sighed, “Mingyu went over to Seungkwan's house yesterday to work on it and Jeonghan thinks something might have happened because he's crazy.”

 

“I'm not crazy! Didn't you see the way Mingyu waltzed right out of the classroom and Seungkwan was chasing him!”

 

“Doesn't that mean everything is probably fine? Seungkwan's clearly not scared of him or anything.”

 

Jeonghan pouted and leaned back against the wall, “I guess so...”

 

Hansol thought back at earlier and the way Mingyu had definitely avoided Seungkwan's gaze. But wasn't Mingyu always like that?

 

From that day on Hansol would spend less and less time sleeping during class and all the more observing the two boys sitting in front of him.

 

{Library}

 

“Excuse me,” Seungkwan whispered to the older student who always seemed to be in the school library, “I'm looking for one of my classmates. Tall, a bit tan, nervous looking?”

 

“I don't know about nervous looking, but there's a tall guy sitting in the back who came in just before you did.”

 

“Thanks.” Seungkwan thanked the spectacled boy and walked to the back. Sure enough he found Mingyu sitting at one of the tables. When he saw Seungkwan he averted his eyes and startled to fumble with his fingers.

 

Seungkwan sat down across from him, “So, ehm, we still need to finish the project. Can we go to your house after school today? Or you can come over to mine again?” He wasn't entirely sure how to handle the situation, but seeing as Mingyu had already ran away twice, he thought it was safer to talk about their school work first.

 

“Seungkwan I...” Mingyu looked around. There was no-one there, but Seungkwan could tell Mingyu was scared someone would hear them talking.

 

“Maybe we should also...talk.” Seungkwan whispered.

 

He smiled at him and Mingyu nodded in response. He didn't really want to talk. He wanted to run away and hide forever. But Seungkwan didn't seem angry with him or even upset about what he had done. He still hadn't figured out how to explain himself, because he honestly didn't know what he had been thinking.

 

{Seungkwan's house}

 

“Let's talk in my room.” Seungkwan suggested once they were at his house. He figured it would be weird to talk about yesterday on the couch where it had happened. But as they sat down on Seungkwan's bed he starting to regret this decision. He really hoped Mingyu didn't get the wrong idea and think he took him to his room to make out or something. Just in case, he made sure not to sit too close.

 

After a few moments of awkward silence Mingyu blurted out a string of words that Seungkwan was just able to make out.

 

“Imsosorryaboutyesterday.”

 

“Mingyu, relax. I'm not angry or anything. I'm just a bit confused, I guess. Why did you kiss me?”

 

Mingyu visible shrunk at the word kiss and Seungkwan had never seen someone so tall looking so small. “Mingyu?” he asked again.

 

“I'm sorry...” Mingyu looked up, but almost immediately looked away again. “I don't know why I did it...I just...it felt like a moment or something...” he mumbled.

 

“Was it the first time you kissed someone?” Seungkwan asked softly. He didn't want to dive into the obvious of them both being boys right away.

 

Mingyu bit his lip and shook his head.

 

“Was it the first time you kissed a boy?”

 

Mingyu nodded.

 

“Is that why you freaked out and ran away?”

 

Mingyu shrugged, “I don't know...”

 

“Or was it because you kissed me?” Seungkwan hadn't gotten the feeling Mingyu had kissed him because he was in love with him or anything. He felt like Mingyu was very confused about the whole thing, even more than Seungkwan had been.

 

“Kind of I guess. It's not like I like you or anything! Not that you're unlikable! I just got the feeling that you...like...boys...too...” with every word he spoke his voice became softer.

 

“Oh...too?”

 

“No! I mean...I-”

 

“I do.” Seungkwan said. Mingyu looked up and Seungkwan smiled slightly. “Like boys, I mean.”

 

“Oh...”

 

“So, you kissed me to find out what it's like to kiss a boy?”

 

Mingyu bit his lower lip and nodded, “I think so...”

 

“Mingyu, I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but are you gay?” there was no judgment in his voice, but Mingyu still flinched a little at the word.

 

“I...I've kissed a few girls before, but...I don't think it makes me feel like it's supposed to make you feel.”

 

Seungkwan scoffed, “Supposed to. Such a useless word if you ask me.”

 

“And lately, and when I say lately I mean years probably, I've been thinking maybe the reason I was never into any of those girls is because I don't really like girls in that way. And maybe...maybe I like...”

 

“Boys?” Seungkwan finished for him. Mingyu's eyes were tearing up and his voice was starting to crack. Seungkwan could see how much he was struggling. Mingyu nodded. He wasn't saying anything that he didn't already know really. He had just never spoken about it. With anyone. Knowing it and saying it out loud were two very different things. It made it real.

 

“Yeah...” Mingyu replied softly. He looked up and finally met Seungkwan's eyes for longer than two seconds. “I'm so sorry I suddenly kissed you, Seungkwan. I just wanted to know...what boys' lips feel like, I guess.”

 

Seungkwan shrugged casually, “Don't worry about it. It was barely a kiss anyway...”

 

Mingyu shoved him lightly and they both chuckled. The air already felt less heavy and the weight of yesterday that had been pressing on his chest was quickly disappearing.

 

“Do you want a real kiss from a boy?” Seungkwan asked with a teasing voice.

 

Mingyu's eyes widened, “What?”

 

“Me and a friend back home used to make out together. It doesn't have to be a big deal. We mostly just did it to practice.” Seungkwan started to explain, “I figured it would be better to get good at it before I go and kiss someone I really like or something.”

 

“I guess that kinda makes sense...” Mingyu mumbled.

 

“So?” Seungkwan asked again, “How about it?”

 

“Are you serious?”

 

Seungkwan scooted closer, “Yes. Unless you don't want to, then I'm just kidding.”

 

Mingyu swallowed, “Okay.”

 

“Okay?”

 

He nodded. Seungkwan leaned in.

 

Mingyu felt safe doing this with Seungkwan. It didn't feel wrong or pressured. It was new and exciting. Seungkwan made sure not to push through Mingyu's boundaries and took it slow. After a few minutes he pulled back and looked at Mingyu with a smile. Mingyu smiled back awkwardly.

 

“Well?” Seungkwan asked, “How did you like it?”

 

Mingyu nodded slowly, “Definitely different from kissing girls. I can't really explain it.”

 

“You don't have to.”

 

Mingyu looked down to his hands and fumbled with a loose thread on his jeans, “H-how was I? Good enough to kiss someone I like?”

 

Seungkwan crossed his arms and furrowed his eyebrows like he was thinking, “Well...not bad for a beginner. Nice tongue work. But you could try to show a bit more initiative. We'll work on it.”

 

Mingyu's face turned bright red, “I-I didn't need a detailed review!”

 

Seungkwan burst out laughing and soon Mingyu joined him. He felt happier and lighter than he had in a long time.

 

+++

 

“Have you kissed a lot of people?”

 

They were both lying on their backs on Seungkwan's bed, staring up at the ceiling.

 

“A few. Just one other boy though.” Seungkwan replied.

 

“Oh...so you like girls and boys?”

 

Seungkwan thought for a moment. “I do like girls, but not in the same way that I like boys. It was great though. Girls really seemed to be into kissing a gay guy. Maybe because they knew that's all it was gonna be.”

 

Mingyu suddenly sat up with a serious look on his face.“Seungkwan?”

 

“Yeah?” Seungkwan sat up also.

 

Mingyu took a deep breath before he spoke. “I'm gay.”

 

Seungkwan took his hand and smiled at him.

 

“I know it was pretty obvious by now, but I just needed to say it.”

 

“I'm proud of you.” Seungkwan said and for a while they just sat there.

 

“Are you out?” Mingyu finally broke their peaceful silence. “Like, to friends and family?”

 

Seungkwan nodded slowly. “My parents and sisters know, back in my old town my friends knew and it was kind of an open secret at school. Most people were actually pretty cool with it. Some more than others.”

 

“What about here? Have you told anyone?”

 

Seungkwan sighed, “Well, I think everybody is just assuming that I am, but I've only really told the music club guys.”

 

“They're all okay with it, right? I mean...I heard rumors...”

 

“They're all okay with it, yeah. But it's not really my place to tell you about their sexualities. Just like I won't tell anybody about yours if you don't want me to.”

 

“Thanks...I think I'm not quite ready to be all out yet.”

 

“So...speaking of rumors. Tell me about the one where you stabbed something or someone at your old school?”

 

Mingyu averted his eyes. He could have thought this subject was going to come up sooner or later. “It's not a rumor...I stabbed a basketball.”

 

“Why would you stab a basketball?”

 

“I...I knew they assumed that because I'm tall I'm good at basketball, but I really really suck at it.”

 

“So you have a vendetta against basketball and all basketballs deserve to die?”

 

“No...I just...I didn't know what to do! They came up to me and asked me to join the team. They were all looking at me like I was going to be their star player or something and I just freaked out...after that rumors started to spread that I threatened people with a knife and things just got a bit out of hand...”

 

“Wow...you're a lot more of a social mess than I initially thought.”

 

Mingyu fell back onto the bed and let out a big sigh, “I know. I don't even have any friends...”

 

“Excuse me? What am I?”

 

Mingyu looked up at him, “We're friends?”

 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes, “Obviously.”

 

Seungkwan also lay down onto the bed and they got zero work done because the rest of the afternoon they just talked. About their old schools, about troubles they had at their current school, hot celebrities, basically anything and everything. Perhaps getting randomly paired with the person next to you wasn't so bad after all.

Notes:

-How many notes does Seungkwan take? Why does he always have so many notes? He's a good boy
-Please note that the boy with glasses in the library will come back at some point and play a bigger part (can you guess who it is? I bet some of you can, lol)
-Maybe someday I'll write a one-shot going deeper into Mingyu's experiences at his old school
-I don't know how most people would react to what Mingyu did, but I think I'm like Seungkwan in this...like...clearly the other person feels weird about it, so I wouldn't want to make them feel worse eventhough maybe I should be more like 'wtf why did you randomly kiss me??' (or like...it's not really up to the person who was kissed to make the person who did the kissing feel better about it, but whatever, I'm rambling. Good night, stay healthy~)

Mingyu: *apparently carries around a knife and stabs things
Mingyu when people think he's scary: *surprised Pikachu meme

(For those of you waiting for more Verkwan interaction: please wait just a bit longer, things will start happening soon)

Chapter 9: HS1-8 Lunch II

Summary:

Seungkwan is upset when Mingyu still won't talk to him at school. He confronts him at lunchtime.

Notes:

This is just a small chap~ (and I had zero title inspiration, lol)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The next day at school Mingyu was keeping to himself just as much as he had done before and Seungkwan was lying if he said he wasn't a bit hurt. This wasn't the same Mingyu that he had talked with for hours in his room yesterday. He wanted to speak to him, but right as the bell rang he got distracted by an eraser being thrown at the back of his head. He turned around already knowing that it must have been Hansol.

 

“Can't you get my attention like a normal person?” he said and threw the eraser back onto Hansol's desk.

 

“Sorry,” Hansol chuckled, “I didn't think the bell was going to ring yet. Can I borrow your notes?”

 

Seungkwan stood up with a sigh, “You should really take your own notes.” But he already placed his notebook on Hansol's desk. He didn't spend any more time talking to him though. He was meeting the music club in the cafeteria for lunch and he wanted to get to his locker before that. On his way there he ran into Seokmin who accompanied him. Seungkwan was just about to close his locker when he saw Seokmin's eyes go wide.

 

“What's wrong with you?” He turned around to see what Seokmin was seeing that had him all freaked out, but all he saw was one of his basketball teammates.

 

“Hey, Seungkwan.” Jaehyun greeted him as he walked by, “See you at practice later.”

 

“Yeah, see you then.”

 

Jaehyun locked his eyes onto Seokmin and gave him a little nod, “Bye.”

 

Seokmin opened his mouth to say something back, but nothing came out. Seungkwan looked at him, puzzled by why Seokmin had just gone from white to completely red in the course of a few seconds.

 

“Are you okay? What's wrong with you?” But before Seokmin had snapped back to reality the wheels started turning inside Seungkwan's head.

 

“N-nothing!” Seokmin replied finally. “Come on, we're late for lunch! Let's go. Stop looking at me like that.”

 

Seungkwan had a smirk on his face, “Is Jaehyun one of the things you're busy figuring out, Seok?”

 

The blush on Seokmin's face only turned a deeper shade of red, “Seungkwan please, don't tell him that I like him!”

 

“I didn't even say anything and you went right into admitting that you like him!” Seungkwan pointed out with glee.

 

“...”

 

“Don't worry. My lips are sealed.” True to his word Seungkwan had no plan to even mention Seokmin to Jaehyun, but he would be sure to keep his eyes and ears open around him a bit more to figure out if there was any chance Jaehyun could reciprocate his friend's crush. Out of all the basketball guys Jaehyun was one of the few who actually seemed nice. He hadn't talked to him much, but he was friendly and had never said anything against Seungkwan joining the team.

 

At lunch Seungkwan scanned the cafeteria with his eyes. It didn't take him long to find the person who he was looking for. Mingyu. Sitting by himself as per usual. He took out his phone and sent him a message.

 

Gyu~ Come sit with me and the music guys

 

He saw Mingyu check his phone, but he didn't get up. He just put his phone away again and stayed right where he was. Seungkwan let out an insulted huff and stood up, “Excuse me, I have to move tables for a bit.”

 

He walked over to Mingyu's table (followed by four pair of curious eyes) and sat down across from him with an angry frown on his face. Mingyu was startled by his dramatic entrance and stared back at him.

 

“What do you want?” he asked, mouth filled with yet to be chewed food.

 

“So just how many hours do I have to hang out with you, talk to you, listen to you, before I am worthy to hang out with during school hours? I guess being by yourself is better than being seen with me. Is that it?”

 

“Seungkwan, people are staring...”

 

It was true. Some people were staring, but Seungkwan was angry. He thought he and Mingyu had become friends. He thought Mingyu liked him as a person and would want to hang out with him. Not like he had much of a reputation to protect anyway.

 

“Fine. I'll leave you alone. Just have the balls to tell me to my face that you don't want to be seen with me.”

 

Mingyu lowered his gaze. “It's not that...”

 

“Then what?”

 

“Haven't you noticed that everybody always avoids me? People are scared of me...they don't want to have anything to do with me.” He looked up and Seungkwan's expression softened. This was the same scared boy who had stood in his doorway holding a bag of snacks.

 

“It's not that I'm worried about being seen with you, I'm worried about people seeing you with me.”

 

Seungkwan scoffed. “Don't be ridiculous. I don't care about any of that. So as long as you don't mind, I'm going to eat my lunch here now. Okay?”

 

Mingyu nodded and a small smile appeared on his face. He was about to continue eating his lunch when he was startled again when the rest of the music club sat down at their table.

 

“Seungkwan, why do we have to move all the way over here? Couldn't he just have joined us instead?” Jeonghan asked with an exaggerated amount of dramatics as if walking the few meters to this table was a three week journey through the desert.

 

“It's not my fault,” Seungkwan replied as best he could with a mouth full of food, “Mingyu was being stubborn.” He swallowed, “Oh yeah, by the way, everybody this is Mingyu, Mingyu this is everybody.”

 

Jihoon scoffed, “As if we don't know who Mingyu is.” He stared him straight in the eye, “I'm not afraid of you, buddy. Don't let my height fool you. I'll cut a bitch.”

 

“Don't mind him.” Jisoo said, “He means well.”

 

“No I don't.”

 

“He does.” Jeonghan added. Jihoon just glared at the both of them.

 

The others introduced himself to Mingyu and the rest of lunch was the best lunch of the school year so far. For Mingyu anyway. He didn't even notice the stares from the other people in the cafeteria anymore.

Notes:

Yay for Seungkwan joining his new friends together (for the most part)

Personally, I'm here for Seokmin crushing on Jaehyun

Next time is Music Club time~

Chapter 10: HS1-9 Music Club - Of Bands and Butts

Summary:

Seungkwan has an idea for the music club. Jeonghan likes butts.

Notes:

Before we begin: SCOUUUUPPPPSS is back T____T (eh, irl, not in fic world)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

As much as he enjoyed hanging out at the music club and making music with just the five of them, Seungkwan felt like it wasn't enough. Nobody knew or cared about the music they made. He wanted people to hear them, because between the five of them there was a lot of talent in that music room. His old school held a big musical every year and he had really been looking forward to joining before he moved. He knew that trying to start a musical with just five members would be near impossible and the other students wouldn't exactly be lining up to join either. If anything they'd probably make fun of them. But Seungkwan had come across something that he thought was perfect. Or at least worth suggesting to the others.

 

He opened the door to the music room and walked in on Jihoon and Jeonghan having some sort of argument. Both Seokmin and Jisoo were sitting to the side minding their own business.

 

“Jeonghan, no!” Jihoon looked about ready to hit Jeonghan over the head with the guitar he had in his hand.

 

“I don't mean it in a sexual way I just want to-”

 

“No!”

 

“But it looks so-”

 

“NO!”

 

Seungkwan walked over to them, “What are you two talking about?”

 

“Nothing!” Jihoon hissed. More at Jeonghan than at Seungkwan.

 

Jeonghan, on the other hand, sighed and explained. “I want to touch your butt, but he says I can't.”

 

“E-excuse me?” Seungkwan wasn't sure if he had heard correctly,”You want to touch my...butt?”

 

“It looks so round and squeezable!” Jeonghan's eyes lit up and he clasped his hands together.

 

“I, eh...”

 

“It's not a weird sexual thing! I just really like touching butts. I touch Jihoon's all the time!” He immediately placed a hand on Jihoon's ass. Seungkwan almost saw a gauge of rage in Jihoon's eyes going up to a boiling point. “See? He's totally fine with it.”

 

He most definitely did not look like he was totally fine with it, but at the same time the fact that he hadn't already smacked Jeonghan away was a lot coming from Jihoon.

 

“Please don't touch my butt.” Seungkwan said. He believed Jeonghan didn't mean it in a creepy way, but he wasn't exactly used to friends who asked if they could grope him during school hours. In a strange way he was grateful for friends that were so comfortable around each other. This music room really was their safe space.

 

“Awww...Can I at least change your chat name to MC Booty? As an ode to it.”

 

Seungkwan snorted, “Fine. I guess.”

 

“You never touch my butt.” Seokmin, who had walked over together with Jisoo to witness this ridiculous conversation, weighed in, sounding slightly disappointed. Jeonghan ruffled Seokmin's hair with his free hand and smiled.

 

“That's because you're innocent and pure.”

 

“You don't think I'm innocent and pure?” Seungkwan asked, feeling weirdly offended.

 

Jeonghan scoffed, “No.”

 

“You also never touch Jisoo's butt!” Seokmin pointed out. There was something off about the way Jeonghan's face twitched for a split second.

 

“That's just because...Jisoo is...” He was stumbling over his words and avoided looking at the boy in question.

 

“I know whose butt Seokmin wants to touch~” Seungkwan sing-songed and saw Seokmin's eyes grow wide.

 

“Oh, you mean Jaehyun?” Jisoo added casually.

 

“Why are you all exposing me?” Seokmin whined.

 

“You expose yourself by become redder than Jihoon's hair was last summer everytime you talk to him.” Jeonghan teased.

 

“He's too handsome. I don't know how to talk to him!”

 

“But Minnie, you talk to me all the time.” Jeonghan said with fake offense.

 

“I'm sorry, you're very handsome! You're all very handsome! That's not what I meant! I-”

 

“Honey, relax. I was just kidding.”

 

“Han, stop breaking this poor kid's brain.” Jisoo chuckled.

 

“Look, Minnie, don't be ashamed about wanting to grab Jaehyun's butt. There's nothing wrong with wanting to grab someone's butt. It's only natural to-”

 

“Can we please stop talking about butts.” Jihoon interrupted. “And, stop. Touching. me.”

 

Jeonghan finally pulled his hand off Jihoon's behind. “Fine. What are we doing today? Do you want to go over that song you wrote again?”

 

“Actually,” Seungkwan said before Jihoon could answer, “I have something I want to talk to you guys about.” He took a crumbled piece of paper from his bag and held it up with anticipation.

 

“Battle of the Bands?” Jihoon asked with a raised eyebrow.

 

“Yes! I know we are a music club and we've been focusing mostly on ballads, but what if we-”

 

“Start a band.” Jihoon finished for him as straightened his posture. He took the paper from Seungkwan and studied it more carefully. He nodded as he took in the requirements. “First auditions in February...final show in May...” he mumbled and a smirk started to form on his face. “We can do this. Let's do it.”

 

Seungkwan, clearly excited that Jihoon thought it was a good idea, clapped his hands, but the others seemed less convinced.

 

“It sounds like fun, Jihoon, but there's one problem.” Jisoo spoke.

 

“What's that?”

 

“You can drum, I can play the guitar, but we don't have anyone for bass. Can't have a proper band without a bass player.”

 

Jihoon thought for a moment as he chewed on his bottom lip. “Jeonghan.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Learn how to play bass.”

 

“What!?” Jeonghan exclaimed.

 

“You're musically talented, shouldn't be too hard.”

 

“But I-”

 

“It's perfect. You already have that bass guitarist vibe anyway.”

 

“I do!?”

 

“Yeah.” The others nodded as well, all seeing the potential of Jeonghan the bass player.

 

“Why can't Seungkwan learn how to play bass?”

 

“Nah, the more I think about it, the more it makes sense that you're going to be our bassist. You've got the potential, the vibe, and it'll keep your hands busy with things other than butts. Besides, Seungkwan is more suited for a...a tambourine or something.”

 

Seungkwan let out a small indignant puff of air, “I'd be insulted because I think you meant it as a negative thing, but I'd rock a tambourine and you know it.”

 

“All in favor of starting a band with Jeonghan as our bass player? Raise of hands.” Jihoon declared.

 

Three hands shot up immediately, with Seokmin's hesitant hand following. Jeonghan looked around at his friends with a look of betrayal. But eventually he sighed and caved.

 

“Don't worry, Hannie. I'll help you.” Jisoo smiled and hooked their arms together.

 

Seokmin leaned in to Jihoon and whispered in his ear, “You do know that I also play guitar, right? I could play bass.”

 

Jihoon shrugged, “You're on keyboard. Besides, it's good for his education.”

 

“What do I do?” Seungkwan asked, “I play a little bit of piano...”

 

“You're on vocals. But it might be interesting to have you and Seok sing some things together. We'll figure it out. Nice idea, Seungkwan. I've been itching to actually do something. The fact that we'll be using school time to practice for something not at all related to the school is a bonus.”

Notes:

-Don't worry, Jihoon doesn't really mind Jeonghan touching his butt
-Seriously can we have a vocal team band again, please? >.<

-Big thank you to all the lovely people who are always leaving comments ^_^

EDIT: just a small note to tell you that the story of Jihoon's bright red hair will be told at some point, lol

Next up: A basketball team outing (which means Hansol) that goes well at first, then not so great, then great again (will probably update pretty fast...I kind of really like the last part of the next chapter because it sets certain things in motion ._. )

Chapter 11: HS1-10 Burgers, games and a scarf

Summary:

Hansol invites Seungkwan to go have some burgers with him and some of their basketball teammates.

Notes:

I told ya'll I'd update really soon this time, lol.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The end of the year was fast approaching and the start of their winter break only a day away. The basketball team had a tournament in January and Johnny, the captain, was working them overtime before the holidays. They had just finished up their final training and Seungkwan was about ready to leave when Hansol blocked his path.

 

“Hey Seungkwan! Me and some of the guys are going to grab a burger, wanna come?”

 

Seungkwan looked passed Hansol and saw a few of the other boys waiting. Amongst them was Taesung, one of the boys who had been vocally against Seungkwan joining the team. Even though he felt like they were more indifferent to his presence now as opposed to against it, he still felt like most of them just tolerated him because the captain had said so. “Ehm, I don't want to impose.”

 

“Don't be silly, come on.” His smile was big and bright and Seungkwan could hardly say no to that. So he awkwardly walked after Hansol already making his way back to their teammates.

 

“Guys, Seungkwan is coming too.”

 

Seungkwan could see on the faces of some of them that they'd rather not have him coming along and he was about to come up with some sort of excuse not to go when one of them stepped forward.

 

“Finally. You've been in the club for a while now. About time.”

 

Seungkwan only knew his name was Hyunggu and that he was in the same year, different class. He had never actually even spoken with him, had he? Well, he seemed nice enough. His black bangs were slightly too long and kept getting in his eyes, but his smile was friendly albeit a bit mischievous. His face was another one of those that made Seungkwan wonder what was in the water of this town to make all the men look so good.

 

They all rode the bus together and Seungkwan was hoping to sit next to Hansol, but the seat next to him was taken by Hyunggu before Hansol could even sit down. Seungkwan's phone chimed and he checked the message Mingyu had sent him. They had unconsciously developed the habit to text each other throughout the day and it was unusual to go without a message for more than a few hours.

 

Gyu: Done with basketball? >3<

 

Mr. Boo: Yeah somehow on my way to eat burgers with some of them...

 

Gyu:OMG social interaction! Have fun~ Be safe~ Let me know how it goes

 

It still amazed Seungkwan how different Mingyu had turned out to be from his first impression. He was in the middle of typing his reply when he was startled by Hyunggu leaning in and whispering, “I'm glad you're joining us, Seungkwan. Most of these guys are idiots.” Seungkwan smiled at him. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad.

 

This was the first time he hung out with any of the basketball team members outside of the club and maybe they had just gotten used to him or maybe it was because the setting was different, but he felt quite comfortable and he didn't stay in his shell for too long. His celebrity impressions had the whole group laughing and for the first time he felt like they were looking at him not as the undeclared gay kid, but just as Seungkwan. That was until one of them spotted a group of girls.

 

“Look at that those girls! Let's go talk to them! Maybe we can talk them into a date!” One of the older boys said with pubescent enthusiasm.

 

“There's only five girls, there's six of us.” Hansol pointed out. Honestly he wasn't interested either way. He hadn't come out to find a date.

 

“So? Not like Seungkwan needs a girl.” Taesung shot back.

 

Seungkwan froze. All eyes on him. Were they waiting for him to deny it? Should he say how much he likes boobs?

 

Hyunggu clicked his tongue, “It's an uneven number regardless. Just forget about it.”

 

“Oh come on, I'm sure Seungkwan doesn't mind. Right, Seungkwan?” Another boy looked at Seungkwan and he felt the pressure to excuse himself, to disappear.

 

“Right...you guys go and get some chicks. I have stuff to do anyway.” He didn't even wait for a response, he got up and walked away. He just wanted to get out of there.

 

Once outside he started looking around to figure out where the nearest bus stop was. He hadn't really paid any attention when they arrived. He felt like an absolute idiot. He felt humiliated and alone. He took a deep breath to calm himself when he suddenly heard a voice calling out to him.

 

“Seungkwan, wait up!”

 

He turned around and saw Hansol coming towards him.

 

“I'm sorry about those guys. I don't think they meant-”

 

“Meant what? That I'm gay? Of course that's what they meant. And they just blatantly used it as a reason not to hang out with me.” Seungkwan just blurted it out. He didn't even care if Hansol would take this to mean that he was, in fact, gay. He was done trying to become friends with people who wouldn't accept him for who he was anyway. He let out a big sigh. “And I just thought they were starting to like me.”

 

“They do like you! They're just thinking with their dicks. And even if they don't like you it's really their loss. You don't need friends like that.”

 

“Thanks...” Seungkwan smiled weakly.

 

“I don't care by the way. If you're...” he didn't finish his sentence. He wasn't sure why not. He really didn't care what sexuality people had, but knowing if this particular boy was interested in boys felt more important to Hansol somehow.

 

“So, ehm, why did you follow me out?” Seungkwan asked, deciding not to delve into the subject of his sexuality further, “You just left them with the wrong number of people again.”

 

Hansol chuckled, “Yeah, well, sucks for them I guess. They were being assholes.”

 

Seungkwan wasn't sure what to say next. Hansol had just left his friends behind to hang out with him. He had already considered him something of a friend, but this felt like a new level in their friendship. Seungkwan couldn't quite put his finger on it, but this felt different than the other new friends he had made. He didn't slip into it as smoothly and he had difficulty coming up with something he and Hansol could do together. It wasn't that he didn't want to hang out with him, he was just afraid to suggest something Hansol wouldn't like.

 

Luckily Hansol didn't seem to have that problem, “Do you want to go to the arcade? Play some games?” he asked casually as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and, without actually waiting for Seungkwan's reply, slowly started walking.

 

“Eh, sure.” Seungkwan said as he quickly caught up with him. He almost never went to arcades. He thought they were too loud and most of the people there were way too invested in the games. But, if it was with Hansol, he was sure arcades could be fun.

 

{arcade hall}

 

Hansol had led them to the nearest arcade and Seungkwan just followed. But, once again, he allowed himself a moment to be distracted by his phone. Or, more specifically, by Kim Mingyu.

 

Gyu: how's the basketball hang?

 

Mr. Boo: just me and Hansol now

 

Gyu: why?

 

Mr. Boo: what why?

 

Gyu: why just H?

 

Mr. Boo: tell you later. You're still coming to my place tomorrow?

 

Gyu: eh ok. Yeah totally @tomorrow

 

Seungkwan put his phone away in his bag and placed his attention back on Hansol who was groaning after he had failed to win a price out of the crane game for the third time in a row. Seungkwan sighed, “Move. Let me try.”

 

His level of confidence was based on nothing, but somehow proved to be justified when he successfully got a small plush of a little pig dressed as a cat on his first try. Hansol's mouth was wide open with genuine amazement and he excitedly shook Seungkwan by the shoulders.

 

“Calm down, calm down!” Seungkwan said laughing. “Here.” He held up his prize and gave it to Hansol.

 

“But you won it...” Hansol said, taking it nonetheless.

 

“It was your coin. Besides, it's more fun to win for someone else.”

 

Hansol grinned from ear to ear, “Well, thanks! If I win something I'll be sure to return the favor.”

 

Seungkwan sighed dramatically, “I guess I'll never get anything then.”

 

Hansol shook his head and scoffed, but the smile hadn't left his face. “Come on, let's play something I can beat you at.”

 

“Ha! Good luck with that.”

 

As it turned out, there were plenty of games Hansol could beat Seungkwan at, but neither of them really cared either way. They were having fun and that was all that mattered. When they both ran out of cash they decided it was time to head back home. It was getting kind of late anyway.

 

“I think my bus leaves at that bus stop over there. How about you?” Seungkwan asked once they had left the arcade and were walking outside. “Do you need me to check the schedule? I have the app here.”

 

“N-no, I'm good.” Hansol replied, voice trembling a bit. Seungkwan looked up from his phone and stopped in his tracks when his eyes landed on a shivering Hansol.

 

“Oh my god, why aren't you dressed warmer!?”He hadn't noticed before, but the other boy was clearly under-dressed for the current temperature. It hadn't matter so much when they were inside, but now he looked like he was freezing.

 

“I didn't think it would be so cold today!” Or more precisely he hadn't thought he'd be out until this late when the temperature was already way down.

 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes and took off his scarf, “Here.” He placed it around Hansol's neck and wrapped it around him twice.

 

“T-thanks.”

 

“Better?”

 

Hansol nodded.

 

“Good. Now let's go.” Seungkwan continued walking and Hansol let out the breath he had apparently been holding.

 

Hansol knew he needed a different bus stop, but his bus would arrive after Seungkwan's so he walked with him. He was glad they left the other guys at the restaurant. He really needed to re-evaluate some of his friendships because he couldn't remember the last time he had this much fun. He was more wrapped up in his thoughts than he realized and he didn't even notice the arrival of Seungkwan's bus.

 

“Hansol? My bus is here. I guess I'll see you after winter break.”

 

Seungkwan already had one foot in the bus when Hansol remembered he still had Seungkwan's scarf wrapped around his neck, “Oh, here, your scarf!” He started to take it off but Seungkwan stopped him.

 

“Keep it. I have another one at home.”

 

“I have one at home too.” Hansol mumbled.

 

“Well, you clearly need a back-up.” Seungkwan winked at him and got on the bus. He waved to Hansol from the window. He waved back and as he did so, Hansol wasn't sure if the warmth in his body was because of the scarf or because of the person who had given it to him.

Notes:

And thus Hansol's emotional awakening starts...

For those of you who are not so familiar with Pentagon. Hyunggu is Pentagon's Kino. The role he plays here was actually for a long time while I wrote this an OC, but then I realized that he's kind of perfect for it. The Taesung guy isn't any idol (I googled the name to make sure, but I haven't found any idol with that name). I decided to do that because he will come back here and there but he isn't a nice person at all and I didn't want to use any idol for this particular character >.<

Also, why a plush of a pig dressed as a cat?? No reason. I just really like animals dressed as other animals tbh.

Next time Mingyu comes over to Seungkwan's house and he has something to tell him...

Chapter 12: HS1-11 Practice makes perfect

Summary:

Seungkwan tells Mingyu about his outing with the basketball team and Mingyu tells Seungkwan about some developments at school.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The next day was officially the first day of their winter break and Mingyu and Seungkwan were settled down on the couch in Seungkwan's living room. Netflix and vast amounts of popcorn at the ready.

 

“You were pretty vague yesterday. How were the basketball people? Are they still giving you a hard time?”

 

Seungkwan sank back into the cushions of the couch and sighed, “At first it was actually kinda fun. Until one of the upperclassmen spotted a group of girls. Some of them wanted to go over to them but we didn't have the right number of people. They didn't see that as a problem, however, because they said I didn't need a girl anyway. Basically they called me gay and wanted me to go take a hike.”

 

Mingyu scoffed at the story, “Assholes. What did you say?”

 

“What was I supposed to say? I just got up and left.”

 

Mingyu scrunched his eyebrows together in a frown, “You shouldn't hang out with those guys anymore. I don't like how they treat you.”

 

Seungkwan chuckled, “Okay, mom. Can I still hang out with Hyunggu and Hansol? At least they tried to stick up for me.”

 

“Oh yeah, you ended up hanging with Hansol, right? And who is Hyunggu? He cute?”

 

“Hyunggu? I guess he's kinda cute. He's in our year. I hadn't really talked to him before to be honest. He seems all right.”

 

“But when I texted you, you were with Hansol?”

 

“Yes! He was really sweet and followed me out. We went to an arcade together. He sucked at crane games.” A smile crept on his face as he remembered the excited look on Hansol's face when he had handed him the plush.

 

“So you two are, like, friends, right? I know he sometimes talks to you during class and stuff. Why doesn't he ever sit with us during lunch?”

 

Seungkwan shrugged, “He seems to have lunch up on the roof often. With Jihoon and Jeonghan.”

 

“Weird flex.”

 

“I know right. Anyway, I guess other days he just sits with a few of our classmates or basketball people. Honestly, he doesn't seem to have any close friends.”

 

“I suppose I understand not wanting to sit with us...we're not exactly a social upgrade.”

 

“Whatever. We're awesome.” Seungkwan huffed in response, “He should be so lucky to eat lunch with us.”

 

Mingyu laughed, “Either way, I'm glad you're not only surrounded by homophobic shit in that basketball club.”

 

“Yeah, me too.” He reached out to grab some popcorn, “Anyway, I'm done talking about it now. Ready for a movie?”

 

Mingyu took a pillow and wrapped his arms around it and pulled his legs up onto the couch, “Ready!”

 

<>

 

Somewhere during the second movie they had lost interest in the generic straight love story unfolding on screen and Seungkwan eventually just turned it off all together.

 

“I'm getting hungry. How about you? Let's make dinner maybe?”

 

“Seungkwan...” Mingyu said, not looking directly at him, “I have to tell you something.”

 

“Okay.” Seungkwan turned a bit to face him more directly.

 

“I...went to the library yesterday.” Mingyu mumbled.

 

Seungkwan's gasped dramatically and covered his mouth with his hand.

 

“Shut up, I'm not finished!”

 

“Sorry, go ahead. What about the library?”

 

“Well, while I was at the library I saw the student who apparently helps out there or something.” Mingyu's fingers were fiddling with the edge of the pillow he was still holding.

 

“And?”

 

“And...he's...really nice.” An unmistakable blush colored Mingyu's cheeks and Seungkwan narrowed his eyes.

 

“Nice how?”

 

Mingyu looked up. “What do you mean how? He's just nice! He looks nice, he behaves nice. He's nice.”

 

“Ooooh.” Seungkwan said knowingly, now with a smirk on his face, “You're trying to tell me that you have a crush on this guy, aren't you?”

 

Mingyu jerked his head up with wide eyes, “Please don't make a big deal out of this...I just...don't know what to do about it?” He slumped back and sighed.

 

“Mingyu! This is great!” Seungkwan pulled his legs onto the couch and sat up on his knees, facing Mingyu. “First things first, we have to find out if he plays for our team or else we'll just be wasting our time.”

 

“I don't think he's in any school sports teams, he's more the brainy type.”

 

“Mingyu...I mean our team. Team gay.”

 

“Oh...well...how do we do that? I can't just go up and ask him.”

 

“No...maybe first just try talking to him?”

 

“I can't do that!”

 

“Why not!?”

 

“Well for one thing, what if he talks back? Then what am I supposed to do!”

 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes, “You sound just like Seokmin. Just have a conversation.”

 

“But...what do I even talk about?”

 

“I don't know. Try to get to know him. Find out what he's interested in. Even if he's not gay, you might make a friend.”

 

“Even if he is gay he's probably not interested in me at all anyway. He's way too cool.”

 

“Didn't you say this guy voluntarily helps out at the library?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I think you're good on the cool department. Although, once he finds out your true personality...”

 

“You're not helping!” Mingyu whined and threw the pillow in Seungkwan's direction.

 

“I'm sorry. What I meant is that you're an awesome person. You just need to give this sexy librarian a chance to see it!”

 

Mingyu nodded slowly and chewed on his bottom lip.

 

“Stop that! You don't want your lips to be all busted when you get this guy to kiss you behind the bookshelves.” He was only half joking really. He was excited for Mingyu's first real crush, but he was afraid he was going to ruin it by doing something stupid like sneezing in the guy's face.

 

Mingyu's eyes widened again, “Oh my god, I hadn't even considered the possibility of it actually going somewhere!”

 

“Isn't that what you want?”

 

“Well, yeah, but what if I talk to him and by some miracle don't screw it up and end up kissing him and it turns out I'm really bad at it and-”

 

“Did you already forget that you kissed me and I told you it was fine?”

 

“You said I wasn't bad, but that it needed some work.” Mingyu pouted.

 

“Okay, fine. Wanna work on it? Practice makes perfect after all.”

 

“You said you were hungry.”

 

Seungkwan threw his hands in the air, “Do you want to get better at kissing before you make your move on this guy, or not?”

 

Mingyu nodded. Seungkwan scooted closer and placed a hand on Mingyu's arm. He started to lean in but Mingyu backed away.

 

“W-what about your mom?”

 

“What about my mom? She won't be home for at least another hour. We can go to my room if you're more comfortable there.”

 

“You sure she won't suddenly come home and see me defiling her son?”

 

“Defiling? What exactly are you planning to do to me, Kim Mingyu! Even if she does come home we'll hear the door first anyway.”

 

Mingyu nodded and again Seungkwan wanted to lean in, only to be stopped again.

 

“Wait! Last time you told me I needed to show more initiative. So...let me.”

 

It started off a bit coy still, but Mingyu seemed really determined to earn Seungkwan's seal of approval for his kissing skills. Unlike last time he was the one to set the pace and the intensity of the kiss. Seungkwan was lowkey impressed with the new found boldness in Mingyu's technique. When they pulled apart he nodded approvingly.

 

“Not bad, Kim Mingyu. Not bad at all! Nice touch with the hands coming up to cup my face. Any guy you're going to kiss in the future can count himself lucky.”

 

Mingyu chuckled shyly. If someone would have told him a few months ago that he'd have a friend he was this close to and an actual crush without it sending him down the path of self-loathing, he wouldn't have believed them. He leaned his head on Seungkwan's shoulder.

 

“Thank you for helping me. I could never do this by myself. I still don't think I'm ready to really talk to him, but at least I don't want to kill myself for being gay.”

 

Seungkwan reached out for Mingyu's hand, “I'm sorry if you ever felt that way, Mingyu. I love you and if you ever feel like that, talk to me. Please?”

 

Mingyu gave his hand a little squeeze, “It wasn't just the gay thing...it was just...everything. But don't worry. I don't feel like that anymore. I promise.”

 

He stood up and stretched his long limbs, “But now I'm hungry too! Let's eat!”

 

{Seungkwan's kitchen}

 

A little bit later they had started to make dinner with whatever they had found in Seungkwan's fridge. He was trying his best to cut the vegetables, but Mingyu clearly didn't think he was doing a good job and groaned loudly.

 

“You're doing it all wrong. Give me that knife.”

 

“No, you might mistake me for a basketball.”

 

“Give it!” He reached for the knife from behind Seungkwan, effectively pressing himself against his back. “I'll show you how to do it, here.” Instead of taking the knife from him he placed his hand on top of Seungkwan's and guided him as he cut. Neither one of them bothered, or even really aware, of the lack of distance between their bodies. That was, until someone cleared their throat behind them. They both spun around, startled by the sudden interruption.

 

“Mom!” Seungkwan yelled out to the woman standing in the kitchen doorway.

 

Mingyu immediately took a step away from Seungkwan and held up his hands to emphasize that he was definitely not touching him.

 

“You're home earlier than expected. Me and Mingyu were just making something to eat. Oh,” he grabbed Mingyu's arm and pulled him towards his mother, “This is Mingyu by the way.”

 

Seungkwan's mother smiled at him in a way that made Mingyu feel welcomed and he felt like he understood why it had been so easy for him to befriend her son, “It's nice to meet you, Mingyu. Since you two already started making it I guess you'll be staying for dinner?”

 

“I-if that's okay!” He had been over to Seungkwan's house multiple times already, but this was the first time he actually met his mother. It felt a little strange. He had gotten used to this house as a safe space that was always shared with Seungkwan. But his mother had a peaceful presence and it helped that Mingyu was aware of the fact that his mother knew Seungkwan was gay and supportive of it. He still hadn't told his own parents, but at least he didn't have to worry about any of that in this house.

 

“Of course it is.” Seungkwan's mother replied with a sweet smile, “Why don't you boys go and watch TV or something. I'll finish dinner and call you when it's done.”

 

Both Mingyu and Seungkwan refused immediately and insisted on finishing what they had started. In the end Seungkwan and his mother set the table while Mingyu finished up in the kitchen.

 

“He seems very nice.” His mother whispered to him, “...and very handsome.” she added with a hint of a smirk on her face.

 

“Mom, please. He's just a friend.”

 

“I'm just saying he's handsome.”

 

Seungkwan chuckled and shook his head. No point in arguing with that.

Notes:

-Oho, Mingyu has a crush...and yet he's making out with Seungkwan, lol

Next time Seungkwan asks Hansol to help him out with some extra one-on-one basketball practice ._.

(Side note: how's everybody doing with the whole coronovirus situation? The constant media coverage is giving me more stress than the actual virus at this point >.< Be sure to buy some extra toilet paper btw, because like I told my friend right after I bought extra and right before it all sold out in all the stores here: "Where there is panic, there is no toilet paper!")

Chapter 13: HS1-12 One-on-One Basketball

Summary:

Seungkwan and Hansol's one-on-one Basketball practice makes Hansol realize something.

Notes:

Falling Flower T__T Did you listen? I need the MV, please >.<

Anyway, enjoy this chapter~

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The rest of the winter holiday flew by. On Jisoo's birthday Seungkwan met up with the rest of the music club. When he came to this school Jeonghan's birthday had already passed, Jihoon didn't want to celebrate his birthday (that hadn't stopped them from decorating the music room that day), so Jisoo's was the first real celebration Seungkwan was a part of. Even if what they did wasn't terribly special (lunch including birthday cake and karaoke), it felt special all the same.

 

He also met with Mingyu a few times and he had started to text back and forth with Hansol a bit. Although Hansol mostly just sent him memes and links to videos he thought were funny or interesting. It was nice because, even though he didn't always get Hansol's sense of humor, Seungkwan felt like he got to know him a bit more through their message exchanges. See a side of him he hadn't seen at school yet.

 

But vacation was over and it was back to school again. With the upcoming basketball tournament Seungkwan was more anxious than before to do well. He didn't want to mess up and give any of them a reason to make him feel like he shouldn't have been on the team to begin with. That was why he had asked Hansol to help him practice a bit more after their regular training was finished.

 

“You're doing fine.” Hansol said as he threw the ball back to Seungkwan. They were the only two left and the sound of their sneakers bounced of the walls. “I don't see why you want to practice even more than what Johnny is already putting us through.”

 

“I've been playing volleyball mostly and my basketball skills are still a bit rusty. I might be doing fine for someone who just joined, but I need to be better than that if we want to win our game next week!”

 

“If you say so.” Hansol didn't mind helping him, but he honestly thought Seungkwan wasn't giving himself enough credit. He ran towards him to try to steal the ball from him, but Seungkwan spun around and blocked. Being this close to him caused a whiff of Seungkwan's scent to hit Hansol's nose. It was the same smell that had lingered on the scarf Seungkwan had given him. The scarf he had brought to his nose to inhale all of the scent as he sat on his bed after getting home that day. The scarf he had stuffed in the back of his sock drawer after he caught himself doing that and thinking it was a strange thing to do. The same scent, Seungkwan's scent, was stronger now and it caused a momentary short-circuit in Hansol's teenage brain. Had Seungkwan always smelled this nice? Had he just never realized it before? Why did he think it was nice? The distraction was enough for Seungkwan to manage to get away and make a shot for the hoop.

 

“See?” Seungkwan said with a frustrated expression painted in his face as the ball bounced of the edge, unaware of Hansol's confused state of mind.

 

Barely recovered from before, Hansol found himself unable to look away as Seungkwan walked away and bent over to pick up the ball. He quickly turned around and pinched his left cheek. What the hell was wrong with him? Why was Seungkwan's presence having this effect on his sanity all of a sudden?

 

Focus” he whispered to himself.

 

To no avail.

 

He swears he was just trying to reach for the ball that Seungkwan was so skillfully monopolizing, but something in his brain messed with his hand-eye coordination and, for the briefest of moments, his hand brushed against the unclothed part of Seungkwan's leg. It was so quick and light that Seungkwan hadn't even seemed to notice. But Hansol sure had. His hand tingled where he had made contact with the warm, slightly damp with sweat, skin. His heart was racing. Seungkwan got away again and this time managed to score.

 

With the ball under his arm he walked back to Hansol, slightly out of breath. “Am I getting better or are you just getting worse? Are you okay?”

 

“Just a little tired.” Hansol lied, hoping that Seungkwan took the redness of his face as a result from exercise instead of the blush it really was.

 

Seungkwan's face fell, “I'm sorry for keeping you longer. Let's call it a day.”

 

The soft look of concern on Seungkwan's face made Hansol feel things that he didn't know what to do with. It sent a weird feeling down to his stomach. He couldn't tell if it was a nice feeling or not. “Nah, it's okay. Let's go another round!” Hansol protested, but Seungkwan shook his head. He looked behind Hansol and a smile appeared on his face.

 

“No, really it's okay! Mingyu's here anyway.”

 

Hansol turned around and saw the tall figure of his classmate and Seungkwan's friend make his way over to them. He watched Seungkwan immediately focus all of his attention on Mingyu and the feeling that his stomach was floating was cruelly grounded. Maybe it had been a nice feeling after all.

 

“I'm gonna go change, wait here!” Seungkwan said to Mingyu before he turned back to Hansol, “You coming? To change?”

 

The last thing Hansol needed right now was to be alone with Seungkwan in a locker room, so no, he wasn't coming. “Nah, you go on ahead. I'll just practice by myself a bit.”

 

“Are you sure? You just said you're tired.”

 

Hansol nodded and Seungkwan sighed, “Okay. Don't let Mingyu join you. He has a thing against basketball.”

 

He followed Seungkwan with his eyes as he darted off to the locker room. He picked up the ball and started shooting some hoops. He knew Mingyu was watching him and that irritated him. The ball smoothly slid down the net of the basket and Hansol was glad he hadn't missed in front of the boy that made Seungkwan smile. He focused on his shots and had almost forgotten Mingyu was even there when he heard applause coming from the side after another successful shot.

 

“Nice one!” Mingyu cheered.

 

Hansol shot him a dirty look and Mingyu immediately fell silent. His tall figure shrank like a dog getting scolded.

 

Hansol felt bad. Mingyu was just being nice and Hansol had absolutely no reason to be mean to him. “Thanks.” he mumbled and he picked up the ball once more. “Not as good as Seungkwan though.” he added for some reason. He positioned himself to take another shot.

 

“Yeah,” Mingyu replied, “He's pretty good with balls.”

 

Hansol missed the shot. He looked over at Mingyu who smiled shyly. He didn't seem to have realized he just made a dirty joke. This guy really just was a kind gentle airhead, wasn't he? Hansol wondered why he had such a bad reputation anyway. He couldn't be so bad if Seungkwan was friends with him.

 

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Seungkwan returning from getting changed broke the silence, “What are you guys talking about?”

 

“Mingyu was just saying how good you are with balls.”

 

“Excuse me?” Seungkwan blinked and looked between them.

 

Mingyu finally got his own unintended dirty joke and his eyes widened, “No, I didn't! I just said you're good at basketball.”

 

Hansol snickered, “No you didn't. I said I'm not as good as he is and then you said 'yeah, he's pretty good with balls'.”

 

Mingyu shot an apologetic look at his friend, but Seungkwan just sighed. “Let's just go.” He turned to Hansol and smiled, “Thanks again for helping me, Hansol! I'll see you tomorrow!”

 

Hansol watched as the other two boys walked away together. Suddenly he found himself wondering if Seungkwan was really gay and if maybe Mingyu was too. He saw no point in sticking around all by himself so he put the ball away and went to take a shower. It was easy to see which shower Seungkwan had used. The tiles still wet and the air damp. Hansol took his shower in the same booth. Under the warm water his mind started to wander. It wandered to the way Seungkwan's shorts had wrapped around his legs and butt. The way he smelled. The way...oh shit. He looked down to get visual confirmation of what he already knew. He was turned on. Because of Seungkwan.

 

He reached for the cold-water knob and turned it all the way open. After cooling down he stepped out of the shower and started to dry himself off. It all started to make sense. Why he felt the way he did around Seungkwan, why Mingyu felt like an eyesore even though he was always nice. He needed a meeting with his rooftop buddies.

 

{Rooftop}

 

The next day during lunch he was pacing back and forth on the rooftop while Jihoon and Jeonghan waited for him to explain what the problem was.

 

“Okay, so, yesterday I was playing some basketball alone with Seungkwan.”

 

“Okay, and?” Jihoon asked. Not sure yet if he was going to be interested in this conversation.

 

“Let's just say that after we played basketball together and were pretty close physically, I needed a cold shower.”

 

“Oh...” Jeonghan said, understanding what Hansol meant, “Well, that doesn't have to mean anything. You're a hormonal teenager...”

 

Hansol stopped pacing and looked at them, “No, man. It was different. And...” Yesterday he had started to think about Seungkwan and how he felt about him. A lot. He had to admit a few things to himself that he had been trying to ignore. “It wasn't the first time that I thought about him in that...context. A few times before...when I...you know...he just popped into my head and once he did it didn't take long before I...finished.”

 

Jihoon scrunched up his nose and furrowed his brows, “Didn't need to know that, but okay.”

 

“There's more...”

 

“Hansol, I really don't think me and Jeonghan need to know the details about what you jerk off to.”

 

“That's not what I meant! I mean there's more to my feelings than just that!”

 

“Oh. Like what?” Jeonghan asked, both because he wanted to be there for his friend in crisis and because he was quite interested in this development.

 

“Like...I can't stop thinking about him, sometimes I catch myself staring at him, seeing him smile is the best thing in the world, and when Mingyu came to pick him up yesterday it felt like he kicked me right in the chest.”

 

He sat down with a loud sigh and buried his hands in his hair.

 

Jeonghan patted him on the shoulder, “There, there. It's okay.”

 

Hansol's head shot back up, “How is it okay!? There is no way I can compete with Mingyu...he's tall, handsome, has a sexy mysterious aura but is actually a lovable idiot! And even if I could, I'm not going to make a move on someone with a boyfriend...”

 

“Why are we so sure those two are together?” Jihoon asked. He generally didn't really care who dated who and as a result never paid so much attention to those kind of things.

 

“Oh please!” Hansol cried, “Haven't you seen the way they act together!” He hadn't just thought about his own feelings for his classmate, he had also gone over Mingyu and Seungkwan together and the more he had the more he had convinced himself that they were a couple.

 

Jeonghan nodded, eyebrows furrowed in thought, “I see your point. He has never mentioned dating anyone to us, but he might just want to keep things private. I do agree those two seem awfully chummy and I know for a fact Mingyu has been to his house multiple times.”

 

Hansol groaned.

 

“So what do you want from us?” Jihoon asked, he had gotten on his back and was staring up at the clouds. It was really too cold to be out here, but he liked the fresh air. Being inside the school all day made him feel trapped.

 

“I dunno, a little support! I just realized I'm...” he looked around checking if the always empty rooftop was indeed empty as if he hadn't already just talked about masturbation, “...in love with Seungkwan and...”

 

“Ha! You owe me a coffee!” Jeonghan yelled out in Jihoon's direction.

 

“Shit.” Jihoon cursed under his breath.

 

“Y-you were betting on if I was going to fall in love with Seungkwan?”

 

“Yup. Well, more on if you'd find him attractive I guess.”

 

Jihoon sat back up and sighed. “It was my own mistake. Jeonghan is usually right about these things.”

 

Jeonghan beamed with questionable pride. “So.” he said directed at Hansol, “What are you going to do now?”

 

Another groan from Hansol.

 

“Suffer.”

Notes:

Hansol: 'hmm wonder if Seungkwan is gay.'
Also Hansol: 'omg he's dating Mingyu' T___T

Don't expect him to not be stupid and just ask Seungkwan about it. Do expect him to suffer silently, lol.

Next time is Seungkwan's birthday and it's sort of inspired by his bday vlive a few years ago (do you know which one I mean...)

(also....for those who have watched some BL movies/dramas...I have noticed that if they play a sport they almost always play basketball. I'm guessing it's the perfect sport for creating these type of close contact moments, lol)

Comments are <3

Chapter 14: HS1-13 January 16th

Summary:

It's Seungkwan's birthday and Mingyu has a surprise.

Notes:

Hello wonderful people of the fic reading community. I hope you're all healthy and doing okay~

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

After their talk on the roof, Jeonghan had suggested Hansol should have lunch with them and Seungkwan whenever they were having lunch in the cafeteria. Hansol, already feeling like the other people he usually sat with weren't such good friends, agreed. He was glad that he had. He got to spend more time with Seungkwan and he got to know one of their other friends, Seokmin, who also turned out to be really nice. They all came to cheer him and Seungkwan on during the first match of the basketball tournament. Seokmin had cheered a bit louder than he probably intended when Jaehyun made a nice move. Jeonghan had been convinced that Jaehyun had winked in Seokmin's direction when passing by after that, but Seokmin firmly denied it.

 

Lunchtime, however, turned out to be a double-edged sword. Because spending more time with Seungkwan meant spending more time with Mingyu and, what was bad about that, the way those two were with each other. Talking, laughing, bickering like an old married couple. All of it bad for Hansol's aching heart. But the lowest point up until then came about two weeks after Hansol had realized that he was in love.

 

Seungkwan and Hansol were walking to the cafeteria together when Jihoon caught up with them right as they entered, “There you are! Come on. Let's have lunch in the music room today.”

 

Seungkwan didn't stop walking and sat down at an empty table. “No.” he said firmly as Hansol sat down across from him. Jihoon was still standing. “You'll make us practice and I just want one lunch where I can actually eat in peace.”

 

Jihoon sat down next to Hansol with a sigh, admitting defeat rather easily.

 

Only a few moments later just when Seungkwan was about to start eating, Mingyu appeared besides him.

 

“Wait! Seungkwan, don't eat that!” he cried out.

 

Seungkwan stared down at his lunch to see what was wrong with it, “Why not?”

 

“Because...” Mingyu put down his bag with a loud thud, opened it and pulled out a bowl, a spoon, and a thermos that he placed in front of Seungkwan, “I made you special birthday soup!”

 

Seungkwan's eyes started to sparkle and a broad smile made its way onto his face, “Really?”

 

Mingyu nodded proudly like a dog wagging its tail after getting praised by its owner, “Yeah. Go on, try it!” He poured the soup into the bowl and Seungkwan took a spoonful of it.

 

“Wait, it's hot!” Mingyu stopped him from putting the soup into his mouth by placing his hand gently on Seungkwan's. He took the spoon from him and blew on it to cool it off. Seungkwan had to admit to himself that this kind of thing was definitely something he wouldn't mind a boyfriend doing.

 

Across the table both Jihoon and Hansol stared at the scene in horror. Jihoon because he was allergic to such public displays of cheesy affection, Hansol because not only had he not known it was Seungkwan's birthday but he had to witness Seungkwan getting spoon fed by Mingyu.

 

“How is it?” Mingyu asked with anticipation clear in his voice.

 

“It's great because you made it.”

 

Mingyu's smile turned into a pout, “What does that mean? Does it not taste good?”

 

“No, no, it's good! Just...a little salty.” Seungkwan's face contorted into an apologetic smile.

 

Mingyu filled the spoon again to try it for himself. He frowned at the soup. “I'm sorry...” he mumbled.

 

Seungkwan quickly yanked the spoon back from his friend and started eating again, “It's good! Really! Just a tiny bit too salty.”

 

Seungkwan finished the soup in no time and sighed dramatically, “A true friend.”

 

Jihoon glared at Mingyu, “Sure he made you soup, but did he decorate the music room and bring a cake to surprise you with?”

 

Seungkwan's eyes widened, “Is that why the rest of the guys aren't here? And why you wanted me to have lunch in the music room?”

 

Jihoon nodded, “Yeah, I was supposed to get you there. But I failed.”

 

Seungkwan jumped up, “You didn't try very hard! We should get over there! They're probably waiting.”

 

Jihoon stood up and Seungkwan was already pulling Mingyu up by his arm. “You coming, Hansol?”

 

He looked at Seungkwan. He didn't seem mad that he hadn't even wished him a happy birthday yet despite the fact the day was already halfway over. He nodded with a small smile. It wasn't like he could really say no.

 

When they entered the music room Seungkwan's face lit up and he pulled Seokmin (he was closest) in for a hug.

 

“Oh my gosh, you guys! Thank you so much! You didn't have to do all this! With the cake and the Happy Birthday sign and balloons!”

 

“You said you weren't going to have a party, but we wanted to do something.” Jisoo said and walked him over to the table with the cake.

 

Hansol saw his opportunity to grab Jeonghan and Jihoon, “Why didn't you tell me it's his birthday!” he hissed under his breath.

 

Jeonghan and Jihoon looked at each other and shrugged innocently, “We thought you knew.”

 

“Why would I know?”

 

“We knew.”

 

He let them go and stood on the side of the room by himself. He watched Mingyu get a piece of cake handed to him by the birthday boy and he averted his eyes. He hated feeling like this. So useless and stupid to feel this way.

 

“Here.”

 

Hansol jumped out of his thoughts and looked up to see Seungkwan holding up a piece of cake on a paper plate. He took it from him even though he wasn't in the mood for cake. “Thanks...”

 

Seungkwan was about to walk away again before Hansol spoke up. “Seungkwan?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I'm so sorry...I didn't know it was your birthday today. I-”

 

“Don't worry about it! I probably didn't even tell you when my birthday is.”

 

“Everybody else knew...” he mumbled back.

 

Seungkwan leaned against the wall next to Hansol, “Hmm, that's true. Maybe you're just a bad friend.” He was only joking, but the expression on Hansol's face looked really hurt and he quickly went back on his statement, “I'm sorry! I was just kidding! You're not a bad friend! Really, don't worry about it!”

 

Suddenly Hansol had an idea and he perked right up, “Let me make it up to you! How about we go see a movie and I'll pay.”

 

Seungkwan crossed his arms and pretended to consider his offer, “How about popcorn?” he asked.

 

“The biggest one they've got!”

 

“Deal!” Seungkwan smiled. He would have been satisfied even without the popcorn.

 

“When do you want to go?” Hansol asked with a flutter in his stomach.

 

“Today! Otherwise it's not on my birthday!”

 

“So...right after school?”

 

“Yes! Oh shoot...wait a sec. Jihoon!” he yelled across the room, “I'm sooo sorry but I won't be able to make rehearsal after school today, but seeing as it is my birthday please forgive me. Hansol is going to take me to a movie!”

 

“What!?” It was Mingyu who responded instead of Jihoon, “You told me you were just going to have dinner with your mom at home!”

 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes, “I'm still doing that, but Hansol just offered to pay since it's my birthday. Like I'm going to say no to that. What do you care anyway. Not like we had plans after school today.”

 

Mingyu pouted and took a big bite of cake. Hansol hadn't considered that maybe Mingyu had something else planned for after school. Or maybe he had but he didn't really mind stealing Seungkwan away for a bit.

 

Hansol felt his phone buzz and pulled it out to see a message from Jeonghan.

 

So much for not making a move. And on his birthday no less. Sly.

 

He quickly texted back: Not a move. Just a movie.

 

He looked up and saw Jeonghan staring at him from across the room.

 

And wipe that smirk off your face! Gimme a break.

 

From all looks of things the movie really was just a movie. They went, they saw, they ate popcorn. But for Hansol it had meaning. He knew it was selfish but he was glad he got to spend this one-on-one time with Seungkwan on his birthday. He was happy to hear him laugh whenever something funny happened in the movie and he was grateful for the way their knees would occasionally touch in the dark.

Notes:

*sigh* That Birthday Vlive a few years ago was one of the softest Boogyu things ever

Personally I'd really dislike it if someone tried to feed me....like...I can do it myself, lol.

Please let me know how you're liking this fic~

Next time Hansol asks Seungkwan for some homework help, but ends up studying with him and Mingyu in the library (where Mingyu's crush is. I haven't named him yet, but...you know who it is...right?)

(btw, if you like the idea of Verkwan going to the movies together...feel free to read my one shot called 'The dating rules of popcorn' :3)

Chapter 15: HS1-14 The Library

Summary:

Hansol gets some homework help from Seungkwan. Mingyu makes first contact.

Notes:

Not fic related but: I don't know if anybody who reads this is in an area where people have all gone crazy and bought all the food, but I hope all of you have food and other necessary supplies T___T (I get wanting to have some extra non-perishables or something, but why are some people buying fresh food in bulk as well??? What are you going to do with all that milk, sir?)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan was humming softly as he put his math books away in his locker and got some other books out. He heard the sound of someone slumping against the locker next to him and he closed the door expecting to see Mingyu, but he found Hansol instead.

 

“Seungkwan, please...help me.” He groaned.

 

“With what?” Seungkwan said and leaned his shoulder against his own locker, somewhat amused by Hansol's sulky face.

 

“This paper. I...why did so much happen in history? Where do I even start!?”

 

Seungkwan chuckled. “The assignment is to write about a historical topic you find interesting. It can be anything, doesn't have to be everything.” The long history paper their teacher had assigned them right after the holidays was due in a few days but somehow Seungkwan wasn't surprised Hansol hadn't even decided on a topic yet.

 

“Wow. That was like a poem or something.” Hansol said with eyes that did little to hide his adoration from any third-party observant.

 

Seungkwan raised an eyebrow, not sure what was so awesome about what he had said, “Yeah....anyway. I can help you if you want. I'm heading to the library right now actually.”

 

Hansol stood up straight, “Really? Thanks!”

 

“I might not be as hopelessly behind as you, but I haven't finished yet either.” Seungkwan explained as they made their way to the library through the crowded hallway.

 

“It's not my fault!” Hansol said defensively, “We were so busy with basketball and I've had a lot on my mind.”

 

“Oh?” Seungkwan asked. He, of course, knew how much time had gone into basketball in the last few weeks with the tournament and all. Even though he had felt extremely frustrated and disappointed when they lost in their third match, he was kind of glad to have the extra time.

 

Hansol cursed himself in his head. He couldn't tell Seungkwan what had been on his mind lately because it was Seungkwan who was occupying his thoughts. “Nothing important. You know...video games and stuff.”

 

Seungkwan snorted. “In that case you have no excuse. I've been just as busy with basketball and we've been preparing for the Battle of the Bands audition. It's only a few weeks away!”

 

“Oh yeah. How's that going?” Hansol was glad to take the focus off himself.

 

“Pretty good! Jihoon has been working on some songs, but he's such a perfectionist. But with all of us together we'll get there.”

 

“I'm sure you'll be awesome.”

 

They arrived at the library and Seungkwan seemed to know where he wanted to settle down because he walked straight over to a specific table. A table that wasn't empty. A table that had the one person Hansol didn't want to join this study session. Mingyu. He should have known Seungkwan wanted to study together with him.

 

“Hey.” he mumbled as he sat down at the table.

 

Despite the unwanted presence of who he considered to be an obstacle in his heart, it proved to be a fruitful afternoon. Seungkwan helped him pick a topic and he forced Hansol to focus so he actually got a bit of work done. He loved learning new things, but he hated studying and especially written assignments.

 

Seungkwan came back from a bathroom break with a paper in his hand.

 

“Gyu, I can't find this book. Can you go and ask the student assistant to help find it?”

 

Mingyu took the paper from him and grumbled, “Why do I have to do it? Do it yourself.”

 

Seungkwan sighed, “Go talk to the student assistant.” He knew Mingyu hadn't told anybody else about his crush on the boy who often helped out in the library so Seungkwan didn't want to make it too obvious in front of Hansol. He had made several attempts to get those two to talk to each other, but Mingyu was his own worst enemy when it came to social interactions and always backed off. Seungkwan had talked to him a few times by now and had found out that his name was Wonwoo, his glasses weren't just for show, and he was one of the few members of the school's book club.

 

“I'll do it. Give me the paper, Mingyu.” Hansol spoke up. If he was Seungkwan's boyfriend he most likely also would have told Seungkwan to do it himself, but he saw an opportunity to score some points with Seungkwan here.

 

“No, no.” Seungkwan said. “Mingyu is going to do it for me. Come on. Go, now. He's right there.”

 

Mingyu looked at Seungkwan with unsure eyes, but he nodded and slowly got up. The note with the book title scribbled on it firmly clasped in his hand.

 

Seungkwan leaned back and observed every move he made. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but at least Mingyu was saying something. And from the looks of it he was doing better than expected because Wonwoo smiled brightly. He looked at the paper while it was still in Mingyu's hand, even pulling his hand a bit closer to see better instead of just taking the paper from him. He lead Mingyu away, presumably to where-ever that book was, and Seungkwan's eyes followed for as long as they could. Even after they disappeared he kept his eyes focused on where they had been.

 

Meanwhile Hansol was mistaking Seungkwan's serious face of concentration as annoyance at the way Mingyu was clearly trying to flirt with that other guy. Maybe there was some trouble in paradise? He knew it wasn't nice to hope for it, but boy was he hoping for it.

 

“It's sure taking them a long time to find that book, huh?” Hansol said to Seungkwan, but the only response he got was a short agreeing hum.

 

“Oh, by the way.” Seungkwan said, finally letting his eyes leave the place Wonwoo and Mingyu were last at. “I'm bringing Mingyu to English club tomorrow. He got kicked out of his last club for never attending and Jisoo said it was okay as long as I make sure he actually shows up every once in a while.”

 

“Oh...cool.” Hansol's heart dropped. He didn't think it was cool at all.

 

“It might be kind of good. That way you don't always have to get stuck with me for a conversation partner. You and I both know your English isn't getting better practicing with me. Our levels are totally different.”

 

“But I like talking with you. Even though you are right, you have a pretty low quality level.” he teased.

 

“Shut up. I am the best quality. Not in English though.”

 

They both laughed, trying to keep it to a library accepted volume.

 

Seungkwan felt his phone buzz and pulled it out of his pocket to read the messages that were undoubtedly coming from Mingyu.

 

Gyu: Help. I just checked out the book and left...I can't go back in. Please bring me my stuff

 

Mr.Boo: idiot!! Why did you leave???

 

Gyu: I don't know!! T___T Please come

 

Seungkwan sighed and started gathering his and Mingyu's things. “I'm sorry I have to go. Mingyu is outside and doesn't want to come back in. I'll see you tomorrow. Let me know if you need anymore help but I think you've got it!”

 

“Oh...yeah, I'm good. See you.”

 

Seungkwan stood up and walked away, brushing his hand across Hansol's shoulder as he walked passed. Probably a meaningless gesture to say goodbye, but Hansol's face felt warm.

 

Seungkwan waved at Wonwoo as he walked out of the library. He found Mingyu hiding a few meters away from the entrance. His face lit up when he saw Seungkwan and took his bag from him.

 

“I did it! I actually talked to him!”

 

Seungkwan sighed loudly, “Yeah, and then you ran away. What happened?”

 

“He doesn't know I ran away! He just thinks I needed to get that book and that was it.”

 

“Except that he had totally seen you studying at the table with me and Hansol before, so he must have known your stuff was still inside.”

 

Mingyu's eyes grew bigger, “Oh shit! Now he's going to think I'm an idiot! I AM an idiot!”

 

“Relax, relax. It's fine. From what I saw he was smiling and happy to talk to you, so don't worry about it! At least you've finally made some sort of contact.”

 

Mingyu wrapped his arms around Seungkwan's shoulders and let out a high pitched squeal. “He's so cute, I can't!”

 

Seungkwan pushed him off, “If you're like this now, how bad is it going to be if you actually get a boyfriend.”

 

“Aww, don't worry, Kwannie. You're cute too!”

 

Seungkwan scrunched up his nose, “This being in love thing is really messing with your brain.”

 

Mingyu giggled and playfully pushed Seungkwan's shoulder, “Maybe if you had a crush of your own you could join me and my messed up brain.”

 

Seungkwan scoffed at that, “As if I'd have time to crush on someone when I'm this busy supporting you. And between you and Hansol, I'm the only one in our class who actually pays attention. Where would you two be if you couldn't borrow my notes?”

 

“You're right. Please stay single forever.”

Notes:

-So, Mingyu's crush is Wonwoo (whaaaat I totally didn't see that coming /sarcasm)
-Next time will be prime suffering time for Hansol as Seungkwan and Mingyu practice their English together (spoiler: you know that classic Boogyu English talk in Seventeen TV? That was the main inspiration, so...)

(quick question for those of you lovely people who regularly leave me a comment: I always try to reply to every comment, but I have no idea if people like that?? Or do you think it's annoying? Or is it just whatever? I do it because I want to show my appreciation...but I dunno, lol)

Chapter 16: HS1-15 Like a Banana

Summary:

Mingyu's and Seungkwan's English skills horrify Hansol.

Notes:

This one isn't so long, but I hope you enjoy~

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

How do you think about...that?”

 

Yeah! I...eh...I love it.” Seungkwan had no idea what Mingyu was talking about in English and he was sure his replies didn't make much sense either, but at least they were saying something that was some type of foreign language. “I love it. I love you.” His brain was just coming up with any and all English that he knew.

 

Mingyu giggled, “Oh, me too.” He took Seungkwan's hand without even thinking about it. “How do you think about me?” he asked.

 

Seungkwan hummed like he was thinking and tangled their fingers together. “I love you...” Seungkwan said through giggles and an embarrassed smile.

 

That's the end?” Mingyu asked, wanting his friend to give him more. He felt giddy and happy today and for once he wasn't thinking about how he was coming off to those around him.

 

Seungkwan thought again and felt his poetic juices started to flow, “Like...eh...like a sea. I love you.

 

Oh, me too. You...like a banana.” He burst out in an uncharacteristically loud giggle causing a few heads to turn.

 

Banana?” Seungkwan would have been annoyed at Mingyu's incoherent English, but his own wasn't much better. So instead he was just having fun with it, even if they probably looked like idiots.

 

Banana.”

 

Tomato?

 

Apple!

 

Apple.

 

Apple.

 

Meanwhile Hansol was losing his mind and suffering in silence. Were they talking in some sort of code? Back in the library he thought to have seen a crack in their relationship, but today they were all over each other. He looked over at Jisoo who had been listening in, probably to check their English, and from the look on his face Hansol gathered he was thinking the same thing. In a way he was glad they were getting it out of their system during English club time instead of during regular class or lunchtime. At least here no one seemed to really care.

 

Pineapple!” Mingyu continued their weird fruit conversation and both he and Seungkwan couldn't contain their laughter. It was as if the word pineapple was the funniest thing ever to them.

 

Jisoo decided that this nonsense had gone on long enough and decided to put an end to it. “Okay, guys. That was, eh, great. Keep working on it, but let's call it a day for now.”

 

Seungkwan and Mingyu continued to laugh with each other and Hansol quickly got his stuff. He just wanted to get out of there. He was glad he was meeting Jihoon and Jeonghan on the roof after this. Before he reached the door, however, he was stopped by Jisoo.

 

“Hey, Hansol. Can I ask you something?”

 

“Eh, yeah, sure.” He threw a quick glance to the back of the room, but Seungkwan and Mingyu still only had eyes for each other.

 

“You hang out with Jeonghan and Jihoon on the roof sometimes, right? Did...does Jeonghan ever say anything about me?”

 

“Like what?”

 

“You know what? Nevermind!” Jisoo said panicked and he chuckled nervously. “I'll see you around.” He walked away before Hansol could say or ask anything else.

 

{rooftop}

 

Hansol pushed the door open and found Jeonghan and Jihoon already there, passing a joint between them. He hoped they weren't too baked yet. He needed to rant.

 

“Guys. I hate my life.” He threw his bag on the floor and sat down across from them.

 

Jihoon handed him the joint. “Let me guess. Seungkwan?”

 

Hansol took a drag and handed it to Jeonghan. “You should have seen him with Mingyu just now! They were holding hands and saying how much they love each other! Right in front of everybody! He even said that he loves him like a banana!? What the fuck does that even mean? That has to be some sort of gay dick joke right?”

 

Jeonghan let out a loud snort.

 

“Like a banana. That's hilarious.” Jihoon snickered to himself.

 

Hansol kicked his shoe. “I'm glad you find my suffering amusing.”

 

“I find dick jokes amusing.” Jeonghan laughed.

 

Hansol sighed. Why had he ever entrusted these two with his problem? He took the joint again and felt himself calming down a bit. Maybe after a few more drags he would be able to see the funny side of it. He looked at Jeonghan, still entertained by the thought of bananas and their phallic properties, “Oh, that reminds me. Something kinda weird happened. Jisoo asked me if you ever talk about him.” he said directed at Jeonghan.

 

The smile disappeared from Jeonghan's face, “Jisoo did? What did he mean?”

 

Hansol shrugged, “I don't know. I asked him that and he told me to nevermind. Aren't you two close friends? Did something happen?”

 

Jeonghan bit his lip and shook his head, but the look in his eyes told a different story.

 

“Maybe he's worried you're up here complaining about him as your guitar teacher.” Jihoon joked.

 

Jeonghan couldn't laugh. “I hope not...he's been a really great teacher.”

 

Jihoon scooted over and nudged him with his shoulder, “Dude, I was just kidding. I'm sure he doesn't think that. You didn't get into a fight or anything, did you?”

 

“No. Everything is...fine.” Jeonghan replied. Jihoon and Hansol looked at each other but didn't press the issue further. Hansol didn't have room in his brain for it anyway. It was at full capacity with thoughts about Seungkwan and Mingyu.

Notes:

-If you're thinking "wtf were they talking about?' you clearly haven't seen the amazing pre-debut Booygyu vid that this chapter is based on (I basically took their conversation right from there, lol.)
-Maybe someday in the future I'll write a one-shot about what's going on with Jeonghan and Jisoo

Next time: It's time for their Battle of the Bands audition and they're going to celebrate Hansol and Seokmin's birthdays

(this is completely irrelevant to everything but I just checked my browser's spellcheck suggestion for 'Boogyu' and it's 'Booby' lol)

Chapter 17: HS1-16 Audition & a Sundae

Summary:

It's time for their Battle of the Bands audition. Afterward they're going to celebrate Hansol and Seokmin's birthday.

Notes:

So...looking at the timeline we're in February now. :D Enjoy~

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“Hansol! You and Seokmin share a birthday, right?”

 

Hansol closed his locker and looked at Seungkwan smiling brightly next to him. He nodded in response to Seungkwan's question. “Yeah. I mean...he's older, but yeah.”

 

“OK, so, your birthday is next Tuesday, but we have our Battle of the Bands audition this Saturday and we're going out to celebrate Seok's birthday after that and we all thought it would be nice to make it a double celebration.”

 

“Oh like his birthday and passing the audition?”

 

Seungkwan furrowed his brows together, “...are you serious? No, you weirdo, a double birthday celebration. Yours and Seok's!”

 

“Oh...oh! No, that's okay! You guys don't have to do that.”

 

“Do what? Doesn't it sound like fun?” Seungkwan pouted and it made Hansol want to slam his head into the locker. But before he could do that or respond in any other way, the fellow soon-to-be birthday boy walked by and wrapped an arm around Seungkwan's shoulder.

 

“Hansol! Did Seungkwan tell you about the birthday thing?” Seokmin's smile was even brighter than Seungkwan's had been.

 

“Nevermind, Seok.” Seungkwan sighed. “He doesn't want to hang out with us to celebrate his birthday.”

 

“Wa...I didn't say that! That's not what I meant! I would love to, I just thought that...You know what. Nothing. Let's do it.” Truth was he that was grateful they wanted to celebrate his birthday. He had just thought Seokmin's birthday would take priority. It was true he had been spending more time with all of them, but he couldn't deny that they all seemed a lot closer to each other than to him. With the exception of Mingyu maybe, but he was mostly close to Seungkwan.

 

“Perfect! It's settled then! We'll go rock our audition and then go out and celebrate!” Seokmin beamed at him.

 

“Oh! Hansol!” Seungkwan suddenly exclaimed, “You should watch our audition! It would be nice to have a friendly face there. I mean, Mingyu will be there too but he's already heard what we're going to play and he'll cheer for anything. Oh that reminds me, Seok. Mingyu is coming too Saturday.”

 

“Of course he's coming!”

 

“Oh, you already knew?”

 

“I know you two are close, but you're not his only friend you know!”

 

“So, will you come?”

 

“Yeah. Yeah, of course.” Hansol had made it a habit to either spend lunch by himself on the roof or with some of the people from the basketball club whenever they were practicing in the music room, because he didn't want to invade their practice time. But he supposed Mingyu hadn't had that same line of thought. He couldn't really imagine what it was going to be like to watch Seungkwan and the others perform on stage. He hoped they were good so he wouldn't have to fake-smile at them afterward.

 

{audition}

 

The members of the music club, along with Mingyu, stood in the reception space of the Battle of the Bands venue. Jihoon had signed them in and they were about to be led to the audition space by a staff member.

 

“We have to go backstage to get ready, so I'll see you later. You go on inside with Hansol. Look, there he is.” Seungkwan said to Mingyu as he nodded his head in the direction of the entrance.

 

Mingyu looked over at Hansol who was just arriving and leaned in so he could whisper in Seungkwan's ear, “I don't think he likes me all that much...we only sort of talk to each other when you're around...”

 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes and pushed Mingyu in Hansol's direction, “I'm sure he likes you! Don't worry.” He waved to Hansol and followed the other members backstage. For the audition there wasn't much of an audience and it was really just them performing two songs without proper lighting or anything.

 

The band right before them wasn't all that good, but Jihoon reminded them to never compare themselves to others. “If we pass just by being better than what else is on that stage it doesn't mean we were actually good, just better than some other band.”

 

Seungkwan wanted to get this audition over with. He had been looking forward to it, but now that it was finally time he found it to be much more nerve-wrecking than he would have thought. But out of all of them, Jeonghan seemed to be the most nervous. Jisoo took his hand to calm him down.

 

“You've got this. You've practiced very hard and it's amazing how good you've gotten already. No-one out there will know you just started a few months ago. Okay?”

 

Jeonghan nodded and he didn't let go of Jisoo's hand until the very last second before going on stage.

 

As Seungkwan stepped on stage and took his place behind the microphone he quickly scanned the seats to find Mingyu and Hansol. When he locked his eyes on them Mingyu immediately broke into a smile and mouthed an inaudible 'fighting' to encourage him.

 

Mingyu had heard them rehearse several times so he knew what was coming music wise, but seeing his friends on an actual stage was something else. Not in the last place because he had started this school year completely alone. The moment they started playing he felt the excitement and nerves swirl together along with a sense of pride.

 

“Aren't they amazing!” He said to Hansol who was sitting next to him. He didn't get a reply, but when he looked over he saw Hansol staring at the stage completely mesmerized. He didn't seem to snap out of it until the last note was played. “They're really good, right?” Mingyu tried again, his eyes on the stage and clapping his hands with vigor.

 

“Y-yeah! Wow.” Hansol wasn't sure what else to say. He had never seen any of them perform before. He couldn't believe how cool Jihoon, the cute guy he got high with, was. Not to mention Jeonghan and Jisoo. Seokmin had a totally different energy on stage, too. But what really got him was Seungkwan. He was completely blown away. His voice and his face as he sang sucked him in and took his breath away. If it wasn't for Mingyu sitting next to him, reminding him that he wasn't the only one looking at Seungkwan, he would have completely drowned in his feelings.

 

{Ice cream cafe}

 

“Here's to us!” Jisoo said with an elegant sense of poise as he raised his glass. The audition had been successful and they had relocated to a cafe where they served humongous sundaes for the celebratory part of their day.

 

Most of the others joined him in raising their glass and cheered. Jihoon, however, halfheartedly lifted his glass and let out a sound that was more a grunt than a cheer.

 

“What's wrong with you?” Jeonghan asked, “We got through, Hoonie! Let's celebrate!”

 

“They said we should try to have a bit more edge at the real show. What does that even mean?” Jihoon wasn't opposed to getting constructive criticism, but the comment made by one of the judges was one he didn't know what to do with and he let it bother him more than it probably should.

 

“Subtle nudity?” Jeonghan suggested and earned a slap on his arm from Jisoo. “No, but guys, sex sells! How about a deep v-neck or a pair of pants that accent Seungkwan's ass?” he suggested in a way where the others didn't know if he was kidding or not.

 

“I'm literally sixteen.” Seungkwan replied with a scrunched up face.

 

“We aren't the only band with underage members. I'm sure there will be plenty of people our age in the audience!”

 

“And you want to show them my ass?”

 

“Raise your hand if you think Seungkwan has a great ass!”

 

Mingyu raised his hand and Seungkwan looked at him like he was shocked and offended, but he couldn't keep it up and a shy giggle escaped him. “Shut up, you guys.”

 

“Yes, please.” Jihoon added. “I'd like us to focus on the music. But if you really want, you can wear something sexy, Jeonghan. At least you're technically an adult.”

 

“N-no, I didn't mean me!”

 

“I wouldn't mind seeing that.” Jisoo laughed, but immediate regretted it and turned red when he met Jeonghan's eyes. Jeonghan turned equally red and they both took a sip from their drinks.

 

“Happy birthday to Seokmin and Hansol!” Seungkwan suddenly yelled out and the rest chimed in, probably thankful for the change in topic. They let the issue of 'edge' and whatever that meant go for the moment and ordered their ice cream. They let the birthday boys decide which ones to get. Given the size of the sundaes they only ordered two for the table. After ordering, Jeonghan excused himself for a moment and he asked the staff to add some sparklers.

 

Seokmin and Seungkwan's loud reactions to the sparklers were more fitting of a little child seeing such a thing for the first time, but it made the others laugh. They all picked up a spoon and started attacking the sundaes. Hansol was glad he was seated across from Seungkwan. It gave him a nice view of his delighted face everytime he took a bite. As long as Mingyu and Seungkwan wouldn't start feeding each other, he counted himself lucky with the best seat in the whole place.

 

“Oh my...Hansol, you have to try this! It's so good!” Seungkwan scooped one of the flavors of ice cream on his spoon and held it out over the table so that Hansol could eat it. He didn't look him in the eye as he ate the ice cream off of Seungkwan's spoon, trying very hard not to think about the fact that this very spoon had been inside of Seungkwan's mouth.

 

“Seungkwan, I want to try it too. Give me some.” Mingyu pouted next to Seungkwan.

 

“Get your own. You have a spoon, don't you?”

 

“Wha- You gave some to Hansol!”

 

“It's his birthday!”

 

“Here. I'll feed you some, Mingyu.” Seokmin said with a smile as he scooped up some ice cream.

 

Hansol basked in the delightful feeling of having Seungkwan pay special attention to him until he looked over and he was met with Jihoon's raised eyebrow and Jeonghan's knowing smirk. He quickly took a too large a bite of ice cream on his spoon and gulped it down. He cursed under his breath when he got brain freeze. Still. A pretty good birthday.

Notes:

Based on my personal experience seeing Seungkwan sing live for the first time is indeed an explosion of emotions. T__T I feel you, Hansol.

Hansol is a bit insecure about his friendships, I guess? He'll get better at realizing they're really his friends and will just always have lunch with them ^^

I hope people who are in quarantine right now aren't going crazy yet! I think the next chapter is sort of funny (but also cute?) so might just post it very quickly...

Chapter 18: HS1-17 Are you busy, Boo?

Summary:

Hansol is bored, but luckily Seungkwan is there for him.

Notes:

Hello~ I hope people are having an okay weekend ._.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

With no tournaments, auditions, or birthdays coming up, the weeks just glided by. Of course Seungkwan was still busy, but after the hectic time he had right after the Winter vacation this time felt like a welcome quiet. It seemed not everyone felt that way. One day after class when he was about to leave he found Hansol moping around the school grounds, kicking small stones without purpose.

 

“What's wrong with you?” He asked with a chuckle.

 

Hansol shrugged, “Nothing...I'm just bored. I have nothing to do.” He looked up at Seungkwan. “Are you busy, Boo?” He had never called Seungkwan 'Boo' outside of his head before, but it kind of just slipped out. He hoped Seungkwan didn't mind.

 

“Not particularly.” Seungkwan replied, not unaware of the way Hansol had addressed him. If it had been Mingyu he might have objected since it almost sounded like a cute pet-name despite the fact it was just his last name. But coming from Hansol he didn't mind. “Oh! I just realized you've never been to my house! You can come over and we'll find something to do.”

 

“Oh, yeah, sure!” Alone with Seungkwan at his house? How could Hansol say no to that. “You take the bus right? I came by bike today. You can ride on the back if you want?”

 

“Are you sure? I can also just give you directions if that's easier.”

 

“Eh, no.” Hansol was quickly working on a good reason why it was essential he rode on his bike with him, “If you do that I might forget or I'd have to look at my phone or something, so I think it's better if we take my bike together.”

 

He wasn't used to having someone ride with him, but after a bit of a wobbly start they were on their way to Seungkwan's house. Hansol had secretly hoped that Seungkwan would find it necessary to hold onto him for balance, but he apparently managed not to fall off without the added steadiness Hansol could provide. He wanted to tell him that it was okay to wrap his arms around him, but of course he didn't. “So have all the other guys been to your house?” Hansol asked instead.

 

“Hmm, no actually. Mingyu comes over a lot and Seokmin came over once, but that's about it.”

 

“Oh, you just made it sound like I was the only one who had never been to your house before.”

 

“I did?” Seungkwan laughed at that. “Well, no. We already hang out a lot in the music room because we use it to rehearse. Anything else we do is usually get some food or drink someplace.”

 

This information for some reason made Hansol feel special. He was glad not everybody went over to Seungkwan's house and yet he was. The fact that Mingyu evidently came over 'a lot' was a little side note he tried not to think about.

 

{Seungkwan's house}

 

“Do you want something to drink? Seungkwan asked as he opened the front door. “You must be thirsty after that bike ride. I probably should have just taken the bus. I'm sorry.”

 

“No, it was no trouble, really. It's more fun to ride together. I'd like something to drink though. Anything is fine.”

 

“I have some video games in my room. Not a lot, but some.” Seungkwan suggested. He hardly ever played any of the games he had. Most of them were fighting games and shooters that his dad had bought him. Maybe he thought if his son played a lot of aggressive games it would make him less gay or something.

 

“Okay. Show me what you got. Whatever it is, I'm sure I'll beat you anyway.”

 

Seungkwan scoffed, “Pretty big talk for a guy who couldn't even get a little plush toy from a crane game.”

 

“I beat you at almost everything else!”

 

They both laughed as Seungkwan led the way to his bedroom. He opened the door and approached his bed to sit down on. He saw something lying on it and without realizing what is was picked it up. As soon as he did realize, he let out a shocked yelp and his face turned bright red.

 

“What do you have there, Boo?” Hansol asked with a chuckle and Seungkwan, in his panic, turned around with the object still in his hand.

 

“Nothing! Absolutely nothing!”

 

Hansol looked down and saw that what Seungkwan was holding were, unmistakably, condoms. Seungkwan also looked at his hand and another yelp escaped him. “I, eh, it was my mom, okay! She's a nurse, she- I-”

 

“Oh...did she think Mingyu was coming over?” There was a visual Hansol didn't need.

 

“What!?” Seungkwan yelled out, hoping the ground would swallow him and save him from this situation.

 

“You have a nice mom that she leaves you condoms so you can have sex with your boyfriend.”

 

“What!? He's not-, I don't-...we-”

 

“It's okay Seungkwan, I won't tell anyone.” As much as he hated the thought of Seungkwan needing condoms he didn't want him to feel bad about it.

 

“There is nothing to tell! And I definitely don't need these.” He opened the drawer of his nightstand and threw the condoms in it.

 

“For someone who doesn't need them you sure keep them close to your bed.” Hansol teased and started laughing at Seungkwan's face that hadn't gone down in redness. The whole situation was just sort of hilarious. It was destroying his heart, but in a funny kind of way.

 

“Just...forget this ever happened. Please.”

 

“Already forgotten.” A lie. “So...video game?”

 

Seungkwan sat on his bed and Hansol had settled down in front of it, leaning against it next to Seungkwan's legs that dangled of the edge. On the other side of him stood the nightstand that he tried to ignore for the good of his own sanity. They played one of Seungkwan's games for a while until Seungkwan got bored with it. At least they had played long enough for the awkwardness to have passed. On the surface, at least.

 

“Let's take a selfie.” Seungkwan suggested.

 

“What?”

 

Seungkwan slid down from the bed and landed right next to Hansol with his phone in hand. “A selfie. We don't have any pictures of us together. How can we call ourselves friends like this.”

 

He held up his phone with one hand and made a peace sign with the other. Hansol tried his best to focus on taking the picture, but Seungkwan was so close. Their arms were touching and he could smell the scent of his shampoo.

 

“Would it kill you to smile?” Seungkwan asked.

 

“S-sorry. I'm not good at taking pictures.”

 

“Let's use a silly filter or something. It won't matter so much if you smile or whatever. Do you want to be a bear or a cat?”

 

“Eh...a bear?” Hansol wasn't much for taking selfies, let alone with cute filters. But the level of discomfort he felt while taking the pictures was well worth it since he got to see a new level of Seungkwan's adorableness that he didn't even think to be possible.

 

The whole afternoon had been mentally draining and so he lied and told Seungkwan his mother wanted him home for dinner. Later that night he was on his bed staring at the pictures he had taken with Seungkwan. They had been so close. So close. If they were dating he would have kissed him. First on the cheek for a cute picture. Then on the lips. As his mind started to think about what it would be like to be Seungkwan's boyfriend the condoms on Seungkwan's bed, now in his nightstand, flew by and crushed his dreams. He turned around on his stomach and groaned loudly into the pillow.

 

{Next day, rooftop}

 

“Condoms! He had condoms! Right there on his bed!”

 

“For you and him?” Jihoon asked like it wasn't a big deal.

 

“Of course not! Obviously for him and Mingyu! He said his mom must have left them there and that part might be true, but they were definitely meant for hot sweaty sex with Mingyu!” Hansol ranted on.

 

“Aren't you overreacting a little bit? Even if he is having sex with Mingyu it might be bad sex...” Jeonghan weighed in.

 

“That is NOT helping!”

 

“Well, what do you want us to do about it?” Jihoon asked, “I get that you want to be the one Seungkwan has sex with, but-”

 

“That is not what this is about! This is not about sex!”

 

“Then what is it about?”

 

“About...it's about...it's about me being unable to deal with the boy I'm in love with being with someone else. It sucks!”

 

“Sucks...hehe.” Jeonghan snickered.

 

“Seriously!?”

 

“Dude, I've never seen you so worked up over anything.”

 

Hansol groaned and kicked a small stone away, “I know. I feel like I'm going crazy.”

 

“You want to know what I think?” Jeonghan asked.

 

“Yes, please.”

 

“Either you tell him how you feel or you keep a bit more distance between the two of you. Don't hang out with him alone and don't do stuff where you get close to him.”

 

“I can't tell him how I feel...”

 

“Honestly, I don't know why not.” Jihoon said. “I know it's morally questionable, but there isn't a law against confessing your feelings to someone who's already dating someone else. I mean, I like Mingyu and they're cute together so you might get rejected and then you'll be the person who, unsuccessfully, tried to steal someone's boyfriend, but...hmm, no, I guess I get your point.”

 

“You know, I'm a little bit offended he hasn't told us they're dating.” Jeonghan said with his arms crossed and a frown on his face. “I see the signs, but he's never just come out and said it.”

 

Jihoon eyed Jeonghan, “Yeah, you would think if a good friend is dating someone, they would tell you about it, wouldn't you? Especially if it's two friends.”

 

Jeonghan avoided his friend's gaze, “Actually, now that I think about it, we must respect their privacy more. They'll tell us when they're ready to go public with their relationship. Sorry you have to suffer, Hansol. I'm heading to class. Bye.”

 

And with that Jeonghan left.

 

Hansol leaned against the wall. “Don't fall in love, Jihoon. It's a trap.”

 

“Yeah, I know.”

Notes:

-You know, the way Boogyu are I don't even blame all of them for thinking they're dating
-Hansol be like: ah, condoms, for you and your boyfriend Mingyu. Seungkwan: He's not. Hansol: why are they having sex T___T
-I forgot how I came up with this plotline, but I thought it was kinda funny
-Next time Mingyu and Seungkwan talk about what happened and it leads to a more intimate 'talk' about s-e-x

Chapter 19: HS1-18 Finding out together

Summary:

Seungkwan tells Mingyu about what happened the other day when Hansol came over and they decide to explore a few new things together.

Notes:

Hello~ Right now I'm trying to post a bit more for the people stuck at home and/or are just stressed about the state of the world right now. Hopefully a small distraction like this helps a bit!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan had tried his hardest to forget the whole condom incident. Hansol hadn't mentioned it again nor did he act any different and Seungkwan was grateful for that. Maybe it wasn't a big deal to him in the first place. But the whole thing jolted back into his memory when Mingyu came over and sat down on his bed. He hadn't even told him about it yet. “Oh my god, you won't believe the most embarrassing thing ever in my life happened to me when Hansol came over here the other day!”

 

“Hansol came over?” Mingyu asked as he leaned back onto his arms.

 

“Yeah, he was bored so I took him home. Or he took me home I guess, since he gave me a ride on his bike. Anyway, we came up here to play some video games and I saw something on my bed so I picked it up. Turned out my mom had left condoms on my bed! Condoms! And he saw them.”

 

Mingyu burst out laughing. “Oh. My. God. Did he think you wanted to use them with him?”

 

“It's not funny! I was so embarrassed! And it's not as if Hansol Vernon Chwe would want to have sex with me.”

 

“I dunno...he might be an ass-man.” Mingyu, still laughing, joked.

 

Seungkwan narrowed his eyes and kicked Mingyu's foot, “Please stop. I don't need another one of my friends obsessing over my ass. Jeonghan is enough.”

 

“I can't believe your mom just put them on your bed.”

 

“I know right! I haven't asked her yet why the hell she left condoms on my bed. Actually, I don't think I'm going to ask her. I'm already dying enough.” Seungkwan sat down onto his bed next to Mingyu and sighed.

 

“She...she doesn't think we're together, does she?” Mingyu asked with slightly shocked eyes. He knew he was over here a lot and he and Seungkwan were clingy at times, but he surely hoped his mother didn't think they were having sex.

 

“I don't think so. I've told her you're just a friend. Besides, even if we were together we wouldn't be having sex.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Oh my god, don't be offended at us not having sex in a non-existing situation!” Seungkwan slapped Mingyu on the arm.

 

“I'm not offended!” Mingyu said, rubbing his arm. “I just don't want your mom to think that I come over here to...for that.”

 

Seungkwan scrunched up his nose, “You're right. Me neither. Maybe I should talk to her.”

 

“Seungkwan?” Mingyu asked without looking at him and with a much more serious demeanor than before.

 

“Hm?”

 

“I was just wondering...have you ever...used condoms before?”

 

“W-what?”

 

Mingyu bit his lip and looked at him, “Well, have you?”

 

“N-no.” Seungkwan answered honestly.

 

Mingyu was blushing and a bit hesitant to talk about this, but at the same time he wanted to ask more. “But...you do know how it works right?”

 

“Why are you asking me this?” Seungkwan's face was now matching Mingyu's in terms of blushing.

 

“I just...I think I know how, I mean I do, but...at school they really only talk about the male-female baby-make-sex. How am I supposed to figure out from that how to have sex with another guy.”

 

Seungkwan nodded and bit his lip. Mingyu was right. They had learned all about how sex works if your goal is to procreate, but school didn't discuss anything for same-sex partners. Besides that, Seungkwan was sure there were all sorts of other ways to engage in sexual conduct, but at school they definitely didn't like to talk about how sex can be pleasurable. They loved to scare them with STDs though (and pregnancy, but that didn't apply to them so much).

 

“I'm not saying I'm planning to have sex anytime soon, but you never know what happens, right? I just think...isn't it better if we know how it works before we actually do it?” Mingyu continued.

 

“We could...find out together.”

 

Seungkwan's suggestion left the room quiet, but Mingyu nodded.

 

 

<>

 

 

Seungkwan slowly closed his laptop. “Well...that was...educational.”

 

“Educational!?” Mingyu yelled out, “I think you mean traumatizing!” Mingyu's eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open.

 

They had just finished watching several videos on the gay section of a porn website. Neither of them had any idea what to watch so Seungkwan had just clicked randomly and that might have been a mistake.

 

“It wasn't so bad!” Seungkwan replied, images of it still stuck to his eyes, “They seemed to enjoy it. I guess.”

 

“But it was so...so...” Mingyu couldn't even find the right words.

 

“Aggressive?” Seungkwan offered.

 

Mingyu nodded, “Yes! Where was the tender caressing or sweet kisses or...or something!”

 

“This was porn, not a romantic movie.” Seungkwan pointed out. “Maybe we just didn't watch the right stuff...”

 

They had most definitely not watched the right stuff for learning anything about sex between two loving partners that wasn't purely focused on the physical aspect of sex and satisfying certain fantasies and fetishes. The worst had been a video that involved a lot more than two people and it had Mingyu covering his face with his hands and yelling at Seungkwan to change it.

 

“Seungkwan, I don't think I can ever have sex. At least not like that.”

 

“I kinda get what you mean...but I do think that it can also be kind of nice.”

 

“That looked nice to you!?” Mingyu yelled out in disbelief. Was his best friend secretly a kinky little bastard?

 

“No! Not what we just saw. But isn't sex also about being physically close to someone you're emotionally close to? I think that might be nice. Some day...”

 

Mingyu sighed, “Yeah, maybe. I mean...kissing is nice. Maybe sex is just like a more intense version of kissing? Or like...masturbation for two.”

 

“Isn't that sort of exactly what it is? And going from what we just saw there are a lot of things you can do. At least some of that must be nice, why else would everybody want to do it? I just hope I never end up with someone who wants to have sex like that.” He eyed his laptop again. He had to admit that while the videos they just watched were a bit daunting, it had also made him curious about what real sex, outside of porn, was like. But he was perfectly fine waiting to find out. Unlike the act of kissing he wanted sex to be with someone he was actually in a relationship with. Someone he cared about and who cared about him. Maybe if Mingyu got together with his crush he could go ahead and lose his virginity first. That way he could tell him how it was.

 

“Do you think any of our friends have had sex before?” Mingyu wondered out loud.

 

Seungkwan took a moment to think. As of right now, as far as he knew, all of their friends were single and the only one he was sure has had any kind of relationship was Jihoon. But even that was a question-mark because from what he had gathered it wasn't even clear to the others with who or for how long. So Seungkwan shook his head, “I don't know. I highly doubt Seokmin has. He can't even talk to any guy he finds attractive. I don't think Jisoo would ever have sex outside of a committed relationship and he hasn't been in any I think. No idea about Jihoon and Jeonghan. Hansol also no idea.”

 

“Seungkwan, I just thought of something. Is Hansol gay?”

 

Seungkwan realized at that moment that he had never really thought about it. “I don't know actually. He's never said anything about liking boys or girls and I honestly don't know what kind of vibe I get from him. I just sort of assumed he's straight which is kind of ironic of me.”

 

“I mean...birds of a feather...literally everybody we're friends with is at least into guys.”

 

“I guess he might be. But at the same time he's never said anything and if there is a group of people at our school you can come out to it's our group, isn't it? So...maybe he just doesn't have any coming out to do?”

 

“Maybe.”

Notes:

I almost ALMOST broke this one up in two pieces and cut it off after they decide to 'find out together', because I know it totally sounds like they were about to do it, lol. But I decided not to be evil with cliffhangers today :D (also...they're not ready to go there yet!)

not at Seungkwan saying "He was bored so I took him home" like Hansol is a little puppy or something

We're getting closer to Battle of the Bands and that night will be pivotal in a number of relationships. But first: they need to name the band and Seungkwan wants to know the story behind Jihoon dying his hear red last summer.

Chapter 20: HS1-19 Band Names and Tall Guys

Summary:

They're trying to decide on a band name and Jihoon's dating past gets revealed.

Notes:

idek

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The whole condom incident was not forgotten, but also not brought up again by any party involved. Seungkwan and Hansol continued their friendship as usual (with Hansol pining and Seungkwan unaware). Seungkwan had to admit he had become somewhat intrigued by Hansol's sexuality after Mingyu had brought it up, but he restrained himself from asking about it. He hoped that if Hansol felt the need to talk about it, he would, but he didn't want to bring it up in case it was a sensitive issue for him. Besides, it didn't really matter, did it? He was his friend no matter what.

 

It was a little while later and Seungkwan was spending his lunch break in the music room. The band members were supposed to discuss some band related things, but Jeonghan and Jisoo were missing. Jihoon clicked his tongue looking at his phone to see if he had maybe missed any messages, “How come Mingyu, who isn't even in the band, can be here on time for band meetings, but they can't?”

 

“Aren't those two a bit too into their own world lately?” Seungkwan sighed. “This isn't the first time they're late together.”

 

“Maybe their class ran late?” Seokmin suggested.

 

Jihoon scoffed, “Doubt it.”

 

As he said it the door to the music room opened. “Speak of the devil.” Jihoon said when Jisoo and Jeonghan walked in.

 

“Sorry, we thought we were having lunch in the cafeteria today.” Jeonghan apologized as they sat down.

 

Jihoon narrowed his eyes at the pair, “No, you didn't. I texted the group chat earlier where we were and Jisoo replied.”

 

“Oh, ehm, but Jeonghan had already gone to the cafeteria so I went to go get him.” Jisoo stammered back.

 

Jihoon nodded and pursed his lips, unconvinced. “Anyway, we really have to-”

 

As he spoke he got interrupted by the door opening again. This time it was Hansol. The last few times that he hadn't joined them for lunch when they were in the music room he had always gotten a message asking him where he was or if he was coming. Sometimes it came from Seungkwan, sometimes Jeonghan or Jisoo. So now he, like Mingyu, would hang around the music room while the others practiced during lunch.

 

“Hansol, I'm glad you're here!” Seungkwan said with a smile and he held out his hand to beckon him closer, “We have to let the Battle of the Bands organizer know our band name, but we can't decide.”

 

Hansol walked over and sat down next to Seungkwan, “What are the options?”

 

Seungkwan let out a loud sigh, “Okay, I'm going to be honest with you. We haven't been able to come up with anything even remotely good.”

 

“The best I came up with was 'Closet Boys'.” Seokmin mumbled.

 

“And I think it was Jisoo who suggested the terrible 'Back Entrance Parade' or 'BEP' as he liked to call it.” Jeonghan snorted.

 

“As if 'Rainbow Dust Blasters' was any better!” Jisoo shot back.

 

“So basically...” Mingyu said with a mouth full of food, “...they're looking for something that is kind of gay, but not too obvious.”

 

“Yeah, but it also has to fit a rock band.” Jihoon answered with a groan.

 

“So? Any suggestions?” a hopeful Seungkwan asked of Hansol.

 

“How about, eh, 'Skeletons in the Closet'? It's like...rockish because skeletons, but it's also about being in the closet and also how people think of being gay as something bad. But you guys can show them how awesome and fabulous those skeletons can be.” He finished with a shrug, “But I don't know.”

 

The band members shared looks and nodded. “It's a lot better than anything we've been able to come up with.” Jihoon said. The others nodded. “Let's just go with that then.” Jeonghan added.

 

“Thank you so much, Sollie!”

 

Sollie” Hansol thought to himself and hoped that his efforts to hide his blush were effective.

 

“Well, with that out of the way I have another question.” Seungkwan said suddenly. “Is anyone ever going to tell me the story of red hair Jihoon?”

 

“Red hair Jihoon?” Mingyu asked, looking over at him.

 

“Apparently Jihoon dyed his hair a bright red last summer out of nowhere, despite never having done more to his hair than run a comb through it every once in a while. Now I've managed to see some photographic evidence of this era, but I still haven't heard why it happened in the first place.” Seungkwan explained. “It's been on my mind for ages.”

 

“Maybe he just wanted to try something different?” Hansol suggested. He knew Jihoon quite well by now and he was pretty sure he wasn't all that keen on discussing the issue.

 

“You know how they say that girls often get a drastic haircut after a break-up...” Mingyu said jokingly, but it wasn't met with much laughter from the person in question.

 

“Are you calling me a girl?”

 

“I think he was just suggesting that maybe boys do that too.” Seungkwan weighed in.

 

“Well, maybe they do. Can we drop it?”

 

“Wait, it's true!?” Mingyu and Seungkwan stared at him with big eyes.

 

“Whatever, okay? Yes, I dated someone and yes, we broke up when he left for college last summer. It wasn't a big deal.”

 

“You dated a senior!?” Seokmin exclaimed. He had known that Jihoon had been dating someone for a few months last year, but he never knew who it was. Jihoon wasn't one to say much about his romantic life, even to his friends. “I can't believe we didn't know about this! Did he go to this school?”

 

“He used to hang with us on the roof.” Jeonghan replied without thinking and he immediately shut himself up with an apologetic look in Jihoon's direction.

 

“You knew who it was!?”

 

“Wait a minute...” Jisoo said, “...if he used to hang with you on the roof...that means it was either Sehun, Youngjae or Jaebum, doesn't it?”

 

Jihoon clicked his tongue. “Yup.”

 

“I always kind of thought Youngjae and Jaebum might have been a thing...” Jisoo thought out loud.

 

“They were.” Jeonghan said, again unable to control himself, “But last I heard they also broke up and Jaebum is now dating another guy named Youngjae.”

 

If looks could kill Jeonghan might have died, but he didn't seem too bothered. “I'm sorry, Hoonie, but I'm surprised I was able to keep this information to myself for this long already!”

 

“You're just bitter that he mistook you for Johnny that one time.” Jihoon replied.

 

“No, that was kind of hilarious.” Jeonghan chuckled.

 

Seungkwan felt a little bad for bringing the whole thing up seeing how it had clearly brought up some bad memories, “Jihoon? I'm sorry I asked...and I'm sorry you broke up with someone.”

 

Jihoon was never able to stay mad for very long and he nodded with a small smile, “It's okay. It's not like it was really a secret. I just don't like talking about it.”

 

“If it wasn't a secret how come I didn't even know...” Seokmin said more to himself than to his friend.

 

“I just don't like talking about this stuff. I promise that if it's a serious long-term thing I'll tell you about it, okay?”

 

“So...ehm...I get it's a bit of a sensitive issue, but do we have any pics of this guy?

 

“Mingyu!” Seungkwan shot him an angry look, “Can't you see Jihoon is in pain thinking about his lost love.”

 

“For fuck's sake, I'm not in pain. We only went out for a short time. We've been broken up longer than we were together. If I show you a picture of him will you drop it?”

 

“You still have his picture on your phone?” Jisoo asked.

 

Jihoon shrugged, “Somewhere. We didn't end on bad terms, really. I don't really see why I should delete his photos.” He scrolled through his gallery and found an old picture of Sehun.

 

“Hey wait a minute,” Hansol said, “I think I've seen this guy before on pictures of last year's basketball club. Was he in the club?”

 

“Hence the uniform he's wearing.” Jihoon replied and he took his phone back. He was ready for this topic to be closed.

 

“He looked tall...” Seungkwan said quietly.

 

“And?” Jihoon asked.

 

“Nothing! It's just...eh...nothing.”

 

“Oh, don't you guys know?” Jeonghan said with a gleeful smile, “Jihoon totally has a thing for really tall guys. Why do you think he likes looking at basketball so much?”

 

“I do not have a 'thing' for tall guys. It's just a coincidence that most guys that I find attractive also happen to be tall. Can we get to rehearsing now?”

 

As they stood up to get ready Mingyu leaned in to whisper in Seungkwan's ear, “Should I be offended that, despite being tall, Jihoon doesn't seem to be attracted to me?”

 

Seungkwan stared at him as if he was crazy, “You just worry your tall head about your own attractions. Now be a good groupie and get me some water.”

Notes:

-I don't know how to come up with a good band name, lol! (I did google and it doesn't seem to be an actual band, so no copyright infringements here, haha)
-So...Sehun is pretty random right? I'll tell you how I came up with it: First of all, irl Jihoon is friends with Chanyeol and also Hongbin from VIXX, both tall people. So I thought...what if Jihoon has a thing for tall men? So then I basically starting thinking about other tall idols and who would fit age wise and I ended on Sehun. (side note: the Youngjae that hang out with them is BAP's Youngjae. He and JB are good friends)
-This was a bit of a random bits one, but I wanted to come up with a band name and have this random talk about Jihoon's tall men kink idek

So...next time we'll take a little break from Hansol's suffering and focus on a Mingyu issue. It's his birthday and Seungkwan is coming over for dinner with Mingyu's family and some stuff happens

Chapter 21: HS1-20 Mingyu's Family

Summary:

Mingyu invites Seungkwan over for a birthday dinner at his house and things don't exactly go over smoothly

Notes:

Hello~ here's some Mingyu story time. Please give him a hug or something

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The school bell rang and Mingyu started packing up his bag. “Are you guys going to rehearse again?”

 

With Battle of the Bands less than a month away the music club members spent even more time in the music room than usual. This included lunchtime and a number of after school hours. As a result, Mingyu hadn't been seeing much of his best friend outside of class. Even if he did go with him during lunch, they didn't have much time to talk and he opted to spend some lunches in the library as well (he claimed as to not distract them from playing).

 

Seungkwan nodded, “Are you going to the library again and pretend to study?”

 

“Hey, I study!”

 

Seungkwan leaned in a little closer so none of their classmates would hear, “Yeah, you study Wonwoo's facial features.”

 

Mingyu narrowed his eyes and glared at Seungkwan's smirk-painted face. That was all he could do, because it wasn't as if Seungkwan wasn't right. He had figured out the days that Wonwoo was usually in the library and he had discovered the perfect table for throwing glances in his direction with the lowest probability of getting caught. Seungkwan had warned him not to go into stalker territory, but Mingyu just wasn't ready to take the next step in their not-yet-existent relationship.

 

Seungkwan swung his bag over his shoulder, “Well, text me later to tell me how your study session went. I've got to go.”

 

“Oh, wait! I have to ask you something!” Mingyu stopped him. “Can you please come to my house for my birthday this weekend? My mom said she wants to cook this elaborate dinner and she said I should invite a friend if I wanted to and then she added 'like Seungkwan'. So I think my mom wants you to come...”

 

“Ehm, sure I guess. But why in the weekend? Your birthday is on Thursday.”

 

“My dad always works late during the week and my little sister has her soccer club practice...I think my mom is just trying to make it nice this year. Last year was...not so good.”

 

“Oh?” Seungkwan didn't know Mingyu's family all that well if he was being honest. He had met his mother and younger sister briefly when he came over, but he had only seen his father in passing as he was leaving. They seemed nice enough, but Mingyu didn't really talk much about their relationship.

 

Mingyu sighed, “Think back to how I was when we first met but with more yelling.”

 

“You yelled at your mom?”

 

“At my mom, my dad...I yelled, they yelled. My mom cried, my little sister cried. It was a mess. Not just on my birthday. Things have calmed down in the last months, but I think we're all a little anxious about having a nice family dinner. You don't have to come if you don't want to. It might get awkward.”

 

“I'll be there.”

 

{Mingyu's house}

 

They were all seated at the table and enjoying the food Mingyu's mother had prepared. It wasn't exactly a lively atmosphere, but not unpleasant. Seungkwan was glad his conversations with Mingyu's parents went over well. It was hard to imagine this same family fighting and yelling like Mingyu had described.

 

“Well, Seungkwan, I have to say that it's nice to have you over like this. Mingyu has told us so much about you.” his mother said with a friendly smile.

 

“No, I haven't. Don't listen to her.”

 

“Maybe someday he'll even bring home a girlfriend.” His father interjected and, even though he said it jokingly, Seungkwan felt Mingyu cringe next to him.

 

He hadn't come out to his family yet and Seungkwan knew that Mingyu was scared to. Although his parents seemed loving as far as Seungkwan had seen, you never know how people react to their children being gay. Sometimes they surprise you for the better, sometimes for the worse.

 

His mother shot his father a look, signaling to drop the issue, but he didn't seem to get the hint.

 

“I'm just saying he's a good looking young man. He should have no trouble finding a nice girl.”

 

Under the table Mingyu's leg was restlessly bouncing up and down and Seungkwan placed his hand on it in an attempt to calm him down.

 

“Can't I just focus on school?” Mingyu said through gritted teeth and pressed his lips together, “Why do you always have to bring up girls?”

 

“Why do you always have to find fault with anything I say? Most teenagers would be delighted that their parents want them to date instead of just focusing on school!” His father replied. Seungkwan, along with everybody else at the table, felt the tension rise.

 

“Back me up here, Seungkwan.” Mingyu's father now addressed Seungkwan, “Don't you think it would be good for him to get a girlfriend? She might help him control that temper of his. Do you have a girlfriend, Seungkwan?”

 

Seungkwan didn't think there was any malicious intent behind the question, but it left him unsure of what to say, so he just mumbled, “N-no, sir.”

 

“Ah, well. You're a good boy. I'm sure you'll find a nice girl someday.”

 

“T-thank you, sir.”

 

“Don't thank him.” Mingyu hissed.

 

“Mingyu, you know your father was just being nice.” his mother said with tone that couldn't quite cover up the fact that she was upset at how the conversation was turning sour.

 

“What's nice about asking my friend about his private life?”

 

His father scoffed, “What? I can't even ask your friend if he has a girlfriend or not? Is it that big of a deal?”

 

“You know what, dad? No. He doesn't have a girlfriend. I don't have a girlfriend and I will never have a girlfriend!” Mingyu yelled across the table.

 

“What's that supposed to mean?” His father's voice was calm but his eyes were fixed on his son with intensity.

 

Mingyu didn't look at him. He felt tears stinging in his eyes. He hadn't planned for this. He just wanted to get through dinner and have it be over. But he felt like he was standing on the side of a bridge about to jump. He decided to jump and hoped he would survive the landing. “I'm gay.”

 

Seungkwan hadn't taken his hand off Mingyu's leg and felt he was shaking.

 

“Seungkwan,” Mingyu's father spoke without taking his eyes off his son, “I think it's time for you to leave.”

 

Seungkwan looked at him and then at his best friend. “Mingyu?” he asked. He knew he risked upsetting his father, but he wasn't about to leave Mingyu all by himself. He had heard too many coming out stories that didn't end so well. Mingyu turned his head to look at him.

 

“It's okay.” Mingyu said with a voice so small it made Seungkwan's heart ache.

 

Seungkwan didn't move right away. He kept looking at Mingyu, asking for one more confirmation. Mingyu nodded. Seungkwan got up slowly.

 

“Thank you for dinner.” He said directed at Mingyu's mother and he walked towards the hallway. He turned around one more time. Nobody at the table moved. As he was putting on his coat with his heart in his throat Mingyu's little sister came to him.

 

“Seungkwan?”

 

Seungkwan looked at her, not sure what to say to her.

 

“I don't care if my brother is gay and I don't care if you are his boyfriend. I just want him to be happy.” Tears were beginning to form in her eyes. Seungkwan knelt down to get on eye-level with her. He placed a hand on her head.

 

“Just make sure he knows that too, okay? I'm sure it means a lot coming from his little sister who he loves so much.”

 

She nodded and sniffed.

 

Seungkwan smiled at her. “I'm not his boyfriend though.”

 

He got back up and opened the front-door, before he stepped out he asked her, “He's going to be okay in there, right?”

 

His sister didn't answer, but shrugged instead. Not very re-assuring.

 

“If you can, can you ask him to call me later? I just want to make sure he's okay.”

 

She nodded. “Are you sure you're not his boyfriend?”

 

<>

 

The whole way back Seungkwan kept checking his phone. He didn't like how he just left Mingyu, but he supposed it was something between him and his parents. He remembered when he had come out at home. He told his sisters first. They encouraged him to tell their mother and finally they had told his father together. He hadn't gotten much of a response from him, but he had decided to take that as a positive. At least he wasn't yelled at or told that it was just a phase or some shit like that. He was grateful that his family had accepted him in their own ways and he could only hope that was what was happening over at Mingyu's house right now as well.

 

When he got back home his mother was sitting on the couch watching some quiz show on TV. “Hey. I wasn't expecting you until later. How was dinner over at Mingyu?”

 

“Some stuff happened.” Seungkwan said as he sat down next to her.

 

“Is everything okay?”

 

“He told his parents that he's gay.”

 

“I see.”

 

“They asked me to leave and...I'm just a little worried I guess. His parents seem nice, but you just never really know, you know?”

 

His mother took his hand and gave it a squeeze, “No matter what, I'm sure he can handle it. He's lucky to have a friend like you by his side.”

 

Seungkwan smiled a little, “Thanks, mom. If it's okay I'm just going to go to my bedroom and wait for him to call me.”

 

His mother kissed him on the cheek, “Sure, honey. Try not to worry too much.”

 

Seungkwan got up from the couch. “Mom? You know me and Mingyu aren't a couple, right?”

 

“I know, honey.”

 

<>

 

For the next two hours Seungkwan was waiting anxiously around his room. He tried to do some homework, but didn't get much done. Then finally his phone lit up with Mingyu's incoming call.

 

He picked up right away, “Hey! How are you? Everything okay?”

 

Hey.” Mingyu replied, “It was very intense, but yeah, I'm okay.

 

“What happened after I left? Was your dad angry?”

 

No...he cried. I told them everything. About me being gay and how I had struggled with it and how I was in such a dark place last year that I almost felt like there was no way out anymore and then he cried. But, like, he didn't cry because I'm gay but because he felt bad I had been walking around feeling shit about myself. He said he knew I was struggling with something and he didn't know how to help me. My mom also cried. And then we hugged all together, which was weird.

 

“But this is good, right?”

 

He heard Mingyu take a deep breath before he spoke again, “Yeah. Yeah, I think it is.

 

Seungkwan moved from his desk chair to his bed and lied down on his back. “Fuck, I'm so relieved. I was so worried.”

 

Sorry...I didn't mean to drag you into that. I really hadn't planned for this to happen tonight.

 

“I know. Don't apologize.”

 

Oh, you should know that my parents love you now. They already liked you, but I told them about how you've helped me accept myself and shit and now they love you. It's annoying really.

 

“More annoying than you're dad asking you if you found a girlfriend yet?”

 

Mingyu groaned, “For a moment he thought we were dating.

 

Seungkwan laughed, “Well, I'm glad he's still cool with you dating someone. At least you'll be able to bring Wonwoo over. If you ever grow the balls to ask him out.”

 

Seungkwan, please, I just came out, can I start worrying about Wonwoo again tomorrow?

 

Seungkwan chuckled, “Sure.”

Notes:

-Mingyu's mom was just happy her son had made a friend and wasn't so unhappy all the time anymore (or stabbing things and getting expelled)
-Add Mingyu's sister to the list of people who think they're dating

Next time: The final preparations for Battle of the Bands and Seungkwan thinks it's time to take a few matters (e.g. Mingyu's pining from afar) into his own hands

Chapter 22: HS1-21 Final Preparations

Summary:

The band is getting ready for Battle of the Bands this weekend and Seungkwan has made sure there will be a few familiar faces in the audience.

Notes:

Sorry if this one feels a bit like a filler! >.<

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

It was the last few days before Battle of the Bands and Jihoon was demanding all of their free time for final rehearsals. When they first decided to do this band thing he just thought of it as something to do that was more fun than school. But now he was really into it and dammit he wanted to kick all the other bands' asses.

 

“Mingyu, do you know where Seungkwan is? He's late.”

 

Mingyu shook his head, “Not sure. We were on our way over here when he suddenly said he had to go do something.”

 

Jeonghan came up next to him, “Mingyu, no offense, but why are you here? Not that I mind, but isn't it boring for you to constantly watch us play the same few songs over and over again until a certain someone...” he looked at Jihoon who didn't seem to care, “...will finally be satisfied with our performance?”

 

Mingyu cast his eyes down, “I'm sorry.” he mumbled. “If it bothers you guys I'll just leave.”

 

“Oh my god, no, that's totally not what I meant!” Jeonghan quickly placed a hand on Mingyu's arm and gave him an apologetic look. “Mingyu, I'm sorry, I-” he stopped his sincere apology when he saw a mischievous smile appear on the other boy's lips. Jeonghan slapped his arm, “Mean!”

 

Mingyu let out a happy laugh. He knew they didn't mind him being there and he just enjoyed seeing them play their music. Besides, it's not like he had many other people he could have lunch with. Or wanted to was perhaps a better way of putting it. Over the last few months his classmates had relaxed around him, but if truth be told he wasn't all that interested in befriending any of them anymore.

 

“Finally!” Jihoon exclaimed when the door opened and Seungkwan walked in.

 

Seungkwan, however, completely ignored him and walked right over to Seokmin instead, “You're going to love me!” he declared with a slightly smug smile.

 

“I already love you, Kwannie!”

 

“Get ready to love me more! I invited Jaehyun to watch us perform and he said he'd definitely be there!”

 

All color left Seokmin's face and his eyes grew about three sizes, “What!? No, no, no, no, why would you do that!?”

 

“So that he can see how awesome and cool you are? You've been crushing on this dude for forever now, don't you think it's time to find out if it can be anything more?”

 

Seokmin shook his head in despair, “It's hopeless! Everytime I see him I'm unable to even speak! He's too handsome.”

 

“That's why this is perfect! You don't have to speak! Just play the keyboard and sing! He'd be crazy not to fall in love with you when he sees you up there. You have an amazing stage presence, Seok!”

 

Still a bit unsure of himself Seokmin offered him a hesitant nod. Hopefully Seungkwan was right. Or at the very least hopefully he wouldn't make an ass out of himself like he did everytime he was anywhere near Jaehyun.

 

“Mingyu!” Seungkwan turned to his best friend and pulled him aside, “You better be grateful too. I told Wonwoo to come as well!”

 

“I'm not even in the band!”

 

“Not everything is about you.”

 

“Then why should I be grateful?”

 

“Because he'll be in the audience just like you, so you can casually stand next to him.”

 

Mingyu let that run through his head for a moment. It wouldn't be weird to stand next to him since they'd both just be in the audience and they did sort of know each other, but at the same time there wouldn't be any pressure to communicate because they could just focus on the performances instead. “You're a genius!”

 

Seungkwan smiled proudly, “I know, right? So you better not waste this opportunity and actually talk with him or make some sort of move!”

 

“I've talked to him!” Mingyu protested.

 

Seungkwan folded his arms and looked at him with pursed lips, “Outside of the library?” he questioned.

 

“Well, eh...there was that one time I saw him outside trying to get the attention of a cat and I learned he likes cats.”

 

“Staring at him from a distance is not talking.”

 

“But he also saw me when he got up and sort of waved at me!”

 

“Oh wow, you're right, you're basically dating already.” Seungkwan's reply was drenched in sarcasm. “Anyway, it's all up to you now. I've done my part.”

 

“I was wondering...” Jisoo started talking and everyone turned their attention to him, “...should we let more people know we're competing in Battle of the Bands this weekend?”

 

Seungkwan shrugged, “I don't really care as long as Mingyu and Hansol are going to be there.” If he was being honest he would have loved it if the whole school was looking forward to their performance, but things being the way they were it might be better to let their participation in the event fly under the radar a bit.

 

“Aww” Mingyu cooed next to him. Seungkwan looked at him with an annoyed look on his face, “Don't get all mushy. I said you and Hansol. You're not my only friend outside the band! Besides, you know Hyunggu from the basketball club? He was there when I asked Jaehyun to come and he said he'd try to make it, too.”

 

“Does that even count as a friend?” Mingyu said back. “Just because he's nice to you like two times doesn't mean you two are friends.”

 

“Aww, are you getting jealous that I talk to other guys?” Seungkwan joked back. Mingyu scowled, but also wrapped his arms around his best friend as if he was preventing him from going anywhere,

 

Jihoon clicked his tongue thinking about the issue, “Of course I want people to see us perform. We've worked really hard. I'm just not sure I want the people who watch us be people from this school.”

 

Jeonghan nodded in agreement, “I don't need some of those assholes from our class to yell stuff at us while we're up there.”

 

Jisoo placed a hand on Jeonghan's arm in support. He knew Jeonghan and Jihoon had had more trouble with the bullies at this school than Seokmin, Seungkwan, or himself had. Jihoon was relentlessly teased about his height and they just loved pointing out Jeonghan's feminine features.

 

“All right, so let's just leave it. If people know about it and want to come, fine, but we won't go around broadcasting it to people we don't even like in the first place.” Jihoon concluded. They all agreed.

 

“Oh!” Jeonghan suddenly perked up, “Jisoo, get the things!”

 

Jihoon raised an eyebrow, “What things?”

 

Jeonghan smiled mysteriously and Jisoo walked to the back of the room to grab a large bag. “Remember how they told us to have more edge? Well, we got us all some stage outfits! Nothing too much, just some things to make us look more like an actual band instead of five random guys who somehow ended up on stage together.”

 

He started pulling out shirts and some accessories that he handed out to his band members. “I think it'll give us a more coherent look.”

 

“Great, just what rock bands are known for. Order and well thought out fashion choices.” Jihoon said.

 

“You don't like it?” Jeonghan pouted.

 

Jihoon huffed and took the oversized red-checkered shirt he was holding out to him, “I didn't say that. But why didn't you tell us you were planning to buy us outfits? We could have gone with you guys.”

 

Jeonghan exchanged a quick look with Jisoo, “Oh, eh, it wasn't really planned. We were just out and happened to come across this secondhand clothing store and saw these...”

 

“You were out together?” Jihoon asked, “Just the two of you?”

 

Jeonghan let out a small puff or air, “As if none of us ever hangs out with just one other person.”

 

“Jihoon, you don't even like shopping. Or going outside.” Seungkwan pointed out with a chuckle.

 

“Whatever.”

 

“Anyway, thanks for this guys!” Seokmin said happily as he examined the stuff they had gotten for him to wear, “I'm sure we'll look great!”

 

Jihoon stretched his arms, “Now let's make sure we also sound great. We've been wasting enough time, let's go!”

Notes:

-Outfits: think Teen, age album RS (black) version
-Will Jaehyun and Wonwoo come? Will it have the desired effects? Will Jihoon ever stop being suspicious of Jeonghan and Jisoo's relationship?

the next one will be longer than this one (about double the word count?) and a bunch of stuff will happen! Hansol will be back in full being in love with Seungkwan mode! (I lowkey want to just post it but I also want to give myself some time to work on upcoming chapters so there won't be too much time between updates #thestruggleisreal)

Chapter 23: HS1-22 Battle of the Bands

Summary:

Finally it's time for 'Skeletons in the Closet' to perform at the local Battle of the Bands. Hansol will feast his eyes on Seungkwan on stage and his eyes will witness something else as well that will change everything.

Notes:

Am I updating twice in one day? Yes, yes I am. (maybe unless you're in a different timezone and it became a new day in the meantime...)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan stood backstage. He was trying to drown out the noise coming from the stage and the audience. The first band had just started playing. Hearing the other bands perform was a distraction he didn't need right now. He knew he could sing, he knew their band had good songs, but the knot of nerves in his stomach was tightening and getting bigger by the second at this point. The others were clearly nervous too. Jisoo was busy assuring Jeonghan that he could do this. Jihoon was going over his lyrics again as if he hadn't read them a billion times and a billion times over. Seokmin was standing in front of the mirror talking to himself in an attempt to pull out some confidence.

 

Seungkwan felt someone tap his shoulder and he turned around to find Hansol. Immediately his face broke into a smile, “What are you doing here? Are you even allowed to be backstage?”

 

Hansol shrugged his shoulders with a smirk on his face said, “I didn't bother to ask anyone for permission. It's not like they have tight security in this place anyway. I just wanted to wish you luck. Not that you need it.”

 

The smile hadn't left Seungkwan's face and he gave Hansol a quick hug, missing the way Hansol froze momentarily at the close proximity of their bodies.

 

“Thank you. You're not all alone are you? Find Mingyu if you want someone to stand with.”

 

Hansol chuckled, “Don't worry, I can handle myself. All I need to have a good time is to look at you up there performing.” He hoped Seungkwan didn't pick up on the accidental flirting. Or maybe he hoped that he did. He quickly added “Besides, some of the basketball guys are here too!”

 

“Oh yeah? Oh!” Seungkwan exclaimed, “Did Jaehyun come?”

 

“I think so. Yeah, pretty sure I saw him with Johnny earlier.” Hansol replied. He didn't really get Seungkwan's interest in Jaehyun. Sure, they knew each other from basketball and English but he didn't think they were really friends. Then again, he had also hadn't picked up on the fact that Seokmin liked him yet. He was too busy with his all consuming crush on the boy standing before him.

 

“Excellent.” Seungkwan whispered to himself. He was convinced that if there was any chance Jaehyun would return Seokmin's feelings, tonight was the perfect stage to plant the seed that would allow for their romance to blossom.

 

“So...” Hansol said, “...I'm heading back out there. I'll see you after?”

 

Seungkwan nodded, “Yeah, just meet us outside?” Hansol nodded also and was about to leave when Seungkwan stopped him, “Wait, actually I have a favor to ask you. Can you find Mingyu and stay near him tonight? I want you to keep an eye on him and Wonwoo. You know, the library guy?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I mean, like, do they interact and if so how? If it's not too much trouble.”

 

“Oh, ehm, sure. I can do that.” He didn't ask any further, but maybe he had been right that time in the library. Mingyu had been flirting with Wonwoo and now Seungkwan was worried that something was going on between those two.

 

Seungkwan thanked him again and Hansol left to find a good place in the crowd. Seungkwan followed him out with his eyes. He felt a lot calmer after Hansol's visit. He suddenly didn't care so much about the other people who would be watching him. As long as he knew Hansol was there cheering him on it didn't matter who else was there.

 

Finally they got their five minute warning and it was almost time for them to enter the stage. They all gathered around in a circle, “Okay, Seok, why don't you say something to get us pumped or something?” Jihoon suggested.

 

“Me!?”

 

“Isn't that what performers do? Like...shout something motivational or some shit before they go out on stage? You are the best man for the job.”

 

“Okay, okay. Bring it in!” Seokmin held out his hand and the others joined theirs on top. “We're going to go out there and show them what we got! Jihoon with his amazing drumming and awesome musical genius, Seungkwan with his vocals that could make a grown man cry, Jisoo with his surprisingly flashy guitar skills, and Jeonghan our cool and ethereal bass player!”

 

“And Seokmin with the coolest air around him when he shows that keyboard who's boss and with vocals to match my own!” Seungkwan added since Seokmin did the thing again where he cut himself short.

 

They all cheered and broke the circle. It was time.

 

<>

 

Despite their initial nerves the actual performance went better beyond expectations. The energy from the crowd was easy to feed off of and it gave them the boost they needed to pull out that special something which was impossible to get when you're playing without an audience. Not only that, but Seokmin managed to perform like he actually had the confidence his friends all thought he should have to match the amount of talent. Jisoo seemed to beam with pride as girls screamed for Jeonghan's attention (something he was most unfamiliar with seeing as he went to an all boys high school). With the cheers from the people watching them Seungkwan's entertainment personality came bursting to the forefront and he ad-libbed a fitting introduction for each band member before they walked off stage again. The cheers from the crowd still ringing in their ears.

 

Hansol had been focusing all of his attention on the band's performance (okay, mostly on Seungkwan) and had almost forgotten to keep an eye on Mingyu and Wonwoo like Seungkwan had asked. He looked to his side where he was sure they had been. He had found Mingyu already standing next to Wonwoo (with a nervous look on his face) when he went out into the pit. But now they were gone. He cursed under his breath and he spun around to see if he could spot them somewhere. He found that they had made their way to the side of the room almost out of sight. He kept his eyes on them, but they just seemed to be talking. He got a little closer. There were still a few other bands that had to perform so he had time to follow Seungkwan's request before they'd announce the winner. Admittedly, he was curious too. Wonwoo leaned in to whisper in Mingyu's ear, a hint of a smirk on his face. He was too far to see clearly, but Hansol was fairly sure he could see Mingyu blush. Wonwoo walked away and Mingyu followed. Shit.

 

Hansol quickly went in pursuit. He was just in time to see them step outside and he followed. At first he couldn't find him, so he decided to check the alley next to the entrance. He quickly ducked behind a dumpster. He peeked out from behind to confirm what he already thought to have seen. There they were. Wonwoo and Mingyu. Kissing. Mingyu had his back pressed against the wall and his hands on Wonwoo's waist. That bastard. How could he do this to Seungkwan? Hansol balled up his fist and without thinking slammed it into the dumpster. The sound it caused bounced off the walls and he quickly hid again.

 

“What was that?” He could hear Mingyu ask.

 

“Probably just a random animal or something.” Wonwoo replied and they were quiet again. Hansol knew why. He wasn't sure what to do. Should he confront them? Or just tell Seungkwan what he had seen? He decided it wasn't his place to cause a scene and he went back inside, slightly shaken up by what he had just witnessed. The best thing he could do now was hope that the band had won so Seungkwan had something positive to focus on before he was going to get his heart broken. He just hoped that Seungkwan wouldn't blame him for being the messenger of bad news.

 

Right before they were going to announce the results Mingyu appeared by Hansol's side again. At least he had the decency to take his tongue out of Wonwoo's mouth long enough to see if his boyfriend had won any prizes.

 

“They haven't announced anything yet, right?” he asked Hansol.

 

“No.” Hansol replied with a strained voice.

 

“Okay, good.”

 

“Where have you been?” There was no way Hansol's tone of voice wasn't at least a little bit accusatory, but Mingyu didn't seem to notice. He just smiled and giggled like an idiot.

 

“I was just getting some air.”

 

“Alone?”

 

“Eh, no. Wonwoo was there too.” An unmistakeable blush colored his cheeks.

 

“And where is Wonwoo now?”

 

“Oh, he's in the back. He ran into someone he knows from school.” Mingyu looked behind him to see if he could spot him. Hansol did the same. Wonwoo was standing in the back talking with someone that Hansol didn't know. When he saw Mingyu looking at him he couldn't suppress a smile and it made Hansol even angrier. They both turned back around when the host of the night came on stage to announce the results. First they called the top three on stage. Skeletons in the Closet was on the list. Hansol held his breath as they announced the number two. It wasn't them. He was ready to riot if the other band that was left was going to win. But he didn't have to. The audience erupted in cheers when their band was announced as the winner of tonight's competition.

 

Mingyu was jumping up and down happily and cheering loudly. For a moment Hansol forgot that he wanted to kick Mingyu in the balls.

 

<>

 

Hansol was waiting outside like Seungkwan had told him to. He had lost track of Mingyu and Wonwoo. He had a knot in his stomach not knowing if he should tell Seungkwan what he had seen right away. He didn't want to take away from their win, but he also felt like he had the right to know. He didn't have time to figure it out, because a voice called for him.

 

“Hansol!” Seungkwan ran towards him and basically leaped into his arms. “Can you believe we won!”

 

“Y-yeah...you guys were awesome!”

 

Seungkwan smiled brightly and for a moment all that Hansol knew was that smile and the fact he had his hands on Seungkwan's waist.

 

Seungkwan turned his head and looked around, “Where's Mingyu?”

 

“Oh, ehm...” Hansol took his hands back and shoved them in his pockets. “He, eh...I'm not sure.”

 

“Didn't you keep an eye on him and Wonwoo like I asked?” Seungkwan furrowed his brows together and pouted.

 

“I did! But after the show I kind of lost them.”

 

“Does that mean they were together?” Seungkwan cocked his head to the side.

 

“Yeah...listen Seungkwan. I don't want to ruin your night, but I think you should know something.”

 

“What?”

 

They were interrupted by the rest of the band walking over. Hansol congratulated them as well.

 

“I wish we could go out and celebrate. Whose dumb idea was it to have this competition on a Sunday?” Jeonghan complained, “My parents barely let me come out as it is. They said I should study more...” He let out a big sigh.

 

Jisoo wrapped his arm around Jeonghan's neck and sighed dramatically, “You kids don't understand the struggle of getting into college.”

 

Jihoon scoffed, “Whatever, I didn't even tell my parents.” He checked the time on his phone and sucked in some air through his teeth, “That being said, I really should get going before they start asking questions. I'll see you guys tomorrow.” He kind of hesitated and cast his eyes downwards, “I, eh, I'm really proud of you guys. We did great tonight.” Without another word he turned around and walked away. He wasn't the best at expressing his emotions, but they all understood how he felt.

 

Seokmin smiled at the compliment, but then his face fell. “Ah, we take the same bus. I don't want to go by myself. See you guys!” He quickly ran after him. Jisoo and Jeonghan also said their goodbyes when Jisoo's mother arrived to drive them home, leaving Seungkwan and Hansol alone again.

 

“So, ehm, you were about to tell me something about Mingyu and Wonwoo?”

 

Hansol swallowed, “Yeah, eh...Before...after you guys performed, but before the results were announced, Mingyu and Wonwoo went outside together. I followed them and I found them...”

 

Seungkwan stared at him impatiently, “...you found them? What, Hansol? Spit it out.”

 

“I found them kissing in the alley.”

 

Immediately Seungkwan's eyes grew into saucers and he grabbed Hansol's arm “What!? Oh my god! How long did they kiss? Were tongues involved?”

 

“Seungkwan, are you okay?” Hansol was confused. Seungkwan seemed happy about this.

 

“I can't believe he finally did it! I'm so proud. Although I can't believe he hasn't told me yet! Shit, maybe he did! Where's my phone?”

 

By now Hansol was sure Seungkwan was happy about Mingyu making out with someone that wasn't him. “I just told you your boyfriend is cheating on you and you're proud of him?”

 

“Boyfriend? What are you talking about? Mingyu's not my boyfriend.” Seungkwan answered casually as he continued to feel around in his bag for his phone.

 

“He...isn't?” Did he hear correctly or was his mind playing tricks on him?

 

“Hansol, I've told you that he isn't before.” Normally Seungkwan would be more concerned with the fact that apparently Hansol had been thinking that he and Mingyu were dating this whole time, but all he was concerned with right now was his best friend and his crush making out in an alley.

 

“Yeah, but I just thought that...” He didn't finish his sentence because he wasn't sure how to explain what he thought, what he had been thinking for months.

 

“That I'm the kind of person who'd want the fact that he has a boyfriend a secret? Ha! If I ever get a boyfriend the whole world can know about it for all I care!”

 

“Don't say it like that.”

 

“Like what?”

 

“Like it's so unlikely for you to ever get a boyfriend.”

 

Seungkwan snorted, “No takers so far, but thanks.” he said before letting out a triumphant cry because he had finally managed to pull his phone from the depths of this bag.

 

“I could be your boyfriend.” Hansol said and let out a nervous chuckle. He immediately regretted it. The information that Seungkwan was, in fact, single, made him do crazy impulsive things.

 

“Hansol, this is not the time for your jokes! I need to talk to Mingyu! STAT!” He was already completely focused on his phone and Hansol just stood there feeling awkward.

 

“So, eh...” he started, “I came on my bike, so I'm just gonna go...”

 

Seungkwan teared himself away from his screen, “Okay! I'll see you at school tomorrow. Thank you for coming! It wouldn't have been the same without you!”

 

“Y-you're welcome.” Hansol said with a voice so small that there was no way Seungkwan could even hear him. He left Seungkwan to his phone and walked over to his bicycle. As he rode home with the night breeze brushing by his face, his head was a mess. Seungkwan was single. He was not dating Mingyu. He had most likely never even dated Mingyu to begin with. But that also meant he was probably not interested in Hansol at all. If he was, wouldn't it have shown somehow? The way he just brushed his suggestion off as a joke said enough. Right?

Notes:

-First I was like "hmm should I really let them win 1st place? Is that realistic?' but then I thought f*ck it, it's my fic I can do whatever I want and they should win because they're awesome.
-Jeonghan getting some fangirls? Love that for him
-Seungkwan...please...
-My personal favorite line: For a moment Hansol forgot that he wanted to kick Mingyu in the balls.
-Don't think Hansol's pining and suffering is over just yet!

 

(btw since I'm updating pretty fast right now it means I'm running out of finished pre-written chaps, so I might take a short break after this first year of high school finishes, but it won't end on a cliffhanger. Oh and it's still about 5 chaps before that, so...just fyi)

Chapter 24: HS1-23 New Developments

Summary:

The day after Battle of the Bands school seems different. People are nicer and romance seems to be in the air...for some.

Notes:

A bit longer than some other chaps, but it's bits and pieces to spin some things together.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan wasn't sure if he was imagining things or not, but the next day school seemed different. A few people gave him an approving nod or a smile and one guy, who Seungkwan didn't even know, said 'nice gig' as he walked by. Maybe more people from school had watched them play yesterday than he had thought. He spotted Seokmin near his locker and walked over. “Is it just me or are people weird this morning?” he asked as he leaned against the lockers.

 

“I know!” Seokmin replied and he eyed the people walking by with suspecting eyes, “I'm not sure I like it. I've gotten used to being invisible.”

 

Seungkwan had to disagreed with that. As long as it was good attention he definitely didn't mind it. But he knew Seokmin had a habit of pulling into his shell when there were too many eyes directly on him. Especially when a certain someone, who just so happened to be approaching them at that very moment, made any kind of contact.

 

“Hey, Seungkwan.” Jaehyun greeted as he and Hyunggu stopped in front of them, “Cool gig yesterday, man”

 

“Thanks. And thanks for coming.”

 

“You were awesome too.” Jaehyun continued, now with his attention on Seokmin who was holding onto his chemistry book with so much strength that Seungkwan was afraid he might snap it in half, “It's Seokmin, right?”

 

Seokmin let out a weird half-cough as he choked on his own saliva in his attempt to say something back. Jaehyun just smiled and excused himself to go to class.

 

Hyunggu lingered a little longer, “You really looked good up there yesterday, Seungkwan. Totally different from what I usually see. The stage agrees with you.”

 

“Eh, thanks.” Seungkwan wasn't really sure what to say.

 

“I hope I'll be able to see more of that in the future. Anyway, I'd better be getting to class. I'll see you later, Seungkwan.” He said with a subtle wink.

 

Seungkwan kept his eyes on him as he walked away. Did he just wink at him? And compliment the way he looks? Was Hyunggu flirting with him? Seungkwan quickly pushed the thought away to focus on Seokmin who seemed to be having a mental shutdown. He snapped his fingers in front of his face to get him back into the land of the living. “Hello? Earth to Seokmin! Are you still alive?”

 

“H-he...he knows my name.” Seokmin whispered in amazement.

 

“And he said you were awesome. See? I told you that inviting him was a good idea. Now if only you would have said something back...but one step at a time I guess.”

 

{Classroom – free study period}

 

“Any updates since last night?” Seungkwan asked as he leaned in so no-one else could hear. The only one within earshot was Hansol sitting at the desk behind Mingyu, but seeing as he had already seen Mingyu making out with Wonwoo Seungkwan figured it was okay even if he did hear. Besides, he had his book propped up on his desk which usually meant he was sleeping (he wasn't).

 

Mingyu shook his head. “I haven't talked to him and he hasn't talked to me...what am I supposed to do, Kwannie? What if it was just a one time thing?”

 

Seungkwan didn't know Wonwoo that well, but he didn't seem like the type to randomly make out with guys in alleys if he wasn't at least a bit interested in something more. He stood up from his desk, “Come on.”

 

“Come on, what?” Mingyu asked.

 

“Let's go find him.”

 

“What!?”

 

Seungkwan ignored Mingyu's shocked expression and started dragging him out of the classroom. If they'd look back they would have seen Hansol's curious eyes following them out.

 

“We're not supposed to leave the classroom...” Mingyu objected as he followed Seungkwan down the hallway.

 

“Don't worry so much. We're allowed to leave if we have to use the bathroom or get something we need to study, right? If any teacher asks we'll just tell them we need to get something from the library. Which is where we're going anyway.”

 

“To do what? He might not even be there!”

 

“He's always there. I'm starting to suspect he lives there to be honest. And we'll just talk to him or something.”

 

“I don't want him to think we're ganging up on him...besides I don't know if he's okay with you knowing about what we did...”

 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes, “If he didn't want anyone to know about it he shouldn't have kissed you for all to see! Remember I found out about it through Hansol because he saw. It seriously messed him up by the way. He even started making weird jokes about us dating.”

 

“You and me us?”

 

“No, him and me us.”

 

“Maybe he wasn't joking.”

 

“Of course he was joking, Mingyu. Don't try to change the subject! We need to focus on the matter at hand. You and Wonwoo.”

 

“It wasn't me who brought up Hansol.” Mingyu mumbled.

 

“Shh!” Seungkwan shushed him, “I've spotted our target.” They had arrived at the library and they could see Wonwoo standing next to one of the shelves putting some books back. “See. I told you he's always here. You know that better than anyone.”

 

“Maybe we should just go.” Mingyu said as he started pulling on Seungkwan's arm, away from the library.

 

“Stop it! We're going to go in!”

 

“But I don't know what to even say!”

 

“If you can stick your tongue in his mouth you can also use that tongue to talk to him!”

 

“Seungkwan, I-”

 

“Hey, guys.” A voice interrupted them. They both turned around and Mingyu instinctively tried to hide behind Seungkwan as the object of his affection stood before them.

 

“Wonwoo!” Seungkwan said, a bit startled by his sudden appearance. “What brings you here?”

 

Wonwoo chuckled, “I saw you guys from inside the library. Everything okay?”

 

“Yes, yes, everything is great. Especially, Mingyu.”

 

Neither Wonwoo not Mingyu said anything and Seungkwan felt like it was up to him to make something happen here, “So, eh, thanks for coming yesterday. Did you have fun?”

 

Wonwoo's eyes darted over to Mingyu for a brief second, “Yeah. You were...really something.”

 

Seungkwan felt like he wasn't talking about the band when he said that, but this awkward hallway situation wasn't going to get them anywhere. “Have lunch with us.”

 

“What?”

 

“Have lunch with us later. We'll just be in the cafeteria. So...”

 

“Ehm, okay. Thanks.”

 

“Y-you don't have to if you don't want to!” Mingyu added, but he let out a small cry of pain when Seungkwan stepped back and onto his foot.

 

“Ignore him. You'll have lunch with us, right?”

 

“Sure.”

 

“Great. See you then. We really must be getting back to class now.” He turned around and dragged Mingyu with him by his arm. Mingyu dared to peek behind him, but immediately turned back around when he saw Wonwoo was still looking at them.

 

When they got back to the classroom Hansol wasn't there anymore.

 

{The Roof}

 

“Why am I so stupid!?” Hansol yelled out. He was standing, taking steps in random directions, unable to stand still, “Why didn't anyone think to ask them if they were dating!”

 

“Wasn't it you who told us that they were?” Jihoon was sitting on the ground staring up at him.

 

“I...I thought they were! If they're not dating what are they so clingy for!?”

 

Jihoon shrugged.

 

Hansol groaned and he sat down.

 

“Tell me again why Seungkwan not dating Mingyu is a problem? Isn't this exactly what you want?”

 

“It's a problem because we've become much better friends than when I first started liking him...”

 

“Still waiting to hear a problem.”

 

“Don't you understand I could ruin everything if he doesn't feel the same way. He'll reject me and things will get awkward and we won't be friends anymore...”

 

“Or he doesn't reject you and you can finally ask him to be your boyfriend.”

 

The door to the roof opened and Jeonghan joined them. “Sorry I'm late. What's going on? Jihoon texted me saying you're having another Seungkwan related meltdown.”

 

Hansol narrowed his eyes at Jihoon.

 

“Don't stare at me like that. You are. A completely unnecessary one in my opinion.”

 

“Is someone going to explain it to me, or what?” Jeonghan asked impatiently.

 

“Hansol saw Mingyu and Wonwoo going at it in an alley yesterday and when he told Seungkwan, he found out that Seungkwan and Mingyu weren't actually dating.”

 

“They weren't 'going at it'.” Hansol mumbled.

 

“Oh, I see.” Jeonghan said as he nodded slowly, taking in the new developments. “So now you're thinking about whether or not you should confess to Seungkwan and risk your friendship if he doesn't feel the same way?”

 

“Yes!” Hansol exclaimed, “Thank you! At least someone understands.”

 

Jihoon rolled his eyes, “You're both so dramatic sometimes. I mean, do you really want to stay just friends with him instead of finding out if it could be more? Isn't it worth the risk?”

 

“I guess...”

 

“Or...me and Jihoon could fish around and see if we can find out how he feels about you?” Jeonghan suggested with a sly smirk.

 

Jihoon groaned, “Do I look like a romance cop to you?”

 

“Ooh, that can be your stripper name.”

 

“Why do I need a stripper name?”

 

“Everybody needs a stripper name.”

 

“Ehm...can we focus please? Do you think you can try the fishing thing? But you absolutely can't let him know that I'm in love with him, okay?”

 

“Don't worry. We've got your back.” Jeonghan said with a reassuring nod.

 

{Lunch}

 

At the beginning of lunchtime Seungkwan made sure that the only empty seat at the table was the one directly next to Mingyu, so that Wonwoo wouldn't have any other choice but to sit next to him. In his attempts to make the seating as ideal as possible for him to oversee the situation he had dragged Hansol onto the chair next to him.

 

“What if he doesn't come?” Mingyu attempted to whisper across the table.

 

“Who's coming?” Seokmin asked and Mingyu pressed his lips together.

 

“Just tell them, Gyu. It's been between just us long enough.”

 

“Wonwoo...” Mingyu mumbled while not looking directly at any of the other people at the table.

 

“Wonwoo? Is that the guy that you-” Jeonghan started, but he quickly bent his sentence into a different direction after he saw the look Hansol gave him, pleading him not to make it clear that he had been blabbing about what he had seen last night, “...that you are apparently waiting for?”

 

Mingyu nodded.

 

“And? Who is he? Do we know him?” Jisoo asked.

 

“You might.” Seungkwan was the one to answer, “He's in the library a lot.”

 

“Wait...Wonwoo...that does ring a bell....” Seokmin mumbled more to himself, “Isn't he in the same year as me and Hoon? Why would he have lunch with us?”

 

Before Mingyu could tell them everybody's eyes landed on the person in question now standing by their table.

 

“Eh, can I sit here? Seungkwan invited me.”

 

“Yes, yes, of course. You can sit there. Next to Mingyu.” Seungkwan plastered on his friendliest smile and was pleased to see that Wonwoo was smiling shyly at Mingyu when he sat down. With the way Mingyu was blushing and nervously twitching around in his chair it didn't take long for the others at the table to catch up on what was going on here. At least to a certain point. Hansol was still busy wrapping his brain around the fact that Seungkwan was single, but as he was so absorbed in what was going on at the other end of the table it gave Hansol the perfect opportunity to direct his eyes in his direction every so often without it being too noticeable.

 

“So, Wonwoo, tell us a bit about yourself. I don't think I've seen you around the cafeteria much.” Jeonghan asked as if he didn't spent most lunches either in the music room or on the roof.

 

“Yeah, I mostly stay in or around the library and I usually take a walk at the end of lunch in that little park next to the school.”

 

“Maybe Mingyu can join you for that walk today. He's like a puppy and needs regular exercise.” Seungkwan joked in a, somewhat peculiar, attempt to set up the stage for those two to spend some alone time together.

 

Mingyu's eyes shot daggers across the table, convinced that now Wonwoo would think he was weird, along with his friends.

 

“Sure.” Wonwoo replied with a small chuckle. Mingyu looked at him in shock. “Do you want to walk with me, Mingyu?”

 

“Yes!” Mingyu all but jumped right out of his chair, startling everyone.

 

“Will you sit down? He said he takes a walk at the end of lunchtime.” Seungkwan said with a sigh.

 

“T-that's okay. We can go now.”

 

Mingyu let out a little giggle that had Seungkwan scrunch up his nose in disgust at his lack of control for his excitement. But it didn't seem to bother Wonwoo one bit. Once they left the cafeteria together some of the others needed some answers.

 

“So...what just happened?” Seokmin asked Seungkwan.

 

Seungkwan sighed and decided to tell them about Mingyu's crush on their schoolmate. He figured it was okay since Mingyu had been about to tell them right before Wonwoo showed up anyway and his behavior was obvious enough.

 

“I have to say, Seungkwan, I'm a little bit surprised by these turn of events. Honestly, I sort of thought that maybe...you and Mingyu...” Jeonghan said carefully.

 

“Me and Mingyu what? Don't tell me you thought we were dating too! Why does everybody keep thinking that!?”

 

“Maybe because you two are always together and acting all clingy and stuff,” Hansol mumbled a little too loudly.

 

Seungkwan looked almost offended. “Is that a problem? It doesn't mean we're dating.”

 

“Apparently so.” Hansol said quietly, avoiding his gaze. He hadn't meant to say anything bad about the way Seungkwan and Mingyu were together, but he was still angry at himself for drawing his own conclusions based on what he thought to have seen between them.

 

Seungkwan clicked his tongue, “Whatever, you're weird. Just because you don't like skinship all that much doesn't mean I can't hug my best friend. Have you tried standing close to Kim Mingyu and not getting hugged every once in a while. He's like a hugging maniac.”

 

“With you.” Jisoo pointed out and took another bite of his lunch.

 

“Oh, by the way, Seungkwan? Do you like Hansol?” Jihoon had the worst timing and his lack of subtlety had Hansol and Jeonghan shocked to the core. Seungkwan, on the other hand, didn't even seem to understand the question.

 

“Of course I like him?”

 

“Yeah, but, do you like like him?”

 

“What!? Why are you talking crazy all of a sudden? Hansol, please tell him he's being ridiculous.”

 

Jihoon shot a sorry bro look to Hansol and Jeonghan kicked Jihoon under the table and mouthed idiot in his direction.

 

“Yeah...” Hansol stood up from the table and swung his bag over his shoulder, “I have to go to the bathroom. I'll see you in class.”

 

“Now look what you did. You made him uncomfortable with your weird questions all of a sudden.” Seungkwan scolded Jihoon.

 

{Classroom}

 

When he got to the classroom Hansol was busy pretending to read and Mingyu wasn't there yet. Seungkwan anxiously kept his eyes on the doorway. He desperately wanted to know what was happening with Wonwoo. Right before the bell rang Mingyu came in and hastily made his way over to Seungkwan. He looked like he could barely contain his glee.

 

“And?” Seungkwan asked with big, anticipating eyes.

 

“Oh my god, oh my god! I'll give you the long version later, but the short version is that you can be proud of me!” He beckoned Seungkwan closer with his hand to make sure they were at a distance where nobody else could hear. “I asked him to be my boyfriend and he said yes.”

 

“What!?” Seungkwan yelled out way louder than he had meant to. He nodded apologetically to some of his classmates who stared at him. He quickly leaned back in and lowered his volume to a whisper, “What the fuck, Mingyu!? Just earlier today you barely even had the balls to talk to him and now you just ask him to be your boyfriend over a lunchtime walk?”

 

Mingyu covered his mouth with both of his hands in an attempt to stop himself from audibly flailing at the memory, “I don't know what came over me. I just...as we were walking I thought about how I wanted him to be my boyfriend and before I knew it the words just came out. I'm meeting him after school again.”

 

Their conversation got cut short when the teacher walking in and started class. Seungkwan had trouble focusing. He was genuinely excited for Mingyu, but he couldn't help but feeling a little pinch of jealousy. He couldn't tell if it was jealousy over the fact that Mingyu had gotten a boyfriend before him or because it meant that Mingyu was, inevitably, going to be spending less time with him. He sighed and sat up straight. He didn't have time for this right now. Finals were coming up and he needed to focus on studying, not romance.

Notes:

Currently on the 'omg why are they so dumb!?' list: Hansol, Jihoon, and maybe Seungkwan for being oblivious (yet when a guy who isn't Hansol pays him any attention THEN he notices ffs)

Next time: Seungkwan is trying to find a good study partner, Hansol has an opportunity to get closer to him (but maybe he blows it), and some people have an announcement to make.

I'm going to try to finish this year of High School either this week or next week and then put a short break (see it as the end of a season, lol)

Chapter 25: HS1-24 Study Time

Summary:

Seungkwan is having trouble finding a study partner that isn't constantly distracted by other things.

Notes:

Did you wash your hands?

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Battle of the Bands was over. All clubs had finished their activities for the year. All what was left now were finals. Study time. Something Seungkwan was having trouble doing now that Mingyu and Wonwoo were officially dating. First of all, it was impossible to study in the library when both of them were there (a mix between them being grossly in love and being scared of accidentally outing themselves).

 

Second of all, trying to study over at Mingyu's house, what Seungkwan was attempting currently, also proved impossible because he wouldn't shut up about his new boyfriend and the recent dates they'd have.

 

“It was so perfect, Seungkwan! We talked and had coffee together, and took a walk in the park, and then at the end we were standing under this light and there was no-one around and-”

 

“And you kissed. Yeah, I know. You told me a hundred times already! Can we please study!?”

 

“Don't be grumpy just because you're not getting any!”

 

Seungkwan scoffed, “Getting any!? Don't make it sound like you and Wonwoo have gone beyond Frenching!”

 

“Still more action than you've been getting.” Mingyu said with a smug smirk on his face.

 

Seungkwan just rolled his eyes. “And? What's your point? I came here to study. I don't have time for kiss and tell.”

 

“You have nothing to tell anyway.” Mingyu mumbled.

 

“What was that?”

 

“Nothing! Fine, let's study.” Mingyu knew that he was being a bit obnoxious with the way he was acting, but he couldn't help it. His mind had been almost completely taken over by Wonwoo. But he saw how it was starting to annoying his best friend because he kept interrupting his concentration, so he decided to do his best to keep it in check. At least until after exams.

 

“Thank you.” Seungkwan started to review his physics notes, but just because Mingyu had stopped talking about Wonwoo didn't mean he wasn't constantly getting messages on his phone from him. Every time he did, he looked at his phone with a stupid smile on his face and clearly suppressing the urge to let out a squeal. It didn't take long before Seungkwan was completely fed up and he slammed his book shut.

 

“That's it! I'm done studying with you! I appreciate that you're at least trying to contain your outbursts now, but it's clearly not working.” He picked up his phone and sent a message to Hansol asking if he could come over to study with him.

 

{Hansol's house}

 

Seungkwan arrived at Hansol's house about half an hour later. Since it was Saturday he sort of had assumed his family would be home, but it turned out they were all alone.

 

“They've taken my sister shopping for the day.” Hansol explained as he led Seungkwan up the stairs to his bedroom. At first he had been delighted that Seungkwan wanted to come over, but that delight quickly turned into a panic about the mess in his room. In his haste he had shoved everything into his closet and he just hoped it wouldn't explode. He also hoped he himself wouldn't explode. After Jihoon's miserable attempt to find out how Seungkwan felt, Hansol had begged him and Jeonghan not to interfere any further and told them that he'd figure it out for himself. But so far he hadn't. And now Seungkwan was here in his room.

 

“So, ehm, I usually just study on my bed, or at my desk, or on the floor. We can use the table in the living room if you prefer.”

 

Seungkwan walked deeper into the room, “No, that's fine.” He sat down on Hansol's bed. “Do you mind if I sit on the bed? It looks comfy.”

 

Hansol felt like he was about to suffer an aneurism seeing Boo Seungkwan sitting on his bed. For his own sanity he pulled out his desk chair and opted to sit there instead of next to him. “S-sure. That's fine. It is pretty comfy, yeah.” he chuckled awkwardly.

 

Seungkwan made his second attempt of the day to get some studying done. It was going pretty well. Hansol wasn't as noisy as Mingyu had been. Of course Seungkwan didn't know that it was mostly because Hansol's brain was too busy going into overdrive.

 

He couldn't stop staring at Seungkwan. Maybe this was a good moment to confess to him. Or maybe not. Seungkwan might get mad at him for distracting him from his studies. But, fuck, did he really have to put his pencil in his mouth like that when he was thinking? And who looks this cute just to study!?

 

Hansol knew Seungkwan was talking, he must be, his lips were moving. Those lips... Maybe he should confess now after all, because if he did he might be able to find out if Seungkwan's lips were as soft as they looked.

 

“Hansol, no offense, but you're a terrible study partner.” Seungkwan sighed loudly and Hansol finally snapped back into consciousness, “I've asked you about Newton like three times now and you're just spacing out. I'm not all that thrilled about what the guy had to say about motion either, but we have to know this stuff for the test!”

 

“I-I'm sorry. Ask me again about Newton.”

 

“Okay, so, I have to fill in the blanks in this statement about his laws of motion or whatever. But what goes here? Velocity or acceleration or what?”

 

Hansol stared at the paper Seungkwan was holding up, but nothing was registering in his brain. “I don't know.”

 

Seungkwan sighed and let himself fall back onto the bed, “We're both doomed.”

 

They tried to study a bit more, but seeing that this study session wasn't as fruitful as Seungkwan had hoped, he called it a day before dinner time. He politely declined Hansol's offer to stay for dinner. He had barely seen his mother all week and wanted to have dinner with her.

 

Once he was alone in his room again Hansol carefully sat down on his bed. It was already cold again. He sighed. He had to come up with a plan for after the end of the school year next week. He had come to the conclusion that there was no point in keeping his feelings hidden from Seungkwan for the sake of their friendship. He wouldn't survive continuing like this and the thought that somebody else might take him away was scarier than taking the chance. He just needed to figure out a good way and time to tell him how he felt. It had to be perfect.

 

{Jisoo's house, next day}

 

The next day Seungkwan had traded in Hansol as his study partner for the members of the music club. They had gathered at Jisoo's house and were seated at the table with books all over it.

 

“Can I just say that I really appreciate the fact we're actually studying right now.” Seungkwan said, “I should have studied with you from the beginning.”

 

“Who were you studying with before?” Seokmin asked.

 

“First Mingyu, but he was being impossible! He kept getting sappy love messages and giggling at his phone. It drove me nuts. So I went to Hansol, but he was no good either.”

 

“So we are your third choice?” Jeonghan said offended.

 

“Don't be upset. You guys are all in different years so we're not studying the same stuff.”

 

“Exactly. We all already studied what you're studying, so all the more reason to study with us.”

 

“Why was Hansol no good?” Jisoo interrupted.

 

Seungkwan sighed, “That boy...I don't know what goes on inside his head sometimes! He just kept spacing out and staring at me without registering what I was saying at all.”

 

Jihoon and Jeonghan exchanged a look between them, fully aware of why Hansol was spacing out in Seungkwan's presence.

 

“So, ehm, Seungkwan...any plans for next weekend after exams? We've been thinking we should hang out as a group or something.” Jeonghan decided to change the subject before he would break his promise to Hansol to not interfere anymore.

 

“Oh, no, I don't really have any plans. My mom will actually be out of town the whole weekend so I'm totally free to-”

 

“Hold up! Your mom is going to be out of town!?”

 

“Yeah...?”

 

“Why didn't you tell us? Party at Seungkwan's!”

 

“No! No, you guys. NO party! I mean it! I don't want a bunch of random people from school who don't even like me, to invade my personal space!”

 

“All right...how about...a slumber party! Just us, and we'll invite Hansol, Mingyu, and Wonwoo if he wants to come since he and Mingyu are rapidly becoming conjoined twins.”

 

“Oh...that might actually be fun! And of course we'll invite Wonwoo too!” Seungkwan wanted to get to know Wonwoo better anyway now that he had to share his best friend with him.

 

“Yay! I'm so done with studying and I need to have some fun.” Seokmin said and he glared a little at his books.

 

“Ugh, same.” Seungkwan answered.

 

Jisoo and Jeonghan had a silent exchange and Jeonghan nodded.

 

“Guys, can I have your attention for a moment?” Jisoo said, looking around the table. “Before we go and have a party...I, we, have an announcement to make.”

 

The rest of the table focused their attention on them.

 

“Me and Jeonghan are together.”

 

“Together? Like how?” Seungkwan questioned, not fully understanding what he was trying to say.

 

Jeonghan took Jisoo's hand in his own, “Like this.”

 

“You mean you're dating??” Seokmin yelled out, part shock, part excitement.

 

They both nodded shyly. While Seungkwan and Seokmin both reacted with a large dose of happy surprise, Jihoon remained silent. When his friends looked at him, looking for some sort of reaction he sighed and spoke in a monotonous tone, “Wow, I am shocked. I totally didn't already figure it out ages ago.”

 

Jeonghan chuckled. He had suspected he had known already. “Sorry we didn't tell you guys sooner, but we wanted to figure out what was happening between us first.”

 

Seokmin leaned his head in his hands and stared at his two friends with loving eyes, “So? When did it happen?”

 

“Seok, you're asking the wrong question. First tell us, how it happened.” Seungkwan interjected.

 

Jisoo had a blush on his face, but answered, “Well, I guess it really started when I began to help him with learning to play the bass. One day he was over at my house and we were sitting next to each other and...”

 

“And?” Seokmin asked, hoping to quench his thirst for romance by living vicariously through his friends.

 

“You guys did it?”

 

“Oh my god, Jihoon!” Jeonghan kicked him under the table, “No, we didn't do it! We just kissed.”

 

“And then we were both kind of freaked out about it, because we weren't sure what it meant.” Jisoo continued, “We've been friends for years. But eventually we accepted our feelings had grown beyond just friends.”

 

Seungkwan sank back in his chair and sighed, “That's so pure, you guys. When will I ever.”

 

“Well...” Jeonghan started, but this time it was his turn to get kicked.

 

“OK, they're dating, that's very nice. We're having a slumber party fest next week, also nice. But we still have exams to pass, so can we get back to studying now?” Jihoon suggested and the rest agreed. The only difference now was that Jeonghan and Jisoo only had one hand to study with.

Notes:

-Finally Jihoon can stop dropping hints that he already knew about Jeonghan and Jisoo (I want to write a one-shot about how exactly they got together...I'll add it to my never ending 'to write' list)
-Will Mingyu fail all his exams because he can't stop giggling at his phone?
-Do you think Hansol will be able to have his perfect confession?

A slumber party...where things will happen...sort of

Chapter 26: HS1-25 Sleepover I

Summary:

Finals are over and everybody heads on over to Seungkwan's house for a sleepover.

Notes:

Another update to end everybody's suffering quicker (mostly Hansol's)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

It was Friday afternoon. Final exams were finally over and everybody was making their way over to Seungkwan's house for their planned sleepover (after a quick trip to the supermarket for necessary slumber party food).

 

“Dump your sleeping bags and stuff in the corner over there or in my room or something. We'll make the beds later. Snacks can go in the kitchen for now. We'll just grab them as needed.” Seungkwan directed everyone as his house filled with his friends. It was the first time all of them came over and suddenly the living room looked a lot smaller than it had before, but he figured it would work out somehow if they moved some furniture around. “Oh and to the couples: please refrain from kissing all the time. Or else me and Seokmin will feel obligated to make out or something.”

 

“What about Hansol, Seungkwan?” Jeonghan pointed out in an attempt to nudge those two closer together.

 

“Look, I can't make out with everyone!”

 

Hansol knew Seungkwan was just joking around, but was he not even good enough to hypothetically make out with? He started to doubt his previous determination to confess. The others dumped their stuff in Seungkwan's room to keep the living room somewhat organized before they'd start making the beds and Hansol did the same. His eyes darted over Seungkwan's bed and his nightstand causing him to remember the last time he had been here. The horror he had felt seeing Seungkwan holding those condoms, but also the way they had sat next to each other to take cute photos together. He quickly returned to the living room, not wanting to be asked why he was taking so long. Wonwoo and Mingyu were already nestled together on one chair and Jihoon, Jeonghan and Jisoo had taken the couch. Seungkwan was going around asking everybody what they wanted to drink.

 

“Just to be clear,” he said, “The first drink I'll provide, after that just feel free to go and get it yourself. Hansol? Drink?”

 

“Oh, ehm, just Cola or something.” he answered as he sat down on an empty chair.

 

Once they all had something to drink and had found a spot to sit Seungkwan raised his glass, “To the end of this crazy school year. I don't know what I was expecting when I first moved here, but all of you guys have made this a year to remember.”

 

They all lifted their own glasses and everybody took a sip. Seokmin sighed as he let himself sink back against the couch between Jihoon's legs. “I can't believe it's already been another year of high school gone...”

 

“Ah yes, another year of you not telling Jaehyun how you feel. Or telling Jaehyun anything for that matter. Tell me, Minnie, are you ever going to talk to him?” Jeonghan asked him as he casually rubbed his hand through Seokmin's hair.

 

“No...he might talk back.”

 

“Jaehyun?” Wonwoo spoke up, “You mean the Jaehyun who's in my class? The one also on the basketball team?”

 

Seokmin's eyes grew about two sizes, “He's in your class? Why didn't I even know this? Are you friends with him?”

 

Wonwoo shrugs, “Not really. I mean, he's nice, but I wouldn't consider us friends. Do you like him or something?”

 

Seokmin's face turned a bright red and he nodded.

 

“By the way, Seokmin, don't forget that he did talk to you and you choked.” Seungkwan reminded him.

 

“What was I supposed to do!?”

 

Jeonghan sighed and shook his head. “I'll say one thing though. This was the best year of my high school career. Last year I couldn't wait for high school to be over, but now I'm actually kind of sad.”

 

Seungkwan's lips formed a pout and he looked up at him with sad eyes “I'm going to miss you. You too, Jisoo.”

 

Jeonghan let out a sigh of endearment, “Jisoo, let's officially adopt Seungkwan as our first child.”

 

“Eh, I think it's a bit too soon for children.”

 

“But it's Seungkwan!”

 

“I mean I guess...but that does mean you have to stop trying to grab his butt.”

 

Jeonghan joined Seungkwan in his pouting, “But why? I'm just appreciative of his beauty.”

 

Wonwoo wiggled out of Mingyu's arms and got up, “This conversation is kind of getting away from me. I'll go get some snacks from the kitchen. Any requests?”

 

“You're a snack.” Mingyu mumbled, but not loud enough for Wonwoo to hear. Not clearly, anyway.

 

“I'm sorry what? I didn't catch that.” Wonwoo asked as he turned around to face his slightly flustered boyfriend.

 

“He said you're a snack.”

 

“Seungkwan!”

 

“What? You did!”

 

“Is that a compliment?” Wonwoo asked, not familiar with the term being used for people.

 

“It means he thinks you're yummy.” Seungkwan replied with a teasing smile in Mingyu's direction. He, admittedly, loved to see Mingyu squirm in his embarrassment at what came out of his own mouth.

 

“Or that he wants to eat you. If you know what I mean.” Jihoon decided this was a good time to join the conversation.

 

Jisoo clicked his tongue and got up from the couch. “You are all a bunch of miscreants! Wonwoo, I'll help you get the snacks. How about you guys pick a movie for us to watch.”

 

Jeonghan stared at Jisoo as he walked away and let out a prolonged sigh, “Mark my words, I'm going to spend the rest of my life with that man.”

 

Seungkwan scoffed, “Man. He's barely eighteen.”

 

“Don't disrespect your father!”

 

Seungkwan crawled up onto the couch where Jisoo had sat and put his head on Jeonghan's shoulder. “Aren't you going to miss him though?”

 

While Jeonghan and Jisoo were both going to attend college next year, they weren't going to the same one. They had talked about it, but eventually decided not to let their relationship determine their academic path in life. They'd make it work.

 

“Of course. But we'll still see each other on the weekends and we're not that far apart.”

 

“It takes like ninety minutes using public transport! I don't think I could be that far away from my boyfriend...”

 

“What boyfriend? Mingyu snorted.

 

“Ugh, don't remind me of my lonely spinster status. It was fine when I was busy with school and all of my friends were single, but now...”

 

Hansol mouth had gone dry. Surely this would be a terrible moment to offer himself to Seungkwan (again), but all this relationship talk wasn't good for his brain. Jeonghan looked over at him and seemed to read his his mind and quickly tried to change the subject.

 

“I didn't come here to be sad about next year, I came here to have a slumber party!” he said to steer the conversation in a different direction, “So what are we doing? Play some lame slumber party game? Watch a sappy rom-com?”

 

“How about we take a group picture first?” Seungkwan suggested. “Who knows when all of us will be together again like this.”

 

“I said I didn't come here to be sad.” Jeonghan groaned.

 

When Jisoo and Wonwoo returned with the snacks, they gathered around the couch and set up Jihoon's phone (he had the best one) to take a group picture. It wouldn't be the last year that they'd come together and have some sort of sleepover, although who was in the picture wasn't always going to be the same.

 

<>

 

After an evening filled with snacks, more snacks, a movie, and a Mafia game that got them all way too excited for what it was, they decided to turn the living room floor into a messy arrangement of beds and change into their sleepwear to watch one more movie. Hansol was grateful Seungkwan changed in his room instead of with the rest of them in the living room. It already took a lot of restraint on his part to avert his eyes whenever they changed in the locker room at school. It wasn't even that he wanted to see Seungkwan naked or anything, he was just fascinated with the smoothness of his skin and he was curious about what it felt like. He had never thought of another person's skin like that.

 

Seungkwan walked back into the room with a pillow under one arm and his blanket under the other. “Sollie, I'm sleeping next to you, okay? I don't want to be wedged in between couples.” He leaned in and added in a whisper, “And I have a suspicion that Seok talks in his sleep.” Hansol just nodded sheepishly. During the movie Seungkwan sat awfully close and it was so nice and peaceful that for a moment Hansol forgot that he hadn't confessed his feelings yet. He was reminded when he got the urge to look for the other boy's hand under the blankets. He quickly placed his hands on top his blankets, safely away from the secret darkness underneath.

 

As the movie ended Seungkwan turned off the lights, but, as it goes at slumber parties, they didn't actually go to sleep right away. They filled the small hours of the night with talk about random things and reminiscing about the past year. After a discussion about who in the basketball team had the best calves (a pretty one sided discussion as it was mostly Jihoon who seemed to be into calves in the first place), Seungkwan decided to ask Wonwoo something that had been on his mind.

 

“So, Wonwoo, did you know Mingyu had a crush on you before you guys made out at the Battle of the Bands?”

 

“Oh my god, shut up!” Mingyu pulled his pillow out from under his head and reached his long arm across the people between him and Seungkwan and tried to hit him with it. He lay back down and without looking at Wonwoo, who was next to him, added, “...did you?”

 

“Honestly? Let's say I had a very strong suspicion that you did, yeah. If I hadn't, I never would have made my move on you that night.”

 

“Ha! I knew it. It was almost impossible for you to not notice with the way Mingyu was always staring at you with heart-eyes.” Seungkwan said filled with glee.

 

The irony of his statement was, sadly, completely lost on him, but keenly felt by Hansol.

 

“I like how you said 'made my move'.” Jeonghan chuckled, “You are a fine addition to our group.”

 

“I joined a little late...Thank you guys for inviting me today by the way.”

 

“Of course!” Seokmin answered, “We're happy to have you!”

 

“And just because we'll be going to college doesn't mean we can't all hang out anymore.” Jisoo added.

 

“Exactly, we have to make sure you kids don't get into too much trouble.” Jeonghan said.

 

Jihoon snorted in response, “Can you drop the angel persona, Han? We all know you better than that.”

 

As the conversations gradually died down they started to drift off into sleep one by one. Seungkwan rolled over in Hansol's direction and ended up so close to him that Hansol could feel his warm breath brushing against his skin. Seungkwan inhaled and breathed out slowly, “You smell nice.” he mumbled already half asleep. Hansol was wide awake

Notes:

-wtf am I even writing (@ 'He had never thought of another person's skin like that.')
-Hansol be like: o_o
-Wonwoo is settling in nicely with the group (he's been hanging with them during some lunchtimes too)
-Is Seungkwan lowkey looking for a new make out buddy now that Mingyu is taken? (he's not, lol)

The next one will be the next morning and boy...something will happen ._.

(side note: place your bets now on who Jeonghan and Jisoo's roommates are going to be next year? One of them is a SVT member. They won't have big parts (yet) but the cast will get bigger next year)

Chapter 27: HS1-26 Sleepover II - the next morning

Summary:

The night has brought Hansol and Seungkwan closer than ever and Hansol's brain is melting.

Notes:

Hello~ happy weekend~

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

It had taken Hansol some time to finally be able to fall sleep and morning came far too quickly. Seungkwan must have moved more in his sleep because his leg was now swung over Hansol's lower body and his head leaned against his shoulder. Hansol was afraid to move. He didn't want to wake him and put an end to this. But at the same time it was killing him to know that it would only take a small shift in his position to be able to check out Seungkwan's sleeping face.

 

Eventually the temptation proved to be too much and very carefully Hansol turned on his side. He stiffened when Seungkwan moaned softly. Luckily he didn't seem to wake up further. What he did do was, in addition to his leg, move his arm and drape it over the body next to him, Hansol's body.

 

Now that Hansol had a better view of Seungkwan's face he wanted nothing more to reach out and stroke his cheek. He wanted to wrap him in his arms. He wanted to gently kiss him awake. Of course he didn't do any of those things. He couldn't imagine the look on Seungkwan's face if he suddenly woke up with him attached to his face. At least now it was Seungkwan who had his arms outside of his personal space and Hansol could just pretend he was still asleep and therefor hadn't noticed. And that's exactly what he did when he heard someone else in the room yawn loudly and, judging from the sounds, getting up.

 

More people started to wake up and he hoped that no-one would pay any attention to the way he was entangled in Seungkwan's wandering limbs. His eyes were closed but his ears were wide open and trying to catch what the others were saying. He heard Mingyu whisper something about wanting to smack Seungkwan with a pillow to wake him up. Jeonghan told Mingyu to leave him alone and to let them sleep. He didn't know if Jeonghan saw through his pretending to be asleep or if he just wanted to give Hansol this moment to be close to Seungkwan, but either way he was grateful. The voices left the room, presumably to the kitchen, and Hansol wondered if they were alone now. He couldn't be sure that everyone had already woken up. He peeled his eyes open slightly and he moved cautiously to check around them. Jihoon was still asleep on the couch above their heads, but he was fairly certain the rest of them were gone. He let his eyes close again and he started to drift back to a light sleep.

 

Meanwhile Seungkwan was slowly waking up and stretched his arm into the air. He let it fall back down on his pillow that was oddly big and firm. That was when he started to realize that it wasn't a pillow he was holding onto. He opened his eyes and quickly pulled his limbs back after he found himself extremely close to Hansol. “Oh, ehm, sorry.” he whispered awkwardly with a voice still drenched in sleep when Hansol also opened his eyes and looked at him.

 

“That's okay.” Hansol whispered back. He was only about seventy percent sure that he was really awake and he wasn't about to wake himself up if this was just a dream.

 

Seungkwan didn't know if it was because he wasn't fully awake yet, but he didn't really want to move. Even with his arm and leg away from Hansol's body they were still very close to each other. For a moment they just looked at each other and Seungkwan got a feeling in his stomach that he mistook for hunger. He pulled himself away from Hansol's gaze and sat up. Hansol looked up at him and wanted to scream into the nearest pillow. Seungkwan's bedhair made him look like a messy sheep and it was the cutest thing he had ever seen. He was starting to think this whole sleepover was designed to torture him. He had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from audibly squealing. He wasn't the type to go crazy over cute things, but Seungkwan was on another level.

 

“I think I hear the others in the kitchen. Let's get some breakfast.” He grabbed a pillow and threw it back onto the couch, “Jihoon! Breakfast!”

 

Moments later they were all squeezed together around the table. There weren't enough chairs, but neither Jeonghan nor Wonwoo seemed to mind using their respective boyfriends as seats.

 

Seungkwan closed the fridge and walked over, “Who wants some orange juice? Hansol?” Seungkwan looked at him holding up a carton of juice. His hair was still a mess and there wasn't really anything different about him than usual. But still, it felt different to Hansol. He felt like everything was moving in slow motion and yet he wasn't quick enough to stop himself.

 

“I'm in love with you.”

 

Mingyu dropped his toast from his hands in shock. Jihoon facepalmed. All other eyes were wide and focused on Hansol and Seungkwan. Seungkwan, still with the carton of juice in his hands, was dumbfounded. He just stood there with his mouth half open, waiting for Hansol to laugh at his flustered face and tell him he was kidding. But that moment didn't come. Instead Hansol looked just as surprised by his own words as the rest of the table. Without saying another word he got up and hurried away from the others. Nobody moved. A few moments later they could hear the front door getting slammed shut.

 

Seungkwan placed the juice on the table. “Will you guys excuse me, I'm going to take a shower.”

 

“Seungkwan...” Jeonghan said, “...don't you think you should do something?”

 

“I'm going to take a shower.”

 

The others watched him walk away in silence.

 

“Should one of us go after Hansol? To check if he's okay?” Seokmin suggested.

 

“If I had just randomly confessed my love for someone and it was followed by dead silence and I had ran out, I really wouldn't want anyone to follow me.” Jihoon replied. “But that might just be me.”

 

“I really didn't see this coming. Hansol in love with Seungkwan? Who would have thought.” Mingyu said, still not recovered from the sudden declaration of love.

 

“Please, me and Jihoon have been listening to his rants for months.” Jeonghan confessed. He had hoped Hansol would tell Seungkwan about his feelings, but this wasn't really the way he had imagined it happening. Judging from what just happened, Hansol probably hadn't either.

 

“Well hurray for you for getting the inside scoop, but the rest of us had no idea! Right, guys?”

 

“Honestly, I didn't know for sure, but have you seen the way he looks at him?” Jisoo answered.

 

Seokmin nodded, “I thought everybody knew but that we were collectively ignoring it.”

 

“I can't believe what I'm hearing! Wonwoo? You didn't know, right?”

 

“Well, I mean...it's pretty obvious, don't you think?”

 

Mingyu gasped as if his boyfriend had just utterly betrayed him, “No! And clearly Seungkwan had no idea either!”

 

“What's more important...” Jeonghan interrupted, “...is what Seungkwan's going to do now. He seemed kind of shocked. Mingyu, has Seungkwan ever mentioned his feelings for Hansol to you?”

 

Mingyu shook his head, “No, not directly, but I know he really likes him. Like, a lot, but I don't know what that means. I don't think he has ever considered the possibility of Hansol as a potential love interest.”

 

They continued to discuss the possibility of Seungkwan's feelings until, not that much later, they were stopped by Seungkwan re-emerging from the bathroom. He walked over to them. “I'm going out.” He stated plain and simple.

 

“Where are you going?” Jihoon asked of him.

 

“I...I'm not sure.” He held up a phone that wasn't his, “He forgot his phone, so I can't reach him. I'll see you guys later. Feel free to stay here and finish breakfast. Let me know if you guys leave.”

 

“Wait, Seungkwan! What are you going to say to him?”

 

“I have to find him first.”

Notes:

Ohohoho, FINALLY he confessed...sort of...but it most definitely wasn't perfect, lol.

What do you guys think of their little moment before Hansol blurted out his confession?

Chapter 28: HS1-27 Fireworks

Summary:

Seungkwan sets out to find Hansol after he ran off.

Notes:

please don't get too used to me updating so much ._. I just really wanted to reach this point, but it will be a bit slower from now on >.<

(Also: Happy Mingyu day...he's not in this chapter lol)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan closed his front door and sighed. He had hoped that Hansol hadn't gone too far, because how was he supposed to find him? He looked around for Hansol's bike, but it was gone. Which meant that he could be anywhere by now. Seungkwan always took the bus to school and he had never bothered to fix his bike when he got a flat tire a while back, so, without any better ideas on how to find him he started walking the way he knew Hansol would most likely ride if he was heading home.

 

The longer he walked the more he started to feel anxious that he would never find him and he picked up the pace of his steps. Their houses weren't even all that far apart, but finding a needle in a haystack is still a daunting task even if the stack is small.

 

Seungkwan tried his best to imagine where Hansol would go and he didn't even start to think about what he was actually going to do or say when he'd find him. He was basically running by now. He stopped at a red light and as he was catching his breath and looked around, his eyes landed on the park across the street on the left. He knew this park and it was mostly used by people who walked their dogs in the morning and evening, but was usually pretty quiet. When the light turned green he hesitated. The park was away from the route to Hansol's house. Seungkwan crossed the street towards it anyway.

 

He wasn't running anymore, but the urgency hadn't left his stride. The park was indeed fairly empty and there were hardly any people. He had almost completely circled around when he noticed a path forking off from the main one that was partly covered by some low hanging branches. Knowing he would kick himself if he didn't at least check now that he was here anyway, he took his feet in that direction. It lead to a part of the park that he didn't remember ever having been in. It was almost like another, smaller, park within the main park, separated by a line of trees. He followed the bend of the path and as the outskirt of this patch of the park revealed itself his heart skipped a beat. There, on a lonely bench, sat a familiar figure. His bicycle was propped up against the side of the bench and he either hadn't heard the approaching footsteps or just hadn't taken notice.

 

Seungkwan gripped the phone he had been holding in his right hand a little tighter and walked over. He stood still behind the bench. “You left your phone at my place.”

 

As soon as he opened his mouth Hansol's body jerked up in surprise, but just as quickly shrank back down. Seungkwan walked around the bench to stand in front of him and held out the phone. “Here.”

 

Hansol reached out his hand without meeting his eyes and took his phone from him. “Thanks.” he mumbled.

 

“So...can we talk?” Seungkwan asked as he sat down next to him on the bench, leaving some distance between them. He had started to wonder why he had to go through the effort of tracking Hansol down and getting him to talk to him when it was Hansol who had dropped a bomb on his head in the first place.

 

Hansol nodded, still with his eyes focused on somewhere that wasn't Seungkwan. As much as he was dreading it, he supposed he kind of had to talk to him after his failed confession.

 

For a moment Seungkwan waited for Hansol to start talking, but quickly lost his patience and decided to break the silence himself. “I just want to say that you can't just say that you're in love with me and then take off. What am I supposed to think, Hansol? Was it a joke? Did you not really mean it? Or what?”

 

“It wasn't a joke...”

 

Seungkwan didn't say anything. It hadn't really felt like a joke. But the concept of Hansol being in love with him didn't feel like reality and part of him was convinced there must have been some sort of other explanation for what he had said.

 

“I just...” Hansol continued, “...I hadn't meant to just blurt it out like that.” He forced himself to face Seungkwan and he wished he could tell what he was thinking. “I've been trying to figure out if I should tell you and if so how and...I first spent all that time thinking you were together with Mingyu, but then he got with Wonwoo and I didn't want to ruin our friendship and then this morning you were sleeping so close to me and you looked so adorable with your sheep-like bedhair and I just...couldn't hold it in any longer.” Seungkwan was still silent. “H-how do you feel about me? Please just be honest.”

 

Seungkwan swallowed, “I mean...I don't think I've ever really thought about it. I feel...that you are a someone who is genuinely nice, seeing your dopey smile when I'm having a bad day always makes me feel better, I have to admit that you're ridiculously handsome, but not in an intimidating way that it would make you unapproachable, and, I guess that when I'm with you...I feel...light.” Seungkwan stopped. He wasn't sure what was happening. Why was he saying all these things. Had he always felt so strongly about Hansol?

 

Hansol chuckled nervously, “But you haven't really thought about it.”

 

“I...” Seungkwan furrowed his eyebrows together and he had trouble giving voice to what was going on inside him.

 

“Seungkwan what's wrong? You look upset?” Hansol reached out for Seungkwan's hand that was wrapped around the edge of the bench, but stopped himself before making contact and pulled back. “I'm sorry...”

 

Seungkwan re-focused his gaze and looked Hansol straight in the eyes, “Are you sure you're in love with me?”

 

“Very sure. Just ask Jeonghan and Jihoon, I've ranted about it more than once.”

 

Seungkwan nodded slowly, again bringing his eyebrows together, “OK. Good. That's good. Because I think...I think I have feelings for you too.” He still felt confused by what was going on, but when he heard himself say it, it did seem to make sense.

 

“You...think?”

 

“Well, you did just kind of sprang this on me and now I suddenly have to deal with realizing that I've probably liked you for some time and I was too stupid to even know what I was feeling! How am I supposed to know what's real anymore?”

 

Hansol timidly scooted a little closer, “Can I...can I kiss you?”

 

Seungkwan shyly bit on his lower lip, but didn't say anything.

 

“...it might help you know for sure how you feel about me.”

 

Seungkwan nodded. A valid point. He closed his eyes and his heartbeat became increasingly rapid as the distance between them disappeared. The moment their lips touched he felt it. Fireworks. He had kissed multiple people before, but it had never quite felt like this. It was hard to describe the feeling that erupted inside of him, but fireworks came closest.

 

When he pulled back Hansol bashfully bit his lip and looked at the other boy with questioning eyes, “And?”

 

“...wow...” Seungkwan wasn't able to say anything else even if he had wanted to.

 

“Yeah?” Hansol said and his lips curled up into a smile.

 

Seungkwan just nodded as he stared at him. It might have been his imagination, but suddenly the world around him seemed brighter.

 

“Okay, so...” Hansol wiped his hands on his pants, worried that they had become a bit sweaty from being nervous, and took a hasty, shallow breath. He gingerly took Seungkwan's hand in his own, “...let me do this again.” He looked him in the eyes and swallowed before he finally said the words that had been burning a hole in his gray matter for ages, “Seungkwan, I'm in love with you. Do you maybe want to be my boyfriend?”

 

Seungkwan's face broke into a smile, “Oh, definitely. But, eh, just to be sure...maybe you should kiss me again.”

Notes:

-Is the way he found him realistic and would this actually happen in real life? Probably not. But...it's not real life, so whatever, lol.
-AAAWWW look at them all shy
-A moment to think back at some hints that Seungkwan always had the potential to fall for Hansol: the first day they met and Seungkwan thought about how beautiful he was; Hansol defending him in the locker room; the way it was really important for him that Hansol would be in the crowd watching him perform; the way he was nervous until Hansol came by and made him feel better; earlier this day when he woke up and stared into his eyes.

A few things:
-This is only the tip of the iceberg story-wise.
-It will be a few chapters before we start the next year of high school (maybe 2?)
-Right now there are three couples: Mingyu/Wonwoo Jisoo/Jeonghan and now Hansol/Seungkwan. Please be reminded of the tags that are currently in place...not all of these couples will survive (I won't say who, when, where, why, but...just so you know).

I hope their little get-together doesn't feel like an anti-climax or something after all the pining Hansol did LOL
Next time: Seungkwan and Hansol start to adjust to their new dynamic. Seungkwan can't wait to tell the others, Hansol thinks they should go on a date, and Seungkwan worries about kissing etiquette

Chapter 29: HS1-28 First Date

Summary:

Seungkwan and Hansol go on a date, it doesn't end quite in the way Seungkwan was expecting (hoping) it would.

Notes:

Hahaha, I'm so tired. Corona stress has caught up with me :/ I want to write so bad, but...luckily this one was almost finished already anyway! Good night~

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

They were still sitting on the same bench with their fingers interlaced. It was a sunny day and it felt nice to just sit there for a while. Holding each other's hand like this still felt slightly unfamiliar, but not uncomfortable in any way. It was only about twenty percent awkward. It became slightly more awkward when their peaceful silence was broken by a growl of Seungkwan's stomach.

 

“Are you hungry?” Hansol's own stomach joined the request for food and they both chuckled, the awkwardness already gone.

 

“We never ate breakfast.” Seungkwan said.

 

Hansol reluctantly let go of Seungkwan's hand and got up. “Wait right here. There's a convenience store really close. I'll go get us some food on my bike. I'll be back super fast!”

 

Seungkwan turned around on the bench to watch Hansol ride away and as soon as he was out of sight he wasted no time to sit back down and pull out his phone to call his best friend. He picked up almost immediately. “Mingyu, the things that have happened, I can't even begin to comprehend.”

 

Calm down!” Mingyu's voice yelled from the other side, although he was the one who sounded like he needed to calm down, “Tell me everything! Or more, wait a sec so I can put you on speaker and you can tell everybody everything. We're all dying over here.

 

“Wait, are you all still at my house?”

 

...you said it was okay. Besides, you can't expect us to just up and leave in a situation such as this! Why are you calling? Are you alone? What happened? I-

 

“Will you let me speak? Hansol will be back soon. He's just gone to get us some food.”

 

“So you guys talked already?” Jisoo's voice joined the conversation.

 

“Yeah, yeah. But let me tell what happened. So, when I came outside his bike was gone and I had no idea how to find him so I just started walking in the direction I thought he might had gone in. Like destiny I decided to follow my gut and check out this park that's sort of on the way. I found him there sitting on a bench and I went to him and was all like 'you can't just run away after saying you're in love with me' and then he was like 'well how do you feel about me?' So I thought about it and started rambling about all the things I like about him and well...long story short I like him back.”

The voices of his friends erupted in a mix of cheers and teasing ooohs. When they calmed down Seungkwan added, “I hate us for not realizing it.”

 

Who is us?” Mingyu asked.

 

“You and me. I blame you just as much as I blame myself. As my best friend you should have seen it.”

 

Wha- How is any of this on me!?

 

“Shh, I still need to tell you the good part. So he goes 'Can I kiss you?'”

 

A squeal from the other end of the line, “Oh my god!!! What did you say?”

 

“I just nodded and let it happen. I...it was perfect. Just on the lips, but it was so sweet. And then after we kissed he asked me to be his boyfriend and I said yes. No, wait. I was cooler than that, I said 'Oh, definitely.' and then I told him to kiss me again. And now we've just been sitting here holding hands. So, eh, I guess you guys can just go home? I'm sorry to end the slumber party like this, but...no actually, who am I kidding. I'm not sorry really.”

 

What are you guys going to do now?

 

“I'm not sure actually. For now just sit here and eat when he gets back I guess. Maybe we'll-” He let out a soft yelp of surprise when a plastic bag was suddenly placed next to him on the bench. Hansol stepped over the back and sat down with a smirk.

 

“I gotta go.” Seungkwan whispered into the phone and hung up.

 

“So I take it all of our friends know already?” Hansol asked with a raised eyebrow to match his smirk.

 

“Eh...Sorry...I think I would have burst if I didn't tell Mingyu.”

 

“It's fine. I'm sure they all wanted to know. Anyway...” He opened the bag and pulled out a couple of sandwiches. “So...I was thinking. Maybe we can go on a date or something tomorrow?”

 

{the next day}

 

Seungkwan stood in front of his mirror trying to decide if what he was wearing was good enough for his first real date with his brand new boyfriend. Yesterday they had spent a significant amount of time just sitting on that park bench, holding hands and letting the new situation sink in while casually chatting and coming up with what to do for their first date.

 

Why are you so nervous anyway? You guys are friends and you've already kissed.” Mingyu's voice came from Seungkwan's phone on the bed.

 

“It's different! Last time it was in the moment and all that! Now I'm just constantly thinking about it...his lips, my lips, are we going to use tongue this time, how much tongue...I think we should use tongue.”

 

So break the tension. Kiss him at the beginning of the date! Your mom will be at work anyway, right?

 

“I can't do that! There are certain first date rules and one of them is that you don't start it with kissing.”

 

Then just stop worrying about it! You'll kiss when you'll kiss. Just go with the flow or whatever. Just enjoy your date.”

 

“Okay, okay. I'm gonna send you a pic of my outfit now so you can tell me I look great.”

 

About twenty minutes later he got a message from Hansol saying he was outside. Seungkwan hurried out. His face broke into a smile when he saw him standing there with his bike. “You know you could have just rang the bell?”

 

Hansol looked at him as if the idea of a doorbell was a foreign concept to him,”Oh...yeah. So, eh, do you want to take your own bike or ride on the back of mine?”

 

“Oh, shit! My bicycle has a flat tire! I'm sorry, I totally forgot!”

 

“That's okay. Hop on.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Unlike the last time that Seungkwan had taken a ride on the back of his bike, Hansol didn't suppress the urge to tell Seungkwan to hold on to him as he started pedaling. His stomach filled with butterflies as he felt Seungkwan snake his arms around his waist from behind. It wasn't quite as close as he wanted him to be, but it was good for now.

 

Yesterday Seungkwan had told him about a new popular ice cream shop where you can choose from countless of toppings and create your own unique sundae. He had seemed so excited about it that Hansol wouldn't have been able to suggest anything else after that even if he had wanted to.

 

Hansol stopped in front of the shop. Seungkwan groaned when he got off. He had enjoyed the excuse to hold onto Hansol's warm body, but it hadn't been the most comfortable ride ever. “I really need to figure out how to fix a flat tire. I can't make you ride me around all summer and I know you don't really like taking the bus when the weather is nice.”

 

“I can fix it for you if you want?” Hansol suggested as he locked his bike. He also couldn't help the smile that crept on his face knowing that Seungkwan was already talking about spending the coming weeks of vacation together.

 

“Really?”

 

“Sure. I'll come over tomorrow and fix it. It's no big deal. I'll teach you.”

 

Seungkwan happily latched himself onto his boyfriend's arm, “You're so useful, Sollie.”

 

<>

 

They sat down at a table in the middle of the shop with their ice cream creation. Between Seungkwan being unable to choose between all the toppings that he wanted to try and Hansol just agreeing to whatever, they had ended up with a whole mess. Nevertheless, Seungkwan stopped Hansol from starting because he wanted to take a picture. “I need to document this historic moment, Hansol. It's our first food as a couple.”

 

“No it isn't. We had convenience store food yesterday. Remember?”

 

Seungkwan froze in the middle of taking a picture, “I...didn't get a picture of that.”

 

Hansol chuckled, “So? It was just some sandwiches.”

 

“It was our first food as a couple!” Seungkwan exclaimed. He saw a few heads turning in their direction and suddenly Seungkwan realized that the rest of the clientele were either girls together or couples. They were the only two boys. He hated the fact that if he had come here with a friend, not his boyfriend, he probably wouldn't have even cared. But now he was starting to feel self-conscious about it. He put his phone down on the table and bit down on his lower lip. “Forget it. Let's just eat it.”

 

“Did you take the picture?”

 

Seungkwan only shrugged in response.

 

“I have an idea,” he placed his hand on the table with the palm facing upward, “Give me your hand. We can take a picture that isn't just food.”

 

Seungkwan hesitated for a moment, but if Hansol didn't care about holding his hand in public, he didn't want to let what others were thinking bother him either. So he placed his hand on top of Hansol's and let him interlace their fingers.

 

“Now take the picture so we can eat this abomination that we created.”

 

With a slight blush on his face Seungkwan picked up his phone again and took a picture that showed both their self-created sundae and their hands next to it on the table. An Instagram worthy shot, if he said so himself. When the group of girls a few tables over started giggling he pulled back his hand to picked up a spoon. “Thank you. I'll send you the picture later, okay?”

 

Hansol nodded and smiled. Maybe he would have cared too about the people around them who seemed to have an opinion on their behavior, but he was barely aware of their presence in the first place. He just saw Seungkwan.

 

<>

 

After the ice cream they had walked around, popping in and out of stores that one or the other found interesting. Seungkwan spent quite some time browsing a sporting goods store, saying how he missed playing volleyball; Hansol had shown him the type of clothes he liked. All in all it had been a very nice date. One of the best parts, for Seungkwan at least, was how it felt new and exciting, but at the same time like nothing had changed between them at all.

 

Now, Hansol was dropping him off back home with the promise to be back tomorrow. Seungkwan was standing next to him in front of the main entrance of his apartment building. He scanned the area around them and found there were no other people in sight. Hansol leaned in and Seungkwan was about to close his eyes, expecting to be kissed. And he was. Sort of. Except that Hansol's lips landed on his cheek and it didn't seem to be a mistake. He pulled away again with a bashful smile. “I'll see you tomorrow then.”

 

Seungkwan stared at him in disbelief as he rode away. Before he was even inside he had pulled out his phone, “He kissed me on the CHEEK, Mingyu! The CHEEK!” he yelled as he closed the door behind him and took off his shoes.

 

Hello to you too. Calm down, will you? What happened?

 

“We had a nice date. Ate ice cream, cute picture, even held hands and all that. And then he brought me back home and we were saying goodbye and there weren't any people around and he leans in and he kisses me ON. THE. CHEEK. What am I supposed to do now?”

 

Maybe he was just trying to be a gentleman?

 

“Why!? Doesn't he know that I want his tongue in my mouth?” He let himself fall down onto the couch and sighed loudly.

 

Well, why does he have to make the first move? Why don't you put your tongue in his mouth?

 

“...what if he doesn't really want my tongue in his mouth? What if he changed his mind about the whole thing and is just too nice to say it.”

 

“I highly doubt that's the case. Jeonghan has told me how much pining Hansol has done over the year...”

 

“Really? I still can't believe I never noticed.”

 

“Jeonghan said that because he thought you and I were together or something he tried to keep his feelings to himself. Successfully I guess.”

 

“Dammit, he's so nice. Now I want to kiss him even more. He's coming over tomorrow to fix my bike. If he doesn't make a move I guess I will. By the way, have you noticed how beautiful he is when he smiles? And the way he laughs is so cute. I-”

 

Oh by the way!” Mingyu interrupted Seungkwan's rant, “Me and Wonwoo were talking and we thought that it might be nice if we went on a double date or something! I want to go to the zoo.

 

“Oh my gosh! I hadn't even considered the potential of double dates! Honestly I was sort of dreading having to spend the summer third-wheeling you guys, but now I don't have to! This is so great! We can even go on triple dates with Jisoo and Jeonghan!”

 

Now I'm starting to feel bad for Jihoon and Seokmin...”

 

“They'll be fine as each other's surrogate dates for an outing or two with the whole group. But, anyway, let's do that double date thing first! It sort of stops being a date if we go with the whole group, doesn't it?”

 

Yay! We'll figure it out later. You just go and kiss him first. I don't want any awkward built up tension between you guys when we hang out!”

 

“I'll take care of it.”

Notes:

Might jam all summer dates in one chapter (like...a short bit per date. Writing dates is exhausting...haha)

Hansol...dude...just go for it? It's ok? He wants you to? Are you just a nervous little bub? Still? You were so chill during the date?

Drop me a comment if you thought their date was cute or whatever!

Chapter 30: HS1-29 Kiss & Talk

Summary:

Hansol is coming over to fix Seungkwan's bike. Seungkwan is determined to lock lips.

Notes:

My week was craaazzzy busy/stressful so I'm happy to get some writing time in the weekend now~

Hope everyone is doing ok!

Also, I had ZERO idea what to name this chapter...it's like..Kiss & Tell, but talk because they talk about a few things, lol

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The next morning Seungkwan was standing outside, leaning against the wall. Hansol had texted him when he left his house that he was on his way and Seungkwan didn't want to wait inside. So now he was staring at the road waiting for his boyfriend to arrive. He had been doing some thinking about the kissing thing and had first come to the conclusion that maybe Hansol had been holding back yesterday because they had been outside. But then he remembered they had been outside on that park bench when they kissed last time as well. The thought that Hansol might have changed his mind about liking him was still there, but he tried to push that line of reasoning out of his head. Either way, Seungkwan figured it might feel more comfortable if they were inside. It was a weekday now and his mother was going to be at work for most of it, so there would be plenty of time to figure it all out.

 

Seungkwan's face broke into a smile when Hansol finally pulled up and hopped off his bike.

 

“Good morning.” Seungkwan beamed at him.

 

“Morning.”

 

“Do you want something to drink first? Inside.” The moment his eyes had landed on the other boy Seungkwan's resolution to go with the flow and see how the day was going to play out was out the window. He wanted to kiss him, to be kissed by him. If what Mingyu had said was true and Hansol had in fact been wanting to be with Seungkwan for months already, there shouldn't really be a problem, right?

 

But Hansol shook his head, “Nah, I'm good. Let's get to work on your bike. Shouldn't take too long. Is it this one?” He asked as he placed his own bike against the side of the building.

 

“Eh, sure. Yeah, it's that one...”

 

“Great.” He squatted down in front of it and started to inspect the flat tire.

 

With a bit of a pout on his lips Seungkwan squatted down next to him. It was nice that he was so willing to fix his bike for him and there was no logical in thinking that Hansol knew Seungkwan wanted to go inside so they could kiss, but he felt disappointed all the same.

 

“Okay so, first what we need to do is get the tire off so we can find just where the leak is.” He shrugged his backpack off his shoulder and started rummaging through it, taking out various tools. “I didn't know what you'd have so I just brought my stuff. You do have a pump, right?”

 

“Eh, yeah, I think so.” Seungkwan mumbled back. He honestly had close to zero interest in learning how to fix a bicycle tire. He might had been able to get into it if he wasn't so distracted. He just kept stealing glances at Hansol as he explained what he was doing. There even was a moment where their eyes met and stopped talking. Seungkwan was already leaning in when Hansol suddenly stood up, causing Seungkwan to almost topple over. Not to mention all the times their hands touched when Hansol showed him how to do something.

 

When the tire was finally patched up and filled with air Hansol gave a satisfied nod. “See? That wasn't so hard, was it?”

 

Seungkwan nodded.

 

“So, eh, my hands are pretty dirty...and I'm kinda thirsty now.” Hansol pointed out and immediately Seungkwan started to walk to the entrance.

 

“Okay, yes, let's get inside. We can wash up and get something to drink. I'm pretty thirsty myself actually.”

 

<>

 

They were sitting on the living room couch. There was a weird awkward atmosphere hanging in the air around them. Hansol took a tiny sip from his glass and placed his drink next to Seungkwan's on the coffee table. Seungkwan looked at him, but his gaze wasn't met. He scooted closer with the intent of making the first move instead of waiting for Hansol to do it, but when he noticed just how stiff Hansol was sitting he reconsidered. His whole demeanor screamed uncomfortable. Seungkwan let out a soft sigh. “Hansol? You seem super uneasy right now...what's going on? Did I do something wrong?”

 

“No! I'm sorry. I'm just nervous I guess. It's fine when we're outside doing something, but when we're alone like this...I just get nervous.”

 

“Why? Don't you want to be alone with me?” Don't you want to kiss me?

 

“What!? No! I totally want to be alone with you! And I want to...kiss you, but...”

 

“Do you? Because yesterday when you dropped me off there totally was a vibe going on and you kissed me on the cheek. The CHEEK, Hansol! And just now outside there was also a moment and you just got up. I don't want to pressure you into doing anything you don't want to do, but we kissed that one time so I don't understand why you suddenly don't want to anymore...”

 

“I do want to! Fuck, I want to so much! But all this time I've been imagining it, thinking about it, and now I'm just not sure if it's really happening. And I know we kissed and I even asked you to, but I don't even know how I managed to say those words!”

 

Seungkwan furrowed his eyebrows together, “So...you're not kissing me, because you want to kiss me?”

 

“When you say it like that it sounds a bit silly, I guess.”

 

“It's ridiculous. I thought you had changed your mind about liking me.”

 

“Oh shit, no, Seungkwan, that's not-”

 

Seungkwan scooted even closer, not letting him finish what he was saying. “So, how about I kiss you instead?”

 

Hansol swallowed and nodded.

 

Seungkwan sat up and leaned in to greet Hansol's lips with his own. Hansol inhaled in pleasant surprise when Seungkwan timidly ran the tip of his tongue over his top lip, but it didn't take long before Hansol had gingerly joined it with his own. As they slowly started to explore more of each other's mouths, they got more comfortable and their bodies relaxed. Seungkwan moved one hand up to cup the side of Hansol's face and he felt a hand on the small of his back, urging him a bit closer.

 

It was strange. Honestly speaking, Hansol wasn't even all that good at it, but kissing him made Seungkwan want to roll around on the floor giggling like an idiot. Maybe this was what being in love felt like.

 

Their lips disconnected with a subtle smacking sound when Seungkwan pulled away. Hansol stared at him with such an adoring gaze that Seungkwan thought he must have been blind to never notice it before if this was the way Hansol had been staring at him throughout the year.

 

“You make my head spin, Boo Seungkwan.”He whispered.

 

Seungkwan's lips shyly curled up into a smile, “In a good way, I hope?”

 

“In the best way.”

 

<>

 

Eventually they could no longer ignore their growling stomachs and put a temporary end to their make-out session on Seungkwan's couch. Neither of them felt like spending a lot of time and effort into making something, but they also didn't want to go out. So they settled on some instant ramen they found in one of the kitchen cupboards.

 

“Oh, I just remembered.” Seungkwan said, covering his mouth as he chew, “I was talking to Mingyu before and how do you feel about going on a double date with him and Wonwoo?”

 

“Oh, eh, sure.” Hansol's first instinct was to feel like he didn't want to share Seungkwan with anyone now that he had him to himself, especially Mingyu. But he knew that he wouldn't be able to get around it. Mingyu was Seungkwan's best friend and he did actually like him as a person.

 

Seungkwan saw the hesitance in his boyfriend's eyes. “Hansol...I know you already know this, but I feel like I need to repeat it. Me and Mingyu were never together. There's nothing going on between us. But he's my best friend and I'd really like it if we can hang out with him and Wonwoo as two couples sometimes.

 

Hansol's expression softened, “Of course.” He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss on his cheek. He put his chopsticks down, having finished his food, and took Seungkwan's hand and tangled their fingers together. He stood up and led them back to the couch. “There's also something I want to talk about...”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Yesterday at the ice cream shop, did you mind holding hands with me like that? In public, I mean.”

 

“Oh...I...I did and I didn't. Of course I want to hold your hand and not give a fuck about what others might think about it, but I couldn't help feeling aware of the attention we drew. And these weren't even people we knew...I know I once said that if I'd ever get a boyfriend the whole world could know about it, but...”

 

Hansol nodded. “...It might not be the best idea to be so obvious about the fact we're dating.”

 

Seungkwan bit his lower lip, “But I don't want us to never hold hands or like...kiss each other goodbye. But some places feel safer than others. Can't we just decide what to do based on where we are and how we're feeling in that moment?”

 

“I think that's a good idea. What are we going to do with school though?”

 

“Well, we'll get up, go to class, you'll fall asleep, I'll actually pay attention and later you'll copy my notes while I roll my eyes and hopefully we'll go to my place after school for homework and making out.”

 

Hansol chuckled, “Yeah, that sounds nice, but that's not entirely what I meant.”

 

Seungkwan sighed and sank into the couch without letting go of Hansol's hand, “I know. High school is hard enough as it is and I don't want to put a target on our backs. Especially yours. I mean...most people already think I'm gay anyway, but you...I'm not sure how people would react to you dating a guy...So, I guess it's probably easier if we pretend like nothing has changed between us. Besides, none of our other dating friends have come out at school. Not so sure I want to be a trendsetter in this area.”

 

Hansol nodded in agreement He wasn't one to hide who he was, but at the same time he felt like it was no-one's business anyway. He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, “Can I ask for one favor?”

 

“What?”

 

“Can we please make-out in the locker room? Just once? We'll be super careful and make sure we are alone, but a part of me really really wants to make out in the jock space.”

 

Seungkwan scoffed at that, “You're kind of a jock yourself, you know? And don't forget I'm on the basketball team too!”

 

Hansol nuzzled Seungkwan's neck, “You know what I mean. I mean those guys that are always acting like assholes, like Taesung. They think of the locker room as the ultimate masculine space, which is ironic since everybody is always wet and half-naked there.”

 

“Actually, it's kind of perfect. You probably don't even remember this, but when I first joined the team and some of those guys were talking about how they were afraid I'd check them out or something, you stood up for me.”

 

“You heard that? I didn't even know you were there.”

 

Seungkwan nodded.

 

“Did you think I was cool?”

 

Seungkwan snickered, “I did actually. I called it 'the locker-room defense'.”

 

“Okay, so to summarize. When we're out in public we'll read the mood and we won't act 'couplely' at school. With the exception of making out in the locker room once or twice.”

 

“By the way, do I need to be worried that you went from being afraid to kiss me to talking about making out in public spaces in like an hour?”

 

Hansol wrapped him tighter in his arms, “What can I say? You just bring it out in me.”

 

Seungkwan tilted his head back so they could share a quick kiss. He sighed. “I can't believe I'm supposed to go visit my dad for three weeks...how am I supposed to survive not seeing you for that long.” He felt the arms around him loosening up.

 

“You're leaving for three weeks?”

 

Seungkwan untangled himself and sat up to face him, “I'm sorry I didn't tell you. With everything that happened it sort of slipped my mind. But I'm not leaving until the end of next week! And summer vacation won't even be over yet when I get back!”

 

Hansol groaned, “Except that me and my family are going on vacation in a few weeks and we get back a few days before the new school year.”

 

Seungkwan slumped his shoulders in disappointment, “Oh...” They looked at each other with sad faces. Suddenly Seungkwan jumped up, “This just means that we have to cram as much dates and summer fun time as we can into the time that we have! We're starting tonight! Let's get all the guys together for a barbeque in the park and tomorrow we'll go to the pool and the day after that we'll just chill with the two of us and then after that we'll go on that double date to the zoo and then-”

 

He was cut off by a hand pulling him back onto the couch. Hansol cupped his cheeks, “We'll do all of that, but first...” he pulled his face closer and pressed their lips together, “...I need to kiss you some more.”

Notes:

First of all, Hansol...I am so sorry for making you 'not all that good at it', but not everybody had a make out practice buddy like Seungkwan, ok?!

So...eh...I've decided to not go on a write all the actual dates because I just know it will take me forever to write and I just want to get into the next school year (for which I do have a bunch written already, but I need to complete some stuff and change some things in the main plot order and stuff). I'll be posting a sort of summary of the whole first year and a bit of a preview for the next one before I start posting new chaps.

Chapter 31: HS2-1 Back to School

Summary:

It's time for the next year of high school to start!

Notes:

Hahaha I didn't do the recap thing because well...I started writing it...but I couldn't get it right. There was too much stuff to get in there and it was taking me more time than it's worth! So instead I'm just here with a new chapter! (notice how chapter titles have gone from HS1 to HS2) I'll remind you lovely readers about anything that happened in past chapters if it's relevant and I think you might have forgotten, lol.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan had spent three weeks of his summer vacation visiting his father. While it was nice to see him, they weren't very good at communicating with each other and most of the time things felt a bit awkward. He was grateful for the time he could spend with his older sisters, but it was strange how much that place, that house, that town, already didn't feel like home. He missed his friends and, most of all, he missed Hansol. He hadn't told anyone in his family yet that he had a boyfriend and he wasn't sure how to bring it up. So he didn't.

 

When he got back Hansol was still away on vacation. Eventhough they had continued to send each other messages every day and video call every once in a while, it had been close to torture waiting to see him again. The worst was watching a movie over at Mingyu's with Wonwoo. While those two were fused together on the couch, Seungkwan just had to sit there and sulk in his boyfriend's absence.

 

The last bit of summer vacation, after Hansol had returned, had been filled to the brim with activities. Dates with just the two of them, hanging out with their friends, being forced to vote on polls made by Jeonghan about his interior design choices for his new dorm room.

 

But now the summer was over and Seungkwan stood in front of his mirror to get ready for the first day of the new school year. Last year he had been nervous about coming to this school when the year had already started. He had been nervous about being the new kid and about standing out for the wrong reasons and not finding any friends. Although finding friends was no longer an issue he had to concern himself with, the standing out for the wrong reasons part was something still nagging at him in his mind. He and Hansol had decided to keep their relationship on the down low when at school, knowing that the chance their classmates would be less than accepting was high. But Seungkwan didn't know where the line was between their classmates just thinking they were close friends and them seeing that something more was going on between them. Maybe actively trying to act different around him was what was going to set people off. And maybe he was just over-thinking everything and worried for nothing. He didn't even care if people knew he was gay. They all thought it already anyway. It was more Hansol he was worried about. He might seem like a pretty chill guy, but Seungkwan had no idea how he would handle getting made fun of for being in a relationship with another boy. He'd rather avoid such a situation all together.

 

But first things first. He had gotten a message from Jihoon asking him to meet him and Seokmin in the music room before class. He had no idea what he wanted, but since it was the beginning of the new year he might want to discuss how they'd go about getting some new members. When he got there they were already inside waiting for him. Seokmin looked at him with a sense of nervousness and apology. Jihoon just looked like he was hashtag over it.

 

Seungkwan walked over and sat down on one of the chairs. “What's going on? Weren't club activities supposed to start next week?”

 

“Well, about that...” Jihoon started, “...I found out that music club has been canceled.”

 

Seungkwan's mouth dropped open. “What!? Why?”

 

Jihoon shrugged and folded his arms, “They gave me some bullshit reason about funding issues and how there wasn't a teacher available to supervise.” He scoffed thinking back at the one-sided conversation he'd had with the vice-principal, “As if we had any teacher bothering with the club last year.”

 

“But it doesn't make any sense! We use like zero school resources! This smells like homophobia! I'm not sure how, but this can't be a coincidence!”

 

Jihoon sighed. He had anticipated Seungkwan reacting in this way. “I'm pissed off too, but there's not much we can do, is there?”

 

“Can't we object to some sort of board or something? We can't just let this slide!”

 

Seokmin and Jihoon exchanged a look and Seokmin smiled with a hurt expression on his face, “Seungkwan...me and Jihoon have talked about it and we're not sure the effort is worth it. We'll both be pretty busy preparing for college this year anyway and-”

 

Seungkwan huffed. He couldn't believe his ears. “And what about the school rules that state we have to actively participate in at least one club? What are you two going to do about that? You practically live here.”

 

“I'm going to join the computer club.” Jihoon answered with a shrug.

 

“The computer club?” Seungkwan said as if it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.

 

“Yeah, it's actually useful and I can use that time to learn more music related programs and stuff.”

 

“Well, what about you, Seokmin?”

 

Seokmin cast his eyes down. “English club...” he mumbled.

 

Seungkwan scoffed, “You do realize that Jaehyun is alsoin that club and you'll actually have to talk to him?”

 

Seokmin nodded.

 

“I can't believe this...what about the band?”

 

“What about the band?” Jihoon replied, “Jisoo and Jeonghan aren't even here anymore. We can still get together every once in a while to play some stuff. I'm sure this room won't even be used most of the time. Not that much will change, really.” With that last sentence his expression softened. He knew that this had been more than just a music club. To all of them.

 

Seungkwan crossed his arms and slouched down in his chair, “It still pisses me off.”

 

Jihoon stood up and stretched his arms, “Yeah, me too. But we should be getting to class. I just wanted to tell you. See you at lunch later?”

 

{Classroom}

 

Seungkwan entered the classroom as one of the last students to arrive and he looked around for Mingyu and Hansol. Luckily they were in the same class again this year. He found them at the back of the class in the exact same seats as last year. Hansol all the way in the corner in the back with Mingyu occupying the seat in front of him. The desk next to Mingyu was still empty and waiting for Seungkwan. He walked over and put down his bag with a loud thud. He was not having a great start of the year. “Why are we sitting here again? I was only in the back last year because it was all that was available. Why can't we sit more in the front?”

 

“The teacher is at the front.” Hansol mumbled. He looked like he was done with this class before it had even started.

 

Seungkwan reluctantly sat down and kept his stare on his boyfriend, “And why don't you want to sit next to me?”

 

“I thought you liked sitting next to Mingyu?”

 

“Ugh, why is this school year already so sucky!” Seungkwan turned to face forward and slumped down in his seat.

 

“Is something else the matter? Why are you getting so upset?” Mingyu asked him.

 

“Well, let's see. First I'm informed that the music club can no longer exist because of vague reasons and neither Jihoon nor Seokmin are willing to do anything about it. And now my bo-” He stopped himself before he could finish his sentence, “...and now this.”

 

“If it's such a big deal me and Hansol can just switch.” Mingyu offered.

 

“Oh no! I am not going to be blamed for Hansol not being able to sleep through class because he's no longer behind your tall figure.”

 

Mingyu and Hansol looked at each other, both deciding not to argue with Seungkwan while he was like this.

 

Soon class started and Seungkwan was trying his best to not let his annoyance get in the way of him paying attention. Hansol, on the other hand, was not even attempting to listen to the teacher anymore. He was leaning to the side, his head resting on his left hand. The habit of staring at Seungkwan during class was still in full force, but this time, this time, he wasn't just staring at Seungkwan. He was staring at his Seungkwan. It was a lot more satisfying staring at him now than it was when he was still just his unobtainable crush.

 

The booming voice of their math teacher forced him down to earth.“Mister Chwe!” he yelled from the front of the class, “Is there something written on the back of Mr.Boo's head that you'd like to tell the class about?”

 

He sat up straight, slightly embarrassed that he was caught staring, “No, sir. I was just...spacing out.”

 

The teacher sighed and continued his lecture.

 

When the bell rang Hansol was purposely slow at packing his stuff hoping Seungkwan would linger to wait for him. While he did wait for him he hadn't quite caught on to the fact that he wanted him to stay behind for a moment. Seungkwan was almost out the door when Hansol grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back inside.

 

Seungkwan let out a small yelp in surprise and he quickly checked the doorway to see if anyone had noticed. Hansol pushed the door closed.

 

“What are you doing?” Seungkwan asked him with furrowed eyebrows.

 

“I just wanted to say I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry that music club isn't happening this year and I'm sorry about before. I didn't think the seating was such a big deal.”

 

Seungkwan bit his lip, a bit embarrassed by his behavior earlier. “It's okay.” he mumbled. “I suppose I do like sitting next to Mingyu and I know how important your beauty rest is.” He chuckled at his own joke, but the smile fell from his face when Hansol took a step closer.

 

“Do you want to know another reason why I like sitting one row behind you?”

 

“W-why?” Seungkwan replied, feeling the tension slowly rising.

 

“Because I can stare at you being all serious and taking notes.”

 

“Oh...well, just...be careful. The teacher already called you out on it.”

 

Hansol was so close that Seungkwan wondered what people would think if they opened the door right now. “You're blushing though.”

 

Seungkwan turned his head away, “I am not.”

 

Hansol used his fingers to turn Seungkwan's head back to face him, “You are though.”

 

Seungkwan, despite his flushed face, wasn't about to let Hansol be the only one flirting, “I thought you only wanted to make-out in the locker room? You didn't say anything about the classroom.”

 

Hansol smirked and took a step back. “Who said anything about making out? Get your mind out of the gutter.”

 

Seungkwan's blush only became a darker shade of red, “What- I wasn't- You-”

 

He couldn't say anything else. Not with Hansol's lips attached to his own.

Notes:

Seungkwan and Hansol: omg I'm so worried about showing too much of our relationship at school
Also them: Kissing in the classroom

So...no music club this year :o But...Seokmin in English club....with Jaehyun..tutututu

Next time: a new member appears!

Chapter 32: HS2-2 New Guy on the Roof

Summary:

Hansol and Jihoon feel the sting of Jeonghan's absence on the roof, but luckily find someone to fill the void with.

Notes:

Hello people~ Let's go~~~

Let's try not to go crazy in these crazy times!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Jihoon and Hansol were sitting with their backs against the low stone wall surrounding the school roof. A place where they had sat many times before, but it felt different now. Jihoon took a joint out of his inner pocket, lid it up and took a drag. He handed it over to his friend and sighed. “Let's face it. It's kind of boring with just the two of us now. I don't know if it's because Jeonghan is missing or because I'd gotten used to you rambling on about your failing love life.”

 

Hansol chuckled. It was so obvious Jihoon missed having Jeonghan around, but was unwilling to admit it. “Maybe we can ask some of our friends to join us sometimes? I don't think Seungkwan likes it when I leave him for lunch to come here anyway. Especially not with the music club closed.”

 

Jihoon scoffed in response, “Don't you think that I would have asked them if I wanted any of them to join us? Can you imagine Seok or Kwan high? No, we need someone new. Just like me and Han got you to join us last year.”

 

The words had barely left his mouth when the door to the roof opened and a first year walked out. He looked like he still had a growth spurt coming and his hair was a bit messy with one little strand of hair popped up on the back of his head. He seemed a bit taken aback finding other people there, but he didn't let that stop him. He let the door fall shut behind him and stayed in his place.

 

“What do you want?” Jihoon barked at him. Despite his earlier statement of wanting to find a new member for their rooftop gang, he wasn't fond of new people nor very good at making friends.

 

The younger boy didn't move, but answered from where he stood. “To get away from all those people down there. I figured the roof would be a bit more relaxed.”

 

Jihoon and Hansol looked at each other. An understanding forming between them. “Hey kid, come over here. Sit down.” Hansol said as he beckoned him closer. The 'kid' did what he was told and chose to sit down across from them instead of against the wall like they were. It was quiet for a moment before he broke the silence.

 

“So...are you going to offer me some of what you're smoking or...?”

 

Hansol looked at him with an approving smirk. He held out his hand with the joint. “Be my guest. It's not your first time, is it?”

 

The boy inhaled and smoothly blew out the smoke, “Nah.” He passed it to Jihoon. “My name's Chan, by the way.”

 

“Jihoon.”

 

“Hansol.”

 

“Are you guys up here a lot?”

 

“Occasionally.” Jihoon replied. He was still deciding whether or not this new kid could become a permanent addition. “Tell me, Chan. If I were to tell you that I'm into tall dudes preferably with abs and well-toned calves, what would you say?”

 

Hansol gaped at Jihoon for a moment, but moved his gaze to the other boy to catch his reaction. He didn't seem very impressed and shrugged, “Eh, good for you I guess? I'm not very tall nor am I gay, so I can't really help you in that department, but if you asked me this to see if I'm a homophobe or something you can chill out.”

 

Jihoon chuckled, “Hansol, I kind of like him. Let's keep him.”

 

{After school}

 

“Did you read the group chat yet? Jisoo finally found out who his roommate is after not seeing him for days. Apparently they had already met in the restroom without knowing they were roommates and he sounds a bit like a crazy person, but Jisoo says he seems nice and is really funny.”

 

“Oh yeah?” Hansol had actually read the chat already, but he liked listening to Seungkwan tell the story more. They were slowly walking next to each other, Hansol with his bike in one hand. Despite the fact that Seungkwan now had a perfectly functioning bicycle, he still took the bus from and to school most days. He didn't like navigating through the traffic when he was still half asleep in the morning and on the bus he could do important stuff with his phone (like getting updates from Jeonghan and Jisoo about their new college lives). So now Hansol was walking him to the bus stop. There was a bus stop right across from the school, but seeing as that would give them close to zero time together, they had decided to walk to the next one over.

 

Seungkwan nodded, “Yeah. Jeonghan seems to be getting along with his roommate too. I just hope that Jisoo is okay with the way he keeps gushing over him...He's met the guy, what, a week ago? And already they seem to be doing everything together.”

 

“I'm sure they're fine. Jeonghan is just excited he got a roommate that he gets along with. You know he was worried about getting stuck with some homophobic asshole or something.”

 

“I guess so....I mean, I'm happy if they're happy, but I just don't want to see them break-up or something. What if-”

 

“Baby...” Hansol cut him off, “...you worry too much about other people's relationships.”

 

Seungkwan huffed, slightly caught off guard by the endearing nickname his boyfriend had chosen to use, “Are you saying I should be worried about my own relationship?”

 

“N-no. I just meant that-”

 

At that moment someone passed them on their skateboard, “Hey, Hansol. What's up?” the boy said as he halted and stepped off his skateboard, flipping it up with his foot so he could hold it in one hand.

 

“Oh, hey Chan. Are you on your way home?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Hansol could feel Seungkwan staring between him and his new friend with narrowed eyes, not knowing who this boy was. “Oh, eh, this is Seungkwan by the way. Seungkwan, Chan. We met on the roof today.” he introduced the two.

 

“Oh, are you a first-year too?” Chan asked.

 

Seungkwan let out a small puff of offended air, “I'm obviously older than you, skaterboy.”

 

Chan stared back, not at all impressed by Seungkwan's attitude. “Obviously. Anyway, it was nice to meet you or whatever. I'll see you guys around.” He put his board back on the ground and with a final wave of his hand rode away.

 

“Who was that?” Seungkwan wanted to know.

 

“Chan. I forgot to tell you. Me and Jihoon met him on the roof earlier and we've sort of invited him to hang with us sometimes.”

 

“Why?” Seungkwan realized he sounded very offensive, near possessive about who his boyfriend was hanging out with, so he decided to rephrase his inquiry, “I mean, how did that happen?”

 

Hansol shrugged, “He just showed up when we were there and he seemed chill. It's good because Jihoon was feeling lonely.”

 

Seungkwan snorted, “Well, I'm glad you found him a new friend then. Or, you know, you could just hang out with me and the others. What's so great about the roof anyway.”

 

“I won't go there during lunch too much, okay? But it's not like you're going to want to skip class or spend your free period getting hi-” he cut himself off, suddenly realizing that he wasn't sure if Seungkwan was even aware of what they did up there.

 

“You shouldn't skip class either.” he mumbled.

 

“You're cute when you pout.”

 

Seungkwan looked up at Hansol with big eyes. He hadn't been expecting the sudden compliment and if it was just a tactic to change the subject, it worked. “Will you look at that, we're at the bus stop!” Seungkwan exclaimed, now changing the subject himself.

 

“So we are. You'd better hurry. I see your bus coming.” Hansol said, a hint of a smirk on his face.

 

Seungkwan hurried away and onto the bus. He sat down on a seat by the window so he could stare at Hansol while driving away. But instead of getting stared back at, Hansol was typing something on his phone. Seungkwan felt his own phone buzz and checked his text.

 

U r cute when u get shy because I called u cute

 

Seungkwan sighed and let his hand holding his phone slump down on his lap. He couldn't tell if he loved or hated the way Hansol was quickly becoming a master at pushing all the right buttons to turn him into a blushing idiot. He leaned his head on his hand and stared out the window with a smile on his face. He probably loved it.

Notes:

-First of all, I'm not going to build the tension surrounding who Jisoo's roommate is, because he really doesn't have any big part, lol. It's Sungjae from BtoB. For those of you who don't know him: he's really funny and yes, a bit crazy (because...BtoB. They crazy) and he has a group of 'toilet friends', idols he met in the restroom and then became friends with (if I remember correctly BTS's Taehyung is also one of those friends #themoreyouknow ) and he's a 95-liner.
-uuggh I KNOW that stoner Hansol is SUCH a fic stereotype, but...well...it sort of happened anyway (but they honestly don't do it that much and mostly they just hang, so he's not really a stoner)
-Look, I can't help it. Whenever I write Chan he just turns into a sassy little man ( I absolutely CANNOT write him as the baby of the group like I see in some fics..It's totally fine to write him however you want, but it just won't come out of me LOL.) But, eh...he's also way too young to smoke...he needs a better influence in his life

As for Jeonghan's roommate...I haven't written his name in the story yet, but I think it's pretty clear right? Can only be one other 95-liner

<3

Next time will either be English club (aka Seokmin face-to-face with his crush) OR Basketball club where some things happen involving a few basketball club members

Chapter 33: HS2-3 Green Tea Latte or something

Summary:

It's time for the first English Club meeting of the year, but everybody seems to be more interested in what Seokmin and Jaehyun are up to.

Notes:

Like at the beginning of the fic. the first few chapters of this new school year are really about setting some things up. First club meeting of this, first meeting of that. I hope anyone is actually interested in Seokmin and his crush, lol.

Stay safe and healthy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan had considered not re-joining the English club. Jisoo was no longer there, he could get help from Hansol whenever he wanted and balancing three clubs last year had been quite a task. But between the music club getting dragged out from under him and Mingyu telling him not to leave him alone at English, he, along with Hansol, had decided to continue his involvement in the club. Now that he was approaching the room for their first session of the year and saw Seokmin hanging around the door nervously, he was glad that he had. Since Jisoo graduated Jaehyun had become president and Seungkwan couldn't wait to see how Seokmin was going to handle being in the same room with him for more than five minutes.

 

“Why didn't you just go in? You could have saved us a table.” He said to him.

 

“I...I was just waiting for you guys.”

 

“Afraid Jaehyun is in there?” Mingyu asked. He was no stranger to building up the courage to talk to ones crush.

 

Seokmin nodded, “He's the president, I'm sure he's already in there...Maybe I shouldn't have joined after all...”

 

“Nonsense. Come on.” Seungkwan pushed the door open and they went inside. Seokmin scurried behind him as they found some empty seats. Jaehyun stood in front of the class and said a quick welcome to new members and a welcome back to those who had been there last year. He had planned some speaking exercises that required them to work in pairs.

 

“It seems like we have an uneven number, but that's okay. Why don't you three...” he said as he vaguely gestured in the direction of Seungkwan, Mingyu, and Hansol, “...work together and, eh, Seokmin, do you want to be my partner?”

 

It took a kick under the table from Seungkwan before Seokmin found his tongue, “S-sure. My English is really bad though!”

 

“Oh yeah?” Jaehyun asked as he pulled up a chair and sat across from him. “I'll be glad to help you with it. How about we go get some coffee after school?”

 

“I-I don't really drink coffee.”

 

Another kick from Seungkwan.

 

“B-but I drink other things! Like, eh, green tea latte or something.”

 

“Great.” Jaehyun replied with a smile. “So, eh, I'm still getting used to being the club president and all, but I guess I should walk around to see if anyone needs any help. How about you pair up with one of those guys...” he nodded in the direction of the other three who quickly looked away to try and make it seem like they hadn't been watching their exchange intensely, “...and I'll see you after school?”

 

Seokmin nodded, still somewhat in a daze. As soon as Jaehyun was on the other side of the room Seungkwan excitedly grabbed Seokmin's arm, “Dude, he just asked you out!”

 

“On a date!” Mingyu added, trying his best to keep his voice down and mask his glee from the other people in the room.

 

“He did? It's just for studying, right?” Seokmin bit his lip. Of course he wanted it to be a date, but he didn't want to get his hopes up.

 

Seungkwan shook his head, “He was totally flirting with you! I'm telling you it's a date.”

 

“Hansol? What do you think?” Seokmin asked his other friend. Seungkwan and Mingyu were clearly already convinced it was going to be a date, but what did they know anyway? Seungkwan hadn't even noticed Hansol being in love with him for months.

 

Hansol hummed thoughtfully, “I think it's definitely a possibility that he meant it as a date type of thing.”

 

Seokmin glanced over at his crush who was now talking to one of the other students. He could hear his phone buzz from his bag and he took it out to check. He let out a soft groan. “How do I already have a message from Jeonghan about this?”

 

Seungkwan looked up innocently from his own phone, “Eh...”

 

{After school}

 

The bell rang and both Seungkwan and Mingyu were quick to clear their desks. “Come on, Hansol. We have to hurry!”

 

“What for?”

 

“Seokmin and Jaehyun!” they answered simultaneously.

 

Hansol stared at them, clearly not getting what Seokmin and Jaehyun had to do with anyting.

 

Seungkwan sighed impatiently, “If we don't hurry they'll have already left and we won't know where they're going.”

 

“Why do you have to know where they're going?”

 

Mingyu and Seungkwan looked at each other in a way that said they couldn't believe how Hansol wasn't getting the vitality of following Seokmin and Jaehyun on their supposed date to see how it was going to play out.

 

“Look, are you coming or not?” Seungkwan asked him with little patience in his voice.

 

“I think not, but you guys go on ahead.” Hansol really didn't feel like following two people around on their first date and, maybe even more than that, he felt like this was a thing for Seungkwan and his best friend together. He was working on completely letting go of the thought of those two being anything more than friends. Backing off to let them have their 'bestie' time every once in a while was part of that.

 

“Fine. I'll text you later. Come on, Mingyu!”

 

They all but ran out the classroom and almost ran straight into Wonwoo who was right outside.

 

“Oh, hey!” Mingyu said a bit too loudly, “Were you waiting for me?”

 

“Eh, yeah. I was wondering if you maybe wanted to hang out today.”

 

“I thought you had book club?”

 

“Actually, some of the members told me they haven't finished the book that we were supposed to discuss today so I've decided to postpone. So...”

 

“Oh, eh...me and Seungkwan are going to stalk, I mean, check on Seokmin. Jaehyun asked him out and we think it's a date.”

 

“So? What are you two going to do?”

 

“Excuse me, Wonwoo, but Mingyu we have to go. You can come too, Won, but we'll miss them at this rate.”

 

“I think I'm going to pass.” He said and chuckled as the two of them starting to hurriedly make their way through the sea of students crowding the hallway.

 

“You decided to not go with them, too?” Hansol asked as he appeared next to him.

 

“Yeah. I think this is something best done by the two of them. They'll probably just end up bickering about something anyway.”

 

Hansol laughed, “Yeah.”

 

“Do you want to hang out?” Wonwoo asked suddenly. He and Hansol hadn't really spent all that much time together, but their boyfriends were best friends so it wasn't a bad idea to get to know each other better. Hansol seemed to be thinking the same thing and he nodded.

 

“Sure.”

 

{Outside a small coffee shop}

 

Seungkwan and Mingyu had been able to successfully follow Seokmin and Jaehyun as they made their way over to a little coffee place (that also had green tea lattes) near the school. They didn't follow them inside, however. Instead they had decided it was safer to stay outside and occasionally peek inside through the window. Seungkwan was doing just that when he got startled by a voice whispering in his ear. “See anything good?”

 

“What the fuck are you doing here!?” he said, heart pounding because of the sudden presence.

 

Jeonghan calmly sipped on his take-out Dirty Chai Latte. “My gay senses were tingling.” He laughed at their confused faces, “That and Minnie messaged me saying he was freaking out about this coffee thing because you two had told him it was a date.”

 

“Don't you think it's a date?” Mingyu asked as he dared to take another look.

 

“Oh, no, it's definitely a date.” Jeonghan leaned in close and joined the observation. “Just look at the way Jaehyun is sitting. There's no need for him to be that close and he's touching his arm every so often. That doesn't say no-homo to me.”

 

Just then Seokmin must have said something funny because Jaehyun laughed loudly and leaned in closer.

 

In his excitement Mingyu grabbed Jeonghan's arm, “Oh my god, did you see that!”

 

“Mingyu, have I ever told you what a nice smile you have?” Jeonghan said with his silky smooth voice.

 

In response Mingyu looked at him with narrowed eyes, “I have a boyfriend. So do you.”

 

Jeonghan rolled his eyes, “Ah yes, by giving you a simple compliment I'm practically licking you. Will you relax? I just meant that it's nice that we get to see it so often now. Who would have thought that the dark emo mess you were a year ago would evolve into a cheerful young man on a gay stakeout with two of his most amazing friends.”

 

“Yeah, I guess a lot has changed over the last year.”

 

“It sure has. You are shining bright and all of us are finding love left and right. It's truly a-”

 

“That's great you guys...”Seungkwan interrupted, “...really touching, but our targets just got up and are making their way to the exit.”

 

“Oh shit!”

 

All three of them scrambled over each other to hide behind the corner before they'd be seen by either Seokmin or Jaehyun who were now coming out. Their curiosity was more urgently felt than the fear of discovery, however, and all three of them took a gander.

 

“Look how close they're walking.” Seungkwan whispered.

 

“And doesn't Seok seem a bit more relaxed?” Mingyu added.

 

“Should we follow them?” Seungkwan wondered out loud.

 

“How about...” Jeonghan said as he wrapped an arm around each one of their shoulders, “...we leave them to it and us three go inside and converse.”

 

Seungkwan looked it him with a raised eyebrow, “Converse? Just because you're in college now doesn't mean you have to try to sound smarter than you really are.”

 

“Come on, it'll be my treat.”

Notes:

-Jeonghan just misses his babies T__T (he's been away at college for what...a week or two? lol)
-If you don't know, a Dirty Chai Latte is basically a Chai tea latte with a shot of espresso and it's awesome
-Jaehyun isn't as blind as Seungkwan. He knows Seokmin likes him and well...he's interested

Next time it's basketball time and there is one guy who really seems to have a thing against Seungkwan and there is another guy who really seems to have a thing for Seungkwan.

 

p.s. Hahaha remember how Seungkwan and Mingyu used to make-out and Hansol doesn't know about that? Imagine if that ever gets brought up haha

Chapter 34: HS2-4 Locker room talk

Summary:

The new basketball team captain has it out for Seungkwan. Some support comes from an unexpected source.

Notes:

Hope everyone is doing okay! I started a 2000 piece puzzle and I think I dropped a piece, but I can't for the life of me find it anywhere, haha fml. Anyway, enjoy a bit of drama

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan and Hansol were hanging around the school gymnasium, waiting for their new captain to start the first session of the new year. Johnny, their previous captain, had graduated and the seniors had decided amongst themselves on who would replace him. Much to Seungkwan's dismay, they had decided on Taesung. From day one this guy had a problem with Seungkwan joining the basketball team and he hadn't made much effort to hide the fact that he didn't like him since then.

 

“Why couldn't they have gone with Jaehyun...he's a senior, too.” Seungkwan mumbled.

 

“He's probably too busy. At least he's co-captain. I know you don't like Taesung, but let's give him a chance.”

 

Seungkwan scoffed, “It's not me who has the problem.” He looked over at Taesung and Jaehyun who were discussing something. Taesung looked like he had used his summer vacation to bulk up and his face had gotten more obnoxious (in Seungkwan's totally unbiased opinion). He didn't know what to make of Jaehyun these days. After his little coffee date with Seokmin he had asked Seokmin to go out again some time soon, but at school he hardly seemed different. He greeted them in the hallway, sure, but he had always done that. Nothing about his behavior indicated that he was dating one of their best friends or that he had any intention to get closer to them as friends. But that was probably the point. After all, he and Hansol were hiding their relationship too.

 

Seungkwan was lost in thought when Hyunggu approached them with a big smile on his face. “Hey guys. I'm glad you decided to stay with the team this year.” His eyes were mostly focused on Seungkwan when he said it. “You know, I was sort of hoping that I'd get lucky with what class I'd end up in this year, but no luck.”

 

“What do you mean?” Seungkwan asked, not knowing what he was talking about.

 

“You know how they always change the classes up a bit? I was hoping I'd end up in the same class as you.”

 

“Oh.” Seungkwan said. He wasn't sure what else to say. It seemed like Hyunggu was only talking to him and it made him awkward getting singled out with Hansol right there.

 

Hyunggu seemed to get how what he said sounded a bit rude and quickly added, “I mean, with the both of you. Yeah, I mean, I think it would have been fun.”

 

“Eh, yeah. Totally.” Seungkwan let out an awkward chuckle. He honestly didn't know Hyunggu that well and besides being a friendly face on the team, he didn't consider him to be much of anything to him.

 

“Anyway, I'm glad I'll still be able to see you here. Even if Taesung is our new captain.” he added in a low voice.

 

“Yes!” Seungkwan agreed with a sense of acknowledgment. “Hansol said we should just give him a chance, but I swear this guy has it out for me!”

 

As if he was sensing something, Taesung called out that he was going to start and to gather around.

 

“First things first, I know you guys all loved Johnny, but frankly, if he had trained us better last year we wouldn't have lost that tournament. I'm going to be tougher, stricter, and I have no need for a bunch of whiny little bitches, so I don't want to hear any complaints.”

 

Seungkwan was unable to suppress an eye roll at his little display. Unfortunately it was caught by Taesung. He didn't say anything, but Seungkwan could tell from the look he gave him that he already fucked up.

 

“We'll be holding try outs for new members next week. Before that, let's see how lazy you've all become over the summer. Start running, ladies.”

 

<>

 

The entire training Taesung had made it his mission to call out Seungkwan for any and every little thing. Pick up the pace, Seungkwan. Focus, Seungkwan. You do know we're playing basketball, right? Would it kill you to actually get the ball through the hoop?

 

“Okay, guys, that's it for today. Hit the showers.”

 

Seungkwan let out a sigh of relief. Finally. He hoped the whole year wasn't going to be like this.

 

“Except for you, Seungkwan. You were clearly the weakest today, so you're going to run a few more extra laps.”

 

“Come on, Tae, it's just the first training of the year. Cut him some slack.” Jaehyun said.

 

Seungkwan would have appreciated it more if he said that there was no reason to single him out because he hadn't actually done any worse than the others, but at least he said something. As co-captain he should have some input on how things were run, right?

 

“That attitude is exactly what's wrong with this team. Didn't I say I didn't want any complaints? Seungkwan, get going. What are the rest of you still doing here? I told you to hit the showers!”

 

Seungkwan gave Hansol a look that said 'I told you this guy has it out for me'.

 

“I'll run with you.” Hansol offered, but Seungkwan shook his head.

 

“No. Go shower. I'll see you after, okay?”

 

{locker room}

 

Hansol made sure to take his sweet time taking a shower, so that most of the others would be gone by the time Seungkwan was done. When he got out of the shower only Hyunggu was still around.

 

“You showered so long, even Taesung has already come and gone. You just missed him. I guess Seungkwan will be here soon.” Hyunggu said. Hansol nodded. He wasn't sure why Hyunggu was still there. Last year they had on occasion hung out together during lunch before Hansol got close with Seungkwan, but that was about the extent of their relationship.

 

Just as he said it the door opened and Seungkwan came in. He sat down on one of the benches and let out a loud frustrated breath of air. “Is Taesung gone yet?” he asked no-one in particular.

 

“Yeah.” Hyunggu answered before Hansol could and he sat down next to him.

 

“Good.” He had made sure to linger for a bit to make sure he didn't have to deal with him in the locker-room too. Seungkwan leaned down and started untying his shoes. “Hansol, I'll shower real quick, okay?”

 

“Take your time.” Hansol replied. He wanted Seungkwan to take his time, enough time for Hyunggu to leave so they'd be by themselves.

 

Seungkwan looked up at him and nodded. He was about to get up and get undressed when Hyunggu opened his mouth.

 

“Seungkwan? For what it's worth, I think Taesung was just being an ass. You weren't even the worst one out there today. Not at all. I think you did great.” He lightly placed a hand on Seungkwan's leg, the part not covered by his shorts. The skin was still damp with sweat and the gesture seemed out of place for someone just trying to cheer up a teammate. Seungkwan was caught off guard by the sudden contact and didn't know how to respond. He was most likely reading too much into it. He was doing it right in front of Hansol, after all. If Hyunggu had meant anything with this move, he wouldn't have done that, right? Even if he didn't know they were dating.

 

“Eh, thanks.” he answered simply.

 

They were both startled by the loud bang of Hansol slamming his locker shut. “I'll wait outside. Don't take too long.” he said directed at his boyfriend and walked out.

 

“What's his problem?” Hyunggu asked as he stood up and stretched his back.

 

“He, eh...has a stomachache. Anyway, I'd better get changed,”

 

“Yeah. See you.” Hyunggu swung his bag over his shoulder and followed Hansol out.

 

{Hallway}

 

Hansol was leaning against the wall just outside the locker-rooms. He had wanted to see if Seungkwan was up for that making-out in the jock space thing they had talked about, but he didn't feel like it anymore. When Hyunggu walked out he did his best to ignore him, hoping he would just go away. Hyunggu didn't seem to get the hint.

 

“Hey Hansol, can I ask you something?” he asked standing in front of him.

 

“Sure.” Hansol shrugged trying to have an air of casualness around him.

 

“You're friends with Seungkwan, right?”

 

Hansol looked him over for a second. What a stupid question. Wasn't it extremely obvious that he and Seungkwan were friends. “Yes. Why?”

 

“Do you know what he's....into?”

 

“What do you mean? Like his favorite ice cream or something?”

 

Hyunggu chuckled, “More like does he like guys?”

 

Hansol couldn't believe what he was being asked right now. Nor did he know how to respond. Was Hyunggu asking this because he was interested in Seungkwan or because he just wanted to know? Or because he was an asshole in disguise who didn't want to be friends with a gay person?

 

Hyunggu saw the way Hansol hesitated to answer. “I'm just asking because I don't really want to make a move if he's not gay or bi or something.”

 

As much as Hansol hated to idea of having this guy interested in his boyfriend, he had to give him credit for displaying some serious big dick energy by just casually dropping that he's interested in another boy. He should probably say that it wasn't his place to tell him if Seungkwan was straight or gay or whatever. Even saying that he didn't know would have been better than what he was about to say.

 

“Oh, eh...he's straight.”

 

It just slipped out. He wished he could say he said it because he didn't want to out Seungkwan without his permission or because he thought that was what Seungkwan would want him to say since they're hiding their relationship anyway. But that wasn't true. He said it because he didn't want some other boy to think he had a chance.

 

“Oh...” Hyunggu sounded disappointed, “Really? Shit. I guess my gaydar is pretty busted, huh? Well, I guess I'm better off knowing now, but I have to admit I wasn't really expecting that.”

 

“So why did you even ask then?” Hansol snapped.

 

“Oh, ehm, I guess I just wanted to confirm he was gay and then ask you, since you're his friend and all, if you had any tips for me to get onto his good side. Anyway...thanks for saving me from embarrassing myself.”

 

Hansol gave him a small nod to say you're welcome, even if he had just lied through his teeth for his own selfish reasons.

 

Hyunggu was about to leave, but took a step back, “Oh and if you could not broadcast to the entire school that I'm gay that'd be great. I just talked to you because I think you're a nice guy.”

 

“Right. Sure, don't worry.”

 

<>

 

Not long after, Seungkwan walked out of the locker-room. Hair still damp from the shower. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

 

Hansol just nodded.

 

Seungkwan looked at him with furrowed eyebrows and a slight pout, “Are you okay? I mean, what was that earlier?”

 

“What was what?”

 

“The way you angrily slammed your locker? I'd think you'd be a bit more supportive after the way Taesung singled me out for no good reason.”

 

“You were already given plenty of 'support' from Hyunggu.”

 

“What is that supposed to mean?”

 

“The way he was caressing your thigh!”

 

“Are you kidding? He wasn't 'caressing my thigh'. You're blowing it way out of proportion! Is no guy allowed to touch me ever?” Seungkwan totally understood how it could have looked. He had thought it was a bit strange for a second himself. But Hansol was being ridiculous. It certainly wasn't anything to get upset over.

 

“Not the way he was...” Hansol mumbled. He was starting to doubt himself. Maybe he was making a bigger deal out of the physical contact than it was. But after his little talk with Hyunggu, he couldn't help but think that his leg touching hadn't been completely innocent. Rationally he knew of course that it wasn't Seungkwan's fault. Or even Hyunggu's for that matter. But not letting his imagination run wild wasn't exactly his forte.

 

Seungkwan was staring at him with a scowl and Hansol reached out to touch his arm. “I'm sorry. You're right. I'm overreacting. And Taesung was picking on you. Next time I'll call him out on it, okay?”

 

“Thank you. But that's okay. I don't need you to do that. As much as I secretly love the idea of you standing up for me and maybe even punch him in the face or something, on principle I'm totally against it. I'll fight my own battles. He thinks I'm weak, but if he thinks that he can bully me into quitting the club he's got another thing coming. In fact, even if I might want to leave the club for totally unrelated reasons I won't. Just out of spite. All I need from you is a little support behind the scenes.”

 

Hansol chuckled. He loved it whenever Seungkwan showed his feisty side. “I'll be there if you need me.”

 

Seungkwan smiled at him. “I know.”

Notes:

- I HATE it when coaches or whoever call people 'ladies' or 'girls' as a way to put them down, but Taesung is just
that type of douchebag
-Seungkwan: 'hmm he's touching my leg, that's kinda weird...' Hansol: 'wtf why was he touching your leg?' Seungkwan: "It was nothing, chill"
-What do you think Hansol should have said to Hyunggu?

Chapter 35: HS2-5 The Talk

Summary:

Hansol asks Seungkwan if he wants to meet his parents. Seungkwan has a 'talk' with his mom.

Notes:

Hello~ I have a bit of vacation now, but obviously I won't be able to go anywhere so hopefully I'll get some writing in! At least the upcoming 2 chapter will be done quickly (since they're almost done already anyway)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The weather was still quite warm for the time of year and Seungkwan and Hansol had decided to do their homework outside together. They had taken a bit of a ride on Hansol's bike and were now sitting under a large tree in a park on the outskirts of town. They had their books out and were making an attempt to study. Seungkwan more successfully than Hansol.

 

“This is nice.” Hansol said looking up from his math book.

 

“Hm?” Seungkwan replied with a questioning hum without taking his eyes off his papers.

 

“This. Us sitting here, together. It would be better without all this homework, but still. It's nice.”

 

“Yeah. Yeah, it is. Let's enjoy it while we can, the weather won't be this nice forever.”

 

“Oh that reminds me! Or I just remembered...anyway, I wanted to ask you something.”

 

Seungkwan put his pen down and looked at him. “Oh?”

 

“Do you want to come over to my house for dinner some time soon? I told my parents that I have a boyfriend yesterday and they said they'd like to meet you.”

 

“Oh, eh, sure. I mean, of course!”

 

They hadn't really discussed telling their parents, let alone meeting each others parents. It only made sense that they would, but Seungkwan still hadn't told his family. Not even his mother. He couldn't really imagine her reacting badly to it, but he hadn't gotten around to it. Or maybe he had just been avoiding it. He knew that as soon as he'd tell her she's want to meet him and perhaps he had just needed a little bit of time to get used to the idea of having a boyfriend first. In a way he was glad that Hansol had told his parents first.

 

“How about this weekend?”

 

“Okay. Best to get it over with I guess.”

 

Hansol chuckled. “Don't say it like that. My parents are really nice, you know.”

 

“They must be if they are capable of creating someone as amazing as you.”

 

“Boo Seungkwan, are you flirting with me?”

 

“Is it working?”

 

Hansol shook his head and smiled, “Of course it's working. You can say anything to me and it would probably work.”

 

Seungkwan quickly scanned the area for people. There were a few kids playing on the playground in the distance and an old man waking his dog. He leaned in and placed a soft, somewhat clumsy, hurried kiss on his boyfriend's lips.

 

“So, ehm, since I'll be meeting your family, do you want to meet my mom?”

 

“Sure. Maybe also this weekend? To 'get it over with', as you put it.”

 

Seungkwan bit his lip and nodded, “I'll ask her.” There was also something Seungkwan wanted to ask Hansol. Something he had been curious about for some time. “Hansol? You never told me, but...when did you come out to your family? Did it go well?” It couldn't have been too bad if they wanted to meet their son's boyfriend.

 

Hansol leaned back on his hands and cocked his head to the side, “Oh, I never really came out, I guess.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I just never felt like I had to.”

 

“You mean you think they already knew?”

 

“No. I just...I guess I just don't like the idea of putting a label on myself and so I never really knew what to tell them anyway. I didn't think they'd have a problem with it either way.”

 

“So, what? You just told them you suddenly have a boyfriend and that was it?”

 

“Pretty much.” Hansol replied and he studied the look on Seungkwan's face. It was that look that he got when he was trying to figure something out or when he was confused. “I know you might not get it, but this worked for me. The only label I need right now is being your boyfriend. Isn't that enough?”

 

Seungkwan smiled. Hansol was right, he didn't really get it. He had gone through a lot of internal struggling and working up the courage to come out to people. But he supposed that, at the end of the day, it didn't really matter. Everybody did things their own way. “If it's enough for you, then it's more than enough for me.” he said with a smile. “Okay so it's settled. We're going to meet each other's parents? Just so I know what I'm getting myself into, you haven't told your parents anything weird about me, have you?”

 

“Like what?”

 

Seungkwan shrugged, “I don't know.”

 

“Don't worry. I'm sure they'll like you. What about me? Anything I should prepare myself for?”

 

“Not really. I haven't told my mom anything really...I should probably tell her I have a boyfriend first.”

 

Hansol chuckled, “Yeah, probably.”

 

{Seungkwan's house}

 

When he got home Seungkwan found his mother in the kitchen preparing dinner. He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. Instead of going to his room until it was time to eat, like he normally would have, he lingered. “Mom?”

 

“Yes, honey?”

 

“You're free this weekend, right?”

 

“Yes, why?”

 

“Well..I was just wondering if it would maybe be okay if I invited someone over for dinner?”

 

“Of course it is. You know that.” She chuckled, but she noticed her son seemed to bit nervous or uneasy to ask. “Who do you want to invite?”

 

“One of my friends. No, ehm, Hansol.”

 

“So is Hansol not a friend? You've mentioned him before.”

 

“He was, he, eh, he is, but...now he's also my boy...friend.”

 

His mother rinsed her hands and dried them off. She turned to her son and smiled at him, “Well, I'm looking forward to finally meeting him.”

 

Seungkwan furrowed his brows together in confusion at that response, “What do you mean finally?”

 

“Haven't you been dating him since the summer?”

 

“What!? How do you know that? Was it Mingyu? Did he tell you?”

 

“I don't need Mingyu to figure out what my son is up to. You should see the look in your eyes whenever you mention him. Remember you showed me pictures from your sleepover? The way you talk about him. 'I have to call Hansol. Look at this picture Hansol sent me. I'm meeting Hansol. Again.' Really, Seungkwan, it wasn't that hard to figure out.”

 

“Oh...”

 

His mother giggled looking at his pouty face. “It's not a bad thing, honey. Although I would have liked to know sooner.”

 

“I...I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. It's just that he's my first boyfriend and I wasn't sure...”

 

He felt his mother's hand sweetly rubbing his arm in comfort, “Well, I'm glad you told me now. And now that it's all out in the open let's sit for a minute.”

 

“Eh, okay.” Seungkwan mumbled, not sure what his mother wanted to talk about.

 

They sat down at the table across from each other. His mother looked at him in a way that made Seungkwan feel like he wasn't going to like whatever this walk was going to be about.

 

“I probably should have done this sooner instead of just leaving you those condoms, but now that you really have a boyfriend I guess-”

 

Yes, he was right. He wasn't liking this conversation already. “Mom! Please! Don't! I'm good!” Seungkwan yelled out, mortified by the sudden mention of condoms. He had never asked her about them and hoped he'd never have to talk about anything to do with sex with her.

 

“Seungkwan, this is important. I don't want you to-”

 

“Mom, really! I know all about STDs and how to prevent them and no-one is getting pregnant in this equation either, so.”

 

“I know you know that stuff, honey. I just wanted to talk to you about a few other important things. I know this is uncomfortable, but I really need you to hear me out.”

 

Seungkwan didn't object further, but he also refused to look directly at her.

 

“Sex isn't just about physically being with someone, it's also about emotionally being with someone. You can be very vulnerable when you get that close to another person and I want you to know that it's very important to wait until you are ready. Of course if it were up to me you would wait until you were thirty or something, but I know that's probably not going to happen. So I want you to know that it's okay to have boundaries and to say no when your partner wants to try something you're not comfortable with.”

 

“Hansol isn't like that, mom.” Seungkwan mumbled. “He would never make me do something I don't want to do.”

 

“I'm sure he's a nice boy, but I also don't want you to do something you don't want to do just because you think that's what he might want. Do you understand what I'm saying?”

 

He nodded.

 

“And it goes both ways. You have to respect Hansol's boundaries too. Okay?”

 

Again he nodded.

 

“I'm sorry for not talking to you about these things sooner, but I'm glad we had this little talk now. If you have any questions, any at all, please come to me, okay?”

 

“Thanks...I guess. But can you please, please, not talk about any of this stuff when Hansol comes over?”

Notes:

Now that Seungkwan has discussed s-e-x with his mom, he might want to talk with Hansol about it, too. But before that something happens at lunch involving Mingyu.

(Is it weird they haven't met each other's parents yet??? Anyway, it didn't fit into the story before this time...during the summer they were outside a lot...I dunno. I also didn't want them to start talking about sex right after getting together.)

Chapter 36: HS2-6 Everybody does that...right?

Summary:

Some people in the group start to question Jaehyun's intentions with Seokmin. Hansol learns something about what went on between Mingyu and Seungkwan and he's not happy about it.

Notes:

It took me a little bit longer than I thought to finish this one, but mainly because I decided I needed to include a bit of Chan and Seokmin as to not completely forget about the side characters, lol.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan slowly chewed his food while observing Seokmin talking to Jaehyun by the entrance of the cafeteria. “What do you think they're talking about?” he asked the others at the table. Although he and Mingyu seemed the only ones even interested.

 

“Maybe making weekend plans?” Chan suggested. After getting friendly with Hansol and Jihoon up on the roof, Seungkwan had told Hansol to ask him to join them for lunch. He had been hanging out with them ever since. Seungkwan worried a bit that this kid was only making friends with upperclassmen instead of people in his own year, but he was Hansol's friend and Seungkwan kind of liked having him around anyway. They didn't always see eye-to-eye, but he brought a different, new, flavor to the group.

 

Seokmin and Jaehyun parted ways halfway down the cafeteria and he sat down at their table.

 

“Why doesn't he ever sit with us?” Seungkwan asked.

 

“Oh, eh, he, we, just think it might be a bit obvious if he suddenly starts hanging out with me too much. We're just keeping our relationship out of school. Mostly.”

 

“Does this mean he's your boyfriend now? Haven't you guys been on like a bunch of dates?” Jihoon mixed himself into the conversation. He himself didn't care much about what label a relationship had, but he knew Seokmin and he knew he was a romantic at heart. He wasn't looking for a casual type of thing. No, he wanted a boyfriend.

 

“Well, ehm, not exactly...” Seokmin answered, avoiding direct eye-contact. “Not yet. I mean...he hasn't asked or anything.”

 

“What an asshole.”

 

Everybody looked at Chan in surprise. He was still new to the group, but he wasn't afraid to give his opinion without mincing his words.

 

“Well, I'm sorry, but it all sounds a bit as if he wants to get all the benefits of dating Seokmin, without having to be his boyfriend.”

 

“It's not such a big deal...” Seokmin mumbled back. “There isn't much of a difference anyway, right?”

 

“The way I see it is that if you're someone's boyfriend you need to do boyfriend things, like...birthdays, hanging out with each other's friends, being there for the other person when they're feeling bad. Now he gets to do fun stuff like going on dates and making out, without any responsibilities.”

 

“I didn't know you were such a relationship expert.” Seungkwan said with a snort. “Look, Min. If you're fine with the situation as is then that's fine, but if you're not then maybe you shouldn't let it continue like this.”

 

Seokmin nodded. “I don't think he's doing what you said, Chan. I think...I think he does like me. He just wants us to get to know each other better first, I think. Anyway...can we talk about something else now? What's everybody doing this weekend?”

 

“Oh, that reminds me.” Hansol spoke up, directed at Seungkwan, “I keep forgetting to ask you. Do I need to bring anything tomorrow? Like an extra pillow or something?”

 

“No, just bring yourself and a toothbrush. And maybe a change of clothes for the next day.” Seungkwan answered.

 

“Are you guys going camping or something?” Wonwoo asked.

 

“No, he's going to meet Seungkwan's mom for the first time.” Mingyu answered before either one of the people actually involved could. “Don't worry. Seungkwan's mom is super nice.”

 

Hansol hadn't been all that nervous before, but somehow hearing Mingyu reassure him what a nice person his boyfriend's mother was made him worried she wasn't going to like him.

 

“But why would he need a toothbrush for that?” Seokmin wanted to know.

 

“I'm going over to his house on Sunday to meet his family too. We figured it was just as easy if he stayed over and we'd go there together.” Seungkwan explained.

 

“Oh.” Seokmin nodded in understanding but his face was scrunched up in thought, “So...he's going to be staying the night?”

 

It took a moment for the other people at the table to get what Seokmin was thinking and Seokmin himself looked like he regretted thinking out loud in the first place. “I-I just mean that's new, eh, nice. I didn't mean to imply that it means you two will have...sleeping...ehm.”

 

“Well, at least we know Seungkwan has condoms.” Jihoon snorted.

 

Seungkwan almost choked on this lunch and Hansol's eyes grew wide, “Dude!” It was sort of an unwritten rule that what was said on the rooftop stayed on the rooftop. Kind of like Vegas.

 

“H-how do you know about that!” Seungkwan squeezed out between coughs.

 

Jihoon simply shrugged, “Hansol told me when he was crying to me and Jeonghan about all the sex he thought you and Mingyu were having.” It was in moments like this that he really missed having Jeonghan around. He was better in these kinds of situations and had the strange ability to make inappropriate comments without anyone really caring. But somehow when Jihoon did it he managed to let the whole thing blow up to a bigger deal than it probaly really was.

 

Breaking the awkward silence was Wonwoo. “You two...” he spoke slowly as his eyes went between Mingyu and Seungkwan, “...had sex?”

 

“NO!” both of them yelled out at the same time.

 

Seungkwan waved his hands and shook his head, “We only had some practice make-outs, but everybody does that, right?” He chuckled nervously.

 

“...Practice make-outs?” It was Chan who asked.

 

“You know, when you make-out with a friend just...for...practice.” Seungkwan slowed down and stopped talking altogether when he realized that all of them were looking at him like they had no idea what he was talking about. He turned to Hansol, hoping that at least his boyfriend would agree that it what no big deal, but he was just staring at his lunch, one hand tightly balled up in a fist.

 

“So when you told me that there was nothing going on between you and him, you were just lying to me?” He looked up at Seungkwan and more than angry he looked hurt and disappointed.

 

“No! It was nothing. I-”

 

Before he could finish talking, Hansol got up and walked away. Seungkwan stood up to go after him, but to his surprise Mingyu also stood up. “I'll go talk to him.”

 

“Why would you go talk to him and not me? That doesn't even make any sense.” Seungkwan objected.

 

“Just let me talk to him, okay?” Mingyu insisted and waited for Seungkwan to concede.

 

Seungkwan sank back down onto his chair and watched Mingyu walk out. “What is happening...one moment I'm having lunch, the next moment people think I slept with my best friend and my boyfriend is mad and getting followed by that friend.” He sighed, but then he noticed everybody was still staring at him.

 

“What!? I'm telling you nothing really happened between me and Mingyu and the teeny tiny bit of kissing that we did happened before either one of us had a boyfriend.” He sat up straight and made eye contact with Wonwoo. “Please believe me. Mingyu was a bit insecure about his kissing and we just-”

 

“Practiced? Yeah, I heard.” Wonwoo replied, unable to completely hide the displeasure in his voice. “I believe you and I believe you if you say it didn't mean anything. But that doesn't really explain how this became a story about condoms.”

 

Seungkwan sighed. He had really hoped he could forget that ever happened. “My mom put condoms on by bed and Hansol saw them. He had gotten it in his head for some reason that me and Mingyu were dating. Which we were NOT. So he must have thought...Look, I didn't even know that he was thinking that at the time. Can we just drop it now?” He looked around the table and was met with a grumpy stare from Jihoon. “Why are you mad? You and your blabbermouth started all this.”

“I just think it's unfair that you never asked any of us if we wanted to make-out.”

 

“What?!”

 

“I'm just saying that Mingyu wasn't your only single friend you could have used for practice.”

 

Seungkwan's jaw dropped, “What are you even talking about you weirdo!? Seriously, I'm so done with this conversation. He's going to meet my mom tomorrow and now he's mad and I'm hoping Mingyu isn't making things worse right now.” He stared at the door leading out of the cafeteria, but of course he couldn't see, let alone hear, anything.

 

<>

 

“Hansol, wait!” Mingyu yelled out as he caught up with Hansol in the hallway.

 

He stopped, but he didn't look very happy to see him.

 

“Can we talk? I want to say something to you.”

 

Hansol nodded. He wasn't really mad at Mingyu. He wasn't even really mad at Seungkwan. But he couldn't help feeling upset about this. There was no denying that Seungkwan and Mingyu had a close relationship and Hansol sometimes wondered where the boundaries of that relationship were.

 

Neither one of them felt like having this conversation in the middle of the hallway, so they went outside and found a spot away from any other students. They were sitting on a low stone wall, dangling their feet off the edge.

 

“So...you remember how I was at the beginning of last year? I barely talked to anyone, nobody talked to me. I know people talked about me behind my back.”

 

Hansol hadn't expected their talk to start like this. Thinking back, he felt bad. He had heard the rumors too and even though he didn't think he'd ever been mean to him, he hadn't exactly made any effort to be nice to him either.

 

“Even before that, I had spent a lot of time feeling alone, confused and scared.” Mingyu continued. “A lot of it probably came from figuring out that I was gay and dealing with that. Things started to get out of hand at my old school and I just felt angry all the time. By the time I started here I was just...well...not myself.” He took a short pause. Hansol was looking at him with full attention now. They had never talked like this before. Mingyu took a deep breath. He never liked talking about that period of his life, but he felt like Hansol needed to hear it. “Seungkwan was the first person in a long time who was nice to me.”

 

“Mingyu, I-”

 

“I'm not finished. I'm not trying to make you feel bad or guilty or anything, I wouldn't have talked to me either. I just want to explain about me and Seungkwan. When we were working on a science project together I went over to his house. I was so nervous, but as it turned out we got along great. I kissed him in a weird moment. Not because I was in love with him or anything like that. It was just...I guess I needed to know what it was like to kiss another boy and Seungkwan made me feel like maybe it was okay. Of course I freaked out about it right after and ran away.” A soft smile tugged on the corners of his mouth thinking back at it. “Anyway, what's important here is that he helped me a lot after that. He helped me accept who I am and to have more confidence in myself. I don't want you to be mad at him for it.”

 

“I'm not mad at him for that. But he told me that there was nothing going on between you two. Making out is not nothing.”

 

“Dude, come on. It was just as friends.”

 

“If it really was nothing he could have told me about it.”

 

“Do you really want to know about all the people your boyfriend has made out with?”

 

Hansol's eyes widened, “Is it that many!?”

 

“No! That's not what I meant! As far as I know only one other guy and some girls. Ah shit, I don't know if I should even tell you this stuff. Ehm, just, think of it like this: did you tell him about the people you've kissed?”

 

“It's different!” Hansol objected, “You guys are really close...and...I've never really...before...” He looked away and bounced his heel against the stones of the wall.

 

Mingyu looked at him for a moment. Was he saying what he thought he was? “Are you telling me that...Seungkwan was your first kiss?”

 

“Kinda...unless you count that three second kiss when I was like six, but I don't think that counts.” Hansol mumbled.

 

“That...”

 

Hansol still didn't look at Mingyu. He just knew he was about to say how boring he was and how late to the party.

 

“...is so sweet!” Mingyu finished with delight in his voice.

 

Hansol turned to look at him, “Not lame?”

 

“Of course not! Plenty of people have their first kiss way later than that anyway!”

 

“I bet you didn't.” Hansol muttered under his breath. He wasn't even sure why he cared. Especially after the story Mingyu just told him.

 

“Depends on what first kiss. First kiss about three years ago, but it was mostly peer pressure and me trying to look like I liked girls. First kiss with a boy was last year with Seungkwan. First kiss with someone I had romantic feelings for was Wonwoo and from what I gather you were a star witness to that...”

 

“Oh yeah...I almost went over to punch you in the face that time.”

 

“What!? Why?”

 

“Because I thought you were cheating on Seungkwan.”

 

“Sol, please. Seungkwan and I are close, yes. But not like that. Okay? We never were. How did you even get that in your head?”

 

“I dunno...No, actually, I do know. You two might not have realized it, but you're super clingy and stuff sometimes.”

 

“Oh...is that...does that bother you?” Mingyu knew that he and Seungkwan didn't shy away from skinship between them, but it just felt so normal between them at this point that he had never considered it to possibly upset Hansol.

 

“A little, if I'm being honest. But I don't want it to bother me and I don't want you two to feel like you have to change the way you are together. I guess it's just that I spent months thinking of it as a romantic thing and now it's hard to see it as anything but that....”

 

“I guess I can understand that.” Mingyu replied.

 

“You can?”

 

“Well, I mean, I guess from an outsider's perspective it's possible to get the wrong idea. And once such an idea is stuck in your head you might start reading something into everything.”

 

“Right! That's exactly what happened! Man, I can't tell you what a nightmare it was seeing you two hugging and giggling and even the bickering was-” Remembering who he was talking to he stopped and cleared his throat. “Anyway, thanks for talking to me, man. I'm glad you can see where I'm coming from.”

 

“Any time. Now how about we go back in? The bell's going to ring any second now and I'm sure Seungkwan is dying to know what's going on.”

 

Hansol hopped down from the wall. “And maybe you might want to check in with your own boyfriend too.”

 

“Oh shit, you're right...”

 

Hansol chuckled at Mingyu's shocked face. “Come on, let's go.”

Notes:

-Someone get Jihoon a new boyfriend/someone to date, lol
-Should Seungkwan have told him before or was it not really any of Hansol's business to know they had kissed? (...let's not mention the porn watching)

So...next time it's time to meet the parents, but that's not really the most important thing that happens :D It's nothing bad, I promise! In fact, it's something good! (also kind of thinking about skipping actually writing the full scene where Seungkwan meets Hansol's parents since nothing really happens so much, so please let me know if you'd like to read it anyway!)

Chapter 37: HS2-7 Meeting the Parents

Summary:

Hansol comes over to meet Seungkwan's mother for the first time. Seungkwan has something to talk to him about.

Notes:

Good evening (/morning/afternoon/night)~ Please enjoy Verkwan going over to each other's houses to meet families!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

As soon as the doorbell rang Seungkwan jumped up from the couch and ran towards the door, “I'll get it!” He opened it and let his boyfriend in. As he was taking off his coat Seungkwan started fussing with his hair. Hansol let him and patiently waited for him to be satisfied with his appearance. “There. Okay. Ready?”

 

They went into the living room and Seungkwan introduced him to his mother who greeted him with a warm smile. “It's nice to finally meet you, Hansol. Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes. So why don't you two go put your things in Seungkwan's room first? We'll get to know each other better over a dinner.”

 

They went to his bedroom and Seungkwan closed the door behind them, “My mom told me to prepare a bed for you on the floor...” he said looking down at the inflatable mattress next to his bed.

 

“Okay, cool. Thanks.” Hansol replied and he placed his bag next to it.

 

“But...” Seungkwan said as he stepped closer, wrapping his arms around him from behind, “I was thinking...if you want, you can just sleep in my bed with me.”

 

Hansol turned around in his arms, “Yeah? Are you sure it's okay?”

 

Seungkwan nodded, “Let's just make sure to toss the sheets on your bed around a bit so it looks like you slept there.”

 

Hansol chuckled, “I'm kind of glad now that we decided to spend the night here instead of at my place. My parents told me to keep my door open at all times when you come over.” Seungkwan let him go and sat down on his bed.“So, eh...should we go help your mom or something?” Hansol asked.

 

“Ehm, actually. Can we talk about something?”

 

Hansol sat down next to him, “Sure. What is it?”

 

“It's kind of embarrassing, but...my mom had the talk with me. Well, sort of.”

 

“I'm assuming that with 'the talk' you mean...sex?” Hansol had to admit that the topic had been on his mind as well. Especially after lunch yesterday.

 

He nodded shyly. “I know this isn't the best time to bring it up, or maybe it is, but she mentioned boundaries and being ready and all that and I was just wondering where you stand on all that...”

 

“Oh, ehm, I don't know really. I guess if you-”

 

“I don't think I'm ready yet.” Seungkwan blurted out before Hansol could continue.

 

Hansol let out a sigh of relief, “Oh thank god, because neither am I.”

 

“You're not?”

 

“Are you kidding? We haven't even done any under the shirt stuff yet! Don't get me wrong, making out with you is awesome and I can definitely see myself being ready for more at some point, but we can just take it slow, right?”

 

“Right.” Seungkwan scooted closer and leaned his head on Hansol's shoulder. He found his hand and tangled their fingers together. “What exactly does under the shirt stuff mean anyway?” He thought back to the adult videos he had watched with Mingyu, but there hadn't been any under the shirt action. Everyone was naked very quickly.

 

“You know,” Hansol said with a blush that Seungkwan couldn't see, “...rubbing and stuff.”

 

“Rubbing?”

 

“Like...caressing or something.”

 

“Oh...I thought it meant licking each others nipples or something weird like that.”

 

“M-maybe that too.”

 

“Although...seems pretty hard to do if you still have a shirt on.”

 

“Eh, yeah I guess. Can we maybe stop talking about nipples right before we're going to have dinner with your mother?”

 

<>

 

Hansol let out another sound of amazement and awe as he tasted more of the food Seungkwan's mother had prepared.

 

“I'm glad to see you're enjoying my cooking, Hansol.” She said as she offered him another side dish.

 

“It's really delicious, Mrs. Boo! I mean, my mother can cook pretty well too, but this...this is amazing.”

 

“Yeah, it's really great mom, but don't you think you made a bit...much?” The whole table was filled with enough food to feed at least twice the number of people actually at the table.

 

“What we don't finish now will be lunch tomorrow. I didn't know what kind of appetite Hansol has and I didn't want him to go hungry. Besides, it's a special occasion. So, now, Hansol, tell me a bit about yourself.”

 

“Oh, ehm, I'm in the basketball and English club just like Seungkwan and I like riding my bicycle...that's about it, I guess.”

 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes, “And he's really kind and has a unique mind and...he's cute.”

 

“Unique mind?” Hansol questioned, “Is that a compliment?”

 

“Of course it is! Why would I list one of your bad qualities in front of my mom?”

 

His mother smiled looking at the two of them and let out a chuckle as they bickered about Hansol's other qualities.

 

“What?” Seungkwan looked at her, not sure what was so funny.

 

“Oh, nothing. You two seem to be having fun.”

 

After dinner the two boys did the dishes together and when they walked back into the living room there was a stack of what looked like photo albums on the table.

 

“Ehm, what's all this, mom?”

 

“I thought Hansol might like to see some of your pictures from when you were little.”

 

“That's okay, mom, I'm sure he doesn't-” But before Seungkwan could even finish his sentence Hansol had sat down with a big smile on his face.

 

“I'd love to! You must have been so adorable, Kwannie!”

 

Seungkwan didn't miss the little smirk his mother sent his way and with a sigh he also sat down. He peaked over Hansol's shoulder to see what he was looking at. “I was pretty adorable.” he mumbled.

 

The rest of the evening went by quickly and it was soon time for bed. They had already brushed their teeth together and got changed and Hansol was just waiting for Seungkwan to get back from the bathroom. He stared down at the bed. The last time he had spent the night in this house Seungkwan had been sleeping very close to him as well. But this time was different. He sat down on the edge of Seungkwan's bed. This time if he looked at Seungkwan and wanted to kiss him, he could. In fact, he thought the chances of them going to sleep without making out for a bit were very small. There was a knock on the door and Hansol jumped up. “Y-yes?”

 

Seungkwan's mother popped her head round the door, “I just wanted to make sure you have everything you need? I hope this old mattress is good enough for one night.”

 

“Ah, eh, no, that's totally fine. This is great. I'm sure I'll sleep like a baby.”

 

Seungkwan appeared from behind his mother and pushed passed her into his bedroom. “Good night, mom. See you in the morning.”

 

“Good night, boys.”


He closed the door and flipped the switch for the main light, leaving only the dim light of the lamp on his bedside table. He walked over to his bed, hopped on and kicked the covers down with his feet so he could crawl under them. He made sure to leave room for Hansol to join him. “Are you just going to stand there? Do you need to use the bathroom or something?”

 

“No, I just...maybe I should just sleep in my own bed...your mom...”

 

“Will never know.” He rolled over on his stomach and reached down to mess up the sheets on Hansol's bed. “There.” He strained his neck to look up. “Unless you don't want to.”

 

“Move.”

 

Seungkwan rolled back onto his side and Hansol got in the bed. He pulled the blanket up to cover most of their bodies. They were facing each other with little space between them in Seungkwan's single bed. “How do you think tonight went?” Hansol whispered. “Your mom's nice.”

 

“Yeah, she is. And there is no way she didn't like you with the way you were praising her food and looking through her photo albums.”

 

“You really were adorable. You still are.” He smiled gently as he stroked a lock of hair out of Seungkwan's eyes. “Do you think I'll ever get to meet the rest of your family? Your sisters and your dad?”

 

“My sisters for sure. They definitely want to meet you. I didn't even tell them yet and I got messages from them demanding photos. Mom told them.”

 

“And your dad?”

 

Seungkwan cast his eyes down, “Yeah, maybe. I don't talk to him much to be honest.”

 

Hansol continued to silently take in his boyfriend's features. He somehow looked different tonight. Maybe it was the low lighting or the fact that they were lying in the same bed under the same sheets for the first time. Neither one of them said a word and Hansol closed the distance between them. The sounds their lips made sounded louder in the quiet night, despite the softness of the kiss.

 

Seungkwan felt Hansol's hand on his hip. His shirt had crawled up slightly so there was nothing separating Hansol's hand from his warm skin. He pulled back a little and they looked at each other.

 

“Is it okay if I move my hand further up?” Hansol whispered keeping his hand in place.

 

Seungkwan nodded, not losing eye contact. He twitched a little when Hansol's hand brushed along his side and the movement stopped. “It just tickled.” He clarified. “Here, I'll show you, so you can feel it too.” With care he found the hem of Hansol's shirt and put his hand under it. He slowly made his way up like Hansol had. He felt him shiver slightly. Seungkwan let out a shy laugh, “See? It tickles, right?”

 

Hansol nodded and he bit his lower lip. He started to move his hand further up while Seungkwan's hand stayed where it was halfway up his side. He found Seungkwan's mouth again and gently pried it open with his lips, making room for his tongue to slip in.

 

The kiss quickly turned into their most passionate one yet. Seungkwan turned to lie on his back and pulled Hansol half on top of him. He explored the soft skin of his back underneath his shirt. Hansol was using one of his hands to keep himself from putting too much weight on Seungkwan and the other was placed on his stomach just above the hem of his pajama bottoms. The temptation to take this one step further was there, but instead Hansol pulled back. Slightly out of breath he looked at Seungkwan's flushed face. He took his hand from Seungkwan's stomach and brought it up to the side of his face instead.

 

He leaned down. “Goodnight, Seungkwan.” He whispered against his lips before placing one last kiss on them. He could kiss him all night, but he also wanted to simply sleep with him in his arms. For now that was enough.

 

{Hansol's house, the next day}

 

Seungkwan focused on the screen. He pulled his arm back and made his move. He watched as his virtual bowling ball knocked down seven pins. A result he was moderately pleased with. At least it was better than Hansol's score.

 

They were all gathered around the living room; Seungkwan, Hansol, his parents and his younger sister; and currently engaged in an intense after dinner Wii sports battle. Hansol's father turned out to be somewhat of an expert at it and Seungkwan made little claps with his hands when the man hit another strike.

 

He had never experienced a family dynamic like this one. One where the parents didn't seem to thoroughly dislike each other and everybody had fun together. From the moment Seungkwan had met them he had felt at ease around them. With the way Hansol had told them about having a boyfriend Seungkwan had to admit he had been a bit worried that they'd still be processing the fact that their son was dating a boy, but if that was true they hid it well. Seungkwan didn't feel unwelcome for a second and he hoped Hansol had felt the same way yesterday.

 

“Well, boys, I think it's clear that I am still the reigning champion of this house.” Mr. Chwe laughed at the end of the game.

 

“Maybe next time we should try our hand at karaoke and give Seungkwan a chance to dethrone you, dear.” Mrs. Chwe joked in response with a playful smile in Seungkwan's direction.

 

“Oh, ehm, I'm not that good.” Seungkwan replied humbly.

 

“Now, now, Hansol has shown us some videos of you rehearsing and you have a very good singing voice, Seungkwan.”

 

He turned to look at his boyfriend who looked busted. “You have videos of me rehearsing?”

 

“Eeehh...”

 

“We weren't even dating then...” Seungkwan muttered. He wasn't angry or anything. He was just once again hit with the realization that Hansol had been in love with him for all that time.

 

Hansol's sister, Sofia, let out an overdramatic gasp. “Oh my god, why are you such a stalker!”

 

“I wasn't stalking him! I was right there in the room with them and I was just...in case they wanted to review their music or...or something.”

 

“Then why didn't Seungkwan know about it?” She laughed at Hansol's embarrassed face.

 

“Honey, stop teasing your brother. He was clearly just in love and sometimes we do things we normally wouldn't do when we're in love.” His father joined the conversation.

 

“Stop making it sound like I was some creep filming him getting changed or something!” Hansol whined.

 

His mother stood up from the couch to save her son from this conversation, “We still haven't had dessert. Who wants some ice cream?”

Notes:

-sorry if the cut-off is a bit random, but it's just a little slice of their evening
-Is she even Mrs. Boo?? Like...they're divorced and I heard that Korean women don't often take their husbands last name??
-Hansol likes to get that consent before he turns up the heat. Be like Hansol. (they are still getting to know each others boundaries after all.)
-Who do you think will be ready to 'go all the way' first?

Chapter 38: HS2-8 Garage Band

Summary:

Jisoo has arranged for the band to get together in some guy's garage.

Notes:

Hi~ Not a very long chapter this time, but I thought it would be nice for the band members to get together (just because Seungkwan has a boyfriend now doesn't mean everything has to be about their relationship, lol)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“I think this is it.” Seungkwan said as he checked the map on his phone and the address Jisoo had sent him. “He said that we shouldn't use the doorbell and just message him...”

 

“I'll do it.” Seokmin said as he opened their music club groupchat (that had now been renamed to Band of Beauties by Jeonghan).

 

A few moments later the doors to the garage opened to reveal the other members and an array of instruments already inside. Seungkwan walked in with his bike in hand and placed it next to the other's.

 

“Wow, this place is pretty big!” Seokmin said with a big smile on his face. He greeted Jisoo with a hug.

 

“I found it on Craigslist.” Jisoo explained. “This guy used to play in a heavy metal band, but now he just rents out his garage for other people to practice in. He said we're free to use any instruments in here and it's totally soundproof.”

 

“What happened to his band?” Seokmin asked.

 

“He didn't murder his band members or something like that, did he?” Seungkwan said as he let his eyes go around the garage, looking for anything suspicious.

 

“Not everyone on Craigslist is a creep, Seungkwan.” Jeonghan laughed.

 

“Oh yeah? How are we paying for this? Don't tell me it's free, because if it's free I'm out of here. There is no way that-”

 

“Will you relax?” Jihoon spoke up. He was already sitting behind the drums, eager to play. He had hoped to still use the music room at school, but he had been actually focusing on studying for a change and he hadn't played much. “Jisoo's dad is paying.”

 

“Oh?” Seungkwan had only met Jisoo's parents a few times and very briefly, so he wasn't really sure what kind of man his father was.

 

“Yeah...he knows how much I liked music club and the band and just playing with you guys, so he offered to pay. It was his idea actually, to look for a practice space.”

 

“That's so sweet.” Seungkwan smiled. “Tell him thanks, please.”

 

“Oh! Guys!” Jeonghan suddenly exclaimed, “I have something exciting to tell you! My floor is having a party soon and you should totally come too!”

 

“A college party?” Seokmin asked while biting his lower lip, “Is that legal?”

 

“Can I bring Hansol?”

 

“Of course! I was going to invite him anyway. I can't forget about my roof tops.”

 

Jihoon scoffed, “Who's a roof top?”

 

“Will we finally be able to meet your amazing roommate?” Seungkwan asked, ignoring Jihoon. He let his eyes shift over to Jisoo. He still wanted to know what he thought about how close Jeonghan seemed to have gotten to the young man he shared a bedroom with.

 

“Definitely. I can't wait for you to meet him! I'm sure you'll like him.”

 

“Will you be there, Jisoo?”

 

Jisoo deflated himself with a sigh and shook his head, “Unfortunately, no. My exam week is a week later than theirs and I'll be way too busy.”

 

“That roommate of yours knows you have a boyfriend, right?” Seungkwan asked with his eyes on Jeonghan this time.

 

“Yes. In fact, we've hung out together with the three of us. Why? Are you worried I'm having a secret affair? Forbidden love in the dorm room?

 

“N-no.” Seungkwan's replied, slightly embarrassed by how ridiculous it sounded.

 

“I'm hurt that you'd think I'd ever cheat on the love of my life.” Jeonghan said as he walked over to Jisoo and hooked their arms together. He was only teasing and was quite amused by Seungkwan's red face.

 

“I don't! But I don't know this guy! What if he comes on to you or something.”

 

“Seungkwan, my dear, while I understand your concern seeing how much more handsome I've become since shedding the shackles of high school, there is no way Seungcheol would ever go after someone in a relationship. And I told him about Jisoo on the night we met. He's a hopeless romantic, maybe even more than Seokmin, so our high school love had him squealing with delight. Besides, even if someone comes on to me I'll just tell them no, so I don't really see the problem.”

 

“Maybe I'll ask Jaehyun to come with me...” Seokmin mumbled totally unrelated to the conversation. “...you know...my boyfriend.”

 

Jeonghan let out a squeal himself and let go of Jisoo so his hands were free to grab Seokmin's face and squeeze his cheeks together, “I'm still so happy that you two made it official, Minnie. Let me look at you before the innocence leaves your cute face.”

 

“Now, why is it that he can say weird shit like that. If I would have said the same thing I'd have definitely pissed someone off.” Jihoon huffed and he pointed one of the drumsticks at Jeonghan.

 

“It's not what you say, Hoonie. It's how you say it. Everything I say comes from a place of pure love.” Jeonghan replied as he was running his fingers through Seokmin's hair to fix the mess he had made of it.

 

Jihoon scoffed, “Love? Maybe. Pure? I don't think so. You've been a perv in disguise for as long as I've known you.”

 

“Oh yeah? I'm not the one giving people blowjobs in the school locker room!”

 

“ONE TIME that happened! And I was dating the guy, so what's the big deal.”

 

“...I really wish I hadn't just heard that.” Seungkwan said and Seokmin nodded in silent agreement.

 

“Guys!” Jisoo interrupted. “I really didn't invite you here to talk about...well...this. I wanted to play some music.”

 

They played for the rest of the afternoon and Seungkwan felt just how much he had missed this. Not just the music, but also being together with the five of them. Although he did also miss the presence of their two most loyal groupies, Hansol and Mingyu. Still, these guys had been his first friends after moving and he knew they were friends for life. He could picture these guys at his wedding. Jisoo and Jeonghan, still together and perhaps married themselves by then, Seokmin would cry and Jihoon would pretend to hate weddings while stealing one of the centerpieces.

 

It would still be a long road before Boo Seungkwan could start planning his wedding though. First he'd had to get through whatever high school still had in store for him.

Notes:

-I swear Jihoon has no chill, lol.
-So Seokmin and Jaehyun made it official (Jaehyun asked)
-Hmm will that wedding be as Seungkwan imagines now

Before we get to the party Mingyu has something to tell Seungkwan about his relationship with Wonwoo

Chapter 39: HS2-9 Just in Case

Summary:

Mingyu calls Seungkwan late at night to tell him what happened to him earlier that day.

Notes:

Okay I know I'm throwing new chapters at you like crazy this week, haha. But I still have vacation and I'm just home all day. I think I'll be able to finish two more chaps before my vacation is over. Anyway~ enjoy~

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

It was already late at night and Seungkwan was lying on his bed, aimlessly going through the photos on his phone and listening to music through his earphones. A notification popped up on his screen. He had a message from Mingyu asking if he was still up and if he could call him. He turned around to lie on his stomach and placed the phone in front of him on the bed and leaned down on his hands. “What's up?”

 

Seungkwan...” Mingyu's voice on the other end of the call sounded soft, like he was trying to keep his voice down, “...I think I had sex.

 

Seungkwan would have most likely dropped his phone out of his hands and onto the floor had he not been in bed, “What!? And what do you mean you think? Did you do it wrong?”

 

No, I mean. I did. Have the sex. It's just kind of weird that I did.

 

“Oh my god, tell me everything! When did it happen? Please don't tell me you had sex really just now and are calling me from Wonwoo's bathroom or something?”

 

No, it happened earlier today. He was going to help me with my homework, because he's smart and stuff, but then our legs kept brushing together and I guess we both kind of felt the tension, so we started making out. We moved things to his bed and then...we did it.

 

“I feel like I'm missing something between making out and doing it.”

 

Well, you know, clothes started coming off and...there you go.”

 

“Okay, so...how was it? Was it romantic or awkward or what?”

 

A bit of both? It was nice though. Not that I have anything to compare it to.”

 

“Except for that porn we watched... It wasn't like that, right?”

 

No, really nothing like it. It was much more...I dunno...like...I wasn't expecting the sounds.

 

“Eh...what kind of sounds?”

 

Like...body sounds and, eh, our voices.

 

“You know...I know I said to tell me everything, but I think I'm good.” While Seungkwan was curious, there was such a thing as knowing too much about how your best friend has sex. “Did he think it was nice too?”

 

I think so?”

 

“Dude, you better make sure!”

 

I'm pretty sure! But I couldn't just ask him if it was nice, now could I!”

 

“Why the fuck not?”

 

Because it's embarrassing! I asked him if he was okay during, so...”

 

“I guess that's something. What happened after?”

 

What do you mean?

 

“I don't know...did you cuddle for a while or something?”

 

No, I had to get home for dinner.”

 

Seungkwan took a moment to reply, “...you had to get home for dinner?”

 

Well, yeah. I told my mom I'd be home for dinner. So...”

 

“Oh my god, does that mean you lost your virginity with his parents in the house in the middle of the day!?”

 

No! They weren't home yet. And it was more late afternoon. Besides, does that even matter?”

 

“I guess not. I just image that after I lose my virginity I wouldn't have to leave right away. Or that the other person leaves. But maybe that's just me.”

 

We didn't plan for it to happen. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you, I guess.”

 

“Mingyu? You don't regret it or anything, right? You can tell me.”

 

No, not at all. It was a little unexpected, but it was good. I'm glad it happened.”

 

“Okay, good.”

 

Seungkwan?

 

“Yeah?”

 

You and Hansol haven't yet, right? Will you tell me if you do?”

 

“I don't have to tell you everything.”

 

I told you!”

 

“I didn't ask you to.” Seungkwan was glad Mingyu couldn't see him smile. He knew Mingyu liked telling Seungkwan about what was going on with him and Wonwoo and honestly Seungkwan liked hearing it. He was curious by nature and seeing how close they were he had expected Mingyu to tell him anyway. Just like he would tell Mingyu when he and Hansol would sleep together for the first time. “Don't I tell you just about everything?”

 

So when do you think you two will...”

 

“Shouldn't you call Wonwoo and ask if you've managed to make the losing of his virginity a pleasant experience?”

 

I....rude.”

 

“I'm just kidding. I'm sure it was fine. And me and Hansol will do it when we do it, okay?”

 

Yeah, yeah. Anyway, it's pretty late and I'm beat. Sweet dreams.”

 

Seungkwan snorted, “Yeah, I bet you're exhausted from all the sex.”

 

Oh my god, shut up, you virgin! Good night!”

 

“Good ni- oh wait! Are you guys sure you don't want to come to Jeonghan's party tomorrow?”

 

Yeah...Wonwoo said he really has to study and I don't feel like going to some college party without him. I should probably study, too.

 

“Suit yourself. I'm just going to meet Jeonghan's roommate mostly.”

 

As long as you don't get drunk and do something stupid.”

 

“Yes, mom.”

 

They ended the call and Seungkwan sighed. He turned around on his back and stared at the ceiling. He let the conversation sink in. He could hardly believe Mingyu just had sex. He knew it wasn't a competition or anything, but wasn't he the one who had shown Mingyu how to kiss? It also made him wonder, when would he and Hansol have sex for the first time? Lately when they made out and Hansol's hands would gingerly explore the lowest part of his stomach Seungkwan had started to feel like he didn't want him to stop there. He wasn't sure if that meant he wanted it to turn into sex or just a bit more than they had done thus far. He sat up straight and stared at his nightstand. He opened the drawer and rummaged through it until he found what he was looking for. He got up from his bed with the condom in hand and squatted down in front of his schoolbag next to his desk. He fished out his wallet and opened it up. He hesitated and looked at the condom in his hand. This was a thing people did, right? Keep a condom in their wallets just in case.

 

Just in case.” he whispered to himself. He carefully placed it in a part of his wallet where it wouldn't just fall out or be easily noticeable. He wasn't sure if Hansol had any and he'd hate to be unprepared. If the occasion would arise.

Notes:

So...there we have it. Mingyu lost his virginity before Seungkwan (is that surprising or were you expecting it to go like this?)
-every relationship moves at a different pace (also, Mingyu and Wonwoo have been dating a tiny bit longer)
-Seungkwan please stop making Mingyu insecure, lol

 

Next time it's party time. We will meet Seungcheol in the flesh and some things will happen (I mean, duh, but it's a party. Lot's of things can happen at a party)

Chapter 40: HS2-10 College Party

Summary:

Seungkwan, Hansol, Jihoon, Chan, Seokmin and Jaehyun head over to Jeonghan's college for the party.

Notes:

Party time~ Seungcheol's first real appearance :)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

When they arrived at Jeonghan's dorms it wasn't hard to figure out where to go. All they had to do was follow the music. A bit hesitant they stood around the entrance, checking out the people. They were definitely the youngest at this party and from the looks of it also some of the more sober ones.

 

“Let's go and find Jeonghan. We don't have that much time.” Seokmin said, trying to speak loud enough so they could hear him over the music. By 'we' he meant himself and Jaehyun.

 

“I still can't believe you actually told your parents you were going to a party.” Chan, most definitely the youngest one there, said as he shook his head.

 

“What? I'm a terrible liar...I didn't tell them it was a college party.”

 

“Yeah, but you got a curfew.” Jihoon pointed out. He had told his parents part of the truth. That he was going over to Jeonghan. What he failed to mention was the party. He had told them it was to get a feeling for his college to see if he wanted to go there next year.

 

Jaehyun swung his arm around his boyfriend's neck, “Do you want a drink? Let's make the most of the time that we have.”

 

As a group they started to move through the crowd, but very quickly lost track of each other. Seungkwan turned around and around trying to spot any familiar face while holding on to Hansol's arm to make sure he wouldn't be left completely by himself in this swamp of intoxicated college students. Just then he spotted Jeonghan's slightly red face across the room. His hair had gotten longer again. Seungkwan dragged Hansol over to him. As soon as he saw them Jeonghan grabbed them in a sloppy hug. “Finally! Where is the rest? It's not just you two, right?”

 

“No, Jihoon, Seokmin and Jaehyun are also here. Somewhere. Oh and Chan, but you don't know him.”

 

“Hansol and Hoonie have told me about him though. I'll be sure to introduce myself if I manage to run into him. We weren't expecting this party to be so...well received. I don't know half these people” He laughed.

 

“So? Where's your roommate?”

 

“You couldn't have had worse timing to be honest. We were running low on some stuff so he ran out to buy some more. He'll be back soon though. Why don't you guys look around, have fun, have a drink and I'll introduce you when he gets back.” He grabbed two drinks from a tray someone was carrying around and handed it to them.

 

Seungkwan sniffed the drink and scrunched up his nose. Hansol sniffed it too, shrugged and took a gulp. Seungkwan, not wanting to look like a dweeb, carefully took a sip. He couldn't imagine this becoming his new favorite drink, but it wasn't as bad as he had been expecting. He didn't really like the way it burned his throat, but the fruity sweetness was not unpleasant. He took another sip.

 

“Jeonghan!” A deep voice came from behind them and they turned around to see a tall handsome young man with his arms full of shopping bags, “Did you invite all these minors here?”

 

“Relax, Cheollie. They don't have school tomorrow.”

 

“Their education is not what I'm worried about! They're getting drunk!”

 

“They're fine.”

 

“One of them just slapped me on the ass when I walked in!”

 

Jeonghan burst out in a loud laughter “Oh my god, who was it?”

 

“I don't know.” He looked around for a second and nodded his head in a direction, “That one over there!”

 

Jeonghan looked over and an even louder laugh escaped his mouth, “Lee Jihoon, get your hands of that drink! You know you have the tolerance of a toddler!”

 

“You!” Seungcheol said as he dropped one bag on the floor and grabbed someone by the collar of his shirt, “Just how old are you, kid?”

 

“Ehm...I'm sixteen...in a few months.”

 

Jeonghan gasped, “A baby! What's your name?”

 

“Lee Chan.”

 

“Oooh the famous Lee Chan! You're the one who has taken over my rooftop spot, aren't you? Come here. We've got lots to talk about.” He swung his arm around Chan's shoulder and pulled him away from the crowd. He turned his head back, “Cheollie, can you make sure Jihoon over there loses that drink in his hand? I'll make sure this one doesn't drink anything. Oh and Seungkwan, Hansol, this is my roommate Seungcheol. I'm sure you recognize him from the photos I sent. Seungcheol, Seungkwan and Hansol.”

 

Seungcheol sighed and bent down to pick up the bag again. “Hi. Nice to meet you. I'm Choi Seungcheol. Do you guys mind helping me with this?”

 

They each took a bag from him and followed him to a more quiet area of the party floor to put it down.

 

“Thanks. So, what do you think of the party? I didn't mean to sound like such a buzz kill before.” He looked at the drinks still in their hands. “Just don't get completely wasted, okay?”

 

They both nodded. “We just got here.” Seungkwan answered. “Jeonghan gave us the drinks.” He added in a mumble.

 

Seungcheol sighed, “Really, that guy.”

 

“So...what's it like sharing a room with Jeonghan?”

 

“It's like sharing a room with Jeonghan and Jisoo to be honest.” He laughed. “Those two are constantly on video chat and at night they usually keep their call going while falling asleep. It's kinda cute. But he's a great roommate. We get along really well, you know. Anyway, listen, I'd better go check on that Jihoon friend of yours like Han asked me. He's the drummer in your band, right?”

 

“Eh, yeah. How do you know?”

 

Seungcheol chuckled, “It's hard not to with how much Jeonghan talks about you guys. He's also shown me pictures and stuff. I didn't recognize him immediately, but that's maybe also because in the photos he did not look like the type of guy to just slap people on the ass. ”

 

“Yeah...” Hansol agreed. “He's not really.”

 

“Well, anyway, it was nice meeting you guys. Enjoy yourselves and maybe I'll catch you later.”

 

A while later Seungkwan was leaning against a wall. Not enjoying himself. The drink he drank made him feel funny and he did not enjoy the sight of his boyfriend dancing with some girl. He had told Hansol no when he asked him to dance. He felt too conscious of his surroundings to not care about looking like an idiot. He knew that this wasn't their school and these people were not their classmates, but he still felt too self-conscious to just go out there and dance like he didn't care who saw him. Most of them would most likely not care at all about the fact they were two boys. Jeonghan had been open about his sexuality with the people on his floor and it wasn't as if Seokmin and Jaehyun weren't dancing together as well. But besides the gay thing, they were still minors at a college party and if some of them had a high sense of school pride they might not take kindly to a bunch of randoms. He was kind of regretting it now though. Hansol obviously didn't share his concerns about standing out too much and he seemed to be having a good time with this college girl grinding on him (she really wasn't, but Seungkwan definitely saw it as far too intimate).

 

Maybe Hansol thought he was boring now. Maybe Hansol had wanted Seungkwan to grind up on him Maybe Hansol hadn't really meant it when he said he wanted to wait with having sex. Maybe if they weren't dating he'd be trying to hook-up with someone at this party.

 

Seungkwan should have known it was the alcohol talking. If he had stopped to think he'd realize that most of what he was thinking didn't make sense given Hansol's personality. But Seungkwan wasn't thinking all that much at the moment and as soon as Hansol took a break from dancing and walked over, Seungkwan grabbed him by the hand and pulled him away. He led him down the hall and when he spotted what looked like a bathroom dragged him inside.

 

Seungkwan shut the door behind them and without saying a word pressed Hansol up against it. He started kissing him with such enthusiasm that Hansol barely had time to take in what was going on. Seungkwan pulled back, looked at Hansol for a second, and swiftly pulled his own shirt over his head. He got back to kissing him and his hands made his way under Hansol's shirt. He pushed the fabric up and started tugging it over his head.

 

“S-Seungkwan, wha-”

 

But he couldn't get a word in edgewise with Seungkwan back on his mouth as soon as he'd rid him of his shirt. He started to move his kisses down the line of Hansol's neck and his hands were now placed on his hips on the border between skin and clothing.

 

“I'm sorry, but, what's happening right now?” Hansol was finally able to ask.

 

“I'm just...” Seungkwan said between kisses that went lower and lower. “...spicing things up.” He made an attempt to add action to words when he reached for Hansol's belt, but was stopped by a hand on his wrist.

 

“Can you maybe slow down a minute?” Hansol said and he released his grip.

 

Seungkwan stared at him, but still had a teasing smile on his face, taking Hansol's resistance for shyness rather than unwillingness. “It's okay.” He whispered, his hands were still hovering over the clasp of his belt. “I think I'm ready for it.” He leaned in and tried to kiss him again and his fingers reached for his belt once more.

 

This time Hansol was less gentle when he slapped Seungkwan's hand away from him. “Just stop it! What has gotten into you?”

 

“I just...wanted to take things to the next level. Really, I'm ready.”

 

Hansol let out an annoyed scoff, “Has it ever occurred to you that I'm not ready? Why are you assuming that when we have sex is determined by when you are ready? ”

 

“I didn't mean...I just thought...” Seungkwan mumbled, but he wasn't even sure what he had been thinking.

 

“What? What exactly did you think? Think back for a moment, will you? When we talked about it I told you I wasn't ready, just like you. The furthest we've gone is feeling around under each other's shirt and now you're the one who suddenly has us in here with our shirts off ready to do who knows what!? Without even asking me if I'm okay with it. You're making me feel like that when you're ready, that's it. That's when we're going to have sex or do whatever it is that you were trying to do. What if I'm not ready then? What if I'm not ready now?” Instead of giving Seungkwan time to respond he got his shirt, pulled the door open and walked out, leaving Seungkwan by himself.

 

Seungkwan didn't go after him. He sat down on the closed lid of the toilet. He bent down to pick up his own shirt off the floor. He felt so stupid. He put his shirt back on, but didn't get up. Tears of frustration and embarrassment started to fall down on his lap.

 

There was a knock on the door. “Seungkwan?” Jeonghan's voice asked from the other side. “Are you in there? I'm coming in, okay?” He heard the door open, but Seungkwan kept his head down. “What's going on? Hansol just left, something about catching the last bus together with Minnie and Jaehyun. He asked me to check on you and- Oh, my baby, why are you crying?”

 

“Because I'm stupid...”

 

“What happened?” Jeonghan knelt down next to him and took his hand. When he wasn't making jokes or messing around Jeonghan had this soothing quality about him that made Seungkwan feel safe.

 

Seungkwan shrugged, “I got jealous because he danced with a girl and I thought maybe he thought we were taking things too slow, so I took him in here to...I don't even know. And then he got mad at me and he said I think that how far we take things depends on how far I want things to go...”

 

“Do you?”

 

Seungkwan sniffed. “Maybe I sort of did. I just thought he'd be ready before me.”

 

“Why?”

 

“I don't know...”

 

Jeonghan sighed and wrapped his arms around his friend, “I'm sure you know this when you take a moment to think, but you have to talk to him about how you both feel. Not just assume how he feels.”

 

“I know.”

 

“And, not to judge, but this bathroom isn't exactly romantic. Or even sexy.”

 

Seungkwan sniffed again. “I can't believe he just left...should I call him?” He didn't really feel like calling him right now.

 

“Maybe it's better to let things cool down? I told them to message me when they get home safe, so for tonight let things be and talk to him tomorrow?”

 

“Do you and Jisoo have these problems? About sex and stuff, I mean.”

 

“Sure. For example, I'm totally open to phone sex, but he says it's embarrassing and doesn't want to do it.”

 

“I don't think that's the same thing.”

 

“Sure it is. It's all about communication.”

 

“When did you two do it? If you don't mind me asking...”

 

“Oh, ehm...that day of the sleepover when Hansol confessed to you...I went over to Jisoo's after and I stayed over and that's when we did it.”

 

Seungkwan scrunched up his nose. “So your sex anniversary is the same as mine and Hansol's get together anniversary?”

 

“Hey, you asked. And well, not to give too much information, but we had like, a lot of sex over the summer because we knew we wouldn't be seeing each other so much once college started.”

 

“You're giving too much information.”

 

Jeonghan stroked his head.“So, what do you want to do now? Do you still want to sleep here like planned or should I ask Seungcheol to drive you home?”

 

“He has a car?”

 

Jeonghan chuckled, “Yeah, it's a real piece of crap to tell you the truth, but it works.”

 

“Hasn't he been drinking?”

 

“I wouldn't let him get in a car if he had. Especially not with my precious Seungkwan.”

 

“Okay...I think I'd like to leave then.”

 

<>

 

Seungkwan followed Seungcheol down to the parking lot. He pointed out his car and Seungkwan sat down on the passenger's seat.

 

“So, where to?” Seungcheol asked with his navigation app at the ready.

 

“Ehm...” Seungkwan had told his mother he was spending the night at Hansol's as an excuse to go to the party. He was obviously not going to do that and he weighed his options. “...can you hold on for one moment?”

 

Mr. Boo: Are you home?

 

He gave Seungcheol an apologetic smile as he waited for the three dots indicating that the other person was typing to appear.

 

Gyu: Yeah y?

 

Mr. Boo: Can I sleep at your house tonight?

 

Gyu: Everything OK?

 

Mr. Boo: What do you think?

 

Gyu: Tell me when you get here :(

Notes:

-Boo Seungkwan! What are you doing!! He let a combination of alcohol, Hansol dancing with a girl, his own desires, and Mingyu having sex before him (probably) get to his head. Although he didn't necessarily intend to really go /all/ the way.
-Jihoon drinks one sip of alcohol and suddenly he's just slapping butts (well...one butt at least). Also, how does Jeonghan know what kind of tolerance Jihoon has? hmm suspicious. But I guess Jihoon is over 18 at this point so...(I know it depends on the country what the legal drinking age is, but let's just say it's 18 here LOL)
-Seungcheol won't really come back so much for now, haha. But I hope you liked seeing him for a bit.

 

The next two chapters will be a bit short but both dealing with what happens directly after this. First up is Seungkwan going over to Mingyu...

Chapter 41: HS2-11 Boorrito

Summary:

Seungkwan arrives at Mingyu's and they discuss the events of the party.

Notes:

I don't really have any opening notes, lol. Have a nice day! Drop me a comment ^_~

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

It was quiet. Everybody else in the house had already gone to bed. Seungkwan let Mingyu hold his hand and guide him to his bedroom in the dark. The light in his room was still on and Seungkwan saw the makeshift bed Mingyu had made for him on the floor.

 

“Sorry.” Mingyu said with a voice between a whisper and his normal volume. “I wanted to get you the extra mattress in my parent's bedroom, but they were already asleep so I just piled a bunch of blankets and stuff together.”

 

“It's fine, thanks. Do you think they'll be mad when they find out I came over so late?”

 

“Ehm...probably not? Do you need something to sleep in? You can borrow one of my old shirts.”

 

“Thanks...”

 

“How did you get here anyway?” Mingyu asked as he went through his closet and pulled out a shirt for Seungkwan to wear. “You didn't take the bus all by yourself this late, did you?”

 

“No. Seungcheol, Jeonghan's roommate, drove me here. He's really nice by the way.”

 

“I see. I guess I'll meet him at some point.” Mingyu sat down on his bed and pulled his legs up while Seungkwan got changed. “So...Do you want to tell me what happened?”

 

Seungkwan sat down on the floor with a sigh. “I behaved like a jerk and now Hansol is mad at me. Although I'm also sort of mad at him for just taking off.”

 

“He took off? What did you do?”

 

“I...I took him to a bathroom, started kissing him and then I took our shirts off and...tried to undo his belt.”

 

“Oh...he didn't like that?”

 

“Not really. But that's not the worst part. Even after that and after he told me to slow down I tried to do it again.” He grabbed a pillow and hugged it tight. Saying it out loud like this really made him sound like the worst. “Then he got really mad and said that I wasn't thinking about if he might be ready and I just did whatever I wanted to do...” He groaned into the pillow. “Why did I do that? I'm such an idiot.” He looked up at his best friend who had been listening silently. “What are you thinking? Am I a terrible person?”

 

“I'm thinking...that you should have stopped after he told you to and probably should have checked in if it was okay before you started taking off clothes since you're apparently very bad at sensing the mood, but I also think he shouldn't have just left you there like that.” Mingyu looked at Seungkwan's sulky face and sighed. “Of course I don't think you're a terrible person.”

 

The room was quiet. Seungkwan played the events over again in his head that felt a lot clearer now that the alcohol was starting to wear off. “I know it wasn't the time or the place, but...I was watching him dance with some college chick and I started to worry that he might think I'm boring and then I just...took action.” He hugged his knees and rested his chin on top. “I guess in my mind I thought...well, I kind of figured that we'd be ready to take the next step at the same time. Is that stupid?”

 

Mingyu shrugged, “I don't know if it's stupid. A bit unrealistic maybe.” It was quiet again. Mingyu hesitated, not sure if he should say what he was about to. “Seungkwan? Do you know that you were his first kiss?”

 

Seungkwan scoffed. “Yeah, right.”

 

“I'm serious. He told me when he got upset that one time at lunch. When he found out me and you kissed.”

 

Seungkwan lifted his head and looked up at Mingyu. “Wait, for real?”

 

Mingyu nodded. “I know it doesn't have to say anything about when he's going to be ready to do more, but...what I mean is...look at it from his perspective. Basically everything he's done, he has done with you and for you that's not the case. Maybe he just needs a bit more time to catch up?” Mingyu leaned back on his arms and chewed on his bottom lip. “Or maybe he's just not ready because he's not and that's that. Another possibility is that he's a romantic and you tried to lose your virginity in a random college bathroom.”

 

Seungkwan picked up a pillow and threw it in Mingyu's direction, “I wasn't trying to lose my virginity!”

 

Mingyu made a shushing sound, worried that Seungkwan's voice would wake someone up.

 

“I was just trying to...” he continued in a much lower volume, “...do something that would be difficult to do with a belt on.”

 

Mingyu softly threw the pillow back to Seungkwan. “In any case, you did end up fucking something.”

 

Seungkwan furrowed his brows together in a kind of angry confusion.

 

“Up, Seungkwan. You fucked up.”

 

Seungkwan narrowed his eyes and glared at him, “I already know I fucked up. I came here because I thought I could count on you to comfort me after fighting with my boyfriend.”

 

“Sorry. Look, you're going to be fine. Tomorrow you'll message him, talk it out. But what do you say we get some sleep first? I was about to go to bed when I got your message and it's really pretty late now.”


Seungkwan's scowl turned into a sad little pout. “Sorry to keep you up.”

 

“It's fine.” Mingyu said with a yawn, “That's what best friends are for, right?”

 

They both got under the covers and Mingyu turned off the light.

 

“Mingyu?” Seungkwan whispered about thirty seconds later.

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Do you think Wonwoo would mind if I slept in your bed with you? I feel lonely on the floor here.”

 

It was quiet for a moment until Mingyu whispered back. “Come on.” He scooted to one edge of the mattress and made room. “Bring your own blanket though.”

 

Seungkwan stood up and wrapped the blanket tightly around his shoulders before he got into bed with Mingyu.

 

“I mean...” Mingyu said as he hugged Seungkwan from behind, “...if we're under the same blanket it might look weird.”

 

Seungkwan felt much better with the warmth of another person surrounding him. “Thank you. For letting me stay here tonight and talking to me.”

 

“Of course.” Mingyu said with a yawn. “But maybe it's best if we don't tell Wonwoo or Hansol that we slept in the same bed. They'll make a big deal out of it for no reason.”

 

“Yeah, that's probably for the best.” He closed his eyes and suddenly felt very drowsy, like he could fall asleep at any second. “Good night, Gyu.”

 

“Good night, Boorrito.” Mingyu sounded like he was already halfway down to dreamland.

 

“What's a Boorrito?”

 

“You, wrapped in a blanket.”

 

“You're an idiot.” was the last thing Seungkwan said before he completely drifted away. It had been a long night.

Notes:

- I might have used the 'Boorrito' in some other fic before, lol not sure (also, I didn't come up with it or anything. I've seen it around twitter)
-Mingyu a few chaps ago: "So, Hansol, does my skinship with your boyfriend bother you?"
Hansol: "Eh, well, kinda, but I understand you two are close friends so I'll try to be cool with it"
Mingyu be like: "Great, so I'm just gonna share a bed with him and hug him while doing it" (srsly as I was writing it even I went 'eeh do you need to HUG him tho??' But I guess he did and don't worry I won't turn it into a big drama point)
-I really like writing these moments with Seungkwan and Mingyu...I know maybe more people are waiting for him to talk and make up with Hansol rn, but I'm soft for Boogyu :3

Verkwan will talk the next day! (aka next chap!) How do you think it will go?

Chapter 42: HS2-12 The Next Level

Summary:

Hansol asks Seungkwan if he can come over so they can talk about last night.

Notes:

Eyo~ This one is a bit of a rollercoaster!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The next morning Seungkwan woke up with a completely dry mouth and a dull headache lingering beneath his scalp. It took him a moment to remember where he was and why. He groaned as he forced himself to sit up. He looked to his right. Mingyu was still sound asleep with his face buried in his pillow. Seungkwan wondered how he was even able to breathe like that. He looked down to the other side and saw his phone lying on the floor, message light blinking. Right. He had woken up from the sound. He leaned down to pick it up and regret washed over him as his head started to pulsate. His headache wasn't even that bad, but letting the blood rush to it was clearly not the way to go. As he had hoped the message was from Hansol, although he kind of felt bad for letting him reach out first.

 

Hansollie: Hey...can we talk? R u home or did u stay at Jeonghan's?

 

Seungkwan sucked in his lower lip. Did he have to phrase the question like that? But of course he wanted to talk to him. So much. He didn't want to apologize over text, so he sent a simple reply.

 

Kwannie: I'll be home soon

 

Hansollie: K. I'll come over in about an hour?

 

Kwannie: Okay

 

He got out from under the covers and found his clothes where he had left them on the floor. As he was folding Mingyu's shirt and tried to make a somewhat neat pile of the pillows and blankets on the floor that had been his bed for less than a minute, he heard Mingyu stirring in his bed.

 

“You leaving?” Mingyu asked with a hoarse voice.

 

“Yeah. Hansol is coming over to my house to talk. You go back to sleep.”

 

Mingyu let his face fall back into his pillow, “Hmkay, go and make up with him. Don't be stubborn and just apologize...and brush your teeth.”

 

Seungkwan made his way down the stairs as quietly as he could, not wanting to wake anyone seeing as it was still early for the weekend. As it turned out he wouldn't have had to bother, because when he made his way out and was carefully closing the front door he was startled by the voice of Mingyu's father.

 

“Morning.”

 

Seungkwan let out a small yelp of surprise and turned around to find him with a big pair of gardening scissors in hand.

 

“I was just thinking of trimming this tree.” He said as he pointed the scissors to one of the trees right in front of their house. “Technically it isn't our tree, but if the city won't bother pruning its trees I'll just do it myself.” He looked at Seungkwan with a fatherly type of stare that was part amused at the way Seungkwan was awkwardly standing mute and part waiting for an explanation about why he was there in the first place.

 

“I was just, eh, leaving.” Seungkwan said.

 

“I can see that. But before you do, tell me something. Did you just sneak in or did you two sneak out together first?”

 

“N-no! I was somewhere else before but I-...I had a fight with my boyfriend and I just...”

 

Mingyu's father smiled at him with understanding, “Needed a shoulder to cry on?”

 

“Yeah...something like that.”

 

“Don't you want to stay for breakfast?

 

“No, thank you sir, that's alright. I really should be getting home.”

 

{Seungkwan's house}

 

He opened his front door and could hear his mother humming along to the radio in the living room. She looked up from her magazine when he walked in. “Aren't you home early? I was expecting you to stay at Hansol's at least until late afternoon.”

 

“Eh...we had a fight. But he's coming over to talk about it.”

 

She raised an eyebrow, “You had a fight so you went home, but he's already coming over to make up?”

 

“Yes.” Seungkwan got the feeling that she could sense that he wasn't telling the entire truth, but as long as she didn't ask him directly where he had been he wasn't going to say anything. This was more the type of thing you maybe tell your parents fifteen years into the future when enough time has passed for you to laugh about it together.

 

“Do you want to tell me what you fought about?”

 

“Not really...”

 

She closed the magazine and stood up. She ruffled his hair as she walked by. “I'm sure you'll work it out. If you don't want to talk about it, I'll be on my way soon. I'm meeting my friend for lunch. Tell Hansol he can stay for dinner if he wants.”

 

Seungkwan nodded and headed over to the bathroom. He pulled his shirt over his head and threw it in the hamper along with the rest of his clothes. After a very quick shower and brushing his teeth he headed over to his room where he went through his clothes trying to pick an outfit suited for making up with ones boyfriend. He still wasn't wearing a shirt when the door bell rang. “Shit” he muttered under his breath. He quickly put the shirt on that he currently had in his hand and that he had been contemplating about (he wasn't quite sure if a navy blue shirt looked apologetic enough) and hurried to the door.

 

It was as if opening the door let in an instant wave of awkward along with his boyfriend. Normally they would greet each other with a kiss, but now they just stood in the hallway, not looking directly at each other.

 

“Let's go to my room. My mom isn't home, so I guess we could sit in the living room, but I dunno...let's just go to my room.”

 

“Yeah, okay.”

 

Seungkwan sat down on the edge of his bed, but when Hansol didn't join him he stood up again. He knew he had to talk first. Hansol was already the one who contacted him and suggested they'd talk, but Seungkwan wasn't good at apologizing. He would get defensive too easily or try to lighten the mood with a joke at the wrong time. Still, it was a bullet he needed to bite. “I'm sorry. I-...I shouldn't have...but I watched you letting that girl grind all over you and I had some alcohol and-” He stopped. This wasn't an apology. He was making excuses. Or worse, placing some of the blame on Hansol. “What I mean is, I'm sorry that I tried to make you do something you weren't ready for and that I didn't listen to you. I didn't mean to do that. I'm sorry that I-” He let out a shaky breath and blinked his eyes to try and prevent the tears in his eyes turning into actual crying. He felt pathetic. He couldn't even apologize right. “I'm sorry.” He mumbled again.

 

Hansol reach his hand out, but let it hang in the air, “Y-you don't have to cry. I'm not that mad.”

 

Seungkwan sniffed and roughly wiped his eyes with the palm of his hand. “You were pretty mad...”

 

“Well, yeah, but...I don't want you to cry.” He finally let his hand reach Seungkwan. “Come. Let's sit.” He guided him to sit on the bed. He kept holding his hand lightly. “Yes, I was mad. I was still mad on my way over here actually. But I've calmed down now. You were just...one minute I'm dancing, the next you're trying to take my clothes off. It was all very sudden, Seungkwan.”

 

“I know...”

 

“And what do you mean I let that girl grind all over me? I know I'm not the best at controlling my own jealousy sometimes, but why would you get so upset over me simply dancing? Unless I'm remembering it wrong, she wasn't actually all that close. Was she?”

 

Seungkwan shrugged.

 

“Besides, it was right in front of you and you didn't even want to dance. Oh and I'm pretty sure this girl knew you and I were together. We were just dancing.”

 

“It wasn't just the dancing, okay? I started to get worried that you didn't really mean it when you said you wanted to take things slow or that you thought I was boring.”

 

“But babe, even if that were true do you think it's a good idea to just start yanking of my clothes?”

 

“No...”

 

“Maybe we should talk about these things more. I know I don't talk so much about it either, but maybe we should.”

 

Seungkwan bit his lower lip and nodded. “Are you still mad? I promise I won't do something like that again and next time we're at a party I'll totally dance with you.”

 

“Maybe we shouldn't go to any more parties for a while.” Hansol chuckled. He gently lifted Seungkwan's face, “I'm not mad anymore.” He leaned in for a kiss, but Seungkwan sank back.

 

“Wait...now that I've apologized could you maybe also admit that it wasn't very nice of you to just leave me in that bathroom and go home.”

 

Hansol pulled his hand back. “I was mad.”

 

“I know and I get that, but you just left me there half-naked and feeling stupid.”

 

“It wasn't my fault that you were half-naked...and I told Jeonghan to check on you.” Seungkwan stayed quiet. His face said that he was unconvinced, but also that he didn't want to argue again. Hansol sighed. “I promise I won't just take off if we ever fight again, okay?”

 

“Okay.”

 

Hansol let out a relieved sigh. Fighting with Seungkwan was the worst kind of feeling. “I couldn't sleep at all last night. How about you? When I left that party looked far from over. I don't think you could have gotten a lot of sleep even if we hadn't been fighting.”

 

“I didn't stay there. I didn't want to be there after you left and Jeonghan offered that Seungcheol drove me home. But I couldn't really go home because my mom thought I was over at your house. So I asked him to take me to Mingyu's house instead. I crashed there.”

 

“Oh...right. I just went home. I told my parents you weren't feeling very well...they think I'm over here now to check on you.”

 

Seungkwan clicked his tongue, “You'd leave me alone if I wasn't feeling well?” he said with faked disappointment.

 

“You're right. I should have just told them what really happened.” he replied with a teasing smile.

 

Immediately Seungkwan's face turned slightly red. He definitely did not want Hansol's parents to know what had really happened.

 

“So, ehm...now that we've made up. Can I kiss you?”

 

Seungkwan smiled. He welcomed Hansol's mouth with parted lips and was pleased when Hansol took that opportunity to quickly deepen their kiss. He didn't let it go on for long though. He leaned their foreheads together. “Hansol? You said we should maybe talk about things more, right? Well, there is one thing that I've been wondering about.”

 

“Yeah?” Hansol asked and he sat back, allowing enough distance for them to look at each other.

 

“This is super embarrassing to talk about, but...when we do it, whenever that is going to be, how are we going to...I mean...what do you want to do?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I mean, like, who will do what?”

 

“Oh. Oh you mean like...right. I, eh, I'm not sure.” Both of them had a blush on their cheeks, but at the same time they wanted to talk about this. Yes, it was maybe a bit awkward to say it out loud, but besides it perhaps being better to have discussed this beforehand it was also something rather thrilling. “I know most people supposedly have a preference...” Hansol continued. “...but I just find it a bit hard to imagine which...role...I'd enjoy more. Can't we just try both?”

 

Seungkwan tangled one of their hands together. “You know, I was thinking the same thing. Oh, and, just to be clear. It was never my intention to go all the way yesterday. I just wanted to, like, take it to a next level. I really do think I'm ready for that, but I understand if you're not and that's totally fine. We'll wait.”

 

Hansol nodded. “How about for now I just kiss you again?” He connected their lips and untangled their fingers to use his hands to cup Seungkwan's face. He felt him shift his weight and slowly get on his back. Hansol followed. This was so much better than that bathroom yesterday. There was no rushing, no sudden pressure to want more and yet now, maybe he wanted a bit more.

 

“Seungkwan?” He asked in a whisper. His hand was resting on Seungkwan's hip and he slowly stroked the soft skin with his thumb. “What's a next level that isn't sex?”

 

“W-what?” Not a question Seungkwan had been expecting right now.

 

“When you said you wanted to take things to a next level, what did you have in mind?”

 

“Why are you asking this? I don't want you to feel like you have to want to do something more now just because I-”

 

“No, that's not it.” Hansol lay down on his side, and moved his hand from his hip, using it to caress his cheek now instead. “Baby, it's not that I don't want to try certain things. I just want to do them in a place where I feel comfortable and when we can take our time. Not in some dirty dorm bathroom when we're both slightly intoxicated and there's a party going on on the other side of the door. And it depends on what the certain things are.”

 

Seungkwan stared into Hansol's eyes trying to detect if he was just saying these things because he knew Seungkwan wanted to. “Well...” he started. “...we haven't done anything below the belt yet, “...and I've been wondering what your hand would feel like.”

 

“Oh...” It came out more as a breath that he had been holding than a reply. Hansol could have probably seen this coming, but hearing Seungkwan say it out loud was a new kind of feeling. One that lingered in the pit of his stomach like when you're waiting in line for a new rollercoaster that you haven't tried yet. Excited, but also nervous.

 

“Have you...” Seungkwan playfully ran his fingers over the back of Hansol's hand, “...thought about what my hand might feel like?”

 

Admittedly, he had. More than once. So he nodded.

 

Seungkwan shifted his position and also got on his side, facing him. Once again he tangled their fingers together. Their kisses now had a hint of desire mixed in with the slow sweetness of their movements. Hansol moved their hands to his side and pulled his fingers free, placing Seungkwan's hand on his hip. He left it there and got his own hand to explore underneath his boyfriend's shirt.

 

Very slowly Seungkwan started to move his fingers down. He freed the edge of Hansol's belt from its clasp and was about to open it up completely when he all of a sudden lost contact with Hansol's lips.

 

“Wait.”

 

Unlike yesterday Seungkwan immediately stopped and pulled his hand back. “I'm sorry, I thought that-”

 

“No, no, sorry, I'm not stopping you because I don't want to. I just really need to say something first.”

 

“Oh...What?”

 

Hansol suddenly looked nervous as if he was about to give a speech in front of hundreds of people. “I...I just want to say...that I love you.”

 

“Wow...” For a moment Seungkwan stared at him with his mouth hanging half open. ”You just took it to a whole new level.” A smile formed on his lips. “I love you, too.”

 

“You do?”

 

Seungkwan placed a gentle kiss on Hansol's lips. “Yeah, I do. I love you.”

 

“I love you, too.”

 

Seungkwan chuckled, “You already said that.”

 

“Yeah, but I don't know, it's kind of a rush to say it, don't you think?” He placed his hand on one of Seungkwan's round cheeks and pulled him in to continue where they had left off.

 

With his hand back on Hansol's half-opened belt once again, Seungkwan looked at him, “Can I?”

 

“Yeah.” Hansol's voice was only a whisper and he wasn't sure where to look as Seungkwan opened his jeans. He inhaled a shaky breath when the first contact was made.

 

Seungkwan kept his eyes on him. “Is this okay?”

 

Hansol couldn't get any words out, but he nodded. It took him a moment to let his body return to a more relaxed state, but he was starting to get used to the feeling of a hand that wasn't his own touching him there. “I have to say...this is a lot more embarrassing than I thought it would be. Like...all the attention is on me. Can I...maybe?”

 

“Do you want to try doing it to each other at the same time?” Seungkwan suggested. He was blushing and he definitely felt a lot more nervous about Hansol touching him than about him touching Hansol, but the curiosity for his touch was bigger than his embarrassment.

 

Hansol bit his lower lip and nodded.

 

The angle was slightly awkward, their movements a bit clumsy and neither one of them had thought it all the way through, causing them to make a mess of Seungkwan's sheets, but it also felt good. It was familiar and yet completely new. When they both finished they couldn't help but let out a giggle type of laugh everytime their eyes met as they tried to get back into their pants.

 

“We should have used tissues or something.” Hansol said as he looked down at the bed.

 

Seungkwan scrunched up his nose, “Yeah.”

 

“You don't have to look so disgusted. Half of it is yours.”

 

“That doesn't make it better.” He stood up and gestured for Hansol to do the same so he could pull the sheet covers from his bed. When he straightened back up he felt Hansol press himself against his back and place his hands on his hips.

 

“I kinda can't believe we just did that.” he whispered in Seungkwan's ear. “It's so weird, because usually when I do it myself I think about you, but now you were right there and you were the one doing it.”

 

Seungkwan felt his face heat up way more than it had at any time that his hands had been on him. It was always when Hansol blatantly said things like this that the butterflies in his stomach really went to town.

 

Hansol turned him around in his arms and chuckled. “We literally just jerked each other off, why are you getting shy now, Boo?” He wrapped him tightly in his arms with the biggest smile on his face.

 

Seungkwan buried his face in Hansol's chest. “Shut up.” he mumbled, a hidden smile on his face.

Notes:

- I don't know why but I really like writing Mingyu's dad, lol. He's such a...dad. I bet he tells dad jokes.
- why is Seungkwan's mom so chill? haha
- Hansol during the second half of this chapter: *nodding* (he was nervous ok! But don't worry, he didn't just do it to please Seungkwan. He wanted to try it too!)
- The next level was 'I love you' can I hear an 'awwww'?

Chapter 43: HS2-13 Bad Headspace

Summary:

Taesung, the basketball team captain and known asshole, decides he wants Mingyu to join the team. He doesn't really get the concept of no means no.

Notes:

This one turned out a lot longer than I had planned, but stuff happened, lol.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“Pick up the pace, ladies! It's not Winter break yet, so stop slacking off!”

 

“You know...” Hyunggu said slightly out of breath as he was running along side Seungkwan, “...I'm really getting tired of this guy. He has us running this many laps, for what? Fucking sadist.”

 

“Meanwhile he's the one not even running. All Taesung does is yell and blame us if we lose.” Seungkwan joined in their, now usual, complaining about their captain.

 

Hansol, who was running right behind the two of them, hardly engaged in the conversation. He knew Seungkwan needed this to vent and he really didn't want him to get so fed up with Taesung that he would quit the basketball club. Where-else could he shamelessly stare at his boyfriend's butt without the others around them noticing. As far as they knew he was just running and Seungkwan just happened the be running in front of him.

 

They finally finished the bazillion laps Taesung had wanted them to run (after their regular practice) and walked over to where their water bottles were. “Here.” Hyunggu said and he handed Seungkwan his bottle.

 

“Thanks.” Seungkwan took a sip and offered the bottle to Hansol.

 

He took it from him, but he had half an eye on Hyunggu. He'd picked up a towel and playfully dropped it on Seungkwan's head, laughing at the cute sight he had created when Seungkwan pouted at him with an angry frown. Didn't he tell this guy Seungkwan is straight? Why was he still hovering around him like a bee to a pot of honey? Although, he couldn't really blame him.

 

“Boo!” Taesung yelled from where he was standing a few meters away. “Come here!”

 

Seungkwan clicked his tongue, “Now what?” Reluctantly he walked over, towel around his neck. “Yes?”

 

“You're friends with that Mingyu guy, right?” He nodded his head in the direction of the bleachers where Mingyu, Wonwoo and Seokmin were sitting. He and Hansol had plans to go catch a movie with the two other couples after this, but since they and Jaehyun had basketball first they had decided to hang around the gym to wait and watch them practice.

 

“Eh, yeah. Why?” Already he didn't like where this was going.

 

“We need to increase our member count so we have more alternatives. Get him to join the team. He's tall and-”

 

“I don't think so.” Seungkwan cut him off right away. “He doesn't like basketball.”

 

“Just ask him.”

 

Seungkwan could tell Taesung was annoyed at the fact that he hadn't immediately agreed with him, but he wasn't about to budge. “I already know his answer.”

 

“Fine. I'll ask him. You're so fucking useless.”

 

“I'm telling you there's no point in-” But Taesung was already making his way over to them.

 

Mingyu's eyes tried to connect with Seungkwan once he realized that the basketball captain was coming over and seemed to have something to say, but his field of vision got blocked by Taesung as he stopped in front of him. Mingyu didn't say anything, he just looked up. Somehow he already knew what he was about to say and he didn't want to hear it.

 

“We could use some new blood in the team.”

 

It wasn't even a question. “I, eh-” Mingyu stammered. “I'm not-”

 

“Just join and I'll make sure you catch up with the rest.”

 

“Really I don't even really like basketball, I just...”

 

Wonwoo looked up from his homework that was scattered all over the seats one row behind from where Mingyu was sitting. He exchanged a look with Seokmin who wasn't sure what was going on. Mingyu looked like he had shrunk two heads since this conversation had started.

 

“If you hate basketball so much why are you always hanging around?”

 

“T-to support my friends.”

 

“You can support them more by joining the team.”

 

“Really I wouldn't be of any use. I'm not good at it and-”

 

“You can't be that bad and you have the build for it.”

 

“He said he's not interested.” Seungkwan spoke up from behind him. Normally Seungkwan was pretty good at keeping his dislike of Taesung at manageable levels as not to let it interfere with club activities, but he saw what this conversation was doing to his best friend. It was most likely bringing back memories form the last time someone had asked him to join a basketball team and he hadn't exactly been in a good head space back then.

 

Taesung turned his head to glare at Seungkwan. He looked back at Mingyu and scoffed. “You know what, never mind. I don't think I could deal with having another one of Seungkwan's queer little lady friends on the team anyway.”

 

It all happened so fast. Mingyu jumped up, grabbed Taesung and roughly threw him down against the bleachers. He didn't look scared and small anymore. He looked extremely angry. Before anyone could come between them Taesung had gotten back up and grabbed a fist full of Mingyu's shirt. “What the hell is wrong with you, asshole? What? Are you angry I insulted your boyfriend. Is that it? Do you always come here to stare at Seungkwan's fat ass? Are you just a homo like him?”

 

Mingyu pushed him off and followed up by a punch to the face. One that was immediately reciprocated by Taesung. Both of them got a few more hits and smacks in before some of the other students and the P.E. teacher, who had been sitting in his office at the back, managed to pull them apart.

 

<>

 

Their teacher had told Seungkwan to shower and to report to the principal's office in case he wanted to question him about the fight. He followed those directions. Sort of. After showering as fast as he could, he hurried to the nurse's office. Inside he found Wonwoo holding an ice pack to Mingyu's right cheekbone. Wonwoo smiled a weak smile when he saw Seungkwan, but Mingyu averted his eyes.

 

Seungkwan wasn't sure what to say. He couldn't tell if Mingyu was still angry, ashamed or something else. He wasn't used to seeing Mingyu blow up the way that he had. Stand-offish and cold, yes, but never so angry. It made him think that he could understand why other students might have been scared of him. “What's going on now? Where's Taesung?”

 

“Principal's office.” Wonwoo answered. “Telling his side of the story, I guess. They told Mingyu to wait here. Until his parents get here. I already talked with the principal.”

 

“Oh...what did you say?”

 

“That Taesung was provoking him, but that I didn't see who threw the first punch.”

 

Seungkwan bit his lower lip. That wasn't true, of course. Well, the first punch part wasn't anyway. “I'll wait here too.”

 

“Don't you have to study?” Mingyu mumbled in Wonwoo's direction.

 

“It can wait. Now hold your head still.”

 

<>

 

In the end Seungkwan's talk with the principal was short and he ended up telling him the same thing Wonwoo had. Taesung was pestering Mingyu and wouldn't leave him alone, he didn't know exactly how the fight had started.

 

Now he, together with Hansol, Wonwoo, Seokmin and Jaehyun, was waiting in the hallway for Mingyu and his father to come out. When they did, however, Mingyu walked right passed them. Seungkwan wanted to follow, but was stopped by Mingyu's father calling his name. He let Wonwoo go after Mingyu and he went to his father instead.

 

Mr. Kim sighed. “Can you tell me what happened, Seungkwan? I know Mingyu wasn't telling the whole story in there.”

 

“It wasn't Mingyu's fault, Mr. Kim. Honestly! Taesung is an obnoxious bully and he was harassing Mingyu and-”

 

“Harassing? Harassing how?”

 

“He tried to get him to join the basketball team. I already told him that he wouldn't want to, but he kept pushing and...”

 

“That's not a reason to punch someone. Look, Seungkwan, we've been down this road with Mingyu before, but I thought we were finally done with this kind of behavior. He seemed so much better now. So if there is anything more to this story, please tell me.”

 

“Taesung...he got mad that Mingyu didn't want to join the team and he asked Mingyu if the reason he comes to watch us practice is to stare at my ass and if he is a homo like me...”

 

“He used those words?”

 

Seungkwan nodded, “Well actually he said my fat ass...”

 

Mingyu's father sighed and rubbed his neck, “Alright. Thank you for telling me, Seungkwan. He still shouldn't have gotten into a fight, but at least now I know where he was coming from.” He stared down the hallway, but Mingyu was already gone. “The principal has labeled it as a boys being boys that got a bit out of hand sort of thing and as punishment is making them clean the gym together...I'd wait for him to finish, but I really must get back to the office. His mother is taking care of her parents today, so she couldn't come.”

 

Seungkwan looked at Mingyu's father and more than angry at his son for getting into a fight he looked worried for him.

 

“Don't worry, Mr. Kim. I'll wait for him. Taesung hasn't ever really interacted with Mingyu before, so it's probably just a one time thing.”

 

<>

 

Seungkwan and Wonwoo were sitting on the floor, backs against the wall, right outside the gym. The others had gone home after the principal told them to stop loitering. While Seungkwan was exchanging some messages with Hansol and doing a tiny bit of homework here and there, Wonwoo was once again surrounded by a stack of books, notes and other papers.

 

Wonwoo was unable to suppress a long yawn and he took a moment to crack his neck. Seungkwan looked at him and noticed just how tired he looked. He knew Wonwoo always studied a lot, but lately that was all he seemed to be doing. “Are you okay? No offense, but you look kind of exhausted.”

 

Wonwoo inhaled deeply to get some oxygen in his body, “To tell you the truth, I am kind of exhausted. But it is what it is.”

 

“I though you wanted to go to the same college Jeonghan is at? He didn't study this hard.”

 

“Yeah, well, he wasn't trying to get into one of their honor programs.”

 

“Rest is important too! You don't want to fry your brain and render it useless.”

 

Wonwoo shook his head, “If I start taking it easy now the only thing that will be rendered useless is all the work I've been putting in up to this point. No, I just need to push through and I'll be fine.”

 

“If you say so...”

 

Wonwoo focused back on his books and Seungkwan stared at the gym doors. He was glad the P.E. teacher was in there with them, but he couldn't imagine that being forced to clean an entire gym together with the guy that just pushed all your wrong buttons was a treat. He went to his Pinterest and made a new board named Stuff to give you Happy Feels. He made it private and invited Mingyu to it. He went on to fill the board with pictures of things that he knew Mingyu loved. Puppies, food, his favorite actors looking hot. He was still finding more pictures to add when he noticed Wonwoo hands, that had been frantically flipping through pages and writing stuff down, were sagging down slowly. Seungkwan looked to the side and saw Wonwoo had his eyes almost completely closed and his head was starting to lean in Seungkwan direction. He lowered himself a little bit so Wonwoo's head could fall down on his shoulder more comfortably. He himself wasn't all that tired, but he didn't want to move and accidentally wake him and eventually he let his head rest on Wonwoo's and his eyes fell shut.

 

They were woken up by the sound of Mingyu clearing his throat. He didn't look all that grateful that they had been waiting for him.

 

“Why are you still here?” He asked with a face darker than a thundercloud.

 

“To wait for you obviously. You're welcome.” Seungkwan replied with sarcasm. He was just woken up from his nap and momentarily forgot he was there to support his friend, not bicker with him.

 

Wonwoo yawned and blinked his eyes slowly a few times. “What's going on?” He looked up at his boyfriend. “Oh, you're finished? How was it?”

 

Mingyu scoffed, “I just spent two hours cleaning the gym with the biggest asshole at this school, so not exactly great. But I didn't punch him again, if that's what you mean.”

 

“I was just asking to make sure you're okay.” Wonwoo replied as he got up and held out his hand to pull Seungkwan up too.

 

“Okay? No, I'm not fucking okay.” He kicked the wall with such force and anger that it made Seungkwan and Wonwoo flinch. “I'm sure that by now half the school already knows I got into a fight and the rest will find out soon enough when they see my fucked up face. Then the rumors are going to start again. People will start avoiding me, looking at me like I could stab them at any moment.” He looked at Seungkwan. His eyes no longer looked angry, instead they were filled with something best described as fear. “Even you will stop being my friend.” He turned to Wonwoo. “And you're going to dump me, so you might as well stop with the nice things like waiting for me here and get it over with.”

 

“Are you done?” Wonwoo's face didn't read angry or hurt. He looked at his boyfriend with a sense of unimpressed stoicism. “Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Seungkwan befriend you amidst all the rumors surrounding you? And do you really think I'd dump you because other people have the wrong idea about you? Give me some credit, Mingyu.”

 

“Y-you don't understand. It was much worse at my old school! I-...I don't want to be alone again.” His shoulders slumped down as if there was an invisible weight pressing them down.

 

“And you won't be.” Seungkwan took a step closer. “Like Wonwoo said, even if some of the other students start acting weird around you again, you have us. And Hansol, Seokmin, Jihoon, Chan. Jeonghan and Jisoo in spirit. You have to trust that you have us, okay?”

 

Mingyu sniffed and nodded. “Can someone hug me, please?”

 

They ended up with all three of them together in one hug. “I'm sorry if I scared you guys before. I didn't mean to get so angry. I wasn't angry at you.” He said and held on tighter.

 

“We know.”

 

From behind them came a loud scoff, “Fags.”

 

They all looked up and, unsurprisingly, it was Taesung. He looked the three of them up and down with disgust on his face before he scoffed again and turned around.

 

Seungkwan had grabbed hold of the back of Mingyu's coat to make sure he wasn't going to lose his cool again, but he wasn't showing any sign of it. Instead it was Wonwoo who made his opinion know.

 

“At least I'm not some idiot virgin lowlife who is going to be miserable for the rest of his life because his dick is so small he can't even satisfy the crusty old sock he jerks off in at night.”

 

Seungkwan and Mingyu stared at Wonwoo, then at each other and back to Wonwoo. Taesung was already too far to have heard what he said, but it still left them with their mouths hanging open.

 

“That was you, right? You just said that?” Mingyu asked, astonished by the words that had come out of his boyfriend's mouth just now.

 

It was quiet for another second before all three of them burst out into laughter. Only to be interrupted by their P.E. teacher who told them to get out of there.

 

“Anyway...” Mingyu let them go and shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat. “...I guess I'll go home and get yelled at.”

 

“I wouldn't worry so much about that.” Seungkwan said. “Your dad came to me after you talked with the principal. He asked me what really happened, because he didn't want to believe you would just punch Taesung for no good reason. I told him what Taesung said to you...”

 

“Oh...”

 

“I'm sorry if you didn't want your dad to know, but I think he just wants to know what's going on with you.”

 

“It's fine. I guess I kind of owe it to my parents to tell them the truth anyway. They've been really great after I came out to them.”

 

“Thanks by the way...I know it's probably not the only reason you punched him, but he said some mean things about me and-”

 

“Yeah, well...it pissed me off.”

 

“Really,” Wonwoo added, “Don't let that guy make you insecure about your butt, Seungkwan. It's a great ass.”

 

“Seriously, what is with you today?” Mingyu asked with a chuckle.

 

Wonwoo shrugged. “I'm still half asleep I think.”

 

Seungkwan swung his back over his shoulder. “Don't worry Wonwoo. One comment from a jerk like him isn't enough to erase all the praise my ass has gotten from Jeonghan. Now let's get out of here. I've had enough school for one day.”

Notes:

A few things I wanted to show with this chapter:

-Hyunggu is still friendly with Seungkwan (Hansol seems to have trouble thinking that maybe he just wants to be friends or maybe Hyunggu didn't really believe Hansol when he said he was straight.)
-Mingyu still has hurt inside him :( and Taesung triggered it
-I also wanted to show some Seungkwan and Wonwoo together. They've become closer friends and not just two people whose only link is Mingyu (also...I love WonBoo buddies T__T)
-Mingyu's dad is going to be one of those dads who gives hugs at Pride to all the people who were rejected by their parents T___T

Chapter 44: HS2-14 Ice Skating

Summary:

They all meet up to go ice skating. Jihoon reluctantly shares about his love life.

Notes:

Pfff I don't know what this chapter was supposed to be, but this is what it is. lol. My brain just keeps coming up with other fic ideas and I'm having trouble focusing :/ (and I finished a GOT7 fic I hadn't updated in close to two years, hahahaha...ha)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

As it turned out Mingyu's worries hadn't been needed. Apart from some of Taesung's buddies, nobody seemed that bothered by their fight. Nobody suddenly shied away from him or looked at him with fear. If anything, people seemed to understand the feeling of wanting to punch Taesung in the face. Chan had even told them that he overheard a few boys in his class talk about it and now they thought Mingyu was 'all cool or whatever' as he put it. As for the basketball club, Taesung wasn't kicked out, but their principal had decided he should no longer be captain. Jaehyun had agreed to take over. Since their winter break had just started a few days ago, they'd have to wait to see how that was going to work out. But for now things felt like they had calmed down again.

 

They were all waiting in front of the ice skating rink downtown for Jeonghan and Jisoo to arrive. It had been what felt like forever since they had all hung out together at the same time and Seungkwan had been looking forward to it all week. Especially after all the drama, he could really use a day surrounded by the people he felt most at home with. He looked at Jaehyun and Seokmin standing close together, sharing Seokmin's earphones and bobbing their heads along to whatever music they were listening to. That was when Seungkwan realized something. “Chan,” he spoke up, “I know you're not into guys, but it looks like you're going to have to be Jihoon's date. You're the only single ones here today.”

 

“Who says I'm single?” Jihoon replied without looking up from his phone.

 

“Ehm...aren't you?” Mingyu asked carefully. Jihoon wasn't an open book like some of them were and it took a bit of effort to get a glimpse at the pages inside.

 

Jihoon shrugged, “Not really.”

 

“What does that mean? How are you 'not really' single?” Seungkwan narrowed his eyes at him.

 

“I'm just sort of seeing someone. But me and Chan can still be the extra wheels to this date fest. I don't think he'd want to hang out with a bunch of high school kids anyway.”

 

You're a high school kid.”

 

“Barely.”

 

“Does that mean he isn't in high school?” Wonwoo inquired.

 

“He's a senior...”

 

“Oh, so why wouldn't he want to hang out with-”

 

“...in college.”

 

It was quiet and looks were exchanged. It was Seungkwan who asked what most of them were thinking. “So, eh...you started dating him after you turned eighteen, right?”

 

Jihoon finally lowered his phone and stared back. “He's not some perv if that's what you're trying to say. He's only four years older than me. Almost exactly actually. His birthday is only a few days apart from mine. It's only been a few weeks anyway.”

 

“Still...” Seungkwan mumbled and he started chewing his lip. He didn't want to upset his friend, but he couldn't help but wanting to know more about this guy.

 

“I think we need to see pictures.” Chan took a step closer and pretended to have a look at Jihoon's screen.

 

Jihoon furrowed his brows together, “Why?”

 

“To see what this guy looks like! We need some proof that he isn't a creep. How did you even meet him?” Mingyu peeked over Chan's shoulder, but Jihoon had his phone pressed to his chest.

 

“How does a picture of him prove anything?”

 

“Do you have one or not?”

 

He clicked his tongue, but caved anyway. “Fine. Wait a sec.” He started scrolling through his photos. “Hmm, can't show you that one...no...definitely not that one. OK, this one is alright I guess.” He held up his phone and showed them a picture of him together with a tall young man in what looked like a dorm room. They were both smiling and making a peace sign to the camera. There was a keyboard in the background. “We're both into music...” Jihoon explained, “So we just talk about music and make some music and...you know.”

 

Seungkwan let out a dramatic sigh, “Would it kill you to let your friends know when you get a boyfriend?”

 

Jihoon shrugged again and shoved his phone in his pocket. He nodded his head in the direction opposite him. “They're here.”

 

“Hey guys! I hope you don't mind we brought Seungcheol.” Jeonghan said and he dragged the man in question closer. “His parents are on ski vacation so he was all sad and lonely at the dorms otherwise.”

 

“You're making me sound pathetic.”

 

Jeonghan started greeted all of them with hugs. (except Jaehyun who he didn't really know all that well). Jisoo was more of a handshake, pat on the shoulder type of guy, but he didn't mind his friends pulling him closer.

 

Jihoon ran a hand through Jeonghan's hair when he approached him for a hug. “Your hair is so long now. Are you growing it out?”

 

Jeonghan nodded proudly. “I've actually wanted to try it for years, but I was always afraid it would make me look too girly.”

 

“I think it looks hot.” Jisoo said and he looked at Jeonghan as if he was ready to devour him right then and there.

 

Jeonghan's lips curled up into a smirk, “I know you do.”

 

“Okay...shall we go skate before these two melt the ice with their sexual tension?” Seungcheol laughed and the others agreed. Seungkwan wanted to hook his arm with Hansol's but he felt a tug on his arm pulling him back.

 

“What do you think?” Jeonghan asked and he nodded his head in the direction of Seungcheol walking next to Jihoon.

 

Seungkwan wasn't sure what he was supposed to give his opinion about.

 

Jeonghan sighed, “Seungcheol and Jihoon. Don't you think they'd be cute together? Cheol has dropped a few hints that he didn't exactly mind seeing Hoonie at that party and seeing as Jihoon slapped him on the ass I figured it was worth a shot to get them to hang out together and see what happens.”

 

Seungkwan gave him an apologetic look, “I hate to break it to you, but literally just before you guys got here he told us he's dating some college dude.”

 

“What!?” Jeonghan yelled, immediately followed by a groan. “I really wish I'd know about that sooner. I wouldn't have gotten my hopes up.”

 

“You didn't tell Seungcheol that you brought him here to fix him up with Jihoon, did you?”

 

“I'm not stupid, Seungkwan.” Jeonghan sighed. “Well, doesn't matter now I guess. We can still have fun together.” He happily took Seungkwan by the hand and they walked over to the skate rental. “I've missed you, Kwannie. Tell me, how are things with you and Hansol now?” he asked while putting on their skates. They were the last ones and the rest was already making their way onto the ice.

 

Seungkwan looked over at his boyfriend who was like a baby deer trying to walk for the first time and a smile crept on his face. “Yeah, we're good. We're really good.”

 

“Did you have sex yet?”

 

Seungkwan scrunched his face and glared at him, “I don't have to tell you that.”

 

“So, no.”

 

<>

 

Luckily for the ones without a date the couples weren't as clingy as they could have been. Of course Seungkwan made sure to skate around while holding Hansol's hand, but he also spent a good amount of time cracking up with Seokmin and almost falling over from laughter, trying to skate better than Mingyu and catching up with Jisoo.

 

After their legs couldn't stand being on skates any longer they moved to a Korean barbeque restaurant to get some food in their stomachs. Jeonghan took the opportunity to grill Jihoon about his college bae.

 

“Now, Hoonie. What's this I hear about you dating a college man?”

 

“A senior.” Seungkwan added.

 

Jihoon shrugged. “I met him at your party, actually. Well, the next morning anyway.”

 

“You did?” Seungcheol was the one to ask. “I mean...I didn't think you really talked to anyone.”

 

Jihoon lifted an eyebrow, “What do you mean? Did we even talk? Sorry, the details are a bit fuzzy.”

 

“Oh my god, Jihoon, you even slapped his-”

 

“You kind of passed out or fell asleep anyway. I put you on a couch to sleep. I checked and you were still there when the party had died down. The next morning too...I mean...you were still sleeping when I got up and I had to leave after that.”

 

“Oh, eh...” Jihoon poked at his food, “...thanks for that.”

 

Seungkwan leaned in to whisper to Jeonghan. “Yeah, okay, I see what you mean.”

 

“Anyway, I ran into him on my way out. He dropped his guitar down the stairs and it sort of landed on me. He's kind of clumsy. He offered me coffee to make up for it and that's pretty much it.”

 

Mingyu let out a sigh that equal to Seungkwan levels of dramatics, “Why is such a cute story wasted on someone as unromantic as Jihoon.”

 

“What's romantic about someone dropping their guitar on me? Those things aren't light, you know.”

 

Mingyu gestured with his hand and looked around the table with a 'see? This is what I mean' kind of look.

 

<>

 

Hansol had his arm around Seungkwan's shoulder as he leaned into him. The food had all been eaten, but they stayed and talked for a while longer. Seungkwan had tuned out of the conversation and was playing with Hansol's fingers. “You've been a bit quiet tonight.” Seungkwan said, only for him to hear. “Everything okay?”

 

Hansol wrapped his other arm around Seungkwan as well and pulled him closer. “I'm just enjoying this. You normally don't want to get so close in public.”

 

Seungkwan shrugged and let his head fall back. With all the skating and socializing he was feeling pretty tired and he couldn't be bothered to care about being in public. “Do you remember last year around this time?” he asked.

 

“Hm?” Hansol hummed. “You mean when we went to the arcade together? Yeah, I remember.” How could he forget? It was one of the first moments that he had started to realize he liked Seungkwan as more than a friend. He still had the scarf Seungkwan had given him that time. He never wore it, but he knew exactly where in his closet it was. He wondered if Seungkwan even remembered giving it to him.

 

“We should go to an arcade again sometime. That was fun.”

 

Hansol leaned his chin on Seungkwan's soft hair, “Sure. Whatever you want.”

 

Seungkwan tried and failed to hold in a yawn. Not long after that they decided to call it a night. Outside the restaurant hugs, handshakes and the likes were exchanged and they fell apart in small groups and couples. Hansol walked Seungkwan to the bus stop. He had offered to ride him home on his bicycle, but Seungkwan said it was too cold.

 

“Don't fall asleep on the bus, okay?” Hansol said and booped his boyfriend's nose.

 

Seungkwan wiggled his nose and looked at him with drowsy eyes. “I'll text you when I get home.” He smiled a lazy smile at him. “I love you.”

 

Hansol nodded, “Please do. And I love you, too.” He didn't want him to go. He didn't want to ride home and get in his cold bed without him. But he knew Seungkwan had plans with his mother tomorrow and he didn't want to impose, so he didn't ask Seungkwan to spend the night together. Instead he let go of his hand and watched him get on the bus.

 

He followed the bus with his eyes and as he saw it disappear from sight he felt something in his stomach. Like a flutter. A feeling that wasn't entirely new. I should buy condoms he thought to himself. He stepped onto his bike and started his ride home through the cold evening air. His head still filled with thoughts of Seungkwan.

Notes:

-I wasn't planning on having Seungcheol back so soon, but suddenly there he was~
-Is it obvious who Jihoon's college boyfriend/hook-up is? (just to be clear: yes he was already 18, I dunno how people feel about the difference in age, 4 years isn't so much tbh, but the college/high school thing...hmmm...I think it depends on each situation.) HINT: he already dated another member of the same group, lol. I think it's clear if you know the picture I was talking about.
-So...Hansol feels like he needs to buy condoms (guess he doesn't know about the one Seungkwan keeps in his wallet)

Next time: Seungkwan is over at Hansol's house and his parents go out to dinner...

Chapter 45: HS2-15 Maybe we could...you know

Summary:

Hansol wasn't planning for anything to happen this night. But he had sort of forgotten his parents were going to be out.

Notes:

Think happy thoughts~

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

It was the last Saturday of the their winter break and the last day they could actually spend together since Hansol and his sister were supposed to visit their grandparents the next day. Unfortunately, there was still homework to be finished and Seungkwan had come over to finish the last of it together. That is to say, Seungkwan mostly helped Hansol finish his homework.

 

“Why did you put it off until the last minute? If you had just followed my advice of doing a little bit everyday...” Seungkwan said after another loud sigh from his boyfriend.

 

“Why do we even have homework anyway. Isn't this vacation?”

 

“I know it sucks, but after this we're done and we can do something else.”

 

”Like...making out on my bed?” Since that day where they had gone ice skating Hansol had worked up the courage to ride his bike to a store far away from his house and tried to act as casual as possible while buying some condoms. He had hidden them in a deep dark corner of his closet with the exception of the one stuffed under his mattress. It didn't mean that he was impatiently looking for any opportunity to actually use it. He wanted the moment to be right and the right moment hadn't presented itself yet. This wasn't likely to become one either. Not with his parents right downstairs.

 

Seungkwan's eyes darted over to Hansol's bedroom door. Whenever he came over, his parents made them leave it open just a little bit. Just enough for them to feel discouraged to take any clothes off. “I was thinking more along the lines of watching a movie in the living room.”

 

“Fine. I guess that's fun too.”

 

<>

 

“See you later, boys. We left you some dinner in the kitchen. Just warm it up and you're good to go.” Mr. Chwe spoke as put on his coat.

 

“What do you mean? Where are you going?” Hansol sat up and looked over the back of the couch.

 

His father sighed, “Why does our son never listen to me?” He said dramatically to his wife and Seungkwan chuckled. “I've told you that we're going out to dinner with some friends. We'll probably be out most of the night.”

 

His parents left and with the sound of the door falling shut Hansol had lost all interest in the movie. How could he have forgotten that his parents would go out tonight? He glanced to the side to peek at his boyfriend who showed no signs of having the same thoughts as him. “My sister is over at a friend.” He said, hoping he sounded casual.

 

Seungkwan hummed in response, focused more on the movie than on what his boyfriend was saying.

 

“What I mean is...we're alone in the house right now.”

 

“So?”

 

Hansol looked away again. “Nevermind. I'm hungry. How about we eat that food my parents left us?” He didn't have the guts to just flat out say what he meant. He needed Seungkwan to pick up on his hints and he clearly wasn't. Maybe after dinner.

 

<>

 

Hansol set his empty plate down on the coffee table and scooted closer. He waited for Seungkwan to finish his food and he gently took his plate from him and put it down as well. He stared at him and hoped his eyes were conveying his intent better than his words had. His eyes darted down to Seungkwan's lips and Seungkwan stared back with a half confused look on his face. Hansol was clearly about to kiss him, so why was he being weird about it?

 

Hansol leaned in and pressed his lips, that Seungkwan was more than willing to receive, on his mouth. Gentle yet firm. He raised his hand and let it hesitantly hang in the air for a moment before placing it on Seungkwan's shoulder. He pushed a little to signal that he meant to move into a more horizontal position.

 

Seungkwan couldn't quite put his finger on what it was, but the way Hansol was kissing and touching him felt different from usual. More careful, a bit nervous even. He broke their kiss and stared into his eyes. That was when his brain finally caught on what Hansol had been trying to say before. “So...when you said we were alone...did you mean to suggest that we could...you know?”

 

“Well...I thought maybe we could...you know.”

 

“Like...you know you know?”

 

Hansol nodded. He leaned in closer. “I'm ready.” He whispered against Seungkwan's slightly parted lips.

 

Seungkwan felt his heart climbing up to his throat as Hansol started kissing him again. Without making it feel like he was pushing him away he sat up. He stared at him silently for a moment before he looked down to find his hand and took it in his own. He stood up and started to walk towards the stairs. They journeyed the short distance to Hansol's bedroom in complete silence.

 

Seungkwan sat down on the edge of Hansol's bed, still holding his hand and looking up at him. Hansol joined him on the bed and they started kissing again. It didn't take long before Seungkwan decided to kick it up a notch. He swung his leg over Hansol's lap and sat up to straddle him, immediately finding the heat of his mouth again.

 

Hansol tugged a little on Seungkwan's shirt. “Okay?” he mumbled in between kisses. Seungkwan leaned back and pulled his shirt over his head himself and threw it to the back of Hansol's bed. He took hold of the sides of his face and they were fused together again. He felt a hand on his hip suggest that he move from Hansol's lap and further onto the bed and he did just that. He got down on his back and waited for Hansol to take his own shirt off and join him.

 

But somewhere between losing the rest of their clothes and Hansol pulling out the condom from under his mattress the mood had slowly started to shift from romantic and exciting to clumsy and nervous.

 

“Can't you just try putting it in or something?” Hansol whispered in a somewhat strained voice as Seungkwan hovered over him.

 

“I cannot just 'put it in', Hansol!” Seungkwan snapped back, “First of all, I'm not even wearing a condom yet. Second of all, the websites all said that we have to take our time to-” He stopped talking and pressed his lips together, realizing that he had said more than he had wanted to.

 

“What websites?” Hansol asked, propping himself up on his elbows. He was surprised at himself for feeling so calm, but the calmer he felt the less calm Seungkwan seemed.

 

“Nothing!” Seungkwan sighed and sank back onto his legs. He pulled the blankets up around him to cover part of his body, “Okay, fine. I've been reading a lot about how to have sex and what to do and what not to do. After that debacle in the bathroom I wanted to be more prepared, but I think it's just making me stress out about it.”

 

“Seungkwan...” Hansol sat up as well and reached for his boyfriend's hand, “Babe, if you're this stressed about it maybe we shouldn't...I mean, I'm nervous too, but more in an anticipating kind of way. It's okay if you've changed your mind about being ready, you know.”

 

Seungkwan lowered his gaze, but looked up when Hansol stroked his cheek. “I'm sorry. I really do want to...I do. Can we maybe try getting the mood back and I'll try not to think about it too much.”

 

Hansol smiled at him. “Sure.” He placed his fingers at the back of Seungkwan's neck and guided him back to his lips. But just as things started to heat up again there came some noise from downstairs.

 

Seungkwan pulled away, staying close, “Did you hear something?” he whispered.

 

Hansol concentrated and focused on any sound coming from outside the bedroom. Suddenly his eyes widened, “Oh shit! I think it's my parents!?”

 

Seungkwan jolted upright, “What!? I thought they'd be out all night!”

 

“That's what my dad said! I don't know either! Shit.”

 

“We have to get dressed!” Seungkwan said as he climbed off the bed in a rush.

 

Both of them did their best to try and break the world record of putting on clothes, but Seungkwan ran into some trouble.

 

“Hurry!” Hansol half-whispered in his direction as he made an attempt to fix his, undoubtedly, messed up hair.

 

“I am hurrying! I can't find my fucking shirt!”

 

“Here!” Hansol grabbed a random hoodie hanging over his desk chair and threw it in his boyfriend's direction, “Just wear this!”

 

He had just managed to pull it over his head when there was a knock on the door.

 

“Boys?” It was Hansol's mother, “Are you in there?”

 

“Y-yeah, mom. We're just...we were just...”

 

“Playing a game!” Seungkwan finished, his voice a lot more shrill than you'd want it to be in such a situation..

 

The door opened and Hansol's mother stood in the doorway. She gave her son a 'why was this door closed, young man!' look, but she didn't say it. Instead she asked them what game they had been playing.

 

“Just a computer-” Hansol started, but all of the eyes in the room darted over to the black screen of his computer and the room was silent again.

 

“Well, eh, we first played a computer game.” Seungkwan attempted to fix the situation, “But then we, eh, played a different game. Do you know twenty questions? Yeah, we were playing twenty questions.” He let out a nervous little laugh.

 

“SO...mom...you're home early, aren't you?” It was Hansol's attempt to change the subject, but it only made it more obvious that they hadn't been expecting them yet.

 

“One of our friends didn't feel very well, so we cut the evening a bit short.”

 

“Oh!” Hansol exclaimed suddenly and Seungkwan looked at him with wide eyes, not sure what he was going to say “We totally forgot to clean up downstairs. We'll do it right now.” He grabbed Seungkwan's hand and started dragging him towards the door in the hopes of escaping this awkwardness, but they were stopped by his mother.

 

“It's getting kind of late. How about your dad gives Seungkwan a ride home?”

 

“That's okay! I'll take the bus.”

 

“Really, it's no trouble. It's much faster by car. He's going to pick up your sister anyway.” That last part was directed at Hansol. “Don't forgot you're going to-”

 

“Visit grandma and grandpa tomorrow. Yeah, I know.”

 

{in the car}

 

“So? Did you enjoy dinner?”

 

“Y-yes, it was very good. How was the dinner with your friends?” The adrenaline was still rushing through Seungkwan's veins and riding in the car with his boyfriend's father right after they almost got caught about ten seconds away from losing their virginities wasn't the best way to calm down.

 

“The food was great, but dinner was unfortunately much shorter than we had planned. Sorry we came home early and interrupted your evening.”

 

Seungkwan was grateful that there was only a dim light in the car, because his face heated up and it was mostly redder than a ripe tomato. “We weren't doing anything!”

 

Hansol's father chuckled, “Now, now, I heard you were playing twenty questions.”

 

Seungkwan pushed himself back into the car seat in an attempt to shrink away. It was clear that he wasn't angry or upset and in a way Seungkwan felt grateful that he was joking around, but he still wanted the car seat to turn into a black hole and transport him to another dimension right about now.

 

When they reached his house he thanked him for the ride and went inside. He greeted his mom, but didn't hang around the living room to talk. He just wanted to get to bed as fast as possible. He was brushing his teeth and looking at himself in the mirror when he realized he was still wearing Hansol's hoodie. It wasn't something Seungkwan normally would wear. Although he loved the deep Navy color, one of the sleeves was red and it just wasn't really his style. He spit into the sink and rinsed his mouth. He lifted the hoodie to his nose and inhaled Hansol's scent that still lingered. A smile crept onto his face. He climbed into bed with nothing but his boxers and the hoodie on. He checked his phone.

 

Hansollie: u home? How was my dad?

 

Hansollie: hellooo?

 

Kwannie: Yeah, home sorry. He was nice...I wanted to die tho. Did ur mom say anything?

 

Hansollie: Weirdly no...

 

Seungkwan stared at the screen. He wasn't sure what to say next. Were they supposed to talk about how they almost had sex? It seemed weird to do that over text.

 

Kwannie: Have fun at your grandparents tomorrow

 

Hansollie: tnx! You have fun with the guys! Send me pics?

 

Kwannie: Will do! Good night...I love you

 

Hansollie: love you too

Notes:

So they didn't...you know, but they got very close ^^"

-It's not that Seungkwan didn't want to anymore, he just got in his head too much
-The hoodie will actually come back at some point waaaaay into the future (like...if you stick with this story until then and remember the hoodie I'll bake you cookies...well...I don't have an oven...I'll buy and eat cookies in your honor)

Chapter 46: HS2-16 A walk in the park

Summary:

Seungkwan and Mingyu take a walk in the park and talk about a few things. Such as...how it went over at Hansol's.

Notes:

Sorry, this one is a bit short and maybe feels like a filler, but...I needed some Boogyu interaction :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

It was a cold day out, but that hadn't stopped Seungkwan and Mingyu from taking a detour on their way to where they were meeting up with Seokmin and Jihoon. They bought some cheese dogs from a street vendor and strolled through the park while munching on their snack. There was just something nice about eating hot food out in the cold. As long as they didn't tell Jihoon that they had food without him, they could be a little late.

 

“So...” Mingyu said with a mouth full of half-chewed food, “...you went over to Hansol's house yesterday, right? Were his parents home?”

 

Seungkwan looked at him and his face that feigned innocence. He knew what he was really trying to ask. “Eh...they went out for dinner.”

 

“I see...” Mingyu replied.

 

Seungkwan clicked his tongue. “Just ask, go on. I know you want to.”

 

“I wasn't going to! I was just wondering if you...” he mumbled back. Torn between wanting to respect Seungkwan's privacy and his curiosity.

 

“No. We didn't. We almost did, but his parents came back earlier than expected.”

 

Mingyu stopped in his tracks and gaped at him. “Oh my god, don't tell me they walked in on you!?”

 

Seungkwan sighed deeply, “Thankfully they didn't, but it was a close call. Man...I start sweating just thinking back at it. I'm pretty sure his mom saw right through us. His dad too. It was so embarrassing.” Seungkwan groaned and he sat himself down on an empty park bench. “It was really almost. Now the next time we hang out there's going to be this pressure to do it since we got so close...”

 

“I thought you wanted to do it?” Mingyu sat down next to him and shoved the last of his cheese dog in his mouth.

 

“I do...but I feel like if I think about it too much I get nervous and start overthinking it.”

 

“Hansol is probably just as nervous.”

 

“Were you nervous before you and Wonwoo did it?”

 

“Of course! I felt like I had no idea what I was doing!”

 

“How did you get over that?”

 

“I guess my wanting to be with him was stronger than my fear that I was doing it wrong.”

 

Seungkwan thought about that. It sounded logical, sort of. “I wasn't this nervous when we did other stuff.”

 

“What other stuff?”

 

“Just...stuff. Leave me alone.” He cleared his throat and without looking at Mingyu he asked, “Do you, ehm...what do you do?”

 

“What do you mean? Like my...moves or something?”

 

“No, like...what...position?” He cast a coy glance at his best friend who seemed to not be sure if he was going to answer that. But before he did, Seungkwan already changed his mind about wanting to know. “You know what, forget it. I'm not sure I need that information. Although I can't really imagine Wonwoo as a top...”

 

Mingyu narrowed his eyes at him, “Have you been thinking about my boyfriend in a sexual way?”

 

“No! I just...I was just curious. Like I said, forget it.” He stood up from the bench and resumed walking. Mingyu quickly caught up.

 

“Maybe you're just not as ready as you thought you were?” He suggested carefully.

 

Seungkwan shoved his hands in his coat pockets, “No, I don't think that was it. It just wasn't the right time. It didn't help that we weren't totally prepared.”

 

“What do you mean? Didn't you have condoms?”

 

“No, we did. We didn't have any...we didn't have any lube.” He lowered his voice to a whisper despite the fact there was no-one around to hear him anyway.

 

“Ah, there's your first problem. You need lube, man.”


“I know, but we didn't have any and we wanted to...it was working anyway.”

 

“Was it though?”

 

“Kinda...”

 

“All I'm saying is, don't make it more difficult than it has to be. Trust me when I say that lube makes everything so much easier.”

 

“But...”

 

“But what?”

 

“Buying lubrication is sort of embarrassing. What straight teenager goes out and buys lube?”

 

“I don't know. I don't really hang out with any sexually active straight teenagers. Besides, cashiers don't give a fuck about that kind of stuff. Look, if you can't man up and buy some lube, maybe you shouldn't have sex.”

 

“Where did you buy it?”

 

“I, eh...Wonwoo already had it when we...I haven't actually gone out and gotten any.”

 

Seungkwan lightly punched him in the arm, “Don't be such a hypocrite.”

 

“It's just that Wonwoo is so matter-of-factly about it. We need lube, so he buys lube. It's just easier if I let him buy it.”

 

“Right.” Seungkwan replied. Maybe it had been part of the problem. No matter what website he had read, they all said it was so much easier and safer to use lube. He'd worry about it later. “By the way, let's not talk about this when we're with Hoon and Seok, okay? I fear we don't want to know just how much Jihoon knows about sex and I think the whole topic makes Seokmin uncomfortable.”

 

Mingyu nodded in agreement. Although he was sort of curious about Jihoon's knowledge.

 

“So...my boyfriend is visiting his grandparents, but where is yours again?” Seungkwan asked when they had almost reached their destination.

 

Mingyu's expression turned sour at the question, “He said he has to study. It's all he ever does lately. Sometimes it feels like he forgot I exist.”

 

“I'm sure that's not true. He's just focused on graduating and getting high grades.”

 

“So? Jihoon and Seok are graduating, too! And Jaehyun. They still find the time to hang out with us!”

 

“I thought Wonwoo was trying to get into an honor program? It wouldn't kill you to a little bit more understanding, you know.”

 

Mingyu kicked a small stone on his path, “Whatever.” He grumbled.

 

“Hey.” Seungkwan said as he placed his hand on Mingyu's arm, “Are you guys okay?”

 

“Yeah, I'm just a little frustrated. He keeps canceling on me and I get it, but...”

 

“His application deadline is almost over, right? Just be patient until then.”

 

“Yeah...yeah, you're right. He's just canceling because he's busy.”

 

Seungkwan frowned his brows together. “Of course he is. Why else would he cancel?”

 

Mingyu shrugged.

 

Seungkwan sighed and hooked their arms together. Mingyu let out a little yelp when he was suddenly pulled into a brisk walk. “Come on! We're late.”

Notes:

-Seungkwan could tell that Mingyu is getting insecure about why Wonwoo cancels (no, Mingyu, it's not because he doesn't like you anymore T^T )
-I'm thinking next time we're going to Seungkwan's birthday and we'll finally get some making out in the locker room (and a little surprise)

(sorry if the next one takes a little bit longer than you might have gotten used to from me...I sort of started writing fairy tale inspired one shots...)

Chapter 47: HS2-17 Locker room Birthday

Summary:

It's Seungkwan's birthday and he knows what he wants from his boyfriend.

Notes:

Sorry it took a bit longer than usual!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan didn't care that much about his birthday. He didn't. Really. Sure, he liked getting presents and it made him feel loved when his friends and family send him messages or congratulated him in person. But his birthday wasn't a big deal to him. And yet...

 

Seungkwan stared at Mingyu sitting across from him. When Mingyu finally noticed he stared right back. “What?”

 

“I'm about to start eating my lunch.”

 

“Okay?'

 

Seungkwan sighed.

 

Mingyu looked at Hansol in the hopes that he could enlighten him as to why Seungkwan was being dramatic. He had sent him a birthday message at midnight and he had already given him his present. He seemed fine during class before. Hansol didn't seem to know either as he just shrugged.

 

“Babe?” He tried. “Everything alright?”

 

Seungkwan shoved a bite of food in his mouth and avoided answering. He was being stupid. He knew that. He couldn't expect Mingyu to make soup for him on his birthday every year. But somewhere in his mind he had been hoping for it. Last year he had been happily surprised by the sweet gesture. Seeing the way both Mingyu and Hansol were looking at him he realized he was just being grumpy for no good reason. He quickly wanted to move on from this moment and luckily Jihoon, for once, had good timing and broke the silence.

 

“Here.” He said and shoved a poorly wrapped present across the table.

 

Seungkwan's expression immediately brightened and he took it in his hands. “Ooh, you got me a present? What is it?”

 

“I wouldn't open it here.” Jihoon said and Seungkwan stopped tearing off the wrapping.

 

“Why not? What is it?”

 

“Just open it later. It's something that you might be interested in having.”

 

“Eh, okay...” He placed the present in his lap, but Seungkwan was a curious and sometimes impatient person and he couldn't help but pluck at the edge of the wrapping. He finally got enough off to be able to see what it was and he really wished he had listened to Jihoon. He shoved it into his bag and hoped no-one had noticed.

 

“Told you to open it later.” Jihoon said. Seungkwan's red face was enough to let him know what had happened.

 

“Jihoon, what the fuck! Why would you give me that?” Seungkwan hissed.

 

“What did you give him?” Seokmin asked with big eyes.

 

“Don't!” Seungkwan warned Jihoon. He didn't need the entire cafeteria to know that one of his friends had just given him lube for his birthday.

 

“I don't know why you're getting mad.” Jihoon sighed, “It's really good stuff.”

 

“I don't need you to get it for me!”

 

“Seriously, what did you get him, Jihoon?” Chan asked this time.

 

Jihoon gestured for him to get closer so he could whisper in his ear and as soon as he had Chan burst out in a loud laughter.

 

Seungkwan's eyes shot daggers and he stood up with his bag swung over his shoulder. “I'm going to class.”

 

“Lunch just started.” Hansol said and got a glare in return. When Seungkwan walked away he turned to Jihoon. “What did you get him, man? Why would you get him something that would make him angry?”

 

“In my defense I did tell him to open it later. As for what I got him...you remember what you talked to me about a little while back?”

 

It took a moment before Hansol understood just what conversation he was referring to. He had confided in Jihoon on the roof about his and Seungkwan's attempt at sex and their lack of lube. He hadn't thought Jihoon would actually go out and buy it for them. “Y-you got him lu- Seriously?” He stood up. “I think I'd better go check on him.”

 

Jihoon clicked his tongue as he watched him walk away, “These kids. You get them something they want and they're not even grateful.”

 

<>

 

Hansol found Seungkwan leaning against the wall just outside the cafeteria.

 

“Took you long enough.” He pouted.

 

“Eh, sorry? But if you storm off like that how am I supposed to know if you want me to follow you or to leave you alone?”

 

Seungkwan didn't say anything else, but it was clear from the look on his face that he thought Hansol should definitely know whether or not to follow him without being explicitly told to do so.


“So, ehm, Jihoon told us what he got you. Are you really mad at him?”

 

“I'm not mad.” Seungkwan mumbled. “I'm slightly embarrassed. But that's not even why I walked out of there.”

 

“It's not?”

 

Seungkwan shyly shook his head, “I just suddenly thought of something else I want for my birthday.”

 

“Oh? You mean besides the phone case you really wanted that I already got you?”

 

“Yeah, besides that.”

 

“Why do you get two presents?”

 

“This is really something for you too.” His shyness made way for a teasing smirk as he leaned in to whisper to Hansol, “Let's go and make-out in the locker room. I'm sure there's nobody there now.”

 

“A-are you serious? I came out here because I thought you were upset. But you want us to go and-”

 

Seungkwan nodded, “You've mentioned it before, right? That you wanted to do that?”

 

Hansol eyed him with a hint of suspicion, “Are you sure this doesn't have anything to do with Jihoon's present?”

 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes, “No, Hansol. I don't want us to do it for the first time in a dirty locker room.” After their close call at Hansol's house they hadn't had an opportunity to be alone in either of their houses. It's not as if he wanted to have sex in the locker room, but he missed being physically close to his boyfriend.

 

“Well, I mean...you did try to do it in a dirty bathroom, so...” He teased.

 

Seungkwan crossed his arms, “Forget it.”

 

Hansol met his smirk from earlier. “Let's go.”

 

{Locker room}

 

“Let's do it here.” Seungkwan whispered and he lead Hansol by the hand to a row of lockers in the back that would shield them from view. “I'm sure nobody will come here during lunch time, but just in case.” He stood with his back against the lockers, holding both of his boyfriend's hands. He pulled him closer and wrapped his arms around his neck.

 

After the initial phase of being slightly on edge, paying close attention to any sounds, they started to get lost in each other. Hansol had missed Seungkwan too and he surprised himself with how hungry he was for him. His kisses were fast and a bit rougher than usual. He started to leave kisses along Seungkwan's jaw line and down his neck. “I'm going to give you a hickey.” He said in a way that sounded more like a statement of fact than anything else and it sounded romantic or seductive in no way.

 

Seungkwan didn't care, he just agreed. “Just make sure it's in a place I can cover easily.” He managed to get out before his breath hitched. Holy crap. Why did Hansol sucking his neck feel so good and why hadn't they tried that before?

 

Hansol barely left his boyfriend's skin as he made his way back up Seungkwan's neck and to his half open mouth that was waiting for him. He wished he had a bit more confidence in his sexy skills, because if he did he would definitely grab Seungkwan's ass right about now and tell him to wrap his legs around his waist. But right now he was too afraid he would do something clumsy and totally unsexy, like dropping him on the floor or accidentally banging his head against the locker. So instead he just whispered in his ear. “Did you like that?”

 

Instead of answering verbally, Seungkwan pulled him back in for a heavy kiss to show just how much he had liked it. He got his hands under Hansol's shirt and felt his hot skin. He used the grip on his hips to switch their positions. The sound of Hansol's back hitting the lockers echoed through the empty locker room, but they couldn't care less. Seungkwan was vaguely aware of the fact that lunch was probably almost over and the bell could ring at any moment, but he didn't want to think about it. He wanted to stay here and make out with Hansol until their lips were raw.

 

They were ripped from their make-out trance when they heard the door to the locker room open. They heard a loud bang as if someone was being shoved roughly against the metal lockers. Seungkwan looked at Hansol with worry in his eyes, both for fear of getting caught and for the possibility that it was someone getting bullied. But the next sound that echoed of the walls sounded more like a moan of pleasure than someone getting beat up. Both of their eyes widened in further shock when the person responsible for the sound spoke.

 

“J-jae, are you sure nobody will walk in?”

 

Seokmin? Seungkwan mouthed silently and Hansol nodded in disbelief.

 

“We have to get out of here.” Seungkwan whispered. “I do not want to listen to Seokmin and Jaehyun getting it on.”

 

“It's okay, baby.” They could hear Jaehyun say. “There's no class here this period. Let's get in the shower.”

 

Seungkwan looked absolutely horrified as their words made way for soft moans and the sound of clothes coming off. They waited for the sound of running water to come from the showers and Seungkwan dared to pop his head around the lockers to make sure they wouldn't be seen. In a silent dash they made it out the door.

 

Seungkwan leaned his hands on his knees and he took a few deep breaths, “I can't believe that just happened.” He looked at the closed door with a frown, “Is he making Seokmin skip class?”

 

That's what you're worried about?”

 

The bell rang and they had to run to make it in time for their own class. Sitting at his desk, slightly out of breath, Seungkwan had trouble focusing on whatever their teacher was talking about. He wasn't thinking about the embarrassment he had felt seeing what Jihoon had given him, nor about the unexpected discovery that Seokmin apparently was the type of person to skip class to fool around. He was only thinking about Hansol and the way he had made him feel just now. He couldn't help the small smile on his face. All in all not a bad birthday.

Notes:

-not sure what I wanted with this chap except that on the story timeline it was Seungkwan's birthday, haha.
-For those who remember, the year after Mingyu had made him soup and he did his birthday Vlive I'm pretty sure he was sort of expecting Mingyu to bring him soup again or something, haha.
-S-seokmin??

Chapter 48: HS2-18 Unexpected night shift

Summary:

Hansol and Seungkwan are trying to do math homework at Seungkwan's house when his mother is unexpectedly called in for the night shift. Leaving the two boys by themselves.

Notes:

What is this title?? Idek

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan let out a heavy sigh. “I'm so over math. Can't we just...not do math?” They were in Seungkwan's bedroom working on their homework. It had been a while since they did homework together like this. Seungkwan liked to keep to his study schedule, while Hansol had more of a 'I'll do my homework when I'll do it' type of attitude. But while he was better at planning, Seungkwan had to admit that his boyfriend was better at math and he could use his help. But right now he really wasn't in the studying mood.

 

“What do you want to do then?” Hansol chuckled.

 

“Hmm.” Seungkwan said, pretending to think. “Kiss you.” His mom was home, but at least they could close the door here and she always knocked before entering. She never actually waited for a reply, but it bought them a few seconds to get into a position where they could pretend they hadn't just been making out.

 

“Well, alright, but you can't blame me if you fail math.” He put his pen down and leaned his back against Seungkwan's bed and waited for him to get closer. They had just gotten comfortable when there was an inevitable knock on the door. Seungkwan rolled out of his boyfriend's lap and grabbed the nearest book.

 

“Y-yes?”

 

His mother opened the door, “Honey, I just wanted to let you know that I just got a call from the hospital and they asked me to pick up the night shift today.”

 

“Again? Don't overwork yourself, mom.”

 

“It can't be helped. It's flu season and some co-workers are sick. Besides, it pays a little extra. Anyway, there's dinner in the kitchen.” She went to close the door, but turned back around. “Oh, and Hansol don't go home too late. I don't want you riding the bus by yourself at night.”

 

“Thank you, but it's alright, Mrs. Boo. I can always ask my dad to pick me up.”

 

She smiled and nodded an OK. “You boys study hard now.” She closed the door and left the room silent.

 

Seungkwan slowly turned his head to look at Hansol and found he was already looking at him too. He scooted back to sit next to him again. He leaned in and closed the distance between them. Their kisses were soft and sweet, with an amount of coyness. Seungkwan waited until he heard the sound of the front door closing before he pulled back. “Can I take off your shirt?” He whispered.

 

Hansol gave him a smile that was caught between shyness and seduction. “Take yours off too.” He whispered back. He wasn't sure why they were whispering, but it felt like an appropriate time to do so. Seungkwan made sure to remember just where he put their shirts this time and with his lips still attached to Hansol's he moved the scene from the floor to his bed.

 

As they lost more of their clothes they could both feel that this was it. This was going to be the time. This was going to be the place. For some reason it felt more like the real deal than it had at any point during that time at Hansol's house were they had gotten interrupted. Hovering over Hansol Seungkwan's eyes briefly glanced over to his nightstand. They both knew what was in there. Their eyes connected. Hansol nodded.

 

Seungkwan kept his eyes on Hansol's face the entire time to gauge if he was doing something that he was enjoying (or at the very least not causing him any discomfort). He wanted to say something as he started to move, but the sensation was a bit overwhelming and he drew a blank as what to say. Hansol also didn't utter a word. He was softly caressing Seungkwan's arm, but suddenly grabbed on stronger when a new sensation ran through his body. He saw Seungkwan looking at him in question, but he smiled and shook his head to wave away any worries. He surrendered to the feeling of Seungkwan taking over his body and with it his mind. In this moment there was only them.

 

<>

 

Seungkwan placed a sloppy kiss on his boyfriend's mouth and laid himself down next to him. He found his hand and tangled their fingers together. “That was...that was good, right? Like...I didn't hurt you, did I?”

 

Hansol reached over to stroke his cheek and guide his head to face him. “Babe, that was honestly the best sex I've ever had.”

 

Seungkwan scoffed with amusement, “I'm serious.”

 

“So am I.” He placed a soft kiss on Seungkwan's cheek. “I love you, Seungkwan.”

 

“I love you, too, Hansol Vernon Chwe.”

 

Hansol let out an uncharacteristic giggle and he pulled Seungkwan's face closer for a kiss. “To answer your previous question. No, you didn't hurt me. I mean, it felt kinda weird at first, but not in a bad way. And after that well...I could get used to that.”

 

“I-” Seungkwan started and he bit his lower lip. He propped himself up on one elbow and he ran a finger along Hansol's jaw and down to his chest. “You know...my mom won't be home until early morning.”

 

“Oh?”

 

Seungkwan playfully ran shapeless figures over the middle of Hansol's chest with his finger, “We did talk about how we want to try it both ways...and...I really want to feel what it's like, so if you're up for it...I kinda feel like I've only lost half of my virginity right now.”

 

“That's silly.” Hansol chuckled.

 

“Oh...”

 

“No, I just mean you don't have to feel that way. There are people who only do it the one way, right? But if you want to...we could.”

 

“Do you want to?”

 

He smiled, “Of course I do.”

 

Seungkwan hadn't been entirely sure what to expect and he wondered if Hansol had also felt this exposed and vulnerable before. Not that it was a bad feeling per se, but he couldn't imagine doing this with someone he didn't trust as much as he trusted Hansol. He wanted to close his eyes and let it wash over him, but he was afraid that if he did that he'd only open them to find out it was just a dream. So he kept them open and firmly locked on Hansol's beautiful face and moving body.

 

<>

 

They sat on the couch, hair damp from the shower and a plate loaded with food. Seungkwan had his head on Hansol's shoulder, which wasn't the best position for eating in, but he wanted to be as close as possible. He would have preferred not even getting out of the bed and just fall asleep in his arms, but their stomachs had cried for some sustenance. “Do you have to leave soon?” Seungkwan asked.

 

Hansol cursed the concept of time. “I think I can stay a little longer. Do you want to cuddle on your bed?”

 

“Yes, please.”

 

<>

 

Hansol was gently stroking Seungkwan's hair with one hand and trying to type a message to his mom with the other.

 

Sorry lost track of time. Is it OK if I stay over here?

 

He hesitated and added: His mom is home

 

He doubted his mother would actually check if that was true and it might just be what was needed to convince her that it was okay for him to spend the night at his boyfriend's on a school night. He allowed himself to fully relax when his mother replied that it was okay just this once. He looked at the way Seungkwan rose up and down on his chest. “Kwannie?”

 

“Hm?” Seungkwan hummed in reply and wrapped his arm tighter around him. He was sure Hansol was about to tell him that he really had to get going or that his dad was on his way to pick him up. So he held on to squeeze every moment of being together out of him.

 

“Good night.” Hansol reached over and turned off the table lamp on the nightstand. He sank down to get his head on the pillow and waited for Seungkwan to get comfortable in his arms again.

 

Seungkwan didn't question if it was okay for him to stay and he didn't want to think about how his mom would feel about this. He just listened to Hansol's breathing slowing down and felt the warmth of his arms. The whole night was replaying in his head and more than the physical things they had done and the concept of losing ones virginity, it was the way Hansol made him feel that stuck with him the most. The way he had looked at him as if he was the most beautiful thing in the world and he only hoped that he had looked at Hansol in the same way. The way he had felt completely exposed yet completely safe when it was Hansol taking the lead the second time around. It's not that he hadn't been nervous or didn't feel the weight of his inexperience at times, but all of that got overshadowed by the love radiating from every touch.

Notes:

-Not sure what to say about this chapter. I stuck to a level of detail that I felt comfortable with and I hope I did the moment some justice. Basically: they in love
-Originally this was going to happen after a few other chapters, but I felt it was more in line with the story to let it happen now.

It seems to be a pattern that: Seungkwan and Hansol do something -> Seungkwan talks to Mingyu about it
And so it will be with this, haha.

Chapter 49: HS2-19 Sharing and Bonding

Summary:

Hansol staring at his boyfriend catches someone's attention. Seungkwan and Mingyu talk about last night.

Notes:

Are we ready for the comeback? Haha, of course we're not :D

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The only regret Seungkwan had about the night that he lost his virginity was the fact that it happened on a school night. The next morning he woke up initially feeling happy wrapped in his boyfriend's arms. But that feeling quickly disappeared when he realized the time and what day it was. They had to rush to get ready for school while at the same time making sure his mother didn't somehow find out Hansol had stayed the night. It also didn't help that for some reason Hansol was way more clingy than he usually was at school and Seungkwan reminded him a few times that they were in public.

 

In Hansol's defense, he was already restraining himself. He just wanted to hold Seungkwan's hand and cuddle him and nuzzle his neck and kiss him. Instead, he almost got hit in the face with a basketball because he was distracted by Seungkwan in shorts.

 

“Hansol, come on! Where's your head?” Jaehyun yelled at him form the sidelines. After the fight between Mingyu and Taesung, Jaehyun had taken on the role as captain and he was doing a pretty good job at keeping the peace in the team. On the surface anyway. Seungkwan gave him a reprimanding look as well and Hansol sent both of them a quick apologetic bow.

 

After an otherwise uneventful practice Hansol was walking Seungkwan to the bus stop. Not his usual one.

 

“Do you really have to go over to Mingyu? Can't you come over to my place?”

 

Seungkwan groaned, “I promised. We're doing that stupid social science thing together and we're not finished at all because I keep blowing him off.”

 

Hansol raised an eyebrow at Seungkwan's bad choice of words.

 

“To spend time with you.” Seungkwan added. “So, yeah, I kind of have to now. But, eh, come here for a second.” He dragged him away, not caring about what happened to his bike. They stood behind a tree that covered them from being immediately visible from the road. Seungkwan pressed a not so innocent kiss on Hansol's mouth. He pulled back with a smile. “I've been wanting to do that all day. I'll call you later, okay?”

 

Hansol watched him dart away to get on the bus to Mingyu's house. He was bending over to pick up his bike again when he heard a familiar voice call his name.

 

“Hey, Hansol!”

 

Hansol turned around and faced Hyunggu who was walking up to him. “Yeah?”

 

“Can I talk to you for a sec?”

 

Hansol thought back to the last time Hyunggu had wanted to talk to him and he said Seungkwan was straight. “Eh, sure.” He followed Hyunggu to stand away from where people were and waited for him to start talking.

 

“Ehm, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but...you told me Seungkwan is straight, right?”

 

He felt it best not to answer directly so he just sort of half nodded.

 

“I was just wondering...are you? I've seen the way you look at him and usually it's fondness that I might overlook as just staring at your friend in an endearing way or something, but sometimes you look at him like...”

 

“Like what?”

 

“Like you like him and not just his personality.”

 

“I'm not sure what you're getting at.” He knew what he was getting at.

 

“You stare at him. Especially when he's wearing something that really brings out his ass. I mean, I get it. Believe me I get it.”

 

Hansol felt a blush creep up on his face. He hadn't realized how obvious he apparently was. The redness on his face seemingly told Hyunggu all he wanted to know.

 

“I was just thinking...” Hyunggu continued. “Maybe you and I could bond over having a crush on a straight guy.” He bit his lip in a way that Hansol could only interpret as a kind of flirting.

 

“Ehm...I...I have to go now.” He started to walk away, but Hyunggu stopped him.

 

“Hansol, wait! I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable! I'm sorry.” He softly placed a hand on Hansol's forearm. “Just know that if you ever need anyone to talk to about anything, I'm here.”

 

“Eh, thanks. I'm good though. I'll see you later.” With that Hansol turned around and walked away. He wasn't sure what to make of the situation. He had hoped Hyunggu would give up on liking Seungkwan thinking that he was straight. He definitely hadn't meant for his attention to shift to himself instead.

 

{Mingyu's house}

 

Seungkwan stared at Mingyu sitting across from him. He hadn't told him yet about last night, but he didn't just want to blurt it out, so he was waiting for a good moment.

 

“So,” Mingyu said as he flipped through the pages of a textbook, “what do you think we should put in the second paragraph?”

 

“Me and Hansol had sex last night.”

 

Mingyu blinked a few times while he processed what Seungkwan had just said “...not what I asked, but oh my god! Where? How? How long?”

 

Seungkwan frowned and gave him a look like he was judging him. Hard. “How long!? Why would you ask met that!?”

 

“I'm sorry, cancel that question. I don't actually want to know that! Start with how it happened. Wasn't your mom home? Or were you at his house?”

 

“No, my house. My mom was supposed to be home, but she got called into work. So it totally wasn't planned. Maybe that's why it happened. We had to sneak around in the morning.”

 

“Why? I thought your mom was super chill about everything.”

 

“Well, she is...and she's totally fine with Hansol sleeping over when she's home and it's the weekend, but I don't think she's okay with him staying over on a school night.”

 

“So...? How was it?”

 

“It was...kind of intense, I guess.”

 

“Intense how?”

 

Seungkwan took a moment to think about that. “I've never felt that close to another person before and that feeling was new and well, intense. I could just feel that he loves me or something. I don't know how else to describe it. I mean, it wasn't perfect, but it was okay that we were both still figuring things out.”

 

“Aww, that's kinda sweet.”

 

“Yeah, and definitely better than that other time we almost did it at Hansol's house and he told me to 'just put it in'” Seungkwan pressed his lips together in a thin line and shut himself up as soon as he said it. He didn't really need Mingyu to know about the logistic details of his newly brought into existence sex-life.

 

“You just gave away more information than you meant to, didn't you?” Mingyu said with a hint of glee on his face.

 

Seungkwan's face, on the other hand, turned bright red, “I...eh...”

 

“If it makes you feel any less embarrassed I 'put it in' too.”

 

Seungkwan reached behind him to grab a pillow and threw it in Mingyu's face, “Dude, I didn't need to know that and for your information we did it both ways!” This time he buried his face in his hands to hide the even darker shade of red.

 

Mingyu was almost literally rolling over the floor laughing, “You just keep revealing things all by yourself, Boo Seungkwan. Just admit you want to share and I'll listen.”

 

“Perv!” Seungkwan looked up again and frowned at him.

 

“I'm not the one who had sex twice in one night when doing it for the first time!”

 

Seungkwan straightened his shoulders and pushed away his embarrassed. “Yeah, well, so what? You've got a problem?”

 

Mingyu slowly breathed out to control his laughter. “All jokes aside, I'm happy for you that everything went okay. You should write Jihoon a thank you note for the lube.”

 

Seungkwan got up, grabbed the pillow again and whacked Mingyu a dozen times with it. He sat back down with a huff. “I'm never telling you anything ever again. Was I like this when you told me you had sex? No. I was a good friend.”

 

“Oh, come on. Don't be like that. I'm just teasing. What's the big deal anyway? Now that we both know what sex is really like, we can talk about it, right?”

 

“Why would we do that?”

 

Mingyu shrugged. “I dunno, just bonding or sharing. Are you the same Seungkwan who suggested making out for practice and watching porn?”

 

“That's different! I don't need the mental image of you having sex. It's weird.”

 

“You're weird.” Mingyu mumbled.

 

Seungkwan let out a sigh, “Fine. Is there anything you'd like to 'share' with me so we can 'bond'? I already told you about the most intimate moment of my life, but whatever.”

 

Mingyu stared at him for a moment, assessing if behind the sarcasm was a genuine invitation to talk. Seungkwan was still staring at him like he was waiting, so he figured that was the case. “Okay, so, there's this position that I want to try where-”

 

“No!” Seungkwan covered his ears with his hands, “I was right. This is weird.”

 

Mingyu got closer and tried pulling his hands away, “It's not weird! What's weird is that you can't even listen to me without picturing me having sex!”

 

“I have a very visual imagination, leave me alone!”

 

“I just want-” There was a knock on the door. They both turned their heads, Mingyu's hands still wrapped around Seungkwan's wrists and Seungkwan trying to cover his ears.

 

“Everything all right in here, boys?” Mingyu's mother asked. “Seungkwan, are you staying for dinner?”

 

“Y-yes. If that's okay.” Seungkwan nodded politely and he tried to shrug Mingyu off him.

 

“Thank you, mom. Bye.” Mingyu said to shut down the conversation.

 

They both let out a long breath after the door closed again.

 

“We really shouldn't be yelling about sex when my parents are home.” Mingyu said.

 

“It wasn't my fault! You're the one who-”

 

Mingyu silenced his friend with a finger on his lips. “Seungkwan, please, let's not start again. I'm suddenly very tired. Let's just finish this assignment.”

 

“Fine.”

 

Seungkwan was still glad he had told Mingyu about him and Hansol. Maybe someday he'd be more open to discuss sex in more detail with his best friend, but for now the only person he wanted to share every detail with was the person he would actually be having sex with.

Notes:

-Hyunggu, my dude, you need to get your gaydar checked, lol
-Mingyu, chill, the boy JUST lost his virginity lol

Hmm next is probably Valentine's day~ (basically just a fluffy chap)

Chapter 50: HS2-20 Cookies

Summary:

For Valentine's Seungkwan and Hansol decide to make cookies together.

Notes:

Have a (cute?) little Valentine's Day home date~

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Hansol looked at the contents of their shopping basket. “Don't we have a bit much, Boo? Just how many cookies are you planning on making?”

 

Seungkwan sighed and double checked his shopping list, “We're going to make a whole lot so we can give them to our family and friends! Valentine's day isn't just for couples, you know.”

 

The first half of February was filled with birthday after birthday in their group. Last year they only had Hansol and Seokmin with their birthdays on the same day even, but now with the addition of Chan and Jaehyun there were four birthdays and Valentine's Day in less than a week's time. Since they had come up with the idea to go out to an amusement park that Sunday, the day after Valentine's, Seungkwan and Hansol had decided to have a home date on Saturday. Seungkwan had come up with the idea to make chocolate cookies. Hansol just wanted to do whatever Seungkwan wanted to do.

 

As they (Seungkwan) stood there deciding if they needed edible glitter to make their cookies more glamorous, an older lady stopped next to them. “Aren't you boys nice, making Valentine sweets for your girlfriends.”

 

Seungkwan was torn between his need for everybody to like him and to be polite and being annoyed at the hetero-normative assumptions. “We don't have girlfriends, ma'am.” He smiled sweetly.

 

“Oh, I see. These are going to be confession cookies.” She laughed, but Seungkwan had trouble keeping the smile on his face. Why was this lady talking to them anyway?

 

Hansol nudged Seungkwan. “I think we have everything. Let's go.” He didn't really care what some stranger thought about why they were making cookies together on Valentine's Day, but he could tell it was bothering his boyfriend.

 

Seungkwan nodded. “Yeah. Let's go.” He gave the lady a polite little nod and grabbed Hansol's free hand, making sure to tangle their fingers together to leave no doubt about who they were making cookies for. He resisted the urge to look back to see her face, but he was proud of himself. He hadn't been rude about it, but he had found the courage to show who he was without apologies. Even if it was to a stranger who he would most likely never see again, it felt good.

 

{Hansol's kitchen}

 

“No, wait! You're not supposed to do it like that!” Seungkwan frowned at Hansol and took the whisk from his hand. Hansol stared at him in silence and for a second Seungkwan was worried his nagging had upset him. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-” He got interrupted with a smear of batter getting wiped onto his cheek. With his mouth half-open he stared at his boyfriend's smug face. He scoffed and he reached out to get his hands on some batter himself to return the favor.

 

The next thing they knew they were covered in batter and flour was flying around the kitchen. Hansol wrapped his arms around Seungkwan's waist and pulled him in for a strong kiss. Seungkwan let his arms rest on Hansol's shoulder with his batter-covered hands hanging in the air. Hansol confirmed his suspicions about Seungkwan secretly eating some of the chocolate chips when he tasted the lingering sweetness on his tongue. He let his hands roam lower.

 

They pulled apart in an instant when someone behind them loudly cleared their throat. “Don't mind me...” Hansol's younger sister, Sofia, said as she walked to the fridge, “...I'm just here to get a soda.”

 

“I-I thought you were out!” Hansol replied and he started wiping his hands clean on his apron.

 

She looked him over and couldn't help but laugh at her big brother and his boyfriend covered in cookie materials, “Clearly.”

 

“We, eh, I dropped some stuff. We'll clean it up! Don't tell mom and dad.”

 

She waved his concerns away with her hand, “Sure, sure. I was never even in the kitchen.” When she walked by Seungkwan she leaned in and whispered, “You have a bit of hand-shaped flour on your butt.”

 

Seungkwan felt his face heat up and he tried to twist his body so he could see. “Hansol!” he whined.

 

Hansol just chuckled with a cheeky grin on his face, “Want me to pat it off for you?”

 

“It's not funny! Look at my pants!” He cried as he tried to get it off.

 

“Okay.”

 

Seungkwan narrowed his eyes into thin slits. “I'm serious. What if it had been your parents and they saw your grabby hand print on my ass.”

 

Hansol got closer again. “You should, eh, really take those off.”

 

Seungkwan turned to face him and folded his arms. “What is with you? Are you horny or something?” He had only said it as a kind of jab, but Hansol didn't respond offended or in any way that Seungkwan had expected.

 

“Yes.” Hansol sighed. “Don't look at me like that. It's not so weird, is it? We're spending time together and we're having fun and you're wearing a cute apron. I'd be concerned if I wasn't horny.”

 

Seungkwan had to admit that he wasn't totally unbothered himself. “What time will your parents get home? No, wait, never mind. Your sister.” He glanced over to the doorway, but she had gone back up to her room as soon as she got her drink.

 

“Would it be too obvious if I asked her to step out for a bit?” Hansol thought out loud.

 

“Way too obvious.” Seungkwan sighed. “Let's just get back to cookies. That's fun too.” He started to re-organize the countertop and hoped they hadn't wasted too many ingredients. He felt Hansol's hands on his hips and his chin on his shoulder.

 

“Do you want to take a 'making cookies' selfie?”

 

Seungkwan let out a fake gasp of shock, “You're suggesting to take a selfie? I thought you didn't like taking selfies.”

 

“But you do. And it's not that I don't like it, you just always want to take a million.”

 

Seungkwan opened his mouth to object, but he bit his tongue. Instead he decided to take advantage of the fact that his boyfriend was in a rare picture taking mood. Little over an hour and about a hundred pictures later, Seungkwan was staring at their baked creations, fresh out of the oven, with a pout. “They don't look as good as they do on Pinterest.”

 

Hansol chuckled, picked one up and took a bite. “They taste good though.”

 

“Let me taste.”

 

Hansol held out the cookie and Seungkwan took a bite. His frown relaxed. “I guess they're good enough for our friends. Let's give the best looking ones to our parents. And Sofia, to buy her silence.”

 

{Hansol's room, evening}

 

“I think your parents liked the cookies. Don't you?”

 

Hansol hummed in agreement and shut the door behind him.

 

Seungkwan raised an eyebrow. “Eh, shouldn't we keep that open?” He asked and he sat down on the edge of Hansol's bed.

 

“No, it's okay. I, eh, talked to my parents about it.” Hansol joined him on the bed.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I told them we have sex.”

 

“You what!?” Seungkwan leaned all the way back as if Hansol was about to jump him.

 

“I was tired of having to be so careful when you come over and especially now that we've started having sex, I just-.”

 

“So, you were just like, what? Mom, Dad. I want to fuck Seungkwan so I'm closing the door!? As if I can ever have sex here now!”

 

“As long as we make sure we keep it down I don't see what the problem is.”

 

“You don't see- I-”

 

Hansol stood back up and took a few steps toward the door, “Do you want me to open it up again? Is that what you want?”

 

“N-no...”

 

“What do you want then?”

 

“I want our parents as far away from out sex-life as possible. That's what I want.”

 

“Do you think I wanted to have that talk with them? Because I didn't. But I want to be able to get close to you without feeling like we have to hide it.”

 

“But...” Seungkwan mumbled. “Can't we just do it when they're not home or something?”

 

Hansol sat down again and took his hand, “Look, Seungkwan. I'll never push to have sex in a setting that makes you uncomfortable, but personally I don't think it's very realistic. How often are we really alone in the house? Almost never. If you really don't want to, of course we don't have to, but-”

 

“I don't think it's very realistic either...” He looked up to catch his eyes and he shyly bit his lower lip, “...I...I think I can keep it down.”

 

Hansol chuckled and shook his head, “Why are you complaining then?”

 

Seungkwan shrugged and a little smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He let out a loud laugh when Hansol playfully pushed him on his back. He immediately covered his mouth. “Sorry...” he whispered.

 

Hansol just smiled and leaned down to kiss him.

Notes:

-There isn't all that much story left in this school year :o Just a few more things happen and I think at least half of it is basically fluff and dates, haha (which also means I have more trouble writing, because I normally live for drama...we'll still get DRAMA, but not so much this school year)
-The amusement park outing will also include some of Jaehyun's friends (background) :D

Chapter 51: HS2-21 Amusement Park

Summary:

The gang goes to an amusement park to celebrate some birthdays! But they run into someone from school.

Notes:

First of: COMEBACK!!! LEFT & RIGHT is a BOP (and I'm in love with Fearless)

Second: this chapter, idek, you can tell I struggled since it took me way longer to update :/

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan hopped from his left feet to his right and back in an attempt to feel warmer. “Why did we decide to celebrate these birthdays outside? It's freakin' freezing.” He said to Hansol, Chan, Mingyu and Wonwoo standing next to him. “Where is everybody? Can't they just get here on time?” As if on cue, an arm wrapped around him from behind and he let out a small yelp. He turned around to find Jeonghan smiling at him. “Where did you come from!?”

 

“The parking lot. Jisoo's mom dropped us off.” He looked around the group. “So we're still missing Hoonie, Minnie, and Jaehyun?”

 

“And I believe Johnny and Doyoung are also coming. I guess to balance out the friend group for Jaehyun a bit.” Wonwoo replied.

 

“Doyoung?” Jisoo asked. He remembered Johnny as the basketball team's captain last year, but the other name didn't ring a bell.

 

“A friend of Jaehyun. He's in the book club with me.” Wonwoo explained.

 

“He is?” Mingyu asked. Wonwoo didn't talk much about his club activities and for some reason 'book club president Wonwoo' existed in a sort of vacuum in Mingyu's head. Of course there were other members and Mingyu knew that. He had just never really thought about who Wonwoo was spending that time with. Wonwoo simply nodded.

 

“Oh!” Seungkwan exclaimed and he pulled three bags of the cookies he and Hansol had made yesterday out of his bag. “Jisoo, one for you. Jeonghan, I'm giving you two so be sure to give one to Seungcheol, okay?”

 

They didn't have to wait long for the others to arrive. Jihoon first, quickly followed by the rest who all arrived together. After polite nods and introductions for those who didn't know each other they entered the amusement park. Even though it was the weekend it was clear that Seungkwan wasn't the only one who thought it was too cold out. There weren't many visitors. “At least the lines will be fast.” Hansol pointed out in an attempt to turn his boyfriend's frown upside down.

 

“You're right. And it's not that cold, I guess. I'm sorry for being grumpy on your birthday.”

 

Hansol smiled at him with that adoring look in his eyes that he got sometimes when looking at Seungkwan.

 

“What?” Seungkwan asked.

 

Hansol shook his head. “Nothing. It's just, if someone would have told me last year at my birthday that I'd be spending the next with you as my boyfriend...” He shrugged. “I'm just happy I guess.”

 

“Can we go ride something now?” Jihoon interrupted their sweet moment.

 

“Jihoon! There are minors present!”

 

“...I said something not someone.”

 

Johnny let out a loud laugh and Jihoon pressed his lips together as if unintentionally making someone laugh was the height of social awkwardness for him. Johnny didn't seem to notice or care as he was already focused on other things. “Jae, don't forget to put on your scarf, dude.” He said with a smirk.

 

A bit shy Jaehyun pulled out the longest scarf ever and wrapped part of it around his neck. He held out the other end in Seokmin's direction who happily wrapped it around his own neck. The kept it on even when they went on a roller coaster together. Seokmin only took it off momentarily when Jeonghan dragged all the music club members into a photo booth.

 

“Come on, you guys!” He said as he squeezed himself in the already full booth. “A year ago we just finished the Battle of the Bands audition! We need to take a one-year anniversary picture!”

 

“Do we have to take it in here though?” Jisoo wondered out loud. He was balancing on one foot trying to make enough space for Jihoon in front of him.

 

“Yes! It's symbolic for how close we are.”

 

They knew better by now than to argue with Jeonghan anyway, so they just took their silly photo booth pictures with a smile.

 

A few more rides later their stomach started to growl and they decided to head to one of the eating establishments for some lunch.

 

Mingyu was last to sit down and he had just grabbed some paper napkins for the table when he turned around and bumped right into a girl holding a tray of food. He was just in time to grab it and make sure it didn't fall to the floor. “Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?” He asked the girl who looked back at him with a blush on her cheeks.

 

“I-I'm fine thank you.” With the way she was looking at Mingyu it was clear that she hadn't exactly minded Mingyu bumping into her.

 

“I didn't spill any of your food, right? Where's your table? I'll carry the tray.”

 

“T-that's okay. Really.”

 

Suddenly an arm wrapped around the girl. “Everything okay here, baby?”

 

Mingyu's face went from his warm friendly smile to stone cold in a flash. Taesung.

 

“O-oh, yes. It's nothing. Let's go sit down.” The girl, who didn't seem to understand that the two knew each other, started to walk away, but Taesung didn't move.

 

“You hitting on my girlfriend, Mingyu?”

 

“What? No?”

 

Wonwoo had been snickering about this poor girl getting flustered by his beautiful boyfriend, but he got up as soon as he saw Taesung approaching. “Funny how you called him a fag but are still worried because your girl can't take her eyes off him.”

 

Taesung scoffed, “You're right.” His eyes went over their table, lingered a bit longer on Jaehyun and Seokmin's shared scarf, “You all are already busy with your freaky gay orgy or whatever. Except for Jeonghan of course whose just a fag hag at this point. Nice hair, lady-boy.”

 

“We're just out at an amusement park. If you think that's equivalent to a freaky gay orgy, why are you here?” This time it was Johnny who spoke up.

 

“Surprised to see you here, Johnny. I guess they finally converted you.”

 

“I don't remember you being such an asshole last year.” Johnny stood up and towered over him. “Give it a rest, Taesung. Go have lunch with your girlfriend and leave us alone.”

 

Luckily he didn't keep pushing and went to join his girlfriend.

 

“Her face looks like a thundercloud. I hope she dumps his ass.” Jihoon said.

 

Mingyu sighed, “I'm sure he'll blame me for that if it happens.”

 

“He only has himself to blame for being such a hateful person.” Jisoo said. He cast a glance at Jeonghan sitting next to him who had become very quiet. “A hateful person, close-minded person whose opinion is best ignored.”

 

They tried to get their happy vibe back, but it took until Taesung and his girlfriend got up and left before they started to relax again. Although Seungkwan didn't miss that when Jaehyun got back from the bathroom he didn't put his scarf back on again. He mumbled something about it being too warm anyway.

 

Back outside, while some of them were discussing what to ride next, Jeonghan pulled on Seungkwan's sleeve. “Kwannie, can I borrow your cap?” Seungkwan looked at his friend. He knew why he wanted his cap. Not because he was cold or because he was afraid the wind would mess up his hair. What Taesung had said had struck a cord. He took off his cap, but he didn't give it to Jeonghan. He held it out to Hansol instead.

 

“Sollie, can you hold my cap while me and Jeonghan ride those teacups over there?”

 

“Seungkwan, what? I don't want to ride stupid teacups.”

 

“Come on!” He grabbed Jeonghan by the wrist and dragged him to the line. He was still resisting, but a push in the back from Jihoon shut him up. The others shrugged and followed them. Tea cups might seem childish, but there's nothing to get you laughing like spinning around in an oversized cup and taking pictures trying to look fabulous with the wind in your hair while you're being thrown from side to side. By the end of the ride Jeonghan's cheerful smile had returned and the rest of them were laughing too. The incident with Taesung as good as forgotten. By most of them.

Notes:

-Jeonghan is still sensitive about being called girly. He's feeling so much better in his college environment, but stuff like this triggers all the bad high school memories :(
-Doyoung was there but he didn't say anything? LOL
-Next chap won't be fun for one of them

Chapter 52: HS2-22 SOS on the roof

Summary:

Seungkwan gets a message from Jihoon during class and it's enough to make him skip class for the first time ever.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan was trying his hardest to pay attention to the history teacher's monotone voice explaining about some war when he heard his phone buzz in his bag. He slid down his chair as subtle as he could and took it out. He had it on his lap and with one eye on the teacher unlocked it.



Jihoonie: SOS on the roof w Seokmin rn he got dumped



"What!?"



"Is there a problem, Mr.Boo?"



"N-no, sir. No, actually yes! It's Mingyu! He has a nut allergy and he just accidentally ate a peanut! It's vital me and Hansol take him to the nurse's office. He's a tall guy, you know. Better if there's two of us in case he collapses."



"What?" Mingyu whispered confused in Seungkwan's direction.



"Now!"



Not giving their taken aback teacher a chance to tell them they couldn't go, Seungkwan grabbed Mingyu by the arm and shot Hansol a look. They left followed by confused stares and murmers from their classmates. Out in the hallway Seungkwan didn't stop to explain, instead he started marching towards the stairs leading up.



"Are you going to tell us what's going on?" Mingyu asked as he used his long legs to keep up.



"We have to go to the roof! Apparently Jaehyun broke up with Seok."



"What!?"



"Exactly!"



{Rooftop}



Seungkwan let Hansol step out first. He knew how to get to the roof of the school, but he never went there and part of him felt like it was as if he was coming over to Jihoon, Hansol, and Chan’s shared house or something. He couldn’t help shiver when the wind hit him. It was getting warmer, but without a coat it was definitely chilly. They found the two classmates sitting next to each other with some distance between them. Jihoon looked, somewhat expected, uncomfortable and unsure of what to do in the situation. Seokmin’s eyes were red and puffy, but he didn’t seem to be crying at the moment.



“Hey.” Seungkwan said as he sat down in front of his heartbroken friend. “What happened? Do you want to talk about it?”



Seokmin shrugged and sniffed. “Just before class I was just talking to him about what we were going to do in the weekend and suddenly he told me that we needed to talk…then he broke up with me.”



Seungkwan scoffed, “Classy of him to do it at school. Couldn't he at least wait until after?”



Hansol nudged him and gave him a look that told him to be more sensitive. “Did he tell you why he suddenly wanted to break up?”



“He…” Seokmin couldn’t stop the tears from falling again, “...He said I’m too passive or something and that I never show any initiative and that he didn’t think we’d be able to make it work after high school so he’d rather end it now.”

 

“He got his acceptance letter for a university on the other side of the country, by the way.” Jihoon added on Seokmin’s behalf.

 

“Okay, so, maybe you just have to show him that you do show initiative and tell him that you don’t want to break up!” Mingyu said with a sense of hope in his voice.



“What kind of crap is that?” Jihoon retorted, “He gets dumped and he is supposed to beg for him back? Fuck that. If he’s not willing to even try to make it work, he doesn’t deserve him anyway.”



“But…” Mingyu looked down at a crying Seokmin and sighed. He sat down next to him and wrapped a big arm around him.



Seokmin leaned into the touch, “What’s the point? He doesn’t want to be my boyfriend anymore. There’s nothing I can do.” He hiccuped between cries. “Did you guys leave class for me? I’m sorry.”

 

“Don’t worry about that! It was just the last class anyway and boring.” Seungkwan said immediately. “Is there anything you need from us? Do you want to go to karaoke? Eat ice cream?”



“Get high?”



“Jihoon! This is not the time to-”



“Is it safe?” Seokmin asked and Seungkwan’s mouth fell open.



“Sure. Wait, let me text Chan to get here. He probably has some mild stuff.”



“Ehm, I know you’re hurting, but I don’t think drugs are the answer.”

 

Hansol placed a hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder, “Relax, Kwannie. It might make him feel better or at least take his mind of things for a bit. You can try it too if you want.”

 

Seungkwan crossed his arms. “I do not.”

 

{20 minutes later}

 

They had been joined by Chan as soon as the bell rang and were now passing around a joint. Seungkwan started to cough after he took his first drag. “You actually like this!?” He said as he eyed his boyfriend.

 

“Give it a minute.” He chuckled.

 

They were all startled by the sound of Seokmin’s cheerful ringtone blasting across the roof.

 

“Is it Jaehyun? Don’t pick up if it’s Jaehyun!” Mingyu yelled out louder than necessary.

 

“It’s Jeonghan…” Seokmin answered.

 

MINNIE!” They could hear on the other side, “Where are you now? Still at the school? I’ll be there ASAP!”



“What do you mean? Don’t you have class?”



I was in class when I got Hoonie’s message, but I left right away! I can’t believe that someone has had the audacity to break up with you!



“Wait! Han! Bring snacks. We’re all going to be hungry soon.” Jihoon shouted.

 

Mingyu let out a loud huff and threw his phone into his bag.

 

“What's wrong with you?” Seungkwan said as he lightly kicked his leg.

 

“It's Wonwoo...he's not coming.”

 

"Oh..why not?"

 

"I told him what we're doing up here and he said he doesn't want to risk getting caught, but Seokmin is his friend too, right? He should come up here and be there for him!"

 

"Guys, I think Gyu might be having a bad trip."

 

"I'm not having a bad trip! I'm just annoyed." He took the joint Chan was holding out to him. “So, how long before this stuff makes me see the funny side of my boyfriend not caring about his friends?”

 

“I'm sure he cares, Kim Mingyu.” Seungkwan said, slightly scolding, “It's just that he got into the honor program and I'm sure he's just worried about what would happen if he gets caught smoking weed. Let's be honest, this is pretty dumb of us and I totally don't approve.” He spoke as he took the joint again.

 

A few minutes later people were starting to feel the effects of what they were smoking and thanks to Chan's brilliant idea to take selfies with crazy filters the roof was soon filled with laughter. Jeonghan showed up with an array of snacks and they were all still laughing when they tried to stay quiet as they were leaving the school premises. That night they all invaded Seokmin's house and stayed the night. Wonwoo included. Although Seungkwan could tell Mingyu was still a bit miffed at him.

Notes:

-Poor Seokmin T___T
-Wonwoo is just being smart

Chapter 53: HS2-23 No Problem

Summary:

Another time that Seungkwan finds himself alone in the locker room with Hyunggu.

Notes:

This is a DOUBLE update, so if you feel like you're missing something go back one chapter~

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan had had half a mind to boycott basketball and English club for the remainder of the year, but Hansol had convinced him to go. They still had one big game coming up and it really wouldn't be fair to their other teammates to just bail. Even so, Seungkwan had gone out of his way to avoid any interaction with Jaehyun as much as possible. Whenever he got an instruction he listened and did what he was told, but he didn't reply or even acknowledge his presence. He didn't care that Seokmin said he was fine with them talking to his ex, Seungkwan wasn't having it.

 

However, at the end of practice Jaehyun called him out and told him to stay behind for a minute saying he had to go over something with him. Seungkwan knew right away it was most likely an excuse. He waited with his arms crossed and a frown on his face while the others left.

 

“H-how is he?” Jaehyun asked without keeping up the pretense.

 

Seungkwan scoffed loudly, “Oh now you care about his feelings? How about when you dumped him in the middle of a school day?”

 

“I didn't dump him, I just...it's for the better. I know it was bad timing, but I had been thinking about it, a lot, and it came out. I couldn't talk about what I wanted to do together when I knew that I-”

 

“That you were going to dump him.” Seungkwan snapped at him, but when he looked at the sad expression on his face he sighed and his anger deflated a little. “He'll be okay.”

 

Seungkwan thought he saw tears in his eyes before Jaehyun turned away from him. “Sorry. Can you leave now?”

 

{Locker room}

 

Most people were already gone, including Hansol, and Seungkwan quickly checked his phone.

 

Sollie: waiting outside by the bike racks

 

After a quick shower he got back to the lockers and once again found himself alone in the locker room with Hyunggu. Was he just a very slow dresser?

 

“Was everything okay with Jaehyun? He's not back yet.”

 

“Hm? Oh yeah, he just wanted to ask me something.” Seungkwan replied as he started to get dressed. He sat down on the bench next to the other boy to put on his shoes.

 

“I can't believe next week is already the last game of the year. Time goes so fast, doesn't it?”

 

“Yeah, I guess it does.”

 

“Are you staying with the team next year?”

 

“Oh, I haven't really thought about it, but I guess so. At least next year we won't have to deal with Taesung anymore.”

 

Hyunggu chuckled, “I hear that. It's kind of ironic that he's always so mean to you and calling you names because he thinks you're gay or whatever, while there is an actual gay right next to you.”

 

Seungkwan looked up at Hyunggu. He wasn't completely sure who he was talking about. “What do you mean?”

 

“I mean...I mean me. I'm gay. But he keeps picking on you for it, but you're not. I appreciate how you never just flat out tell him that you're not gay, because calling someone gay shouldn't be an insult. Right?” He rambled.

 

“Right.” Seungkwan replied flatly. He could tell Hyunggu was struggling with the words coming out of his mouth and Seungkwan placed a friendly hand on his shoulder. While he hadn't been sure about it, he had considered the possibility Hyunggu might not be exactly straight. He felt a bit bad for never reaching out to him given the toxic things coming from their teammate's mouth all the time. “I'm sorry that you've had to deal with Taesung. Just because it wasn't directly directed at you, doesn't mean his words didn't hurt you.”

 

Hyunggu nodded and smiled at Seungkwan. “You know, I'm a little jealous at Hansol for being so close with you. You're such a nice person, Seungkwan.”

 

“Oh, eh, thanks. You're nice too.” He hesitated for a moment, but he had to ask. “Hyunggu? Why are you so sure I'm not gay?” Seungkwan found it odd that pretty much everybody at this school had immediately assumed that he was gay and yet another gay boy thought he was straight?

 

“Okay, this is super embarrassing, but I kind of asked Hansol about it a few months back and he told me you were straight.”

 

“He...did?”

 

“I'm sorry if it makes you feel weird that I asked about you, I just...I thought you were and I just wanted to make sure, I guess.”

 

Seungkwan sighed. He saw no reason to not just tell the truth of the matter. “Well, you were right.”

 

Hyunggu stared at him with a confused look. “About you being gay?”

 

“Yeah...I'm not sure why Hansol would tell you that I'm straight.”

 

“Wait, so, you're gay? As in, you like boys?”

 

“Is that a problem? You just said you are too.”

 

“No, of course it's not a problem.” He scooted a little closer. “It's not a problem at all.”

 

Seungkwan had his hand on the bench and he could feel Hyunggu's hand being placed directly next to it.

 

“Do you...have a boyfriend?” Hyunggu asked with a soft voice.

 

“I, eh...” Seungkwan's mind was blank. If Hansol had told Hyunggu that he was straight, did that mean he was totally opposed to the idea of anyone outside their friend group knowing about them?

 

“I don't. I sort of have a crush on someone though.”

 

“Oh?” Seungkwan was just sitting there. He felt like he should maybe back away a bit, but he didn't want to seem rude.

 

“Yeah, but I was trying to redirect my focus since he's straight. Or so I thought.”

 

His gaze was fixated on Seungkwan and moved down to his lips and back up again. Just then the door to the dressing room opened and Seungkwan jumped up immediately.

 

“Am I interrupting something?” Jaehyun asked with his eyebrows raised.

 

“Nope!” Seungkwan exclaimed. “I was just leaving actually. You two have a nice evening. Afternoon. Whatever.” He stormed out with his heart in his throat and rushed to where his boyfriend was waiting for him. The last thing he wanted right now was for Hyunggu to follow him. He smiled a bright smile at Hansol. “Let's go!”

 

“Where are we even going?” Hansol chuckled.

 

“Your house, my house, the park, anywhere. Let's just go.”

 

“Everything okay? What happened with Jaehyun?”

 

“What? Oh, yeah, no, he was just asking me how Seok was doing. I think he actually feels really bad about it. I just don't want to be at school anymore, so just take me wherever.”

 

They rode off with Seungkwan holding onto Hansol as he sat on the back of his bicycle. They didn't notice Hyunggu staring at them from afar.

Notes:

-Hyunggu with his double crush on Verkwan. Poor guy, lol. There he was thinking he might have a chance with Seungkwan after all.
-Does Seungkwan want to know why exactly Hansol decided to tell Hyunggu that he's straight? Yes. Does he feel like talking about how Hyunggu was getting awfully close? No.

Chapter 54: HS2-24 Sleepover 2.0

Summary:

Like last year the boys decide to invade Seungkwan's house for an end-of-the-school-year sleepover!

Notes:

Aaaah, this update is SUPER late compared to my past updating habits for this fic >.< To whoever still reads this: thank you T__T and enjoy~

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan pushed the couch back further and sighed. “Why are we having a sleepover here again?”

 

“Because your mother just happens to be out of town again at the end of the school year.” Mingyu answered and helped him create space.

 

The last few weeks had flown by and another year of high school had come to an end. Like last year they had decided to use Seungkwan's living room as the scene for a celebratory end of the year sleepover. Hansol, Mingyu, Wonwoo, Jihoon, Seokmin, and newcomer of the year Chan had come over right after school was finished. Jisoo had come straight from his college dorms and Jeonghan would be later. It was crazy to think that it had already been a year since the last sleepover. The sleepover where Hansol had finally confessed his feelings for Seungkwan over breakfast.

 

{Seungkwan's bedroom}

 

Seungkwan was staring at his bed, contemplating whether dragging his mattress to the living room was going to be worth the effort, when he felt hands wrap around his waist from behind.

 

“Need help?” Hansol whispered in his ear and softly kissed his neck.

 

Seungkwan left out a soft moan. “Don't kiss me like that.”

 

“Why not?” Hansol asked and kissed the other side.

 

Seungkwan sighed and turned around in Hansol's arms to face him. “Because you know how much I like it and I have a living room filled with people.”

 

Hansol smiled and pressed a kiss on his boyfriend's lips. “Are you saying that one little kiss is enough to get you going?” He chuckled at the glare he received. “We've been together for almost a year, do you realize that?”

 

“Do you know who you're talking to? Of course I do. Why do you think I asked you to come with me to visit my dad? It's so we don't have to be apart on our anniversary.”

 

“Really? I just thought you wanted me to meet him.”

 

Seungkwan shrugged, “I guess. But really that's not exactly what I'm looking forward to. The area around the town has so many beautiful spots. We'll be able to have the best dates ever when we're there.”

 

Hansol stroked his hair. “I love you.” He leaned in again and started kissing him with more fire than before.

 

“I love you too.” Seungkwan mumbled between increasingly hungry kisses. He pulled him down with him to lie on the bed, not so bothered anymore with the thought of the people in the living room.

 

When he reached Seungkwan's belt Hansol's hand stopped and he pulled back, slightly out of breath. “We probably shouldn't take it any further, should we?” The expression on his face suggested that he wanted to do anything but stop.

 

“Probably. Unless...how turned on are you? I don't want to be responsible for blue balls.”

 

“Don't worry. I'll manage.”

 

“No, Hansol, I'm serious. I don't want you to develop testicle troubles.”

 

“Babe, really I'll be fine.”

 

Seungkwan sighed, “My god, Hansol...can't you just fake it, so that I can sort of pretend we don't have a choice but to have sex real quick despite the fact that it's sort of weird and creepy to do it with all of our friends on the other side of the door?”

 

A smirk spread across Hansol's face. “Please, Seungkwan, please have sex with me so I don't develop a serious health issue. It's a medical emergency.”

 

“That's more like it.”

 

<>

 

“Seungkwan, do you have another blanket for-” Mingyu stood frozen in the doorway. It took him a few seconds to process what he had just walked in on. As soon as he did, he covered his eyes and started to walk backwards, feeling around for the doorknob. “Sorry, sorry. What the fuck. I didn't know you guys were- I wasn't expecting- I'm leaving.”

 

{Living room}

 

“That was fast.” Jihoon snorted when Hansol and Seungkwan walked out into the living room. Mingyu clearly hadn't kept what he had seen to himself.

 

“I don't know what you're talking about.” Seungkwan said, trying to pretend he wasn't slightly mortified.

 

“I'm talking about you two boning in your bedroom.”

 

“That's not why we were in there! It just happened! Leave us alone! We're in love! It's Mingyu's fault for just barging in!” Seungkwan retorted in a rant.

 

“How was I supposed to know!?”

 

“You should have knocked! If a bedroom door is closed, you should always knock!”

 

“He's not wrong.” Wonwoo nodded.

 

“Why do you always take Seungkwan's side!” Mingyu pouted at his boyfriend.

 

Wonwoo shook his head with a smile, “I just think that all of this could have been avoided if you knocked.”

 

“Or if they didn't have sex while all of us are here.” Jisoo added.

 

“Why can't they have sex in Seungkwan's own bedroom? It's not a big deal.” Jihoon shrugged. “Did any of us hear anything? No. We wouldn't have even known if Mingyu had some common sense.”

 

“Can we just stop talking about it?” Hansol mumbled who had a rare blush on his face.

 

“Please.” Chan agreed. “While you two were, eh, away, we were talking about what movie to watch first. Any suggestions?”

 

{kitchen}

 

“Jisoo, tell me again why Jeonghan isn't here?” Seungkwan asked Jisoo who was helping him get the snacks from the kitchen.

 

“His aunt and uncle are visiting and he doesn't get to see them that often. He said he'll try to get here later tonight or he'll join us for breakfast.”

 

“Wouldn't you rather be with him then? To meet his family?”

 

“And miss this? No way.” He laughed, but there was no joy in it.

 

“Are you guys okay?” Seungkwan asked softly. With both of them away at different colleges, Seungkwan could only imagine how hard it was. The times they saw them together they always looked happy and in love, but there was something off about Jisoo tonight.

 

“We're fine. He just wanted to spend some time with his family and I-” He broke off his sentence midway and let out a small sigh. “We're fine.”

 

“Jisoo...”

 

Jisoo tore open a bag of popcorn and emptied it in a big bowl. “His parents don't know.”

 

“Don't know what?”

 

“About us. That we're together.”

 

“What!?”

 

Jisoo looked at Seungkwan with a sad smile on his face. “They don't even know he's gay.”

 

“B-but how? I mean, I don't understand. He seems so confident with his sexuality.”

 

“He is. He's just not confident his parents will approve.”

 

“Oh...” Seungkwan certainly knew that feeling. Even with such an accepting mother as he had, he had felt somewhat worried telling her about Hansol and his father was another story. Even so he couldn't imagine being in a serious relationship for over a year and keeping that from either of them. “It doesn't mean that he doesn't value your relationship though! They're two separate things! Right?”

 

“Right.” Jisoo still sounded a bit sad and Seungkwan wasn't sure how to make it better.

 

“Have you even ever met them?”

 

Jisoo nodded. “Yeah, a few times. The first time was so humiliating. I didn't know his parents didn't know. He thought they weren't home and then he introduced me as his friend. I don't want to force him to come out to his parents and I try to not let it get to me, but it sucks.” He took a deep breath and picked up the popcorn. “Come on, the guys are waiting.”

 

{Later, living room}

 

It was around ten thirty when the doorbell suddenly rang. “Did we order anything?” Seungkwan asked the group as he stood up, but they all shook no or shrugged. It was a bit late for any food delivery anyway. He went to the front-door and peeked through the peephole. He opened the door with a smile and was immediately pulled into a hug by Jeonghan.

 

“Surprise!” He said as he followed Seungkwan back into the living room. “What did I miss? Any sudden love confessions like last year? I see Minnie and Hoonie are getting awfully close on the couch over there.” He joked as he walked in and took his place next to Jisoo.

 

“I'm single and still a little bit heartbroken. You can't make fun of me.” Seokmin frowned. Jihoon was cuddled up to his side. “And leave Jihoon alone too.” He looked around the room and added in a pointlessly hushed voice, “I think he broke up with his boyfriend recently.”

 

“I can hear you, you know? I'm right here.”

 

“Is that true, Jihoon? Why didn't you tell us?” Seungkwan asked.

 

“I don't need you to throw me a pity party. I broke up with him.”

 

“Oh...why?”

 

Jihoon shrugged. “Because he wanted it to be exclusive and I didn't see that happening, but I'm not a cheater. So.”

 

Jeonghan fell back against Jisoo's chest with a loud sigh, “We, as a group, could have our own daytime soap opera. Break ups, jealousy, secret past affaires, people losing their virginity left and right. Except maybe Chan. But he's a baby and how is he supposed to ever find a girlfriend anyway. Going to an all boys school and hanging with us lot.”

 

Chan scoffed. “I'm doing just fine.”

 

“Y-you got a girlfriend?” Seokmin asked.

 

“No. But that doesn't mean I'm not fine. Hanging with you lot.”

 

“What affaires are you even talking about?” Jihoon asked with a raised eyebrow.

 

“Okay, maybe affaire is a big word, but don't think I didn't hear about all that make out drama involving Seungkwan and Mingyu.”

 

Seungkwan threw a pillow in his direction. “So glad you've joined us tonight, Jeonghan. Don't forget about your own soap opera worthy story line.”

 

Jeonghan laughed, “Oh yes, my steady monogamous relationship to the only person I ever really dated. Scandalous. How could I forget.”

 

Seungkwan scoffed, “How about the fact that you-” He didn't finish what he was going to say seeing the pleading look on Jisoo's face. “You know what, nevermind. Now that you're here, how about we take a group pic?”

 

After taking a few photos, Jeonghan pulled a bottle of sparkly wine out of his bag. “I brought a little something to celebrate our fresh high school graduates: Seokmin, Jihoon and Wonwoo. Obviously Wonwoo is the smartest one seeing as he'll be going to my college, but congratulations to all three of you!”

 

“We can't drink that here! What if my mom finds out!”

 

“Relax, my child.” Jeonghan said as he opened it. “It's just one bottle between the nine of us.”

 

Seungkwan sighed and gave in easily, “Fine. I guess it's alright.”

 

<>

 

“Do you still think I smell nice?” Hansol had his arm around Seungkwan's shoulder and the scene from last year, Seungkwan close to him almost asleep, ran through his mind.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Last year at the sleepover. Just before falling asleep you said I smell nice.”

 

“I did? I don't remember that. Are you sure you didn't dream it?”

 

“It felt like a dream.”

 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes a little bit, but still leaned in to place a kiss on his lips. “Baby, you smell like a lumberjack in a pine forest.”

 

“Is that good?”

 

“That's amazing. Do you know how sexy lumberjacks are? Or how good a pine tree smells?”

 

“Oh yeah? Well, you smell like-”

 

“Guys, please, if you're going to have sex again at least don't do it right in front of us.” Wonwoo joked.

 

“If anyone is going to have sex I think it should be us.” Mingyu said, “They're not the ones who are going to see a lot less of each other now that one of them is going to college.”

 

“Wow, you really went from being disgusted by me having sex in my own bed to wanting to have sex in my house, Kim Mingyu.”

 

“I didn't say we had to do it here and now! I'm just saying, that you two have all the time in the world to be clingy and gross, while my boyfriend is off to live in a dorm in a few weeks.”

 

“You'll be okay, Mingyu. Me and Jeonghan only see each other on weekends and it's not all bad to have your own experiences too.”

 

“Easy for you to say, you're both in college. I'm stuck in high school for another year.”

 

“Hey! You still have me!” Seungkwan said.

 

“And Hansol and Chan.” Seokmin added.

 

“Don't be so negative, Mingyu.” Seungkwan continued. “Look on the bright side. Taesung is gone too, according to Chan you have quite a few underclassmen who think you're cool for some reason, and we can start figuring out what to do after high school. I can just feel it. Next school year is going to be great.”

Notes:

-Jihoon broke up with Chanyeol (did people guess it was Chanyeol he was dating???), he's not ready for a serious commitment
-Seokmin is a sad single rn
-place your bets now on who Wonwoo's roommate is going to be in college!
-What do you think about Jeonghan not having told his parents yet about Jisoo?

 

Two options for next chapter: either I make a chapter where Hansol and Seungkwan go to visit Seungkwan's father and have a date OR I skip that and continue with the next school year (either way there will be another short flashback to Seungkwan's wedding day like at the very beginning of this fic). The next year will probably be a lot shorter, because not THAT much happens? Well, some big things happen for some people I guess o_o

Chapter 55: HS2-25 Happy Anniversary

Summary:

Seungkwan and Hansol spend some time with Seungkwan's father and it doesn't all go smoothly.

Notes:

I have been pre-occupied with some writer's block (even though I already have most of the story planned out???) and other fic ideas running around in my head T__T (Jeonghan x Jihoon arranged married angst anyone?). But please nejoy this little update!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The short car ride with Seungkwan's father to his house was quiet. The conversation was only surface-deep and Hansol couldn't tell if it was because he was there or if they were always like this. Seungkwan almost never talked about his father and Hansol usually felt it was best to stay away from the subject. But as a result he knew very little about the man and didn’t know what to talk about. So he stayed quiet for the most part.

 

They pulled up at the house that used to belong to Seungkwan’s grandparents. It was quite old, but it seemed to be in good shape. They got out of the car and got their stuff out of the trunk.

 

“Why don’t you put your stuff away upstairs and we’ll have dinner. Hansol, I’ve made up the bed in the room across from Seungkwan’s.” His father said when they entered.

 

“What are you talking about?” Seungkwan said in a pointed tone. “He’s sleeping in my room with me.”

 

“It's fine, Kwannie. Seungkwan.” His eyes switched between Seungkwan and his father. He never fought with his mother, but there was a completely different dynamic between him and his dad. 

 

“Mom lets him sleep in my room.” Seungkwan knew that this would anger his father. He knew that he hated the 'mom lets me' argument and if anything it would just cause him to be more headstrong. 

 

“Watch your tone, Seungkwan! You're just a teenager and you're in my house.”

 

“You're so old.” Seungkwan spat.

 

To Seungkwan's surprise his father didn't start yelling. Instead he sighed and slumped down into a nearby seat. “I don't want to fight, Seungkwan.”

 

“I don't either.” Seungkwan mumbled, resisting the urge to add 'so you should just let us sleep in the same room'. “Come on.” He said to Hansol and he stomped off in the direction of the stairs.

 

“Thank you, Mr. Boo.” Hansol nodded politely to the older man and followed suit.  

 

Once upstairs Seungkwan threw open the door to one of the rooms and threw his bag inside. “That’s my room.” He threw open another door. “And this is your room apparently.” He stepped inside with a scowl on his face and he walked over to the bed. He stared down at it. “I can’t believe he wants us to sleep in separate rooms! What even for?”

 

Hansol walked over to him and rubbed his arm to calm him down. “You know why…”

 

“Yeah. Because he's afraid we're going to do anything ‘gay’ in his house. As if we haven't already had sex.” 

 

“Let's just respect his rules while we're here. I don't want to cause any trouble and make a bad impression.” 

 

“He's the one making a bad impression.” 

 

“Do you think he'd let your sisters sleep in the same room with their boyfriends?” 

 

Seungkwan bit his lip. He probably wouldn't. Not when they were still in high school at least. His father was a lot less liberal than his mother. “It’s still stupid.” He mumbled.

 

“But maybe not so much about it being gay? My parents didn’t want us to close the door at first, remember?”

 

“Maybe.”

 

“Let’s just go have dinner. Think about how it’s our anniversary tomorrow. That’s nice, right?”

 

<>

 

“So…” Seungkwan’s father said as he broke the silence that had fallen about fifteen minutes into dinner. “Last year of high school coming up. Almost time for college.”

 

“Yup.” Seungkwan said and he took another bite of food.

 

“Have you decided what you want to do yet?”

 

“Dad, it’s vacation. Why do you have to remind me of how stressful next year is going to be?” Another silence. “I’ve been thinking maybe something like early childhood education. Become a kindergarten teacher or something.” He added, knowing he was feeling annoyed at whatever his father said for no real reason.

 

“You never told me that.” Hansol added to the conversation.

 

“It’s just a thought...I don’t know.” Seungkwan mumbled back.

 

“I think you’d be good at it.” His father said.

 

“Oh yeah?” Seungkwan wasn’t sure if his dad really thought that or if he was just doing his best to keep the peace.

 

“I do. You have your mother’s caring side, but you’re not a pushover.”

 

“Are you calling mom a pushover?”

 

“That’s not what I said. I’m just saying I think that if you want to be a kindergarten teacher, I think you’d be a good one.”

 

“I have no idea yet what I want to do.” Hansol blurted out. He felt it was best to keep the conversation moving before those two found something to fight over again.

 

“Seungkwan told me you’re fluent in English? I’m sure that’ll come in handy.”

 

With Hansol there as their pacifier, the conversation between the three men started to flow more. The rest of the evening after dinner was mostly spent watching TV. Seungkwan didn’t mind that Hansol had decided to sit in a chair by himself instead of next to him on the couch. This way neither of them had to think about what level of intimacy they were okay with displaying in front of his father.  

 

{Night}

 

The screen of his phone was the only light in the room and Hansol was staring at it. He and Seungkwan had been texting, both in their respective rooms, but it was taking him longer to reply this time. He heard the door opening and he quickly put his phone down. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw who it was. “Should you be in here?” He whispered as he held up the blanket so Seungkwan could climb in bed with him.

 

“Shh, just be quiet. It's almost midnight which means it's almost our anniversary. I refuse to be alone in my bed when you're just a few meters away.”

 

“Is that really why? You’re not just here because you want to piss off your dad?”

 

“I don't want to piss off my dad.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

Seungkwan buried his face in Hansol's chest. “We just don't get along. I know he's trying, but I also know that really he still wishes I wasn't gay. I bet that if I showed up with a girl and declared that I wasn't gay after all, he would happily let me sleep in the same room with her.”

 

“You don't know that. Try to look at the positive. At least he's trying. Right?”

 

“I don't like being here. In this house.”

 

“Did your parents fight a lot? Before getting divorced?”

 

Seungkwan nodded against Hansol's chest. “They always tried to keep it down, but honestly the silent stares filled with anger they gave each other were worse than the yelling. They get along better now that they’re not together anymore.” He pushed himself up and positioned himself on top of his boyfriend. He leaned down and pressed a kiss on his lips. “I’m glad you’re here with me right now.” He wanted to kiss him again, but was stopped by Hansol’s hands grabbing his cheeks and keeping him in mid-air. 

 

“Seungkwan, I think it’s past midnight now, so I just want to say happy anniversary. I can’t believe it’s already been a year since I made a fool out of myself over breakfast. At least I stopped being an idiot and finally blurted out how I felt. Let’s continue to keep making memories together. Even the not so great ones are pretty great, because they’re part of our story. I love you.” 

 

As much as he could with Hansol squeezing his cheeks together, Seungkwan smiled. “You’re still an idiot. But you’re my idiot.” He was pulled down for a kiss. He slid down his boyfriend’s chest and placed his chin on his stomach, staring up at him. “I don’t really think you’re an idiot. I love you. I’m sorry for sometimes being a bit dramatic or pushing my own emotions without thinking about what you are feeling.”

 

Hansol ran a hand through Seungkwan’s hair. “Don’t apologize so much. You don’t have to. Just be you, Boo. Just be you and I’ll continue to love you.” 

 

“Stop it, I’m going to cry.”

 

“What do you mean going to?” Hansol chuckled. He attempted to stroke Seungkwan’s cheek with his thumb, but his hand got slapped away.

 

“Shut up! You just said I should be me. You should know I cry easily.”

 

“I wasn’t saying you shouldn’t cry, babe. Now come here next to me and go to sleep.”

 

With a pout on his lips Seungkwan crawled up to lie down next to him. He wiggled his arm underneath Hansol’s and snuggled closer. “I take it back. You are an idiot.”

Notes:

-Seungkwan's dad really is trying, but Seungkwan can't help but feel that his sexuality is being tolerated rather than accepted.
-Fluff slows me down, so I won't be writing their actual dates, lol. They have fun. Imagine Verkwan going to Jeju and ziplining and stuff.
-Next we will have a short flashforward to Seungkwan's wedding day and after that their last year of high school begins!

People still reading this?

p.s. Boo Seungkwan, I hope you recover quickly T___T My poor child. Mingyu, please give him bear hugs.

Chapter 56: Ready - a short flashforward

Summary:

A short flashforward to Seungkwan's wedding day right before he's about to walk down the aisle.

Notes:

reason for this flashforward? I wanted to write it? That's it. lol.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan watched the door close and he was by himself again. With nothing else to do he turned to the mirror to make sure the hug from before hadn't messed up his suit.

 

There was another knock on the door.

 

“Just checking on my favorite groom.”

 

“Are you supposed to have a favorite?” Seungkwan snickered as he turned to look at Jeonghan.

 

“As if you don't like being my favorite.” He walked over and started plucking at Seungkwan's hair. “So, why did I just see groom number two sneak out of here? Don't you know it's bad luck for-”

 

“Only if someone is wearing a wedding dress,” Seungkwan parroted his fiancee.

 

“Hmm, in that case I guess it's safe. You haven't done that since high school. Unless you have some kink I don't know about.”

 

“That's what I said! About the high school part, not the kink part.” Seungkwan gently slapped his friend's hand away.

 

“Oh yeah? Well, it was one memorable play. Although more so the drama surrounding it.” He chuckled, amused by the memories flowing back. “We should all get together and watch the video once you're back from your honeymoon.”

 

Seungkwan groaned, “I forgot you taped it. Please never speak of it again. Some of our friends have never seen it and I'd like to keep it that way.”

 

“That's what you think.”

 

“Yoon Jeonghan, stop upsetting me on my wedding day or I swear I'll leave a one-star review!”

 

Jeonghan did not seem impressed by the threat and simply laughed it off. He took hold of Seungkwan's shoulders and looked him in the eye. “So? Are you ready? As soon as Cheollie has finally decided that all the flower arrangements are perfect I think we're about ready to start.”

 

Seungkwan pressed his lips together, suddenly feeling nervous. This was it. He was about to walk down the aisle and get married. “What if I forget my vows?”

 

“I'm sure you won't. Even if you do, It'll be fine. Just say what you feel.”

 

“What if I start crying?”

 

“Seungkwan, the room is filled with people who know and love you. We'll be more surprised if you don't start crying.”

 

Seungkwan frowned, but didn't retort and Jeonghan could see the nerves creeping up all over his face about to get the better of him. “Babe, baby, booty. Everything is under control. The most adorable flower boy and girl are on stand-by, photographers ready to snap every second, you look amazing. Just enjoy it. It'll be over before you know it. Trust me. I've been there, remember? And I had the added stress of being my own wedding planner. Not to mention that my best man was Jihoon, so I didn't have anyone to calm me down in the nice way that I'm doing right now.”

 

Seungkwan scoffed, but it was followed by a smile. “Thank you, Hannie.”

 

They were interrupted by Jeonghan getting a message through his headset. He turned away to answer. “Cheol?...Finally! Took you long enough! Poor Seungkwan is about to lose his mind waiting! Yes, yes, I know the flowers are important...Okay, we're on our way.” Once again he locked eyes with Seungkwan. “Ready?”

 

Seungkwan took a deep breath. “Ready.”

Notes:

What we learn from this: Jeongcheol wedding planners! Jeonghan married, Jihoon was his best man. (hmm who could those two adorable flower boy and girl be?)

Also, there's going to be a play in Seungkwan's last year of high school and it's the cause for some drama?

Chapter 57: HS3-1 Start of Senior Year

Summary:

Seungkwan starts his senior year in high school. Seating is decided and a new(ish) classmate enters the scene.

Notes:

Welcome to season 3, lol.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The final year of his high school career was about to begin and Seungkwan was determined to make the most of it. While he thought his club activities would look all right on his college application, he felt like he needed something extra. That was why he was planning to become the class vice-president. In most cases the class would elect the most popular kid (not Seungkwan) for president and the one that made the most sense in terms of useful skills like organization and communication with teachers (possibly Seungkwan) for vice-president and he was set on gaining at least some sort of council title to slap on his resume. Hansol was going to be president of the English club this year and Mingyu didn't seem to care about these things. Although Seungkwan thought it would be good for Mingyu to occupy himself with something now that his boyfriend was away.

 

Wonwoo had settled into his dorm room about a week ago. Most information surrounding who Wonwoo would spend a room with this upcoming year, however, came from Jeonghan. According to him, Wonwoo was getting his money worth from the noise-canceling headphones he bought. His roommate was an energetic, but friendly guy who decorated the wall on his side of the room with a huge blacklight poster of a tiger.

 

But as happy as Jeonghan was reporting on Wonwoo's new roommate, he was equally bitter about both Jihoon and Seokmin going to the same university as Jisoo instead of his. He had not made this a secret ever since it became clear none of his former music club buddies were going to join him and was now constantly spamming their old group chat with pictures of himself so that 'you can get a taste of what you're missing out on'.

 

Meanwhile, Seokmin and Jihoon had become roommates after Jihoon decided he didn't like his roommate within five seconds of meeting him and forced him to switch with Seokmin before they had even started unpacking. He had not taken into consideration just how loud Seokmin could get. However, seeing as no reports of murder on campus had come out yet, most of them figured they were doing fine.

 

Back at high school, Seungkwan was eager to get to the classroom to secure a seat so that, unlike last time, they wouldn't sit all the way in the back. He promised Chan they would listen to him talk about his new girlfriend, who he had met on vacation and went to school on the other side of town, later and he pulled Hansol and Mingyu with him to their classroom. Once there he walked over to the tables next to the wall, but about halfway down the class. “I am willing to compromise.” He said. “You two still get your precious wall, but I won't have to sit all the way in the back. Also, I want to sit next to Hansol this year.”

 

“Fine. But I'm sitting behind you two then.” Mingyu pouted. He understood Seungkwan wanted to sit next to his boyfriend for a change, but he wasn't comfortable sitting further to the front. He was sure the teacher would call on him far more often if he didn't sit one row directly behind Seungkwan, who was far more eager to answer teacher questions than he was.

 

“Aw, but-”

 

“Hansol, I swear if you complain about not sitting behind Mingyu because he's your sleep shield! It's time for you to focus. This is our senior year and-”

 

“Hey guys!” Hyunggu said as he walked up to them and interrupted their discussion about seating. “Looks like we're in the same class this year!”

 

Hansol and Seungkwan, both unaware of the interactions the other had had with their basketball teammate, quickly put their bags on tables next to each other. “Oh, hey!” Seungkwan said with just a little bit too much over the top enthusiasm. It wasn't that he didn't want to be in the same class as him, but he felt a bit awkward after that moment in the locker-room. “How about that. We're just picking our seats.”

 

“Great.” Hyunggu replied. “Do you mind if I sit here?” He asked as he placed his bag onto the desk right behind Seungkwan.

 

“No, not at all. Go ahead. If you don't mind sitting next to Mingyu.”

 

“Of course not.” Hyunggu threw a charming smile Mingyu's way. “Are you guys staying with the basketball team again this year? I'm thinking about taking up the captain's role if everybody's okay with that.”

 

“Yeah, we're both staying. Right, Ba- Boo?” Being almost exclusively around people who knew about them all summer had made it so that Hansol's 'filter' he used at school was a bit rusty and he almost let a 'babe' slip out. He didn't really want to have to explain to Hyunggu that not only was Seungkwan not gay, he was dating him. “You should, by the way. Become captain.”

 

“Yeah!” Seungkwan agreed. This time his enthusiasm was more genuine. With Hyunggu he wouldn't have to worry about any homophobic shit. He knew Hansol wasn't interested in becoming captain and he was spreading himself thin enough as it was.

 

They made some small talk with Hyunggu about their vacations until their homeroom teacher told everybody to be quiet. “Welcome everybody to your, hopefully, final year of high school. A few things on the agenda today. First of all, it has been decided that this year our school will hold a cultural festival before the Winter break and all senior classes will have to perform some sort of play.” The class instantly filled with groans of displeasure. “Quiet, please! You will get a bit of freedom in deciding on the play, so take this as an opportunity to do something creative. Or not and just choose some random prince saves princess story. Either way, it's a requirement, so no use moaning and groaning about it. Moving on to the next point, the student council for this class. Anybody who is interested can put their name in and we'll have a vote next homeroom.”

 

As much as Seungkwan tried to keep his focus, every once in a while his gaze would wander over to the desk to his left. He was proud to see that Hansol was not only still awake, he was actually taking notes (or doodling, but he gave him the benefit of the doubt). He already thought his boyfriend was beyond handsome any time of the day, but seeing him all serious gave Seungkwan the sudden urge to distract him. Or, more accurately, he wanted Hansol to be distracted by his presence. Last year he said that he liked sitting one row behind Seungkwan because he could stare at him, so why was he not glancing over at him now. Seungkwan's own stares started to linger longer and with shorter breaks in between until he finally caught Hansol looking back. Perhaps sitting next to each other had been a mistake. How was he ever going to get any work done?

Notes:

-A person with a huge tiger poster, Oh WHOEVER could that be.
-Jeonghan likes Wonwoo and he's happy he has another familiar face, but it's not like they knew each other that well. By the time Jeonghan graduated high school Wonwoo and Mingyu had JUST gotten together.
-A play you say. (hint about what kind of play it will be: this class as a whole is not very creative/imaginative)
-Enter Hyunggu, the guy (gay?) with a crush on maybe Seungkwan AND Hansol? HMMMM

Chapter 58: HS3-2 Role assignment

Summary:

A play has been chosen and now it's time for the class to assign all the roles. The princess will be played by...

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Sometimes Seungkwan felt like it was unfair that from day one at this school his classmates had singled him out and assumed his sexuality. Just because they were right didn't make it feel any better. Especially since his best friend and boyfriend didn't get the same treatment. This was once again made painfully clear when it was time for the class to assign the roles of their play.

 

Earlier they had voted on the class council and Seungkwan had been pleased to have successfully gotten the role of vice-president like he had wanted. Their first order of business was the play. The class had chosen a story of a prince going on adventures, fighting some monsters and, of course, saving a princess in the end. It wasn't the most original of stories, but it was the one that had somehow won the class vote. Seungkwan felt like most of his classmates were somewhat indifferent about the whole thing.

 

As the newly appointed class vice-president he wrote down all the roles to be assigned on the board. “Right. So, we'll figure out stuff like costuming and set design later. Let's first assign all the acting roles.”

 

“Well, I think it's clear who the princess will be.” One of the boys said loudly. A few others snickered.

 

Seungkwan knew what was being suggested. Even though he wanted to sink into the ground, he kept his cool. “Are you volunteering?” He clapped back.

 

“Come on, Seungkwan.” Another classmate said, “Take one for the team. You're the best princess we have. Nobody else wants to do it anyway.”

 

“I-”

 

“Let's have a vote then!” The first boy spoke again. “All in favor of princess Seungkwan, raise your hand!”

 

An overwhelming majority of the hands shot up and Seungkwan knew there was no fighting this. He sighed. “Fine. Whatever.” He turned around and reluctantly wrote his own name next to the princess role. He didn't mind being in the play. Not at all. He liked being on stage. But he did not like getting this role pushed on him.

 

“But wait a minute. If Seungkwan is the princess who's going to want to be the prince?”

 

Seungkwan froze.

 

“Right...” There were a few murmurs going around the class. Seungkwan looked to the side of the room and locked eyes with Hansol. He tried to grow instant telepathic powers so he could beg him to offer to play the role, but Hansol either didn't understand what he wanted or he just didn't want to do it.

 

“I'll do it.” Hyunggu said with a casual tone to his voice.

 

Seungkwan felt grateful that he didn't have to stand there listen to them debating how nobody wanted to be the prince if he was the princess. Maybe it was better if it wasn't Hansol anyway. “Okay. So, Hyunggu will be the prince then.” He sent him a small smile and quickly wrote his name on the board, giving him no time to possibly change his mind.

 

Next on the list was the role of the prince's best friend. As it turned out, their class wasn't filled with a lot of actors and it was awfully quiet. After asking a few times if anybody wanted to do it Seungkwan was growing impatient so he decided to take matters into his own hands. “Mingyu? How about you?”

 

Mingyu looked at him like a deer caught in headlights. “M-me?”

 

“Yes. I think that'll be great. Alright, Mingyu it is.” He was about to turn around and write the name on the board when he was once again interrupted by a classmate.

 

“Wait, wait, wait. I'm sorry, but if we put Mingyu and Hyunggu next to each other everybody is going to assume Mingyu is the prince. He's taller and has more prince aura.”

 

Seungkwan raised a questioning eyebrow, “Prince aura?”

 

“Yeah, you know. Like, as if he could handle a sword or something.” The boy turned around and looked at where Mingyu and Hyunggu sat. “No offense, Hyunggu. You have a decent prince aura, but I think you two should switch roles.”

 

The classroom filled with agreeing voices and Seungkwan wasn't sure what to do. He hadn't meant to drag Mingyu into the lead role. He just didn't want to be alone and he thought it might be good for him to play some smaller role and get him out of his comfort zone for a bit. “Let's settle down! We already assigned Hyunggu to the role of the prince and-”

 

“Hold on!” The class president stepped forward. “As class president and director of the play, I'm making an executive decision. Mingyu, you'll be the prince. Hyunggu will be the best friend.”

 

<>

Just as they finished assigning the stagehand roles, the bell rang and signaled it was time for lunch. Seungkwan started to wipe the board clean as the others were leaving. He let out a surprised cry of pain when the back of his head was hit with something. He turned around and looked right into Mingyu's angry face. “What the fuck, Gyu!”

 

“That's my line! Thanks a lot.”

 

“It wasn't my fault! I only suggested you play the best friend. I don't know why everybody suddenly wanted to make you the prince!”

 

“As if I wouldn't be angry even if I was 'only' playing the best friend, Seungkwan! Why did you even drag me into that in the first place!”

 

“Because!” Seungkwan calmed himself down by letting out a short sigh. “Because, I didn't want to stand there on stage as a princess all by myself and have everybody stare at me. At least if you're there suffering with me it might actually be kind of fun...I'm sorry. I really didn't mean for you to get the lead.”

 

Mingyu's anger seemed to visibly sink down and he nodded. “I guess, I'll make it work. I have prince aura apparently.”

 

“Oh god, don't let that get to your head. The last thing I need is for you to start realizing just how handsome you are.”

 

Mingyu laughed, “Just because you say it as if you're insulting me doesn't mean you didn't just actually say I'm handsome.”

 

Seungkwan scoffed, “Whatever.” His eyes shifted to Hyunggu who was standing close by, listening to their conversation. “Hyunggu, I'm sorry about that mess from earlier. Thank you for volunteering to play the prince.”

 

“I got demoted real fast.” Hyunggu chuckled.

 

“I'm sorry! I-”

 

“Nah, it's okay. Don't worry about it. I'm just happy to be in the play with you, Seungkwan. I know you didn't really want the role, but I think the best way to handle this is by being the most fabulous princess ever!”

 

Seungkwan chuckled, “Success is the best revenge. Something like that?”

 

“Exactly. Just have fun with it. I'm sure you'll be great. And I can't wait to see it. Even though I won't be playing your prince.”

 

“Eh, yeah.” This time Seungkwan's chuckle was more nervous than entertained and he felt both Mingyu and Hansol staring at them.

 

“See you guys after lunch.” Hyunggu said to the three of them and walked away.

 

“Eh...” Mingyu said, “I don't know Hyunggu all that well, but was he flirting with you?”

 

“Don't be ridiculous. He's always like that.”

 

“He's always flirting with you?”

 

“He wasn't flirting with me.”

 

“Okay.” Mingyu said, clearly unconvinced.

 

“He wasn't! As if he would openly flirt with me like that. In front of you two.”

 

“I said okay. He wasn't flirting.” Mingyu definitely still think that he was. He threw a glance in Hansol's direction who didn't look too happy.

 

Seungkwan also looked at his boyfriend, but frowned right back. “If you're going to be upset about Hyunggu volunteering to be the prince or about Mingyu actually playing the prince, you should have volunteered yourself. I was totally sending you eye signals.”

 

“I'm not an actor, Seungkwan.”

 

“And I'm not a princess, but here we are.” He walked passed them to get his bag from his desk. “Let's just go to lunch. I'm sure Chan will be delighted with the opportunity to make fun of me.”

Notes:

-Okay so...Hyunggu TOTALLY has prince aura irl, hahaha
-Hansol will just be a stagehand (maybe he'll do the lighting)
-the play they're doing isn't any specific play, lol
-Was Hyunggu flirting? (I think we know that he probably was)

Chapter 59: HS3-3 Chan needed a shave

Summary:

Wonwoo, Mingyu and Seungkwan and Hansol are out on a little date and waiting for Chan to get there to introduce them to his girlfriend. Maybe.

Notes:

Just a little chapter. Currently have a short vacation, so will probably update more soon!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“So, let me get this straight.” Wonwoo said as he looked at Seungkwan from across the table. “Last year you guys couldn't continue with music club because there was no teacher available or no funds or some bullshit reason, but this year they suddenly have you doing a play that, from what I hear, nobody even really wants to do?”

 

Seungkwan sipped his drink. “Yup.”

 

“Man, I'm so glad to be done with high school.” Seeing Mingyu's pout from the corner of his eyes he quickly added, “Although I miss you guys.”

 

“It's a good thing we'll be coming to that off-campus party in a few weeks then.” Seungkwan smiled.

 

“What party?” Hansol asked, this being the first he heard about it.

 

“Jeonghan just told me about it and he's trying to see if the band can perform there. We might be a bit rusty, but it'll be fun to play again. Besides we still have a few weeks to prepare and-”

 

“Why didn't you tell us about this party?” Mingyu asked his boyfriend.

 

“I wasn't planning on going, actually. Although my roommate has been loud about it. But he's loud about most things.”

 

Anyway.” Seungkwan took the conversation back. “It'll be a good chance for all of us to hang out together. If the band performs, Jihoon, Jisoo and Seokmin will all be there too. You'll go too, right, Wonwoo? We can meet that roommate of yours. What was his name again?”

 

“Sure, I'll go if you guys will be there. And his name is Soonyoung. I think you'll like him.”

 

“I thought you said he was loud.” Mingyu mumbled.

 

“He is loud.” Wonwoo chuckled. “But he's also pretty funny and kind. But please, do not bring up the subject of tigers. I beg of you. I can't take any more of his tiger obsession.”

 

“Okay, great!” Seungkwan was getting more excited about this party. He wanted a re-do for that college party they had been to last year and he and Hansol had gotten into a fight. “I'll ask Chan when he gets here, but I'm sure he'll go.”

 

“Where is he anyway?” Hansol wondered.

 

Seungkwan clicked his tongue, “That's what I'd like to know. Hasn't he waited long enough to introduce us to his girlfriend? I'm going to text him again.”

 

“He's only a little late.” Mingyu pointed out. “Stop parenting him.”

 

“Why are you so grumpy today?” Seungkwan replied with annoyance in his voice. “And I am not parenting him. I just want to know why he's so late.” He put his phone down, however, and didn't send the text. Not even five minutes later Chan walked in. Alone.

 

“So, where's your girlfriend?” Mingyu asked with interest. He accused Seungkwan of acting like a parent to their youngest friend, but he himself wasn't much better when it came to being curious about his relationship.

 

“She's not coming.” He stated plainly.

 

“Oh, because she's not real?” Seungkwan joked, but quickly stopped laughing when Chan didn't seem amused in the slightest.

 

“No. Because we broke up.”

 

“Oh...I'm sorry.” Seungkwan stood up from his seat and gestured for Chan to sit down. “I'll get you something to drink. Do you want a cookie?”

 

The table was quiet until Seungkwan returned and sat back down.

 

“What happened, man?” Hansol asked.

 

Chan took a big bite from the chocolate chip cookie Seungkwan had gotten him and sighed. “So...when I first asked her if she wanted to meet my friends she seemed happy about it. She suggested she'd bring some of her friends too so that it would be like a group date. When I told her that you guys are already couples, with each other, she kind of...I don't know...she didn't say anything bad, but I got the feeling she didn't like it. Then today when I showed up to pick her up, she started to complain about how I should make more friends. Straight friends. Because she wanted a real couple to hang out with.”

 

The table remained quiet as Chan took a moment to take a sip of his drink before continuing to tell the story. “I told her she was being rude. Then she started to cry, saying that I was the one being inconsiderate of her feelings and that she didn't want to be the only girl. I tried to calm her down and tell her that I never said she couldn't invite her friends along just that it wouldn't be a date type situation and that I wasn't going to go out of my way to find new friends just for that reason. And then...she really showed her true colors. She told me that if all I do is hang around with gay guys, people are going to think I'm gay. I told her I didn't care and then she cried some more because she didn't want people to think she was a beard or whatever. Then, eh, I kind of snapped and said that if she was my beard I was in need of a shave.”

 

Seungkwan let out a snort, but quickly pressed his hand against his mouth to silence himself. “Sorry...it's not funny.” He lightly patted Chan on the shoulder for comfort.

 

Chan groaned in frustration. “I really liked her. Why did she have to turn out to be so...so...”

 

“Homophobic?” Wonwoo offered.

 

Chan chewed his bottom lip. “Yeah, I guess.”

 

“At least you found out pretty quickly! You've only been dating her for, what? Two months?” Mingyu added.

 

Chan shrugged and the others weren't sure what to say either.

 

“So, eh, Skeletons in the Closet might be making a comeback.” Hansol said in an attempt to get Chan's mind focused on something else.

 

“Who?” Chan asked with a raised eyebrow.

 

Seungkwan gasped with feigned shock at his ignorance. “Legendary Battle of the Band winners? So epic they only performed in public once?”

 

Chan deadpan stared at him and Seungkwan sighed. “It's the band me, Jeonghan, Jisoo, Jihoon and Seokmin made the year before you joined our school.”

 

He let out a long understanding 'oooh' and nodded. “I mean, I knew you guys had a band or whatever, but no-one ever told me the name. Are you guys really going to perform again?”

 

“Maybe. There's this party in a few weeks and we might perform there.”

 

“Cool! I totally want to see you guys play.” Chan's face broke out in a smile and the mood of the whole table became lighter. He leaned his head down on Seungkwan's shoulder. He liked to act aloof at times and they didn't always see eye-to-eye, but Chan knew he could always count on Seungkwan and his other friends to be there for him. Even if he was third-(or in this case fifth-)wheeling.

Notes:

-Poor Chan
-Recently it came to my attention that not everybody knows what a 'beard' is in the way that I'm using it here. It's when a gay person dates someone from the opposite sex as to give the impression to the outside world that they're actually straight.
-I think next time we'll have the first rehearsal for the play and Hyunggu has an interesting suggestion for a plot change

Chapter 60: HS3-4 Plot twist

Summary:

Hyunggu suggests a few changes be made to the plot of their play that gives him and Seungkwan a lot more scenes together. Hansol is not so happy with that.

Notes:

Drink water. Wear a mask. Get some vitamines. Pet a cat (or dog...maybe a rabbit).

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

All the students who had actual lines in the play were gathered in their classroom to go over the script for the first time. Seungkwan groaned reading his dialogue.

 

“What's wrong?” Hyunggu, who was sitting next to him, asked.

 

Oh my brave prince, thank you for saving me from this dreadful tower.” Seungkwan read the lines. “Where is the prince who will save me from this dreadful play? They can't expect me to look at Mingyu's face and call him 'my brave prince'.”

 

“Hey!” Mingyu said from his other side. “I can be brave!”

 

Seungkwan glared at him. “My point is that this play is horrible. It's so lame.”

 

“I couldn't agree more.” Hyunggu said. “And that is why I'm going to propose some changes.”

 

“What kind of changes?”

 

A smile spread across Hyunggu's face and he stood up, holding his own script up. “Guys! Can I have everybody's attention?” The others settled down and listened. “We all realize this play is completely unoriginal and boring, right?” There were some concurring murmurs from their classmates. “How about we switch it around?”

 

“What do you mean?” Their class president and play director questioned, looking over the edge of his glasses.

 

“How about the prince doesn't save the princess, but the princess, along with the prince's best friend, has to save him?”

 

“Dude, we'd have to rewrite almost the entire thing!” One boy, who was playing the part of the king, objected.

 

“So? If it means we won't be boring everybody to tears, isn't that worth it? Besides, we can still use parts from this script for the roles that don't need a change. I don't mind helping out with the writing.” He looked around the classroom. “Come on, guys! Isn't it more fun if what we're doing is better than this.” He waved the script around for emphasis.

 

Their director walked back and forth in front of the whiteboard and nodded. “It's not a bad idea. I like it. But for a change this big I'd like to hear some more opinions. Mingyu? You're the prince. What do you think?”

 

“Does that mean I'll have fewer lines? Because then I'm all for it.”

 

“Seungkwan?”

 

“Anything is probably better than what it is now, so why not?” If he was being honest he'd much rather play a strong empowered princess than a damsel in distress. He never liked those kind of stories anyway.

 

“Does anybody else have any objections?” Nobody said anything and so it was decided. Hyunggu, the director, and one of the other boys volunteered to re-do the script. Since there wasn't much to do until the new script would be finished they adjourned.

 

“So?” Hyunggu said to Seungkwan. “Did I save you from the dreadful play?”

 

Seungkwan laughed. “Yeah, I guess you did.”

 

“Mingyu better step up his prince game then.” He swung his bag over his shoulder and nodded his head to the both of them. “See you guys tomorrow.”

 

“Ready to go?” Seungkwan asked Mingyu, but stopped packing his bag when he saw the questioning look his best friend was giving him. “What?”

 

“Are you still going to deny that he's flirting with you?”

 

Seungkwan zipped up his bag and picked it up in his arms. “Even if he is, it doesn't mean anything.”

 

“Oh, I get it.” Mingyu said as if he just cracked the code. “You like that he's flirting with you.”

 

“No.” Seungkwan replied calmly. “I just don't think it's such a big deal, that's all.”

 

“Just be careful, all right? Don't forget you have a boyfriend.”

 

“What exactly are you implying, Kim Mingyu?” Seungkwan poked Mingyu's chest with his finger.

 

“I'm not implying anything, but you know that if it were the other way around and it was someone flirting with Hansol you wouldn't like it one bit.”

 

{the next Monday}

 

Seungkwan sat down at his desk. He was early. Earlier than Mingyu and Hansol anyway. He settled down at his desk and took out his notes for class. He looked up when he was greeted by Hyunggu.

 

“We finished the script!” He said proudly and dropped a copy on Seungkwan's desk. “So, listen, I was thinking.” He continued talking as he sat down at his seat behind him. “I know we don't have another play meeting until Wednesday, but if you're not busy after school today, why don't you come over to my house and we can get a head start? A lot of the princess' scenes are with the best friend and I'd love to hear what you think about some of the lines.”

 

“Eh, sure. I guess that's a good idea.”

 

“Great. It's a date.”

 

<>

 

“I'm headed to the roof, okay?” Hansol said when the bell rang for lunch.

 

“Eh, yeah, sure, that's fine.” Seungkwan knew he should tell Hansol about what he was doing after school. “Oh, right, before I forget. Just FYI, the new script for the play is finished and I have a shit ton more lines and Hyunggu suggested we start rehearsal as soon as possible, so he invited me to his house for later.”

 

“Just the two of you?”

 

Seungkwan nodded. He could tell by the way his boyfriend's lips were pressed together in a thin line that he wasn't exactly thrilled. “There are quite a bit of scenes we have together and it's not really necessary for everybody else to be there while we're still just learning the lines and stuff. So that's why he invited me over.”

 

“What about Mingyu?”

 

“What about him?”

 

“He's the prince. Isn't he in any of those scenes?”

 

“Only the finale I think. I haven't had time to read the whole thing yet. Anyway, there's a whole plot where the princess and the prince's best friend figure out how to save him from the sorcerer now.”

 

“You know he likes you, right?” Hansol blurted it out, not sure what he wanted to achieve by saying this.

 

“What are you talking about?” Seungkwan replied as if hadn't picked up on any of the hints Hyunggu had been dropping since last school year.

 

“Hyunggu. I think he has a crush on you.” He didn't think. He knew.

 

“Well, even if he does, what do you expect me to do about it? Not talk to him ever?”

 

“No...” Hansol was well aware of his jealous side, but wasn't he allowed to be just a little bit jealous when his boyfriend was going over to the house of someone who had a crush on him?

 

Seungkwan glanced around, making sure they were alone, and took his boyfriend's hand. “I'm just going to rehearse the play, all right? I promise I won't even stay for dinner if he asks.”

 

{Rooftop}

 

“Why don't you just tell the guy that you two are dating?” Jeonghan's voice said from Hansol's phone. He and Chan were up on the roof and Jeonghan had joined them by way of modern technology.

 

“Because...” Hansol sighed. “...then I will probably have to explain to Seungkwan that I told Hyunggu that he's straight.”

 

“Why did you do that?” Chan asked as he popped a gummy worm in his mouth.

 

“I couldn't just tell him that we're together. We decided that we weren't going to tell people, so I didn't tell him.”

 

“That sounds like a bullshit excuse, Hansol, not going to lie. And also, why tell him that Seungkwan is straight?”

 

“Okay maybe I was hoping that he would give up on liking Seungkwan if he thought he was straight.”

 

“He likes Seungkwan?” Jeonghan asked. “Is this you guessing or did he tell you that?”

 

“He did tell me. But, actually...I thought he had stopped liking him since he kind of...well I think he came on to me? He said that he noticed the way I look at Seungkwan and that maybe we could bond over crushing on a straight guy.”

 

“This just keeps getting more and more complicated.” Chan sighed.

 

“Hold up.” Jeonghan interrupted. “When did all of this happen and why is this the first we're hearing of it?”

 

“It wasn't a big deal, all right? I don't think I made him believe that I was interested and he hasn't made any other moves on me or anything.”

 

“So what's the problem? Do you think he found out Seungkwan isn't straight and maybe that he thinks he's single?”

 

“Since the beginning of the year he's been flirting with Seungkwan again! And, like, super obvious.”

 

“So tell him. Or have Seungkwan tell him.” Jeonghan repeated himself. “But you have to do something. I kind of feel bad for him. This poor guy sounds like he just wants someone to like him back.”

 

Hansol kicked a pebble across the roof. They were probably right. There was one other problem though. It wasn't just that he had lied to Hyunggu, he had also talked about Seungkwan's sexuality where it wasn't his place and, what he didn't want to admit, what he was really afraid of was that Hyunggu wouldn't stop just because he knew Seungkwan wasn't single.

Notes:

-Okay look they are still in the teenage drama phase of their lives, so please give them a break for being dumb and immature sometimes.
-Jeonghan just misses hanging with his friends

Next time: Seungkwan goes over to Hyunggu's house. What will happen? WIll he tell him? Why or why not? Stay tuned~

 

(Any Jeonghoon or Soonhoon shippers here? Who like angst? Go check out my new fic then ;P)

Chapter 61: HS3-5 Cat out of the Bag

Summary:

Seungkwan goes over to Hyunggu's house and he has one more suggestion for the plot.

Notes:

Almost time for 24H mv!!! AAh!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan followed Hyunggu into the house and took off his coat. “Do you have any siblings?” He asked.

 

“Yeah, I have a younger sister. But I don't think she's home. We're all alone.”

 

They went into the living room and while Hyunggu was getting them something to drink, Seungkwan sat down on the couch and pulled out the script for the play from his bag. He looked up when he felt Hyunggu sit down next to him.

 

“And? It's better than what it was before, right?”

 

Seungkwan nodded. “Yeah, a lot better.” He smiled. “And I think Mingyu will be grateful his part has been reduced.”

 

“Well, he didn't seem very thrilled to be in the play in the first place. I have to say, your friendship is so unexpected. I remember him from rumors in the hallways before you came. You seem to have really brightened him up.”

 

“Oh, eh, thanks? I guess.”

 

“Does he know? That you're gay, I mean.”

 

Seungkwan chuckled nervously. He wasn't sure if Mingyu would object to Hyunggu knowing he was gay as well. “Yeah. He knows. It's not a secret with my friends. It's just...high school, you know?”

 

The other boy nodded.

 

“Anyway, let's get started on the play, shall we?” Seungkwan said, leading away from the topic.

 

They read through a few of their scenes together and Seungkwan started to relax more. He hadn't even been aware that he been so nervous to be alone with Hyunggu. He had let Mingyu's words and Hansol's jealousy get into his head. They were both exaggerating. All they were doing was rehearse their parts in the play and having fun doing so. It was the first time Seungkwan was feeling like this play wasn't going to be all that bad. “You guys really did a great job with the rewrite, Hyunggu.” He complimented him. “I like the friendship between our characters.”

 

“You don't think it's too dry?”

 

“No. It shows that a relationship between a boy and a girl doesn't always have to be about romance and stuff. They're just friends.”

 

“Still...” Hyunggu put his script down and looked at Seungkwan. “It might be more interesting for the audience to add something to it.”

 

“Something like what?” Seungkwan asked, his eyes still on the paper and completely missing the way Hyunggu was scooting closer.

 

“Something like this.” He hooked his fingers under Seungkwan's chin, lifted his head and pressed their lips together.

 

It took Seungkwan a moment to realize what was happening, but as soon as he did he backed away with wide eyes and his hands in front of his chest. “H-hansol.” He stammered.

 

“What?” Hyunggu asked, clearly thrown off by the mention of another boy's name in this situation.

 

“I have a Hansol. I mean, a boyfriend. I have a boyfriend and it's Hansol.”

 

“Oh...Really?”

 

Seungkwan nodded and awkwardly started to chew on his lip. He wasn't sure what else to say.

 

Hyunggu let out a deep sigh. “I guess he beat me to it. I should have known he was my competition. I just didn't think I had already missed my chance.” He sank back into the couch cushions with a sad little smile on his face. “How long have you been together? If you don't mind me asking?”

 

“Little over a year.” He mumbled.

 

“Seriously!?” Hyunggu looked taken aback. “Fuck.” He ran a hand roughly through his hair. “So when Hansol told me you were straight, he just- Okay, I see how it is. No offense, but that's kind of a dick move.”

 

Seungkwan had been feeling bad up to this point, but Hyunggu talking about his boyfriend in this way rubbed him the wrong way. “We weren't telling people about our relationship and he probably just panicked when you asked him about me. I'm sure he wasn't trying to-”

 

“Nah, he just didn't like the idea of another boy interested in his boyfriend. And what about you? That time when I told you I was gay and asked you if you had a boyfriend? You knew I was coming on to you, right?”

 

“That's not- I didn't know what to say. I-”

 

“Couldn't you have told me you weren't single? Or not interested at the least.”

 

Seungkwan didn't respond. He just stared at his hands. If he was being honest he had known Hyunggu had been flirting with him. While he felt like he didn't owe it to him to tell him he was dating Hansol, he could have made it clear he wasn't interested in being anything more than friends. Maybe Mingyu was right. Maybe he had liked being flirted with.

 

“Did you two have fun laughing at my pathetic flirting?”

 

Seungkwan looked up. “What? No, of course not! I would never do that.” In an attempt to comfort the boy he placed his hand on Hyunggu's. He felt it had been a mistake when he wrapped his thumb over the back of Seungkwan's hand. He quickly pulled his hand back.

 

“Can you leave now?” Hyunggu said softly.

 

Without saying another word Seungkwan got up and left.

 

<>

 

He didn't go home. Now that the cat was out of the bag he had to talk to Hansol. At least to let him know that he had told Hyunggu that they're dating. So he ended up on Hansol's doorstep. His mother opened the door and let him in. He knocked on the bedroom door before going in.

 

“Wow, look at that. You're actually doing homework.” Seungkwan joked as he walked in.

 

Hansol swung his desk chair around. “What are you doing here?”

 

Seungkwan walked over and leaned down to press a quick kiss on his lips. “What? I can't just come by?”

 

“Eh, sure, but you never do. Is everything okay?” He watched as Seungkwan sat down on the edge of his bed. “How did things go with Hyunggu?” Perhaps his boyfriend had come by to give him some extra attention, knowing well that he had been jealous.

 

“So...about that.” Seungkwan started. “We were just rehearsing the play as planned and everything was fine, but then, eh...”

 

“Then what?” Hansol asked with a hint of worry and suspicion in his voice.

 

“Well, I told him about us.”

 

“Oh. Okay, I see.” He sank back into his chair, because, honestly, he felt relieved. “That's okay, I don't mind.”

 

“Are you sure? Is that why you told him I'm straight?” Seungkwan knew that this wasn't the issue he had come here to talk about, but he couldn't help himself from bringing it up.

 

“H-how do you know about that?”

 

“He told me when we were talking some time ago.”

 

“When?”

 

“Does that even matter?”

 

“I just don't see how that would have come up.”

 

“He, eh, confided in me that he was gay after Taesung had gone off at me again. I told him I was gay too and then he told me what you had said.”

 

“If this happened last year why are you bringing it up now? And what does it matter even if he thought you were straight? Aren't you always bothered by the way people assume you're gay?”

 

“Wow. What the fuck. Yes, that bothers me sometimes. It bothers me because they assume and take it as a negative. But you don't see me going around yelling about how straight I am, do you? You didn't have to tell him I was gay either, but why go and say I'm straight?”

 

“I'm sorry I did that, okay? He was asking me about you and I- I...I didn't want to tell him about us, but I also didn't want him to think he had a chance with you.”

 

“Don't you trust me?”

 

“Of course I do!”

 

“Do you? Because him not having a chance with me has nothing to do with what he thinks or feels. You don't have to worry about someone else liking me, because I only like you.”

 

“What about you when I danced with that girl at that party last year!” Hansol could slap himself in the face right about now.

 

“That was totally different! I was jealous and worried that you thought I was boring, not afraid that you would cheat on me!”

 

“I'm not afraid you're going to cheat on me, Seungkwan. I just don't like the idea of you hanging out with someone that has a crush on you!” He sighed and there was a moment of silence. “It doesn't matter anymore now, does it? You told him we're dating, so that should be the end of that, right?”

 

“Yeah...” Seungkwan answered slowly. “There's something I should tell you though.”

 

“What?”

 

“First of all, it was only for like a second because I immediately pulled away.”

 

“Pulled away from what?”

 

“He...kissed me.”

 

“He did what!?” Hansol jumped up from his chair and Seungkwan stood up as well. He reached out to grab his hand.

 

“It was only for a nanosecond, I swear! He caught me off guard and I-”

 

“You shouldn't have been caught off guard!”

 

Seungkwan let go off Hansol's hand and frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”

 

“I told you that he likes you!”

 

“So, what? It's my fault? It's not like I went over there expecting him to kiss me!”

 

“You were leading him on!”

 

“I was lea- I- Fuck you!” He yelled back. He felt tears filling his eyes. He hated how easily he cried, he hated fighting with Hansol and he hated this whole situation. All the ways he could have handled things differently were swirling through his head and the way Hansol was responding wasn't helping. “I didn't want him to kiss me. We were just talking about the play and suddenly he kissed me. I don't see how that's my fault.” He sniffed. “I know that I ignored the fact that he was flirting with me, but I can't believe you'd think I'd cheat on you.” He wiped away his tears with the back of his hand.

 

“I told you I don't.” Hansol mumbled. He sighed, letting his negative emotions leave his body with his breath. “I should never have told him you were straight and I also shouldn't be mad at you for not straight up telling him you're taken. After all...” He eyed his boyfriend carefully, “...I also wasn't super clear with him when he kind of came on to me.”

 

Seungkwan's sad face turned into a frowning one, “Excuse me?”

 

“It was some time after he asked me about you and he still thought you were straight. He said he saw the way I look at you and that maybe me and him could 'bond' over liking a straight guy.”

 

Seungkwan crossed his arms. “So you were angry at me, but you had all these secret interactions with Hyunggu?”

 

“You also didn't tell me about that talk you had with him about you both being gay and all...”

 

“Right.” They both stared at each other with a sense of hesitance around them.

 

“So...basically we both had things about Hyunggu we didn't tell each other, but probably should have and we're both sorry about it.”

 

“So, maybe from now on we agree to just tell each other stuff like this?”

 

Hansol nodded. “Even if we think the other person might get mad.”

 

“Yes. Even then. Can we try to put this whole saga behind us?”

 

“Can I just ask one more thing? What happened after he kissed you?”

 

“Like I said, I told him about us dating. Then he asked me how long we've been together and when I told him he got a little bit...angry, I guess.”

 

“Angry?” Hansol furrowed his brows.

 

“Well, not really angry. But upset. He felt like you and I should have been more clear with him. I think he felt like we were stringing him along on purpose, like we thought it was funny or something.”

 

“That's ridiculous.”

 

“Of course I told him that was not the case. Then he asked me to leave, so I did.”

 

Hansol reached out and lightly patted Seungkwan on his hair. “We're good again, yeah?”

 

“Yeah. I think we are.” He took a step closer and wrapped his arms around Hansol's waist. “So...” Now that his anger was completely gone he had a need for closeness. “How exactly were you looking at me that it had other people noticing?”

 

“I must have been staring at your ass, because he said I looked like I wasn't just interested in your personality.”

 

“Hansol!” Seungkwan lightly slapped his chest, but the smile on his face betrayed his true feelings.

 

“Can you blame me?” He said and lowered his hand to cup his boyfriend's butt. He nuzzled his neck. “Stay over tonight?”

 

“It's a school night. And I don't have any clean clothes with me.”

 

“Borrow some of mine.” Hansol placed a soft kiss on the soft skin. He moved up and caught Seungkwan's lips in a kiss.

 

“Yeah, all right.” Seungkwan said when their kiss broke. With a smile on his face he pulled him back in.

Notes:

-They fight, but not for long usually
-Honestly, I think they were both kind of wrong but also didn't really do anything wrong?? (well, Hansol shouldn't have said anything about Seungkwan's sexuality to begin with)
-Do you think this will be the end of the 'Hyunggu saga' or not? (hint: they still have to actually do the play)

But before that! They will go to another college party. Can't possibly go worse than the last one, right?

Chapter 62: HS3-6 The Glorious return of 'Skeletons in the Closet'

Summary:

It is time for a band comeback at a college party. Soonyoung introduces himself to Mingyu. Seungkwan hopes this party will be better than the last one. It's definitely not for some people.

Notes:

Aaaah Carat Land was so much fun!!! :D Not sure if everybody will be happy with this chapter's ending D:

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The last few weeks at school had been somewhat awkward after the incident with Hyunggu. It didn't exactly help that it was near impossible for them to keep more distance between them. He still sat behind him in class, he was captain of the basketball team and, worst of all, they had play rehearsals together. So the off-campus college party this Friday night was a more than welcome break.

 

While the organizers came from Jeonghan and Wonwoo's college, it seems school affiliations were thrown out the window in favor of a good time. Seungkwan arrived together with Hansol, Mingyu and Chan. The old members of the music club would come out of their indefinite hiatus and perform a few songs later, but first it was time to find their friends who had already arrived.

 

The place was pretty big, but soon enough they spotted all of them standing around together near a wall. Seungcheol was there too. On their way over, Mingyu was suddenly blocked by a guy with blonde hair and a happy grin on his face.

 

“Wow, would you look at that, our paths crossed. This must be fate.” The guy ended his terrible opening line with a wink.

 

“Eh, what?” Mingyu looked at the young man with confusion and cast a side way glance in Seungkwan's direction who was eyeing the cheerful stranger.

 

“My name is Soonyoung and I think we should see where fate can take us tonight.”

 

At this point Mingyu noticed the tiger themed shirt he was wearing. “Wait, are you Wonwoo's roommate?” He asked.

 

“I see my reputation precedes me. Who are you? Did you go to school with him or something?”

 

“Sort of. I'm Mingyu.”

 

“Well, Mingyu, I think you and I should get to know each other better. Can I get you a drink?”

 

“No, I mean, I'm Mingyu. Wonwoo's boyfriend.”

 

Soonyoung's eyes widened and his jaw dropped, “Wonwoo has a boyfriend!? What the fuck! That crazy bastard never even told me he's into men!” He turned around to look at Wonwoo standing with the others a few meters away and swung his arm over Mingyu's shoulder. “He is one sly guy. Keeping such a snack a secret.”

 

Together they all joined the others. Soonyoung still had a big grin on his face as he poked Wonwoo in the back. When he turned around he looked confused to find him together with his boyfriend.

 

“I met your roommate.” Mingyu mumbled the obvious.

 

“I met your boyfriend.” Soonyoung beamed with glee. “Why didn't you tell me?” He slapped Wonwoo's shoulder.

 

“Yeah, why didn't you?” Mingyu was second to ask, but Wonwoo didn't have a chance to respond seeing as Soonyoung continued talking.

 

“So, is anybody going to introduce me?” He looked around the circle to the people he hadn't met yet.

 

“Well...” Jeonghan stepped forward. “You seem to have already met Mingyu, he goes to our old high school together with Seungkwan, Hansol, and Chan over there. Then on this side we have Seokmin and Jihoon, fellow high school survivors who go to the same college as my boyfriend Jisoo.”

 

“Ah, yes, it's good to finally see you all in person. Wonwoo clearly doesn't tell me anything, but luckily Jeonghan was kind enough to tell me all about you lot.” He let out a booming laugh. He stepped forward to shake Jisoo's hand for some reason. “Damn, dude, you have big hands. Kudos.”

 

“You know what they say about men with big hands..." Jeonghan interjected and he wiggled his eyebrows.

 

"They need big gloves?" Hansol joked.

 

Jeonghan laughed. "They sure do. And I always say: no glove, no love."

 

Jisoo looked at his boyfriend, raising his eyebrows. "No, you don't. Not once have I heard you say that."

 

"Always use condoms, kids.” Jeonghan continued undisturbed. “Unless you've only ever slept with each other like us. But even then...sometimes you just don't want it to get messy, you know."

 

"...are you drunk already?” Seungkwan asked him. “What the fuck are you talking about suddenly?"

 

"Proper condom use."

 

Soonyoung leaned his elbow on Jihoon's shoulder and nodded. “Very important.”

 

Jihoon immediately shrugged him off and glared at him, looking him up and down. “Don't touch me.”

 

“Oh, he's feisty. Say, Jihoon, was it? Do you want to-”

 

“Dance!” Seungcheol suddenly stepped forward (possibly pushed by Jeonghan). “D-do you want to dance?” His piercing gaze was fixated on Jihoon's face, as if staring intensely would hide his blush.

 

“Actually I want to go double-check the equipment they have here. For our gig.”

 

“Can't you do that later, Hoonie? Go and dance with Seungcheol first.” Jeonghan said and he attempted to pull him to the middle of the circle.

 

“Oh, look how you just volunteered to help me.” Jihoon replied and grabbed him by the wrist.

 

Seungkwan noticed the way Mingyu was clearly still sulking that Wonwoo hadn't told his roommate about him, but he had other things on his mind. The last party he and Hansol had been to together had ended in them fighting and Seungkwan crying in a bathroom, so he was determined to redeem himself at this one. He touched Hansol's arm to get his attention. “Hansol? Will you dance with me?”

 

“Actually, I was thinking I'd let some girl grind up on me.” He had a teasing smile on his face, but dropped it when his boyfriend gave him the death glare. “Come on, don't take it so seriously. Of course I'll dance with you.” He grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the dance floor.

 

Any discomfort Seungkwan had felt about dancing with his boyfriend in public quickly moved to the back of his mind as they were simply enjoying moving to the music. He wanted to not care. He just wanted dance. And he just wanted to do what so many couples around them were doing. “Sollie?” He asked as he spun around in his arms.

 

“Hm?”

 

“Can you kiss me?”

 

“Right here on the dance floor?”

 

Seungkwan planted his feet so he could look him in the eye. He nodded shyly.

 

Hansol smiled and leaned in. He had his hands on Seungkwan's hips and pulled him closer when he felt arms wrap around his neck.

 

Seungkwan pulled back, his arms leaning on Hansol's shoulders. He stared into his boyfriend's eyes and he was so busy drowning in them that he almost didn't notice the tap on his shoulder.

 

“It's almost time for us to get on stage.” Jihoon said from behind him. “Help me tame Seokmin and get him backstage, please. I can't deal with him when he's this hyper.”

 

Seungkwan looked over where Jihoon was looking and saw Seokmin dancing like a crazy person with Soonyoung. They both had a certain type of energy that was hard to match for most people. Seungkwan sighed, but he thought it was nice to see this side of Seokmin. He didn't show it enough, Seungkwan thought. Always holding back a little. He walked over and signaled him. “Sorry to interrupt...whatever you guys are doing, but, Seok, Jihoon says it's time to get ready.”

 

“Okay!” He said to Seungkwan and turned back to his dance partner. “Are you going to watch us, Soonyoung?”

 

“Yeah, of course!”

 

As they made their way backstage Seungkwan was starting to feel a little nervous. Even though there was no pressure of wanting to win anything this time, it had been a long time since they had played in front of people. Battle of the Bands felt like a lifetime ago. Jisoo and Jeonghan hadn't told them about their relationship yet, Mingyu and Wonwoo had kissed for the first time that night, Seokmin had barely even spoken to Jaehyun at that point, and Seungkwan himself had still been oblivious to Hansol's feelings for him. A lot had changed since then. He looked at his band members and suddenly felt emotional.

 

“Seungkwan?” Jisoo said, seeing the way Seungkwan's eyes were shining with the tears that had started to take shape. “Are you okay?”

 

He nodded. “Yeah. I'm fine, sorry. I just...I love you, guys.”

 

“We love you too, Kwannie!” Jeonghan replied. “Don't we, Hoonie?”

 

“Eh, yeah, of course. Not sure why we're talking about this now though.”

 

“Guys! In a circle! I'm going to pump us like last time!” Seokmin yelled out suddenly and he stuck out his hand.

 

“Please tell me you meant to say pump up?” Jihoon shook his head, but already had his hand on top of Seokmin's.

 

“Tonight!” Seokmin spoke dramatically when all of their hands were joined together. “Marks the return of Skeletons in the Closet. We will wow this crowd of drunken students and give them a show they'll remember even when they're super hungover tomorrow!”

 

<>

 

Playing for a group of people who were primarily there to party had a different energy than Battle of the Bands had, but it wasn't a bad energy. In fact, Seungkwan felt more relaxed. Or maybe that was because he managed to find Hansol in the crowd and saw the way he was looking at him. His enthusiasm shot through the roof and the adrenaline was still flowing richly when they finished and exited the stage. The others seemed to feel the same type of rush.

 

“We should do this more often!” Seokmin yelled out and he high-fived Jisoo.

 

Jihoon nodded. “I wouldn't be against that. We might want to come up with a better band name though.”

 

“Aw, but I like Skeletons in the Closet.” Jeonghan replied. “It reminds me of the dark days of high school.” He ran a hand slowly through his hair. “By the way, I think the combination of being in a band and this long hair is really working for me. I swear if I was single I'd be getting laid left and right judging from some of the screams I heard.”

 

Jisoo glared at him, but quickly turned it into a smirk. “Lucky me, being the only one you're getting laid by.”

 

Still vibing off of their performance they made their way back into the crowd. They soon spotted Hansol, Chan, Seungcheol and Soonyoung waiting for them. Seungkwan attached himself to his boyfriend's arm.

 

Soonyoung held two thumbs up. “Wow, you were great. I really wish I was dating one of you guys so I could wear a t-shirt that says 'Don't fuck with the band. That's my job' or something.”

 

Hansol laughed, “What do you think, babe? Should I get a shirt that says 'Dibs on the lead singer?”

 

Seungkwan scrunched up his nose, “I think that you should definitely not get a shirt like that.” He looked around in search for the band's oldest groupie, but couldn't find him.“Where's Mingyu? And Wonwoo?” He asked.

 

Chan shrugged, “Not sure. They weren't with us when you guys started, so I guess they watched from somewhere else.”

 

“Or maybe they're...you know.” Hansol said, thinking back at the alley make-out session he had witnessed.

 

Seungkwan frowned. If Mingyu and Wonwoo had missed their performance to have sex in a public place he was going to be very annoyed. “I'm going to go look for him. I'll be right back.”

 

He started walking around the room in search for Mingyu and Wonwoo. After a few minutes he finally spotted Mingyu standing at the back by himself. He walked over and stood in front of him with his arms crossed. “Why are you all the way back here? Didn't you watch us perform?” He pouted.

 

Mingyu looked up. He looked pale. “I-I'm sorry. I-” His voice broke and he was clearly trying to keep it together.

 

Seungkwan let his arms drop down and he placed a hand on his best friend's arm to gently stroke it, “What's wrong?”

 

“Can we go?”

 

“Did you and Wonwoo have a fight or something?”

 

Mingyu bit his lip and was visibly trying to fight back tears. “I think it's over.”

 

His voice was so small that Seungkwan barely heard him over the loud music and it took him a moment to realize what Mingyu had just said. “What...?” He stood there for a few seconds more, trying to wrap his mind around the situation. “Okay, we'll go. Let me just go and get Hansol and the others.” He turned around, but felt Mingyu tugging on his sleeve.

 

“Can we just...go to my place? Just us two?”

 

Seungkwan nodded. “Of course.”

Notes:

-Jihoon ignoring everybody flirting with him, I-
-Soonyoung flirting with...well...a lot of people?
-Maybe it's time for Jeonghan to cut his hair LOL
-Only China line hasn't made an appearance yet :o They will of course! ...at some point
-We'll get more details on what happened between Mingyu and Wonwoo next chapter >.< Do you think it's really over?
-I'll try to finish the next one soon, but work is stressing me out so...we'll see T___T

(p.s. Soonyoung already knew Seungcheol since they go to same college and Wonwoo knows him and Jeonghan. He has also seen Jisoo over the phone since he and Jeonghan video chat a lot)

Chapter 63: HS3-7 Post-breakup TLC

Summary:

Seungkwan stays with Mingyu and tries to make him feel better.

Notes:

Go and listen to Seungkwan's new OST!! :D

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

When they arrived at Mingyu's house the lights inside were still on. Mingyu groaned. “I don't want to talk to them right now. Let's just go in and go straight to my room. I know you want to be polite and stuff, but-”

 

“Okay.” Seungkwan assured him. The whole way there neither of them had spoken. When he left Seungkwan hadn't given Hansol or the others much detail since he himself didn't even really know what was going on either. He had looked around to see if he saw Wonwoo somewhere, but he was nowhere to be found.

 

Mingyu unlocked the door and they went inside. Sounds of the TV were coming from the living room. Seungkwan ignored his natural instincts to go and greet Mingyu's parents, but from the looks of it, it was just his dad who had fallen asleep in front of the TV anyway. They quickly went up. Seungkwan closed the door and Mingyu slumped down on his bed.

 

“Do you want anything to drink or something?” Seungkwan asked. “I can go down to the kitchen and-”

 

“No. No, I don't want anything.”

 

Seungkwan sat down next to him and placed a hand on his knee. “So, what happened?” He wanted to give Mingyu whatever he needed right now, but he needed some more information.

 

The other boy inhaled a shaky breath and started talking. “It was clear that he hadn't told his roommate about me, right? So when most of you went dancing I confronted him about it. I asked him if he was maybe not out to his roommate for some reason. You know what he said?”

 

“What?” Seungkwan was rubbing his thumb over the back of Mingyu's hand in slow strokes.

 

“He said he didn't remember if he had told him or not. Can you believe that? What kind of bullshit is that!? I can totally understand not coming out to someone new right away, but this guy was hitting on me the moment I walked through the door and pretty damn obvious about it too. I doubt he hadn't told Wonwoo he likes guys.”

 

“You...you don't think he hadn't told Soonyoung for other reasons do you?” Seungkwan had trouble imagining Wonwoo as someone who would cheat, but this alone didn't seem like enough reason to break up.

 

“I don't think there's anything going on between them, no.” Mingyu inhaled sharply. “But it means that he has never even mentioned anything about me. Like he doesn't even care.”

 

“Then what happened?”

 

“After that everything just started pouring out...everything we've ever fought about. How he's always busy and that he can find time for his gaming, but not for me. He said he needs to play games to relax from all his schoolwork and then I said that I didn't realize being in a relationship with me was apparently so much work for him and not relaxing. He told me I was overreacting. And then I- I said something so stupid. I didn't even mean it. I said 'maybe it would be easier if you didn't have a boyfriend' and he-” Tears fell down. “He said 'yeah, maybe so'

 

Seungkwan wrapped his arms around his now full-on crying best friend and let him hang his heavy body on him. “If he said maybe, doesn't that mean it was just a fight? Not a breakup?” He tried.

 

Mingyu sat back up and wiped his nose on the back of his hand. He shook his head. “No, because after that we didn't say anything for a while and then he said that he loved me, but that things hadn't been working between us and that he thought it was better for us right now to not be together. To break up.” He crawled back into the comfort of Seungkwan's warm body. “If he loves me why doesn't he want to be with me.” He hiccuped.

 

Seungkwan gently stroked his hair. “I don't know.” He really didn't. He wasn't sure how to feel. He knew they had been having issues and part of him wasn't entirely surprised, but at the same time he felt anger towards Wonwoo for breaking Mingyu's heart like this. He hated to hear him cry.

 

When Mingyu's crying died down he gently made him sit up. He wrapped his sleeve around his hand and wiped away any remaining tears. “Wonwoo is an idiot. Of the highest order. How it could cross anybody's mind to break-up with Kim Mingyu is beyond me.” He inhaled and sighed. “Let's get into bed and try to sleep for now.”

 

They changed into shirts and crawled under the covers. Mingyu immediately pulled Seungkwan close and started crying softly again. Not sure what else to do Seungkwan started to sing a slow song to lull him to sleep.

 

<>

 

When he woke up the next morning Seungkwan noticed a lack of arms around him. He looked up and saw Mingyu sitting at his desk chair, staring at his phone. “What are you doing?” He asked with a voice still laced with sleep.

 

“He hasn't texted...hasn't called...nothing.” Mingyu mumbled.

 

Seungkwan groaned as he pushed himself up. He rubbed his eyes and yawned. “Maybe he doesn't want to bother you. Give you space. What could he possibly say right now to make you feel better?”

 

“Maybe he just doesn't care. Maybe he's just glad to finally be rid of me.”

 

Seungkwan got up and walked over. “Don't say that. Of course he cares. You were together for a long time.”

 

Mingyu kept staring at the screen of his phone. “Do you think I should call him?”

 

“I think...” Seungkwan said as he took the phone from him and placed it face down on the desk. “...You should go and take a shower. Brush your teeth. Maybe shave.” He ran a finger down Mingyu's jaw. His hand got squatted away.

 

“I don't want to take a shower. Why can't I just stay in bed all day?”

 

“First of all, you're not even in bed now. Second of all, you'll feel better if you're nice and clean. You can get back into pj's right after.”

 

Mingyu got up, but instead of heading to the bathroom he let himself fall face first onto his bed and groaned into his pillow.

 

“Okay, fine.” Seungkwan gave in. “I'll go and get dressed first, but when I get back it's your turn!” He left the room and in the hallway ran into Mingyu's mother.

 

“Oh, hello Seungkwan.” She said, surprised to find him in her house. “I didn't know you were staying over.”

 

“Oh, yeah, sorry. Ehm...” He really wasn't sure how much Mingyu wanted his parents to know in this situation, but he thought it was best if he wasn't bothered about other things right now. “Mingyu, he, eh, he broke up with Wonwoo last night.”

 

Mingyu's mother's face fell and she looked over at her son's closed bedroom door. “Oh dear! Is he okay?”

 

“Not really...I mean...he's pretty upset. But don't worry. I'm going to take care of him today. Is it okay if I use the shower first?”

 

“Of course, of course. You're a good friend, Seungkwan.”

 

<>

 

When he got back to Mingyu's room he found him like he had left him. On his bed with his face buried in his pillow. Seungkwan poked him on the back of his head. “Okay. The bathroom is free. I'm stepping out for a moment, but I'll be back as soon as I can.”

 

“Where are you going?” Mingyu's muffled voice asked.

 

“Just to get some things. Now, come on. Up!”

 

He finally got Mingyu into the bathroom and he headed downstairs. Both of parents were there and gave him the same pained look. Clearly his mother had told his father about the breakup. “I'm going to go buy some things to make him feel better. I'll be back soon.” He told them. They nodded. His mother got up and slipped him some money. “Get that expensive ice cream he likes. And some noodles.”

 

“I'll put the hot plate in his room while you're out.” His dad said.

 

On his way to the stores Seungkwan called Hansol to let him know what was going on. While the others had caught on what was happening, the group chat had been quiet. It was different from when Seokmin broke up with Jaehyun. Jaehyun had always been Seokmin's boyfriend as opposed to one of the group, but with Wonwoo it wasn't like that. Even if they only became friends after he had started to go out with Mingyu, he had quickly become part of their circle. Seungkwan didn't really want to think about what this meant for their group of friends. After his call with Hansol he decided to call one more person. “Hannie?” He said when Jeonghan answered his call. “Have you seen Wonwoo?”

 

Not since last night. Is it true he and Mingyu broke up?

 

“Yeah. I guess I'm just calling to- I don't know.”

 

I'll go check on him.”

 

“Yeah, okay. Please make sure he doesn't call or text Mingyu right now. It's the last thing he needs. Unless Wonwoo changed his mind I suppose...” Seungkwan was mad at Wonwoo, but at the same time he wanted to make sure he was all right.

 

What about Mingyu?

 

“I've got it. I don't think he's in the mood to see more people.”

 

<>

 

Mingyu was sitting on the floor, leaning against his bed and his eyes red from crying again. His hair was still damp, so he had taken a shower, but he hadn't bothered to put on a shirt yet. Seungkwan squatted down in front of him and put his bags down. He patted him on the head to get his attention.

 

“I tried calling him...” Mingyu spoke with a hoarse voice. “But I hung up before he could answer. He hasn't called back.” He lifted his head. “What's all this?” He asked looking at the bags.

 

“Food! Snacks! Face masks! We're going to take an eat and spa day and play games and watch dumb movies or something. Forget all about stupid Wonwoo. I thought he was supposed to be the smart one of the group, but if he can't value you for how awesome you are he's the dumbest person I have ever met!” He grabbed Mingyu's shirt off the bed and held it out. “Lift your arms.”

 

“I'm not a child.” Mingyu pouted. “I don't need you to dress me.” But he let him anyway.

 

“Now. Let's put your phone away and have some breakfast.” He emptied the contents of the shopping bag on the floor. “What do you want to eat first?”

 

“I'm not hungry.”

 

Seungkwan knew that if Kim Mingyu said he wasn't hungry, he really wasn't feeling well. Instead of trying to convince him to eat, he started to set things up to make something. It didn't take long before Mingyu crawled closer and started helping, mumbling something about how Seungkwan was doing it wrong.

 

They spent the whole day cooped up in Mingyu's room. Seungkwan knew Mingyu checked his phone whenever one of them went to the bathroom and he noticed how he zoned out during movies, but he also got him to laugh a few times or just cuddle up and be close. He was hurting, but he would be able to get through this, Seungkwan thought.

 

“You don't have to stay over again, you know.” Mingyu said when the day had turned into evening. Seungkwan had his head on his shoulder and his hand wrapped around Mingyu's arm.

 

“You don't want me to?” Seungkwan asked.

 

“It's not that. I just...I'll be okay on my own for a bit.”

 

Seungkwan sat up and looked at him. “If you want me to go home because you need some alone time, that's totally fine. But don't think I'm here because I feel like I have to be here or something.”

 

“I know. I just want to wallow in self-pity for a few hours. I can't do that when you're around because you won't let me.”

 

Seungkwan frowned and pushed out his bottom lip into a pout. “Out of love.”

 

Mingyu chuckled. “I know, I know. And I really appreciate it, but you should go home and let me wallow. Okay?”

 

“If you say so...” Seungkwan was hesitant to leave, but he also didn't want to overstay his welcome and be annoying. So he stretched his arms and wrapped them around his best friend for one more tight hug. He planted a kiss on his cheek. “Call or text me if you need anything. Anything at all, okay?”

 

“Okay.”

 

Seungkwan stood up and gathered his things. “I'll see you on Monday then. Don't skip school.”

 

“Yes, mom.”

Notes:

-idk what boys do after breakups??? They're too young to go out and get wasted
-Mingyu is a sad heartbroken puppy atm
-If they are really broken up for good, do you think Seungkwan will stay friends with Wonwoo?

Chapter 64: HS3-8 Play Rehearsal

Summary:

It's their first full play rehearsal and Hyunggu offers another one of his suggestions.

Notes:

omg I can't believe it's been a few weeks T__T

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan did his best not to burst out laughing as 'Prince' Mingyu said his final words to end the play. It was their first full rehearsal with all of their classmates as audience and Mingyu's delivery was over the top dramatic to the point where it was turning the performance into a comedy. That wasn't a bad thing though. Judging from the reaction of most of them, the people watching seemed pretty entertained by the whole thing.

 

“Well?” Their class president and play director asked. “What did everybody think?”

 

“Actually...” Hyunggu, who was of course also in the play and standing at the edge of the scene, spoke up. “I've been thinking about this ending and don't you guys think it needs a bit more power?”

 

“Such as?”

 

“How about a kiss between the prince and the princess?”

 

Both Seungkwan and Mingyu's eyes widened at the suggestion. Seungkwan searched for Hansol and saw him staring at Hyunggu with his brows furrowed. Perhaps he was wondering the same thing. What was Hyunggu's angle here?

 

“Eh...isn't that a bit, ehm, controversial?” One of the other boys said.

 

“Why? Seungkwan is playing a girl, right? What's so controversial about a boy and a girl kissing? Especially if they're a royal couple endgame.”

 

“Well...that's true.”

 

“Maybe we just need to try it out once.” Someone else said and the suggestion was followed by a few snickers.

 

“Ew, no. Seungkwan doesn't look like a girl right now. I don't want to watch two dudes making out.” Another one said.

 

While their classmates continued their back-and-forth, Mingyu locked eyes with Seungkwan, not sure what to do. He was clearly uncomfortable and Seungkwan decided to put an end to it. He took a step forward and raised one of his hands. “I can save you all the trouble of trying to decide just how gross you think it would be for me and Mingyu to lock lips. I'm not doing it. I don't want to and I won't.”

 

“Lol, Mingyu just got totally rejected by Seungkwan.” More subdued laughter.

 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes at the comment. “I'm not rejecting Mingyu. I'm just not comfortable doing a kiss scene in front of the entire school.”

 

“Perhaps we should revisit this idea at our dress rehearsal.” The director said.

 

Seungkwan clicked his tongue and was about to object when the bell rang. As if it had been a fire alarm the students rushed out of the class. It had been their last one for the day and most didn't like the fact they had to stay longer just for the play in the first place.

 

Seungkwan caught Hyunggu trying to leave the room from the corner of his eye and he was quick to grab him by the arm. “Can I have a word with you?” Without waiting for a reply he pulled him back inside and to the back of the room. Mingyu and Hansol kept half an eye on the situation and their ears open, but didn't intervene.

 

He made sure it was only the four of them left before he started talking. “I don't know what that was all about and I'm sorry if you feel hurt by what happened between us, but what you just did was mean. Perhaps you thought it would be funny to make me kiss another guy in front of my boyfriend or whatever, but I hope you realize that what you tried to do was making me, a gay kid at a school with known homophobes, kiss another guy in front of the entire class and having to listen to them saying how disgusted they are at the mere thought of it! And worst of all, it wasn't just mean to me and Hansol, you also dragged Mingyu into it!” He ended his short rant by crossing his arms and waiting for some sort of response from the other boy. He was thoroughly pissed off and it only got worse the more time he had to think about what had happened.

 

“I-I'm sorry. I didn't think of it like that. I was just...I don't know what I was thinking. I guess you're right...I thought it would be funny or something.”

 

“Well, it wasn't.”

 

“I know. I'm sorry. If anyone brings it up again when we're doing the next rehearsal I'll speak up against it.” He looked past Seungkwan to address Mingyu behind him. “I'm sorry. Mingyu, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. It wasn't okay for me to try and get you two to kiss.”

 

“I was uncomfortable because I don't want to kiss my best friend in front of his boyfriend and the rest of the class, not because he's another guy. If that's what you mean.”

 

“No! I mean, I know you and Seungkwan are close and you're not a homophobe or anything!”

 

“I'm gay.”

 

Hyunggu stared at Mingyu and blinked a few times before he let out a long oooh sound as if everything made sense now. “Man, I'm sorry. I really wasn't thinking. You don't also have a boyfriend that I might have pissed off, do you?” He chuckled slightly, but the room felt like ice.

 

“I think we're done here.” Seungkwan said abruptly and swung his bag over his shoulder. He grabbed both Hansol and Mingyu by their wrists and made them leave with him, leaving Hyunggu behind in the classroom. Once out in the hallway Mingyu pulled his hand back.

 

“Don't you think you were a bit harsh?” He asked.

 

“Harsh? No. He did something mean and I called him on it. And then he starts talking to you about having a boyfriend and-”

 

“Seungkwan, just because I got dumped doesn't mean I'll spiral out of control at the word boyfriend. Just think about how he must be feeling. He's had a crush on you for ages and then he finds out you've been dating Hansol for over a year already. He's just hurting and trying to deal with that, don't you think?”

 

Seungkwan pouted and looked over at Hansol.

 

“It still wasn't cool.” Hansol mumbled. He had been pissed too, but he did understand Mingyu's point.

 

“Let's just...cut him some slack.”

 

“What if the class brings it up again?” Seungkwan asked.

 

Mingyu sighed. “You know what? I don't even care at this point. They're all hung up on calling you gay, but they jump at the opportunity to make you kiss a guy? If they want to see it so badly maybe we should just-” He stopped and looked at Hansol. “If that's okay with you. Just to make a point.”

 

“Don't ask him for permission!” Seungkwan huffed. “You don't have my permission! What point would us kissing make?”

 

“That two men kissing isn't something disgusting.” Hansol spoke up. “That it's just as normal as any other kind of love.”

 

“Are you two pinheads forgetting that I'm playing a girl? I won't be kissing him as my gay old self.”

 

“Yeah, but everybody knows that you're not really a girl.” Mingyu pointed out.

 

“It might be a nice fuck you to all the homophobes. And if anyone acts offended or something you can just say it's only for the play and that in the context of the play it isn't gay.” Hansol said and he and Mingyu nodded in agreement with each other.

 

Seungkwan furrowed his eyebrows together in thought. “Maybe.” He looked at his boyfriend. “You'd really be okay with me kissing Mingyu in front of the whole school?”

 

“As long as you guys don't insist on practicing by yourselves, I think I can handle it. But only if you're comfortable too.”

 

Seungkwan sighed, wondering how they had gotten to this point. “I'll think about it. Now let's go home. Mingyu, do you want to come to my house too? We can all do our homework together.”

 

“Actually, I think I'm going to go check if Hyunggu is okay. I kind of feel bad for him.”

 

Seungkwan raised an eyebrow. “All right. I guess we'll see you tomorrow then.”

 

He and Hansol walked over to Hansol's bike and Seungkwan got on the back. “Sollie?” He said as he clung closer to him during the ride. “Before we go home, can we take a walk in the park where we first kissed? And hold hands?”

 

“Sure.” His response was a single word, but Hansol's chest was filled with a sudden wave of deep affection. He loved these moments. Simply being together. It made him want to not think about next year, about graduating, about college. First, he was going to have to tell Seungkwan.

Notes:

Did I keep you waiting for almost 3 weeks just to come back with a sort of cliffhanger? Yes.

What does Hansol need to tell Seungkwan?
Will Mingyu and Seungkwan decide to kiss at the end of the play? Should they?

Chapter 65: HS3-9 Hansol's college plans

Summary:

Hansol shares his plans for college with his boyfriend.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan stretched his arms out in front of him and let out a high-pitched groan. He slumped back and looked down at the piles of books surrounding him and Hansol. “Do you mind if I leave a few of these here until the next time I come over? I'm afraid my bag is going to rip from being too heavy.”

 

His boyfriend chuckled. “Sure, but don't you need them?”

 

“I'll just leave the ones I don't need for the upcoming two days or so. By the way, did you have time to check my English essay I gave you last week?”

 

“Oh yeah. It's around here somewhere...I think.”

 

Seungkwan narrowed his eyes. “Please tell me you didn't lose it. We have to hand it in tomorrow and if I made a lot of mistakes I'll need time to revise it and-”

 

“Ah!” Hansol exclaimed, holding up a paper in his hands. “Found it. Here.” He handed it over and sat down close to him, wrapping his arms around his waist. “You didn't make a lot of mistakes, baby. You did really good.”

 

“Thank you for always correcting it for me. I really want to get a good grade. I don't know how much English I will actually need in the future, but colleges all seem to think it's important.” He stuffed the paper neatly in his bag between some books and leaned into Hansol's arms. “Speaking of college, I've been talking with Hannie and he suggested a sort of college experience sleepover.”

 

“What's that? Another party?”

 

“No, no party. Just going over there and getting a better feel of the campus and the students that go there, I guess. Honestly, I think he just wants to have a sleepover, but I think it might be actually a good way to get a real feel about the place.”

 

“Right...”

 

Seungkwan felt the hold around him loosen and he turned to look at Hansol. “What? You don't think it's a good idea? We could go there and do the same with the other guys too. I know Jeonghan will be disappointed if I end up going to a different college, but Seokmin has told me great things about some of his classes.”

 

“It's not that I don't think it's a good idea, it's just...aren't you considering other options as well?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I mean...I know those two colleges are the closest and have all of our friends and I'm sure they're good and all, but there's so much more out there, don't you think?”

 

“I'm already having trouble deciding between these two, do I really want to add more to that? Both of their early childhood education programs are well renowned and I honestly don't feel the need to look elsewhere.” Seungkwan stopped talking and took in Hansol's expression. “Or do you mean for you? I know you don't really know yet what you want to do, but maybe if we spend some time there you'll get a better idea.”

 

Hansol pulled his arms back and sighed. “Kwannie, there's something I have to talk to you about and I'm a little bit worried how you're going to react, because I know you're probably not going to like it. But I want you to know that I've thought a lot about this and I've done my research.”

 

“Okay, you're kind of freaking me out here. What are you talking about?”

 

“Well, I've been thinking about doing something in Computer Science. And I've found a college that I think would be great for me. The program is awesome and I think I can really learn a lot there. Not just for my Major, but also other stuff they offer there.”

 

“Well, great. Why is that a problem?” Seungkwan thought it was strange Hansol hadn't mentioned this sooner. He hadn't even mentioned being interested in computer science before.

 

“It's kind of far away.”

 

“Oh...how far?”

 

Hansol didn't answer right away and he had trouble looking Seungkwan in the eyes. “It's overseas.”

 

“Like...another country? You want to go to college in another country?”

 

“Wait. I'll show you the brochure and stuff.” Hansol got up and Seungkwan sat motionless.

 

“Here.” Hansol sat back down next to him and handed him a clear file folder containing several brochures and printed out pages of information. “I know it will be hard to be far away from each other, but it's not forever and when I found this one it was the first time I felt any kind of excitement about college. Something about the whole vibe of that place just fits with me and-” He stopped and looked at his boyfriend silently staring at the pages and going through them. “Kwannie? Please say something.”

 

Seungkwan had to fight hard not to start crying or yelling. Or both. He wanted to. He wanted to ask him how he could do this. But he didn't. He could tell how much Hansol wanted this and how hard he was trying to convince him it was a good thing. The fact that he had gone trough the trouble of neatly organizing the information said enough. He forced a smile on his face that was probably not convincing. “G-great! It looks like a really great school!” He handed the files back to him and stood up. “I, eh, I have to go home now. Help my mother with something.” He started to shove books into his bag, dropping one because his hands were shaking.

 

“Seungkwan wait. Don't leave like this. I know it's a lot to just drop on you, but I'm not taking this lightly, okay?” Hansol stood up also. He lightly rubbed a hand over Seungkwan's back. “Anyway, I haven't even applied yet. I might not even get in.”

 

Seungkwan nodded and smiled weakly. “It's great. Really. I'll see you tomorrow.”

 

He didn't go home. Without thinking he ended up on Mingyu's doorstep.

Notes:

-Well...how about that...
-Seungkwan is right. Jeonghan just wants to have a sleepover

Chapter 66: HS3-10 Supportive Boyfriend TM

Summary:

Seungkwan tries to find a way to deal with Hansol's announcement about his college pick.

Notes:

Writing comes with peaks and valleys and clearly I am currently in a valley when it comes to this fic :( I am sure a peak will come again though >.<

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“Please don't tell Hansol about this.” Seungkwan had spent the last thirty minutes or so crying on his best friend's shoulder and explaining about what had happened through his sobs. “I don't want him to know how upset I am about his college plans.”

 

“Okay, but why? If you're upset you should be able to tell him that. You can be upset.” Mingyu said as he wiped away the last of Seungkwan's tears with a tissue.

 

“Not about this! I have to support him because this is what he wants.”

 

“I guess...”

 

Seungkwan sat up on his knees and grabbed the other boy by the shoulders. “Mingyu, I really need you to agree with me on this. It's already taking a lot to convince myself. I can't do it if you don't agree with me.”

 

“I mean, of course I agree that it's good to support him, but that doesn't mean you can't be upset about it, right?”

 

“That's why I'm over here crying about it to you instead of to him. I don't want him to feel guilty and change his mind about applying because of it.”

 

“He hasn't even applied yet? So there's still time to-”

 

“No. I can't try to talk him out of it or ask him not to apply. He'll end up regretting it and resenting me for it.” He sighed and leaned his head on Mingyu's shoulder.

 

“What if he ends up regretting not spending college with you?”

 

“Then that's on him. Not me. I just don't want to be the reason he doesn't follow his dream or whatever. Even though it was the first I even heard about it...Why can't he just study Computer Science here? Does he think I'm lame for not wanting to venture out into the world like he apparently does? Does he realize how hard it can be to successfully apply for a top university like that one. I mean, I only saw the name and location basically because everything was a blur at that point, but it looked really top notch. He better make sure his application is flawless.”

 

“Seungkwan? I think you're spiraling a bit. That was a lot of different emotions in less than thirty seconds.”

 

“Well, I have a lot of different emotions right now.” He stood up with a grunt. “I have to go.”

 

“You're not staying for dinner?”

 

“No. I have stuff to do.”

 

“What stuff? Seungkwan?” Mingyu sighed and dragged himself over to his bed. Relationships were a pain in the ass.

 

<School, the next day>

 

The bell rang for class to start and Hansol did his best to hide his phone under his desk so he could message Seungkwan. It was rare for him to arrive late to class. Just on time had happened more than once, but never after the bell. He didn't get a reply. It wasn't even read. He hadn't talked to him since yesterday and he was starting to get worried that he was being ignored or avoided. He was barely able to focus throughout the class and as soon as it was over he turned around in his seat. “Mingyu, do you know where Seungkwan is?”

 

Mingyu shook his head. “Maybe he's sick?” He highly doubted that. In all honesty he was a bit worried about him. He had left very abruptly yesterday even though he was clearly still upset.

 

Hansol rapidly tapped his fingers on his desk a few times before he made the decision to pack his bag and get out of here. He left the teacher with a very quick 'my stomach hurts, I think I'm going to throw up' excuse and before anyone could stop him walked out.

 

<Seungkwan's house>

 

He rang the doorbell a few times before he heard movement coming from inside. The door finally opened and he was met with Seungkwan's serious face.

 

“You need to get your grades up.” He stated and turned back around, leaving the door open for Hansol to enter.

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“Your grades are fine, but fine isn't going to cut it, Hansol.”

 

“Cut it for what?” He asked as he took off his shoes. He had come over here worried that his boyfriend was either sick or too upset with him to come to school, but neither of those things seemed to be the case.

 

Seungkwan let out a sigh. “Your college application of course. I've been doing some research and-” He suddenly stopped in his tracks and swung back around. “Why aren't you in school!?”

 

“I came to check on you! I texted you like a hundred times! I thought you were sick or mad at me or something.”

 

“Oh, yeah, I haven't checked my phone in a while. I was busy.”

 

“With researching my college application?”

 

They had arrived in Seungkwan's room and he sat down behind his computer. “Yeah. I know you think you've done your research, but just because you managed to put some papers into a nice folder does not mean you know the ins and outs of the application process.”

 

Hansol leaned against the back of Seungkwan's chair and reached his arms around to place them on his boyfriend's shoulders. “Okay? I appreciate you wanting to help me, but is it really necessary to do it right away and during school hours? I only told you about it yesterday. If I didn't know any better I'd say you're trying to get rid of me.”

 

Seungkwan froze. He stood back up and looked at Hansol. “That's not funny.”

 

“Sorry. I just don't get why-”

 

“Why I'm skipping school for this? Because I needed to do something, Hansol. I'm trying to be a good boyfriend and show you that I support you, but don't joke about me getting rid of you when it's you who plans to leave.”

 

Hansol looked at his boyfriend and saw the exact expression he hadn't wanted to see. The type of face that made him not want to tell him. “I'm not leaving you, Seungkwan. This is just something that I need to try.” He took a step closer and gently held his arms. “I love you so much. You know that, right?”

 

Seungkwan looked back with a pout pulling his bottom lip down. “I guess.”

 

“Thank you for being so supportive. You're amazing.” He closed the distance and placed a tender kiss on Seungkwan's lips. “And like I said yesterday: I'm not in yet. Let's cross bridges when we get to them.”

 

Seungkwan scoffed, “You're obviously going to get in. They'd be stupid to decline you. Especially with my help.”

 

Hansol smiled. “So? Can I see the fruits of your labor?”

 

Seungkwan untangled himself from Hansol's arms. “You can get your ass back to school is what you can do.” Before he could sit down Hansol slid into his chair.

 

“Or...” Hansol pulled a reluctant Seungkwan on his lap, “I stay here and help you.”

 

“Distract me is more likely. But, fine. I guess one day of missed school won't be a total deal breaker.” He couldn't help but smile when the grip around his waist tightened and he felt Hansol's body heat against his back. He could do this. As long as it was something that he knew made Hansol happy, Seungkwan felt like he could do just about anything.

Notes:

Next chapter will either be a dress rehearsal for the play (aka Seungkwan in a dress) OR the college sleepover at Jeonghan's where Seungkwan might bump into Wonwoo

Thank you so much to those of you still reading this!

Chapter 67: HS3-11 College Sleepover I

Summary:

Seungkwan, Hansol, and Chan head over to Jeonghan's college for a sleepover. They run into Soonyoung too.

Notes:

Nothing really big happens in this chapter, but it has some important bits and pieces I think

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan arrived at Jeonghan's university together with Hansol and Chan. He had been unsuccessful in trying to convince Mingyu to come. They weren't even inside the dorm building yet when Seungkwan had to admit that it was probably better that he hadn't. In the distance he saw Wonwoo exiting the building with his roommate, Soonyoung. He stopped in his tracks and gave the other two boys a moment to realize why.

 

“Should we go say hi?” Chan asked, not so sure himself.

 

Seungkwan hadn't spoken to Wonwoo at all since he had broken up with Mingyu. Although he still couldn't understand what went through his head when he decided to break his best friend's heart, a part of him did want to know how he was doing. But while the three of them stood there contemplating on what to do, the decision was made for them. As soon as he saw them Wonwoo froze. Soonyoung turned to look at them and waved awkwardly. They seemed to exchange a few words and Wonwoo walked away at a brisk pace. His roommate, however, made his way over.

 

“Hey Chan!” He directed a smile at their youngest. He looked at a confused Seungkwan and Hansol. “And...you guys.” He chuckled awkwardly. “I'm sorry. The last time we met I was sort of drunk. I'm usually not that hyper. I'm Soonyoung, by the way.”

 

Seungkwan pursed his lips and nodded. “I remember. I wasn't drunk. Seungkwan.” He said to remind the young man of his name.

 

“Hansol.” Hansol added.

 

“Wonwoo had to, eh...get to the library.”

 

A believable excuse, but Seungkwan knew it was more likely that he had wanted to avoid an awkward situation.

 

“So, are you guys here to visit Jeonghan and Seungcheol or something?”

 

“Yeah.” Chan answered. “We're doing a campus experience sleepover.”

 

“Oh wow, that sounds like fun! Be sure to try the ice cream in the cafeteria. It's the best thing there.”

 

“Sure thing.” Chan answered. “You should stop by later if you have the time.”

 

“Yeah, okay, I might. For now I have to get to the, eh, library. See you guys around.” He waved and walked away with Seungkwan's narrowed eyes on his back.

 

“How come he remembered your name?” Seungkwan asked Chan.

 

He shrugged in response. “We text sometimes. We've only met up once. Together with Seokmin.”

 

“What? You're friends with him?”

 

“I guess. What's the big deal? We both have an interest in dance and we talked at the party and exchanged numbers. He seemed to get along with Seokmin really well too and we just decided to meet up spontaneously one day.”

 

“Come on.” Hansol stopped the conversation before Seungkwan and Chan would start bickering like they did sometimes. “Jeonghan is waiting.”

 

<>

 

After a walk around the dorms and campus (including the cafeteria for ice cream) they all sat cramped together in Seungcheol and Jeonghan's room. Jeonghan was busy trying to get Chan to change his phone background into a picture of them together when there was a knock on the door.

 

“Mind if I come in?” Soonyoung asked. He held up a plastic bag. “I brought some snacks.”

 

“People with snacks are welcome.” Seungcheol said as he took the bag from him and gestured him to sit anywhere.

 

“Soonyoung, you remember Chan, Hansol and Seungkwan?” Jeonghan asked him. He slid down next to Seungkwan sitting on the floor.

 

“Actually, we already ran into him earlier.” Seungkwan answered in his stead. “Apparently he and Chan are secret friends.”

 

Chan rolled his eyes. “We're not secret friends. We're new friends. That's all. Besides, you guys are so busy with clubs, college stuff and that play of yours...”

 

“You can always call me if you're lonely, Channie.” Jeonghan said with a wink and he laughed. “Speaking of the play. Are you guys looking forward to it? I am definitely looking forward to watching it.”

 

“What do you mean?” Seungkwan said with a side glance.

 

“You didn't think I wouldn't take time out of my busy schedule to see you up on that stage, did you? You're going to be so pretty, Kwannie. Are you doing your own make-up?”

 

“No. Mingyu said he'd do it. He's been watching tutorials on YouTube.” Seungkwan had first thought about asking one of his sisters for help, but having Mingyu do it felt safer. He finally felt like his dad was really coming to terms with having a gay son and he didn't want his sisters blabbing to his dad about him playing a princess.

 

“Mingyu is Wonwoo's ex, right?” Soonyoung asked softly.

 

“Yeah. The one you hit on at the party where they broke up.”

 

“I told you I was drunk! I hit on lots of people. It's not my fault that Wonwoo never told me he had a boyfriend. I didn't even know he was gay! And it's not my fault that they broke up either.” He pouted.

 

“I didn't say it was. I just- I still don't get why he- Is there someone else?” Seungkwan had wanted to avoid the topic of Wonwoo tonight, but he had too many questions that remained unanswered.

 

“I don't think so. He doesn't talk about his feelings and stuff so much, but he was pretty shaken up after the break-up. He even dyed his hair. I tried to ask him why they broke up anyway, but he only said that it wasn't working anymore.” Soonyoung stood back up. “Anyway, why I really came over here was to invite you guys over to my bar. Or well, the bar I work at. We just got a new karaoke machine! All the cool kids hang out there.”

 

“What do you say guys?” Seungcheol asked looking around the room. “You did say you wanted the full college experience.”

 

<>

 

“What about him?” Jeonghan said as he nodded his head in the direction of a young muscular man, maybe a year or two older than himself.

 

“Han, for the last time, I didn't come here tonight to hook up with someone.” Seungcheol sighed. “If you want me to spend the night somewhere else so you guys have more room just say so.”

 

“What I want is for you to get a nice boyfriend. You're always moping around because you have too much unspent boyfriend energy.”

 

“So, eh...” Hansol started. “Is this a gay bar?”

 

“No.” Seungcheol answered. “Not officially anyway. But I do suppose most of the people who come here are gay.” He cast a quick glance in Chan's direction. “I hope you weren't hoping to pick up some college girl.” He joked.

 

Jeonghan scoffed. “He is a child, Seungcheol.”

 

Chan raised an eyebrow, “I'm not a child. I had a girlfriend, you know.”

 

“Guys!” Soonyoung yelled from the bar and he pointed to the karaoke machine at the back of the room. “Are you going to sing, or what?”

 

They filled the evening with drinks they weren't supposed to have and music. Seungkwan was enjoying himself and singing one of his favorite ballads when his eyes locked with Hansol's across the room. That was when it hit him that this might be as close as he was going to get to spending college together.

Notes:

-idk why but maybe the guy Jeonghan pointed out was Shownu??
-Get Seungcheol a boyfriend
-I realized I made Soonyoung, Seokmin and Chan hang out together in my 'Don't Call' fic too, lol

Next time Seungkwan hangs out w Mingyu and receives some unexpected information about his private life...

Chapter 68: HS3-12 Lip gloss

Summary:

Seungkwan is over at Mingyu's house to see what Youtube has taught him about applying make-up.

Notes:

Much faster update this time! :D

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“Can you stop talking for a moment so I can put this lip gloss on you!” Mingyu said as he took hold of Seungkwan's chin and lifted his face.

 

“I don't see why you have to practice putting lip gloss on. How hard can it be? Also, I'm not sure if it isn't a bit much...” Seungkwan had agreed to come over to Mingyu's and let him put his new found make-up skills to the test, but he didn't like having to sit still while Mingyu was completely focused on his face.

 

“Just shut up and let me make your lips all sexy.”

 

“I don't need sexy lips.” Seungkwan scoffed, but he stopped talking after that and let Mingyu continue to do whatever. He looked at his face scrunching up with concentration.

 

“There.” Mingyu said with a content smile as he let go of Seungkwan's face.

 

“It feels weird.” Seungkwan complained. “It's all sticky.”

 

“But look how pretty you are.” Mingyu said and he held up a mirror.

 

Seungkwan looked back at his reflection and didn't say anything.

 

“What? You don't think it looks good?” Mingyu pouted.

 

“It does. I'm just...a bit worried.”

 

“About what? Reactions?”

 

He nodded. He didn't want to worry about it. It shouldn't matter. He was just playing a part.

 

“Do you not want to do the kiss thing?”

 

Seungkwan sighed. “I don't know. It's not just that basically the whole school will be watching, it's also weird because Hansol will be there and Hyunggu...”

 

“Hansol already said he's cool with it and what does it matter if Hyunggu is there?”

 

“You know how things are weird between us.”

 

“Things wouldn't be weird if you just stopped insisting that things are weird. He's actually really nice.”

 

Seungkwan looked over the mirror to narrow his eyes at Mingyu. “I didn't say he's not nice, I said things are weird between us.”

 

“And I'm saying they don't have to be. I'm pretty sure he's over you already anyway.”

 

“That would be good, I guess. But how come you're suddenly such an expert when it comes to Hyunggu?”

 

“I've just- He and I...I'm not an expert.”

 

Seungkwan sat up on his knees and took the mirror from Mingyu's hands to get it out of the way. “No, no, please continue. You and him what?”

 

“Okay don't get mad, but remember after that whole kiss thing in front of the class happened? And I went back to check on him?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Well, we talked after that and went for some coffee and he asked if I wanted to play video games at his house.”

 

“So, what? You two are friends now?”

 

“More like FWBs.”

 

“Am I supposed to know what that means?”

 

“Friends with...benefits.”

 

“Benefits? What kind of- Oh. My. God. Kim Mingyu are you sleeping with Hyunggu!? What the actual fuck!”

 

Mingyu, now bright red, tried to hide his face with a pillow but Seungkwan pulled it away and smacked him with it repeatedly. “Why. Didn't. You. Tell. Me. Anything!”

 

“B-because the whole thing is sort of weird.”

 

“So I quit the basketball club to put some distance between me and Hyunggu and then my best friend starts sleeping with him? Are we supposed to go on double dates now?”

 

“What? No. Like I said, we're friends with benefits. We're not dating. And I thought you said you were too busy to continue with basketball!”

 

Seungkwan sat back down with a sigh. “Well, that too.” Seungkwan cleared his throat and threw a cautious stare Mingyu's way. “So, eh...friends with benefits. What's that like?”

 

He shrugged. “It's nice, I guess. I'm not ready for a new relationship, but I was a bit lonely and he's fun to hang out with.”

 

Seungkwan pouted. “I'm fun to hang out with.”

 

“Did I say that you aren't? It's just that you're so busy lately with student council and what not...Besides, the benefits part I can't really get from you, now can I?”

 

It was quiet for a moment. “I saw Wonwoo, by the way.” Perhaps this wasn't the best time to bring it up, but Seungkwan had wanted tell him and the air in the room was somewhat awkward already anyway.

 

“Oh...” Mingyu started chewing his lip. “Did you talk to him?”

 

Seungkwan shook his head. “No. We just saw him and his roommate in the distance. We did sort of hang out with him, Soonyoung the roommate, later. Did you know he and Chan are friends?”

 

Mingyu shook his head.

 

“Apparently Wonwoo was a mess after you broke up. Soonyoung said he dyed his hair.”

 

“What color?”

 

“I don't know. Does it matter?”

 

Mingyu shrugged. It felt like it mattered. He hoped it was a dumb color.

 

“Anyway, even if he hadn't ran off the moment he saw us, I still wouldn't have talked to him.”

 

A part of Mingyu was saying that he should be the bigger person and tell Seungkwan it was okay to talk to Wonwoo. He knew those two had been friends too and, knowing Seungkwan, he was only not talking to him for Mingyu's sake. But he didn't tell him. He wasn't ready to be the bigger person. He didn't want Wonwoo to still have Seungkwan after breaking his heart. “Let's take a selfie. Our friends are the only reactions you'll need. Jeonghan is going to freak out about how pretty I made his son look.”

 

“Don't refer to me as Jeonghan's son. And I'm still not sure about the lip gloss, Gyu. I have to admit I think my lips do look pretty good, but I don't like the way it feels.”

 

“What matters is how it looks. It's only for a little bit and nobody besides you cares what it feels like.”

 

You might care if we go through with the ending kiss.”

 

Mingyu shrugged. “It can't be that bad. Let me try.” Without warning he leaned in and placed a quick peck on Seungkwan's lips. “See? No big deal.”

 

“Mingyu! You can't just kiss me!”

 

Mingyu just laughed. “Relax. That wasn't a kiss.”

 

“I'm telling Hansol!”

 

“That just proves that it wasn't a kiss. If I really kissed you, your first reaction wouldn't be to tell Hansol.”

 

“Whatever. Don't do it again! Let's just take a selfie.”

 

“Yes! And I'll send a request to Hansol for more intensive testing of kissing lips with gloss on them.” He laughed despite the pillow landing on his face.

Notes:

Mingyu: Things are not weird!
Also Mingyu: Things are weird

-Well, well, who saw that one coming?
-Seungkwan has the prettiest lips T__T
-oh yeah, he quit the basketball club lol. Hansol is still in it though...hmm it probably won't be a problem

Next time is the dress rehearsal. Place your bets now: will Hansol like seeing his boyfriend in a dress or not so much?

Chapter 69: HS3-13 Dress Rehearsal

Summary:

Their class has their dress rehearsal for the play and Seungkwan finds that his princess outfit does not evoke all the responses that he had anticipated.

Notes:

Hello~ How is everybody? Please enjoy this chapter ^-^

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

As the last lines were spoken and the director yelled his okay a gentle wave of relief washed over Seungkwan. He had gotten through the whole thing fully dressed in a long blonde wig, make-up and, of course, his princess outfit. He had been able to convince those in charge of costumes that just because he was a princess did not mean he had to spend the whole play in a gown that dragged all over the floor. Instead he was wearing a dress of a slightly less unpractical length. His biggest relief came from the fact that, with the exception of some initial teasing,his expectations about the amount of shit he'd have to deal with today were not met. Perhaps it helped that all the other actors had at least some make-up on their face too.

 

The other boys hurried backstage to get back into their regular clothes, but Seungkwan stayed behind for a moment to search out Hansol's face to gauge his reaction to his performance. His boyfriend was in charge of lighting and he gave him a thumbs up when he noticed Seungkwan was staring at him. That was all he had needed and he walked off stage.

 

He already had his wig off when he got to the mirrors and he sighed at his reflection. “Gyu, hand me a make-up wipe.” He said and he held out his hand. When it remained empty he turned away from the mirror to see what the hold-up was. Mingyu was standing with an empty pack in his hands.

 

“The others...they got to it and they took too many...there aren't any left.”

 

“Are you fucking kidding me!?”

 

“A lady shouldn't swear.” One of his classmates sing-songed as he walked by, rubbing his face with a wipe before throwing it into the trash.

 

Seungkwan ripped the pack from Mingyu's hands. “I see your face is looking nice and clean!”

 

“I'm sorry! I just put the pack down thinking that everybody would take one...”

 

“They did this on purpose. I just know they did.” In frustration he slammed the empty pack into the nearest trash bin. “I can't go home like this. What am I supposed to do?”

 

“Don't worry! I'll run down to the nearest store and buy some more!” Mingyu offered. “Hansol will wait with you. Right, Hansol?” He diverted the attention to the boy who was just walking over.

 

“Sure. Or...” He got closer to Seungkwan, so close that it was clear the others had all left. “I can just give you a ride on my bike. Wear your cap. It'll be fine. We'll go to my house, which is closer, and I'm sure my mom or sister have something.”

 

“Hansol, look at my face! There is no way nobody is going to notice!”

 

Hansol shrugged. “Just people that you'll never see again in your life. We'll pass them in a second.”

 

“But-”

 

Hansol leaned in further and whispered in his ear. “I, eh, really want to make out with you and stuff looking like this.”

 

Seungkwan leaned back and looked at his boyfriend with an incredulous expression on his face. “Excuse me?”

 

Hansol side-eyed Mingyu and pulled Seungkwan away a little bit so he wouldn't hear. “You look seriously hot right now and I haven't been able to focus from the moment you stepped out onto that stage. It was bad when you send those pictures of you in make-up, but seeing it with my own eyes was just torture.”

 

“What is this? Some weird kink I didn't know about? You want me to keep the dress on too? Should I put the wig back on?”

 

“I know you're making fun of me, but all I'm suggesting is that you get back into your regular clothes, leave the make-up, and we go to my house before my parents get home from work so we can...you know. Do it.”

 

“You really didn't have to add the 'do it'. It was pretty clear what you had in mind.”

 

“So? What do you say?”

 

Seungkwan looked at Hansol's sparkling eyes and sighed, “Fine. Let's go have sex. Wait for me in the hall while I get changed.”

 

Hansol failed to suppress a 'yes' slipping out under his breath and he walked out with a huge grin on his face.

 

“So, eh...should I go buy some more wipes?” Mingyu asked, confused about what was going on.

 

“Nope.” Seungkwan turned his back to him and pointed at the zipper. “Help me out of this thing.”

 

“What's going on? Why did Hansol look so pleased with himself?”

 

“Mingyu, my friend, I think I'm about to have the best sex of my life. So far.”

Notes:

-Seungkwan: "omg ew why are you turned on I can't believe you want to have sex right now" Also Seungkwan: "Let's go"
(just fyi I won't be writing the actual doing it part)

I wanted this chapter to just be a nice little chapter and have Hansol lose his mind over how hot his boyfriend is as a princess??

Next time I think it's time for the actual play. It might cause a snowball effect of sorts

Chapter 70: HS3-14 The Play

Summary:

They finally perform their play and their classmates want to know just what's up with that ending!

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The class before them was finishing up their rendition of some sort of play about a haunted mansion and Seungkwan and his classmates were backstage getting into their costumes.

 

“Stop fussing with my wig!” Seungkwan said and he slapped Mingyu's hand away. “It looks fi-” He looked in the mirror but relented and turned back to his friend. “Proceed. This wig is a mess.”

 

“I'm just making sure my princess looks her best.”

 

Seungkwan lightly kicked him in the shin. “Are the others here yet?”

 

“I don't know. Haven't checked my phone. But they said they'd be here, right?”

 

Seungkwan nodded. “Jeonghan said to meet them up on the roof after.”

 

“Gather around everyone!” The class president yelled out and gestured all the actors closer and out of the way of the students coming of the stage. “They're going to change the backdrop and get the lighting right and then we're up. I don't want to see any nerves out there!"

 

The play itself went fine. They got laughs where they wanted them and nobody forgot any lines. Seungkwan could actually say he was having fun with it. But it was when they were nearing the end of the play that he felt some nerves creeping up again. Mingyu was delivering his final lines and all that was left was for Seungkwan to respond. They had agreed that the moment Seungkwan had said his line they would kiss. “Yes.

 

Because of his nerves and natural clumsy inclinations Mingyu added too much force to his movement and Seungkwan had to hold onto him as their mouths collided, making the kiss seem a lot more passionate than it was. The lights went out around them and they quickly disconnected. The rest of the cast joined them and the lights went back on. They bowed politely as they received a modest applause from the audience. Seungkwan could hear a few voices cheering a little louder and he was sure that if he wasn't blinded by the stage lights he would see Jeonghan, Jisoo and Seokmin. Jihoon and Chan were there too, but Chan was mostly likely sitting with his own class and Jihoon wasn't one to raise his voice like that.

 

As they walked backstage Seungkwan couldn't quite read the mood. He avoided eye contact with the other boys and walked over to where his stuff was.

 

“Well...” their director broke the silence. “That went well, right guys? The ending wasn't exactly how we rehearsed it, but I guess it worked with the story so-”

 

“Not exactly how we rehearsed it? You can say that again.” One of the more outspoken and louder people in their class, said. “Mingyu basically had his tongue in Seungkwan's mouth. What the fuck was that?”

 

Seungkwan turned back around, wig in hand, but it was Mingyu who seemed to be the center of attention. Their classmate took a step closer. “Tell me something, Mingyu. Have you been 'rehearsing' together a lot?” Suddenly the mood had shifted.

 

“Shut up, it was just a stage kiss. It's called acting.” Seungkwan tried in an attempt to defuse the situation.

 

“No, I'm serious. We never decided to end the play like this, so either you two decided to do it beforehand and rehearsed it by yourselves or it was a spur of the moment thing because Mingyu just couldn't resist Seungkwan's luscious lips. I know we're all frustrated about the lack of girls in this place, but man, kissing another dude is desperate. Unless you're into that.”

 

“You're the one focused on his 'luscious lips'” Mingyu said, standing up with all his height.

 

The boy scoffed. “Whatever. Maybe Taesung was right about you last year.”

 

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

 

“Oh, what? You don't know what he said about the two of you? He said that you're dating or whatever. And if that's true, you didn't just kiss on stage for the sake of the play, you did it to shove your lifestyle in everybody's faces!”

 

Mingyu got dangerously close and towered over the boy. “You better back off or I'll do something to your face.” He hissed.

 

“Mingyu, come on.” Seungkwan pulled at his best friend's arm, fearing a repeat of his fight last year. “It's not worth it.”

 

“Now hold on! I want to know! If you're not dating you can just say so!”

 

“Why do you keep-” Seungkwan started, but was interrupted by a loud bang. Everybody turned to Hansol who had just loudly dropped a box of tools onto a table.

 

Hansol was getting really tired of this. Perhaps they could have expected at least a few people reacting this way, but what good was making a point if you didn't follow through? “Seungkwan is not dating Mingyu.” He stated and looked over to him. A conversation without words was spoken between them and Hansol walked over to stand next to his boyfriend. “He's dating me.”

 

A moment where the only voices were those of the last class performing their play on the stage followed.

 

“You're shitting me. Right?” Another classmate stepped forward.

 

“I am not 'shitting you' and we've been dating for a long time and none of you ever noticed, so I don't see why it should matter.”

 

Another silence. This time Seungkwan decided to break it. “Okay. There you have it. Happy now? Yes, I am gay like you all already assumed anyway, so no surprises there. I am not dating Mingyu, I'm dating Hansol. End of story. Now can someone help me out of this dress?”

 

{The Rooftop}

 

“Finally!” Jeonghan exclaimed when they walked out onto the roof. “Where have you guys been? I want to show you the video I took of your stage debut!”

 

“Sorry. I was sort of busy coming out to the entire class. And so was Hansol.” Seungkwan said and he flopped himself down next to Chan. “And what do you mean video?”

 

“I taped the whole thing, but go back to the coming out to the entire class part. What happened?”

 

Seungkwan sighed, “So, that kiss at the end wasn't exactly in the script. The class had joked about it before, but some of them said two boys kissing wouldn't be something they'd want to see. So we decided to do it anyway, because fuck that.”

 

“You say that as if it was your idea.” Mingyu pouted.

 

“Mingyu, I'm telling a story here, please be quiet.” Seungkwan said and then continued. “Anyway, afterward this one guy from our class started going off about it and wanted to know if me and Mingyu were dating. It was at that moment that Hansol made his entrance and declared his love for me.”

 

“Was it another orange juice moment?” Jeonghan giggled.

 

“No.” Hansol answered, slightly offended, “It just felt like a moment to make a choice. Hide in the shadows until graduation or step out into the light.”

 

“Poetic.” Jihoon said with a chuckle, but his eyes had a sense of pride in them.

 

Mingyu let out a groan, “I should have said I was gay, too. But it seemed weird after you two just came out and nobody was saying anything after that...”

 

“It's fine. You can always tell them later if you want to. I'm sure sooner or later that asshole will remember that he wanted to know all the ins and outs of our kiss. I swear he's obsessed with us.”

 

“Either way. That was brave of you guys. The kiss and you two telling them about your relationship.” Jisoo spoke. “It was more than any of us ever dared to do at this school.”

 

“Seokmin had sex in the locker-room. That was pretty daring.” Seungkwan said without thinking and stared at his friend with wide eyes, shocked by his own slip of the tongue. He and Hansol had agreed that it was for the best to never let Seokmin know they heard him and Jaehyun that one time.

 

“How do you know about that!?” Seokmin exclaimed loudly.

 

“Wow, wait, it's true!?” Jihoon asked.

 

“We, eh, were making out in there behind some lockers and then we heard you come in. Of course, we didn't stay, but it was pretty obvious what you were about to do...” Seungkwan explained.

 

“Are me and Jisoo the only decent ones around here?” Jeonghan asked. “Chan, please tell me you've never done anything sexual in the locker-rooms.”

 

“It's easier for him. There aren't any girls to do anything with.” Seungkwan joked.

 

“Isn't anybody going to ask me if I did anything sexual in the locker-room?” Mingyu asked.

 

“Hannie.” Jisoo said with a kind of silky smoothness in his voice, “Movie theater.”

 

“What about the movie theater?”

 

“You can't talk about us being the only decent ones around here is all I'm saying.”

 

Jeonghan fell silent and a blush crept up his face. “Right...” He said softly.

 

Jihoon slapped him on the arm, laughing. “What did you do in the movie theater?”

 

“When are you coming to sleepover at my university?” Jisoo suddenly asked in a loud voice, looking at the high schoolers. “My roommate moved off campus so we don't have to be so cramped up.”

 

“We'll be with more people this time though, since Mingyu is coming.” Seungkwan said.

 

“I am?”

 

“Yes. There is no excuse this time. Unless you pulled a Jihoon and have a secret ex at college.”

 

“Fine. I'll go.”

 

“Great! We'll figure out a date. Soon.”

Notes:

-only the ones who are alumni of the school came, with the exception of Wonwoo for obvious reasons (so no Seungcheol or Soonyoung, since, even though they know the others, they're not super close or anything yet)
-speaking of Wonwoo, maybe Jeonghan thought he'd want to see the play and recorded it for him
-their classmates didn't really say anything after, but this isn't the end of their coming out (just fyi, most people in their class are pretty neutral about the whole thing, but the ones that 'object' are the loudest)
-Also note that Hansol still doesn't label himself as gay per se. He only stated that he's dating Seungkwan.

Chapter 71: HS3-15 Winter Break I - Chan has something to say

Summary:

They head over to the university where Jisoo, Soekmin and Jihoon attend at the beginning of Winter Break. At the ice rink Chan has an announcement to make.

Notes:

Hello~ Hope everybody is doing well. Everybody still good on toilet paper? Wearing masks?

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The play had been on just a few days before Winter break and Hansol and Seungkwan were grateful for it. Although no-one had said anything directly to them, they both felt the stares and heard the whispers. It was clear the information had spread throughout the student body. Perhaps a two week break would give everyone a chance to either forget or not care about the fact that they were dating.

 

In the meantime, Jisoo hadn't been kidding when he wanted them to come over to his university soon. He had pointed out that they should hand in their applications as soon as possible, causing Seungkwan to stress out and insisting they'd go that weekend so he could make a decision during the holiday.

 

Jisoo gave them the full tour and Seungkwan could already hear Jeonghan complaining about his betrayal, because Seungkwan was really liking the vibe on campus. There wasn't anything specific that stood out significantly against the other university and it was mostly a gut feeling, but Seungkwan could see himself wandering these halls next year. He had already compared the two places on paper, so his gut was pretty important in the final decision making. Perhaps the fact that Mingyu had already pretty much made up his mind about applying to this place also played some part. The idea of having to miss both his boyfriend and his best friend next year wasn't something he liked to think about.

 

After walking around campus for a while Jisoo took them back to the dorms. They were joined in his room by Seokmin and Jihoon and, despite of the fact that Jisoo had the room all to himself, squeezed together pretty tight. Seungkwan didn't mind. He had Hansol on his one side and Seokmin on the other.

 

“If you go here we can sing together more often. Jihoon just got a new guitar.” He said.

 

“I'd like that. Not sure your neighbors would. You're so loud, Seok.” Seungkwan chuckled.

 

“I took care of that.” Jihoon said in such a mysterious way that it had Seungkwan wonder if that meant he had soundproofed their room or if he had threatened the people in the next room by using that new guitar of his as a weapon.

 

“Can I sing too?” Mingyu asked softly. “I'm not as good as you guys, but I don't feel like just being your groupie again.”

 

“Of course!” Seokmin beamed, already delighted by the image of all of them spending more time together again.

 

“Relax a little. They haven't even applied yet. Jeonghan is going to kill you, by the way. Luring them with the prospect of fun.”

 

Seungkwan snorted. “As if he didn't try to lure us, taking us to a bar with karaoke and hot men.” He glanced sideways at his boyfriend and saw his expected scowl at the mention of alluring men. “Not that I need those. The men weren't part of the deal. I mean, he didn't take us there for the men.” He now looked over at Jisoo, Jeonghan's long-term boyfriend.

 

He just laughed. “Why are you getting so flustered? You mean the bar Soonyoung works at, right? I've been there. I know there are hot men there. Jeonghan being one of them. He can look. I look too.”

 

“W-what!?” Seungkwan blurted. “What does that mean?”

 

Jisoo shrugged. “Just that we're not blind. Everybody looks. As long as that's all it is, there's nothing wrong with it.”

 

Suddenly Seokmin let out a loud sigh. “Guys, I'm so sick of being single.Soonyoung said he could set me up with some guy he knows, but I don't know. Do I really want to meet some random guy?”

 

“All guys are random until you meet them, Seokmin.” Jisoo said. “You say you're sick of being single, but you also don't want to meet anyone. How is that supposed to work?”

 

“I want to meet someone! I just don't like the idea of being set up with someone...They'll be filled with expectations I'll never be able to live up to.”

 

“Seok, I've said this before and I'll say it again. Most guys out there that are looking to fuck someone would be more than happy to-”

 

“Oh my god, Jihoon!” Seokmin jerked up. “I don't just want someone to sleep with. Just because you've turned sleeping with all the tall guys on campus into a sport, doesn't mean that everybody is just looking for sex.” He turned away from Jihoon and half whispered to the others. “He's befriended some of them, you know? Now when he tells me he's going over to someone's room I don't know if they're just hanging out or if they're making love.”

 

Chan raised one eyebrow at the statement. “Making love?”

 

“What? Making love sounds better than fucking. It's sweet.”

 

Seungkwan snorted. “What's sweet about Jihoon fucking a bunch of tall men?”

 

“Can we stop talking about my sex life? There's a reason I don't tell you lot about it. I don't want to.”

 

“Yeah.” Mingyu voiced. “Respect his privacy, guys. How about we eat!”

 

“Take-out is already on the way!” Jisoo said. “I took the liberty of ordering. They don't bring it up to the room, but I'll get a text once they're outside. So if one of you could help me carry it up, that would be great.”

 

Immediately Chan stood up. “I'll help. Let's go.”

 

“Oh, but I didn't get a text yet.” Jisoo said, checking his phone again just to be sure.

 

“Let's just wait downstairs.” Chan replied and there was something in his eyes that made Jisoo nod and the two of them left the room.

 

+++

 

It took quite a while before they got back with the food and the others had taken the time to pick out a movie to watch while they ate. Jisoo walked over to his desk and put the food down. “I have an idea. Why don't we ask the rest of the guys to go ice skating with us tomorrow? Like last year?”

 

“Sounds good.” Chan replied. “Let's invite Soonyoung too.”

 

Mingyu scoffed, but didn't say anything else.

 

“Oh yeah, eh, sure. Right, Seungkwan?” Hansol said and looked at his boyfriend.

 

“Yeah, sure. Last year was fun. Remember? I made that joke about Chan and Jihoon being the singles of the group and we found out Jihoon wasn't actually single.”

 

“You guys are all way too invested in my dating life.” Jihoon said with his mouth already full of food. “But before you even ask, no, I am not dating anyone right now.”

 

“Jeonghan will be pleased to hear it.” Seungkwan mumbled, remembering how he had wanted to set him up with Seungcheol last year. He quickly shifted his focus to the food when Jihoon gave him a questioning look.

 

{The next day, ice rink}

 

“Mingyu, why is Hyunggu standing over there and waving like he has been waiting for us?” Seungkwan asked when they arrived sometime in the afternoon and he saw a familiar figure near the entrance.

 

“I asked him to come.” Mingyu replied softly and shoved his hands in his coat pockets.

 

“I thought you said you two aren't dating.”

 

“We're not. Does that mean we can't hang out? If Seok and Chan can invite Wonwoo's roommate...”

 

Seungkwan took him by the arm and held him back so the others wouldn't hear. “Are you worried Wonwoo might decide to suddenly come along too? Is that what this is about?”

 

Mingyu shrugged his arm free. “Maybe. But also I just thought it would be nice to invite him.”

 

Seungkwan didn't push the issue further and greeted the boy as if nothing about this situation was totally awkward. He was glad that it didn't take long for the others to arrive. Seungcheol introduced himself to Hyunggu, seeing as he was the only person who he hadn't met before. Soonyoung, however, made the mistake of introducing himself to one more person.

 

“Hi, I'm Soonyoung.” He said and he smiled at Mingyu.

 

Mingyu stared at the man and stood up a little taller. “Seriously? I'm Mingyu. Wonwoo's-” He let his shoulders slump down again. “Just Mingyu. We've met before.”

 

Soonyoung's eyes widened. “Oh, shit. Right. I'm sorry. At the party where- Ah yes, I was kind of drunk that night and I- Sorry.”

 

Needless to say, Mingyu was not happy that his ex's roommate was joining them. He spent most of the time actively avoiding the man and he was glad he had invited Hyunggu to come. Seungkwan, on the other hand, thought he noticed something interesting. He skated up to Chan and directed his eyes to where Seokmin was playing around with Soonyoung on the ice. “Chan, what's the deal with Seokmin and that guy?”

 

“What? Soonyoung? As far as I know they're just friends. Why?”

 

“I don't know. They seem so cheerful together.”

 

“Well, Seokmin is able to string a coherent sentence together when they talk, so at least we know he doesn't like him as anything more.”

 

“Right.” Seungkwan replied slowly. He looked over at his younger friend. “Are you okay? Did you sleep well?”

 

“Why are you suddenly so concerned for my well being?” Chan chuckled.

 

“I don't know. You seem off. Since yesterday actually.”

 

Chan sucked in his lower lip and didn't say anything.

 

“Chan? If something's wrong you can talk to me. You know that, right?”

 

“Let's go sit. Can you ask the others to come too?” He said without looking at Seungkwan and skated to the edge. On his way over Seungkwan locked eyes with the others and gestured for them to follow. Jisoo, Jeonghan and Seungcheol were already sitting at a large table drinking hot chocolate rather than skating.

 

“I told you, you should have invited Hyunwoo.” Jeonghan was just saying to Seungcheol.

 

“Who's Hyunwoo?” Seungkwan asked, his interest piqued and momentarily forgetting he followed Chan here.

 

“Do you remember that nice looking man I pointed out to Cheol when we went to the bar?”

 

“No.” He said as he sat down.

 

“Well, in any case, we saw him again on another night and Soonyoung sort of knows him, so he helped me set them up.”

 

“Han, I've only spoken twice to him after that. It would be weird to invite him to go ice skating with a bunch of people he doesn't know when we barely know each other.”

 

“He knows me!” Soonyoung, who was sitting down with the rest of the group, piped up.

 

“See!” Jeonghan said as if that was supposed to be enough to convince Seungcheol.

 

Soonyoung put his arm around Jeonghan's shoulder and shook his head. “Sometimes you just got to let nature run its coarse, Jeonghan. Some things can't be forced despite our good intentions. Trust me. I've been trying to get my roommate laid too, but-” He stopped and threw an awkward glance in Mingyu's direction. “I mean, not my roommate. Just some guy who is someone's roommate. I've been unsuccessful anyway. Not that I was trying!”

 

“Soonyoung, just stop talking.” Seungcheol sighed.

 

“It's fine.” Mingyu said. “But can we maybe talk about something else now?”

 

Seungkwan looked at Chan who looked nervous. More of them noticed and the table turned quiet.

 

“C-can I say something?” He started. “I mean. I'm going to say something. I have something to say.” He looked up and searched for Jisoo's reassuring eyes before he spoke again. “I think...No..I am bi.”

 

A moment of silence. “As in...bisexual?” Seokmin asked softly.

 

Chan nodded.

 

“But...you said you weren't into guys.” Jihoon said.

 

“I didn't think I was...by the time I kind of thought that maybe I was it was hard to tell you guys.”

 

“Have you met us?” Seungkwan asked.

 

“I know, but it was just...everybody thought I was straight and I was like the token straight friend or something.”

 

“Oh, Chan.” Seungkwan said, his tone of voice a lot softer this time. “I'm so sorry for always joking about there not being any girls around for you or-”

 

“It's not your fault. I did tell you guys I was straight when we first met, so...It was all very confusing for me too. But I knew for sure a few weeks back. I was watching dance performances and I just thought it was the dance, you know? I really appreciate good dance. But then there was this one dancer and man...I couldn't stop watching him and one video he uploaded where he wasn't even dancing I realized that it wasn't the dance. I was turned on, not by the dance, but by the dancer. I'm also still definitely into girls though. It still took me a bit to really come to terms with it, but I've been talking with Jisoo because I know he's bisexual too. That really helped.” He threw a small smile in Jisoo's direction and then looked around the table. “I've been thinking about how to tell you guys and yesterday Jisoo suggested I'd just rip the band-aid off. So...here we are.”

 

“Well.” Jeonghan said as he stood up to walk over to Chan and wrap him in a hug. “I for one couldn't be prouder.”

 

The rest of the table concurred and Chan let out a deep breath he hadn't noticed he had been holding. He suddenly stood up. “I'm going to skate another round or two. Who's with me?”

 

Soonyoung was the first to jump up. “Let's do it! But first. I have to ask. Chan. Was it me? Was it my video? It's okay, you can tell me.”

 

Chan scoffed with an undeniable smile on his face. “Shut up! No, it was most definitely not you. It was some guy from Thailand.”

 

“You coming?” Hansol asked Seungkwan.

 

“You can go if you want, but I'm all skated out. I'll just stay here with Jeonghan and Jihoon. They don't seem like they want to move.”

 

“You are correct.” Jeonghan replied and he waved his hand as the others went back to the ice.

 

“So...” Jihoon said. “Seungcheol is seeing someone?”

 

“One of our friends just came out and that's what you're thinking about?” Seungkwan replied before Jeonghan could say anything.

 

“Wait, Seungkwan, hold up. Jihoon, does this mean you're interested in Seungcheol?”

 

“What? No. I'm just making conversation.”

 

Seungkwan tuned out the conversation and checked his phone. “Oh shit.”

 

“What?” Jeonghan asked.

 

“My dad says he's in town next weekend and he's coming over for dinner? What does that even mean?”

 

“Usually it involves food.”

 

“No, I mean, what does he mean come over? Like, to our house? Where my mother also lives? This is horrible. What are they thinking? Are they purposely trying to ruin my Winter break? The only reason they get along better now is because they never talk to each other. My sisters are coming over at the end of the week too and it was supposed to be a fun time. Not a time for us three to relive the days of daily fights between our parents.”

 

“Maybe it won't be so bad.” Jeonghan offered, but he couldn't even imagine. His parents never did more than have the occasional disagreement, not even classified as fighting.

 

Seungkwan groaned and face planted onto the table. Why was his life like this?

Notes:

-Since Soonyoung works at the bar he's gotten closer to Seungcheol and Jeonghan and he's also friends with Chan and Seokmin
-The fact that Seokmin can normally talk with Soonyoung. A sign that they're just friends or a sign they're soulmates? Time will tell
-Here's a little info: MOST characters I already know what their endgame is going to be, BUT for Chan I haven't decided yet. So I'm just throwing some options in the air (like a certain Thai dancer...)

So, next time Seungkwan's sisters show up and so does his dad.

Chapter 72: HS3-16 Winter Break II - Boo Family

Summary:

Hansol meets Seungkwan's sisters.

Notes:

My private life is a bit busy atm and I haven't had much time to write T___T

Life be crazy

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“Hansol, it's so nice to finally meet you.” Seungkwan's eldest sister Jinseol said, throwing a sidewards glance in her brother's direction. Hansol had seen pictures of them before, but he was still amazed at the close family resemblance. Not just in their looks, their mannerism were clear Boo traits, too.

 

“I hope our cute little brother isn't too hard to handle.” Sojeong, Seungkwan's other sister, added.

 

“Shut up.” Seungkwan hissed through his teeth.

 

“What? She just said you're cute. Isn't he cute, Hansol?”

 

“Very.” Hansol laughed along with Seungkwan's sisters.

 

Seungkwan sighed, “Fine. You're right. I'm very cute. Can we order now?” He took the lunch menu from the side of the table and started making his choice. He didn't know why he felt so nervous. He loved his sisters and he loved his boyfriend and he didn't see a reason why they wouldn't get along. He glanced around the table as the conversation between them started flowing. The main topic was still Seungkwan, but he didn't actually mind as long as they said nice things about him.

 

“You have to see this photo I have on my phone of Seungkwan when he was eleven and-”

 

“He most definitely does not have to see that photo! I look horrible! With my puffy face and ridiculous haircut!” Seungkwan attempted to grab his sister's phone, but failed to do it before Hansol saw the picture of him posing next to a statue on a school trip.

 

“Please send it to me later.” Hansol said with a grin.

 

“Hansol!” Seungkwan objected in pout.

 

“I'll send you a picture of me at that age too. For compensation.”

 

Seungkwan huffed. “Not fair. You looked amazing at any age.”

 

“Don't be so hard on eleven-year-old Seungkwan. He was adorable.”

 

They both stopped at the sound of a picture being taken.

 

“Sorry.” Sojeong giggled. “I just wanted a picture of the two of you together in your natural state.”

 

“What does that even mean?” Seungkwan asked without getting an answer.

 

“Speaking of pictures. When are we ever going to see what you looked like in your school play?” Jinseol demanded. “You can't just tell us that you're playing a princess and then not show it to us.”

 

“You didn't show them?” Hansol asked. “But you looked so hot.” His eyes widened after realizing that maybe it was weird to call him hot in front of his sisters. The noise that escaped him sounded as if he was trying to suck in his breath and breathe out at the same time.

 

“Aha.” Jinseol said triumphantly, “I'm sure you have loads of pictures then. I'll trade you for those pictures of him when he was younger.”

 

“Me too, me too. I have loads of little Seungkwan pictures somewhere!”

 

Seungkwan almost started to argue that he wasn't a commodity, but, knowing that he couldn't possibly win an argument against both his sisters, instead picked up his own phone and held it up high. “Smile!” He said to the table and snapped a few shots of all four of them together. His nerves were gone and he could fully enjoy this moment. He didn't get to see his sisters often, so he had missed them and he was glad they seemed to like Hansol and vice versa.

 

“So, I know you won't be joining us and mom for our spa day tomorrow. What time will you come for dinner?”

 

“Hansol isn't joining us for dinner tomorrow.” Seungkwan said.

 

“Why not?”

 

“Because I don't want to subject him to our family dinner that will most definitely be a disaster. If mom and dad don't end up fighting you and dad will, Jinseol.”

 

“Seungkwan, I know me and him often fought when you were younger, but we don't anymore. Dinner will be fine. I won't even bring up my new boyfriend.”

 

“You have a boyfriend?” Seungkwan asked with a frown on his face. “Why didn't I know about this?”

 

“Because I haven't told you, obviously. We've only been dating for five weeks.”

 

“He's really handsome.” Sojeong joined in.

 

You've met him?”

 

“Anyway.” His eldest sister interrupted. “I don't see why Hansol can't come.”

 

“He's not coming.” Seungkwan repeated. “I won't risk it. Dad was barely okay when I brought him over last summer and I'd like it if he doesn't associate my boyfriend with a horrible family affair.”

 

“You're being so dramatic, Seungkwan. But fine, I'll guess we'll see Hansol again some other time.”

 

{Hansol's house, the next evening}

 

“I am exhausted.” Seungkwan said as he let himself fall down on Hansol's bed. He had come over after dinner. His father was only in town for the one day and his sisters had to head back too. He had helped his mom clean up, but after that he felt the need to see his boyfriend.

 

“Did your parents fight?” Hansol sat down next to him and pulled him back up by his arm.

 

“No. Not at all. But I kept waiting for it. Waiting for one of them to find something to get annoyed at or blame the other for. Maybe they really do get along better now. Or maybe we all just got really good at keeping the conversations light. I don't know. Jinseol even asked Dad to drop her and Sojeong off at the station and she never asks him for favors. And he didn't complain about being asked either.”

 

“Maybe next time I can come too? And your sister can invite her boyfriend.”

 

Seungkwan scrunched up his nose at that. “I don't want my sister to have a boyfriend. And before you judge me, just imagine your own sister with a boyfriend.”

 

“I'd rather not.” Hansol conceded and let Seungkwan place his head on his shoulder. He took his hand and they sat in comfortable silence until Hansol could no longer. “My letter came in the mail yesterday.”

Notes:

-In case it wasn't clear: it's Hansol's letter from college about whether he got in or not
-Seungkwan: has a boyfriend. Also Seungkwan: my sister with a boyfriend, gross

I hope Seungkwan, his sisters and his mom really do have spa days all together sometimes.

Chapter 73: HS3-17 The Results are in

Summary:

Hansol finally gets the definite result for his college application and he opens it together with Seungkwan.

Notes:

Okay it's a short one, but an update twice in one week so w00p!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Hansol reached out from where they were sitting on the bed and grabbed an envelope from his desk. Seungkwan saw the name of the university Hansol had applied to in the top corner. “I haven't opened it yet.” Hansol held it out to Seungkwan, but the other didn't take it from him.

 

“Why not?” He asked with his eyes unfocused.

 

“I don't know.” Hansol shrugged and sat back down. I guess I'm nervous.”

 

“Open it.” Seungkwan's chest felt like it was being pulled inward. He had helped Hansol with his application as much as he could and a part of him genuinely hoped he'd gotten in, but there was also still a part of him that hoped he hadn't.

 

Hansol took a deep breath and started peeling it open. He stared at the letter inside without a word. Seungkwan leaned in and scanned the text on the page. His English wasn't the best, but he certainly understood enough. When Hansol looked up at him and mumbled that he had gotten in, Seungkwan nodded with a small movement of his head and an equally small smile on his lips. He wrapped his arms around Hansol's neck and pulled him in. “I'm so proud of you.” He whispered. He sat back and patted him on the head.“Now go tell your parents.”

 

“They can wait.” Hansol let the letter slide down onto the floor and wrapped his arms around Seungkwan's shoulder, pulling him close. The moment felt overwhelmingly joyous and filled with dread and he needed to just hold him for a while.

 

Seungkwan let his head lean down on his boyfriend's chest. He couldn't help the tears that pushed to the forefront. “I don't want you to go.” He said in the smallest of voices. He wrapped his arms around Hansol's waist and squeezed him even closer. He looked up, his cheeks wet, “I'm not asking you not to go. Really, I'm not. I just-”

 

“I know.” Hansol said with a sad smile as he wiped away Seungkwan's tears with his thumb. “I wish I could clone you and take one of you with me and keep you in my room.”

 

Seungkwan sniffed. “As a sex slave?”

 

The contrast between what he said and the soft vulnerable way with which he said it made Hansol chuckle. “No, not as a sex slave.” He gently lifted Seungkwan's head and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “Unless you want to be.”

 

Seungkwan scoffed. “Go tell your parents you got in, you idiot.” Is what he said, but his fingers were still entangled in the back of the other boy's shirt and he had no real intention of letting go yet. They fell back onto the mattress, Seungkwan with his head in the crook of Hansol's arm.

 

“Do you think it's a mistake?” Hansol asked after the room had been silent for a while.

 

“Don't ask me that. I don't know.”

 

“I love you.” Hansol whispered after another moment of silence.

 

“I love you, too.” Seungkwan whispered back.

Notes:

-Okay, nobody really expected him NOT to get in, right?

Will it turn out to be a mistake? Time will tell.

I feel like I might move things along for this last year of high school and skip over a few months since not all that much happens for the remainder of this school year (like...I could make something up, but perhaps it's time to really work towards college within a few chapers (College...where the REAL DRAMA (?) can start.) Also because I feel like I'll have less trouble writing once I'm there. Please do let me know your thoughts!

Chapter 74: HS3-18 The Final Stretch of High School

Summary:

The end of high school is here.

Notes:

Yo~ Basically I jammed their last high school days into this one chapter, lol

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Of course the two weeks of Winter break were not enough to make everyone forget about the fact that they were dating, but Seungkwan just couldn't get himself to care about the not very subtle stares and whispers. He had other things to worry about. The end of his high school career was rushing towards him and he simultaneously wanted this chapter of his life to be over and to not have it ever end. But besides the fact that the days where he could have his boyfriend close to him were rapidly coming to a close, he was occupied with applying to college (he got in, of course), help organizing graduation day as part of the student council, and finishing the yearbook (he forgot why he had decided to volunteer for that).

 

His busy schedule did, of course, not stop him from attending the final match of the basketball club together with Mingyu. It still felt weird being a spectator instead of a participant and part of him regretted making the rash decision to quit. He and Hyunggu were getting along fine now, but he would punch himself in the face before asking to get back on the team. He knew it was better for Hansol anyway, now that they were out. His boyfriend didn't say much about it, but Seungkwan could tell by his mood that the way some of the team members treated him had changed. Seungkwan didn't feel sad about the fact that after this game his boyfriend wouldn't have to deal with that anymore.

 

Hyunggu scored and cheers erupted from the stands. It was strange watching Mingyu cheer for someone that wasn't him. Seungkwan knew it was a stupid thing to feel, but before, when he was still playing, Mingyu was always there to cheer him on. And Hansol, to a certain extend. Even now, he was probably mostly here to support Hansol and to make sure Seungkwan didn't have to sit by himself, but Seungkwan felt something akin to jealousy crawl over his skin whenever Hyunggu had the ball and he knew Mingyu must be looking at him. He refocused his attention on Hansol instead. One huge advantage of being in the audience was the fact he could watch him run around in shorts.

<>

English club ended with a self-organized high-tea (Mingyu's idea, actually). While most people brought store-bought things, Mingyu showed up with a tray of mini quiches and a variety of neatly cut tiny sandwiches. “I didn't have time to make scones, but I think you're really going to like these. Open up.” He said and held out a quiche so Seungkwan could take a bite.

 

“Hey, Hansol.” one of the members said, “Mingyu is feeding your boyfriend.”

 

“And?” Hansol replied, unimpressed. By now he had mostly gotten over the jealousy he sometimes felt over their close relationship. Even if he did feel something, he wasn't going to show that to this kid.

 

“I'm just saying, if another man was feeding my girlfriend I wouldn't be too happy.”

 

“Well, I'm not you.”

 

At this point Mingyu stepped forward, another quiche in hand, and held it out to Hansol who happily took a bite.

 

“Oh, I get it.” one of their youngest members said, “Mingyu is just a feeder. Give me some too!” He leaped forward and waited for a slightly confused Mingyu to offer him a quiche. Hansol sat down next to his boyfriend and watched everybody favor Mingyu's home-made food over whatever else was on the table. They locked their hands dangling between their chairs.

 

After some stressful final weeks they finished all assignments and exams. On their last official school day their homeroom teacher gave a generic talk about how the future was theirs for the taking and how he wished them all the best of luck. All that remained now was the actual graduation ceremony next week.

 

{Graduation Day}

 

Seungkwan held up his diploma and smiled brightly as Mingyu took a picture of him with his mother and sisters. It was the first in a string of pictures that would be taken on his graduation day. One with him and Hansol, one with him and Mingyu, one with Jeonghan and Jisoo posing on his sides as if they really were his dads, and many more. His actual father was unfortunately unable to come. Seungkwan hadn't really expected him to anyway. He knew he didn't get time off from work easily. It was enough that he had sent him a congratulatory message that morning ending with a rainbow emoji. Coming from a man who never used emoji it meant a lot that he had chosen to add that one.

 

In all the chaos of parents and friends greeting each other Mingyu saw his opportunity to pull Seungkwan away.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Come with me.” He pulled him inside the school building and lead them to the old music room.

 

“What's going on?” Seungkwan asked once they were inside.

 

“I just wanted to talk to you alone for a second.”

 

Seungkwan raised his eyebrows. “Okay...what's up?”

 

“I just- I know we're going to the same college, but we won't be in the same classes and hopefully I'll get a boyfriend at some point and you'll be on your computer talking with Hansol all the time and- I didn't want to say this in front of everybody because it's embarrassing as fuck, but you're my best friend and I never would be who I am today without you. To commemorate our high school years together I got us these.” He fumbled around in his pocket and pulled out two key chains. “Look, they're two dogs dressed as unicorns. You get the bigger brown dog because it kind of looks like me and I get the fluffy white dog because it kind of looks like you.”

 

“Oh...” Seungkwan said as he took the key chain Mingyu was holding out for him and turned it around in his hand. “Did you have these engraved? It says BooGyu on the back.”

 

“No, I just happened to find key chains that had our names combined like that on them.”

 

“No need for sarcasm. I wasn't expecting a gift. I didn't get you anything.” He got on his tiptoes so he could wrap his arms around Mingyu's neck for a hug. “Thank you. I love it.” He felt Mingyu's arms wrap around him and pull him closer. “Me too, you know. I wouldn't be the same without you.” They broke their hug and both boys pretended they weren't on the verge of tears.

 

Mingyu cleared his throat. “Let's go back out. I promised Hansol I'd take a pic of you two together in front of the school.”

 

<>

 

“Everything all right?” Hansol asked when Seungkwan appeared by his side.

 

He nodded. “Mingyu almost made me cry.”

 

Hansol shook his head and chuckled. “Ready to go and leave this place behind?”

 

“Yeah. Mingyu said you wanted a picture of us together in front of the school?”

 

They tried to find an angle with few others in the background and Seungkwan smiled facing the camera, but Hansol took his hand and turned him so they were looking at each other instead. “Ready, Mingyu?” He asked.

 

“Ready! Make your move.”

 

“Make your move? What does he mean make-” He let out a surprised little scream when Hansol suddenly pulled him in. He was left breathless when their eyes connected and he felt the intensity of Hansol's fully focused gaze.

 

“I'm going to kiss you.”

 

And so he did.

 

“Got it!” Mingyu yelled at them.

 

Hansol pulled away with his signature dumb smirk on his happy face. “Let's get out of here.”

 

“You just- I-” Seungkwan stammered caught between wanting to smack him and floating on cloud nine. It was a fitting goodbye to his life as a high school student.

Notes:

-Mingyu is still not dating Hyunggu just fyi (Hyunggu will be going to a totally different college btw)
-Hansol acting as if he didn't have a mental breakdown when Mingyu fed Seungkwan before
-BooGyu BFFs
-Jihoon, Chan and Seokmin were also at graduation
-I actually haven't thought about if Hansol and Seungkwan's families have met before this, but I suppose they've met now at least, lol

Just to clarify:

There will be two more chapters before college starts, one with their annual sleepover and one with Verkwan's second anniversary and airport send off (I'm not crying, you are!)...I've already got them written so will probably drop them pretty fast.

Chapter 75: HS3-19 Sleepover 3.0

Summary:

Their third annual sleepover. This time at Hansol's house.

Notes:

I'm just dumping these last high school chapters on consecutive days~

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

For the first time their sleepover wasn't going to be in Seungkwan's apartment. Hansol's parents had given up their living room for the boys to have a sleepover that doubled as a kind of going away party for Hansol. Although there were still a few weeks before he actually had to leave, this would be the last time they'd be able to all get together like this.

 

Unlike last year, Jeonghan and Jisoo arrived together, along with Seokmin and Jihoon. They decided to take a group picture right at the beginning at Seungkwan's suggestion. He was afraid they'd forget otherwise. He wanted everything about this sleepover to be perfect.

 

“I just realized I've never seen the picture from the year I wasn't here yet.” Chan said. “Can I see it?”

 

“Of course. I have it on my phone, hold on.” Jeonghan said and he pulled the photo up in no time. “It will forever be a shame that no-one had their phones out that year the moment Seungkwan asked Hansol if he wanted some juice and Hansol replied that he was in love with him. Iconic.”

 

“Oh my god, we were babies!” Seokmin yelled out when he looked at the photo they had taken two years ago. “Mingyu, look!” He said and shoved the phone in Mingyu's face.

 

“Yeah...great. Excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom.” He said and walked off.

 

“Idiot!” Seungkwan hissed in Seokmin's direction. “Wonwoo is in that picture!” He stood up, “I'll go check on him.”

 

Seokmin quietly handed the phone back to Jeonghan feeling stupid that he hadn't thought off that.

 

Jihoon patted him on the back. “Don't feel bad, Seok. I'm sure he's fine. Seungkwan is just being overprotective.”

 

They were all startled by yelling and loud voices coming from the direction of the bathroom and all stared in confusion at Seungkwan who walked back into the living room with a beet red face.

 

“Everything all right?” Jisoo asked.

 

“Let's just say that he actually needed to use the bathroom and he forgot to lock the door.”

 

Moments later Mingyu came back out. “Seungkwan, what the hell was that!?”

 

“I was just going to check up on you. I thought you might be upset!” He defended himself.

 

“Why!?”

 

“Because of the picture!”

 

“Because it's a reminder of my fleeting youth?”

 

“No, because...” he lowered his voice to a whisper, “...Wonwoo is in that picture.”

 

“Seungkwan, if I got upset every time I see a picture with Wonwoo in it I could barely look at any of the pictures we took over the last few years. I mean...I guess I still feel sad if I see pictures of just the two of us, but I deleted most of those. I'm okay seeing him in group pictures.” He looked at Seungkwan's pouty face, “Really. I'm fine. You don't have to worry so much.”

 

Seungkwan nodded. “Sorry I walked in on you earlier.” He mumbled.

 

“Wasn't it you last year who told me to always knock? After I walked in on you and Hansol doing it?”

 

Seungkwan's face once again exploded with red, “S-shut up! I was worried about you!” He huffed. “I'm going to make popcorn.” He declared and stormed off to the kitchen.

 

“I'll go help him.” Mingyu sighed and followed at a slow pace. “Kwannie.” He sing-songed entering the kitchen, but he stopped when he saw Seungkwan. He had his back to him, but he could tell he was crying. He walked closer and put a hand on his shoulder. “What's wrong?”

 

“It's that stupid group picture.” Seungkwan sniffed. He fumbled with a bag of popcorn and shoved it into the microwave.

 

“I know you and Wonwoo were friends, but if I'm not going to cry over him not being here I don't understand why you're-”

 

“It's not about Wonwoo!”

 

“Oh. Then, what?”

 

“Hansol is moving away. Who knows when I'm going to see him again? Next year there might not even be a group picture. Everything is changing and I hate it.”

 

Mingyu wrapped his arms around him, “Shhh it's okay. I know it's going to be hard, but you guys will be fine.”

 

“How can you say that!” Seungkwan said in between sobs as he clung to Mingyu's back. “You and Wonwoo broke up and you weren't even that far apart.”

 

Mingyu gently stroked the younger boy's hair. “Our problem wasn't distance, Seungkwan. We just...weren't meant to be. We never had the same connection that I see you and Hansol have. You two will be fine.” He continued to hold him and let him cry until he spotted Hansol standing in the doorway. He gestured him to get over there so he could take over. He gently pried Seungkwan loose so the crying mess could wrap his arms around Hansol instead. He took the popcorn out of the microwave as quietly as he could and left them alone.

 

Hansol wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but he had a strong hunch it was about him leaving. He knew Seungkwan was a lot more upset than he tried to let on.

 

“I'm sorry.” Seungkwan mumbled against his chest. “I didn't want to cry today. This sleepover was supposed to be all fun and good times, but-”

 

“Don't apologize, Kwannie. Even good times come with tears sometimes.”

 

Seungkwan loosened his grip around him and looked up. “You sometimes sound like an old man, do you know that?”

 

“A wise old man?”

 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes playfully and smiled into the kiss Hansol gave him.

 

<>

 

“Hansol.” Jihoon whispered as the movie credits started to roll. “Come out to the garden with me.”

 

They walked out and were followed by Chan and Jeonghan.

 

“What's going on?” Hansol asked.

 

“A few weeks ago Chan contacted Jihoon and me, saying that he thought it might be nice if us rooftop people did something together for your going away present.” Jeonghan explained.

 

“You got me a present?”

 

“Here.” Chan held out a paper bag.

 

Hansol looked inside and took the contents out. “An XL bag of gummy worms?”

 

“Don't worry. They're really just gummy worms. We don't want to get you in trouble and be arrested for smuggling drugs.” Jihoon said. “We just thought it would remind you of us when you're all alone in another country.”

 

“Thanks, guys. I'll keep them as my comfort food and- Chan are you crying?”

 

“I love you guys.” the youngest said right before the tears that had been welling up in his eyes overflowed down onto his cheeks. It wasn't just that one of his best friends was leaving soon. Next year all of his closest friends would be away at college.

 

“We love you too, Channie.” Jeonghan said and wrapped an arm around him. He held out his other and gestured to the other two. Hansol and Jihoon looked at each other, shrugged, and joined the hug.

 

“Guys, what are you doing out here? I thought we were going to play a Mafia game?” Seungkwan said as he stepped out into the garden and stumbled upon the four of them pressed together like penguins. “And why did you make Chan cry?”

 

<>

 

“I am going full out once I'm in college!” Mingyu declared. It was getting quite late already and a few drinks had been shared between them. “I need to put myself out there so I can get a proper boyfriend ASAP!”

 

“Good luck with that...” Seokmin said sadly. “College isn't the dating paradise some people make it out to be. I've been trying, but I keep being single. None of those dates Soonyoung set me up on worked out...”

 

“Maybe Soonyoung isn't the right person to find you a boyfriend.” Jihoon scoffed. “No offense, but he's kind of...how do I say this nicely...an idiot.”

 

“That was saying it nicely?” Seokmin asked. “And he's not an idiot. I just keep screwing up my dates.”

 

“All right, that's it!” Mingyu stood up and pointed the snack he had in his hand in Seokmin's direction. “Next year we will both get boyfriends!” He pointed at Seungkwan next. “Seungkwan! You'll be our official wingman!”

 

“Is that a job I want?”

 

“If you hadn't been idiots and had come to my university I could have been your wingman.” Jeonghan said with a strain of bitterness in his voice.

 

“I'm not sure they would be better off, honey.” Jisoo chimed in. “Haven't you been trying to get Seungcheol a boyfriend?”

 

“Hey, it's not my fault he's so unwilling! Besides, he dated Hyunwoo for a few months and I pointed him out to him!”

 

“I'll come to your college next year, Jeonghan.” Chan said as he leaned his head down on his shoulder. His cheeks were red and his eyes sleepy.

 

“I'll hold you to that.” Jeonghan said, joining his head on top of Chan's.

 

Hansol smiled looking at the scene. He had Seungkwan on his lap and was going to enjoy it a bit longer despite his legs slowly starting to go numb. He needed to believe they'd be able to hang out like this again in the future or he wouldn't be able to get on that plane.

Notes:

-It's not that Chan hates everybody in his own year, he just doesn't really have any close friends there
-Jeonghan actually has a bit of contact with Wonwoo, but he never mentions it
-idk if anybody remembers but they were eating gummy worms in the first rooftop scene I wrote (Jeonghan called Jihoon a sexy worm) Also, although Jeonghan and Chan were never part of the rooptoppers at the same time they still consider themselves a group

Next chapter (I will most likely post it tomorrow) will be Verkwan's second anniversary (presents will be exchanged and Seungkwan takes Hansol to a special location...) and the airport goodbye >.< After that we will get started with college life (don't think just because he's in another country Hansol won't be part of the story anymore!)

Chapter 76: HS3-20 Second Anniversary & Farewell

Summary:

Seungkwan has a special surprise for Hansol on their two year anniversary. As the beginning of the new school year approaches it is time to say goodbye.

Notes:

I've uploaded 3 chapters (incl this one) over the last 3 days, so be sure not to miss any!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

 

“We're not going to my house.” Seungkwan said when Hansol pointed out that the bus they were on was going the wrong way.

 

“We're not?”

 

“Nope.” It was their second anniversary and they had filled the day with a nice lunch, a stop at an arcade hall, a movie, and dinner. Seungkwan was about to reveal his plan for the night. He checked his phone once off the bus to make sure they were going in the right direction and stopped before a building that looked almost suspiciously inconspicuous.

 

“What is this place?”

 

“A hotel. Come on.”

 

Once inside, Seungkwan looked around for a second until he found the machine they could use to check in.

 

“How come there isn't a reception? Or windows...” The more he took in of the environment, the clearer it became to Hansol in what kind of place they were. “Babe, is this a sex hotel?”

 

“I believe the term you're looking for is love hotel, but I suppose so, yes. More importantly it's anonymous and we don't have to deal with some judgy receptionist. Come on, we're on the third floor.”

 

He opened the door to a room that seemed to be designed with the theme 'sparkling love' or something. There were hearts everywhere and there was an excessive use of glitter.

 

“I know it's a bit tacky, but this room comes with a jacuzzi and apparently the bed vibrates. I'm not sure if that's actually nice or not, but-”

 

“I can't believe you brought me to a sex hotel.” Hansol chuckled.

 

Love hotel, Hansol. Besides, these places are even popular now for other things, like slumber parties!”

 

“But we're not here for a slumber party, are we?” Hansol said as he dumped his bag on the couch and took Seungkwan's bag from him. He got closer with a grin on his face.

 

“No, we're not.” Seungkwan wrapped his arms around Hansol's neck. “I just wanted for once to be able to be totally alone with you, without fear of someone overhearing or coming home early. Just us, time and a soundproof room.”

 

“And a jacuzzi?”

 

<>

 

Seungkwan stretched out on the bed in his bathrobe, hair still damp. He looked at his hands. “We stayed in there for too long, my fingers are all wrinkly.” He turned on his side and looked at his boyfriend who was going through his bag. “What are you doing over there? Come join me on the bed.”

 

Hansol pulled something from his bag and walked over to the bed. He got on with a small hop and unceremoniously dropped a square package in front of Seungkwan. “I made you something.”

 

Seungkwan dragged himself up to sit up against the headboard and picked up the gift. He looked at his boyfriend's slightly nervous face before opening it.

 

“I hope you like it.”

 

Inside Seungkwan found what looked to be a photo-album. He opened it to the first page and it had their names written on it. He turned to the next page and looked at one of the selfies they had taken that day with the whole 'condoms on the bed' incident.

 

“That's the first picture of us together.” Hansol mumbled.

 

Silently Seungkwan kept turning the pages filled with photographs of their time together. The picture of the food on their first date with them holding hands was also there. And the bench where they had talked after Hansol's accidental confession and where they shared their first kiss. And... “Why is there a picture of my bed?”

 

“Well...because it's the place where we...you know...lost our virginities together. And we watched movies and cuddled up together and...I just have a lot of good memories attached to that bed.”

 

Seungkwan let out a small laugh. “I can never show this album to anyone. I'll have to explain.”

 

“Then don't show it to anyone.” Hansol reached out to turn Seungkwan's head and place a soft kiss on his lips. “It's just ours. Although Mingyu did help me. That camera he got from his parents for his birthday is really pretty good and he has an eye for it, so I asked him if he would help me with some of the pictures.”

 

“He didn't take that picture of my bed, did he?”

 

“No. That was all me.”

 

Seungkwan continued to turn the remaining pages, mostly selfies and pictures taken when they were hanging out with friends. The picture of their graduation day also there. Seungkwan smiled knowing that Hansol had wanted to take that picture for this album. “This must have been so much work. Hansol, I- I don't know what to say.” He looked at him and caressed his cheek. “Thank you.”

 

“You haven't seen the last few pages yet.”

 

“They're empty.” Seungkwan said confused. “But there are corners for photos...Your sister's Polaroid camera! That's why you had it with you today!”

 

Hansol smiled broadly. “Exactly.” He got off the bed and went to grab the photos they had taken today and the camera. He crawled close and held it up. “We have room for a few more pictures.” After taking two cute selfies Hansol once again got off the bed.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“I need to take a picture of the jacuzzi! We definitely need to commemorate what we did in there.”

 

“Hansol.” Seungkwan whined.

 

“What? You think the bed is going to be even better?”

 

He sighed. “Go take a picture of the jacuzzi.” Seungkwan took the opportunity to get his own present from his bag. He placed it on the pillow so Hansol would see it.

 

“What's this?” He asked, walking back in with a fresh Polaroid in his hand.

 

“You didn't think you'd be the only one who came bearing gifts, did you?”

 

Hansol smiled and gestured for Seungkwan to hand him the photo-album. “I'll put this in first.”

 

Seungkwan waited nervously for Hansol to open his gift. “I feel like I can never figure out your fashion taste, so you don't have to wear it or anything...” Although he most definitely hoped he'd want to wear the bracelet he had gotten him. “It's part of a set.” Seungkwan explained when Hansol opened the small box revealing a simple, elegant dark-colored bracelet. “I had our initials put on the inside, so it isn't so obviously a couple thing and that way it's closest to your pulse. It's made from a very durable material. The seller said you can even wear it in the shower. You don't have to though.”

 

Hansol held out his arm. “Put it on me?”

 

Seungkwan smiled and nodded. He took the bracelet from him and placed it around his wrist.

 

“Can I see yours? Did you bring it?”

 

“Of course.” Seungkwan got the other part of the set, slightly thinner and with the color pattern switched, and let Hansol put in on him.

 

Hansol ran his hand up Seungkwan's arm to the edge of his bathrobe covering his chest. He slowly pushed it down his shoulders. “Do you want to try out what the deal is with vibrating beds?” He asked and locked their lips in a passionate kiss. He pulled his boyfriend on top of his lap and rid him of the bathrobe completely. “You're so beautiful, Seungkwan.”

 

He felt his face heat up, but didn't look away. He leaned down and slipped his tongue inside Hansol's half-open mouth. He felt two strong hands on his butt and he moaned into the touch. He leaned their foreheads together. “Happy anniversary.”

 

<>

 

Both completely spent, they lay on top of the sheets listening to the music coming from Hansol's phone. “Today was perfect.” Seungkwan said and he wrapped his leg over Hansol's body. “Promise me that we'll spend our anniversary together in person again next year.”

 

“Of course.”

 

{Night before Hansol's departure}

 

Although classes wouldn't start for another two weeks, Hansol was set to leave tomorrow. He had orientation for foreign students in a week and his family had decided to fly there with him to celebrate a short family vacation. A part of Seungkwan wished he could go with them, but he couldn't ask them or his mother to pay for him. Nor did he want to take away from the time his parents and little sister could spend with him. So he had to make due with seeing him off at the airport. He was spending the night over at Hansol's and his mother would pick him up from the airport after.

 

Currently shirtless on top of his boyfriend Seungkwan looked down and sighed.

 

“What's wrong?”

 

“I don't know. It just doesn't feel- It's-”

 

“Like we have to have sex tonight?”

 

“Yeah...”

 

Hansol ran his hand up and down his boyfriend's arm. “We don't. Have to, I mean.”

 

Seungkwan lower lip naturally came out in a pout, “But...”

 

“Babe, I know it'll be a while before we can be physically together again, but that doesn't mean we have to force ourselves to have sex right now. We can just cuddle and go to sleep.”

 

Seungkwan lowered his body so he could lie down on Hansol's bare chest. “Are you sure?”

 

“I don't want the last time we have sex before I leave to feel like a chore.” He wrapped his arms around Seungkwan's shoulders. “This is perfect. Let me smell you. Take in your scent.”

 

“Creepy.” Seungkwan said as if he didn't want to bury his nose in Hansol's chest.

 

In each other's arms they started to drift to sleep.

 

The next morning Seungkwan was the first to wake. “Sollie? Are you awake?” He asked as he lightly poked Hansol's cheek.

 

“Hm?” He groaned in response. “What time is it? Do we have to leave for the airport already?”

 

“We still have time.” Seungkwan whispered. “And I was thinking...maybe we can have sex real quick?”

 

“Oh yeah?”

 

Seungkwan bit his lower lip and nodded. Last night neither of them hadbeen into it, but when he woke up Seungkwan had the urge to be close to him one last time. “Only if you want to.”

 

A smirk appeared on Hansol's barely awake face.

 

<>

 

The ride to the airport was dreadful. Hansol's family was still going to spend time with him and weren't feeling the same sadness as Seungkwan was. Besides, wasn't it only natural for children and older brothers to move out at some point? He was determined not to cry before they had disappeared into check-in. He was glad his parents and sister went in first, giving them some space to say goodbye by themselves.

 

“Call me when you land? Or get to the hotel anyway.”

 

“It'll be the middle of the night here.”

 

“I've told you I don't care. I know what time your plane lands and the average time it will take to get to your hotel. I'll be awake. Call me.”

 

Hansol nodded. “I love you, Boo Seungkwan.”

 

Instead of saying it back Seungkwan pressed his lips together and clenched his jaw. He was not going to cry.

 

“I have to go.”

 

Seungkwan nodded, but he didn't let go off his hand. “I love you, too, Hansol. So much.” His lip quivered and he knew he was about to break.

 

“Isn't your mom here yet?” He hated to leave him here all by himself.

 

Seungkwan shrugged. “It's fine. Just go.”

 

“I can wait a little longer.” His family was waiting for him, he knew that, but the longer he waited, the less he wanted to go.

 

A few more minutes went by and Hansol felt his phone vibrate. Probably one of his parents telling him the line for the security check was long and he didn't have more time. He took a deep breath and Seungkwan did the same. They finally let go of each other's hands knowing it was time.

 

Hansol turned around and started walking away. Seungkwan was expecting him to turn around one more time so he had to hold back his tears a little bit longer. He bit his lip trying not to turn into a blubbering mess in the middle of the departure hall. He felt utterly alone. But then there was a hand on his shoulder. It startled him and he jerked away from the touch. He looked to his side and found it was Mingyu standing next to him. From his other side Seokmin yelled out.

 

“Hansol!” He waved happily when Hansol turned around. His face broke out in a smile when he saw all of his high school friends standing there. He hurried the short distance back.

 

“What are you guys doing here?” He asked.

 

“You didn't think we'd leave Seungkwan alone at a time like this, did you?” Jeonghan answered. “We know you guys wanted to say goodbye one-on-one, but we figured he might want some company after that.”

 

“We tried waiting until after you left, but you two just kept standing there.” Jihoon said.

 

“Honestly, we wanted to say goodbye again, too, man.” Jisoo added.

 

“You guys, thank you so much. But I really have to go now.” He quickly hugged all of them and pressed a final kiss on Seungkwan's lips. “I'll talk to you in a few hours.”

 

This time he really went. It took zero seconds after he was gone before Seungkwan started crying. Mingyu wrapped his arm around him and started guiding him to the exit.

 

“Come on, Seungkwan.” Chan said. “We're going to the beach!”

 

“The beach?” He asked with a shaky voice.

 

“Yeah!” Jeonghan said. “We've rented a mini van and we'll go to the beach and have a barbecue! We've got Cheol and Soonyoung outside keeping the parking spot, so we have to hurry.”

 

If they would have asked him beforehand he would have told them he wanted to be alone for the rest of the day, waiting for Hansol to call. But these guys seemed to know him better than he knew himself, because a little bit of distraction sounded perfect right now. He wasn't alone. He had his friends. He had Hansol's call later to look forward to. And he would start college soon. Things weren't all bad.

Notes:

-Jihoon told Seungkwan about the hotel
-What did you think of the anniversary gifts? They actually didn't really do gifts last year, but this year felt different

College will begin...and the challenge of a long-distance relationship

Chapter 77: C1-1 Roommates

Summary:

Seungkwan has graduated high school and is ready for college. First things first, moving into his new room.

Notes:

Yo~ College is finally here!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

It was orientation and move-in weekend for Boo Seungkwan's first year of college. He checked his hair in the rear-view mirror and plucked at a few loose strands, trying to get them to sit right. To no avail. He sighed and sank back in his chair.

 

“Nervous?” His dad asked from the driver's seat. Since it was the weekend it was easier for him to make the journey up. Seungkwan was grateful that he had come. He pretended not to care about whether or not his father came to these things, but he did. Although he couldn't help but feel a bit weird sitting in the car with both of his parents like this.

 

“Not really.” Seungkwan answered truthfully and stared out the window as they pulled up on the university's parking lot. It was crawling with students and their families. It was true that he wasn't nervous, but he missed Hansol and felt frustrated because of it. As if they were connected through telepathy, Seungkwan's phone chimed and he opened the message his boyfriend had sent him.

 

Just going to bed now. Good luck with moving in. Send me pics. Say hi to your parents.

 

Attached was a photo of Hansol, shirtless, on top of his bed with messy hair. With red ears Seungkwan quickly closed the app. “Hansol says hi.” He mumbled. As soon as the car was parked he got out. “I have to go register and get my room key and stuff. I'll be right back.” He slammed the door shut and opened his chat with Hansol again as he walked, looking around for the sign-in.

 

Can you send pics of you half-naked when I'm not with my parents!? Good night. Love you

 

He easily found the booth to pick up his information packet and he smiled politely at the girl who helped him. “Your room-number is written right here and here's a map of the building you're in.”

 

“Thank you so much.” He said to her and walked back to where his parents were waiting. Figuring out the map, his dad moved the car to a spot closer to his dorm. Seungkwan groaned looking at his stuff. He was on the third floor and despite the presence of an elevator, he was not looking forward to hauling these boxes up there.

 

In the elevator, each carrying a box, his mother decided to inquire about her son's best friend who had to be moving in today as well. “What about Mingyu? Is he here yet?”

 

“Yeah, he texted me a while ago. He's already unloading his stuff with his family” If luck was on his side, Mingyu was already done and could lend them a hand. The doors of the elevator opened and Seungkwan looked at the numbers on the doors. All the way down the hall he spotted Mingyu in a sleeveless shirt carrying a box of stuff. “See. There he is. Showing off.”

 

Mingyu's face lit up when he saw Seungkwan. He put down his box and hurried over. “Oh my god, are we in the same building?” he asked with a big smile and he took the box Seungkwan's mother had been carrying.

 

Seungkwan smirked and kept walking, “I'll do you one better: same room. Number seventeen, right?”

 

“Are you serious!? Wow. This is awesome! Dad!” He yelled out to the room. “Dad, me and Seungkwan are roommates!”

 

Mr. Kim popped out his head from their room and smiled at the news. “That's great!”

 

“What a coincidence. It's like fate or something.” Mingyu beamed.

 

Seungkwan put down his box away from Mingyu's stuff and scoffed. “What coincidence? You didn't think I was going to share four years of my life rooming with some random guy, did you? At least with you I know what I'm getting.”

 

Mingyu's smile quickly turned into a frown. “How?”

 

Seungkwan smiled triumphantly, “Not many people seem to know this, but this university let's you put in a roommate request.”

 

“And you did that without even asking me!? The school just let's you do that!? What if you were some freak obsessed with me or something!”

 

“Why are you complaining? You were all happy when you thought it was a coincidence. You called it fate! I just wanted to surprise you!”

 

Mingyu was ready to snap back, but he got slapped on the shoulder by his dad who let out a bellowing laugh. “Boys, boys, stop bickering. You sound like an old married couple.”

 

“Dad!” Mingyu knew his father was going to embarrass him on his first day.

 

“Now, Seungkwan. I've already met your lovely mother at graduation, but do I take it this gentleman is your father?” Mr.Kim asked and he held out his hand for Seungkwan's father. “Your son has been a great friend to my idiot.”

 

Seungkwan chuckled and smirked smugly at Mingyu (who was further embarrassed by the presence of his father). He was slightly amused by the way his father was awkwardly shaking Mingyu's father's hand with a slightly confused look on his face.

 

“Dad, this is Mr. Kim and this is Mingyu. My best friend or whatever. I've told you about him, haven't I? He was in some of my graduation pictures.”

 

“Oh, eh, right. Nice to meet you, Mingyu.”

 

“Seungkwan!” Mingyu's younger sister suddenly appeared in the doorway and happily hopped to stand next to her brother's friend. “Is your room on this floor too?”

 

“Actually, me and Mingyu are roommates.” He replied with a smile.

 

The young girl's eyes widened. “And they were roommates.” She whispered. Both Seungkwan and Mingyu looked at each other confused and just chuckled. Mingyu's mother joined them as well and more introductions were made. Seeing as all of Mingyu's stuff was pretty much taken care of already, the family offered to help with Seungkwan's things. Before long their room was filled with boxes.

 

“Well, I think it's time for us parents to let you boys settle in. What do you think?” Mingyu's father asked Seungkwan's parents.

 

Seungkwan's mother, tears forming in her eyes, nodded. She took her son's face in her hands and kissed his cheeks. Seungkwan also felt tears forming in his eyes. “The commute isn't that long. I could just stay at home.” He sniffed.

 

His mother smiled, “Don't be silly. We both know you're ready to be on your own. But...” she let go of her son and turned her attention to Mingyu, “I'm glad you're not all alone.” She gently stroked her son's hair, “I was a bit worried since you've been so sad now that Hansol is far away, but with Mingyu so close and the wonder of the internet I'm sure you'll be fine.”

 

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder, Seungkwan. Me and Mingyu's mother once spent months apart because of an internship and we're still going strong.” Mr. Kim weighed in.

 

Mrs. Kim smiled at her husband with a look in her eyes that Seungkwan had never seen from his own mother, not even when his parents' marriage hadn't been so bad yet. Mingyu has his mother's eyes, he thought.

 

Seungkwan's mother inhaled deeply, “All right. You boys make sure to clean your stuff up right away or else it will just stay in boxes for the whole year.” She gave both of them a hug goodbye. Seungkwan shared an awkward pat-on-the-back type of hug with his dad. Mingyu's sister hugged her brother goodbye and whispered something in his ear. Seungkwan couldn't hear what she said, but Mingyu just rolled his eyes and gave her a playful shove.

 

Once they were alone Mingyu immediately opened the first box and started arranging his things. Seungkwan groaned. “Can't we walk around first...I want to check out our floor and stuff.”

 

“Come on, Kwan! You wanted to be my roommate. You should know by now that I like things tidy.”

 

With a grunt Seungkwan reluctantly agreed and dragged a box close to the bed so he could open it while sitting. He pulled out a framed picture of him and Hansol and placed it on his bedside table.

 

“Seungkwan?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Does Hansol know we're roommates?”

 

“Yeah. He said I shouldn't go behind your back, but I just thought you'd like the surprise.” He looked up at Mingyu. “Are you mad? That I didn't tell you?”

 

Mingyu sat down next to him on the bed. “Well, I mean, you could have just told me. But, no. I'm not mad.” He softly patted the other boy's hair. “I know it's not completely the same, but I know a little about how you feel right now. Last year, when Wonwoo went to college I felt so left behind. Of course, he had to go, I know that. But the feeling sucked.”

 

Seungkwan placed his head on Mingyu's shoulder and sighed. “Did you guys ever have video sex?”

 

“What!?”

 

“Sorry...It's just that Jeonghan mentioned to me once that Jisoo didn't feel comfortable having phone sex or something and I was just wondering if you and Wonwoo ever...You never talk about him, so I never talk about him, but I feel like you're really over him now, so I thought it'd be okay.”

 

“And so you want to know if we ever had video sex? Like, that's the thing that's been on your mind?”

 

Seungkwan sat up and frowned up at him. “It's not because I'm a pervert! It's just- Me and Hansol are so far away from each other and I don't know when we'll see each other again and maybe that's something we should try, but I have no idea how that is and-”

 

“We did.” Mingyu said, not looking directly at him. “My advice is to do it in stages if you're not completely comfortable. I mean, it's awkward as fuck at first. So maybe first just do it while only showing a part of yourself or something. But I'm no expert. We only did it a few times.”

 

“Do you ever think about how he's doing?” Seungkwan asked carefully.

 

Mingyu leaned back on his hands and chewed his bottom lip. “Yeah. It's annoying really. How an ex just seems to pop up in your head every so often.” He smiled softly. “I'm not mad at him anymore, though. I hope he's doing okay. He's good at stressing himself out and college, from what I hear, is pretty stressful.”

 

Seungkwan nodded. He felt relieved that Wonwoo was no longer a topic that gave Mingyu that hurt look on his face. Of course Mingyu had insisted to be over him many times before, but it had taken time for Seungkwan to actually believe him.

 

Mingyu suddenly jumped up from the bed and stretched his arms. “Come on, let's finish unpacking so we can go look around. Keep your eyes open for eligible gay guys for me. I seriously need a new boyfriend.”

 

Seungkwan laughed, “Is that why you're walking around in a tank top? To attract men with your biceps?”

 

“Shut up! It's warm today!” He felt his upper-arm. “Do you really think my biceps are hot enough to attract men?”

 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes. Was his best friend really so oblivious to how good he looked? “Don't you want someone who likes you for your personality instead of your body?”

 

“Why not both?” Mingyu laughed. He opened another one of his boxes of clothes and started to put them in his closet. “Anyway, as my wingman you have to help me.”

 

“Did I ever actually agree to this? Besides, what do you need my help for anyway?”

 

“Please, Kwannie. You know I get shy.”

 

Seungkwan scoffed. “You didn't need my help the first time you made out with Wonwoo. In an alley. And you most certainly didn't need my help hooking up with Hyunggu.” He got up and placed his hands on Mingyu's shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. “But fine. Tomorrow at the party, if you have trouble finding an eligible bachelor, then I'll try to help you.”

Notes:

-Mingyu's sister is a Boogyu shipper, just fyi lol
-Seungkwan and Mingyu roommates, what do you think?
-the party is a first year's only party (which will also be the next chapter...one of them will have a good time, the other less so)

Chapter 78: C1-2 Long Distance Party Time

Summary:

Mingyu and Seungkwan go to the first years party after getting some visitors in their room.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

In the twenty-four hours that Seungkwan had spent at his college dorm he had determined a few things that he liked and did not like about his new living arrangements. He liked that it was co-ed. It was nice to have some female energy around again. Overall he really liked the vibe of their floor. He hadn't spoken to all of the people yet, but most of them seemed nice. He also liked sharing a room with Mingyu, so far. He didn't have to feel self-conscious about anything and having him close helped him not to feel homesick. What he most definitely did not like was the shared bathroom. While Seungkwan and Mingyu both kept their things in their room, not everybody seemed to worry about others using their shampoo. It had been a day and it was already a mess of products and randomly discarded towels. The chaos of the bathroom, however, paled in comparison to the current chaos in their room caused by a quartet of visitors.

 

Seokmin, Jihoon, Jisoo, and Jeonghan had come to see them, unannounced, around lunchtime the day after they moved in. “We should have invited Chan over.” Seungkwan mumbled, more to himself than anything. He felt bad about their youngest being left behind at high school. “Maybe I should call him.”

 

“Don't worry about him.” Jeonghan said just as he placed a picture of himself on Seungkwan's desk. “I asked him to come, actually, and he said he had plans.”

 

Seungkwan clicked his tongue. “I can't believe he doesn't want to see our room.”

 

“I bet he has a new love interest.” Jisoo thought out loud.

 

“Do you think it's that guy?” Jeonghan asked in return.

 

“What guy?” Seungkwan demanded. If Chan had some guy in his life and hadn't told Seungkwan about it, he'd be royally pissed off. One friend who didn't tell him anything about his love life was enough.

 

“Didn't he tell you?” Jeonghan gloated and he wrapped and arm around Seungkwan's shoulders. “He met some guy on vacation and rumor has it they made out. Maybe more.”

 

“I don't think it's him.” Jisoo continued the conversation. “Didn't he say he lived on the other side of the country?”

 

“Oh yeah. Maybe it's that girl?”

 

“He has a girl too!?” Mingyu let out a frustrated groan. “I'd better start getting ready. I have to meet someone tonight.”

 

“You don't have to try so hard.” Jihoon interjected himself into the conversation. “You look good and you're clearly desperate. You won't have any trouble finding someone.”

 

“You think?” Mingyu said while busy throwing nearly the entire contents of his closet onto his bed.

 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes, “I don't think you should consider 'clearly desperate' as a compliment, Gyu.” He glared over at Seokmin. “Can you, like, not sit on my bed?”

 

Knowing that Seungkwan had no trouble sitting on other people's beds himself, everybody moved as one unit to sit down and take over the bed completely. Seungkwan sighed and gave up. “Are you sure you guys can't come to the party?” He pouted. “I won't know anybody except Mingyu and you all heard that he has plans to ditch me as soon as the opportunity arises.”

 

“So? Meet some new people. That's kind of the point of the first-years only party, you know?” Jisoo said.

 

“I know.” Seungkwan mumbled back. He knew why he wasn't really looking forward to the party tonight. As much as he tried to convince himself to just go and have fun, his mind was across the ocean with his boyfriend. He hoped this aching feeling caused by not being with him would subside soon. He had been expecting to miss him, of course, but it was so much more difficult than he had anticipated. He squeezed himself onto the bed between Jihoon and Seokmin and opened his mouth for the bite of food Jihoon offered him.

 

{That night, party}

 

Seungkwan fumbled with his wristband as he followed Mingyu to the bar. He had no intention of getting drunk the night before his first day of classes, but one drink probably wouldn't hurt. Mingyu made the contents of his drink disappear in the time it took for them to walk around the hall and find a spot near a wall to take in all the people.

 

“Now what?” Seungkwan asked. “I'm not sure how I'm supposed to be a wingman. Maybe if we were at a gay bar and I didn't run the risk of approaching a straight guy for you. Next time we're going somewhere, we're bringing Jihoon. I know Jeonghan likes to think he has the best gaydar, but he doesn't have any actual experience looking for potential dates.”

 

Mingyu hummed in agreement. If they were being honest, Jihoon probably had the best game out of all of them. And that was only based off what he or Seokmin had told them. He let his eyes roam over the crowd. Despite his bold words, he wasn't actually sure how to go about hitting on people. As they stood there, neither of them sure what the next step in getting Mingyu a man was, a cheerful looking girl approached them. Or, to be more precise, she approached Mingyu.

 

“Hey. Do you want to dance?”

 

Mingyu straightened his back and awkwardly cleared his throat. “Sorry, I'm sure you're a nice person, but I'm gay, single, and ready to mingle. With men.”

 

The smile on the girl's face melted into a confused frown. “Ehm, okay. Good for you? I just wanted to dance.”

 

Seungkwan had a similar look on his face and he pulled Mingyu down. “What the fuck was that? You don't have to be rude to the poor girl.”

 

The taller man shrugged him off. “What? I am gay, single and ready to mingle with men. What good will it do me if I dance with girls?” There was a light tap on his shoulder and Mingyu turned around to stare in the eyes of a handsome young man, shorter than himself, but not by much.

 

“Sorry, I couldn't help but overhearing and perhaps you'd like to dance with me then?” He had short bouncy black hair, a strong jaw and playful eyes. Mingyu threw a quick glance in Seungkwan's direction before he nodded to the young man. “Yeah, totally. I'll dance with you.”

 

Seungkwan leaned against the wall a bit miffed it had taken about ten minutes before he was left alone. The girl leaned against the wall next to him. “Probably for the best.” She said. “He's so tall, I'd strain my neck trying to talk to him.” She sighed and turned her head to look at Seungkwan. “Do you want to dance? Or are you also gay, single and ready to mingle. With men?”

 

Seungkwan couldn't help but chuckle. “Gay, yes. Single and mingle, no. I'll dance with you though. If you want.”

 

Her face brightened and she grabbed Seungkwan by the hand. “Yay! Let's go! I'm Dahyun, by the way.”

 

“Seungkwan.” He answered and he let himself get dragged onto the dance floor.

 

“So, Seungkwan. If you're not single, where's your boyfriend? He around here somewhere?” The girl named Dahyun asked while they started dancing.

 

“Oh, ehm, he doesn't go here.” She must have seen the sadness in his eyes, because she didn't ask any further questions. They just danced with a thread of light conversation weaved through here and there. At some point a few girls from Dahyun's floor joined them and Seungkwan found himself dancing surrounded by girls. Not the worst of times.

 

But when some random person bumped into him with their drunk movements, Seungkwan was reminded about his best friend out here somewhere doing who knows what. He wanted to make sure he hadn't gotten too drunk and was busy doing something stupid, so he said goodbye to the girls and started walking around the dance floor. When it was clear Mingyu was no longer dancing, he started looking elsewhere and ended up finding him with the guy from earlier attached to his lips and pressed up against a wall in the back of the hall. As far as he could tell he was enjoying himself to say the least, so he wasn't sure what to do next. He could try to find Dahyun and hang out with her and her friends again, but, if he was being honest, what he really wanted to do was to go back to his room and talk with Hansol. One of the worst things about this long distance was the time difference and figuring out their schedules. So far, Seungkwan had mostly been matching Hansol's, seeing as he didn't have any classes yet, but that was about to change. They would both become busier and their time even more limited. He took out his phone. Hansol was probably awake by now.

 

You up?

 

It didn't take long before the three dots appeared on the screen and a reply came. Seungkwan looked at Mingyu again and tapped him on the arm. Again, a bit harder. “Mingyu!” He whined and pulled his arm until he finally detached himself from the other man. “Sorry to interrupt, but I'm going to go. Don't get drunk and stumble in all loud when I'm asleep, but do call me if you need me.”

 

“You're leaving already? Everything okay?”

 

“Yeah, yeah. I just want to talk to Hansol, so I'm going back to our room.” He got up on his tiptoes and whispered in his ear. “Have fun. Be safe.”

 

{Seungkwan and Mingyu's room}

 

“How was the party?” Hansol asked. His hair was still a mess and he failed to suppress a yawn.

 

“It was alright. Met some girls.”

 

“Oh yeah?” Hansol said with another yawn.

 

“Yeah. They were nice. I could use the company, too. Mingyu got hit on in like two seconds and when I left he was busy making out. I hope he doesn't come back too late and wake me up.”

 

“Who says he's coming back?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I mean, what if he spends the night with that guy?”

 

Seungkwan furrowed his brows together, “They literally just met. And we have our first classes tomorrow.” The last thing he wanted was to parent his best friend, but he hoped he hadn't made a mistake leaving him alone at that party.

 

“Then I'm sure he'll be home soon.” Hansol said, mostly just to calm down Seungkwan.

 

He nodded, but checked his phone for any messages anyway. They filled an hour or so with Seungkwan showing him more details of his room and talking about each other's days. Seungkwan was just relaying what he had heard about Chan's possible love life when the door opened.

 

Mingyu made a not so straight line to Seungkwan's desk and leaned down to wrap his arms around his shoulders. “Seungkwaaan. I was looking all over for you!”

 

Seungkwan deadpanned into the camera and saw Hansol snicker, “Well, now you found me.” Any worry from before quickly made way for annoyance at the way Mingyu was breathing his beer breath down his neck. “I told you I was coming here. Also, can you get off me?”

 

Mingyu did not. Instead, he sank down onto his knees and placed his head on Seungkwan's shoulder and started to whisper in his ear. With a look of disgust on his face Seungkwan tried to shrug him off. “Too much information! Way too much! What's wrong with you!?”

 

Mingyu only giggled and wrapped his arms tightly around Seungkwan again. Hansol stared at the scene not sure if he was amused or if he should feel bad for his boyfriend struggling. “What did he say?” He asked with a chuckle.

 

“You don't want to know. Trust me.”

 

Mingyu giggled again and looked at the screen. “Hey, Hansol. I didn't know you were here. Your hair looks funny.”

 

“Can you please be drunk in silence!? I'm trying to talk to my boyfriend!”

 

“Actually, babe, I really need to get in the shower and get going.”

 

Seungkwan pouted, “But it's Sunday...I thought we'd have more time to talk.”

 

“Yeah, I know, but I'm just going to try out for the soccer team. I saw their flyer yesterday and thought it might be fun.”

 

“Soccer? Since when do you play soccer?”

 

Mingyu had released his grip on Seungkwan and crawled over to his bed and lied down with a loud groan, “I've been thinking...” he started talking with no regard to the conversation already going on, “We need to come up with a system to let the other person know when they can't come in.”

 

“Excuse me,” Seungkwan said to Hansol and he turned to face his drunk roommate, “Mingyu, shut up.”

 

“I mean,” Mingyu continued unbothered, “What if one of us wants to have sex here? Well, me I guess. Don't worry, Hansol!” he yelled and vaguely gestured in the direction of the laptop with his hand. “Unless you two want to have video sex. Have you tried it yet? Were you about to? Oh my god, you were, weren't you? I am so sorry. Please don't mind me. You won't even know I'm here.”

 

Seungkwan sighed, “I'm starting to regret picking him as my roommate.”

 

Hansol chuckled, “Already? He has some good ideas though. Except I'd rather he'd not be there.”

 

Seungkwan scrunched up his nose, “You know what. Why don't you go and play soccer or whatever. I'll go take care of drunk Mingyu before this conversation gets any weirder.”

 

“OK. Love you.”

 

“I love you too. Let me know how it goes.”

 

Seungkwan closed his laptop and stood up. He stared down at Mingyu splayed out on his bed. “So, this is what my college life is going to be like? A long distance relationship and a roommate who comes home drunk and starts whispering in my ear about the oral sex he just had? That's just great.”

 

“I'm not that drunk.” Mingyu mumbled. He lifted an uncoordinated arm and tried to grab Seungkwan. “Sleep with me. I want to cuddle something.”

 

“And have you throw up all over me? I don't think so. I'll get you some water and Aspirin and then we're going to sleep.”

 

“Hmkay.” He mumbled, pulling his blanket closer into a lump.

 

After making sure Mingyu was under his blanket instead of using it as a cuddle partner he crawled into his own bed. He sent a final message to Hansol wishing him luck with his soccer thing (still wondering since when he was interested in soccer) and double checked he had set at least three alarms. Tomorrow college was really going to start.

 

 

Notes:

-Jeonghan putting a photo of himself in their room just feels like something he would do
-I just wanted Seungkwan to hang with some girls, because Seungkwan loves girls tbh
-Seungkwan: doesn't ask Chan to come. Also Seungkwan: I can't believe he doesn't want to come wtf

I have to figure out what exactly the next chapter will be, but a few hints of things that will happen soon: a more intimate Verkwan video call, Boogyu getting part-time jobs, Seokmin might finally stop being a lonely single?

Chapter 79: C1-3 College professors

Summary:

Mingyu and Seungkwan both start their first day of classes.

Notes:

I'm hoping to update at a faster pace than I did during their last year of high school, but I'll have to find time to write lol

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Through a miracle, Seungkwan had actually woken up on time and gotten himself and Mingyu down to the cafeteria to join Seokmin and the others for breakfast. He didn't think he was going to make a habit of it. If he just ate something quick in his room he could probably get at least twenty more minutes of sleep in.

 

Mingyu groaned when Seungkwan poked him to try to get him to lift his head from the table.

 

“Stop whining. It would have been a lot worse if I hadn't taken care of you.”

 

“I know...” Mingyu mumbled and he sat up. “I'm sorry I interrupted your sexy time with Hansol last night.”

 

“What!?” Seungkwan's face turned red and he looked around the table. “He didn't! We weren't-” The rest of the table snickered. It felt like high school again, when Seungkwan had just transferred. Him and Mingyu bickering while the members of the music club watched amused. He lightly slapped Mingyu on the shoulder. “Me and Hansol were just talking and then you started rambling on about us having video sex.”

 

“Did I? I was sure that...”

 

Jeonghan snickered, “Maybe you had a sexy dream about Hansol and Seungkwan doing it in front of you. Guys, we just discovered Mingyu's kink. Voyeurism.”

 

Mingyu glared at him, “Why are you here again? You don't even go to this school.”

 

“Luck would have it that I don't have any classes until late in the afternoon on Mondays, so I helped Jisoo settle back into his dorm room.” He answered and held his boyfriend's hand under the table.

 

“You might be onto something.” Seungkwan pointed his finger in Jeonghan's direction and turned to look at Mingyu's pained face. “I mean, you did say to not mind you and that we wouldn't even know you were there.”

 

“I did not say that! And even if I did, I probably meant I'd put on headphones and hide under the covers or something.”

 

“And then when they've forgotten you're there you peak out from under. Getting your sick pleasures.” Jeonghan continued dramatically.

 

“Shut up.”

 

“How's it going though?” Seokmin asked. “The long distance thing I mean? I know it's only been a few weeks since he left, but?”

 

“Yeah, no, it's good I guess. Not as good as if he was actually here, but we're making it work. I just wish I could do stuff like hold his hand or steal one of his T-shirts to smell.”

 

“No offense, but ew.”

 

“Shut up, you single. I just like the way he smells. At least I'm not trying to watch my friends have sex, like some people at this table.”

 

“Let me live!” Mingyu cried. “I'm going to class. Wherever that is.”

 

“Let me see your schedule.” Jihoon said and held out his hand for Mingyu to show it to him. “It's close to my first class. I'll show you.”

 

Mingyu's face brightened and he wrapped his long arms around his smaller friend. “Finally someone who is nice to me.”

 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes. He thought he was plenty nice.

 

{Late afternoon, dorm room}

 

Seungkwan was sitting at his desk going over the notes he had taken that day and he felt pretty accomplished in his role of college student so far. His first professor had been amazing. So funny and interesting that Seungkwan's biggest concern for that class was that he'd get too distracted whenever Prof Seo Eunkwang would let out his energetic laugh that brightened up the room. He played with the couple bracelet wrapped around his wrist for a few seconds and picked up his phone. He took a dozen selfies before he was satisfied with his 'look how well I'm studying am I cute?'-face and sent it to Hansol. Despite knowing that his boyfriend was most likely still asleep he stared at the screen for a minute, hoping his message would be read.

 

He had lost his study motivation and was glad when Mingyu walked in a few minutes later giving him an excuse to stop. The tall man sat down in his own chair and Seungkwan swirled around so they were sitting face-to-face. “You didn't reply to me about dinner. About if you want to eat together.”

 

“Sorry. Yeah, of course. I have plenty of ramen by the way. We can eat that.”

 

Seungkwan nodded. “How was your day? You had two classes today, right?”

 

Mingyu exhaled deeply. “Do you think it's wrong to sleep with a professor?”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“One of my professors. He's gorgeous, Seungkwan. How am I supposed to learn stuff about psychology when my brain is distracted by that man's physique?”

 

“Well, maybe he can use you as a case study. We've been here two days and you've already gone third base with some random guy whose name you didn't even bother to remember and now you want to sleep with your professor!?”

 

“I'm not planning on actually sleeping with him!” He sighed and stared into space. “But, man...if professor Park ever fails me I might explore what my options are.”

 

“Mingyu, what the actual fuck. I'm going to make sure you don't fail anything to keep you on the right moral path.”

 

“I'm just kidding!”

 

“Are you though? You seem to have caught a bad case of horniness the moment we stepped on campus. I thought you wanted a boyfriend, not just random sex?”

 

“Yeah, well, ideally. But right now I'm more in a taking it as it comes kind of mindset. So, anyway, I wasn't kidding when I said we need some sort of sign to let the other person know the room is...being used.”

 

“Can't you just have sex somewhere else?”

 

“Like where? And besides, you might want some private time too sometimes, right?”

 

“Yeah, I suppose you're right.” Even if it wasn't anything that involved sex, Seungkwan didn't need Mingyu there for all of his conversations with his boyfriend. “But I don't like the idea of the entire floor knowing something's up, so I don't want us to hang something super obvious on the door.”

 

“How about we lock the door and send each other a special emoji?” Mingyu suggested.

 

“Like what? An eggplant or something? What if I need the room for something else?”

 

“I don't know. Just send an emoji you otherwise never use. Like, eh, we could send a carrot.”

 

“Why a carrot?”

 

“I don't know. Look, it doesn't really matter, does it? Let's just agree to send a carrot emoji whenever one of us needs the room for something and then a diamond when we're done. Okay?”

 

“Yeah, sure.”

 

“Okay. I'll start making the ramen. Do you want to watch something while we eat?”

 

“Or you can tell me more about that hot professor of yours.”

 

Mingyu bit on his lower lip and tried to suppress a giggle. “Do you want to see him? I secretly took a few pictures.”

 

“Creepy.” Seungkwan said, but he got up from his chair and walked over so he could see. “So, is the reason you mostly took pictures of his ass because you had less chance of getting caught while he had his back to you or...?”

 

“Well, I mean, look at it. I know you take pride in your butt, but look at this man. There is no reason for a college professor to be shaped like that.”

 

Seungkwan shook his head. “You should worry about your own ass and me kicking it if you let this crush distract you from the class.” Although he had to admit he understood Mingyu's struggle. He was even wearing glasses. One of Mingyu's weaknesses. “He is attractive. I'll give you that.”

 

Mingyu pulled his phone back and pouted. “He's even prettier in person. It's too much after years of the kind of teachers we had in high school. My brain needs some time to adjust.”

 

Seungkwan chuckled. “Your brain?

 

“Shut up.” Mingyu laughed. He prepared food for them and they watched a movie together on Seungkwan's laptop. Mingyu didn't do any studying and Seungkwan didn't ask. Every once in a while he checked his phone, but in the end he didn't get a reply from Hansol until right before he was about to go to bed. The last thing he did before closing his eyes was telling him to have a good day and that he'd try to find him in his dreams.

Notes:

-I just had to put Eunkwang in here because I love him and Seungkwan loves him
-Mingyu's professor with the nice ass? Got7's Park Jinyoung (only he's older here and there is a bigger age gap than there is irl between him and Mingyu)
-The professors probably won't really play any important role, but I just thought it was fun to throw a few idols as professors into the mix. Also, Mingyu needed a professor crush (Seungkwan wasn't wrong when he said Mingyu has a bad case of horniness)

Comments always appreciated <3

Chapter 80: C1-4 Missing things

Summary:

Seungkwan and Hansol miss things about each other

Notes:

Really feeling my motivation right now, so I'm just going with the writing flow~

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan was grateful for the times where he and Hansol didn't have to hurt their brains trying to figure out a time where they were both awake and free so they could call. They had been talking for about fifteen minutes when Mingyu burst into the room wearing nothing but a towel.

 

“He overslept.” Seungkwan stated dryly as Mingyu let out sounds of panicked hurry in the background trying to get dressed at the speed of light.

 

“Does he always walk around like that?” Hansol asked after Mingyu yelled a goodbye and slammed the door shut.

 

“No.” Seungkwan answered. He couldn't tell by the look on his boyfriend's face if he thought it was funny or if he didn't like the fact that Mingyu walked around with barely any clothes on. “He just doesn't like to take his clothes to the shower room so he gets dressed here.” Seungkwan had told Hansol about his plan to make Mingyu his roommate, but he hadn't really thought about it potentially bothering him. He thought they were passed the boyfriend-jealous-of-best-friend thing. “Our schedules are different so I'm usually not here when he gets dressed.” He felt the need to explain further. “I take my clothes with me. I don't like the idea of walking through the hall in nothing but a towel.” Hansol was so lucky, he though. He had his own room and only shared a bathroom with three other people.

 

“So, eh...” Hansol shifted in his seat. “Does he have class now or something?”

 

“Yeah. Not sure what though.”

 

“So he'll be gone for a while?”

 

“Yeah. Why?”

 

“Maybe we can try that video thing?” He looked into the camera shy and anticipating.

 

“What video thing? Like that mini game function they just- Oh...Oh you mean...that?”

 

Hansol nodded and a small smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

 

“It's the middle of the day!”

 

“Over here it's not. So...”

 

“I-” Seungkwan felt a nervous tingle moving up his digestive system. “Hold on.” He got up and walked over to the door. He slowly turned the lock. He sat back down, unsure what to do next. He glanced over at his phone, but since Mingyu was going to be in class anyway he thought he could do without secret emoji codes. “You don't just want to do this because you just saw Mingyu's bare back, right?” He narrowed his eyes at the screen.

 

“Can we not talk about Mingyu right before we get naked?” Hansol chuckled.

 

“We have to be naked?” Seungkwan mumbled.

 

“Well, don't we?” Hansol asked in response.

 

“I don't know. Yeah, I guess so.” With sudden determination he pulled his shirt off over his head. “Alright. Let's do this.” But sitting with his skin exposed like this, his determination left as quickly as it had come. “You know, I'm not so sure I want to do this sitting in my chair. Or full screen like this. Can we switch to phone?”

 

“Whatever makes you comfortable.” Hansol said, as if he wasn't at least as nervous and unsure of the how and what of video sex.

 

They hung up and Seungkwan got on his bed. When they re-connected he saw Hansol had done the same as well as taking off his shirt. “Are you still wearing pants?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Me too.” They both stared at each other and Seungkwan let out a nervous giggle. “Why is this so awkward? Should we turn the video off? Maybe it'll help. We'll call it phase one.”

 

“How many phases are there?”

 

“How should I know? Do I look like a camboy to you?”

 

“You're hot and cute enough to be one.”

 

“Just take your pants off Chwe.” He shut his camera off, got on his back and lifted his hips up so he could wiggle out of the clothes that he was still wearing. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm down his nerves. He exhaled slowly, perhaps with a bit more breath and sound than was necessary, but he kind of hoped Hansol would hear him. “My stomach's warm.” He whispered. He still wasn't sure what he was supposed to do or to how to get going, so he just said what he was thinking as he gingerly ran his fingers further down his body.

 

“Mine's kind of cold.” Hansol low voice replied. “But my inner thigh is warm.”

 

Seungkwan swallowed at the thought of Hansol lying on his bed, naked, with a hand running dangerously close to his crotch. He hummed with approval. As it turned out he was far less shy letting his voice out than Hansol was and he made sure to exaggerate the sounds he made so they wouldn't be lost on his empty room. The combination of knowing that his carefully planned moans and heavy breaths were being well received and Hansol shyly telling him what he was doing to himself was working rather well, but he soon started to feel frustrated. “Sollie? Can I see your face?”

 

“Phase two?”

 

Multitasking in this particular situation proved difficult and Seungkwan accidentally dropped his phone on his face with a sharp thud after a minute or so of trying to find his best angle while continuing what he had been doing before. “Ow, fuck. Dammit this isn't working. Wait.” He got on his side and made use of his pillow and wall to prop his phone up. Over on his end, Hansol made a similar construction. Both more comfortable, they looked at each other through the screen. Seungkwan could tell from the way Hansol was moving that he had wrapped a hand around himself again. He did the same. “Doesn't this remind you of something?” Seungkwan whispered.

 

“The first time we jerked each other off?” Hansol chuckled and he chewed on his bottom lip, affection overflowing from his eyes.

 

It hadn't just been the first time touching each other like that. It had also been the first time they had exchanged I love yous. It sent a blush to Seungkwan's face. The memory floating through his mind gave him a nudge to be a little more bold with his words. “I miss your hands on my body.” He said in a low, but clear voice making sure not to look way from the camera.

 

Hansol's brows twitched upward in pleased surprise. “I miss your ass.” He replied with the same tone of voice.

 

“I miss you leaving kisses down my chest.”

 

“I miss the way you grab my hair when you ride me.”

 

“I miss the way you suck my neck just right.”

 

“I miss those beautiful lips wrapped around me.”

 

“I miss- I miss you.”

 

“I miss you, too.”

 

Their words died down and with eyes locked onto each other they sped up. Seungkwan's breath hitched when he spilled over the edge and he couldn't help closing his eyes and let the feeling wash over him. The view was all Hansol needed.

 

Seungkwan opened his eyes again and started blushing under Hansol's stare. “Did you?”

 

“Yeah. You want proof?”

 

Seungkwan frowned and scrunched up his nose. “I believe you.” He rolled on his back and found some tissues by his bed. He looked back at the screen and inhaled. “I really wish we could cuddle now.” He was glad they had done this. It was nice to feel some sort of intimacy, but at the same time the feeling of missing him was more profound than before.

 

“Me too.” His smile turned into a small smirk. “Maybe next time we can try out phase three.”

 

Seungkwan scoffed, “Yeah. Maybe.” He, like the lovesick fool he was, ran a finger over the screen as if he was caressing his boyfriend's face. “I love you.”

 

“I love you, too.”

Notes:

-Yes, Mingyu overslept, but he hadn't taken a shower the night before and he hates to feel gross, so...
-I think I've said this before (maybe another fic) but it's not my fault that Verkwan's biggest kink is being in love with each other. Don't ever expect proper smut from me. They will always be slightly dumb and in love and fluffy
-Hansol's probably not too concerned with naked Mingyu. They're roommates and best friends, it happens (I guess??)

Time for Boogyu to get part-time jobs~

Chapter 81: C1-5 The Grind

Summary:

Mingyu finds the perfect place for him and Seungkwan to get a part-time job. Seokmin accidentally shares some information.

Notes:

Hope everybody is having a good day~

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan looked up when a bag was suddenly dropped on the table. “Why do you look so happy?” He asked Mingyu who sat down next to him with a wide grin on his face.

 

“Two reasons. First, you said you wanted to get a part-time job, right? I found the perfect place! A new coffeehouse is going to open in like two weeks, just outside of campus! It's called The Grind and I peeked inside and the interior looks super cozy, but modern at the same time. And, maybe the best part, I saw who I think is the owner walking around inside, he is beautiful by the way, and he had a rainbow pin on his jacket! We should totally work there!”

 

“A coffeehouse? Don't you just want to be part of a love story where you fall in love with a regular customer or something? Or the rainbow pin guy. He might not even be gay.”

 

“That is not what this is about! Not that I would object, but it just looked like a place with a nice vibe. Please just think about it? You love coffee! We can go by tomorrow and see if the owner is there then! I'm going with or without you, but I'd rather go with you.”

 

“Fine. I'll think about it.” It did sound pretty good. He did indeed love coffee and he wanted to get a part-time job so he could save up enough money for a plane-ticket in Hansol's direction in time for Spring Break. He had hoped for Christmas time, but plane tickets were criminally expensive around the holidays. “What's the second reason?”

 

“For what?”

 

“You said you're happy for two reasons.”

 

“Oh, right! I have a date!”

 

“With...?”

 

“His name is Jungkook and I met him today. Or actually, I talked to him for the first time today. I'd seen him before. He's a sophomore.”

 

“What are you going to do on your date?”

 

“Nothing special, I think. We're getting burgers.”

 

“Romantic.” Seungkwan scoffed, but corrected his own attitude quickly. It was as if a weight had been lifted off of Mingyu's shoulders after graduating high school and Seungkwan wouldn't want him to lose his new-found open attitude about who he was. “I hope you have fun and that he's nice.” He finished his iced Americano and stuffed his study material back in his bag. “I'll ask Seok if he wants to eat with me. I'll see you later tonight?”

 

Mingyu let out a little laugh. “Probably.”

 

{Seokmin & Jihoon's room}

 

Seungkwan sighed and put his phone down. He had been sitting on Jihoon's bed munching on some snacks and humming along to Seokmin's guitar play when he got a message from his roommate. “I guess Mingyu's date went well.”

 

“Oh?” Seokmin asked.

 

“He just sent me a carrot. It means he's doing something in our room that I don't want to walk in on.”

 

“Oh. Me and Jihoon just put a note on the door. Well, he does anyway.”

 

Seungkwan gave his friend a little smile. He wished someone would hurry up and make him his boyfriend. He knew Seokmin and even though he had been going on dates and putting himself out there as it were, he was also shy and his confidence wasn't the best. He was about to give him the 'you're so great, anyone would be lucky to have you' talk when Seokmin's phone rang. Seungkwan watched as his face broke into a wide smile when he picked up.

 

“Hey!” Seokmin let out a little giggle that Seungkwan thought was adorable. Whoever he was talking to clearly had an effect on him. “Yeah. No, just hanging with Seungkwan now. Yeah. He and Mingyu are going to try to get jobs at a coffee place.” He laughed. “I know, right!”

 

Seungkwan followed the conversation with intrigue. Seokmin was all smiles and giggles, but then he sighed and the smile dropped from his face. “I don't know, Soon.”

 

Ah, so it was Soonyoung who he was talking to. Somehow he wasn't surprised.

 

“Okay, fine. Fine! I'll meet him.” He laughed into the phone, smile returned. He said goodbye and hung up. He threw his phone onto his bed and looked at Seungkwan. “Sorry. He just calls sometimes. He said he found a great match for me. Again.”

 

“Hmm.” Seungkwan hummed in response. Previously he had thought to have seen a spark between those two, but seeing as Soonyoung kept insisting on setting Seokmin up with a bunch of people that weren't him perhaps he had been wrong. He kind of hoped he was wrong seeing how Seokmin had seem almost unable not to smile while talking to him. He didn't want his friend to be in love with someone that wasn't interested in him in that way.

 

Seokmin sighed and hopped onto the bed to sit next to Seungkwan. “I don't know. Maybe I should just focus on studying for a while and stop looking so hard. Don't they say that love comes when you least expect it? I think I'm going to tell Soon to stop setting me up after this guy.”

 

“Isn't this your problem? You're already assuming this date isn't going to end well. Maybe you should try to be a bit more open to the potential of a happy ending!”

 

“Maybe you're right. Maybe I should trust Soon's judgment more. I mean, he does keep insisting he's the best match-maker in the world and every time I say anything he just says 'remember what I did for Wonwoo and-'” Seokmin slapped his hands in front of his mouth and stared at Seungkwan with big eyes.

 

“Wonwoo has a boyfriend?”

 

Seokmin nodded.

 

“Oh.” Seungkwan felt a tug at his heart, but he realized it wasn't because he felt bad for Mingyu. It had been a year since their break-up, Mingyu had slept with other people since then, he was even with a date right now. He didn't think he'd exactly be happy to know his ex had a new boyfriend, but he'd probably be okay. No, more than that Seungkwan felt sad because he actually missed Wonwoo. He had no idea what was going on with him and clearly some of his other friends did. “Have you met him?”

 

Seokmin shook his head. “Not really.”

 

“What does that mean?”

 

“I just saw them once. But I didn't talk to him or anything. I only know his name is Jun and that he's an exchange student. Soonyoung knows the topic of Wonwoo is a bit awkward in our group, but they're roommates and he's like his best friend so sometimes it just comes up, you know?”

 

“Yeah.” Seungkwan replied and they dropped the topic. He returned to his room after he got a message from Mingyu letting him know the coast was clear. He didn't mention Wonwoo. Instead he spent the rest of the night listening to Mingyu's colorful retelling of his date and looking up things someone working at a coffeehouse should know. If he was going to apply for a job at one, he wanted to be prepared.

 

{Coffeehouse The Grind, next day}

 

Mingyu had been right. The moment they had knocked on the door and stepped inside in the almost-ready-for-business coffeehouse Seungkwan started to question if he should just drop out of college right now and become a full time barista. He had also been right about the owner. He was indeed beautiful. Elegant, charming, tan, tall, and, luckily, very welcoming to their inquiry about any job openings.

 

He greeted them with a warm smile and pointed at one of the tables for them to sit down. “Normally I'd invite you back to my office, but it's a mess right now. So many things to take care of before the big opening. In any case, my name is Cha Hakyeon and, as you two seemed to have guessed, the owner of this fine establishment.”

 

“This place looks really wonderful, Mr. Cha.” Seungkwan said and Mingyu nodded in agreement.

 

“I walked by here yesterday and I immediately knew me and Seungkwan would be perfect for this place! The modern, yet cozy atmosphere is sure to draw in a lot of customers right away.” Mingyu said and Seungkwan nodded along. “And you, sir. I'm sure you will attract a- Ow!” Seungkwan's face betrayed nothing about how he had just kicked Mingyu under the table.

 

The coffeehouse owner just laughed shyly and didn't seem all that bothered by Mingyu's inappropriately timed flirtations. “So, you two are interested in working here? Do you have any experience?”

 

“Well, not exactly.” Seungkwan admitted. “But I love coffee and we're both very willing to learn and work hard.”

 

“The job can be learned. However, what I'm looking for in anyone who works here and represents my business is their attitude. I think it goes without saying that customer service is extremely important in this line of work, but more than that I want this to be a place of inclusion and acceptance where anyone can be themselves. Unless they're not wearing pants, because I don't need that sort of thing in here. It's a place for coffee, not partying.” He laughed at his own joke. “Now, I've noticed you glancing at my little pin here and I can almost hear you thinking 'is he gay?'. He is. I am very open about these things, but I will not allow people taking my sexuality and make it my whole personality. The same goes for my coffeehouse.”

 

“Of course, Mr. Cha. Actually, I'm g-” Mingyu started, but Hakyeon held up his hand and smiled.

 

“While I want my employees to feel free to talk to me about whatever is going on with them, I'd never want anyone to feel like they have to tell me the intimate details of their personal lives. Especially not if they think telling me certain things will up their chances of getting hired in the first place.”

 

“I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-” Mingyu stammered, but the man across him waved his concerns away with his hand. “It's fine.”

 

“What he meant to say,” Seungkwan spoke up, “Is that we are very open-minded and accepting people and we would take pride in making sure that coming here is a positive experience for anyone who walks through the door.”

 

The man across from them smiled and cocked his head to the side. “I'll tell you what we'll do. The place doesn't open for another week and a half, so why don't we use that time to get you boys some training and see if this is the right fit for us? I know you're both in college, so we'll work something out schedule wise.”

 

“Really? Thank you so much, Mr. Cha!” Seungkwan said. “We won't disappoint you. Will we, Mingyu?”

 

“N-no! We won't! Thank you, Mr. Cha!”

 

Hakyeon laughed and he stood up. “You're welcome. Now I really must get back to work, so take my card and we'll be in touch.” He handed both of them a business card and shook their hands. “Oh, and, you don't have to call me Mr. Cha. Hakyeon is fine.”

 

Once outside the two boys couldn't contain their glee and jumped up and down holding hands. “I can't believe we just got hired! Sort of!” Seungkwan cheered. “Although you almost blew it by getting all weird and flirting with him! What the fuck was that!?” He lightly slapped Mingyu on the arm.

 

“I'm sorry! He's just very attractive and I- I don't know what happened! I won't do it again! I just want to work here.”

 

“Good. Now if you will excuse me, I'm going to see if Hansol is available so I can tell him!”

Notes:

-Okay so, I named it The Grind because it's coffee which you grind and also it sounds like Grindr...so...
-I love Cha Hakyeon. Everybody in the world should have a crush on him. It's not Mingyu's fault.
-Mingyu's current dating status: Jungkook, just dating, not boyfriends (just FYI they only went up to the room to make-out)
-For now Jun was only mentioned, but he'll show up in the flesh at some point
-Next time we'll see if Soonyoung finally got it right

Chapter 82: C1-6 Coffeehouse Confession

Summary:

Soonyoung visits Seungkwan at his new part-time job at coffeehouse The Grind and he needs a favor.

Notes:

Aaand then my writing vibe left me >.< Trying to get it back!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan tried to flatten out the crease in his apron and clicked his tongue in frustration when he couldn't get it. It hadn't been very long since he and Mingyu had started working at Coffeehouse The Grind and he still got a bit nervous at the beginning of his shifts. Remembering all the different items on the menu and how to make them was hard and his boss seemed to have a third eye just for details. However, it was also a lot of fun working at the coffeehouse. Being surrounded by the smell of coffee was a big plus, customers, by and large, were nice, and he got along well with his co-workers. He got on especially well with the guy he opened with today and who was walking over to help him with his apron related crisis.

 

“Here let me do it.” His co-worker started slapping Seungkwan's apron in an attempt to make it better, but it wasn't a very effective strategy.

 

“Mingi, it's fine. Stop slapping me!” Seungkwan laughed. The boy was a few years older, but Seungkwan just wanted to pinch his cheeks and tell him how cute he was. His name was Choi Mingi and he was both funny and adorable. They stopped their giggling when Cha Hakyeon emerged from his office.

 

“If you boys are done violently harassing the uniform, I'm opening up. I'll be in my office finishing this week's order, so you'll know where to find me if things get too busy.”

 

“OK, Mr. Cha.”

 

“I've told you, you can just call me Hakyeon, Seungkwan.”

 

“Mr. Hakyeon?”

 

“If you want.” His boss chuckled.

 

The shift had been going fine and Seungkwan was just wiping down some tables when a familiar, yet unexpected, face walked through the door.

 

“Hey, Soonyoung. What are you doing here? Are you by yourself?” He would have expected him to be with Seokmin or Chan at least. This place wasn't at all close to his college and even though the coffee here was good, it wasn't worth it to make the journey just for that. He looked behind him, but it really was just him.

 

“Seungkwan, I need your help.” The man said staring straight into his eyes.

 

“Eh, okay? Is everything all right?”

 

“No. But hopefully it will be, but I-” He stopped talking and looked around, eying the other customers. “Let's talk somewhere more private.” He grabbed Seungkwan by the arm and dragged him behind the counter and to the back.

 

“W-what are you doing? You're not supposed to come back here!”

 

“Seungkwan, please! I've been an idiot setting Seokmin up on all those dates! I want to confess to him. Tonight.”

 

That made Seungkwan forget about the fact that he might get in trouble for letting a customer back here. “Wow. Really?”

 

“Yes. But I can't just say 'oh, actually, I like you, please be my boyfriend'. It has to be better than that, because he needs to forgive me for taking so long to realize it.”

 

“I wouldn't worry too much about that. But what do you need my help for? I've never confessed to anyone.”

 

“I need the coffeehouse.”

 

“What do you mean you need the coffeehouse?”

 

Suddenly Soonyoung swung his arm over Seungkwan's shoulder and ran his hand through the air. “Picture this. I bring him here after closing hours, saying that his date is waiting for him inside. Then-”

 

“What is going on here?”

 

His boss' voice made Seungkwan spin around with big eyes. “I-I'm sorry, Mr. Ch- Hakyeon. I know we're not supposed to let anyone back here, but this is my friend and he has this crazy idea of confessing to someone in here after we close tonight, but of course I-”

 

“A confession of love? Right here? In my coffee shop?” Hakyeon's eyes started to sparkle and he grabbed hold of Seungkwan's arm. “We should decorate the place with little lights and throw a nice table cloth over one of the tables to make it more romantic.”

 

“Y-you're okay with it?”

 

The tall man sighed dramatically and cupped his left cheek with his hand, looking at the two young men with a pained expression. “I've recently broken up with someone and I need to be in the presence of young love so I don't become a bitter old man. Unless...” He pulled Seungkwan aside and whispered in his ear. “Do you think his confession will fail?”

 

“I'm pretty sure it will be a grand success. Honestly, I don't understand why they're not together already.” He whispered back.

 

“Oh! Then we must definitely do it here.” He walked over to Soonyoung and held out his hand. “Cha Hakyeon, owner. Why don't you step into my office and we can discuss the details. Seungkwan, you're shift is almost over isn't it? Do you have time to help us after your afternoon classes?” He looked at Soonyoung again. “You did say tonight, right?”

 

“Yes, sir.” He replied with a big grin. “I don't think I can wait another day.”

 

“Wonderful.” Hakyeon smiled. “So, Seungkwan. We'll see you later.” And with that he took Soonyoung with him to his office, leaving Seungkwan slightly baffled by how this all played out.

 

{That evening}

 

Seeing as Mingyu had been on the closing shift anyway it hadn't been hard to get him to help out as well. Seungkwan had to admit his friend had a good sense for setting up a scene. Illumination was provided by candles and fairy lights giving it an instant romance boost. There was a knock on the window and Seungkwan turned around to see a pizza delivery guy.

 

“Oh great, just in time. I have to leave to meet him in like five minutes.” Soonyoung said as he hurried to pay the man and take the boxes from him. He shut the door with his foot and put the food on the table.

 

“Your big romantic meal is pizza?”

 

“What? He loves pizza.”

 

“That's true.” Seungkwan admitted. “So, I think we're about set?”

 

Soonyoung placed his hands on his hips and nodded slowly as he took in their handiwork. “All that's left is to actually tell him how I feel.”

 

Hakyeon placed a hand on the young man's shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.

 

Soonyoung took a deep breath and looked at the other three men in the room. “Okay. I'm going to go meet him. Seungkwan, you'll open the door when we get back here?”

 

“Yes, yes and after I've let you in I'll hide in the back together with Mingyu and Mr. Hakyeon. Just go already!”

 

***

 

"Wow. What's all this?" Seokmin's eyes widened as he stepped inside and saw the decorated table.

 

"Your date made it for you. Well, not made made, like, he didn't make the pizza, but-"

 

Seungkwan cleared his throat to stop Soonyoung from nervously rambling on. “Here is your table and I'll leave you to it.”

 

"Where is he anyway? My date?" Seokmin asked looking around cautiously as if whoever his date was could jump out at any second.

 

“Well...” Soonyoung stepped forward and stood in front of the table with his eyes on Seokmin. “He's actually already here.”

 

“Is he hiding?”

 

“N-no. He's here.” He added motion to his words with his hands, but things didn't seem to click in the other man's head just yet.

 

“I don't get it.”

 

"...Okay. This is not really going as I thought it was going to go, but anyway...your date, well, you're looking at him."

 

"I still don't get it."

 

"It's me, Seok. I'm the date."

 

"You're my date? Like a friend date, or what?"

 

Soonyoung ran a hand through his hair and let out an awkward chuckle. "Shit. Don't tell me I've misread all the signals and you don't actually like me back." He looked at Seokmin and shook his head with a shy smile. “No. I don't mean like a friend date.”

 

“Oh.” Seokmin let out a shaky breath.

 

“Listen, Seokmin. I was so focused on finding you a good date that I completely missed the fact that the best date for you is, well, me. N-not to mean that I'm like the best person ever! I mean that you are the best date for me, too and I like you and I think we'd be really great together. What do you think?”

 

Seokmin's face broke open into the widest smile Seungkwan had ever seen and he felt that even without the lights the room would be bright.

 

Mingyu was holding himself back from walking onto the scene to get a better shot of the way those two were now holding each other's faces and staring into each other's eyes with dumb grins. “I'll save this for when they get married.” Mingyu whispered as he continued to film everything.

 

“Getting a bit ahead of yourself there are we?” Seungkwan smiled looking at the two of them sitting down to eat (and continuously giggle at each other) and exhaled slowly. He pulled out his phone and zoomed in to get a decent shot. He sent it to Hansol with a winky face and the promise to tell him all about it later.

Notes:

-Seokmin finally got a boyfriend again! w00p
-I have to admit I don't know Mingi (Ren from Nuest) that well, but I know he and Seungkwan are very good friends, so I though it'd be nice if he made an appearance.

Next time Seungkwan is really starting to feel the strain of long-distance on his relationship

Chapter 83: C1-7 Package of Love

Summary:

Seungkwan is feeling frustrated with the way his relationship with Hansol is going.

Notes:

Have not been writing as much as I would have liked, but I'll try to keep them coming! Oh and Happy New Year!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan was impatiently tapping his fingers on his desk. Hansol was late and not for the first time. He picked up his phone again and resisted the urge to send him another message asking him where he was. He scoffed when their chat popped up on his desktop with a new message.

 

Hey, home now. You still wanna talk?

 

“Yeah, I still want to talk, idiot.” Seungkwan mumbled begrudgingly and he clicked the video call button. “Well, how nice of you to show up.”

 

“Eh, what?” Hansol chuckled, not yet catching on just how pissed off his boyfriend was.

 

“You said we'd call at eleven. It's almost twelve, Hansol.”

 

“Oh, sorry. But what I said was that I would probably have time.”

 

“Okay, well, if you say you'll probably have time I assume that it means you'll have time unless you let me know otherwise! You should have told me you were going to be late.”

 

“Maybe you shouldn't assume things.” Hansol mumbled.

 

“I left Jisoo's room early for this, you know? Everybody else is still hanging out there, having fun, while I'm here waiting for you to finally have time for me.”

 

Hansol groaned. “You shouldn't do that. If you want to hang out with them tonight, do that. Or just go up to your room when I call. Why do we always have to be so scheduled?”

 

“Because it's hard to find times to talk sometimes, Hansol. I just want to talk to you. If we don't plan these things, before you know it we hardly ever talk and-”

 

“Come on, that's not true. I want to talk to you too, but you're making it feel like a task or an obligation or something. Like tonight, some of the guys from soccer asked if I wanted to go get a drink with them and I wanted to so I did. It shouldn't have to be such a big deal.”

 

“Do they know you have a boyfriend?”

 

“I don't see how that's relevant, but yes, they know.”

 

“It's relevant because- Because they can be a bit more sympathetic when you say you can't hang out sometimes because you want to-”

 

“I wanted to hang out with them and I think that should be okay. I don't know what's going on with you. Are you jealous that I have new friends or something?”

 

Seungkwan scoffed, but he didn't refute it. If he was being honest, lately whenever Hansol told him about his day or stories about the people he hung out with Seungkwan felt more and more disconnected. He didn't know any of these people. He didn't have faces to go with the names and even those he had seen in pictures rubbed him the wrong way. It's not that he wanted Hansol to be alone and not make friends, but it made Seungkwan realize that there was a growing part of Hansol's life that he wasn't a part of and it scared him.

 

“Next time when I say I might have time I'll let you know if something comes up, okay?”

 

What Seungkwan really wanted was for Hansol to say that he'd be there. He knew he was being petty and possessive and he didn't like it himself either, so instead of saying that, he agreed with a soft okay.

 

“Okay, so, are we good again? Anything new with you?”

 

{A few days later}

 

“Do you think I can ship this body lotion overseas or is it considered a hazardous item or something?” Seungkwan asked Chan who he was shopping with. It was Saturday and Seungkwan was home for the weekend. It had been a few weeks since he saw his young friend, so it was nice to catch up.

 

Chan shrugged. “Not sure. Why? Are you sending something to Hansol?”

 

“Yeah. I'm stupid to do it so close to Christmas and I don't think it'll arrive before then, but lately...we...”

 

“Everything okay?”

 

“Yeah, no, we're fine, I guess. But lately we've been fighting a bit and I've been acting- Well, so has he, it's not all my fault, really. But, anyway, my point is that I want to send him a nice package with nice things so he doesn't forget how much I love him.” He pulled out his phone in search for the rules of international mail and sighed. “Maybe I should ask his mom or something. I'm pretty sure his parents have sent some stuff out to him. Although probably not beauty products.”

 

“So what else are you going to send him?”

 

“Well, it's getting pretty cold and I know he gets dry skin and he's always losing his lip balm, so something in that area for one. And maybe some snacks he likes or something. Any suggestions?”

 

“Boxers.”

 

“Boxers!?”

 

“A guy can never have enough boxers. And socks. I know it sounds boring, but I'm sure he'll appreciate it. Or you can get him something more sexy.”

 

“I think boxers are sexy.”

 

“Boxers it is then. He can wear them when you two...you know.”

 

“How do you know about that!?”

 

“I didn't. I just assumed.”

 

“Well, you shouldn't just assume things.”

 

“So you guys don't...?”

 

“W-we...That's none of your business!”

 

Chan chuckled and lightly shoved him. “Why do you always get so shy when we talk about sex?”

 

“You are a child, Lee Chan!”

 

“Don't you worry about that. I know my stuff.”

 

“What is that supposed to mean?”

 

Chan just wiggled his eyebrows and laughed his infectious laugh. “Come on, let's find Hansol some hot underwear.”

 

{Dorm Room}

 

Seungkwan had dragged all the stuff he bought for Hansol back to his dorm room the next day so he could send it out on Monday. The box was filled to the brim and he sincerely hoped customs wouldn't open it for inspection because he feared they'd never be able to get everything back into it. But his biggest concern was if he could keep his mouth shut until it arrived. He really wanted it to be a surprise and had sworn Chan to secrecy as well. When he had looked up shipping fees online he had cursed his life as a poor college student and had come to the sad conclusion that he had no choice but to go with the cheapest and slowest option. Although he did opt to pay a little more for a tracking code.

 

 

With a grunt he picked up the box from his bed and put it on the floor. He was just writing Hansol's address on it when Mingyu came in. He threw his bag on his bed and sat down next to Seungkwan.

 

“Welcome back. How was your weekend?” Seungkwan asked him without looking up.

 

Mingyu leaned back on his hands and sighed. “Pretty crappy, actually.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Things were fine at my parents, but I found out that Jungkook, you know that guy I've sort of been seeing? Well, he likes some other guy. He just told me.”

 

“I'm sorry.”

 

“Yeah, me too.” He scooted forward and looked down at the box. “Is this your love package?”

 

“Ew, don't call it that. Can you help me carry it to the post office tomorrow? It's kind of heavy.”

 

“Because it's filled with your love?” He teased, but let out a loud 'Hey!' when Seungkwan drew a line across his arm with the marker in his hand. “Is this waterproof? Great. You should be nicer to me if you want me to help you carry it.” He grumbled and got up in search for a tissue.

 

Seungkwan got up also and took the wet tissue from Mingyu's hand. “I'm sorry. Here, I'll do it.” He started rubbing the mark he had left on his skin. “You'd be happy if your boyfriend sent you a package like that, right? You wouldn't think it was too much? Or something only parents do?”

 

“Why are you worrying about this? He'll love it.” Sensing his best friend wasn't so sure he gently lifted his chin. “He'll love it. Seriously, if I had a boyfriend who did stuff like that for me I'd be super happy.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Really.”

Notes:

-He shouldn't worry. Who doesn't like getting a care package??
-Hansol wants to be more relaxed about things, a kind of go with the flow kind of attitude, while Seungkwan wants to know when and at what time they're going to talk.

Is it too soon for SeokSoon to go through a rough patch? Well...I'll let you know next chapter

Chapter 84: C1-8 Better

Summary:

Seokmin is worried that Soonyoung has already lost interest. Hansol and Seungkwan have trouble seeing eye to eye about their issues.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan sat on Jihoon's bed and observed as Mingyu applied some light eye make-up to Seokmin's face. Ever since he had acted as Seungkwan's make-up artist for their high school play he had been eager to try it out on more of their friends. “Soonyoung won't be able to take his eyes of you, Minnie.” He said as he stepped back to admire his own work.

 

Jihoon snorted. “Oh lord, he already has trouble looking anywhere else. How will he walk?”

 

Seokmin didn't laugh. Quite the opposite. His shoulders slumped down and he looked like he was on the verge of tears.“I think he's going to break up with me.” He said softly.

 

“What? Why would you even think that?” Seungkwan asked. He had trouble believing that after the confession he witnessed, Soonyoung would be finished with this relationship in just a few weeks.

 

“I-I don't think he wants to have sex with me. The last time we met he didn't even kiss me. And the last few days he has barely sent me any messages. I think he realized he just wants to be friends.”

 

“Maybe you should talk to him? It might not be what you think.” Mingyu offered.

 

“But what if it is...”

 

“Then it's better to find out sooner rather than later.” Jihoon said and he gently patted his roommate's hair.

 

“Find out what?” A voice startled all of them. It was Soonyoung, standing in the door opening.

 

“What are you doing here!?” Seokmin yelled out in shock.

 

“Ehm, the party at Jisoo's dorm? You said I could come?”

 

“Oh, right! Yes!”

 

“So find out what?” Soonyoung could tell from the way everybody looked at him that whatever they had been talking about involved him in some way.

 

“If you plan to break up with Seokmin.” Jihoon said, earning death glares from both Mingyu and Seungkwan.

 

“What!? Of course not!” Soonyoung walked into the room with big steps and looked at his boyfriend still sitting on the bed. “What's going on? Did I do something wrong?”

 

“No! Let's just forget about it. It's nothing.” He chuckled awkwardly and looked at his friends on the opposite bed hoping they would change the subject, but Seungkwan instead gave him a head-jerk encouraging him to talk to his boyfriend about what was going on inside his head. “You don't want to have sex with me.”

 

“I don't?” Soonyoung seemed genuinely confused and looked around the room to see if anyone had any explanation for him.

 

“You didn't even kiss me last time...We kissed before, so you must have changed your mind about liking me.”

 

“You want to know why I didn't kiss you last time or why I didn't make any moves to go further than that?” He sat down next to him on the bed and sighed. “Do you realize that we only do anything after I initiate it? We only go out or meet up after I suggest it. I'm almost always the first one to send a message. The first one to kiss. How do you think that makes me feel? Are you even interested in me or did you just agree to date me because you felt bad for rejecting me?”

 

Seokmin looked up with big wet eyes. “No! I'm super interested. I want to spend time with you and kiss you and- and more.”

 

“Then why is it always up to me to start? I didn't kiss you last time because I was waiting for you to kiss me. I'm sorry if it made you think that I changed my mind about us because I definitely haven't.”

 

Seungkwan, Mingyu and Jihoon where now squeezed together on the bed. Nobody moved, caught between courtesy and curiosity covered by a blanket of support for Seokmin.

 

“I...” Seokmin bit his lower lip. “I've never made a first move. Not just with you. Just never. I-I'm just always scared that I'll try something and it's something you don't want me to do or that I'm bothering you. I'm scared that if I send you too many messages you'll get annoyed or bored with me...”

 

Soonyoung jumped up, still his eyes on Seokmin. “I could NEVER get bored of you! Come on, send me a hundred messages in a day. NO! ONE THOUSAND. I DARE YOU!”

 

“Why is he yelling?” Seungkwan whispered in Mingyu's ear, but got silenced by a hand being pressed on his mouth.

 

“You could send me a BILLION messages in a day and- well a billion is a lot, I might not be able to read all of them and then it will say 'read' and then you might think I'm ignoring you, but I'M NOT! Because I LOVE YOU DAMMIT!”

 

“Y-you do?”

 

“Damn right I do!” He sat back down with calmness completely different from his outburst just now. “Baby, I promise that whenever you are ready to make the first move, I'll follow right up with the second one. I just need to know that it's not all one-sided.”

 

“How can you say you love me? We've only been together for a few weeks...We haven't even slept together yet...”

 

Soonyoung smiled and gentle cupped Seokmin's face. “I don't need to sleep with you to know that I love you. I know it's fast and I don't want you to feel pressured to say it back, but I love you.” He dropped his hands onto Seokmin's legs and gave them a soft squeeze. “And when you think about it, it's not that fast. We were already friends and I loved you then too. And about the sex. I've thought about us doing it, a lot, and we're always really good at it, so I'm sure that once we do start having sex it will be amazing.”

 

Suddenly Seokmin leaped forward and kissed his boyfriend roughly on the mouth. All other mouths in the room fell open.

 

“He made the first move...” Mingyu said in awe. Seungkwan nodded equally impressed, feeling weirdly proud of his two friends making out right in front of him.

 

Jihoon leaned in and whispered. “That's really great, but I suggest we get out of here before they start doing it. I think they've forgotten we're here.” A statement that seemed to be true judging by the way Soonyoung was on his back with Seokmin on top of him kissing him like he was starving and his boyfriend was a five-course meal.

 

When the door was shut the three of them looked at each other silently. “I guess they'll be joining us later.” Mingyu giggled and the other two laughed along with him.

 

Jihoon eyed the door of his shared room with Seokmin. “They better finish before I get back because he forgot to put a post-it on the door.”

 

{Party on Jisoo's floor}

 

Seokmin and Soonyoung arrived only about twenty minutes later and walked over with wide grins to where Seungkwan, Jihoon and Jisoo were standing. Mingyu was busy dancing with someone. Soonyoung pecked his boyfriend on the cheek. “I'll get us some drinks.”

 

“That was fast.” Jisoo teased. The others had gotten him up to speed about what had happened before they got to the party.

 

“We didn't have sex, actually.” Seokmin informed them. “Well, not all-the-way sex anyway.”

 

“Oh, well, that's good I guess?” Seungkwan said, not sure if he wanted to know that much. “As long as you're doing whatever makes both of you happy.”

 

“I'm just glad he talked to me and didn't break up with me like Jaehyun did. Remember? He also said that one of the things that was wrong with me is that I don't take any initiative.”

 

“Did he say it like that?” Jihoon asked.

 

“Well, maybe he didn't say it exactly like that, but that's what he meant, right?” He saw the pained looks on his friends' faces and smiled. “I'll try harder! I know I need to speak my mind more. And be more confident...”

 

Soonyoung came back and handed Seokmin a drink. “What's up? Why is Seungkwan looking at me like that?”

 

“You better treat him right! And love him a lot!” He pouted angrily in Soonyoung's direction.

 

“I-I will? What's this about?”

 

“Nothing. Thank you for getting me a drink.” Seokmin said and the two of them went back to being clingy and in love in a way that made Seungkwan roll his eyes on the outside, but melt on the inside. Soonyoung had the habit of clinging to Seokmin's arm with both hands and it was kind of adorable.

 

“Seungkwan, want to dance?” Jihoon asked. “I feel like dancing, but I don't feel like talking someone up.”

 

“I'm glad to be of service then.”

 

They hadn't been dancing for long when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. It was a message from Hansol.

 

If you have time I'll be home in about twenty minutes

 

Seungkwan thought about it for a moment. Was he about to leave Jihoon without a dancing partner to go talk to his boyfriend?

 

I have time

 

“Sorry, Hoonie. I'm going to take off.”

 

“Hansol?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

{Dorm room}

 

“You look nice. Going somewhere?” Hansol asked after their initial greetings.


“Actually, I was at a party when I got your message.”

 

“So you left? Weren't you having a good time?”

 

“It was alright. I was dancing with Jihoon.”

 

“So why did you leave?”

 

Seungkwan shrugged. “You said you had time, so...”

 

Hansol sighed, uncharacteristically annoyed. “This is exactly what I was talking about the other day. You shouldn't stop doing something fun just to talk to me.”

 

Seungkwan was getting annoyed himself. “And why not? I want to talk to you. Why do you make it sound like that's a bad thing! Why can't you just be happy that I choose you over some dumb party?”

 

“Because I don't want to be an excuse for you not to go out and experience new things.”

 

“New things? What new things? As if Jisoo's floor doesn't throw a party almost every week.” He scoffed. “I know what this is. This isn't about you wanting me to experience new things, this is about you. You don't want to put in the time to make this long-distance thing work. I don't know what these 'new things' you want to do are, but I'm sick of you trying to make me feel bad for wanting to spend time with my boyfriend!”

 

“And I'm tired of you making me feel guilty for having a live that doesn't involve you for every second of the day. Can't you be a bit more flexible?”

 

Seungkwan didn't reply. He didn't look directly at the screen, busy fighting his tears. Fighting with Hansol was the worst feeling in the world.

 

On the other end of the call Hansol sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. “Seungkwan?” He said to redirect his attention back to him. “Maybe we should take a break.”

 

“What do you mean? What kind of break?”

 

“I mean, maybe we should give each other some space for a while.”

 

Like a reflex Seungkwan hit the button to end the call. Hansol's face disappeared and the video window closed. He stared blankly at their chat. His hands were shaking. His ears were ringing. Hansol tried to call him. He declined.

 

Please answer. Let's talk

 

Hansol called again. Seungkwan let it ring for a few seconds before he could move to answer. “Okay. Talk then.” He said with great effort to control his voice and tears.

 

“We've been fighting more and more lately and maybe if we take some time away from each other-”

 

“We literally live on different continents, Hansol. How much further away from me do you want to get? You just want to go out and do whatever and get my permission to treat me as an afterthought! We're not doing that. So either you just accept that to keep this relationship going we need for both of us to put in the time and effort or- Well, no or. That's just it.”

 

The quiet in the room was deafening, pressing down harder with each second that neither of them spoke.

 

“There is an or.” Hansol broke the silence, his voice hoarse.

 

Seungkwan didn't say anything. He couldn't say anything.

 

“Maybe, for now, it's better if we-”

 

“No.” He found his voice. “Don't give me that 'for now' and 'maybe' crap. We're not going to be one of those couples that 'take a break' or 'put a hold' on things. Don't put me in a limbo, Hansol.” He blinked a few times and sucked in a shaky breath. “Please.”

 

The vulnerability of Seungkwan's broken voice was almost too much for Hansol. He very rarely cried, but he felt tears stinging in his eyes now. “I love you, Seungkwan. I do. So much. But I think it's better for both of us if we're not together right now.”

And then the words Seungkwan had never expected to come out of Hansol's mouth came. “I think we should break up.”

Notes:

I'm sorry don't hate me (but please dump all your emotions in the comments)

I wrote parts of that talk between SeokSoon so long ago that I don't know if it felt familiar because I used a similar dialogue in a different fic in the meantime or if it was just because I wrote it over a year and a half ago, lol

Chapter 85: C1-9 I want to do laundry

Summary:

Mingyu has a feeling Seungkwan needs him and goes to check on him.

Notes:

very quick update~ It's the last day of my vacation though, so not sure how fast the next one will be. :/
The title...idek

quick reminder just in case people forgot: at the same college are Seungkwan, Mingyu, Seokmin, Jihoon, and Jisoo.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Mingyu had been enjoying himself at the party, but when he heard from Jihoon that Seungkwan had left early, again, he checked his phone to see if he'd send him anything. No carrot emoji. He tried sending him a message asking him what he was doing. He had no real reason to think something was going on, but he had a gut feeling that he needed to go check on him. The guy he had been dancing with approached him and wasn't shy about where he put his hands.

 

“Sorry, maybe next time.” Mingyu answered when he asked him to go up to his room with him. Seungkwan hadn't replied. He hadn't even seen his message. “I have to go check on someone. But I've got your number.”

 

He opened the door to their room slowly, making sure to not look inside in case Seungkwan really had just forgotten to let him know that he was doing something naked. “Seungkwan? Is it okay for me to come in? You didn't sent me anything and you didn't reply so I wasn't sure if-” He pushed the door open further and approached Seungkwan sitting in his chair. “Can you answer that video call please? The sound is driving me crazy.” Seungkwan didn't say anything. He didn't even move. “Seungkwan?” He placed a hand on his shoulder and Seungkwan flinched like he hadn't been aware of his presence. Mingyu looked between him and the screen where the chat was full of missed calls from Hansol and messages asking him to answer. “Everything okay?”

 

Seungkwan had been sitting there in a sort of trance, but the voice of his best friend snapped him out of it. He looked up at Mingyu and as soon as he saw his worried eyes he broke. He wrapped his arms around his hips, pressed his face against his stomach, and started sobbing.

 

Shocked by the sudden outburst Mingyu just stood there gently brushing his hair. When the room was again disrupted by the sound of Hansol attempting to call, Mingyu pried Seungkwan's arms loose and knelt down. “What's going on?” By now Seungkwan was crying so uncontrollably that he was barely able to breathe, let alone talk. Mingyu stood up again and pulled Seungkwan up out of his chair. “Come on. Let's put you on your bed.” He declined the call to stop the ringing.

 

When they sat down on Seungkwan's bed his phone buzzed from atop the desk.

 

“Can you-” Seungkwan hiccuped. “Tell him to leave me alone.”

 

“What did he do?” Mingyu asked, pulled a tissue out the box on the floor next to the bed to wipe away the tears on Seungkwan's face, but they were immediately replaced by new ones.

 

“Just tell him. Please.” He tried to take a deep breath, but it was hard to do.

 

Mingyu nodded and went to pick up Seungkwan's phone. He knew the code.

 

Please answer

 

Seungkwan

 

I know I hurt you but can we talk?

 

I didn't want it to go like this

 

Seungkwan please

 

Can you answer?

 

Whatever was going on it didn't look good. Mingyu typed a response. He says to leave him alone

 

Almost instantly a reply came. Who is this? Mingyu?

 

Mingyu felt his own phone buzz in his back pocket.

 

Sol: Please tell him to talk to me. Let me explain better

 

“He says that you should let him explain better?”

 

“You can tell him...” Seungkwan said between sobs. “...If he still thinks we should be broken up that I have nothing to say to him and I don't want to hear what he has to say either.”

 

“What?” Mingyu said softly. “He- He broke up with you?” He stared at his best friend, a crying mess sitting at the edge of his bed, not understanding. He understood this even less than when Wonwoo had broken up with him. He replied to Hansol. He doesn't want to talk to you. He won't be contacting you tonight so stop. He could see Hansol was already typing a reply, but he muted the chat and closed it. He did the same on Seungkwan's phone and he turned his laptop off. He sat down next to him and wrapped his arms around him. Seungkwan snaked his arms around his waist and continued to cry.

 

“You said we'd be fine.” Seungkwan whispered hoarsely against Mingyu's chest after his crying had calmed down a bit. “At the sleepover, when I was worried, you said me and Hansol would be fine.”

 

“I-” He had thought they would be. “I'm sorry.” Was all he could think to say. “I'll get you some water.” He tried to get up, but the arms clinging to him refused to let go.

 

{the next morning}

 

Eventually they had fallen asleep together on Seungkwan's bed, but when Mingyu woke up the other wasn't there. He propped himself up on his elbows and looked around the room. Empty. He was just about to get his phone when the door opened and Seungkwan walked in fresh from the shower by the look of it.

 

“Oh good, you're awake. You'd better hurry. Don't you have a class soon?”

 

“I can skip it.” Mingyu said. He followed Seungkwan around the room with his eyes.

 

“Why would you do that?” Seungkwan asked as he pulled the bag he used for laundry out from under his bed.

 

“B-because...Are you okay?”

 

“I'm going to do laundry. I've been putting it off.” He answered, ignoring the question. “Do you have anything that needs washing?”

 

“Eh, that's okay.” Mingyu stood up and watched as Seungkwan started to gather his dirty clothes. “Seungkwan?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Are you okay?” He asked again.

 

Seungkwan stiffened for a moment before he bent down to pick up a shirt. He stood up straight and looked at Mingyu with his brows furrowed together. “Give me your shirt.”

 

“Sorry?”

 

“It looks like it could use some cleaning. Give it.” With two big steps he walked over and started pulling on Mingyu's shirt.

 

“S-seungkwan, what the f-”

 

“Just give it!” They struggled for a moment, but he managed to take the shirt from him. “Give me the rest of your laundry too.”

 

“Seungkwan, what the hell? Who cares about laundry right now!? Don't you want to talk about-”

 

“No! I do not.” Seungkwan angrily threw down the bag of laundry on his bed. “I want to do laundry. Now are you going to give me the rest of your stuff or not?”

 

Mingyu could tell Seungkwan was trying really hard to keep it together. Maybe this was what he needed. Something to distract himself with. “Okay. Fine. I'll give you my laundry, but how about we do it together?”

 

“You need to get to class.”

 

“I can skip it.”

 

“Mingyu, I know what you're trying to do but I- I just want to be alone right now and do laundry.” With a slower pace than before he stuffed clothes into the bag.

 

“Okay.” Mingyu conceded. “But after my classes I'm buying all the snacks in the world and we're hanging out or do whatever you want to do.”

 

Seungkwan nodded without looking at him. “Be sure to get some string cheese. I feel like eating some of that.”

 

“You got it. I can go get some right now if you-”

 

“No, that's okay. Later is fine.” He picked up the heavy bag of dirty laundry with both arms and headed for the door. “Mingyu?” He said before walking out. “Can you please not tell anyone about last night? Not yet.”

 

“Sure.”

 

{later}

 

Mingyu came back to their room carrying two shopping bags filled with food and some other stuff he thought Seungkwan might want. He was surprised to see that Seungkwan was putting on his running shoes. “Where are you going?” He asked.

 

“I'm going jogging!”

 

“But I have food and those beauty masks with animal faces on them that look kind of creepy that make you laugh.”

 

“We can do that later. I just suddenly have all this energy.”

 

“I'll go with you. It's already getting dark.”

 

“No that's okay. I won't be long.”

 

“But-”

 

“See you in a bit.”

 

Mingyu waited. He felt so useless. Seungkwan hadn't even told him what exactly happened yet, but he wasn't going to ask Hansol. The last message from him asked if he could ask Seungkwan to call him when he could. He checked the clock. What time had Seungkwan gone out? It must have been well over half an hour ago. He waited. An hour. It was fully dark now. He was getting more worried with each minute so he sent him a message to put his mind at ease. Coming home soon? I don't like you running alone in the dark...and I'm getting hungry

 

There was a buzz from Seungkwan's bed. “That idiot.” Mingyu said under his breath as he picked up Seungkwan's phone. He opened the group chat with the others at their college. Guys have you seen Seungkwan recently? Like in the past hour or so?

 

Minnie: No why?

 

Gyu: He went jogging without his phone and he's not back yet

 

Jisoo: How long has he been gone?

 

Gyu: More than an hour

 

He hesitated before typing the next message. He had promised not to tell anyone yet, but he had a bad feeling and he needed to find him.

 

Gyu: Hansol broke up with him last night and he's been acting like he's fine but he clearly isn't..I'm worried

 

Jihoon's contact popped up right away and he answered the call. “Where does he usually go jogging? You go there and me, Seok and Jisoo will look around other places he might be. We'll find him.

 

“Okay.” Mingyu started putting on his coat. “I don't think he'd hurt himself or anything, but it's not like him to just disappear. Maybe he just forgot his phone and lost track of time, but he always listens to music and-”

 

Mingyu. We'll find him.

Notes:

-I just want to make clear that even though this is a bit of a cliffhanger I assure you he didn't hurt himself/try to hurt himself! And they will find him soon.
-Mingyu's best friend's senses were tingling
-comment for emotional support T^T (just because I wrote it doesn't mean it doesn't hurt...why do I love writing angst)

Chapter 86: C1-10 Cold as Ice

Summary:

They set out to find Seungkwan, but when they find him their worries aren't over yet.

Notes:

quick update because I didn't want to leave everybody hanging!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan hadn't actually gone out to go jogging all that much since they started college and the only place Mingyu could think of that he went to was a big park just off campus. While Jihoon and Jisoo were going around different places on and around the dorms, he and Seokmin headed for the park.

 

“You go left, I'll take the right. It's faster if we split up.” Mingyu said at the entrance and they each went in opposite directions. There were few people in the park around this time. It was cold tonight. His heart was pounding as he walked at a brisk pace. Even if he was here he must be exhausted if he had been jogging all this time. He cursed himself for leaving in a rush and not bringing an extra coat or something.

 

He was almost at the other end of the park when he saw a figure sitting on a bench. His hands were gripped around the edge of the seat and his head and shoulders were slumped down, but he knew who it was. He ran over and knelt down. “Seungkwan?” There was no response and when Mingyu reached out to gently touch his hand his heart stopped. He was as cold as ice. He took off his coat and draped it over Seungkwan's shoulders before he called the others. “I found him. He's super cold and he hasn't said anything. Seok? Can you hurry over here. I'm at the back of the park. I think you'll see us if you just follow the path.”

 

He knelt down again and took one of Seungkwan's hands. He rubbed it in his own and blew air on it in an attempt to warm him up a bit. “Come on, Kwannie. Snap out of it.” He looked around anxiously for Seokmin. The moment he saw him running towards them he stood up. “I want to carry him back to our room, but I don't want to drop him. Can you help him get on my back?”

 

“Yeah. Of course.” He reached out for Seungkwan and, like Mingyu had been, was shocked by how cold he was. Mingyu waited for Seokmin to coach Seungkwan onto his back. He felt his arms hang loosely over his shoulders, drained from power, but as they walked Seungkwan weakly wrapped his arms around his neck.

 

On arrival they were greeted by worried Jihoon and Jisoo. Mingyu let out a low grunt when he lowered Seungkwan onto his bed. “I think he went jogging first like he said. His clothes are still damp with sweat.” He stood up and marched over to Seungkwan's closet. “We have to get him into something warmer.” He pulled out some pajamas and got back to the bed. Seungkwan had started shivering.

 

“Isn't it better to get him in the shower?” Jihoon asked.

 

Mingyu ran a stressed hand through his hair. “I don't know. I think I heard once that it can be dangerous to warm up the body too fast. The difference in temperature might be too much of a shock to the system or something.”

 

Jisoo looked up from his phone. He had been looking up information. “You're right. Although it says here that showers are okay under supervision if it's only mild hypothermia, but it seems that warming with blankets and warm drinks is good too and some say it's always better that way.”

 

“Maybe we should take him to-” Seokmin started.

 

“I'll change his clothes. Can you guys find some extra blankets and a hot-water bottle or something? And something warm he can drink.” Mingyu directed.

 

{the next morning}

 

Seungkwan opened his eyes, but closed them again. His lids felt heavy just like the rest of his body. He tried to remember yesterday. He remembered going jogging. He remembered breaking down in tears in the middle of the park. He remembered feeling empty. After that his memories were vague. Somebody or perhaps more than one person, talking to him, a warm body against his cold one, voices around him, slowly starting to feel a bit warmer. He tried opening his eyes again and groaned when he tried to move. He became aware of a warmth in his hand. He looked down and saw it was Mingyu's hand holding onto him. He was sitting on the floor with his head and arms on Seungkwan's bed, holding his hand and breathing slowly. Over on Mingyu's bed Jihoon, Jisoo, and Seokmin were all sleeping together in a pile. Seungkwan made another attempt at moving, wanting to sit up, and another grunt escaped him. Everything was sore, the taste in his mouth unpleasant, and he felt like he had a fever.

 

Mingyu's head jerked up at the movement. His eyes went wide when he realized Seungkwan was awake. “Ah shit, I fell asleep.” He cursed. He got to his feet and reached out to feel Seungkwan's forehead. “How are you feeling?”

 

“I-” Seungkwan started, but his voice was hoarse and he wasn't really sure how he was feeling. “I have to pee.”

 

Mingyu nodded and reached out to help Seungkwan up. “I can do it myself.” He mumbled.

 

“Okay. Let me help anyway.” He walked him to the toilet in silence. Seungkwan stood next to the bowl and waited for Mingyu to leave. Except he didn't.

 

“Are you planning to watch me pee?” He gave his best friend a weak push against the arm. “Go away.”

 

“Sit down while you pee.”

 

“Just let me pee in peace, Kim Mingyu...”

 

“I mean it, Seungkwan. I won't leave otherwise. I don't want you passing out or something.”

 

Seungkwan didn't have the strength for this today. So he just nodded. He also didn't object when Mingyu stayed with him to take a shower. Maybe it was better. The warm water made him feel good at first, but it didn't take long for his head to feel fuzzy. He leaned his head against Mingyu's wet arm.

 

“You definitely have a fever. You're going back to bed.”

 

At this point Seungkwan had completely surrendered to Mingyu's caring tendencies and even let him dry him off.

 

“What were you thinking.” He heard Mingyu mumble. “Going out jogging in the cold and then- What if we hadn't gone looking for you?” He wasn't expecting an answer, Seungkwan knew. He didn't have one anyway. He hadn't been thinking.

 

When they got back to their room the others were awake. Seungkwan crawled back under the covers without looking over at his friends. He wasn't sure what to say. He felt embarrassed.

 

“How are you feeling?” Seokmin asked.

 

“Do you want something to eat?” Jihoon asked.

 

Seungkwan shook his head.

 

“You should try to eat something.” Jisoo said. “Something light. I'll tell Hannie to find some soup or something somewhere. He'll probably be here soon.”

 

At this Seungkwan turned his head to the side enough to look at them. “Why?”

 

Jisoo smiled and walked over to his bed. He patted Seungkwan's hair. “Because he was worried sick. I told him he didn't have to come, but I'll bet you anything that he's already on his way.”

 

“Does everybody know?” Seungkwan asked with a small voice. He pulled the covers further up.

 

“I'm not sure. Mingyu told us three last night when you didn't come home.” He looked up at Mingyu. “I guess you also told Jeonghan?”

 

Mingyu shook his head. “No. Just you three. Didn't you tell him?”

 

Jisoo also shook his head.

 

“It was me.” Jihoon said from behind them. He looked at Seungkwan with an apologetic look on his face. “Last night after we found you I-We have this rooftop groupchat and I wasn't thinking about Chan and Jeonghan also being in that chat and I wanted to hear from Hansol if it was really true that you two broke up.”

 

“Oh...” Was all the reaction Seungkwan gave.

 

“I'm sorry.”

 

“It's okay.” Seungkwan replied. “Did you- Tell him about this?”

 

“No. I just asked him, but after that I didn't tell him anything.”

 

Mingyu stepped forward and placed a warm hand on the top of Seungkwan's head. “All right, I think it's time for Seungkwan to get some rest now, guys. He still has a fever and-”

 

There was a knock on the door and Jeonghan entered. He made a beeline for the bed and replaced Jisoo by Seungkwan's side. He didn't ask him any questions. He just smiled at him softly and briefly rubbed his cheek. “My poor baby. I brought you some nice soup. Try to eat at least a little of it, okay?”

 

Seungkwan nodded. He didn't want to argue with him.

 

Jeonghan took the soup he had bought out of its bag and held it out to Mingyu. “Here. You're the Seungkwan feeder around here. After that you should sleep. You look like hell.”

 

Mingyu took the soup from him with a scowl on his face. “Thanks.” He was quite exhausted. He had tried to stay awake for most of the night to keep an eye on Seungkwan's condition and barely slept. But he could manage staying awake for a little bit longer to make sure he was well taken care of.

 

Jeonghan stood up from the bed to make room for Mingyu and greeted the others. He convinced them all to leave, figuring Seungkwan didn't need such an audience for him to get spoon-fed.

 

Seungkwan didn't have much of an appetite and after a few bites refused to open his mouth again. Mingyu sighed but didn't try to get him to eat more. He put the half-empty container on the desk and let out a big yawn. “Kwannie, go to sleep. You should rest.”

 

Jeonghan couldn't agree more. He lifted a corner of Seungkwan's covers. “Do you mind? He asked and joined him in the bed.

 

Seungkwan didn't mind. In fact, he got a little closer to Jeonghan's warmth and buried his face in his chest. He smelled nice. Jeonghan always smelled nice and made Seungkwan feel loved. He drifted off to sleep.

 

He had no idea what time it was when he woke up again. Jeonghan was still next to him, holding him in his arms. His head was groggy, but he felt better than before.

 

“Are you awake?” Jeonghan asked him and he stroked Seungkwan's hair out of his eyes.

 

Seungkwan looked up at him. “I'm sorry you wasted your day with me.”

 

Jeonghan smiled at him. “I didn't waste my day. I got to do two things that I love. Sleeping and spending time with you. You are one of my favorite people on the entire planet, Seungkwan.” He lightly booped his nose. He unwrapped his arms from around him and got out of the bed. Mingyu was still asleep. “How are you feeling? Do you think you can eat something?”

 

Seungkwan's stomach answered for him with a growl. Jeonghan chuckled. “I'll go buy something. Any requests?”

 

“Nothing too heavy.” Seungkwan answered. When Jeonghan was gone Seungkwan scooted to the edge of the bed and he stared at Mingyu across the room. He got up and waggled over. He sat down and stared at his sleeping face. He found his hand and held it in his lap. “Thank you.” He whispered. “You're always there when I need you.”

 

Mingyu's eyes fluttered open. “Hey.” He said. “What are you doing up?” He sat up and stared at him with sleepy eyes. “Did you say something? Just now?”

 

Seungkwan played with Mingyu's fingers still in his hand. “I was just saying that maybe next time you fall asleep on my bed you don't drool all over it.” He hoped that by showing he felt good enough to joke around, Mingyu would loose that terrible look of worry on his face. He had sort of been expecting some kind of rebuttal but it remained quiet. He looked up and instead of the glare he thought would meet him he saw Mingyu staring at him on the verge of tears. “W-why are you crying? I'm sorry. I'm really grateful you drooled on my bed.”

 

Mingyu suddenly grabbed him into a tight embrace and inhaled sharply. “Idiot. I'm just glad you're okay. You forgot your phone and you didn't come back and you were so cold and- Don't ever do that again.” He sniffed against his shoulder.

 

“I'm sorry.” Seungkwan said, wrapping his arms around him. “I didn't mean to worry you. I just...had a bit of a meltdown.”

 

They broke their hug when the door opened again and Jeonghan returned. “Say Seungkwan, I was thinking. Do you want to spend a few nights at my place? I'll kick Seungcheol out for you.”

Notes:

-weird cut off but I didn't know how else to end it, lol. Basically this means Seungkwan will go to Jeonghan for a few days (maybe he'll run into Wonwoo??)
-just FYI, I did look up how to treat hypothermia, but not in a lot of detail and also I am clearly not a doctor or anything so excuse me if some stuff is incorrect
-The break-up is really hitting him hard, I (Jeonghan) figured it might be good for him to not spend the next few days in the room where he was dumped basically

Chapter 87: C1-11 A reconciliation of sorts

Summary:

Seungkwan goes to spend a few days with Jeonghan (and Seungcheol). An unexpected reconciliation of sorts takes place.

Notes:

Don't get your hopes up, reconciliation is not between Seungkwan and Hansol :(

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Although Mingyu had seemed less than keen on the idea of him traveling to Jeonghan's dorm and staying there for a few days, Seungkwan couldn't handle the idea of staying in his own room all day. He had considered just going to class as usual, but that sounded even less like something that would make him feel better. So he let his professors know he was sick and he got someone to cover his shift at The Grind for tomorrow.

 

“You're not really going to kick Seungcheol out, are you?” Seungkwan asked in the elevator up to Jeonghan's floor.

 

“If you feel better if it's just the two of us then I will. Or if you want to sleep in his bed.”

 

“That's okay. It might be nice to be around someone who didn't see what a mess I was yesterday. Or for most of today. I can just sleep on the floor or in bed with you if that's all right?”

 

“Whatever you want. And don't be so hard on yourself. You're going through something really hard right now. You're allowed to be a bit of a mess.”

 

“Thanks.” Seungkwan searched for Jeonghan's hand.

 

“I think Mingyu is mad at me by the way.” Jeonghan chuckled as he tangled their fingers together.

 

“Why would he be mad at you?” Seungkwan asked.

 

“For taking you away.”

 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes. “He's not my mother.” He let out a sudden groan.

 

“What's wrong?”

 

“I'm going to have to tell my mother. What about his family? Did he tell them yet? What if they contact me? Should I say something? What-”

 

“Kwannie, baby, calm down.” Jeonghan stroked the back of his hand with his thumb. “Try not to worry about that right now.” The doors of the elevator opened and they walked to the room. Seungkwan put his bag down with a groan and got on Jeonghan's bed, hugging the pillow to his chest. “Where's Seungcheol?”

 

“Not sure.” Jeonghan replied settling down next to him. “He's been going to the gym lately, so probably there. Maybe when he gets back we can all watch a movie together or play some games or-”

 

“Has he said anything?” Seungkwan interrupted. Jeonghan understood he wasn't asking about Seungcheol. “Jihoon told us about the groupchat you guys have...”

 

“No.” Jeonghan answered. “It's been kind of dead in there since his last message. I think nobody knows what to say right now.” He sighed. “I don't get him, Kwannie.”

 

“I thought I got him. But clearly I was wrong. I know things haven't been perfect but-” He sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “It doesn't even feel real yet. A part of me keeps thinking that it's a fucked up dream that I have to tell him about so we can laugh together. And then I have to realize all over again that it is real.” He leaned his head down on Jeonghan's shoulder. He didn't want him to see that he was crying again. “Can we go do something? I need to do something.”

 

“I'm sorry baby, but no can do. You had a fever today.”

 

“Right, had. It's gone now. I feel much better.”

 

“Well, I'd feel much better if we stay in tonight. But tomorrow we can go out. We'll have lunch somewhere, I'll show you around some places in town that I like. And at night we can go visit Soonyoung at work. Get a drink, sing some karaoke. That might be fun, right?”

 

Seungkwan shrugged. It was probably better. His muscles still ached and despite having slept for a large part of the day he didn't think he'd be able to stay awake until late.

 

“If we take Seungcheol with us I'm sure we can get him to pay for us.”

 

“I wouldn't be so sure of that.” The man in question said as he entered the room. “Hey, Seungkwan. What are you doing here?” He asked and sat down in his desk chair.

 

“Oh, ehm...”

 

“Cheollie, Seungkwan is going to stay with us for a few days.”

 

“Is everything okay? You left so early this morning.” Not to mention Seungkwan's red puffy eyes.

 

“I just suddenly had this urge to-”

 

“It's okay.” Seungkwan stopped him. He looked at Seungcheol and was touched by the worried look on his face. “Hansol broke up with me.” The words sounded strange coming from his mouth.

 

“Oh shit.” Seungcheol got up, walked over to the bed and held out his arms. “Do you want a hug?”

 

Seungkwan really did. So he nodded and let himself be engulfed by his strong arms. What was one more person to see him cry today anyway?

 

Later that night when the other two had fallen asleep, Seungkwan checked the messages on his phone. He smiled looking at all the cute and funny dog pictures Chan had sent him without saying a word about the break-up. Mingyu had sent half a dozen messages that he typed a quick reply to. Nothing from Hansol. He stared at the last messages he had sent. All asking him to talk to him, saying that he didn't want it to end like this. Nothing new since Mingyu had stepped in and told him to stop it. Seungkwan was grateful that he had listened, because he didn't want to talk to Hansol just to hear his stupid reasons. “He doesn't want it to end like this?” Seungkwan thought. “I didn't want it to end at all.” Seungkwan put his phone away on turned on his other side looking for Jeonghan's warmth.

 

{The next day, evening}

 

For most of the day Jeonghan and Seungcheol had managed to keep Seungkwan distracted and by the evening he started to feel like he could breathe again. Throughout the day he had kept Mingyu updated on his activities, both because he knew he was still worried and because he kind of missed him. He knew he'd probably come if he asked, but Seungkwan didn't want him to miss anymore classes because of him.

 

After dinner they headed over to the bar where Soonyoung worked. If he knew about the break-up he didn't let on and greeted them with his usual smile. It was pleasantly crowded and the air filled with music. Seungkwan liked this place. He smiled looking at Seungcheol and Jeonghan singing a song together and started to think about what he wanted to sing later. Both the smile and the thoughts in his head fell when he spotted a familiar face on the other side of the bar. Wonwoo. Their eyes met and both seemed unsure on how to proceed. Wonwoo looked like he took a deep breath before he walked over to his table. “Hey.” He said, slightly awkward.

 

“Hey.” Seungkwan said back, with equal awkwardness.

 

“Do you mind if I sit?”

 

Seungkwan wasn't sure if he minded, but he gestured to one of the empty chairs and Wonwoo sat down.

 

“Long time no see.” Wonwoo offered him a small smile.

 

“Yeah.” He took in his old friend's face. He looked the same but different.

 

“Crazy about Soon and Seokmin, right? I heard the confession was quite a thing.” Wonwoo tried to break away some of the ice that had frozen around their friendship.

 

“It sure was.” Seungkwan chuckled. “Mingyu got it all on video.” Seungkwan took a sip from his drink in the silence that followed.

 

“How is- Is he good?” Wonwoo asked hesitantly, not sure if he was allowed to ask.

 

Seungkwan nodded. “Yeah. We're roommates, actually. He just keeps getting more handsome. Bastard.” Seungkwan joked and Wonwoo laughed a little.

 

“I bet.” He took a sip from his beer. “How about you? How's college been treating you?”

 

“Fine. I like most of my classes and I have some great professors. Not a big fan of deadlines, but I guess that's college for you.” With the way Wonwoo was looking at him he started to wonder if Seokmin had told Soonyoung about his break-up with Hansol and if Soonyoung had told Wonwoo.

 

“You're studying early childhood education, right?”

 

“Yeah, how did you know?”

 

“Oh, Jeonghan told me actually.”

 

“Jeonghan? I didn't know you guys talked about stuff.” In fact, he had been somewhat under the impression Wonwoo wasn't really talking with anyone from high school.

 

“We don't talk all that much, really. But with Soonyoung being my roommate and me going to the gym with Seungcheol-”

 

“You go to the gym!?”

 

Wonwoo laughed at Seungkwan's surprised reaction. “Who would have thought, right? I'm not the same scrawny kid I was in high school, you know. I have actual muscles now.” As a joke he flexed his arm and without thinking if it was weird Seungkwan reached out and gave it a squeeze.

 

“Damn, you must go to the gym a lot.”

 

They both laughed but when the laughter died down Wonwoo's face turned serious. “Seungkwan, listen. You might not want to talk to me about it and that's fine, but I heard about you and Hansol from Soon today and I-I don't know...I didn't know you'd be here tonight, but when I saw you I just wanted to ask how you are, I guess. I know we lost touch after I broke up with Mingyu and I totally get that. You're his best friend and I-” He looked at Seungkwan with sad eyes. “I've missed you, Seungkwan. Again, I totally understand if you don't want to talk to me, but I just couldn't believe that Hansol is such an idiot.”

 

“Now you know how I felt when you dumped Mingyu.”

 

Wonwoo pressed his lips together in a thin line and nodded.

 

“I'm kidding.” Seungkwan said. “Well, not really. I did think you were a big idiot for dumping him. At a party no less. But, you know what? He's over it. He's been with other people. I don't think he's angry at you anymore either. He's fine. And that's good because I have to believe that I will be fine at some point as well.” He sighed. “Although right now I feel like total shit and I can't even imagine it.”

 

“Do you want to go dye your hair?” Wonwoo suddenly suggested. “It's what I did after me and Mingyu.”

 

“But you broke up with him.”

 

“I did. But that doesn't mean it didn't hurt. It did. A lot.”

 

“Do you ever regret it?”

 

“I missed him. I guess sometimes I still do. I had hoped that we could be friends again at some point. I also hate that I hurt him. But, no, I don't think I ever regretted it. It was the right decision.” He saw the pained look on the other's face. “But, hey, listen. Me and Mingyu were not you and Hansol. I don't know what exactly happened between you two or what the future holds, but I can guarantee you that Hansol is feeling like shit about this too.”

 

Seungkwan exhaled and let his eyes drift off for a moment. “Not sure if that makes it better or worse.”

 

“Time will make it better. I promise.”

 

Seungkwan took a deep breath. “Anyway, enough about me and about you and Mingyu. I hear you have a new boyfriend?” It wasn't a big leap in topic, but, if he was being honest, he was interested.

 

“Oh, eh, yeah I do.”

 

“What's he like?”

 

“Weird. In a good way. He makes me laugh and he's sweet. A fellow cat-person, too.”

 

“Is he here?” Seungkwan asked, looking around as if Wonwoo's description was enough to help him spot him.

 

“Not yet, but he'll come by later. Do you, eh, want to meet him?”

 

“Sure- No, actually. I'm sorry. I'd just feel weird suddenly hanging out with you and your new boyfriend. No offense.”

 

“None taken. I'll let you get back to your night with those two.” He looked up at Seungcheol and Jeonghan walking back to their table. “It was nice talking to you, Seungkwan. Even if the topic wasn't very cheerful.” He hesitated, but added. “If you want to keep in touch or something...Jeonghan has my number. And Soonyoung of course. And Seungcheol. I get it if you don't-”

 

“I'd like that.” Seungkwan said. “I will tell Mingyu about it though. I don't want to go behind his back.”

 

Wonwoo smiled. “I didn't expect anything less.”

Notes:

-It's not that Seungkwan didn't want to meet Wonwoo's new boyfriend, but he felt a bit weird about it. He and Wonwoo haven't talked in over a year, so it's maybe better to take it slow (and he wants to talk to Mingyu first)
-Remember that package Seungkwan sent? It's due to arrive next chapter...Seungkwan also explores a new tactic in dealing with his broken heart at a party

Chapter 88: C1-12 Take it off

Summary:

The package Seungkwan sent to Hansol finally gets delivered. As more time passes Seungkwan searches for ways to get over him.

Notes:

Yo~ This one is a bit longer than the average chapter of this fic, but I didn't want to cut it in two. It's a rollercoaster chapter.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Hansol signed his name and took the package from the mailman. It was quite heavy and he grunted setting it down on his chair. He figured it was something his parents' had sent, but when he saw the handwriting of the address his heart stopped. There was no mistake. That was Seungkwan's neat penmanship. He used his scissors to cut the tape and ripped it off. The first thing he saw was a greeting card with a cute little bear on it. He took it from the box and turned it over.

 

SURPRISE! (assuming I've been able to keep my mouth shut and it's still a surprise lol)

I miss you lots and I love you more. It's hard to be away from you but I'm so proud of having a boyfriend as brave and wonderful as you! I think it must be hard for you too, so I stuffed this box with things that I hope you'll like and make you think of home (and me). This card is too small to write down all my feelings so just enjoy~.

 

With heavy arms Hansol picked up a few of the items in the box. Snacks and candy that he liked but couldn't get here, lipbalm, a bag of coffee beans from the place Seungkwan worked at. Several items had little notes stuck to them. The coffee beans came with a Polaroid of Seungkwan posing with a coffee machine in his work outfit. Hansol smiled, but felt his heart clench tight. He turned the photo over and saw the text written on the back. So you can have a taste before I can make you one in person ;)

 

He let out a controlled breath and placed the bag back into the box. He took out his phone and opened the chat with the rooftoppers.

 

Sol: I just got a package from Seungkwan...I think he sent it before we broke up but should I let him know I got it? Thank him or something...? Is that weird?

 

Across the ocean Jihoon was the first one to read it. He wished he wasn't because he felt like he wasn't the best at the advice giving.

 

Hoon: idk would u like to be thanked by your ex?

 

Hansol didn't know what he would want if the roles were reversed. More importantly he didn't know what Seungkwan would want. He had no idea how he was doing in the first place. Maybe instead of thanking him he should be thinking about apologizing that he went through all that trouble. Then again that didn't felt right either.

 

Sol: I wish he hadn't done this...

 

Jihoon didn't get angry often. He hadn't even been angry at Hansol for breaking up with Seungkwan. He didn't understand it, but he had broken up with a number of people himself and knew that sometimes these things just happen. People and feelings change. But this rubbed him the wrong way.

 

Hoon: Are you blaming him for doing something nice!? How was he supposed to know u were going to dump him?

 

Hansol groaned. That wasn't what he meant. He knew he had failed to make Seungkwan understand how he was feeling. He barely understood how he was feeling. About their relationship, about who he was and what he needed in his life right now. He knew he loved Seungkwan. That hadn't changed. He couldn't imagine that ever changing. But he felt like he needed time to figure out some of those other things and because of it had drifted in a direction away from Seungkwan. Maybe it was selfish. Maybe he could have tried harder to make it work. Maybe it was just the cliché of him being in a place in his life where he needed to be with himself for a while.

 

Sol: sorry...I didn't mean it like that.

 

Hoon: If u r going to stay stupid shit like that to him, don't send anything

 

Hansol bit down on right cheek. If Jihoon was like this then Seungkwan must really hate him now. The thought that Boo Seungkwan was out there, hating him or at least seeing him in a negative light, was a terrible thought. He knew he had only himself to blame for it and perhaps he deserved it for breaking his heart.

 

Hannie: I think what he means is that maybe it's better if u give him space. Don't confuse him

 

Chan: ...unless u wanna get back together?

 

Hansol thought about what to send next. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Seungkwan more than he already had, but getting back together was not something he could see happening anytime soon. Everything was fucked up now.

 

Sol: I won't send anything then...I know u guys might hate me rn but thank you for still talking to me

 

Hannie: We don't hate u, Hansol.

 

Hannie: But u r not exactly my favorite person in the world right now either

 

Hoon: ^

 

Chan: ^

 

<>

 

“Shit, shit, shit!” Seungkwan cursed out loud startling Mingyu.

 

“What's wrong?” He asked looking up from his phone.

 

“Remember that package I sent to Hansol a while ago? I had completely forgotten about it with all that has happened since, but I got an e-mail that was delivered. It's signed for and everything so he definitely got it. Fuck.”

 

“I'm sure he knews that you sent it before the break-up.”

 

“That's not the point, Kim Mingyu!”

 

“What are you full-naming me for? I get that you don't want him to enjoy all the nice things you sent him but-”

 

“It's not about the things! It's about how I rambled on about my love for him on half a dozen notes in there!” He ran his hands up and down the sides of his face. “This is horrible. Humiliating. I was slightly embarrassed about it when I wrote it as his boyfriend, but now? This is a nightmare.” He sat up straight and looked at the e-mail again. “Also.” He said sounding more angry than horrified. “According to this he received it hours ago. He could have sent something. Just a 'thanks' or confirming when I sent it or- Unless he hasn't opened it. No, of course he has. Who receives a surprise package and doesn't open it? Right?”

 

“Eh...” Mingyu wasn't sure how Seungkwan wanted him to respond.

 

“Or-” Seungkwan rambled on. “Maybe he's already grown so indifferent towards me that he doesn't even care. Maybe he isn't sad or happy or anything and he's just munching on his favorite chips without a care in the world. Asshole.”

 

“Or...Maybe he feels bad and doesn't know what to say?” Mingyu offered.

 

“Why are you defending him?” Seungkwan snapped.

 

“I'm not! I'm just saying that, regardless of how he feels, he might not know what to say. He might be worried that he'll say the wrong thing and upset you.”

 

Seungkwan sank back in his chair and scoffed. “Oh yeah, I'm sure he's real worried about upsetting me.”

 

“Seungkwan...” Mingyu had no idea what was going on in Hansol's head, but he refused to believe the boy had suddenly stopped caring for Seungkwan.

 

“You're probably right. He wasn't always the best with knowing what to say. I just feel so stupid. While I was busy making him a 'love package' he was probably already thinking that we should break up.” He looked down at his couple bracelet still on his wrist and sighed. “I should probably take this off, shouldn't I?”

 

“Yeah, maybe.” Mingyu replied softly.

 

Seungkwan twisted it around his wrist, his fingers stopping at the close. “I will.” He inhaled slowly and exhaled with a puff of air. “Eventually.”

 

<>

 

A few more weeks had gone by and Seungkwan was getting better at not letting his mind wonder off to Hansol all the time. There had been no contact between them and his friends didn't bring it up. He had told his family and he knew through Hansol's sister that his family knew too. The bracelet, however, was still on his wrist like a relationship relic.

 

“Seungkwan.” Mingyu was standing in front of the mirror, holding up different shirts to see which one was better at bringing out his eyes with his new dark brown hair. “Come to this party with me. I'm begging you. You're always cooped up in here. It's time for you to get back out there and this party is the perfect opportunity!”

 

“And what exactly does getting back out there mean to you? Make out with some random guy I don't even know?”

 

“Yes! Kiss a guy, hook up with a guy! Go nuts! I think it'll be good for you!”

 

“I don't think I'm ready for dating someone new.” He mumbled.

 

“Okay, not dating then. But that doesn't mean you can't do anything. We're in college! It's not like everybody is out looking for a serious thing. Just a no strings attached kind of thing. Just to get you moving.”

 

Seungkwan groaned and stood up to start roaming through his own closet. “Can I just go to this party because some of my friends will be there and I could use a night that's not spent in this room?”

 

“Yes! Of course. Just please come with me and try to have some fun.”

 

{Party}

 

“Guys,” Seokmin, with a few drinks in his system, spoke. “Did I tell you about the revelation I've had thanks to Soonyoung?”

 

“No, what's that?” Seungkwan asked with a chuckle. He was better at pacing himself with the booze and without Jihoon there he was probably the most sober of his friends.

 

"I'm a top."

 

Seungkwan stared at him blankly, not sure what to do with this information. "Eh...okay. This was news to you?"

 

"Well, sort of, yeah.” Seokmin nodded seriously. “As you know, I've had sex before. But never as a top. So naturally when Soon suggested I'd top I had some doubts, but fuck me I'm a total top. No, actually, I guess I can do both, but topping is just-”

 

“Well, that was nice of you to share with the group and I'm glad he's able to take you to new levels of sexual satisfaction but I think I've heard enough.” Seungkwan downed the drink in his hand with a big gulp.

 

"But for real. I didn't know sex could be so fun." Seokmin laughed gleefully and Mingyu giggled with him in agreement. Seungkwan pursed his lips.

 

“Oh!” Mingyu exclaimed with his eyes somewhere across the room. “That's Hojin. I'm going to go say hi!”

 

“Who is Hojin?” Seokmin asked Seungkwan as Mingyu walked away.

 

“Just some guy he's been seeing. They're not 'official' or whatever, but I think Mingyu likes him. He hasn't really talked about it much.” He knew it was because Mingyu didn't want to gush over a crush while Seungkwan was trying to get over a break-up. He let his eyes wander away from Mingyu and he got a feel of the other people at this party. Lots of attractive men. Maybe his friends were right. Maybe he did need to let go a little and be open to the possibilities of the night.

 

With that thought still floating around his head and another drink in his hand he didn't say no when a guy asked him to dance. He looked nothing like Hansol. His face was different, the build of his body was different, the way he looked at him was different, the way he placed his hands on his hips as they danced was different. Nothing to remind him of his ex-boyfriend. Good.

 

Not long after that he found himself between a wall and this guy who wasn't Hansol kissing him eagerly. Maybe Seokmin had a point earlier. Sex was fun. Right? He had promised Mingyu to have fun. He stopped their little make out session by gently placing his palm on the other guy's chest and pulling his head back. His heart was pounding out of his chest.“Do you, eh-” He was really going to do this, wasn't he? “...want to go up to my room?”

 

The guy bit his lip, “Yeah?”

 

“Yes. Let's go.” Before I change my mind.

 

{dorm room}

 

Seungkwan nodded when the guy had his hands on the button of his jeans and looked up at him for permission to undo it. His stomach felt weird. A mix of nerves, anticipation and the faint feeling that he was rushing into things here. It didn't stop him from lifting his hips to allow his pants to be taken off.

 

He moaned softly and turned his head to the side. When he opened his eyes they landed on his arm placed next to his face on the pillow. In a daze he stared at the bracelet around his wrist. His hand moved slightly with the pace the man on top of him was setting. He snapped out of it and reached up so he could pull him closer. He clashed their lips together in an attempt to drive Hansol from his mind.

 

<>

 

Mingyu opened the door to their room very slowly. He had gotten a diamond emoji from Seungkwan, their sign that the room was safe to enter again. Seungkwan's bed was empty but it looked like it had been used recently. He was just starting to wonder where Seungkwan could be when he was startled by a sudden 'hey' coming from behind him. He jerked around and let out a sigh of relief when he saw Seungkwan, hair damp and in his pjs, probably just back from the showers.

 

“Fuck, you scared me.”

 

“Sorry.” Seungkwan mumbled and threw his clothes on the floor in front of his closet.

 

“Are you alone?” Mingyu whispered.

 

“Do you see anyone else here?”

 

“No, but...you weren't alone when you left the party, right? You sent me the carrot and Seokmin said that you were making out with a guy.”

 

Seungkwan sat down on the edge of his bed and nodded. “Right.”

 

“So...what happened?”

 

“He already left.”

 

“Oh.” Mingyu sat down on his own bed opposite Seungkwan. “Did you...?”

 

“Yup.”

 

“Well, how was it?”

 

Seungkwan sighed and he was fighting back tears. Mingyu instantly moved to sit next to him and take his hand. “Did this guy hurt you or take advantage of you? I'll kill him.”

 

Seungkwan shook his head and sniffed, “No, it's nothing like that. I just- I tried so hard not to think about him. I thought that if it was with someone who didn't remind me of him I'd be able to, but I couldn't help it. I just started comparing things in my head. How this guy's touch felt different from Hansol and all the other ways he wasn't Hansol. Which was in every way, by the way.” He scooted closer to Mingyu and pulled at his arm to let him know he wanted to be held. “I never had sex just for sex before. I mean, sure, I've had sex because I was in the mood for sex before, but it was always with someone who cared for me, you know. And of course this guy didn't care. We barely talked before I asked him up here.” He buried his face in Mingyu's warm chest. “Oh man...I asked a guy I didn't even know to come up to my room to have sex and then I actually went and had sex with him. What's wrong with me?”

 

“Hey it's not so bad. It's okay to just have sex with someone. As long as everybody is into it and safe.” He ran his hand down Seungkwan's back. “I'm sorry I pushed you to 'get back out there'. I thought it might help you get over him or something.”

 

“It's not your fault. I thought it too, to be honest. For a second there I even thought it was working. But then the thinking and the comparing started to happen and it was just- I don't think I'm the type for casual sex. He must have thought I was so rude too. After we finished I felt so awkward and weird that I ushered him out the door as fast as I could. I didn't even give him my number or ask for his.” Seungkwan sat back up and wiped away a tear. “You want to know the most pathetic thing of all?”

 

“What's that?”

 

“I feel like I cheated on him.” A laugh fell from his mouth. The whole situation and the way he was feeling was ridiculous. It wasn't fair. He gets dumped and yet he's the one feeling guilty for sleeping with someone else? “I almost texted him...I don't even know what for. To ask him how he is? To let him know that he isn't the only guy I've ever slept with anymore? But then I thought- What if he's blocked me? Or what if-” He stopped to inhale and exhale in an unsteady manner. “What if he doesn't even care? What if I told him that another man was just naked with me and he doesn't care? He would care, right? He used to get jealous of you. So he has to care. Right?” He couldn't stop tears from falling again. With blurred vision he started to try and undo the clasp of the bracelet. “I want to take it off. I have to take it off.” He struggled to open it and held up his arm. “Can you?”

 

Mingyu nodded and silently took it off for him. He placed it in Seungkwan's hand who wrapped his fingers around it. He stood up and opened his closet. He unceremoniously threw it in. He didn't sit back on his own bed again. Instead he sat down on Mingyu's.

 

Mingyu started to change out of his clothes and into his sleepwear. “Do you want to be a Boorrito again?” He asked as he climbed onto the bed and under his covers.

 

“No. I want to sleep under your blanket with you.”

 

Mingyu winced when Seungkwan got under the covers. “Your feet are cold.”

 

“Sorry. Also, I used one of your condoms. Good night.”

 

Mingyu got an arm around Seungkwan's shoulder and pulled him a bit closer. “Good night.”

Notes:

- Hansol is having a hard time too (but he still thinks it's what's best for now)
- I didn't give a name to Seungkwan's one night stand because it doesn't matter who it was tbh
- I'm a bit worried it seems like all they do at college is party, but they don't even go to that many. It's just that there is where a lot of things happen I guess
- Jihoon and Jisoo weren't at this party
- At least SeokSoon's sex life is going well (always look for that silver lining)
- As far as I know there isn't an idol by the name Hojin (the fact that I gave Mingyu's new love interest a non-idol name is an indication that he'll turn out not to be a very nice guy and I didn't want to attach any idol to that)

Chapter 89: C1-13 No wrong or right

Summary:

While they're getting some take-out Mingyu tells Seungkwan about the idea his father has for their upcoming Spring Break. On the way to Jisoo's room they run into a couple of professors; once in Jisoo's room they found out he and Jeonghan had a fight.

Notes:

No idea what to call this chapter, lol

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan sighed with frustration. “It's one thing they make us pick up the food, but it would be nice if they could actually let us know what they want. Nobody is replying to me.” He gestured to the menu above the counter. “Let's just order whatever. I guess we sort of know what everybody likes anyway.”

 

Mingyu ordered as much fit their budget and they stood back to wait for their order to be done. “So, eh, I talked to my Dad yesterday and he mentioned how Spring Break is coming up and he wants to go fishing. With us.”

 

Seungkwan raised an eyebrow. “Us as in you and me us?”

 

“Yeah. Just for a couple of days. What do you say?”

 

“I don't know.” Of course not that long ago his plan for Spring Break had been to go visit Hansol, but that was obviously out the window. “I've never really gone fishing before. My dad tried to take me once but I refused to go. I'd feel kind of bad if I go fishing with your dad instead.” Not to mention that spending a few days on a boat with nothing to do but catch your own dinner wasn't exactly his idea of a vacation.

 

“Well, that kind of works out then because Dad said he wants to invite your dad too.”

 

“Oh, eh...in that case I can't really think of a reason to say no. I guess.” He tried to think of some excuse other than that fishing was probably not really his thing, but all he got was that he wasn't sure if him and his dad on a small boat together for more than a few hours was the best idea. They were finally at a point where they could communicate without turning it into an argument all the time, so he didn't want to dismiss the idea to spend more time with him so quickly. Besides, Mingyu seemed to think it was a nice idea.

 

“Great! I think it'll be really fun! Like a guy trip!”

 

“If we call it that my dad will definitely not come.”

 

Mingyu laughed. “It'll be fine!” He looked up at the call of their number and went to grab their take-out. Mingyu told him about how his dad had taken him fishing when he was a kid on the way to Jisoo's building.

 

“Hey, that's my professor!” Seungkwan said when he spotted a familiar cheerful face near the entrance. “What's he doing here?” He was already walking over to greet him when he got pulled back by his arm.

 

“Wait!” Mingyu hissed. “He's not alone!”

 

“So? Why does that matter? I'm just saying hello.”

 

“Don't you recognize the other guy? That's professor Park!”

 

Seungkwan looked back at the two men and eyed the one with black hair, thick rimmed glasses, and- “The one with the great ass that you're thirsting after?”

 

“I'm done thirsting. I'm avoiding. I skipped his class a few times and maybe missed a deadline.”

 

“Why?” Seungkwan narrowed his eyes at him. Back in high school he always knew what Mingyu's homework was since he had it too and they would study together sometimes. But now he had no idea exactly how he was doing in his academic endeavors.

 

“I- His class is so difficult!”

 

“So you just stopped even trying? What other classes are you failing?”

 

“Nevermind about that. Can we just not talk to them?”

 

Seungkwan pursed his lips and gave Mingyu his look of judgment. “And how are we supposed to go in? They're right by the door. I'm not waiting until they leave. Our food will get cold. I'm going to go say hello. You can just slip in behind me if you're so scared to talk to your hot professor.”

 

Mingyu groaned and tried to make himself small enough to be hidden behind Seungkwan's figure.

 

“Professor Seo?” Seungkwan said. “Hi. It's me-”

 

“Seungkwan! Of course. How are you? Since we're not in class you can just call me Eunkwang by the way.” The professor laughed loudly and Seungkwan joined him just as cheerfully. Mingyu, who had been indeed planning to just bolt inside without making any eye contact, stopped to stare at Seungkwan. He was smiling so much the corners of his mouth were almost up to his ears and he even placed a hand on his professor's arm while they laughed with each other.

 

“I'm great professor! I loved your lecture the other day. What are you doing here? If you don't mind me asking.”

 

Eunkwang sighed and pointed at a piece of paper stuck to the bulletin board right by the door. “Just hanging up a sign-up sheet for the musical I organize every year. Sadly interest has been dwindling in the past few years. If we don't get more students to join I might have to play a part myself.” He laughed again. “You wouldn't happen to be able to carry a tune, would you?”

 

“I'd love to hear your voice, sir! Eunkwang. As for myself, I can sing pretty well, actually. And I think I have time! I'll make time! I can even ask some of my friends if you, we, need more people.”

 

“Seungkwan, that would be amazing.”

 

“Also, I work at a coffee shop near here and I could ask my boss if we can put up a notice there too. If not for auditions then to gain a bigger audience.”

 

“You wouldn't happen to work at The Grind, would you?”

 

“Oh my gosh, yes! You know it?” Seungkwan clapped his hands together in delight.

 

“The owner is a friend of mine actually. Oh!” The man seemed to suddenly remember the presence of professor Park. “Speaking of friends. This is Park Jinyoung. Also a friend and fellow professor.”

 

“Nice to meet you,” the man spoke. He smiled at Seungkwan and then directed his gaze to Mingyu. “Mr. Kim. Glad to see you're feeling better. I do hope you can come to the next class. We still need to talk about that paper you owe me.”

 

Mingyu straightened up immediately and nodded his head. “Y-yes, sir!”

 

“Come on, Jinyoung, we should get going.” He smiled at the two of them. “And you boys look like you have dinner to get to. Seungkwan, I do hope you can audition. The musical might not be all that popular, but it's a lot of fun.”

 

“Oh, definitely, sir. Have a nice evening.”

 

“What was that?” Mingyu asked as they walked the stairs up to Jisoo's floor.

 

“What was what?”

 

“The way your voice became all quiz show host-y when you talked to your professor? You were trying so hard. The flirting was real.”

 

Seungkwan scoffed. “Please, I was just being nice. I always talk to him like that.”

 

“If you say so, but I think I'm not the only one with a crush on a teacher,” he teased.

 

“Shut up. I do not.” He tried to kick him, but Mingyu hopped out of his way with a grin on his face.

 

Seungkwan sighed loudly and opened the door to Jisoo's room. “No complaints if we didn't get what you want. That's what you get when you don't-” He stopped talking when he felt the heavy air in the room. Seokmin had his arm wrapped around Jisoo whose eyes were red and puffy. “What's going on?”

 

“He and Jeonghan had a fight...” Seokmin answered. “A big one.”

 

“What!? Why!?” Seungkwan realized his voice had an accusatory tone and came out louder than he had intended so he gave Jisoo an apologetic look. “I mean,” he asked in a calmer manner. “What happened?”

 

Jisoo got up and took the food from Mingyu to place it on his desk. He started taking it out as he talked. “This is not something that everybody knows, because we never talk about it, but Jeonghan isn't out to his family.”

 

“Still?” Seungkwan asked softly. Jisoo had mentioned this to him before, but that had been over a year and a half ago. He had never asked Jeonghan about it.

 

Jisoo nodded and took a breath before continuing his story. “Recently we started talking about maybe finding a small place we can afford halfway between each of our schools and moving in together next year. Today we were browsing a housing website just for fun and everything was great until I had to ask what he planned to tell his family when we do start living together. When he said that lots of guys our age have roommates I just couldn't keep it in anymore. I've never consciously pressured him and always said that he should come out on his own time, but I'm at my limit.” He took a few shallow, shaky breaths. “I'm going on years of not being able to spend time with him on holidays and special occasions and being introduced as his friend whenever I do meet a member of his family. I don't want to entertain people at my own home and having to pretend I'm someone I'm not. Pretend that what Jeonghan and I are to each other is something that it's not. Our relationship is worth more than that. Isn't it?” He sniffed and took the tissue Mingyu was holding out to him. “What do you guys think? Am I wrong here?”

 

“You're not wrong,” Mingyu said. “You should be able to be yourself. Especially in your own house. Feeling like you can't be or shouldn't be is a horrible feeling and for whatever reason, Jeonghan seems to feel that way with his family.”

 

“So you're saying I should just suck it up for the few times a year I'd have to see them?”

 

Mingyu shook his head and took Jisoo's hand. “No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that I don't think there is a right or a wrong in this situation. I understand being afraid to come out, I really really do, but Jeonghan is making you feel bad too.”

 

“I just don't get it. His family is kind and I've never heard them say anything homophobic. He's close to his sister and he hasn't even told her. Maybe I can't understand since it was so easy for me. I think my parents knew I didn't just like girls even before I did. It was never a problem. They welcomed Jeonghan with open arms too.”

 

“My family is kind too, but it still took a lot for me to come out. I can't speak for Jeonghan, but I was terrified of accepting the fact that I'm gay and, maybe even more so, I was terrified that they wouldn't accept me. But-” He smiled a little. “Once I did come out a weight lifted off my shoulders like you wouldn't believe. Of course they were very supportive and things might have been different if they hadn't been, but at some point the fear that I'd lose my family was overwhelmed by the suffocating feeling of hiding who I was.”

 

Seungkwan listened to Mingyu talk and couldn't help but think that maybe it was Jeonghan who needed to hear this. He couldn't imagine the hurt Jisoo must feel over this, but Jeonghan was hurting just the same. Maybe even more so. He stood up and silently walked out the room. He called Jeonghan's number. The voice that picked up wasn't his, however. “Jihoon? Why are you on Jeonghan's phone? Where are you?”

 

At Jeonghan's. Wait, I'll step out for a moment.

 

There was some rustling on the other end and soft voices before Jihoon spoke again.

 

It's kind of awkward over here. I'm assuming Jisoo has filled you in?

 

“Yeah.” Seungkwan's voice was small.

 

He's been crying and I don't know what to say if I'm being honest. At least Seungcheol is here too. His shoulders are nice and broad. Good for crying on.

 

“Jihoon...”

 

Sorry. I just- I don't know, Seungkwan.

 

“Me too.” He chewed on his bottom lip. “Can you just tell him that I called and that we're his family too. So no matter what he'll have us.”

 

I think he knows that.”

 

“Just tell him please. With actual words.”

 

I will.”

 

“Thanks. I just wanted to check in. I'm going back now.” They hung up, but Seungkwan didn't move. He let himself slide down with his back against the wall. This wasn't about him. This wasn't his relationship. He knew that. Of course he knew that. But he couldn't stand the idea of those two maybe breaking up. They had to get through this. They just had to.

 

 

 

Notes:

-I fear that if Jeonghan and Jisoo can't get through this Seungkwan will lose his faith in love. His parents got divorced, Mingyu and Wonwoo broke up, Hansol dumped him. He needs his self-proclaimed alternative parents to work it out :(
-Jeonghan was over at Jisoo when they got into the fight (idk if I'd call it a fight...not a fight with yelling and stuff) and Jihoon went with him back to his place
-Going fishing...and perhaps camping at night...Boogyu in a tent together
-But first! Seungkwan will run into a familiar face from high school next chapter
(will also of course work in what goes on with Jeonghan and Jisoo, but not right away)

Chapter 90: C1-14 Catching up (Spring Break I)

Summary:

Seungkwan runs into someone he hasn't seen in a while and they decide to catch up.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The situation with Jeonghan and Jisoo wasn't something that was going to be fixed overnight and the two of them had decided to keep away from the topic for a few weeks and give each other some space until after Spring Break.

 

“I think it's good for us. Really,” Jisoo said and he sipped the coffee Seungkwan had placed in front of him. “It's given us some time to think about things and get perspective.”

 

“Just don't expect him to come back after that midweek at his grandparents saying that he came out to his entire family.”

 

“I'm not.” Jisoo sighed. “Although I guess a part of me is hoping for it.”

 

Seungkwan threw a quick look around the place to see if any customers needed his immediate attention and sat down across from his friend. “Do you know what you're going to do if things don't change on his end? Maybe-”

 

“Seungkwan,” Jisoo interrupted him. “It's sweet how much you care, but can we stop talking about it? All I've been doing for the past few weeks is thinking about this. That and studying. I really need a week where I do something else.”

 

Seungkwan nodded. “I'm happy your mom is taking you on that trip.”

 

“Yeah, me too.”

 

With a groan Seungkwan got back up and straightened out his apron. “I wish I was going on a trip with my mom to a fancy hotel. How in the world did I let Mingyu make me think that going fishing was a good idea? I tried to watch a video yesterday on how to clean a fish and it's disgusting.”

 

Jisoo chuckled. “Yeah, good luck with that.” He emptied his drink and started putting on his coat. “Let me know how it was. Not just the fishing, but with your dad too.”

 

Seungkwan took the empty cup from the table. “I'll send you a picture if I catch anything.” Jisoo left and Seungkwan cleaned the table. It was getting close to closing time and he was glad there weren't many customers left. It was his last shift before he'd go home to spend a few days with his mother. They weren't going to do anything special, but that's what he liked best. Just being with his mother was enough. It was the buffer he needed to recharge himself after the last few months and before heading out onto a boat.

 

{Supermarket, a few days later}

 

He picked up a bag of chips and threw it in his basket. Maybe he shouldn't bring too many snacks seeing as they'd probably sleep early tonight anyway. Seungkwan was going to head over to Mingyu's house soon so they could get an early start tomorrow (too early for Seungkwan's taste). His dad was going to meet up with them at the fishing spot. He was just about to head for the check-out when a voice called his name. He turned around and was certainly surprised by who it had been. “Hyunggu? What are you doing here?” He hadn't seen him since graduation and the months since then seemed to have treated him well. He looked good, Seungkwan noticed.

 

The young man held up his shopping basket and smiled. “Just grabbing a few things my mom needs for dinner. I'm home for a few days.”

 

“Oh, right. You live around here?”

 

“Seungkwan, you've been to my house. You know where I live.”

 

“Oh, right.” He chuckled awkwardly not sure what to say next.

 

“Well, it was nice seeing you.” Hyunggu smiled and moved like he was going to turn around and walk away but changed his mind. “I don't have to go home right away. Do you maybe want to go grab a coffee somewhere and catch up a bit?”

 

If he and Hansol had still been together he might have said no. Then again if he and Hansol had still been together he wouldn't have even been here at this supermarket right now. Besides, there was no way Hyunggu knew Seungkwan was single, so he probably didn't mean anything by it anyway. “OK. Sure.”

 

They paid for their groceries and took a short bus ride to a nearby coffee shop that Hyunggu recommended. They sat down at the back and got to talking. The first topic was student life and how that was going. The second was part-time jobs. But when, after laughing at a few high school memories, all other topics seemed to be exhausted they finally landed on romance. Seungkwan swallowed hard after the inevitable question about how Hansol was doing. It was frustrating that telling the story about how they were no longer together made him feel embarrassed and then stupid for feeling embarrassed.

 

Hyunggu clicked his tongue and shook his head with sympathy. “That sucks, man. I got to say, I know high school romances rarely last, but I really thought you and Hansol would be able to stick it out.”

 

“Yeah, well, something for you and him to disagree on I guess.”


“He's an idiot. He had the hottest ass in town and he gave that up.” Hyunggu leaned his chin on his hand and smiled.

 

“Maybe that was the problem. A long distance deal doesn't exactly include a lot of ass,” Seungkwan joked.

 

“Come on, even without the ass you're a catch. Funny, smart...sexy.” His eyes were piercing as he picked up his drink to suck at the straw, never losing eye-contact.

 

Seungkwan lost his ability to speak for a second. All of a sudden the air felt a lot hotter than it had five minutes ago. “I don't know about that,” he mumbled with sudden shyness. “So, eh, what about you? Are you seeing anyone?”

 

“Nope.” There was a pause filled with implications. “Do you want to go take a walk? The weather's nice.”

 

“Oh, ehm...yeah. I can take a walk.”

 

“Or do you need to get going? Don't feel like you have to say yes.” He smiled.

 

Seungkwan smiled back. “No, it's fine. A walk sounds nice.”

 

They strolled slowly through the streets. Seungkwan wasn't really paying attention as to where they were going. With everything that had happened between them he had almost forgotten how they had been before he and Hansol had gotten together. “You were one of the first people of the basketball team to be nice to me.” He wasn't sure why he was suddenly bringing that up, but he wanted to say it. “One of the first outside music club, really.”

 

“That's just because, unlike most of the people at our school, I'm not an idiot. No, wait. Scratch that. I am an idiot. That day we all went out for burgers and the guys were being rude to you I regret not being the one to go after you.”

 

“I remember that. After I left, Hansol followed me out and we went to an arcade...” Seungkwan didn't like thinking about that day now. Hansol had told him once that he had started to fall in love with him on that day. They had walked away from the more crowded area. It was quiet here. He let his eyes drift along the buildings they were passing. They landed on the sign of the building to his right and he stopped. Hyunggu stopped also and looked between the sign and Seungkwan.

 

“Do you want to go in?”

 

Seungkwan met his eyes and nodded. “OK.”

 

“Really?” He looked a little surprised and it made Seungkwan smile. He nodded again.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Well, then. What are we waiting for?” Hyunggu stepped forward and held the door of the love hotel open so Seungkwan could enter.

 

In near complete silence they picked a room and went up. Seungkwan took off his coat and shoes and sat down on the edge of the bed. He stared down at his hands when he felt the bed dip with the weight of Hyunggu sitting down next to him.

 

“Seungkwan?” he said with a soft voice and Seungkwan turned his head to look at him. “Can I kiss you?”

 

“Yes.”

 

With a smile on his lips Hyunggu leaned in and placed a kiss on Seungkwan's mouth. It was soft and gentle. When he felt a hand being placed on his thigh and the kiss started to heat up Seungkwan pulled back. “Hyunggu, I- Before we go any further I want to make sure we're on the same page here. I'm not looking for- This is just-”

 

“You're not looking for anything serious and this will probably be just a one time thing?”

 

“Is that okay?”

 

“I figured as much. You're still getting over Hansol, I study across the country. I'm afraid we were never meant to be.” He ran his thumb over Seungkwan's cheek with a feather-light touch. “But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy this moment. Right?”

 

<>

 

The silence in which they got dressed wasn't uncomfortable. They sat next to each other putting on their shoes. Seungkwan stood up and Hyunggu did the same. He placed his hands on Seungkwan's hips. “I'm really glad we did this, Seungkwan. I had a good time and I hope you did too.” He leaned in and placed a soft peck on Seungkwan's lips. “I have to get going. My mom is still waiting on those groceries.” He picked up his coat. “Didn't you say you had to get somewhere too?”

 

“Oh, yeah, I should get going. I'm actually going fishing tomorrow with Mi-” Suddenly it hit him that he just slept with someone his best friend had slept with also. “...my dad.”

 

“Wow, really? I didn't take you for the fishing type,” Hyunggu laughed and handed Seungkwan his coat.

 

“Me neither.” Seungkwan tried to laugh, but he felt awful. He hadn't even considered Mingyu before. They walked back outside to a point where they could each go their own way. “So...” Seungkwan started, unsure on how to say goodbye to someone you've known for years, you know had a crush on you, has slept with your best friend, and you just slept with yourself.

 

“So, maybe I'll see you around some time?” Hyunggu said. “I'll hit you up the next time I'm in town. Maybe if we're both still single at that time we could meet up again? Or just catch up or whatever.”

 

“Yeah. Sure.”

 

Seungkwan made a wave-like hand gesture before Hyunggu disappeared around the corner. He turned around and with lead in his shoes started to make his way to Mingyu's house.

Notes:

I feel like parts of this chapter felt rushed but idk

-Did we see this coming?
-Hyunggu has learned from the last time he kissed Seungkwan and asked beforehand if it was okay (even though they were already IN A LOVE HOTEL, but getting that consent is good)
-Mingyu and Hyunggu were never a couple, but...how do you think he'll react (if Seungkwan tells him...should he tell him?)
-I'll have Seungkwan talk a bit about why he slept with him
Next time it's fishing trip time! Seungkwan has a talk with his dad and he and Mingyu share a tent

Chapter 91: C1-15 Fishing (Spring Break II)

Summary:

Seungkwan, Mingyu, and their dads go fishing. Seungkwan's father reaches out to him while Seungkwan is busy keeping his distance from Mingyu.

Notes:

for some reason this one took longer to write than I thought it would (maybe because it turned out a bit longer)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan hadn't told Mingyu why he had been so late yesterday. He had brushed him off and distracted him with a bag of snacks. They had watched a movie and gone to sleep. The next morning Seungkwan would have been lying if he said he shared Mingyu's father's enthusiasm when he woke them up at the crack of dawn. Now, he was dozing off on the backseat of the car. He woke up when Mingyu poked him in the side to tell them they were almost there. When he got out of the car his head was still groggy with sleep, but the cool wind woke him up. His dad was already there waiting for them. They unloaded their stuff from the car and followed Mr. Kim to the boat they'd be using.

 

“Isn't she beautiful?” he asked. Seungkwan and Mingyu exchanged a look with each other that told them neither of them thought that beautiful was the most fitting adjective in this case. Not that they knew anything about boats.

 

“Eh, sure, Dad. But isn't it-”

 

“She.”

 

Mingyu gave him a look that was more often found on Seungkwan's face than his. One that said 'whatever, can I continue talking now?'. “Okay. She. Isn't she a bit small? Where are we supposed to sleep?”

 

“Didn't I tell you? We don't sleep on the boat. Why do you think I brought tents?” He pointed out over the water. “There's a camping spot on the other end. Me and Mr. Boo each have our own and you and Seungkwan will share one. Now come on. It's time for us to teach you boys a thing or two about the wonders of fishing.”

 

Seungkwan quickly learned that a large part of fishing, or at least in his experience, involved not doing much of anything. After the initial talk about what bait to use, safety, and what to do if a fish would actually bite there was time to just sit back and take it easy. He had been sticking closer to his father than he normally would because he was trying to avoid Mingyu a bit. Partly because of yesterday and the fact that he hadn't told him about it, partly because with their fathers there Seungkwan was aware just how comfortable he and Mingyu had become at showing physical affection with one another. It was the small things like holding his hand when he was telling him something, Mingyu brushing his hand on his arm or back when walking by, feeding each other a piece of food. All things that had become so normal that Seungkwan usually barely even noticed that they did this. Even if Mingyu's father never seemed uncomfortable and his own father had grown more supportive over the years, Seungkwan toned it down just a little.

 

So now he was just sitting next to his father. In silence. His father cleared his throat and held out a beer for him.

 

Hesitantly Seungkwan took it. He had never had a drink with him before. “Thanks,” he mumbled.

 

His father took a sip and fixed his eyes on the horizon. “I know this comes a little late but I'm sorry about Hansol, son. You're both still young. Maybe too young to know what real love and relationships are all about, but...” He looked at his son and placed a hand on his leg giving it a little squeeze, “That boy made the biggest mistake of his life letting you go.”

 

“Thanks, Dad.” He patted his hand. It was a gesture unfamiliar between the two of them. They had never shown their affection very openly, but perhaps the gap formed by years of emotional and physical distance had gotten a little smaller.

 

“So...” his father continued, “Mingyu...is he...?”

 

Seungkwan looked at his dad who had his eyes on the water again. “Gay? Yes, he is.”

 

“But you and him aren't...?”

 

Seungkwan controlled his laugh. There was something endearing about the way his father was trying to ask him about his love life. “No, Dad. Me and Mingyu aren't.”

 

“Just thought I'd ask. I mean, you two are obviously close and you seem to know his father pretty well too.”

 

“We are close. We've known each other for years and we're roommates at college. He's my best friend. He's the person I can completely be myself with.” He looked to his right where Mingyu and his father were sitting on the other end of the boat. “We tell each other everything.” That last part was more to himself than to his dad. He was going to have to tell him that he slept with Hyunggu.

 

“You can tell me, you know. If you ever do get a new boyfriend.”

 

Seungkwan playfully scoffed. “Was the use of the word 'ever' necessary?”

 

“I'm just saying. I'm fine with it now. And I'm sorry if- I haven't always been- You know-”

 

“Dad. It's okay. I know that- Dad! My stick, I mean rod, something is pulling it! I think there's a fish!” And that brought an end to their heartfelt conversation.

 

{Tent}

 

“Mingyu? Are you awake?” Seungkwan whispered into the darkness.

 

“We literally got into bed like three minutes ago, so yeah.”

 

“I have to tell you something.”

 

“Something bad?”

 

He heard Mingyu shuffle around in his sleeping bag, but he didn't turn to look at him. It was too dark to really see anything anyway. “I don't know.”

 

“Okay...”

 

“I lied. Yesterday when I said I was late because I lost track of time. I was late because I ran into someone from high school.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“He asked me if I wanted to get a coffee and I said yes and when I told him me and Hansol had broken up he was all flirty and I guess I kind of liked it and then we took a walk and we walked by a hotel and without even thinking I stopped and we went in and-”

 

“Seungkwan, you're rambling. I think you're trying to tell me you were late because you were busy having sex with someone?”

 

“I'm sorry. I should have thought about...It just happened.”

 

“Why are you so sorry? Who was it?”

 

“Hyunggu.” Seungkwan held his breath. Not wanting to disrupt the silent night air, waiting for Mingyu's reaction.

 

“Well, I definitely didn't see that one coming.” He scooted a little closer in his sleeping bag. “But why are you sorry? Because I slept with him too, or what?”

 

Seungkwan looked to the side. His eyes had adjusted to the dark enough to sort of make out the contours of Mingyu's face. “Well, yeah.”

 

“I've told you dozens of times that me and Hyunggu were just fuck buddies. Maybe it would have pissed me off a little if we were still that, but I haven't even talked to him in months. It's not like he's my ex or something.”

 

“So you're not mad?”

 

“I'm a little surprised, but no, I'm not mad. I am in need of more details of how this happened though.”

 

Seungkwan let out a sigh of relief. “Now I regret not just telling you yesterday. I've been walking around feeling bad for nothing. But I basically already told you everything. We went for coffee and then walked passed a love hotel and we went in. Then we...well you know.”

 

Mingyu scooted even closer. “Are you okay though? The last time you slept with someone didn't exactly leave you feeling better about yourself.”

 

“Hmm. It was certainly better than that one-night-stand I had. I thought it would be nice to sleep with someone who likes me as a person and actually knows my name.”

 

“And was it?”

 

“It was. It was sort of...I don't know. Sweet? But in a pervy way? I don't know. I'd rather not go into too much detail since you, eh, seeing as we both-”

 

“He's our shared dick.”

 

“Good God, don't say it like that! It's not only gross, it also makes me feel bad. I don't want Hyunggu to feel like he's just good for sex or something.”

 

Mingyu chuckled. “You're not cut out for this casual sex thing, Boo Seungkwan.”

 

“Yeah, I think you might be right.”

 

“This was a one time thing though, right? You're not planning to start dating Hyunggu now, are you?”

 

“No! We were very clear that it was not a romantic situation. Although he did mention something about hitting me up the next time he's in town...”

 

“I think you've become his booty call. Pun intended.”

 

Seungkwan groaned. “I don't want to be a booty call. I want- I want- I don't know what I want. A perfect man to fall from the sky and land right in front of me. One who is handsome and funny and loves me and won't ever dump me.”

 

Mingyu sighed. “Don't we all?”

 

Seungkwan took his arm out and searched for Mingyu's hand. “You're really not mad, right? It was stupid of me to not even think about your past with him. I was just thinking about myself.”

 

“I'm not mad. Besides, even when I was sleeping with him I always knew you were really the one he wanted. But that didn't prevent us from having fun, so it should definitely not prevent you from having fun.”

 

Seungkwan groaned, “Now I feel bad again. Am I leading him on? I told him beforehand that I wasn't looking to date him.”

 

Mingyu chuckled again. “You're so cute, Seungkwan. And a bit naïve to be honest.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I am fairly sure Hyunggu knew just what he was doing. You said he was flirting with you, right? Do you really think you just happened to walk by a love hotel?”

 

“...I- Do people do that? Walk by a hotel on purpose in the hopes that the other person will say something?”

 

“Yes. I'm pretty sure he hasn't been pining after you all this time, but I am pretty sure that he saw an opportunity knowing that you were single and he took it. Successfully.”

 

“Wow. You know, I had a good time actually, but you're right. Casual sex is not my cup of proverbial tea.” He inhaled sharply and exhaled with a single puff of air. “I've decided. I'm not going to sleep with anyone else unless they're my boyfriend.”

 

“Whatever works for you. Are we okay now? I felt like you were being distant today, but I thought it was just because of your dad.”

 

“Yeah, we're okay. Of course. I'm sorry. Things were actually good with my dad too. He even asked me if I had a new boyfriend. Never thought I'd see the day.” He wiggled his way to the middle of their small tent to get closer and share some body heat. It was silent again for a little while. He felt Mingyu's arm against his through their sleeping bags. Outside he could hear the sound of crickets chirping and the water as it moved against the bank.“Hey, remember when we used to make out?”

 

“How could I forget? It feels so long ago though.”

 

“Yeah...It'd be weird if we did it now, right?”

 

“Probably. Maybe. I don't know.” Mingyu propped himself up on his elbow and looked down into Seungkwan's big eyes. “Do you want to find out?”

 

“I'm in if you're in.”

 

Mingyu nodded. He leaned down and connected their lips. It had been a while that Mingyu kissed someone where there wasn't at least some intention of it leading to sex. The last time he had kissed Seungkwan, really kissed him, neither of them had even had a boyfriend before. He had almost forgotten how nice kissing Seungkwan was. Just like then it felt safe and without pressure. Like a hug. When Seungkwan parted his lips for him Mingyu searched out the warmth of his mouth with his tongue. He shifted his body to get more comfortable, but the kiss came to an abrupt end when Seungkwan burst out laughing.

 

“Well...” Mingyu, still hovering over him, his hand on Seungkwan's chest, said “...that's not exactly the kind of reaction you want when kissing someone.”

 

“I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm laughing, but-” He laughed again. “When I felt your tongue I was suddenly thinking about how yesterday Hyunggu's tongue was in my mouth and how his tongue has also been in your mouth and then I just started thinking about just how many tongues have been in your mouth since mine.”

 

“Way to slut shame me.” Mingyu lied down on his back and Seungkwan rolled over to look at him. It was hard to tell in the dark, but he was pretty sure he was sporting a pout right now.

 

“I'm not slut shaming you! It's just- I can't. When we first kissed, not counting that time you kissed me and ran away, you had never kissed a boy before. Now, ever since we started college you've been going from guy to guy. And that's fine if that's what you want, but-.” Suddenly he gasped and sat up. “What about that Hojin guy you have that weird thing with!? Did you just cheat on him? Shit, am I an accomplice in your infidelity?”

 

“Don't be so dramatic! And what he and I have is not weird, it's just that we're not exclusive.” He sighed.

 

“You don't sound like you're so happy about that?”

 

“It's..I just- Don't worry about it.”

 

Now it was Seungkwan's turn to pout. He dropped himself down on Mingyu's chest, causing the other boy to let out a loud grunt. “Stop that,” Seungkwan said softly. “You've barely talked to me about guys and who you're dating lately. At first I thought it was sweet because you probably wanted to avoid the topic for my sake, but now it's just getting annoying. Talk to me.”

 

“I guess I haven't really talked to you about him...”

 

“I haven't even really met him even though you've been seeing him for a while already.”

 

“Well, that's the thing. We're not really. I don't think he wants to be boyfriends. I haven't asked him pointblank, but he's still sleeping with other people. It's not like he's hiding it and he's fine if I sleep with other people too, but the thing is that I haven't. Not since I've met him and I kind of don't want him to sleep with other people either.”

 

“Maybe you should tell him that. You like this guy, right?”

 

“Yeah...”

 

“And you want him to be your boyfriend?”

 

“Yeah...”

 

“Then you have to talk to him. It's never going to work if you keep going like this. You'll just get hurt.”

 

“I know. You're right. Thanks. I really needed to hear you say it.”

 

“Then don't stop talking to me about these things again, idiot. I can handle it.” He snuggled up to Mingyu's side and closed his eyes. “We should get some sleep. I'm glad we talked. I'm sorry for asking you to kiss and then laugh while doing it. Won't happen again.”

 

“Asking me to kiss or laughing while we do?”

 

“Good night.”

 

Notes:

-Seungkwan's dad really just wants his son to be happy
-I know nothing about fishing :D
-So...Seungkwan says he won't sleep with any more people unless they are boyfriends. Does that mean he'll get a boyfriend soon or that he just won't have sex for a while? Stay tuned~

Next time (I think probably) we'll see if Jeonghan and Jisoo can work out some of their issues
(just fyi, while we haven't seen the last of him, Hansol won't be in the next couple of chapters)

A reminder that you can find me on twitter (@ Boo_dori) in case you want to send me a message about spoilers or something

Chapter 92: C1-16 Jeonghan and his sister

Summary:

Jeonghan is going to have a talk with his sister over at The Grind

Notes:

a little chapter away from Seungkwan's love life (tbh he doesn't have much of a love life atm?)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“Seungkwan!” Mingyu yanked him by his arm and whispered in his ear, “Do you see that man in the corner by the window? What is up with him?”

 

Seungkwan looked over and saw a man around their age with glasses perched on the tip of his nose reading a book. “What do you mean? He's just sitting there.”

 

“Why is he so pretty?”

 

“Didn't you just talk to Hojin about going exclusive? Why are you crushing on someone else now?”

 

“I'm not crushing! That's not even a real person, that's art.”

 

“OK. Why don't you go over there to ask if the fine art needs a coffee refill?”

 

Mingyu shrunk into himself. “You do it.”

 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes and shook his head. If this wasn't Mingyu crushing he'd punch himself in the face. “No. My shift is over. I'm only still here to give Jisoo some support when Hannie and his sister get here.”

 

“I still don't get why he's going to talk to her here. In public.”

 

“He feels it's safer. And we'll be right here if he needs us.” He picked up the two coffees he had just made. “I'll be sitting with Jisoo. Jeonghan's sister isn't supposed to see him yet, so don't say anything when they come in.”

 

<>

 

It had been a tense twenty minutes since Jeonghan and his younger sister had walked into the coffee shop and taken a seat a few tables away from where Seungkwan was sitting with a nervous Jisoo. Mingyu had come over and told them they could turn around since she had her back to them. They were sitting too far away to clearly hear what they were saying, but it seemed like they were just talking like two siblings catching up. That was until Jeonghan's smile disappeared from his face and he looked like he was about to throw up. He talked for a few minutes before he got up and started walking over. Jisoo stood up before he even reached them and walked with him back to his sister.

 

Jeonghan had his palm against the small of Jisoo's back. “Like I said, there's someone I'd like you to meet,” he said to his sister. She looked between the two of them in confusion as they sat down across from her.

 

“What do you mean? That's Jisoo. I've known him for years. What's going on?”

 

“I know you've known Jisoo ever since he and I became friends. When we first met we immediately hit it off and became close friends quickly. But-” Jeonghan needed one last moment to come out and say it. “But in our last year of high school something changed between us and we became...more than friends.”

 

“You mean he's your boyfriend or something?”

 

Jeonghan nodded. This was the meekest any of his friends had ever seen him be.

 

“That's gay.”

 

It took a moment before Jeonghan realized that she was trying to get rid of the heavy mood by making a joke, but when he did he felt the tears welling up. “Y-you're okay with it?”

 

She reached out across the table and took her brother's hand in her own. She smiled. The same kind of caring smile that Jeonghan often had. “With what? That you've landed yourself someone who is as amazing as Jisoo is? It's a relief, really. I was starting to get worried that you were a huge fuckboi and that was why you never had a steady girlfriend who you could introduce to me.” She looked over at Jisoo and then her face suddenly fell. Her brows furrowed together and she looked back at Jeonghan. “Wait a minute. Did you say the last year of high school!? So he's been your boyfriend for what? Three years!? How come you never told me!?”

 

“I just thought...maybe-” Jeonghan's voice cracked. Despite her overall positive reaction to him coming out, the built-up stress was still looking for ways to leave his body.

 

Jisoo placed his hand on top of Jeonghan's and his sister's, “The reason he hasn't told you or your parents before is because he's been afraid you wouldn't accept him being with a man.”

 

“Oh...oh I see.” Now she was starting to cry too. “I'm sorry. I don't know why you thought you couldn't tell me, but I'm sorry. I love you. You're the best big brother and I want you to be happy. I'm sure Mom and Dad will feel the same! Oh, and Jisoo. This must have been so hard for you too. I-” She inhaled sharply and sniffed loudly. “Look at us. Ugly crying in the middle of a coffee shop. I'm going to go fix my make-up and when I come back I want to hear more about how you two got together so if it isn't a cute story make one up.”

 

When she was gone Seungkwan hurried over with three pieces of cake. “Are you okay? I thought she took it well, but then everybody started to cry.”

 

Jeonghan nodded. “Yeah. No. It's good. I'm regretting doing it here though. People are staring.”

 

“Don't worry. Even when you're crying you're still more beautiful than most other people on earth. And at least here you get free cake from Mr. Hakyeon.”

 

“The owner?” Jisoo asked.

 

“Yeah. I sort of told him what was going on. I hope you don't mind.”

 

Jeonghan poked his fork into one of the pieces and took a big bite. “Tell him thanks.”

 

Seungkwan walked around and grabbed the both of them in a hug from behind. “I'm so proud of you.” He stood back up. “Now that I know you're going to be fine I really have to get going. I finally convinced Jihoon to come to musical rehearsal with me and Seok to see if he has any pointers. Eunkwang has been saying how he'd like a student assistant and I'd do it, but I think Jihoon would be better at it.”

 

“Why didn't you tell me sooner?” Jeonghan asked. “I can get Jihoon to do anything.”

 

“Hey I can handle it! And you were busy with...stuff.”

 

They smiled at each other and Seungkwan felt lighter than he had all day. He knew Jeonghan still had to tell his parents, but he and Jisoo were going to be okay. Maybe he didn't have to give up on love yet after all.

Notes:

Hurray, we can still believe in love!

-The book reading piece of art will come back (can you guess who it is? I bet you can when I say it's the only member who hasn't been mentioned yet ...)
-Seokmin also plays in the musical, but Jihoon didn't want to. But he will end up helping behind the scenes
-Next time....oh next time will be something

Chapter 93: C1-17 Back it up

Summary:

Everything is going pretty good for Seungkwan and his friends. That is until Mingyu finds out what kind of person his newly acquired boyfriend really is.

Notes:

When I say a lot happens in one chapter...

Drunkenness will happen

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Jeonghan and Jisoo seemed to be stronger than ever now that their biggest issue was no longer so big. Meanwhile Seungkwan had decided it wasn't his time for romance and was now fully focused on balancing his school work, his part-time job, and the upcoming musical. Everything was good. For a few weeks. It was about a month after Mingyu had talked to Hojin asking him to stop sleeping with others when Seungkwan came back to their room to find Mingyu aggressively doing push-ups.

 

“Well, this is unusual. You already have a boyfriend, there's no need to get all pumped like this before going to a party, you know.”

 

Mingyu let out a low grunt as he pushed himself up one more time. He stood up and wiped the sweat on his forehead on his arm. “What if I found that boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, in bed with someone else just before we were supposed to party together? Can I do push-ups so I don't put my hand through a wall in frustration then?”

 

Seungkwan's eyes widened. “Did that really happen?”

 

Mingyu nodded. “I went over to his room so we could get ready together and when I got there- He hadn't even locked his door. I just walked right in on him going at it with some dude.”

 

“Mingyu, I'm so sorry. What did he have to say for himself?”

 

“He said he was sorry-”

 

Seungkwan scoffed.

 

“-for forgetting that I was coming over.”

 

“That's it. If anyone ever says that homosexuality is a choice I'll just tell them about this. This guy had all this-” He waved his arms around at Mingyu, “-and he still cheated? Men are scum. Why would anyone voluntarily be into that.” He took the towel Mingyu was now using to dab at his sweat from him and started doing it for him. “You know what? You don't need him! I never liked him anyway!”

 

“You barely know him.” Mingyu mumbled.

 

“Exactly! Isn't that weird? I am your best friend, aren't I? But every time you tried to get us to hang out he was always busy or unavailable. I'm just glad you found out now before you guys got even more serious.”

 

“I don't understand why he agreed to being boyfriends if he didn't really want to...”

 

“Maybe he had an ounce of sensibility and didn't want to completely lose you. Well, he screwed that up for himself. Don't you dare get back with him even if he begs!”

 

“I don't think he will. Honestly he didn't seem to care all that much when I said we were over.”

 

Seungkwan dabbed the towel gently on Mingyu's face. “You poor baby. Tell me what you need. Even if you ask me to go and punch him in the face. I'll do it.”

 

Mingyu sniffed. “Can we drink? Not out somewhere. Just here.”

 

“You got it. Go take a shower and I'll run down to the store to get us a bunch of drinks. Do you want to see if the guys are free?”

 

“Nah, just us is fine.”

 

<>

 

“Seungkwan!” Mingyu whined. “We don't have enough alcohol!” He tried and failed to crush an empty can. His frustrated grunt was followed by a high-pitched giggle.

 

“I have a great idea!” Seungkwan stood up on slightly wobbly legs. “Let's go to that party you were talking about and steal some of their booze!”

 

“Seungkwan, is that you? How drunk are you?”

 

“I'm not that drunk! It serves them right!”

 

“You do know that it isn't actually Hojin who is throwing the party, right?”

 

“Do you want more booze or not? We'll just go in, grab a couple of beers or something and get out! Easy-peasy!”

 

“...lemon squeezy! Oh!” Mingyu clapped his hands together. “We should see if they have tequila!”

 

They made their way over to where the party was, their attempts to be inconspicuous failing due to the fact that they kept laughing and shushing each other.

 

“Shit. I forgot about Hojin. I don't want him to see me. I- Shit he saw me. Why am I so tall?” He grabbed Seungkwan by the arm. “Hurry. Kiss me.”

 

“What? Why?”

 

“He's looking over here! I want to make him jealous!”

 

“Let's take the high road on this one. He doesn't even deserve your attention. We just came to steal drinks so let's just do that. Why don't you go wait out in the hall and I'll be right back.”

 

“Fine.” Mingyu pouted and reluctantly walked away.

 

Seungkwan made his way over to the table in the back where most of the drinks seemed to be. He was just about to nonchalantly reach out for a bottle when a voice behind him greeted him with a casual hey. He turned around and furrowed his brows together in displeasure when he saw it had been Hojin. “What do you want?” he snapped.

 

“I saw you from across the room and I was hoping I could offer you a drink, but I see you can take care of yourself.”

 

“You were looking at me? Didn't you even see who I was with? Don't you know who I am?”

 

“I'd like to find out.”

 

“What did he even see in you!? I'm Seungkwan. Mingyu's roommate and best friend.”

 

“Mingyu? Oh, yeah, I thought I saw him. So? How about it?”

 

“How about what?” Every second talking to this guy made Seungkwan regret never following through with those karate lessons he had had as a kid.

 

“How about you and me get to know each other a little better?”

 

“I know all I need to know about you. Don't you feel sorry at all for cheating on him?”

 

“Look, like I said to Mingyu: I thought he just wanted me to stop telling him about when I hook-up with someone else. An ignorance is bliss kind of thing. It slipped my mind that he was coming over and I was busy with another guy. So what? If he wants to be uptight about it that's his problem.”

 

Seungkwan stared at this dumb guy's stupid face and if he had more confidence in his fighting skills (or perhaps if he was just a little bit drunker) he might have really punched him. Instead he stormed out of the room to find Mingyu. When he did, he grabbed him by the wrist and started dragging him back inside.

 

“What are you doing? Where is the booze?”

 

“Change of plans. We're going to make-out so that Hojin can see what he'll be missing out on.”

 

“What about taking the high road?”

 

“Screw the high road. We're taking the dirt road.” He stopped about half-way down the room and pulled in Mingyu with both hands, clashing their lips together. With his eyes half-open he searched for Hojin to make sure they had his attention. He'd show him for hurting his best friend like this.

 

“Is he looking?” Mingyu mumbled against Seungkwan's lips.

 

“Yeah, I think so. Grab my ass.”

 

Mingyu pulled away, his hands on Seungkwan's hips. “What?”

 

Seungkwan sighed, “Just do it!” He took one of Mingyu's hands and placed it on his butt. He let his own hand slip under Mingyu's shirt. As their little public make-out session went on and got increasingly heavier Mingyu locked eyes with his ex who was staring at their display with a displeased frown. He pulled away from Seungkwan and took him by the hand. “I need some air.”

 

By the time they reached the exit into the cool night they were doubling over with laughter. “Did you see his face?” Seungkwan laughed loudly.

 

Mingyu pulled him closer and wrapped him in a hug. “The dirt road was a lot more satisfying than the high road. What made you change your mind?”

 

Seungkwan tangled their fingers together as they strolled to nowhere in particular. “When I was trying to steal us drinks he came over and started hitting on me. He didn't even recognize me as your roommate at first and when I told him he didn't seem to care...No offense, but why were you into him?”

 

Mingyu kicked a small stone out of his path. “Obviously I didn't know he was such an asshole. He was sweet when it was just us. Probably only because he wanted to have sex with me.” He stretched out his arms above his head, dragging Seungkwan up with him. “We should do something crazy.”

 

“Crazier than making out with a bunch of people watching us?”

 

“Yes!” He gasped and stopped in his tracks. “I got it! Come on!”

 

<>

 

Seungkwan flipped through the catalog of the tattoo parlor they were currently in. Had he been sober he would have never agreed to come to any tattoo parlor, let alone one open at this time at night. But as he was not sober and the rush of brazenly exchanging saliva was still running through his body, he had agreed that getting a tattoo was the crazy something they should do. He reached the final page and clicked his tongue. “I don't know what to get. It has to be pretty but also meaningful. What about you?”

 

“Hm. Maybe I'll get something cool like, eh, a skull or maybe something more elegant like a flower. Or maybe a cute d-”

 

“That's it! A flower! Flowers are pretty and have all sorts of meanings. Wait, aren't birth flowers a thing? Hold on.” He took out his phone from his pocket and started researching. “This is perfect! January has two flowers apparently and one of them is a Snowdrop which can symbolize hope and rebirth. A rebirth is just what I need. I'll be reborn as a Boo Seungkwan who isn't still hung up on his ex.”

 

Mingyu leaned over his shoulder to stare at his phone screen. “You're still hung up on Hansol?” he asked softly.

 

It was not something he wanted to admit. Not even to himself. But sometimes in alcohol there is truth. “Yeah. Very much so I'm afraid. I'm such a weakling.”

 

“You're not weak.” Mingyu said.

 

“Not after I get this rebirth tattoo I won't be! Now let's see...your birth flower is- Oh. Oh, no, you can't get this. Yours is a Daisy and it symbolizes innocence and purity.”

 

“And why can't I get that?”

 

“Because you are neither innocent nor pure.”

 

Mingyu stood up straight and puffed out his chest. “Oh yeah? Well, I'm getting it! It's my birth flower and you can't tell me what to do with it! So you go and be reborn while I get mine.” He made an unsteady turn and directed his attention at the big guy behind the counter. “One Daisy tattoo for me please. Sir.”

 

<>

 

The sting of the needle had been enough to sober Seungkwan up quite a bit and he was a lot less giggly by the time he was finished. The same couldn't be said for his best friend who hopped out of there with a wide grin on his face. He turned around and lifted his shirt to reveal a tattoo of two small Daisies connected by a few elegant lines on his lower-back.

 

“Y-you got a tramp stamp...?”

 

“It's not a tramp stamp! It's a lower-back tattoo!” He let his shirt fall back over his skin. “Show me yours.”

 

“I'd rather not. Not here.” He felt a blush creep up his face.

 

“Oh my. Where did you get it? It's on your ass, isn't it?”

 

“It is not on my ass! Idiot. It's here.” He pointed at the right side of his pelvis. “I'll show you at home.”

 

They left the shady shop and outside Mingyu took Seungkwan's hand again. “Kwannie, I feel so giddy right now. I can't believe we just got tattoos and we totally showed Hojin that we're too hot for him to handle!” There was a bounce in his step and he happily swung their arms back and forth as they walked back to the dorms. “I know I already had one brilliant idea tonight, but I just had another one.”

 

“Oh yeah?” Seungkwan chuckled.

 

“Yeah. We should be each other's back-ups!”

 

“What's that?”

 

“You know, it's a pact between friends where they agree that if neither of them are married at a certain age they'll marry each other.”

 

“I guess it's better than becoming an old maid. Okay, deal. But if I get married before you do, you can't try to sabotage it just because you're still single.”

 

Mingyu stopped swinging their arms. “Why would I still be single when you get married? What if I get married first?”

 

“Then the deal is off. Right? Let's just agree that this deal only applies if we're both single at the age of...what's good?”

 

Mingyu shrugged. “Forty?”

 

“Forty!? What if we want to have kids? I don't want to wait until I'm forty!”

 

“Okay, thirty-five then.”

 

“Deal! Wait!” He stopped walking and pulled his hand free to get his phone out.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Making a note in my agenda.”

 

Plan wedding if single

 

“There. It's official. I wrote it down for when I turn thirty-five.”

 

{Back in their dorm room}

 

Seungkwan switched on his desk lamp and sat down on his bed. Mingyu sat down impossibly close next to him. “Show it to me. Your tattoo. You promised.”

 

“But it's all red and covered in plastic.”

 

“Just let me see it! You saw mine.”

 

“Fine.” Seungkwan reluctantly lay down on his back to make it easier. He undid his pants and pushed it out of the way only enough to reveal part of his hipbone where a fresh Snowdrop tattoo was etched into his soft skin.

 

Mingyu leaned in to get a better look at it. He gently lowered Seungkwan's pants just a little bit more. “It's kind of hot. The placement of it.”

 

Seungkwan sucked in a breath when he felt Mingyu's fingertips lightly touching the surrounding skin not covered by protective plastic. “Y-your hands are cold.”

 

Mingyu looked up at him. “Sorry.” He crawled up with his hands on either side of Seungkwan. “I had a lot of fun tonight.” he whispered.

 

“I did too.”

 

Mingyu smiled and leaned down to kiss him. Seungkwan kissed back. A kind of anticipation started to surface in his stomach and he wondered how drunk he still was. He cringed a little when Mingyu placed a hand on his hip and accidentally touched the sore skin. Mingyu pulled back and they stared at each other. Mingyu smiled softly and leaned in again to place a soft peck on Seungkwan's lips. He lowered himself down to lay his head down on the other man's chest. “Good night, Kwannie.”

 

Seungkwan wrapped an arm around his best friend's shoulders. “Good night.” he whispered back with the feeling in his stomach still there.

Notes:

- Bye Hojin. You won't be missed (not even by Mingyu)
- I just...really wanted to give Mingyu a tramp stamp (and while I actually don't think Seungkwan is the type to get a tattoo, he was drunk and like he said still dealing with getting over Hansol)
- Will they remember everything the next morning?
- Did Seungkwan think they were going to do more? Did he want to? Why did Mingyu stop? Wha-

(This was kind of what I was thinking for their tattoos. Mingyu's is...eh... http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s0xSPNHdLCk/T8OLBlC-SZI/AAAAAAAADX0/wDp9CF06_1g/s1600/00478_9.JPG
Seungkwan: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ea/aa/b7/eaaab7975eaa9c5c6387c16f864b190d.jpg Kinda like this but just one and mirrored from this image.)

Chapter 94: C1-18 Awkward?

Summary:

Seungkwan feels a little awkward after the night he had with Mingyu. Mingyu no longer thinks the things he came up with in his drunken state were as brilliant as he did then.

Notes:

No idea what to name this chapter -_-

So sorry for not replying to the comments on the last chapter! I just found it hard to comment without confirming or denying things. Please know that every comment makes my day brighter (although I am making people suffer with the unknown...)!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan woke up with a throbbing headache and a mouth drier than the Sahara dessert. He groaned as he opened his eyes and let light in. He felt the warmth coming off the body next to him. Mingyu was asleep on his stomach, the smell of alcohol clouded around him. Seungkwan sat up with another groan and let his legs dangle off the side of his bed. He must have kicked of his pants some time during the night because he was in his boxers. He had no sense of time and he had trouble remembering all of yesterday. He had come home to find Mingyu upset over Hojin and they had gotten drunk. That much he was certain of. He rubbed his temples and flashes of him and Mingyu making out in the middle of a crowded room went through his mind. He also remembered laughing. A lot. What had they done after that? Gone back to their room? No, he was pretty sure that they were outside at some point and- Oh, shit. He lifted his shirt and stared at his right hip. “Guess I didn't dream that,” he mumbled. He looked back at Mingyu. If he had gotten a tattoo, did that mean that Mingyu's tattoo also wasn't a drunk dream he had?

 

Slowly he reached out and lifted Mingyu's shirt. He let it drop back with a little yelp squeaking out his mouth. He didn't know whether to cry or laugh at Mingyu's lower-back tattoo of cute little daisies.

 

Mingyu groaned just like Seungkwan had and opened his eyes. “What's going on?” he asked with a hoarse voice. “Where am I?”

 

“In our room.”

 

“Is this your bed?” He stared up at Seungkwan for a few seconds and blinked slowly. “Oh yeah,” he said like he just remembered. “Guess we got a little crazy last night.” He made a weak attempt to push himself up, but ultimately decided it wasn't worth it and let himself fall back down. “But not too crazy.”

 

“Well...”

 

“Hm? What?”

 

“How much do you remember?”

 

“Just that I got cheated on, we got drunk, you and I kissed in front of him, we took a walk or something, then we came back here where we kissed a bit more and then fell asleep.”

 

“We did more than take a walk or something.”

 

Mingyu rolled onto his back and that's when the tattoo parlor came back to him. He shot up and got out of bed. He yanked off his shirt and tried to get a good view of his back in the mirror. “Oh my g- Why did you let me get a tramp stamp!?”

 

“I- You didn't even tell me where you were going to get it! It was all your idea! Besides, didn't you say that it's not a tramp stamp but a lower-back tattoo?”

 

“Who are we kidding with that? It's a fucking tramp stamp! What other stupid ideas did I have last night?”

 

We should be each other's back-ups! You know, it's a pact between friends where they agree that if neither of them are married at a certain age they'll marry each other.”

 

Seungkwan remembered, but he didn't bring it up. Instead he picked up Mingyu's shirt from the floor and threw it at him. “It's not so bad! Really. It's just still red and a bit swollen. It'll look better in a few days.”

 

“You think so? Man, I can't believe how drunk we must have been.”

 

“Yeah. Now can you please go shower and brush your teeth. You smell awful.”

 

“Right back at you.”

 

<>

 

As the days passed Seungkwan let the events of that night slowly leave his mind. He didn't ask Mingyu about their back up deal and he tried not to think about the way the night had ended. It took him a few days to shake the feeling of awkwardness he felt around his best friend, but after realizing that Mingyu didn't seem to have this problem he convinced himself there was nothing to feel weird about. So they had made out, (including hands roaming to places previously untouched), they had sort of promised to marry each other, and for a second there he thought they were maybe going to have sex. So what? He was sure lots of best friends went through stuff like that. Maybe some of their other friends had made similar deals with each other. No big deal.

 

The thing that really put his thoughts about Mingyu to rest for the time being was the man he was currently making an order for. It was the same one Mingyu had previously referred to as art. He had become somewhat of a regular around the coffeehouse (although he usually ordered tea), but today was the first time he had come again when Mingyu and Seungkwan were working the same shift. Seungkwan had forgotten the way Mingyu had ogled him the first time, but he noticed it again today.

 

“Here you go,” he said when he placed the order of hot lemon tea and a lavender scone onto a small tray and handed it to him with a smile. He could see Mingyu trying to be subtle with his stares from where he was wiping down a table.

 

“Thanks, Seungkwan,” the customer spoke and Mingyu's eyes widened. He speed walked over to the counter.

 

“He knows your name!?” he asked in a hushed voiced. “How? Since when?”

 

“First of all, we wear name tags.” Seungkwan answered at a normal volume. He emphasized the obvious by tapping his tag with his finger. “Second of all, he comes here quite often and I like to know our regulars so one day I talked to him a bit.”

 

“You didn't!”

 

“Why are you freaking out? I talk to people all the time.” He knew why Mingyu was freaking out. It was kind of adorable to see him like this really.

 

“Do you...” Mingyu started suddenly shy. “...know his name?”

 

“Yup.” Seungkwan said and didn't elaborate further. Instead he changed the topic. “About the musical, you're sure you don't mind that I invited Wonwoo? He messaged me earlier and he said he'd come.” Since he met Wonwoo a few months ago they had kept in touch a little bit through text and, with Mingyu's go-ahead, he had invited him to the musical he was set to perform in. With Seokmin playing the lead Soonyoung was sure to brag to anyone with ears about it, so Seungkwan was sure Wonwoo would find out about it anyway.

 

“As long as I don't have to sit next to him.”

 

“Is it still okay if he brings his boyfriend?”

 

“Well, you couldn't invite him and tell him he couldn't bring his boyfriend. He'd think it's because of me and that I still have feelings for him or something. Which I don't.”

 

The way he had his lips pressed together told Seungkwan that he wasn't thrilled about the idea of having his ex there with his new love and that he could do without having to talk to either of them.

 

“I'll make sure that wherever his seat is it's far away from you.” He picked up one of the flyers for the musical that Hakyeon had put in their rack of magazines and announcements of local events and held it out to Mingyu. “Why don't you go and ask Minghao if he wants to come.”

 

“Who?”

 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes. “Who do you think?”

 

Mingyu looked over at the table where he was sitting. “His name is Minghao?”

 

“Yes. Now are you going to ask him or not?”

 

“No. Why would I randomly ask someone to go to a musical with me? He's going to think I'm weird.”

 

“Or he's going to think that you're asking him out. It's so obvious you have a crush on him.”

 

“Lower your voice!” he hissed. “I'm not going to ask him so just let it go.”

 

“I don't get you, Mingyu! All year I've watched you talk to plenty of guys so why can't you talk to one you actually like? You don't even have to ask him to go with you. You can just let him know about the musical.”

 

“Because...the last guy I really liked turned out to be a complete asshole. I'm not ready to find out that the artwork is a forgery.”

 

“Well, I'm still going to ask him. We worked hard on this and I'd like an audience. He's into art and stuff so he might enjoy it.” He picked up a pitcher of water and walked over to Minghao's table with the flyer in hand. “Everything alright over here? Let me fill up your water.”

 

“Thank you. Everything's fine.”

 

Seungkwan placed the flyer on the table. “If you like you should come to the musical I'm in. It's at the end of next week.”

 

“Oh, eh, sure. Will you be there? I mean, of course you will be. Thank you.” He looked the flyer over for a second. “Are any other Grind workers in it?” His eyes shifted to the counter where Mingyu was and back. It was only a second but Seungkwan caught it.

 

“No, but some of them will be in the audience.”

 

“Okay. I'll try to come.”

 

“Great.” He walked back to the counter and lightly patted Mingyu on the back. He hadn't liked Hojin and most other guys that had come and gone over the last year hadn't stuck around long enough for Seungkwan to get to know them, but maybe this one could be different. Minghao felt different. And if not, he just needed to wait until he was thirty-five.

Notes:

-They will eventually talk about that night again (in a few chapters actually)
-And now everybody has FINALLY been at least mentioned (Jun has been mentioned, but hasn't made an actual appearance yet)
-Speaking of 'everybody' a new character will come join the party next time (what? Who? All SVT members have been introduced?)
-Will Mingyu talk to Minghao? Will he talk to Wonwoo? Does he remember the deal he made with Seungkwan?

Teaser: a certain someone is home for the summer in about 2 chapters

Chapter 95: C1-19 Meetings at a Musical

Summary:

Seungkwan meets several people for the first time at the musical/after-party

Notes:

ahhh I had trouble getting this chapter out >.< Happy late Carat birthday!

A/N: Adding this note to say that starting from this chapter Moonbin plays a role in this fic. This was written/posted long before but maybe some people are reading it now and I want to make sure you know that he's part of the story. He's not in every chapter but he's important to Seungkwan's character. I don't plan to change anything about the content of the story.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Slowly the seats started to fill with audience members and Seungkwan was looking around to see if he could find Wonwoo. Soonyoung had come backstage to wish them luck and told them they had arrived together. It didn't take long to spot him as he was quite tall and the man he was with was of equal height. He was just about to approach them when Mingyu, not aware of the presence of his ex, walked over with Seungkwan's mother.

 

“Mom! You made it!” He hugged her in greeting and as he did made eye contact with Mingyu. He mouthed 'Wonwoo' and jerked his head slightly in their direction. Judging from the way Mingyu's face contorted he figured he saw him across the room.

 

“Well, Seungkwan, you must be getting ready soon, right? I'll take your mother over to pick some good seats. Okay, bye then. See you after.” Mingyu placed a gentle hand on Seungkwan's mother's back and guided her away from her son. Just in time because Wonwoo and the other tall man were walking over.

 

“Hey!” Seungkwan greeted them. “Thank you for coming!”

 

“Thank you for inviting me.” Wonwoo smiled. “We're a bit early but Soonyoung insisted. He hasn't been able to stop talking about his leading role boyfriend. Speaking of...This is Jun.”

 

Seungkwan smiled at Wonwoo's boyfriend, who seemed rather nervous. “Nice to meet you. I'm Seungkwan. I used to go to high school with Wonwoo.”

 

“Nice to meet you, too. And I know. He told me all about you.”

 

Seungkwan wondered what kind of things Wonwoo had told him and he realized he knew nothing about this guy. He had never really asked Wonwoo for details. “So, Jun, what do you do?”

 

“I'm studying software engineering. Nothing fancy. Oh, and I just got a small hot dog machine for my room, so I've got that going on.”

 

Seungkwan didn't know him well enough to know if he was joking or what and the lack of reaction on Wonwoo's face told him nothing. “That's...great.”

 

“Seungkwan, is Mingyu avoiding me?” Wonwoo asked suddenly. “I thought I could say hi.”

 

“No, no, he's not avoiding you! He's, eh...doing something.” Not very convincing since Wonwoo had most likely just seen Mingyu walk away.

 

“Right.” Wonwoo replied dryly.

 

“It's because I'm here, isn't it?” Jun asked without expecting Seungkwan to answer. He turned to Wonwoo. “I told you. I told you that if you wanted to talk to him I shouldn't be here. Who wants to meet their ex with his new boyfriend?”

 

Wonwoo raised one eyebrow and stared at him as if to say 'Are you kidding me?'.

 

“I know I'm not one to talk, but-”

 

“You know-” Seungkwan interrupted. He wanted to change the subject away from exes. “There's a kind of after-party if you guys want to stick around a little longer after the show. There will be faculty members there so it won't be anything wild, but-”

 

“Seungkwan, I'm sorry, but a friend of ours goes here and we made plans to have dinner with him later. I- Maybe next time.”

 

Despite of the fact that they had been in contact there was still a sense of distance to be bridged, but tonight was not the night for that it seemed. Jun nudged Wonwoo's arm, but he mouthed a silent 'it's fine' to him and Seungkwan decided not to press on. Maybe it was for the best.

 

Soonyoung appeared from backstage and walked over. “Minnie told me to tell you that Jihoon told him that you have to get in costume.”

 

Seungkwan nodded. He smiled at Wonwoo and Jun. “I'm glad you guys could come. Enjoy the show! Soonyoung, don't just stare at Seok the whole time, okay? The rest of us worked hard too.”

 

“I'll promise to look at others whenever he's not on stage. But seeing as he has the lead role he'll-”

 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes with a sigh and walked away.

 

{Backstage}

 

He searched the seats and spotted his mother sitting with Mingyu on her one hand and Jeonghan on the other chatting cheerfully. He had never seen his mom talk to Jeonghan before, but it looked like they were getting along. Next to him were Chan, Jisoo, and Seungcheol. But not everybody was sitting together. Soonyoung was sitting to the left and a few rows back. He also recognized Seokmin's older sister, but he didn't recognize the young woman next to her. Judging from the way she was talking to Soonyoung so casually and their similar smile she was probably his sister. Next to Soonyoung were Wonwoo and Jun and- Shit. Why was Minghao sitting so close to them? Now Mingyu was definitely not going to talk to him. Seungkwan sighed. Nothing he could do about that now. At least he could easily avoid Wonwoo if he wanted to. He straightened up when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

 

“You ready?” Seokmin asked. “Jihoon says we're on in five minutes.”

 

“Why is he even back here? He knows he can just watch from the audience, right? He's not even the director. Professor Eunkwang is right there.”

 

Seokmin shrugged. “You know how he is. He needs stuff he works on to be perfect. So, are you ready?”

 

“Yeah, I'm good. You? Are you nervous?”

 

“I'm so nervous...But also excited! I want to make everybody proud.”

 

Seungkwan nudged his shoulder with a grin on his face. “You mean Soonyoung.”

 

Seokmin beamed, “Him too.”

 

{After-party}

 

By the time the cast and crew were all done cleaning up and getting out of their make-up and costumes the after-party was already well on its way. It was a small event meant for the people involved in the musical and those they invited. Seungkwan walked in with Seokmin and they were greeted by their family members and most of their friends. True to his word he didn't see Wonwoo around. Soonyoung immediately latched onto his boyfriend's arm and stared at him with heart-eyes.

 

“You were both so great! I had no idea my little brother was this talented.” Seokmin's sister said.

 

Soonyoung's sister nodded in agreement. “Really amazing. But it would have been even better if a certain someone wasn't mumbling along the whole time. You'd think he was your understudy or something.”

 

Seokmin chuckled shyly. “He practiced lines with me.”

 

Seungkwan was glad to have a little more time to talk with his mother, but she couldn't stay long. He made sure she got safely to her car and when he got back Jeonghan pulled him aside. “Have you seen Jihoon? I haven't seen him all night.”

 

“I don't know. He was backstage with us during the show. He said he'd catch up with us, but maybe he changed his mind and just went to his room.”

 

“Why do I feel like he's avoiding me? Or someone at least.”

 

“Maybe you're just too needy,” Seungkwan joked.

 

“Mean. But you're right. I am needy. Come here.” He wrapped Seungkwan in a hug. “You did so good tonight, Kwannie. I also had a nice talk with your mother.”

 

“Ehm, about what?”

 

“About what a wonderful son you are.” Jeonghan patted his head. “Oh, before I forget. A friend of Jisoo's parents has a beach house and he said we can use it for a few days in the summer vacation. All we have to do is air the place out and sweep the deck so it's all ready when he and his family go. Anyway, we thought it might be nice to have our traditional sleepover there. Kind of combine our sleepover with the beach trip we had last year.”

 

“Sounds fun.”

 

“Great.” Jeonghan still had his arm around Seungkwan's shoulder but he let go when he noticed a boy throwing them curious glances. More specifically, he kept staring at Seungkwan. “If you will excuse me, I'll make another attempt at finding the elusive Lee Jihoon.” He leaned in and whispered, “And it looks like somebody wants to talk to you.”

 

Seungkwan's eyes landed on the young man Jeonghan was talking about. He watched him walk over.

 

“I think your friend noticed that I was looking for an opportunity to come talk to you,” the man said. “You were really something up there. The musical, I mean.”

 

Seungkwan looked at him carefully, taking him in. His whole face was a smile. He couldn't remember having talked to him before. “Oh, ehm, thanks.”

 

“You have a really nice voice. I could probably listen to it for days.”

 

A shy little laugh left Seungkwan's mouth and he was starting to catch on to the fact that this man was flirting with him.

 

“You work at that coffee shop, right? The Grind?”

 

“I do! How did you know?”

 

“I think I've seen you working there. I go there sometimes. I don't think you've ever noticed me though.”

 

“Well, I'll be sure to pay better attention from now on.” Seungkwan thought it was strange how he could have missed someone with a smile that was as bright as Seokmin's.

 

“I'm Bin by the way. Moon Bin.”

 

“Seungkwan. Boo.”

 

“So, Seungkwan, how do you do it?”

 

“Do what?”

 

“Be so cute and sexy at the same time.”

 

Seungkwan blinked his eyes a few times. The happy smile had turned into a playful flirty grin. Seungkwan liked to think that pick-up lines didn't really work on him, but they did. The biggest challenge was flirting back. He didn't have a whole lot of experience in the singles arena. “It just comes naturally to me I guess.” He replied with fake arrogance hoping that it would be interpreted as such.

 

“In that case I will be sure to thank Mother Nature on my next hike.” There was a moment of silence where they both just smiled at each other and Seungkwan felt a light flutter in his stomach. Who exactly was this guy?

 

“So, eh, do you know somebody who was in the musical or something?”

 

“No, but my roommate thought it would be fun. He was right. I wasn't really sure if this party was just cast, crew, and friends, but nobody asked me for an invitation or anything so I figured it was okay.” He leaned in a little. “Or are you going to kick me out?”

 

“Hmm,” Seungkwan hummed like he was considering it. “I'll allow it.”

 

“Great.”

 

They both laughed. Bin asked him about how he got involved in the musical, what his favorite coffee was, and the conversation really started flowing when they hit the topic of their favorite music. They only stopped talking when a young man, who looked vaguely familiar, suddenly interrupted them.

 

“So sorry, but Bin we have a situation back at the dorm.” He leaned in and whispered something in his ear. He gave Seungkwan a small nod and started walking away.

 

Bin looked at Seungkwan, “I'm sorry, that was my roommate. One of our friends has a really crappy boyfriend and she tried to break-up with him and- well, I really have to go.”

 

“Oh, yeah, of course. I hope everything's okay.”

 

“Thanks. Bye.”

 

Seungkwan's brain wasn't even registering that he was watching him walk away until he was snapped out of his trance by Mingyu's hand on his shoulder. “Who was that?” he asked with a wide grin.

 

“No-one,” Seungkwan mumbled. “Just...a nice guy.”

 

“Did you get his number?”

 

“No.”

 

“Did you give him yours? Tell me you did.”

 

“No,” Seungkwan said and he shrugged Mingyu's hand off.

 

“Why not?” Mingyu groaned. “He was totally into you and you were also into him, I could tell.”

 

“Oh yeah? You could tell from the fifteen minutes I was talking to him?”

 

“Fifteen minutes? Dude, you were talking to him for like an hour.”

 

“You're exaggerating.”

 

“I am not. It was at least that long. Why can't you just admit that you liked him?”

 

“You're one to talk. Have you talked to Minghao yet?”

 

“I- Don't change the subject! I didn't have the opportunity. He's not here and at the musical I was...”

 

“Busy avoiding Wonwoo? He asked about you by the way. He said he wanted to say hi. His boyfriend told him off for thinking anyone would want to talk to their ex with their new boyfriend by their side.”

 

“He sounds smart.”

 

Seungkwan sighed. “Fine, I'll admit it. I liked talking to him. I liked him. But he had to leave and I guess we both forgot to exchange contacts. But he said he goes to The Grind sometimes so maybe I'll see him again.” He hoped he would.

Notes:

-I thought it would be nice if SeokSoon's sisters came to watch the show
-Jihoon IS avoiding someone (but it's not Jeonghan)
-I hope you guys like Mr. Moon Bin because he'll be back
-Speaking of back...guess who's home for the summer? (I almost wanted to say that this chapter was the first time OT13 was together in the same room but then I realized that Hansol isn't there....sad)
-I know I don't write a lot about their college life (like studying and stuff, but...eh...they study. Seungkwan more than Mingyu)

Chapter 96: C1-20 Tomorrow For Sure

Summary:

Seungkwan has successfully survived his first year as a college student and the summer can begin! He's finishing his last shift at The Grind before heading home to spend time with his family when someone he wasn't expecting shows up.

Notes:

You may notice a change in formatting (for the better I hope). I will eventually go back and change all the previous chapters as well, but seeing as there are 95(!) it might take me a while to get around to it.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

All papers had been written, all exams had been passed. His first year of college was officially over and the summer vacation could begin. His plans for the summer weren’t all that exciting. He was going to spend some time with his family, go to the beach with his friends, and earn some extra money working at the coffeehouse The family time was supposed to come first and he had been set to leave his dorm for a few weeks when he was asked to fill in for a co-worker suddenly. 

He hung his apron in his locker at the end of the shift he had taken over and checked his phone. Mingyu was already on vacation with his family and on occasion he’d send him pictures. Nothing yet today. He walked by the office and knocked on the side of the open door. “Mr. Hakyeon? I’ll be leaving now.”

“Thank you, Seungkwan. Enjoy your vacation and I’ll see you in a few weeks. Feel free to grab a muffin on the way out.”

Seungkwan nodded with a smile. He loved his barista gig, but he was looking forward to a few weeks of nothing (not in the last place because he had been hoping to see Bin again but he hadn’t come). He walked out into the shop and tapped his co-worker, Mingi, on the shoulder. “You’ll be away on vacation when I get back, right?” he asked.

The other boy sighed. “Yes. I don’t think we’ll see much of each other until the school year starts again.”

“Aw, you’ll miss me?” Seungkwan joked.

Mingi smiled. “Only if you’ll miss me too. Enjoy your vacation.” He gestured towards the shop floor. “Some of your friends are here, by the way. At least I think they’re your friends.”

Seungkwan hadn’t been expecting to see anyone today. As far as he knew Jihoon was the only one still at the dorms and he almost never came here. When he saw who was sitting at the table in the middle of the store he froze. Jisoo was looking at him with wide, panicked eyes. But it wasn’t Jisoo’s presence that made his mind go blank. The person responsible for that was the last person he had expected or wanted to see here. That person had his back to him, but Seungkwan knew who it was. That person was Hansol.

Was this why Jisoo had texted him yesterday, asking if he would be working today? His answer had been no since he wasn’t supposed to work. He wasn’t called in until later. And it felt like a cruel twist of fate that he would be here today. Of all days.

“Seungkwan, are you alright?” Mingi asked.

Hansol turned around in his chair and their eyes met. Seungkwan wanted to disappear. He wanted to evaporate right then and there. Instead he got out from behind the counter and dashed toward the door. From the corner of his eye he saw Jisoo standing up, but he ignored him. He might have said something but Seungkwan didn’t hear it. He ran to the bus stop. He completely forgot that most of his clothes were still in his room and with nothing but his wallet and phone he got on the bus that would take him home to his mother’s apartment.

A few months ago he would have definitely broken down crying as soon as he was alone. Maybe even before that. Maybe he would have cried on the bus. But not now. His heart was racing, his hands were shaking slightly, but he didn’t cry. He ignored the messages from Jisoo pouring in on his phone. He hadn’t calmed down when he arrived home. He considered calling Mingyu, but he didn’t want to bother him on his vacation. His mother wasn’t home yet and he let himself sink down onto the couch. He leaned his head back and stared at the white ceiling. He had his phone in his hand and he felt it buzz. His screen lit up with an incoming call from Jisoo. He answered.

“Seungkwan? I am so sorry. I thought you weren’t going to be there. I—”

“Why was he there?”

“He’s home for the summer and— He said he was curious about the coffeehouse and I didn’t think—”

“Well, think next time.” Seungkwan was about to hang up when Jisoo rushed to say something else.

“Is he with you?”

“What do you mean is he with me? Of course not. Did you not see me running out of there?”

“But he followed you. He left almost right after you, so I thought...Are you at home or your dorm?”

“I’m not telling you. Wherever I am he is not and I’d like to keep it that way.” He hung up. He threw his phone aside and stared at the ceiling again. He had followed him out? What for? How far did he go? If he really left right after him he could have seen him get on the bus, but he wasn’t here so clearly he hadn’t followed him home.

Promise me that we'll spend our anniversary together in person again next year.” 

“Of course.” 

Words that were, ironically, spoken exactly one year ago today. Seungkwan turned his head to the side and stared in the direction of his bedroom. He stood up and went in. He pulled out his deskchair and sat down. He stared at the drawer. Slowly he pulled it open. Inside was the photo album Hansol had given him for the two-year anniversary. 

When they broke up Seungkwan hadn’t wanted to keep it at his dormroom, but he also couldn’t bring himself to throw it away. He took it out and ran a finger along the edge of it before opening it. He stared at their names written in Hansol’s handwriting. He turned the page. He wasn’t sure when it started but as he continued to turn over the pages tears began falling down his cheeks. He slammed the album shut when he reached the last page, the one with their polaroid hotel selfies. He threw it back into the drawer and slammed it shut. He aggressively wiped his tears away with the side of his hand.

“Dammit,” he cursed. “Dammit, dammit, dammit!” He hated how much it still affected him. Shouldn’t he be passed this stage by now? He so badly wanted to not care. He wanted to feel nothing but indifference towards anything to do with his ex-boyfriend. But he still cried, his friends still avoided the topic for his sake, he still thought about him more times than he wanted to admit. He went to the bathroom and splashed his face with cold water. He looked at his reflection in the mirror. “Pathetic,” he mumbled. As he looked himself in the eye a spark of determination was lit. Starting tomorrow he would forget about Hansol Vernon Chwe. Tomorrow. For sure.

The doorbell rang.

Notes:

-coincidence or fate?
-How wrong was Jisoo here? He made sure Seungkwan wasn't going to be there (well he tried to make sure anyway), but should he just have been honest?
-btw Chan has graduated high school and they attended his graduation

Stay tuned...

Chapter 97: C1-21 Non-anniversary

Summary:

When his past shows up on his doorstep Seungkwan feels like he's right back where he was all those months ago. Angry, confused, and weak.

Notes:

It's angst all over the place again

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

He peeked trough the spyhole and saw Hansol standing outside his door. Seungkwan watched as he moved from and to the door a few times, lifting his hand like he was trying to decide whether he should ring the bell a second time. It wasn’t until Hansol finally turned around to walk away that Seungkwan’s hand moved to open the door. He didn’t say a word but the sound was enough to make his ex turn back around and look him in the eye. His hair was slightly longer and styled in a different way, but other than that it was the same Hansol. Except that this one wasn’t the one who had confessed to him over orange juice, the one he had shared all the most intimate moments of his life with, the one who had been his. This was the one who had broken his heart.

“Hey,” Hansol said. Seungkwan didn’t reply. “I’m— It’s summer vacation.”

Seungkwan still didn’t say anything. What was he expecting anyway? Yes, it is summer vacation. I’m aware of that, Hansol.

“Jisoo said you weren’t going to be there and you had told me such great things about the place and I—” He took a step closer. “I wasn’t expecting to see you today, but there you were. How, eh, how are you?”

How am I!? Angry, confused, weak . “I’m great, actually.”

Hansol nodded and awkwardly chewed on his bottom lip. When it was clear that Seungkwan had no intention to return the question he continued. “I know it’s weird that I’m here suddenly, but I didn’t think I’d see you today. Like I said, Jisoo said you wouldn’t be there and I just wanted to see the place I guess, since you had made it sound so nice. But when I did see you...Do you know what day it is toda—”

“Don’t,” Seungkwan spat. “Just don’t.”

“Seungkwan...I really hadn’t planned this, but don’t you agree that it’s somewhat of an amazing coincidence that we run into each other today? On our anni—”

“Shut up! I told you not to say it! And it isn’t. People usually don’t continue to celebrate their anniversary after breaking up, you know!”

“I know that, I’m not an idiot.”

“So why exactly are you here then?”   

“I just thought we could talk or something.”

“Ooh, you want to talk,” he said sarcastically and his hands flailing about. All pretence that he was fine went out the window. “Do you want to talk about how you stomped all over my heart or about how you suddenly show up to mess with my head? Or maybe you thought that I’d be all alone and pathetic without you and you just wanted to see if you could get lucky?”

“What? No, of course not. I just—”

“Well, forget it!” Seungkwan continued as if Hansol hadn’t even said anything. “You know I—” have slept with other guys, yes, plural he continued in his head, but he stopped himself before he actually let the words out. What would be the point? What if he’d yell back how many people he has been with since their break-up. More than wanting to let Hansol know just how fine he was doing without him, Seungkwan didn’t want to know how fine Hansol was doing without him.

Hansol let out a frustrated sigh and ran a hand through his hair. “No. I thought we could just talk. I don’t know. I— Just...forget it.”

Seungkwan, huffing with anger, watched Hansol turn around and he was about to slam the door shut when he noticed something. He yanked the door back open and yelled “Wait!” He took a step out and stared down at Hansol’s wrist. “Why are you still wearing that? Take it off!”

Hansol looked at the anniversary present from one year ago and back at Seungkwan.

“Take. It. Off!” Seungkwan repeated slowly. “You have no right to still be wearing that. I gave that to you because I loved you it’s—” He looked at the way Hansol’s brows furrowed together slightly as if he was trying to comprehend what he was saying. “It’s meaningless now.” 

“Is it?” Hansol asked. His face was as if written in a foreign script because Seungkwan couldn’t decipher what was going on behind his stare. “It’s not meaningless to me.”

“You can’t do this!” Seungkwan yelled. Whatever was about to come out of Hansol’s mouth next he felt it was better not to hear it. “You can’t just—” In all his frustration he took the two steps that it took to get close enough to Hansol to be able to reach his wrist and tried to take it off for him, but Hansol wouldn’t let him. He pulled his arm back. Seungkwan reached again, but when he was about to make a third attempt he collected himself. “Fine,” he mumbled. “Do whatever you want. See if I care.” He looked up and found himself much closer to Hansol’s piercing stare than he could handle. Just now did he realize how close their bodies were. He could feel the warmth radiating from the other man’s skin. His heartbeat was rapidly increasing and his mind went blank in the silent seconds that followed. It was hard to tell which one of them leaned in first, but their lips connected all the same. 

Seungkwan took a step back with his mouth still attached to his ex-boyfriend, effectively dragging him along towards the inside of the apartment. But when he stepped over the threshold it was as if a spell was broken. His initial instinct to tangle his fingers in Hansol’s hair got kicked out of his head by the more rational part of his brain and he instead used his hands to push him off. With the tips of his fingers still weakly placed against Hansol’s chest and his eyes cast down he whispered “Leave.”

“Seungkwan…”

His head shot up and he looked at the man he had loved so much with angry tears stinging his eyes. “I said leave! Get out!” This time his push was more effective and Hansl stumbled backwards. Before their eyes could meet again Seungkwan threw the door close with a loud bang. He leaned against it with his left hand while he pressed his right to his mouth to suppress a sob. “Please leave,” he whispered to himself.

+ + +

He knew his mother could tell something was off, but thankfully she also understood he didn’t feel like talking about it. After dinner he took a bath and told her he was going to bed early. He checked his phone like he always did before going to bed. He had been expecting some messages from Mingyu about his day and a concerned string of messages from Jeonghan was also no surprise (judging from the lack of messages from his other friends he supposed he was the only one Jisoo had told). There was one chat, however, that had found its way back from oblivion to the top of the list. The chat with Hansol that had disappeared to the bottom in the months since the break-up had been jolted back to life.

I’m sorry about today. The coffee shop, showing up at your house...all of it. I don’t really even know why I came. Not to make you mad or hurt you. You know that, right? 

Seungkwan stared at the message. Was he expecting a reply or was it all just empty words anyway? Hansol was only here for the summer. The only possible outcome of letting him back into his life was ending up alone again. The message had been sent over an hour ago but it only took a minute after Seungkwan had seen it for Hansol to start typing another message. Had he been waiting? Seungkwan looked at the three dots dancing around at the bottom of the chat only to disappear again. They did their little dance a dozen times over. It was frustrating to watch. He opened his chat with Jeonghan. Instead of replying by text he decided to call him.

Seungkwan? Where are you?”

Seungkwan smiled at the concern in Jeonghan’s voice. He pushed himself backwards over his bed until his back was resting against the wall. “I’m home,” he replied. “You don’t have to worry.”

Really? Are you okay? I was this close to coming over or calling everybody you know.”

“I’m...okay. Can you not tell Mingyu? He’s having fun on vacation and he’d just worry.”

Of course. ” It was quiet for a few seconds. “ Seungkwan? Did he really not come to you? Jisoo got an ear full by the way! Even an amoeba could have understood Hansol had no right to go there. Even if he thought you wouldn’t be there .”

“Don’t be too mad at him. Jisoo, I mean. I was mad too, but...I don’t like being mad at him and I know he didn’t have bad intentions.” Seungkwan pulled up his blanket. “Are you going to meet with him?” Seungkwan wasn’t an idiot. He wouldn’t be at all surprised if Jeonghan, Jihoon, and Dino (aka ‘the rooftopper’) wanted to meet up with Hansol. “Can you do me one favor? Don’t talk about me with him and don’t talk about him with me. It’s easier for me to pretend he’s still far away. He will be again in a few weeks anyway.”

“I promise I won’t bring him up again after this, but...are you sure you don’t want to talk with him? Jisoo said he still feels bad about the way you two ended…”

“You know what I want? Instead of talking about how we broke up, I just want it to be actually finished.”

“But maybe if you talk about it with him—”

“Jeonghan, I love you but please shut up. Have a good night. I’m going to sleep now.” He hung up. It looked like Hansol had finally gotten around to sending another message.

When I said the bracelet wasn’t meaningless I just meant that it will always mean something to me, but if it makes you uncomfortable I’ll take it off…

Something…” Seungkwan mulled over the word in his head. He wasn’t about to do this to himself, going over every tiny detail of Hansol’s words and actions and what they could mean. 

Block Hansol? Blocked contacts will no longer be able to call you or send you messages.

BLOCK

Notes:

- fun (?) fact: I hadn't planned for them to kiss, but IT JUST HAPPENED...what can I say...like Seungkwan I am weak
- not an amoeba
- the reason he hadn't actually blocked Hansol before was that he didn't send any messages so he wasn't bothered by still having him in his contacts so much
- Seungkwan is right...the rooftop peeps were planning to meet up (could SOMEBODY have told Seungkwan that Hansol was going to be in town!? They were just trying to shield him...).
- Hmm next time...beach time? With some reminiscing, new memories to be made and a surprising bedroom situation (beach will 1 or 2 chaps and I think that will conclude College 1...maybe a short flashforward after that...)

Chapter 98: C1-22 Beach sleepover I

Summary:

This year's sleepover is taking place at a beach house owned by friends of Jisoo's parents. There is table tennis, reminiscing, barbecue, and a hard night's sleep for some.

Notes:

This might have been the longest it took me to update since I started writing this, but I think you can all understand...BUT I'm back now! I hope everyone's doing OK!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan yelled triumphantly when he held out scissors and beat Mingyu’s paper in the battle for the final bed that the beach house had to offer. “Have fun fitting your ridiculously long limbs on the couch!”

“Is everybody just going to ignore that Jeonghan cheated!?” Mingyu pleaded.

“Give it up, Gyu,” Jihoon said, slapping him on the shoulder. “The couch looks pretty comfy.”

“Then you sleep on it,” Mingyu mumbled.

“Right!” Jisoo clapped his hands. “Now that we’ve settled all that let’s go put our stuff in our rooms, or, eh…” He threw a glance sideways at Mingyu. “...by the couch, so that we can check out the rest of the place. There’s a small private beach and I think I saw table tennis. Remember that this place is owned by friends of my parents so we can’t make a mess!”

* * *

One epic table tennis tournament later they were enjoying barbecuing on the patch of beach near the vacation home. Seungkwan hovered around pretending to help (he wasn’t much of a cook) until Jisoo tapped him on the shoulder to ask for help setting the table. They hadn’t had the opportunity to spend time together since the whole thing with Hansol, but Seungkwan wanted to forget about it and move on so it was nice to feel like things were back to normal between them. He hadn’t told anyone that Hansol had come to his house. Not even Mingyu.

Near the end of dinner Jeonghan stood up with a cup of cheap beer in hand. “I would like to raise my glass. A lot of things happened this year, but let’s try to get past the bad and celebrate the good. Let’s raise our glasses to these two,”—he gestured to Seungkwan and Mingyu—“surviving their first year of college and to our baby, Chan graduating high school!”

They all cheered and Jeonghan took this opportunity to give Chan a tight hug. “I stll can’t believe you’re really coming to my college, Channie!”

“I can’t believe you’ve haunted me about this for ever and now that I’m actually coming you and Jisoo are moving in together.” Chan laughed.

“But aren’t you glad you can swoop in and take my dormroom? Cheollie is a wonderful roommate. Almost never brings over any dates. Nice and quiet. Good strong arms. He can help you move.”

“Don’t forget about me!” Soonyoung piped up. “I have strong arms too, you know!”

“Guys!” Mingyu interjected. “Let’s take a group shot before we lose all daylight. We didn’t take one at the beach last year, but now it’s like a sleepover and it’s kind of a sleepover tradition to take a picture, right?”

They all stood up, but Seungcheol hesitated getting in with the group. “I can take the picture if you want,” he offered.

“But then you won’t be in the shot,” Jisoo replied. “We can just use the timer.”

“Is it...Is it okay? I know you guys’ sleepovers are usually only with people you went to high school with and, unlike Soon, I’m not really dating any of you so…”

“Don’t be silly,” Jeonghan said and pulled him in by his arm. “Traditions change and evolve. You’re one of us now, so deal with it.”

“By the way,” Soonyoung said, “Can someone show me the pictures of the past sleepovers later? I want to know just how cute my love was back then.”

* * *

While Seungcheol and Chan were having another go at table tennis Soonyoung was scrolling back through Jeonghan’s phone to check out the pictures from their sleepovers over the years. He was smiling brightly at every picture that had Seokmin in it, but when he kept scrolling his face fell.

“What’s wrong?” Seokmin asked, getting closer to look at the screen. “Wasn’t I cute?”

Soonyoung shook his head. “No, it’s not that. Of course not. It’s just...I feel kind of weird being in your group now while Wonwoo isn’t. I didn’t know him back then and I know he’s Mingyu’s ex, but—” He hesitated in speaking what was on his mind. “Wasn’t he your friend, too?” When nobody said anything and he only got a few awkward glances he quickly added to Mingyu, “I totally get not wanting to hang out with him one-on-one or even a small gathering. I do, I really do, but— I’m sorry, I was just thinking like...what if me and Seok move in together in the future or get married or something? Or what if I’m throwing a birthday party? Wonwoo is basically my best friend…”

“Did I ever say that you can’t invite him to things? Or that I will refuse to come if he’s going to be there?” Mingyu asked a bit annoyed. “He came to the musical, didn’t he? Sure, I totally avoided him, but I should be allowed to not want to talk to my ex who dumped me at a party.”

“Of course,” Soonyoung said. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. It just feels weird to me because I only know you guys in the first place because I know Wonwoo.”

Mingyu nodded and stood up. “Don’t worry about it. Anybody want to take me on at the table tennis table? Cheol and Chan seem to be done. Jihoon?”

“Fine, but don’t think I’m stupid enough to play for who has to sleep on the couch or something.”

Soonyoung followed them with his eyes, “Did I make him mad? I just remembered Wonwoo’s face when I told him I was coming here. He tried to pretend like he was totally fine with it, but I know he misses this group.”

“I don’t think he’s mad,” Seungkwan answered. “But maybe just focus on how cute high school Seokmin was instead of on how Wonwoo isn’t here.” Seungkwan had to admit that he still held out hope that one day Mingyu would talk with Wonwoo and they’d all hang out together again. But he understood all too well where Mingyu was coming from. 

“Right!” Soonyoung immediately returned his attention back to the pictures. “So cute and innocent.”

“You’ll have to keep scrolling further back to get to the innocent Seokmin,” Jeonghan snorted. “He wasn’t so innocent anymore by our second sleepover.”

“Jeonghan!” Seokmin cried. “Did you forget I had just been dumped not so long before these pictures were taken?”

“I’m glad you got dumped,” Soonyoung said and Seokmin frowned at him. “No! I just mean that if you hadn’t been dumped you wouldn’t have been single and I couldn’t have you as my boyfriend now.”

“Well, if you say it like that…” Seokmin sank down in his seat so he could lean his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder as he continued looked at pictures.

Seungkwan looked at them. They looked happy. He hoped they’d stay that way. He didn’t want the people in the pictures to change again.

* * *

The next morning Seungkwan walked into the living room to find most of the others already up. Things for breakfast were spread across the table. He sat down and ran a hand through his messy bedhair.

“Coffee?” Seungcheol asked him.

“Please,” he answered. He looked around but didn’t find who he was looking for. “Where’s Gyu? I was half-expecting him to crawl into my bed during the night. He was being so mopey about having to sleep on the couch.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Soonyoung snickered. 

“What do you mean?” Seungkwan asked with a frown, not understanding the implication that was being made.

“Speak of the devil,” Soonyoung said and nodded his head in the direction of one of the first floor bedrooms.

“Why did you just come out of Jihoon's room?” Seungkwan asked Mingyu who had tried and failed to cover the distance between the bedroom and the table in a covert manner.

“What? No I didn't!” he replied hastily, suddenly much more awake than he had been three seconds ago. 

Seungkwan crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. “I just saw you.”

“You saw nothing,” Mingyu stated and reached for the juice carton in the middle of the table to pour himself some.

“Okay...” Seungkwan couldn’t understand why his best friend was lying to his face about this. Why would he even go to Jihoon’s room and not Seungkwan’s if he didn’t want to sleep on the couch so bad?

Unaware of the attention that was immediately on him Jihoon came out of the room, eyes puffy with sleep, and filled the last seat at the table. He mumbled a hoarse ‘thanks’ when Seokmin quietly handed him a glass of water. 

Soonyoung leaned back in his chair with a smirk on his face. “Raise your hand if you couldn't sleep because Mingyu and Jihoon were boning!” he said and his own hand shot up into the air. 

Seungkwan’s eyes widened and Mingyu choked on his drink. 

“That was Jihoon and Mingyu!?” Seokmin yelled out. 

His boyfriend chuckled at the genuinely surprised expression on his face. “Yeah, who did you think it was? They’re right across the hall from us.” 

“I-I don't know!” 

“Is this true?” Seungkwan asked looking at Mingyu, but he hadn't recovered yet from his violent coughing fit. So he directed his attention to Jihoon instead. 

The man in question shrugged. “Yeah, we did it. Sorry if we were loud.”

Mingyu stared at him like he was crazy for just admitting to it so easily. But his beet red face would have told them the same thing anyway. He was not expecting to be called out so early in the day. Or at all. 

Seungcheol, perhaps not interested in this conversation, stood up and took his empty plate to the kitchen.

Jeonghan cleared his throat. “Guys, do you think we could maybe talk about something else during breakfast?”

“Don't be bitter just because we didn't have sex last night,” Jisoo responded. “You're the one who didn't want to.”

“Because, unlike some people, I understand that we're not alone in this house and the walls are thin. I have no desire for other people to hear me having intercourse.”

Chan snickered, “Intercourse.”

“You’re all a bunch of children,” Jeonghan declared and stood up to join Seungcheol in the kitchen.

“Baby, wait. I was just joking,” Jisoo said and he stood up to followin him. “I don’t want people to hear us have intercourse either.” He was lucky Jeonghan couldn’t see the half-smirk he had on his face as he spoke the word.

The remaining people at the table exchanged glances with lips pressed together trying to contain themselves, but when Chan repeated the word ‘intercourse’ in a whisper the table erupted into loud laughter. What a start to the day. Seungkwan laughed too, but he couldn’t shake off the weirdness he felt knowing that Mingyu and Jihoon had slept together so out of the blue.

Notes:

-Actually quite a few of them have (occasional) contact with Wonwoo by now, but they don't really 'hang out' and not as a group
-Talks will be had next chapter
-since it's been a while: don't forget that at the musical Jihoon seemed to be avoiding someone...who do you think it was and why?

(side note, I changed my bird app @ to Llama_Cow  twt )

Chapter 99: C1-23 Beach sleepover II

Summary:

Seungkwan just can't shake the weird feeling he has and decides he has to talk to Mingyu about what happened with Jihoon. Speaking of Jihoon....what exactly is going on with Jihoon?

Notes:

Hello~ Hope people are doing well! It took me a bit longer to update, but here is part 2 at the beach~

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan and Seokmin were the last ones to brush their teeth and get dressed for a day at the beach. Seungkwan spit into the sink and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked at his friend through the mirror. “So, is it just me who thought breakfast was weird?”

“Waddayamean?” Seokmin mumbled, not bothering to take the toothbrush out of his mouth.

“Mingyu and Jihoon...Are we just going to ignore that those two slept together last night?”

“What do you want to do about it? Is it really any of our business? Besides, it sounded like they were having a good time so—”

“Oh my go— Just forget it!”

“Look, Seungkwan...I’ve been Jihoon’s roommate for two years now and it would be far from the first time that he hooks up with someone.”

“But this isn’t some random guy we’re talking about here. This is Mingyu...They’re friends.”

Seokmin placed a hand on Seungkwan’s shoulder. “If it bothers you this much, why don’t you ask Mingyu about it? I just don’t think we have to corner them with a group session, you know. They’re both single adults. It’s their business if they want to sleep together.”

“I-it doesn’t bother me! I know they’re both adults. I just thought it was random, that’s all,” Seungkwan said with a tone that sounded too defensive to be perceived as unbothered.

“If it really doesn’t bother you then maybe just let it go?”

For the rest of the day Seungkwan tried to take Seokmin’s words to heart and not think about it. He focused on playing volleyball and other games with the guys. It was close to evening when Seungkwan could no longer push it aside. He was observing Chan, Seungcheol, Jisoo and Soonyoung messing around in the water when Mingyu sat down next to him.

“Kwannie,” he said in a hushed voice.

“What?” Seungkwan responded without looking at him.

“I want to go play with them...but…”

“But what?” 

“Nobody knows about my tattoo and I don’t want them to see. Do you think my swimtrunks will cover it? Can you check for me?”

Seungkwan scoffed. “Why don’t you ask Jihoon to check for you? I’m sure he already saw it when you fucked him last night anyway.”

“Wow, what’s with the aggressive tone? Are you mad at me or something?”

“I’m not mad,” he muttered.

“You sound mad,” Mingyu mumbled back. “And I don’t even know for sure if Jihoon saw it. If he did, he didn’t say anything…” 

“Well, maybe you can ask him the next time you dive into his bed.”

“Are you upset that I slept with him? Is that why you’re being an asshole right now?”

“I’m— I don’t know, okay. It’s weird. I feel weird. I—” He stopped talking. He didn’t really get it himself either, but he knew he needed to talk about it or it would continue to eat at him. He stood up suddenly. “Let’s take a walk. Just up that hill over there. We can watch the sunset.”

Mingyu stood up also. “Ehm, okay.” He didn’t get what was going on with his best friend, but he didn’t feel like arguing and so followed him away from the others. 

They walked in silence until they came to a bench overlooking the ocean. There was nobody else around. Seungkwan sat down and Mingyu joined him.

“So…” Mingyu started. “Are you going to tell me why you’re mad at me?”

Seungkwan lightly kicked the ground and followed a small stone that bounced away with his eyes. “Like I said, I’m not mad at you. I’m just...confused.”

“Confused? About what?”

“About how you ended up sleeping with Jihoon and about—” He sighed. “Other things…”

“What other things?”

“I just don’t get it...You and Jihoon have known each other for years. Why now? What about your crush on Minghao?”

“That’s still there. But it’s not like I’m going to not have sex with someone else because of a crush on a guy I haven’t even talked to. As for me and Jihoon...What do you want me to say? We were the last ones up yesterday. I said something about the couch, he made a joke about sleeping in his bed with him, I joked back that it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world and I guess the mood shifted and we ended up having sex.”

“Just like that?”

“Yup.”

“And now what?”

“Now nothing. It happened. It was fun. That’s it.”

“But what about your friendship? Isn’t it going to be weird now?”

“No. I don’t think so. I think we’re both people who are able to have sex and just let it be that.”

Seungkwan nodded and looked out at the sun that had started setting. “Why didn't you sleep with me?” His voice was small and failed to sound as casual as he had wanted it to. But as he asked the question he realized that this was what had really been bothering him.

Mingyu looked away from the setting sun. “What?” he asked, caught of guard by the question.

Seungkwan turned his head but didn’t quite catch Mingyu’s gaze. “I don’t mean last night. I mean that night when we got drunk. You were checking out my tattoo and then you came up to kiss me. You put your hands on my hip. There was definitely a vibe in the air that suggested it was leading to more, but then you stopped…”

Mingyu breathed in slowly. He wasn’t sure what to say. Not sure what Seungkwan wanted to hear.

“I thought that it was because you didn’t want to risk making things weird between us because we’re friends and roommates and all that, but now you’re here sleeping with Jihoon. Who is also your friend. So why sleep with him but not me? I probably wouldn’t have said no, you know...”

Mingyu was silent for a minute that felt like an hour. “And would you have been okay with that? Waking up the next morning realizing that we had sex? Drunk sex? The relationship I have with Jihoon is different from the one you and I have.”

“Oh it’s a relationship now?”

Mingyu sighed. “I mean our relationship as friends, Seungkwan. I love Jihoon, but you—You’re different to me, you know? You’re not just my friend. You’re my best friend and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if we slept together and literally fucked up what we have.” He took Seungkwan’s hand in his own. “And weren’t you the one who told me that you weren’t going to sleep with anyone else unless they were your boyfriend? What if we had slept together and you would regret it? If we...if we ever were to sleep together I would be devastated if that turned into a negative experience. For either of us.”

Seungkwan nodded. He understood what Mingyu was saying to him and knew he was probably right. “You said that you and Jihoon can sleep with people and just let the sex be sex...you don’t think I can do that?”

Mingyu stroked the back of Seungkwan’s hand with his thumb, “I think...I think it’s harder for you. I know you had just broken up when you had that one night stand with the random guy, but it didn’t exactly make you feel good, did it? And with Hyunggu. You said it was fun, but also that the casual sex thing wasn’t really for you, right?”

“Yeah, I guess so. If you had come to me last night, crawled into my bed and tried to have sex with me all of a sudden I probably would have kicked you to the floor. It just...maybe I felt a little bit jealous.” His last parts were mumbled and he looked away. He felt silly now that he said it out loud. “I...I kind of like being the closest person to you. I know that someday you will find someone else to take that place and hopefully I will too, but—”

“Kwannie,” Mingyu interrupted him. “No-one can ever take your place. You will always fill the Boo Seungkwan shaped hole in my heart.” To add dramatics to his words he pressed Seungkwan’s hand to his chest.

After a moment filled with blank stares the both of them started laughing. Mingyu let go and leaned back into the back of the bench, fixing his gaze on the horizon. “But if you really want to sleep with me so bad you’re just going to have to stay single until you’re thirty-five. I’ll give you an amazing wedding night.”

“So you do remember,” Seungkwan said and he scooted a bit closer. “I thought you forgot about that. You didn’t say anything the next day.”

“Well, I was a bit pre-occupied with freaking out about the tattoo right above my ass.”

“But you don’t have to worry about that. I am not going to stay single that long. Not even for you, Kim Mingyu. And don’t act like you’d be doing me a favor by sleeping with me. You should be so lucky.” He leaned down his head to rest on Mingyu’s shoulder as he looked at the sunset. It was truly beautiful. He was glad they had talked. He wasn’t sure how he would have felt if they had slept together that night, but it was worth not knowing.

“Seungkwan? Can we talk about one more thing?”

“What?”

“Yesterday when Soonyoung mentioned Wonwoo...I’ll try not to avoid him next time there is a thing, okay? If you want to have a birthday party or just feel like hanging out with him or going somewhere with a few people...I want to try to, I don’t know. Be his friend again. Or maybe not his friend, but an acquaintance or something.”

“Are you sure? You don’t have to, you know.”

“I know. But I do miss his dry sense of humor sometimes and I’m starting to see the ways he was, is, connected to our group of friends that have nothing to do with me. He’s Seokmin’s boyfriend’s roommate; he knows Seungcheol; he goes to the same college as Jeonghan and now Chan. I’m not making any promises and don’t expect me to get super close to him, but I’ll try. Just...let me get a boyfriend first. I know it shouldn’t matter, but—”

“I get it,” Seungkwan replied. “Maybe it shouldn’t matter, but it does. I understand. I have an idea. How about we make a deal? I promise I’ll work up the courage to ask that Bin guy out if I ever see him again, if you ask out Minghao the next time he comes to The Grind.”

“Deal. I can do that.”

“Although I’ve never really asked anyone out before...” Seungkwan added softly.

“I wouldn’t worry about it. From where I was standing it was pretty obvious that he was into you.”

“Really?”

“If I’m wrong I’ll lower the age at which we marry each other by five years.”

Seungkwan stood up and stretched his arms. “Want to head back? It’s really getting dark now.”

They started to make their way back to the house. When they got closer they could hear voices. Seungkwan recognized Jihoon’s figure, but he wasn’t sure who the second person was.

“Is that Seungcheol?” Mingyu whispered to Seungkwan. “I wonder what those two are talking about.”

They exchanged a look between each other and without saying a word they slowed their pace down and tried not to make any noise as they walked closer.  

“...don’t have to avoid me is all I’m saying, Jihoon. I’m not sure what’s going on with you, but I don’t get why you’ve been ignoring me. If sleeping with Mingyu with me a few rooms away was some kind of statement—”

Both Seungkwan and Mingyu stopped in their tracks at the mention of the latter’s name. They ducked down to make sure they weren’t seen. Their curiosity, as usual, was stronger than their moral compass that told them eavesdropping was wrong.

“It wasn’t,” they could hear Jihoon say. “It’s just what I do.”

“And what exactly is that?” Seungcheol asked.

If Jihoon replied it wasn’t loud enough for Seungkwan and Mingyu to hear.

“Look, Jihoon. If you tell me that us sleeping together was just that to you and you’re not interested in us dating then just say that. I’ve told you how I feel, but I’m not going to hold it against you if you don’t feel the same way and I’m kind of done pining after you. I’d just like it if we could go back to being friends or whatever it is we were before, instead of you ignoring me.”

“I swear I had no idea!” Mingyu whispered to Seungkwan. “If I knew that anything was going on between them I wouldn’t have—”

“Shh!” Seungkwan shushed him, wanting to hear what Jihoon was saying now. Were all his friends just sleeping with each other?

 “You're close friends with Jeonghan and Jisoo. If we start dating and then break up, what we will because I always end up breaking up with people, they'll feel like they have to choose or things will get awkward either way...and I don't want to do that to you or them. I'm sorry I slept with you and never called or replied. I just—"

“Listen, if you simply tell me that you don't feel the same way about me, I'll accept that. You don't have to feel bad for sleeping with me. I was there too. The thing is, I think you like me back.”

“I do like you,” Jihoon admitted (Seungkwan had to press his hand against his mouth to not let out a squeal). “But all my relationships— I don't want us to get together only to break up. I've never felt that so strongly before with anyone and I don’t know what to do with that. In a moment of weakness I gave in and slept with you anyway and—" Jihoon stopped talking. He had his back to Seungkwan, but Seungkwan saw the endeared smile on Seungcheol's face.

“The solution is so simple, Jihoon. It just means we should never break up.” He took a breath. “Anyway, I don’t mean to pressure you. Just think about it, okay?” After a short moment of silence Seungcheol walked away, leaving Jihoon by himself.

Seungkwan and Mingyu stayed in their hiding place a little longer. “It all makes sense now,” Seungkwan whispered. “At the musical Jeonghan told me he felt like Jihoon was avoiding someone. It must have been Seungcheol.”

“Should one of us go talk to him?” Mingyu asked.

“Jihoon is always so secretive about his love life, I don’t think he’d want us to just start talking about his possible feelings for Seungcheol...It sounded complicated. Let’s just pretend that we just came back and we’ll sit with him without letting him know we know anything. That way, if he wants to talk he can do that, but he doesn’t have to feel like he has to.”

“I really had no idea…”

“You couldn’t have.” Seungkwan let out a long sigh. “I swear these sleepovers keep getting more dramatic. I wouldn’t even be surprised if next year Chan announces he has knocked up some poor girl.”

Mingyu stood up straight and held out a helping hand to Seungkwan. When they walked up Jihoon greeted them like normal and they did the same. That night Chan offered to sleep on the couch, but the offer was quickly taken over by Seungcheol. Seungkwan tried to not think anything of it. 

The rest of their stay at the beach house was uneventful enough for Seungkwan to actually relax. He was able to let some of the stress of the last year leave his body and mind. Ready for the next one.

Notes:

- Will Seungkwan and Mingyu ever find out what sleeping together would be like?? Maybe they will, maybe they won't
- Jihoon and Seungcheol...I feel like I've dropped hints at them since the first time they met in this fic, but maybe it was only obvious to me because I already knew it was going in this direction? Do you think they'll actually get together?
-Since the next one is the 100th (wtf) chapter AND it's the end of College I, I'm going to write a short wedding flashforward again. After that, their 2nd year at college will begin!
-I told you I wasn't done with Moonbin, didn't I? (Did I?). Will Seungkwan ask him out? Will it be successful?
-thanks to those still reading~

Chapter 100: Final deep breath - flashforward

Summary:

The last moments before Seungkwan steps out into the wedding hall and walks down to the aisle.

Notes:

100 (!) chapters!! Is this fic the biggest tease ever or what? lol
Enjoy this short flashforward before the next year at college starts!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan followed Jeonghan out of the room and into the hallway. They were just in time to see the doors leading to the wedding hall close again. His parents were standing to the side.  

“Wait right here,” Jeonghan commanded and he held up his hand to stop him. “I’ll just go and make sure he is getting down the aisle alright. Oh, and pick up your flower girl. She wanted to watch her brother go first so she could, and I quote, be better than him .”

Seungkwan smiled and nodded. With all the videos of his young son and daughter practicing at home that he had sent over the last few weeks Seungkwan could hardly be surprised that his wedding planner wanted to at least catch a glimpse of the actual event. As professional as he was, even Jeonghan couldn’t help but let his pride as a parent take priority for a moment.

So Seungkwan was left to wait another moment more while his fiancee was walking down with his parents. He faced his parents. “Before we go in I just want to say thank you again for agreeing to walk me down the aisle. I know it’s not traditional or whatever, but it really means a lot to me. To both of us.”

His father inhaled and exhaled slowly and placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “I’m proud of you, Seungkwan. Me and your mom— We, I, haven’t exactly set the best example for you and your sisters growing up and I regret many things. But that only makes me prouder to see the kind of man you’ve become and the relationship you’ve built with—” He stopped talking before the emotion in his voice could take over completely. He squeezed Seungkwan’s shoulder. “I’m proud to walk you down the aisle, son.”

“Dad…” It was rare to see his father so emotional and Seungkwan saw the growing possibility of crying before he was even in the same room as his groom.

His mother stepped forward and lightly caressed his cheek. “You look very handsome in your suit.” She reached down and held his hand. “You better be sure to give me a framed picture of the two of you together.”

“Thanks, Mom. I will. And speaking of pictures...” Seungkwan said and he looked  to the side to the person snapping photos of him and his parents. “I know I said I didn’t want to miss a thing, but shouldn’t you be taking pictures of us walking down the aisle or something?”

“Seungkwan, please,” Jeonghan interrupted, suddenly back from the hall with his daughter on his arm. “Don’t you think that I have someone else covering the aisle while my child was out there showering it with pedals?” He squated down in front of the little girl and made sure her flower crown was still properly attached (Of course it was. It was Seungcheol’s handiwork afterall). “Are you ready to make a pretty walkway for uncle Seungkwan?”

She nodded, determined. “I was born ready,” she whispered.

Jeonghan chuckled and stood back up. “Honestly, I don’t know where she picks up stuff like that.” He looked at Seungkwan. “Your groom awaits.”

Seungkwan nodded. He hooked arms with his parents and took his place. The doors to the wedding hall opened and the music started to play again. Seungkwan took a final deep breath and followed behind the flower girl out into the hall.

Notes:

-Who is the person taking the pics of Seungkwan and his parents? (and is it important?)
-Jeonghan has 2 kids (they're twins actually), they're still very young

Next chapter I can FINALLY post a scene I've had in my head since ever ago, lol

Chapter 101: C2-1 Honoring the deal

Summary:

At the beach Mingyu and Seungkwan had promised that they'd each ask out certain guys. With the start of the new academic year, it might be time to honor that deal.

Notes:

As my old English teacher used to say: new round, new chances! Let's see if Mingyu and Seungkwan will manage to get dates~

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

A wide grin appeared on Seungkwan’s face when he saw who had just walked through the door of The Grind. He was on his first shift of the new academic year and it was already promising to be a good one. “Minghao,” he said with his friendliest voice, “Good to see you again. Had a good vacation?”

“Oh, eh, yeah. I went to visit my family mostly. You?”

“It was fine. Great. Refreshed for the new year. What can I get you today?”

“Can I get a fresh mint tea?”

“Of course. Why don’t you take a seat and one of us will bring it right over.”

“Thank you.” 

Mingyu had been in the back getting some supplies that needed refilling, but as soon as he came out Seungkwan smirked at him. “Time for you to hold up your end of the deal we made at the beach.”

“What?” Mingyu asked.

Seungkwan jerked his head in the direction of the table by the window where Mingyu’s crush was sitting.

“B-but, you haven’t asked out Bin yet! Why do I have to go first?”

“Because yours is here now. I haven’t even seen Bin since that party. Come on, you said you’d do it!”

Mingyu chewed on his bottom lip but then seemed to find his confidence. “Alright. Fine.” He was about ready to make his move when Seungkwan cleared his throat. “What?”

“His order. He wants a fresh mint tea.”

After making the tea Mingyu walked over and placed it on the table in front of the young man he had a crush on. “Here you are.”

The other man looked up and smiled politely. He returned his attention to the book he had been reading, but Mingyu lingered, hesitating to speak. After a few moments Minghao looked up again. “Thank you?” he said, not sure why Mingyu was still standing there.

The small wave of confidence Mingyu had felt had evaporated the moment he had started talking. “Ehm, so, eh, I’m trying to get my friend back into the dating game and he said he would if I ask you out.”

Minghao put his book down and furrowed his brows together. “I’m sorry, I’m a little confused. Are you asking me out for your friend?”

“No! For me. I-I just meant that my friend, Seungkwan, is going to ask out this guy he met at a party, but he’s not so sure about it so we made a deal that if I ask you out he’ll do the same with Bin. That’s the guy he met at the party.”

“Was the deal that you’d ask anyone out or me specifically?” Minghao asked calmly.

Mingyu felt a blush creeping up his face. “He told me to ask you out because...well...because he knows that I...I think that you’re really interesting. Like a work of art.” As soon as the words left his mouth his eyes grew big, betrayed by his own words. “I-I just mean that I kind of like you and maybe that we could go on a date or something, but I totally understand it if—”

“Okay,” Minghao said before Mingyu embarrassed himself further. “Let’s go on a date. A museum perhaps? Seeing as you like art. I like art too.”

Mingyu blinked at him a few times. There didn’t seem to be any sarcasm in his words. “Really?”

“I wouldn’t want to be responsible for Seungkwan never asking out that party guy. My name is Minghao by the way. In case you didn’t know.”

“I knew! S-seungkwan told me...I’m Mingyu.”

“I know. You have a nametag.”

“Right,” Mingyu chuckled awkwardly. “Most people don’t really bother to read those though.”

“Maybe I wanted to know your name.”

Mingyu stood there with a dumbfounded smile on his face until he remembered that he was still in the middle of his shift. “So, eh, I’d better get back to work…”

“Aren’t you going to ask for my phone number?”

“Yes! That’s a good idea. Can I?” he asked and Minghao was already writing it down on a napkin.

With it in hand Mingyu walked back to the counter where Seungkwan stood smirking. “Dude, you are sweating.”

“He gave me his phone number.” Mingyu exhaled. He carefully folded the napkin and put it in his back pocket. “Man, I haven’t been this nervous to ask someone out in a while…I was a complete idiot.”

“Couldn’t have been all bad,” Seungkwan replied. “He said yes, didn’t he.”

“He did...and seeing as I did my part now it’s your turn to ask out Bin. No excuses!”

* * *

Ever since the party Seungkwan had lowkey been on the look out for Bin and even more so now that he had promised Mingyu that he was going to ask him out. But despite the fact that Bin had said that he had seen him work at The Grind before Seungkwan hadn’t seen him there at all. Of course it had been summer vacation and the new year had barely even started, but Seungkwan was already starting to think he was never even going to get the opportunity to ask him out. That was until he was walking near campus on his way to The Grind to get some early afternoon coffee. Across the street going in the opposite direction was Bin. For a moment Seungkwan froze. How was he supposed to talk to him when he wasn’t even in earshot. But when Bin disappeared around the corner Seungkwan’s feet carried him almost autonomously. He crossed the street in a kind of semi-jog and ran to the end of the street. Once around the corner he spotted him again and without thinking shouted out his name. 

“Shit,” he mumbled when the man didn’t seem to hear him. He started running again. Again he shouted out. “Bin!” 

This time he stopped and turned around. His face broke into a smile and he watched as Seungkwan got closer and stopped in front of him.

“Hey, Bin, right?” Seungkwan said, out of breath. “What a coincidence.”

“Are you okay?” Bin chuckled.

“Yeah, yeah.” Seungkwan waved his concern away with his hand and took a few deep breaths, “I just...saw you from across the street and I thought I’d say hi.”

“Hi, Seungkwan.” Bin said and his eyes turned into crescents as he smiled.

If he wasn’t already slightly out of breath Seungkwan was sure he would have needed to take a deep breath anyway with the way his lungs seemed to collapse knowing that Bin remembered his name. “I, eh, need to ask you something.”

“Oh?”

“Do you want to go for coffee or something?” It was then that he noticed the take-away cup of coffee already in Bin’s hand. Suddenly he felt like he had to be coming across as a desperate idiot. He had chased him down the street just to ask him to go for coffee. “Oh,” he stammered. “I see you’re already set on the coffee department. Nevermind. I’ll see you around.”

He was already turning around to look for a hole to disappear into when Bin called out his name and Seungkwan turned back around. “Yeah?”

He watched as Bin threw his coffee into the nearest trash can with one swift motion.

“Oops. I dropped my coffee. I'm going to need a new one if I want to get through the rest of my classes today.” His smile was playful and Seungkwan stared at him in disbelief for a second. Had this man really just thrown away a perfectly good cup of coffee just to go get another one together? 

“Wow, you're really clumsy,” Seungkwan joked. 

“Yeah, I get really distracted when a cute boy is talking to me. So? Coffee?” 

“The Grind okay? I get employee discount.”

“Sounds good. Although they might think I’m an addict seeing as I was just there.”

They started walking together at a slow place.

“Were you really?” Seungkwan asked. “Because this is the second time you’ve told met that you go there, but I’ve never seen you.”

“Are you kidding me? I’ve increased my caffeine intake by so much since I talked to you after the musical, but you’re never there.”

“I guess we just keep missing each other.”

“Yeah, I guess so. We’d better exchange contacts so we can co-ordinate better. I felt so stupid after I forgot to ask at the party.”

“Was your friend okay by the way?”

“Yeah, she’s alright now. Thanks for asking. Did you have a nice summer?”

“Yeah...overall it was good. You?”

“Yeah, same. Went on vacation with my family and worked at a hardware store. Nothing too fancy.”

When they got to the coffeehouse Seungkwan ordered for the both of them (while trying to ignore the smirk his co-worker Mingi was giving him).

“Here or to go?” Mingi asked and Seungkwan looked at Bin.

“Can we make it to go this time? I have to get to class soon.”

“Oh,” Seungkwan said and he felt his body deflate.

“Really! I do!”

Seungkwan chuckled as he took the coffees and handed one to Bin. “I believe you.”

Bin took a sip from his drink and held the door open for Seungkwan. “Good. Listen, how about we grab a bite to eat later? Get to know each other a bit better.”

“Today?”

“Is that a problem?”

“No! No, it’s not a problem. It’s just—” I won’t have any time to prepare . “Today is good. Later.”

“Great. It’s a date. Do you know that big tree near the south entrance? Let’s meet there around seven?”

“Today at seven at the south exit tree. Got it.”

“Great. I’m already looking forward to it.”

Notes:

-lol why are they both so awkward (I mean...same)
-I wrote that scene where Bin throws his coffee away MONTHS ago, lol (idk...I thought it was cute? But if a guy did that in real life I'd probably think they're an idiot LOL)
edit: there was no Seungkwan x Moon Bin tag??? talk about an underrated ship

Chapter 102: C2-2 Dine & Dash

Summary:

Seungkwan is getting ready for his first date with Bin. He is definitely nervous, but he can't wait to learn more about this man.

Notes:

Aaaah it took me way longer to write this! Two reasons: my BRAND NEW laptop died after 3 days and I was stressed af; my brain craves angst and this is a non-angst chapter lol

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“You look fine. Just go already. You don’t want to be late,” Mingyu said looking at his best friend checking himself out in the mirror for the millionth time.

“But—” Seungkwan protested. After his last class he had gone straight to his room to worry about what he was supposed to wear for his impromptu date with Bin.

“You’re just going to have dinner with him, right? You’ll be fine.”

“It’s hard to take word from a guy who has been planning his outfit for three days.”

“That’s different! You’ve seen Minghao. He’s always so fashionable. I can’t just show up in any old outfit.”

“Are you saying that I can?”

“You know that’s not what I meant. Now go! Let me know if you’re not coming home tonight so I don’t worry.”

“I’m only going to dinner with him.”

“Just let me know, okay?”

***

“So, a physical therapist? How was your first year?” Seungkwan asked and he took another bite of his food as he stared at the man sitting across from him. Bin had brought him to a small restaurant that didn’t feel crowded even though all the seats were filled. Seungkwan had just finished telling him about how he wanted to become a kindergarten teacher and was now asking Bin about what he was studying.

“Busy,” Bin sighed with a smile. “But really fun too. I learned a lot. I also got super lucky in the roommate department. How about you? I know some people who don’t get along with their roommates as well as I do.”

“I made my own luck on that one. My roommate is my best friend from high school. You might know him actually. He also works at The Grind. Tall, handsome, friendly, clumsy. His name is Mingyu.”

Bin started laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

“I think I know who you’re talking about and if that’s true then he’s the reason my roommate doesn’t go to the shop as often as I do.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well....at.the first years party last year he sort of hooked-up with your friend.”

Seungkwan’s eyes grew three sizes. “That’s why your roommate looked so familiar when I saw him! I remember Mingyu coming home drunk and telling me way too much about what he had done with the guy he had been making out with at that party.” He scrunched up his nose at the memory of Mingyu whispering in his ear about getting a blowjob.

Bin chuckled at the look on Seungkwan’s face. “I don’t know the details, but he’s been sort of avoiding going to your shop because he thinks it’ll be awkward. Apparently he lost his number and so never called or anything.”

“Tell him not to worry about it. I’m pretty sure Mingyu never expected a call. In fact, he never even mentioned giving out his number, so...”

“I’ll be sure to tell Dongmin that.”

“Besides, if they can’t deal with the awkwardness, maybe they shouldn’t create awkward situations like that in the first place.”

Bin chuckled at that. “Oh come on, haven’t you ever gotten a bit drunk and stupid?”

Instead of answering Seungkwan took a big sip of his drink and avoided eye contact. It only made Bin laugh more. Seungkwan liked the sound of it.

“By the way,” Bin said and changed the subject. “I’ve been thinking that I’d love to hear you sing again. Anymore musicals in your future?”

“I’m not sure. I think they do a musical every year, so perhaps. Or I’d have to get the band back together.”

“You’re in a band?”

“Well, sort of. We’ve only really performed in front of an audience two times. We won Battle of the Bands in high school though.”

“That’s so cool! I was in the dance club. And water polo. Actually joined a club here too. You should come watch us play some time.”

“Totally. I’d like that.” Admittingly, Seungkwan knew very little about water polo, but any sport that involved a lot of men in a pool couldn’t be bad. He made a mental note to ask Jihoon to come.

“So...a possible musical at the end of the year and a band that doesn’t perform. That’s not much hope to cling to.”

Seungkwan scoffed with a smile curling up the corners of his lips. “I guess we could go to karaoke,” he suggested but immediately after clicked his tongue. “Ah, I forgot it’s Friday night. It’s so expensive to go now.”

“Yeah, it’s better to go on a weekday,” his date agreed. “Even better if we go during the day. Being poor students and all that. But we don’t have to go right now. Karaoke would be a great second date. Don’t you think?”

Their eyes connected and Seungkwan felt a flutter waking up his stomach. Suddenly he lost all his nerve and nodded shyly. 

***

After dinner, dessert, one last drink, they slowly strolled back in the direction of the dorm buildings. They stopped near Seungkwan’s and stood facing each other. There might have been other students around, but Seungkwan didn’t really notice them.

“So…” he started, but wasn’t sure what to say now. All they had done was eat dinner and talk, but the time had felt like it had simultaneously stood still and had gone in supersonic speed. Like they had talked for hours in the span of five minutes. 

“So,” Bin replied.

“I, eh, had fun.”

“Me too.”

“So...good night,” Seungkwan said without making any indication that he was about to enter the building.

“Good night,” Bin said, also not moving.

“I’d better head inside.”

“Okay.” Seungkwan still didn’t move and Bin took a step closer.

“Good night,” Seungkwan repeated. He stared into Bin’s eyes. He had pretty eyes. He closed his own when the other man leaned down. Their lips pressing together softly for a few seconds was enough for Seungkwan to lose his breath and feel slightly dizzy when he opened his eyes again. He let out a small giggle that he might have felt embarrassed about if the other man hadn’t just made a similar sound himself.

“Do you...let’s go to karaoke together soon? If you have time.”

“Is Monday too soon?” Bin asked with a smile.

“Not too soon for me,” Seungkwan smiled back before he remembered how busy his Monday schedule was and he groaned. “Actually, I have morning classes and I already have a paper that needs to be done next week and—”

“Why don’t you just tell me when you have time and we’ll work something out.”

Seungkwan nodded. “Okay.” He hesitated a moment before he got on his tiptoes and pressed another kiss on Bin’s lips. “Bye,” he mumbled and dashed inside.

Notes:

-Bin playing water polo...this has potential for many situations
-they didn't actually dine and dash, but they did dine and Seungkwan dashed lol (perhaps based on personal experience...)
-Mingyu has his museum date with Hao on Saturday
-fyi Dongmin is Cha Eunwoo from Astro. He and Mingyu are friends irl
-because I can't stay away from a little bit of drama/angst for too long someone from their high school days is going to make an appearance next chapter and has someone stressed

 

twt

Chapter 103: C2-3 Lunchtime on a Sunday

Summary:

Seungkwan and Mingyu are out to get some lunch when the latter decides to hide behind a tree. Seungkwan gets a call from Soonyoung asking for help identifying the mystery man his boyfriend is talking with.

// mentions of homophobia!

Notes:

idk what this summary is, lol. I guess this chapter isn't super relevant to the overall story?? (or at least not Seungkwan's story), but I wanted to include this so...

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

It was the Sunday after Seungkwan’s date with Bin. Mingyu just had his museum date with Minghao the day before. The weather was nice and they had decided to take a walk and pick up some food for lunch together. Seungkwan was just saying how he wasn’t in the mood for anything spicy when Mingyu suddenly grabbed him and pulled him behind a tree.

“Mingyu, what the f—”

“Shh!” Mingyu hissed. He cautiously peeked around the trunk of the tree. When Seungkwan tried to do the same he ducked down and dragged him down.

“Kim Mingyu, I swear to any and all gods if you don’t let me go and tell me what’s going on right now I will—”

“It’s Minghao,” Mingyu whispered.

“So? What about him?”

“He’s right there.”

“And? Didn’t you say you had a good time at the museum together?”

“Did you forget the part where I told you the end of the date?”

“That you didn’t kiss? So?”

“We haven’t communicated at all since last night. I don’t think he liked the date as much as I did…”

“You’re getting way into your head. Come on, let’s just say hello.”

“But what will I say?”

Seungkwan sighed loudly, “You’re giving me high school flashbacks, do you know that?” He jumped up and got out from behind the tree. He spotted Minghao walking a few meters away. “Minghao!” he yelled out and walked over.

Startled by the sudden sound of his name the other man turned around. He smiled when he saw who it was. “Hey, Seungkwan. What’s up?”

“Not much. Me and Mingyu ,” he said emphasizing his best friend’s name so he’d feel compelled to reveal himself, “were just out to grab some lunch. How about you?”

“Oh, I’m just going to go to the art supply store to buy a few things.” Minghao looked at Mingyu with a soft smile. “After our date yesterday I suddenly felt like painting.”

“Wonderful,” Seungkwan said and he placed a hand on the small of Mingyu’s back so he could nudge him forward. “Mingyu, haven’t you been saying that you want to try drawing more? You should go with him so you can pick up a sketch book or something.”

“I, eh, wouldn’t want to impose.”

“I’d like the company, actually,” Minghao replied and looked at Mingyu with such soft eyes that Seungkwan doubted he hadn’t enjoyed their date.

“But what about lunch—” Mingyu started but let out a yelp when Seungkwan roughly pushed him in Minghao’s direction. 

“Don’t worry about that. I don’t feel like eating with you anyway. I’ll see you later.”

Without further protest Mingyu went with Minghao and Seungkwan watched them talk as they walked away. He sighed. He didn’t actually want to have lunch by himself. He contemplated contacting Bin, but they had already agreed to meet on Wednesday and he didn’t want to come across as pushy. He figured he could try one of his other friends. And as if it was fate his screen lit up with Soonyoung’s ID. He answered. “Hey.”

“Yeah , that’s nice, Seungkwan. Can you come over here please?”

“Ehm, what’s going on? Are you okay? And where is here exactly?”

“I’m outside the coffeehouse. I wanted to surprise Minnie by coming over and wanted to pick up some of those cookies I know he likes that you guys have, but when I got here I saw him sitting outside on a bench. With another man. I don’t know this man.”

“Why don’t you just go up to them? It’s probably just a classmate or something.”

“They don’t have a classmate vibe. They look all serious and I just—The reason I’m not going up there is because I don’t want to be all jealous boyfriend.”

"Well you're doing an excellent job of that right now."

“Kwannie, please. Wait I’ll send you a pic.”

A few frustrated grunts later the call got disconnected. Seungkwan knew Soonyoung often had trouble figuring out electronics and he already started walking in the direction of The Grind. He sent his friend a message telling him to calm down and wait there. He found Soonyoung squatting behind a tree not unlike Mingyu had done earlier and Seungkwan wondered why everybody was acting crazy today.

“Thank you for coming. Now can you please look over there and tell me that I’m making things up in my head.” He pointed over to where Seokmin was engaged in a conversation with someone Seungkwan recognized immediately. 

“That’s weird. Why is Jaehyun here?” he wondered out loud.

"Jaehyun!?” Soonyoung exclaimed. “Jaehyun as in his first boyfriend Jaehyun!? The one he lost his virginity to Jaehyun!?"

“Eh…” Seungkwan stammered and squatted down next to his freaked out friend. He watched Seokmin’s face as he talked to his ex.“This certainly brings back memories from when me and Mingyu semi-stalked them on their first date,” he said without thinking and Soonyoung groaned. “Ah...sorry. That’s not a story you’d want to hear.”

“Why would he meet with him and not tell me?” Soonyoung cried. He hugged the tree.

“I’m sure there’s a perfectly fine explanation. Do you really think he’d take him here if he wanted to keep it a secret? They’re out in the open just ta—”

As he said it they watched Seokmin reach out and place his hand on top of Jaehyun’s. Soonyoung stood up. “That’s it. I’m going over there. Come with me.”

Somewhat reluctantly Seungkwan followed. Seokmin spotted them before they reached them. He looked surprised, but not in a way that suggested he felt like he was caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to.

“Hey, what are you guys doing here?” he asked.

“Well, I was planning to surprise you by coming over.”

“That’s so sweet. Oh, this is—”

“Your ex-boyfriend Jaehyun. Yeah, I know. Seungkwan told me.” Soonyoung puffed out his chest while Seungkwan greeted his old teammate with an awkward smile and nod of the head.

“Okay...Ehm, so...can you give us a minute?”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m happy to see you, but we’re kind of—”

“Kind of what? You’re asking me to leave so you can hold hands with your ex some more?”

“What? We weren’t holding hands.” 

“I saw you. Just now. You were holding his hand.”

“I’m sorry,” Jaehyun interrupted. “I don’t know what you think you saw but we weren’t holding hands. I’m just here because I needed to tell him something and that was hard for me. He was just comforting me. That’s all. Really.”

“What did you have to tell him?”

“Soon...That’s private,” Seokmin said looking between the two men.

“Min— Seokmin, it’s okay. You can tell them. I’ll leave. I’ve said all I wanted to say anyway. Thank you for meeting me today.”

“Jae, you don’t have to—” Seokmin tried, but his ex had already gotten up.

Jaehyun looked at Soonyoung like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. He turned to Seungkwan instead. “Seungkwan, nice to see you. Maybe I’ll see you at a high school reunion or something one day.”

“Eh, yeah…” Seungkwan replied, not sure if it was actually nice to see him (and the idea of a high school reunion wasn’t exactly great either). He had liked Jaehyun up to the point where he dumped one of his best friends out of the blue and seeing him here now was weird.

Seungkwan sat down next to Seokmin, but Soonyoung remained standing. His arms crossed and his expression a kind of angrer mixed with insecurity.

“So…” Seungkwan said seeing as Soonyoung didn’t say anything. “What did he want?”

“He suddenly contacted me a few days ago asking if I had time to talk with him. He was kind of vague, said it had something to do with high school. It sounded like he really needed to talk so I agreed to meet him here.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? That you were going to meet with him?” Soonyoung asked before Soekmin could continue.

“I—” Seokmin cast his eyes down, “I’m sorry. I didn’t think it was a big deal. It’s not like I still have feelings for him or anything. I also told him beforehand that I have a boyfriend. I was just meeting him as a...as a friend.”

“So what did he want?” Seungkwan repeated. “It didn’t look like a happy conversation to be honest.”

Seokmin let out a deep sigh. “It wasn’t. He wanted to apologize for the way he broke up with me and explain why it was so sudden. I don’t know if we ever told you about Taesung?” he asked in the direction of his boyfriend. “He was a homophobic bully and one time Mingyu got in a fight with him because he said some mean stuff about Seungkwan and he got kicked off the basketball team. Jaehyun took over as captain and apparently he took it worse than we thought.”

“What do you mean?” Seungkwan asked.

“Remember when we all went to the amusement park and ran into him? Me and Jae were sharing a scarf and after that run in with Taesung he didn’t want to wear it anymore... and...apparently after that day he started harassing him over text.”

“Harassing how?”

“Sending him horrible messages about how he had become a fag from hanging around us and—” Seokmin stopped. He had almost cried before when Jaehyun had told him. “And how he had to make sure to clean the shit of his dick after fucking me...and how maybe he would try beating some sense into him…”

Seungkwan pressed a hand to his mouth in shock. He had always known Taesung was horrible, but he had no idea that Jaehyun had been one of his victims. Soonyoung finally sat down and placed a comforting hand on Seokmin’s thigh.

“Anyway,” Seokmin said and inhaled a breath through his nose, “The reason Jaehyun told me this today was because he broke up with me soon after that and at the time he thought he was just doing what was best, but he-he said mean things to me too and that he said those things because he wasn’t strong enough to stand up for who he was and he felt frustrated and scared. He said he’s been doing a lot of self-reflecting lately and he felt like he needed to...I don’t know, clear his mind from that part of his life or something.”

“How are you feeling?” Seungkwan asked. He felt bad for Jaehyun, but what he really cared about was his friend. He had been heartbroken when Jaehyun broke up with him so suddenly.

“I don’t know. I feel really bad for him and that he had to go through that...but man...I wish he would have told me then instead of breaking up with me. But I guess he would have broken up with me eventually anyway. I don’t think he really loved me to be honest. At least not in the way a certain someone does,” he said and placed his hand on Soonyoung’s. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was meeting him. I guess I wanted to find out what exactly he wanted first…”

“I’m sorry too. Maybe I overreacted a little. I know you wouldn’t cheat on me or anything.”

Seokmin furrowed his brows together in confusion, “What? Of course I wouldn’t.”

Soonyoung smiled and pressed a kiss on Seokmin’s cheek, “Are you really okay?”

“Yeah.” He leaned his head down on Soonyoung’s shoulder. “You said something about cookies?” 

“So I guess you guys want to spend some time alone now…” Seungkwan said, a pout evident on his lips.

“Well…” Seokmin sat back up and eyed his boyfriend in a way that told Seungkwan that they did.

“It’s fine. It’s not like we had plans together anyway. I’ll see if Jihoon has time for lunch.”

“He’s not here,” Seokmin said. “I think he has a new boyfriend or something.”

Seungkwan chewed on his bottom lip and wondered if he was with Seungcheol right now. He had refrained from asking Jihoon about what he and Mingyu had overheard at the beach, but he was so curious that he almost exploded everytime he saw Jihoon. But now what was he going to do for lunch. Mingyu was with Minghao, Seokmin and Soonyoung were going to hang out alone, and Jihoon wasn’t on campus. If he didn’t have homework to finish he’d call one of his friends that lived a bit further away. His phone buzzed. He checked the message and couldn’t help but to smile.

"What are you grinning at?" Soonyoung asked.

"Hm? Oh, nothing. Just got a message from someone."

"Someone? Who is this someone who has you smiling like that." Seokmin said, interested piqued.

“His name is Bin. I first met him at the musical afterparty, but we forgot to exchange contacts then. I saw him again last Friday and we went on a dinner date.”

“Oohh,” Soonyoung said with glee in his voice. “Maybe he has time for lunch,” he said wiggling his eyebrows in Seungkwan’s direction.

“I don’t think so...he just sent me a picture of the instant noodles he’s eating while studying.”

“Why?”

Seungkwan shrugged. “Sharing is caring? I don’t know, but…” A smile crept onto his face. “He said it doesn’t taste as good as the food Friday night but maybe that it had something to do with the company he was in.”

“Oooh,” Soonyoung said again. “He’s a flirty one, isn’t he? Smooth. I already like him.”

“Yeah,” Seungkwan giggled. “Me too.”

Notes:

-we have learned that Mingyu and Minghao had fun, but didn't kiss and Mingyu is confused as to why not (maybe he just needs to chill). We still have things to learn about Minghao
-Seungkwan being a good wingman
-idk if I think Seokmin should have told Soonyoung that he was meeting his ex...even if nothing was going on
-I kind of feel bad for the way Jaehyun left, but at the same time Seokmin honestly doesn't owe him anything

Chapter 104: C2-4 Bin's Room

Summary:

Seungkwan and Mingyu attempt to study at the library, but both of them find themselves distracted by other things. Seungkwan goes up to Bin's room for the first time.

Notes:

Ahh I feel like my updates are slower...it's because I got a new computer I think lol (and I've just been playing games). Also had a bit of a block...(silly because I already know what's going to happen)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan had abandoned his room in favor of the library to be able to focus better on his assignment, but he constantly found himself distracted by his phone. Of course, he should just put it away and ignore it, but the little bolt of excitement that went through his system with every message from Bin proved to be a temptation that was too hard to resist. One comfort was knowing that Mingyu, who was sitting next to him, wasn’t faring any better.

“Do you think it’s too soon for me to ask Minghao to be my boyfriend?” he asked in a hushed voice. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be researching something instead of worrying about that?”

“Says the guy who hasn’t been able to keep his eyes off his phone for more than ten minutes since we got here.”

“I—” Seungkwan sputtered, but he was without defense. “I don’t know if it’s too soon. If it feels right, why not? Unless you still think he might just want to be friends?”

Mingyu put his pen down and leaned back into his chair. “I don’t think so. I mean, we still haven’t kissed, but it’s not like we could start making out in the middle of the art supply store, you know.”

“When are you seeing him again?”

Mingyu shrugged. “Not sure. Hopefully in the weekend,” he said. He watched Seungkwan pick up his phone again and smiling. “How about you? You’re constantly texting him and when you came back yesterday you were all giddy.”

Seungkwan’s smile disappeared and he pouted angrily. “So?” It was true that in the course of not even a week he and Bin had already been on two dates and were sending each other messages about everything and nothing throughout the day. Their second date at the karaoke box yesterday had been even better than the one before. Seungkwan had felt more relaxed and with the privacy of the room their second kiss had been more intense than the soft k-drama like kiss that had been their first.

“I wasn’t saying it’s a bad thing. I’m just saying you really seem to like him. That’s all.”

Seungkwan unlocked his phone again. He had sent Bin a message about how done he was with studying for the day and the reply just came. “So, eh...He just invited me to watch a movie in his room.”

“Ooh,” Mingyu wiggled his eyebrows. 

“A movie ,” Seungkwan said. “Do you mind? I know I promised we’d study together…”

“Nah, it’s fine. I wasn’t getting anything done anyway. You go get some.”

“I—” Seungkwan started, but he wasn’t sure what to say. It wasn’t a totally inconceivable thought that he’d end up doing more with Bin tonight than just kissing and watching movies. “I’ll see you later.”

* * *

It was Seungkwan’s first time being in Bin’s room. He looked around and concluded he was a fairly neat guy. His roommate wasn’t there. They sat on the bed together, backs against the wall and little space between them. At first he was genuinely just watching the movie, but when he started to notice that Bin had slowly gotten even closer Seungkwan lost a bit of interest in the screen and was more keen to find out just how close he was planning on getting.

He looked to the side and their eyes met. “Do you like the movie so far?” Bin asked.

“It’s alright,” Seungkwan replied, but he didn’t avert his eyes.

Bin smiled and reached out to gently cup Seungkwan’s face before he closed the distance between them and kissed his lips. Without breaking the connection he sat up and moved his position in such a way that he was blocking the screen. Not that Seungkwan had any leftover interest in it anyway. 

He felt Bin’s hand trying to find his and he tangled their fingers together. When he pulled away Seungkwan found himself trying to chase his lips. He let out a soft sigh.

“I really like you, Seungkwan,” Bin said. He sat back on his legs. They were still holding hands. 

“I really like you too,” Seungkwan replied.

“I’d also really like you to be my boyfriend.”

Seungkwan had thought about it. Especially after Mingyu’s question about Minghao before. He hadn’t been sure about how to bring up the subject with Bin though and he had some doubts if he was even really ready to be someone’s boyfriend again. But he knew the moment Bin said it. His face broke out in a smile. “I’d like me to be your boyfriend too.”

The other man’s eyes took the shape of crescents as he smiled even wider than Seungkwan was and he leaned back in but stopped a few centimeters away from his face. “Really?”

Seungkwan nodded and untangled their fingers so he could reach up and pull him in for another kiss. He felt like he could kiss him for hours, but his head felt groggy with the overwhelming feeling of it at the same time. To get more comfortable he got on his back, allowing Bin more freedom to explore new parts of him. Seungkwan did the same. He felt his arms and enjoyed the firm yet soft feel of them. Bin’s hands weren’t the softest, but he was gentle enough when slipping a hand under Seungkwan’s shirt and running it over his chest. But when his hand started going further down Seungkwan stopped him.

Bin removed his hand from the area and instead caressed his cheek. “Sorry,” he whispered. “Am I going too fast?”

“S-sorry,” Seungkwan mumbled back. “I just don’t think I’m ready for us to…”

“Have sex?” Bin finished for him and Seungkwan nodded.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. That’s fine. Is it still okay for me to continue kissing you?”

“More than okay,” Seungkwan replied and eagerly welcomed his mouth back. For now this was enough and he didn’t want to think about the rest just yet.

Notes:

-MoonKwan official :o
-Hmm Seungkwan said he wasn't going to sleep with someone unless they were his boyfriend, but he doesn't want to right away. We'll hear more about that later...also about Mingyu and Hao's relationship status
-some spoiler free (I think) things that will happen in the upcoming few chapters: the band plays at a Halloween party in the bar Soonyoung works at; Jeonghan and Jisoo finally have a housewarming party (which doubles as a Christmas party), a new couple is revealed

Chapter 105: C2-5 Sexy Problems

Summary:

Seungkwan faces the real reason why he hasn't slept with his new boyfriend yet. Mingyu learns something new about Minghao.

Notes:

ignore the title, it was what I wrote down while writing this chap and I couldn't think of anything else, lol. I've been working on the next 3 chapters or so but it has resulted in a lot of half-finished chapters for now...

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“You know when you said you’d like to watch me perform in the band?” Seungkwan asked his boyfriend as they walked up to his room.

“Yeah,” Bin replied and he opened the door, closing it again after they were inside.

“It got me thinking. Maybe I really will try to see if the guys are up for a band reunion. Soonyoung’s bar has an open mic night thing sometimes. Maybe we’ll go for less rock and more ballad this time. Maybe if Jihoon writes a more emotional song he’ll finally sort out his feelings for Seungcheol.”

“I have no idea who all these people you just mentioned are, but please do tell me more.” He stood still in the middle of the room and pulled Seungkwan closer. His hands on his hips. “I love the way you talk about all your friends.” He leaned in to kiss him.

Seungkwan hummed against his lips and pulled away to continue talking. “Do you want to have dinner with some of them tomorrow? It’s kind of weird how you haven’t even met most of my friends yet. It’ll just be super casual over at Seokmin and Jihoon’s room. Mingyu will of course come too. And—” He was cut off by another kiss.

“I’d like that,” Bin answered between kisses and he slowly walked them over to his bed.

Seungkwan turned them around and made Bin sit down on the bed. He climbed into his lap and draped his arms loosely around his shoulders. He looked into his eyes, feeling hands making their way up his back. He leaned down for more kisses. He thought he really liked Bin’s lips. They were quite soft. Bin’s hands, in the meantime, travelled down and landed on Seungkwan’s round behind where they stayed put. With a soft smacking sound their lips disconnected.

“Do you want to watch a movie or something? Or some random music stuff on Youtube?” Bin asked, earning a little pout from the man on top of him.

“You don’t want to make out?” Seungkwan asked.

Bin exhaled slowly and moved his hands to hold onto the sides of Seungkwan’s thighs. “It’s not that...It’s just— Well...I don’t want to make you feel pressured and I’m totally fine with us not having sex yet, but can you understand that sometimes it’s a bit hard for me? No pun intended.”

Seungkwan slumped down and sucked in his bottom lip with his eyes averted. 

“Honey, look at me.” Bin reached up to gently place his hands on Seungkwan’s arms still on his shoulders. “Look at me. I will wait for as long as you want, okay? Sometimes I just need a time-out so I don't get too...excited.”

"Right…" Seungkwan said with a soft voice. He climbed off Bin’s lap and sat on the edge of the bed. He didn’t want to feel sorry for not being ready yet, but it still took a few music videos to make the tight air in his lungs to be released. 

Later that night, when he got back to his room, he slumped down next to Mingyu who was doing something on his laptop on top of his bed. He sighed loudly to get his attention.

“Something wrong?” Mingyu asked without looking up.

 “Yeah, me. Why can't I just have sex with him? I like him so much and he likes me. Kissing him is great, but whenever I feel like it’s leading to more I just...” He sighed again."He says he's totally fine with waiting, but today he stopped us making out because he'd get 'too excited' otherwise. So I know he'd rather be having sex."

"Well, yeah. That makes sense, doesn’t it? Just because he's okay with waiting doesn't mean he suddenly lost his sexdrive."

It went quiet. Seungkwan was staring at his hands and Mingyu wasn't sure what else to tell him. Honestly, he was a bit preoccupied with his own relationship right now. 

Seungkwan scooted closer and put his head on Mingyu’s shoulder. “What are you doing?”

“Research. Do you know what demisexual is?” 

“Eh, no. What is it and why do you ask?”

“Hao told me today that he’s demisexual. It’s not a secret or anything, but he hadn’t told me before. He explained to me what it means, mostly. I’ve been reading more about it on the Internet.”

“So what does it mean?” Seungkwan looked at the screen and saw the amount of tabs Mingyu had open on the subject.

“Apparently there are people who don’t feel any sexual attraction to another person unless they have an emotional bond with them first.”

“Oh. So, like, they see someone and at first they don’t find them attractive and then later they suddenly do?”

“Well, sort of. I wouldn’t say ‘suddenly’. As far as I understand it the amount of time it takes for them to develop sexual attraction really depends on each person. So I guess there’s no real telling at first. But I don’t want to do anything to make Hao feel uncomfortable, so I’ve been reading up on it more.” 

Seungkwan hummed in understanding. Mingyu seemed to be putting more effort into this than he did his studies. 

“Oh! And!” Mingyu said excitedly. “The reason he brought it up in the first place was that we did kiss! And I asked him to be my boyfriend and then he told me. We just cuddled after that. He smells nice and he’s tiny in my arms.” He ended with a giggle and he placed his head on top of Seungkwan’s still on his shoulder for a moment.

“That’s great,” Seungkwan said. “I don’t mean to be insensitive here, but are you okay with it? You always move pretty fast…” Seungkwan didn’t question the fact that his best friend was a good guy, but he didn’t exactly know him to take things slow.

“Minghao asked me that too. He said he’d understand if I just wanted to be friends. But I don’t. I can wait if it’s with the right person, you know.”

“And he’s the right person?”

Mingyu thought for a moment and then nodded. “I can’t look into the future, but I know I want to know him on all sorts of levels and if the physical level is going to have to wait a while then so be it. Besides, like I said, it varies from person to person and I think it would be a dumb reason to not even try.”

“You should ask him to dinner tomorrow night. I invited Bin.”

“Yeah, okay. Do you want to talk more about Bin, by the way? About the not having sex?”

Seungkwan poked at the row of stitches on the side of Mingyu’s jeans and shrugged silently. He stared at the screen of Mingyu’s laptop with unfocused eyes and chewed on his bottom lip until he finally said out loud what he had already known inside. “I’m worried I’ll think about Hansol...If I have sex with Bin.”

Mingyu glanced sideways and closed his laptop. “Oh…” he said.

“The first time I had sex after we broke up I couldn’t stop thinking about him...I don’t want that to happen with Bin. I really like him a lot and it’s not fair to him.”

“You want to know what I think?”

Seungkwan nodded with his head still on Mingyu’s comforting shoulder.

“I think you’re thinking way too much about this. Is there a chance that Hansol will pop up in your head randomly at some point? Sure. But that’s different from actively picturing him while having sex with someone else, don’t you think? If you like Bin and you want to have sex with him then you shouldn’t let something like that stop you. I know Hansol was on your mind with that first guy, but what about when you slept with Hyunggu? You didn’t think about Hansol that time, did you?”

“No,” Seungkwan mumbled. He still felt awkward talking with Mingyu about that encounter. “That was a very spur of the moment kind of thing. I mean, so was that other guy I guess, but it was different somehow.”

"Or maybe enough time had passed by then. It's been close to a year since you broke up now, you know."

"Yeah, I know...but...when I saw him over the summer…" He groaned and sat up to angrily grab Mingyu's pillow and hold it close to his chest. "I lied that time…” he continued talking with a smaller voice. “I said he didn't come to my house after the coffeehouse, but he did…"

Mingyu sat up straighter. "He did? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because…" Seungkwan hugged the pillow even tighter. "I was embarrassed."

"Why? He's the one who—"

"I kissed him...or he kissed me. I don't know really. He was still wearing the bracelet I had gotten him and it made me so angry. So I told him to take it off, but he refused. He said it still meant something. I felt angry and confused and when I got closer to him it-it happened. Only for a moment and I pushed him away and told him to leave. After that he sent me a message and then I blocked his number...He hasn't tried to contact me in any way after that…"

"Damn…"

“Yeah…” Seungkwan relaxed his hold on the pillow, no longer squeezing the life out of it if it had any. “That’s why I’m worried. I’m so weak when it comes to him.”

Mingyu wanted to ask if Seungkwan secretly wanted Hansol to try and contact him or if he had ever considered the possibility of getting back together with him, but Seungkwan probably didn’t want to talk about that even if he had. "But you did tell him to leave and you blocked him. You’re stronger than you think, Kwan. As for your thing with Bin, you could always start off with just oral or something."

"..."

"What? I'm just saying. Or a good ol’ handjob."

Seungkwan stared at Mingyu with a blank expression. “Do you ever think we share too much information with each other?”

Mingyu smiled and ruffled Seungkwan’s hair. “Never.”

Notes:

-when I first wrote this part about Mingming (I know that's not the Mingyu x Minghao shipname, but...why not?) it was just Hao wanting to take things slow, but I've been reading a lot about demisexuality lately (suspecting I might be one, but who knows lol) and I felt it fit his character. I almost never see it in fic
-Seungkwan is probably only overthinking this because he does really like Bin

Chapter 106: C2-6 The Power of Abs

Summary:

Seungkwan continues to figure out his relationship with Bin. Also, abs.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Over the last week both Seungkwan and Bin had been quite busy with schoolwork and they hadn't seen much of each other. This was why Seungkwan was happy they had found a moment to go out on an actual date. Sure, it was an early movie screening squeezed between Seungkwan's morning class and Bin's one late in the afternoon, but a date was a date.

Seungkwan knocked on his boyfriend's door and opened the door. "Hey. Are you ready to go?"

"Almost," Bin answered. "Come in if you want. I just got to change my shirt real quick. I’ve been sleeping in this one."

Seungkwan was still standing in the doorway when Bin pulled the shirt he was wearing over his head. He tossed it to the side on a pile of presumably dirty clothes. 

Seungkwan couldn't help but let his eyes bounce up and down to take in the sight before him. He felt his heartbeat rising and his cheeks color pink.

Seemingly unaware of the way the other man was staring at him, Bin put on a clean shirt and grabbed his phone and wallet from his desk, putting them in the backpocket of his jeans. "There," he said as he turned around again to face the door. "All ready to go." He smiled, but got no response. "Are you okay, honey?"

“You, eh, have abs," was Seungkwan's muttered reply.

“Eh, yeah, I guess so," Bin said and he stared down at his now clothed stomach as if this was news to him. 

“I don't really have abs...” Seungkwan mumbled. He thought of himself as being in good shape, but he wasn't very muscular. Not like what he had just seen. 

Bin shrugged. “Whatever. Some people have abs, some people don't. It's all good.” He grabbed Seungkwan's hand and walked them out the door. “Come on, we’ve got to get going if we want to catch the movie.” 

Seungkwan followed silently with the image of his boyfriend's naked torso still fresh on his cornea.

***

It was always nice to have the closing shift at The Grind together with Mingyu. Not in the last place because he was excellent at cleaning and didn’t seem to mind doing it. Seungkwan wiped down the tables while Mingyu cleaned the floor.

“So, my boyfriend has a gorgeous body,” he said with a sigh. “With abs and everything.”

Mingyu leaned his hand on the end of the mop handle. “So you guys finally had sex?” he asked curiously.

Seungkwan shook his head. “No. He just changed his shirt in front of me. I was coming to pick him up and suddenly BAM, abs.” 

Mingyu chuckled and continued mopping, “Is that a problem?” 

“Well no, but, damn...” 

“But you still don't want to have sex with him?” 

“I told you, it's not that I don't want to have sex with him.” 

“Then just do it, Kwan!” 

Seungkwan got behind the counter and wiped it clean. “How can I have sex with him now without it looking like I'm just in it for the abs.” 

“You’re not though, right?”

“Of course not!”

“Then it doesn’t matter. I’m sure he won’t think of it like that anyway.”

***

Are you in your room? Seungkwan texted his boyfriend. He hadn’t tried to go over there last night because he knew Bin had a paper to finish and he didn’t want to be responsible for his academic demise. The idea of sleeping with him hadn’t left his mind, however. He had gone over to his dorm, but had gotten a bit nervous on the way over. He was already standing outside his door. When Bin replied that he was indeed in his room he knocked and immediately felt silly for not just knocking in the first place. 

The door opened and Bin looked at him with an amused expression. “That was fast,” he joked. “Me and Dongmin are just playing this new game he got.”

Seungkwan looked into the room and saw Bin’s roommate with a controller in his hand. He held up his hand in greeting. “Oh...sorry. I shouldn’t have just come over.”

“Well, you did text first,” Bin chuckled. “Are you just going to stand there? Come in. We can play together.”

Seungkwan didn’t have a lot of interest in video games, but he had even less interest in telling Bin the real reason he had come here. So he nodded and joined the two men in front of the screen. He found that, now that he had decided he was ready for more, everything his boyfriend did distracted him. He was restless in his seat and every time there was even the littlest of bodily contact between them he twitched. After about an hour and a half he couldn’t take it anymore and he stood up. He let out a (very fake) yawn and stretched his arms. “I’m beat. I think I’ll call it a night.”

“Really? It’s still pretty early.”

“Yeah, no, I know, but I’m just really tired.”

Bin put down his controller and stood up as well. “Alright. I’ll walk you home.”

“You don’t have to. Just stay and play your game.”

“I want to.” 

And so they started walking.   

“Sorry all we did was play games,” Bin said.

“Oh no, not at all. I totally invaded anyway.”

“But you didn’t have fun, did you?”

Seungkwan wasn’t sure what to say to that.

“Seungkwan...It’s okay to just tell me you’re not having fun or that you want to leave to go and do something else. You don’t have to make up an excuse.”

“Sorry,” Seungkwan mumbled.

“You don’t have to apologize, but I’d like it if we can be honest with each other about how we’re feeling.”

Seungkwan took Bin’s hand and halted his step. He looked him in the eyes. “It’s not that I necessarily dislike games. But I kind of came over for something else.” 

“Oh? What?”

“I wanted to see if maybe you wanted...to do something.”

Bin chuckled, “You’re being so vague. What did you come over for?”

“I thought maybe we could...you know...have sex.”

Bin’s mouth fell open into a small o and he stared at Seungkwan in disbelief. “What!? Why didn’t you tell me that before? Like, when you got to my room? Did you change your mind?”

“No...but your roommate was there and you already had plans to spend time with him and—”

“And you thought that playing video games with Dongmin, something I can do basically whenever, is something I’d enjoy more than having sex with you?”

“But he’d still be there so we wouldn’t have been able to anyway.”

“I would have kicked him out! I have no problem sexiling him. He’s done it to me too.”

“Oh.” Seungkwan took a moment to gather the last bit of courage he needed and then pulled Bin closer to whisper in his ear, “Do you think he’ll be upset if you sexile him right now?”

Bin smiled widely. “I think he’ll be alright.”

With their fingers entwined (and Bin one-handedly texting his roommate to vacate the area) they made the short journey back to Bin’s room. It was already empty by the time they arrived. In little to no time Seungkwan found himself pressed up against the inside of the door. He inhaled sharply when Bin kissed him with fire. They walked over to the bed, losing a few items of clothing on the way.    

Bin softly pressed a kiss on the skin of Seungkwan’s neck and caressed his chest. "What do you like?" he asked in a whisper.

"What do you mean?" Seungkwan asked.

Bin pushed a lock of hair away from Seungkwan’s forehead and smiled, "I mean, what do you like? Sexually."

"W-why?"

"Because we're about to have sex and I want to make you feel good."

"Oh…" Seungkwan couldn’t remember ever directly having been asked this question and quite honestly wasn’t sure how to answer that. Suddenly he felt like he didn’t know all that much about sex.

Bin chuckled and placed a soft kiss on his boyfriend's lips. "You're too cute. I could just eat you." A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Maybe that's just what I'll do. How about it?"

***

Without even thinking about Bin’s roommate Seungkwan had fallen asleep in his arms. He felt slightly awkward waking up the next morning with no shirt on and seeing Dongmin already up eating breakfast at his desk. Once he realized the other two men in the room didn’t seem to feel the same way, he was able to relax again. In fact, he hadn’t felt this chilled out in a good while.

When he got back to his own room it took about five seconds before Mingyu looked at him with a smirk and asked, "You had sex, didn't you?"

"H-how did you know!?"

"Besides the fact that you stayed over at his place? You were actually whistling just now. Combine that with the width of your smile and the way you look like something that had been bothering you has been taken care of and the conclusion is easily drawn."

"Oh it’s been taken care of alright," Seungkwan said with the intent to sound smooth, but he giggled right after.

"So you didn't just have sex, you had good sex?"

"It was so good. He’s so nice and considerate and hot. Fuck me he’s hot.” He let out a soft squeal and Mingyu looked at him, endeared. It was nice to see him so happy. “Mingyu, this is bad." A wide smile still spread on Seungkwan’s face despite his words, "I'm in free fall. I like him so much. Like...I saw him not even twenty minutes ago, but I want to call him just to hear his voice. Why am I so mushy?"

"Because you're in love, silly."

"You think?" he asked and flopped down onto Mingyu’s bed face first. “Why does your bed smell like lavender?”

“Oh, that…” Mingyu said and a wide grin spread across his face. “Hao gave me a massage last night.”

Seungkwan propped his head up and raised an eyebrow. “Is that a euphemism for sex?”

“No, he gave me an actual massage. Although I have to admit I was a bit worried I wasn’t going to be able to, you know, not get aroused. With him rubbing stuff all over my naked body and all that. But instead of it being sexual in any way he just made me feel super comfortable and it was amazingly relaxing.”

“Sounds nice. Does he need more people to practice on?”

Mingyu scrunched up his nose, “You want my boyfriend to give you a massage?”

“You just said it wasn’t anything sexual.”

“I know, but—Well, I suppose if he’s okay with it.”

“Wouldn’t it be problematic if he wasn’t? Seeing how he’s going to be a physiotherapist.”

“Yeah, I suppose. I’ll ask him for you.”

Seungkwan pushed himself back up and moved over to his desk chair. “I can ask him myself. I talked to him before you ever did, you know. By the way, he’s going to the Halloween party at Soonyoung’s bar too, right?”

“Yeah. Actually he wants me to meet his best friend. He’s a student at the same college as Soon and the others.”

“That’s nice.”

“From what Hao’s told me he’s a really interesting guy. I hope he likes me...a best friend who doesn’t like the boyfriend isn’t good news for the boyfriend.”

“True,” Seungkwan agreed. “But I’m sure he’ll like you. If not, I’ll have to fight him. Best friend to best friend.”

“Thanks,” Mingyu laughed.  

“Speaking of friends, do you think our friends will all like our new boyfriends?”

“If they don’t I’ll consider getting new friends. Besides, they’ve already met Seok and Hoon and that went fine.”

Seungkwan nodded and stood up again. He felt giddy every time last night played again in his head and he had too much energy running through his body. “Let’s go do something! You’re free now, right?”

“Like what?” 

“I don’t know. Let’s eh, go running or go to karaoke! I need to prepare for the band’s performance. We don’t have a lot of time to practice all together, so I might as well get some individual practice in.”

“Are you paying?”

Seungkwan pouted at him angrily, “Why am I paying?”

“Because I’m fine with not going to karaoke and I’m saving up for some new clothes. And shoes. I saw these shoes...they’re so gorgeous. I need them.”

Seungkwan rolled his eyes and sighed, “Fine. I’ll pay. Now come on!”

Notes:

-this chapter is based on real events (no, just on the fact that Moonbin has abs lol)
-next up: Halloween party! A bit of drama perhaps? But it's kind of funny?

Always feel free to DM me to ask questions (or whatever):
twt

Chapter 107: C2-7 Halloween Party

Summary:

It's time for a Halloween party and a band reunion. Introductions don't go as planned.

Notes:

Eyo~

Look, I know all of you are here for either Verkwan or Boogyu, but...I need this part of the story to happen.

(small detail reminder: Jihoon is the drummer of the band)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

It was Halloween and that meant party time over at the bar Soonyoung worked at. The band was going to play and Seungkwan was looking forward to all of them hanging out together. With half of them over at another college and Jisoo living off campus, the time spent together was limited. He was also going to introduce Bin to the friends he hadn’t met yet.

"Jun texted me a few minutes ago that they already got here by the way,” Minghao, dressed as a vampire, said right before opening the door. “They should be standing near the bar. He’s dressed as a pirate. Not sure what his boyfriend is."

"Okay," Mingyu, dressed as the other half of the royal vampire couple, said and was about to follow him through the door when he felt a tug on his jacket from behind. 

“Did he just say Jun?” Seungkwan asked him, not sure he had heard correctly.

“Yeah. That’s his best friend’s name. Why?”

“Oh, eh…” Wonwoo’s boyfriend’s name is also Jun , Seungkwan thought. But there was no way, right? It wasn’t such an uncommon name. That would be ridiculous. “No reason. Let's head in.”

Going into the bar he saw Minghao, a few steps ahead of them, walking over to whom Seungkwan, unfortunately, recognized to indeed be Jun. Wonwoo's boyfriend Jun. Their fellow high school alumnus was standing by his side and greeted Minghao with a smile that showed a sense of familiarity between them. His expression changed when he saw Mingyu and the others standing there and he started to realize what the situation was.

Minghao had a hand on Jun's back as they walked over to them. The two of them still seemingly unaware of the connection between their boyfriends.

“Mingyu, I’d like you to meet my best friend Jun and his boyfriend Wonwoo. Jun, this is my boyfriend Mingyu and his best friend Seungkwan with his boyfriend Bin.”

Jun gave Seungkwan a bit of a confused look as if he wasn't entirely sure if he was the same boy he had seen perform in a musical a few months ago. He smiled at Mingyu. "Nice to meet y—"

"Is this some kind of weird joke?" Mingyu interrupted earning a confused look from Minghao.

"No? I'm just introducing you to some of my friends. What's wrong?"

"We already know each other," Wonwoo replied. He stood half a step behind Jun and barely made eye contact with Mingyu.

"Ooh," Jun said with a drawn out breath like something clicked in his brain. "This is Mingyu?

The man in question furrowed his brows together, annoyed that Wonwoo's boyfriend knew who he was.

"He and Wonwoo used to date in high school," Jun explained to Minghao. "I had no idea that he was the same Mingyu dating you though. It's kind of funny when you think about it."

Mingyu almost let his displeasure at the situation take over his mood, but when he saw the distressed look on Hao’s face he remembered how important it was to him that he and Jun would get along. So for the sake of that he took a breath and collected himself. He was meeting his boyfriend’s best friend, not his ex’s new boyfriend. “Sorry. Yes, I’m Mingyu. Nice to meet you. Minghao has told me a lot about you.”

“And I’m Jun. He’s told me a lot about you as well. Not, of course, that you used to date my boyfriend but he didn’t seem to know.” He let out a shy chuckle. “Seems weirdly fitting in a way, don’t you think? You and Wonwoo, me and Hao. We’re like a four piece puzzle.”

“You and Hao what? How is that the same as me and Wonwoo?” Mingyu didn’t mean to sound bitchy, but he was caught off guard by the whole situation and perhaps wasn’t handling it in the best way.

“You know, you and Wonwoo used to date and so did me and Hao,” Jun replied casually. His facial expression fell completely when he saw the murderous look in his best friend’s eyes. “Y-you didn’t tell him yet that we used to date, did you?” he asked Minghao.

“No,” the other man replied through gritted teeth. “I wanted you two to meet first.” He then turned to Mingyu and took one of his hands. “I was going to tell you, I swear. It’s just that the relationship me and Jun have now is that of friends. Best friends. But nothing more than that. And I wanted you to meet him as such. Not as my ex. I don’t even think of him like that and—”

Mingyu pulled his hand away. “I’m getting a drink.”

“Gyu…” 

“I’ll go,” Seungkwan said to Minghao and followed Mingyu to the bar. He sat down to the left of him.

“Hey, guys!’ they were greeted by Soonyoung’s beaming smile from behind the bar. He was wearing a pair of tiger ears and had whiskers drawn on his cheeks. “What can I get— Is Mingyu’s costume a thundercloud or is something wrong?”

“You know Jun?” Seungkwan asked.

“Wonwoo’s Jun? Of course I do.”

“Well, eh...it turns out he used to date Mingyu’s boyfriend and now they’re best friends.”

“Wow, shit. Really?” He looked over to where the others were still standing, casting careful glances their way. “I feel like I somehow should have known that.”

“Oh yeah?” Mingyu said, his voice laced with frustration, “You and me both.”

Soonyoung placed a freshly tapped beer in front of Mingyu, “Here. On me.”

Mingyu nodded a thank you and took a big gulp. He turned to look at Seungkwan next to him. “Why is it that every time your band plays something happens to me . Battle of the bands? Me and Wonwoo kissed for the first time. That college party? Wonwoo broke up with me. And now this.”

“We haven’t played yet,” Seungkwan said as a joke, but it didn’t land. He also decided not to point out that one of those things hadn’t been a bad experience at all. “Maybe you should let Minghao tell you more about the situation. Maybe they only dated for a week or something,” Seungkwan tried.

Mingyu grunted in reply.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" a voice asked from Mingyu’s right.

Mingyu shrugged. He didn’t have to look up to know who it was. He could tell by the voice even if he hadn’t heard it in a long time.

"We got a table near the stage," Wonwoo said as he sat down.

Seungkwan exchanged a look with Soonyoung, both of them seemed unsure if they should leave them alone. For the barman the choice was made when another customer demanded his attention, leaving only Seungkwan with the pair of exes.

“Did you know?”

“Know what exactly?”

“Did you know that I’m the one dating Minghao?” 

“No. But you have to admit it’s kind of funny.”

 “Haha,” Mingyu said sarcastically. “I take it from the way Jun said it that you did know those two used to date.” 

“Yeah.” 

“And you don’t have a problem with them still being close? I wasn’t kidding when I said Hao has told me a lot about Jun.” 

Wonwoo shook his head. “I know they’re close and it doesn’t bother me to be honest. They met when both of them were far away from their families and lonely. Jun told me that they mistook their connection for a romantic one, but that they were always meant to be friends, not lovers.”

"I can't believe that you and I haven't spoken to each other in so long and the first conversation we have is about our boyfriends dating." Mingyu glanced sideways. It was the first time he had seen Wonwoo from this close since their break-up. Suddenly the whole situation felt so ridiculous to him that he started laughing.

Seungkwan and Wonwoo looked at each other in surprise, but soon joined him. 

Mingyu inhaled deeply and downed the remainder of his beer. “Wonwoo, show me to the table. Seungkwan, knock em dead.”

“Ehm, we don’t actually play for another half an hour or so,” Seungkwan replied and stood up along with Mingyu and Wonwoo.

“Oh. Right.” Mingyu chuckled and threw an arm over his best friend’s shoulder. “Maybe check on Bin who has had to introduce himself from the looks of it.”

Seungkwan followed Mingyu’s line of sight and saw Bin chatting with Chan and Jeonghan. “Oh, shit.”

<> 

It felt nice to be on stage. Seungkwan had enjoyed every minute of the musical last year, but there was a different feeling when he was up on a stage playing music just like they had in high school. A bar full of people is a different kind of crowd, but all he really needed were his friends and boyfriend cheering him on front and center anyway. Although one of them seemed completely mesmerized by their drummer.

Seungkwan hopped over to sit down on the empty chair next to Bin when they finished. He placed a quick peck on his lips. “Miss me?” 

Whereas Hansol had always stared at Seungkwan with adoring adoration in his eyes whenever Seungkwan sang, there was something very different in the eyes looking at him now. Bin leaned in, one hand high on Seungkwan’s thigh, “You were so fucking sexy up there.”

Seungkwan could feel the rush of blood to the tips of his ears and the little hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He shyly nudged him with his shoulder. Bin chuckled and kissed his cheek, keeping his hand where it was.

“Oh man,” Seokmin said from a few seats away, "We don’t have enough chairs. I’ll go ask Soon to get one from the back or something.”

“No, wait,” Jihoon said before Seokmin could get up and he looked over at Seungcheol who raised his eyebrows at him. Then he nodded at an unspoken question asked by the younger. Jihoon breathed out and looked around the table. “Don’t bother getting a chair. I have a place to sit.”

“Eh, where?” Seokmin asked, confused, looking around to see if he had missed an empty chair.

Jihoon walked around the table to reach Seungcheol and he placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll sit here.”

“On Seungcheol’s chair?” Seokmin asked, still not understanding what was going on. 

“No,” Jihoon replied and sat down on Seungcheol’s lap, arms immediately snaking around his waist to hold him there.

“Me and Seungcheol are dating,” Jihoon stated, short and simple. 

A knowing smirk spread across Jeonghan’s face like he had already figured it out. Chan looked relieved and let out a sigh with a smile on his face.

“Oh, wow,” Seokmin said in awe. “This might be the first time you voluntarily told us about someone you’re dating.” He was genuinely more surprised about Jihoon telling them than about who he was dating.

“I told you I’d tell you guys if I thought it was worth telling. So...yeah.”

“Aww,” Jeonghan coo-ded, “Look at you all shy.”

Jihoon’s eyes threw daggers across the table, but Jeonghan had long been immune to them.

“Thank god you finally decided to tell everyone,” Chan said. “Now I no longer have to pretend to not have walked in on you guys a few weeks ago.”

Seungcheol turned extremely red behind Jihoon's back, “W-what?”

“You were so into each other you didn’t even notice me when I walked in. I left immediately of course. I just didn’t know if you two were just sleeping together or what.”

"Knock next time," Seungcheol grumbled.

"Why would he knock on his own door?" Jihoon said. "We'll put a note on the door next time," he added with a shrug.

Later in the evening Seungkwan and Chan were tasked with getting another round of drinks and as they waited for Soonyoung to get them their order Chan decided to get some details on their current social group. "Since when are Wonwoo and Mingyu talking again?”he asked. “I mean, I knew both of them were going to be here tonight, but I didn't expect them to be so...well like that," he said and gestured in the direction of their tables where everybody was talking with each other. Mingyu had his arm around Minghao's shoulder, engaged in a conversation with Wonwoo and Jun next to him. "Talking with each other. With each other's new boyfriends. It's...good, I guess?"

"Yeah…" Seungkwan added slowly. "It's probably good." Although he wasn't entirely sure the topic of Jun being Hao's ex-boyfriend had been completely put to rest in Mingyu’s mind.

"Bin is nice," Chan said. "How are things going with him?"

"Good. Things are good. He's great. What about you? Anything happening in your romantic life?"

Chan sighed, "Just...watching dancers on Youtube like usual."

"And watching other people have sex," Seungkwan snorted.

"Oh man, don't remind me. I can't get the sight out of my head to be honest." He looked at Jihoon comfortably stuffing himself with snacks rather than alcohol from atop Seungcheol's lap. "I am happy for them though. And I won't have to listen to Jeonghan whining about how good they'd be together."

Suddenly Chan groaned and Seungkwan looked at him like he was crazy, "What's wrong?"

"Why am I the only single one right now? This feels like high school."

Through no volition of his own Seungkwan caught himself thinking if Chan still talked to Hansol regularly and if he included him in his thoughts of being the only single one.

Notes:

-As I said in the opening note I know people are here for the Verkwan and/or Boogyu mostly. This is a double update (the next chapter will be posted at the same time), so check out the notes there for more info on the future~~ (of this fic)

Chapter 108: C2-8 Bicycles Dates & Dinner Plans

Summary:

Seungkwan and Bin go on an autumn bike ride that has an unexpected ending. Jeonghan and Jisoo are finalizing their plans for their (very late) housewarming party and need Seungkwan's opinion on it.

Notes:

PLEASE NOTE: This was a DOUBLE update, so the previous chapter was uploaded at the same time!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

"Smile!" Seungkwan sing-songed and he held up his phone to take a selfie of him and Bin. The weather had been getting colder, but the leaves were in full autumn colors and they had decided to go on a bicycle ride date.

"One more, let’s make it silly." He pushed his lower lip out into a pout while Bin made a cute little kissy face. Seungkwan laughed looking at the result and put his phone back into his little pouch. “Alright. Let’s go!”

They rode their rented bikes at a comfortable pace where they could enjoy the scenery around them but still moved a lot faster than they would on foot. The sun from earlier was now partly hidden behind some clouds, but the nature around them mostly made up for that. Seungkwan loved the rich shades of red, orange and yellow on the trees. 

The peaceful tranquility of their date was crudely interrupted by a sudden loud bang and Bin cursing as his bike came to a halt.

"Are you okay?" Seungkwan asked him from a little bit up ahead where he now stood still.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But I think one of my tires just burst. I must have ran over something."

"We have a repair kit, right? I can fix it. Someone showed me once." Although that time he hadn't been paying too much attention so he hoped he had retained enough information.

A good ten minutes later they were both kneeled next to Bin’s bike, the tyre half-off, looking at an instruction video. They were so focused that they had failed to notice the sky becoming darker due to the arrival of heavy clouds filled with rain. It took only a few seconds from the first drop to land on Seungkwan's head until there was a proper rainstorm coming down on them.

Bin looked around for some type of shelter while Seungkwan was trying to protect his phone. "There's a gazebo thing right over there! We'll get completely drenched if we stay here, let's—"

Seungkwan didn't wait for the end of that sentence to grab Bin's hand and start running towards anywhere drier.

Underneath the shelter Bin shook his head roughly from left to right, reminding Seungkwan of a cute big wet dog. He looked around and sighed. "All the benches are getting wet too. Hand me my bag."

"I...didn't think to take your bag. I'd forgotten that you took it off..."

"That's alright. I'll be right back."

"No, Bin, don't go back out there you'll get so wet!" Seungkwan said, but his boyfriend was already speeding away. When he got back he retrieved a blanket from his backpack and placed it in the middle of the gazebo. He lied down and held his hand out. "Come here. Let's keep each other warm. We’ll catch a cold otherwise."

They lay shoulder to shoulder, staring up at the roof. Seungkwan found Bin’s hand and held it, the skin wet and cold from the rain. In search for more warmth he rolled on his side and further on top of the other man, who let out a low-pitched grunt. Seungkwan had his face pressed into Bin’s chest and felt his arms wrap around him. He felt his chest go up and down with each slow breath. If he focussed he could hear Bin’s heartbeat. It was getting faster.

“I love you,” Bin said, just loud enough to be audible above the sound of the rain clattering on the structure around them.

Seungkwan wiggled himself loose and pushed up on his arms so he could look Bin in the eyes. For a few seconds he hung over him, staring at his face. “I love you too,” he whispered and lowered himself onto his lips.

Bin rolled them over, gently placing his hand under Seungkwan's head so he wouldn't hit it against the gazebo floor.  

They kissed with the sound of the rain bouncing off the roof above them as their BGM and Seungkwan picturing himself as the lead in the type of dumb romantic movies that he secretly loved.

***

“Why is there a rose on our door?” Mingyu asked, struggling with the bags of food in his hands. It was a combination of them restocking their shared food and snack shelves as well as a take-away dinner. 

“How should I know?” Seungkwan replied and he moved to check the note attached to the flower. He pulled the whole thing off and shoved it in Mingyu’s face. “It’s for you.”

“For me?”

“I didn’t know Hao was so romantic,” Seungkwan said as he entered the room and read the note again. “He seems to have written you a little poem.”

“Give me that!” Mingyu, his hands now unencumbered by groceries, yanked the rose, with attached note, from Seungkwan’s hands.

“It was quite sweet, really. I wasn’t making fun of it.”

Mingyu placed the flower carefully on his desk and took a picture of it to let his boyfriend know he got his gift.

While Mingyu was busy exchanging sappy love messages with Minghao (Seungkwan assumed), Seungkwan remembered he still had his phone on silent. He sat down on his bed and went through his missed messages. He furrowed his brows together at a message from Jeonghan.

Hey my lovely Kwannie can I call you later? Need to ask you something. It’s about the dinner at our place

Without messaging him back he called. Jeonghan was quick to answer. “You said you wanted to ask me something?” Seungkwan asked after the exchange of greetings.

“Yes. So you know how me and Jisoo are finally having a housewarming and since it’s so close to Christmas we’re making it a Christmas themed dinner?”

“Yeah...it was all in the invite you sent us.”

“Right. Well, the thing is...Hansol will be visiting his family around that time and he wants to see our place and we may have accidentally blurted out we’d be having a dinner party. We thought it might be okay to invite him? But of course we wanted to check with you first...”

“Oh…” was all Seungkwan said. How was he supposed to say no now? If Hansol already knew about the party he’d know it was Seungkwan who had a problem with it if Jeonghan and Jisoo told him he couldn’t come.

“You’re with Bin now and— Well, we thought it’d be nice. For the sake of the Christmas spirit.”

“Yeah, okay. Invite him. I don’t really care,” Seungkwan said. 

  “Are you sure? It’s okay to say you don’t want him there.”

“It’s your party. And I am with Bin now and it’s not like Hansol is coming to see me, right? He’s coming to visit you guys and see your new place. Right?”

“Right.”

“Right. So. Whatever.” He said goodbye and hung up the phone. He caught Mingyu staring at him.

“Ehm, did you just say Hansol?”

“Yeah. Jeonghan is going to invite him to their dinner party.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

Seungkwan thought about that for a moment longer than he already had. He wasn’t exactly thrilled by the idea, but it didn’t make him feel as bad as it would have some months ago. “You know what? I think I really am.”

Notes:

-it was the first exchange of "I love you" s for MoonKwan
-I am struggling to write this fic rn because there's a part of the story where I want to be, but I know I have to write some other stuff first for it to work...I thought about taking a break from writing this, but I'm afraid that if I do that I'll never start again so I'm pushing through it (perhaps the quality will suffer somewhat...but I feel like it's better than me not writing anything tbh...). There will be 2 more chapter before I implement a short time skip to move the story along a BIT faster
-Hope some people are still enjoying this~ Look forward to a late housewarming/early Christmas dinner

Chapter 109: C2-9 Housewarming at Jeonghan and Jisoo

Summary:

Everybody heads on over to Jeonghan and Jisoo's apartment where they're finally having their housewarming party. Seungkwan is totally fine with Hansol also coming. Until he actually arrives.

Notes:

Do you smell that? It's the smell of drama!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

In a way Mingyu was glad Wonwoo was dating someone close to Minghao. As weird as it had felt at first, it had given him the space to let him in as a friend again. The friendship door hadn’t completely been opened just yet, but enough to not dread another evening spent with him and Jun. He was, however, dreading the evening just a little for another reason. Jeonghan and Jisoo were finally opening up their home for their friends to visit. The last time they had seen it was on the day they had moved in and it looked a mess. The dreadful part of the evening came from the fact that Hansol was going to be there as well. Personally Mingyu hadn’t seen or spoken to Hansol in over a year and he wasn’t sure what to expect. Seungkwan had said he was fine, but Mingyu maintained a ‘seeing is believing’ sort of attitude for the situation. 

When they arrived Hansol was the only one not there yet. Seungkwan silently wondered if he had decided not to come. Jeonghan and Jisoo showed them around their apartment, detailing the work they had put into it. Seungkwan was a little bit jealous of the home they had made for themselves.

“Look at this table, you guys!” Jisoo said as he proudly slapped it with the palm of his hand. “It’s a gift from Jeonghan’s parents. It extends to seat up to ten people!”

“My god,” Jihoon chuckled, “Could you be any more domestic?”

“Not to be a buzzkill, but we have more than ten people though, don’t we?” Chan asked.

“Which is why some of you are going to have to make do with this nice foldable plastic table,” Jeonghan said. He leaned into Seungkwan’s side and whispered, “I wanted to throw a nice table cloth over it, but he felt very strongly about wanting to show off that table.” 

The doorbell rang and a veil of tension, not immediately felt by all those present, covered the room. Minghao and Jun had never even met Hansol and had only ever known Seungkwan with Bin. Wonwoo, of course, had known them together, but he hadn’t seen the absolute mess Seungkwan had been after the break-up. For all he knew it had been amicable. The rest of them just tried to pretend like this wasn’t going to be awkward.

Jisoo went to open the door and when he came back into the living room he was followed by Hansol.

“Hey, guys. Eh...long time no see.” As he looked around the room he spotted a few unfamiliar faces, but his eyes stopped when they landed on Seungkwan. His gaze was avoided as Seungkwan quickly looked down at the drink he was holding. It was then that he became aware of one more person with an unfamiliar face standing next to his ex-boyfriend. Very closely.

“Hi,” the person said. “I don’t think we’ve ever met. I’m Bin. Seungkwan’s boyfriend.”

The tension was definitely felt by everyone now. 

Hansol knew he should probably say something, but he just sort of stood there, blankly staring at the guy.

Jisoo and Jeonghan exchanged a worried look and Jeonghan stepped forward. “And this is Hansol. He went to high school with us. He’s studying abroad, but he’s home for the holidays.”

“Nice to meet you,” Bin said with a smile. Hansol didn’t know if it was genuine or not. Had Seungkwan told his new boyfriend about him? Judging from the way the other man moved to place a hand firmly on Seungkwan’s hip he thought he probably had.

He had. To avoid a repeat of what had happened when Minghao had introduced Jun to Mingyu, Seungkwan had told Bin beforehand that his ex would be coming to the party. He hadn’t told him all there was to it though. He had left out the part where he had kissed him the first time he saw him again after the break-up only about a month and a half before they had gotten together.

“Right!” Jeonghan said with a clap of his hands. “Who’s hungry? Let’s all take a seat and we’ll bring out the food!” He guided Seungkwan and Bin to the far end of the table first while Jisoo did the same with Hansol, seating him as far away as possible. They tried to make it seem like it wasn’t a move they had clearly planned beforehand.

Mingyu, with the enlisted help of Minghao and Chan, was doing his best in keeping Seungkwan occupied with conversations on their end of the table. On the surface it seemed to be working and even Seungkwan himself thought he was doing a good job ignoring Hansol’s presence. But Bin noticed the way Seungkwan would ever so often throw a glance to the other side of the room and the way his head wasn’t completely there.

"Oh, by the way,” Chan said after the topic they had been talking about was exhausted, “Can I crash at your place next weekend? Your uni is hosting a dance competition and I really want to see it. I’ve been following some of the participants online."

“Of course you have,” Seungkwan said, rolling his eyes. “But sure. You can stay with us if you like. I’m sure Seok and Hoon wouldn’t mind you crashing with them either.”

“Do you mind if I tag along? To the dance competition?” Bin asked. “I was planning to check it out anyway.”

“Of course!” Chan said. He knew Seungkwan wasn’t too into dance, but he was sure he’d be able to drag him along if his boyfriend was going too.

“Us too!” Mingyu said. “Hao’s roommate’s friend is going to be in that.”

“So, what? Everybody was planning to go to this thing and nobody even bothered to ask me?” Seungkwan pouted

Bin shook his head and chuckled, “I mentioned it like three weeks ago.” 

Seungkwan’s pout intensified, “No, you didn’t! I would have remembered.”

“Whatever you say, baby,” Bin said and leaned in to press a kiss on the side of his boyfriend’s grumpy face. When he pulled back he caught the moment Seungkwan averted his eyes from where he had been staring. Bin looked across the table and Hansol quickly looked down at his food. “Anyway. Let’s all just go together then,” he said, his voice deprived of its earlier playfulness.

Chan felt the heaviness suddenly pressing down on the conversation. “Great!” he said in his most cheerful voice in an attempt to drag it back into the light. “What’s your roommate’s friend’s name, by the way, Hao? Maybe I’ve heard of them.”

“Yugyeom. Not sure about his full name.”

Chan’s eyes grew two sizes and he momentarily forgot about everything else happening at the table. “No. Way. Kim Yugyeom?”

“Oh yeah, I think that’s it.”

Chan let out a little squeal, “I’ve been following his insta for ages. He’s so fucking good! Do you think that maybe...no, nevermind.”

Minghao smirked. "I can introduce you to him if you like?"

“Really!? Oh, man. That would be amazing! Is he nice? I bet he’s nice! He looks nice.”

“Calm down, Chan. I know you’re single, but there’s no need to get desperate just yet.” Mingyu joked. 

Chan sighed, “But he’s so hot. And an amazing dancer. Check out his instagram and then tell me again to calm down.”

“Speaking of instagram. When are you going to follow my new account?”

And so the conversation started to flow again.

Once dinner was over people started to fan out across the small living room. Mingyu had volunteered to help do the dishes (something he regretted seeing as the two hosts left most of the work to him) and when he came back out into the living room three groups had formed. Seungkwan, Jun, Minghao, Soonyoung and Bin were standing at one end of the room, Seungcheol, Jihoon, Jeonghan and Seokmin had taken over the couch, and closest to the kitchen were Jisoo, Wonwoo, Chan and Hansol. But Hansol wasn’t very engaged in the conversation. How could he with his eyes on someone not even in talking range?  

Seungkwan laughed loudly at something Jun had said and he leaned his head down onto Bin’s shoulder. Hansol stiffened at the sight of it and walked away and headed for the kitchen. He passed Mingyu on the way and their eyes briefly met. There was something in his eyes that made Mingyu follow him back into the kitchen.

“You do know you’re not being exactly subtle with the way you stare, don’t you?” Mingyu said to Hansol’s back. He hadn’t planned on talking to him really, but he wasn’t liking the way he kept looking at Seungkwan.

“I—I didn’t come here for him. I wanted to see Jisoo, Jeonghan, Chan and the other guys. I thought we could all hang out and it would feel like old times. Even if only a little. I know that was naive, but—” His voice cracked. “I didn’t think it would be this hard. I knew he had a boyfriend. I knew he was going to be here too. But…” He exhaled slowly in an attempt to calm himself down. 

“You still love him?” Mingyu asked, although it wasn’t really a question and Hansol didn’t answer. He could tell Hansol was hurting, but he had to have Seungkwan’s best interest at heart. He took a step closer and placed a hand on his shoulder giving it a little squeeze. “Look, Hansol. He’s happy with Bin. After you broke up with him he— When he met Bin he looked really happy again and this might be hard for you, but quite frankly that’s not Seungkwan’s problem.”  

“I know.”

Mingyu left Hansol alone in the kitchen where he stayed for a little while. But he figured he couldn’t just hide in here and perhaps the best way to deal with his feelings right now was to just go out there and pretend like he didn’t have them.

He saw Bin standing talking with Seokmin, Mingyu and his boyfriend who he didn’t really know. He looked around but didn’t see Seungkwan. Maybe he had gone to the bathroom. He walked over to the group, not sure what he was going to say. When Mingyu saw him he threw him a look that asked why, out of all the people here, he would choose to come over and talk with Seungkwan’s boyfriend. Hansol ignored him and introduced himself again to Bin and Minghao..

“So, eh, Hansol, what do you study? Seungkwan didn’t mention that,” Bin asked.

“Oh, ehm, Computer Science stuff,” he answered awkwardly. “What about you?”

“Physical therapy.”

“That’s cool.” He knew that the next thing he was going to say was something that should stay in his head, but he had already lost control of his mouth. “How did you and Seungkwan meet?”

Bin studied Hansol’s expression, trying to guess what game he was playing here, before he answered. “I approached him after I saw him sing in a musical. Later he chased me down the street to ask me out.”

Hansol didn’t know what kind of answer would have felt less like a punch in the chest, but the image of Seungkwan running to ask someone out certainly wasn’t it. “Yeah, he’s kind of dramatic sometimes,” was his wrong response.

“Excuse me?” Bin responded.

“What are you doing?” Seungkwan’s voice asked from behind them. 

Had Hansol been a cat he would have jumped up into the air. Shit. How much of that had he heard? “N-nothing. Just making conversation,” he replied with as much casualness as he could muster while he turned around to face him.

“When I told Jeonghan he could go ahead and invite you I thought you’d have enough common sense in you to not talk to me or my boyfriend. You can’t just expect us to be on friendly terms. We’re not.” His voice was getting increasingly loud and angry and Hansol seemed to shrink with each word. “So you don’t get to ask about my relationship. You don’t get to look at me from across the table. You can’t—”

At this point Mingyu stepped in, taking Seungkwan by the arm and leading him away. He took him out into the hallway to calm down out from under the stares of their friends.  

The door opened again and Bin stepped out. He looked at Mingyu. “Can you give us a minute?” Mingyu nodded and went back inside. Bin now looked at his boyfriend who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. “Can we talk about what the fuck just happened in there?”

“I can’t believe him,” Seungkwan mumbled, more to himself than to the person trying to have a conversation with him.

“Him!?” Bin replied angrily. “ I can’t believe you .”

“Me?” Seungkwan asked in surprise, looking up at him. “What did I do?”

Bin scoffed. Seungkwan had never seen him angry before and was taken aback by it. Especially because he himself was so busy with being angry and annoyed at someone else. 

“While he’s clearly still hung up on you, I don’t care about that. That’s his problem. What I do care about is that seeing your ex has you this bothered!”

“I-I’m not bothered.”

“Oh yeah, you’re the epitome of being unbothered right now.”

“And he’s not hung up on me. He’s just being annoying.”

Another scoff from Bin. “I can’t even tell if you actually believe that. The whole evening after he arrived you’ve been tense. And you can’t tell me you haven’t noticed the way he continuously stares at you. You must have noticed, what with all the times you caught his stare with your own.” 

“You’re overreacting.”

“Am I? Let me put it this way then. Let’s say he still loves you and that he wants you back. What if he came out here right now and told you that. Then what? What would you do?”

"Binnie, please don't be like this. That’s not going to happen.”

“You didn’t answer the question.”

“It’s a stupid question! Stop making this a bigger thing than it is!”

Bin sighed and looked at Seungkwan with hurt in his eyes. “I guess there’s the answer.” He turned around to walk away. It was now that Seungkwan noticed he already had his coat in his hands.

“What? What is that supposed to mean? Binnie? Where are you going?” Seungkwan felt panicked. They had never fought before and certainly not like this.

“Home.”

“B-but we came together. Please just wait and I’ll go with you.”

“We took a bus and a train. I think I can manage that much on my own.”

“But it’s already late. What if something happens? Just hold on a moment. I’ll go get Gyu and Hao and—”

“Seungkwan,” Bin interrupted him. “I really want to be alone right now. I’ll text you when I get to my room, but other than that can you just— not.”

Seungkwan stood in the hallway. He watched Bin disappear out of sight and he didn’t know what to do. Part of him wanted to run after him, but he feared he would only make things worse. He didn’t want to go back in. He couldn’t. Hansol was in there and besides him, all of his friends who might have heard them fighting. So he just continued to stand there. He didn’t know how long it was before the door opened behind him. He felt his coat being hung over his shoulders. Mingyu didn’t ask him where Bin was. He just asked him if he wanted to go home. The journey back was mostly silent. He received a dry text from Bin telling him he got home safe and asking him if he did too. He replied ‘yes’ once he and Mingyu got to their room. He placed his phone on his nightstand.

Mingyu got ready for bed and Seungkwan did the same. He yanked the covers from his bed and wrapped it around himself. He looked at Mingyu.

“Boorrito?” Mingyu asked. Seungkwan nodded and Mingyu got as close to the wall as he could to make room in his bed. Seungkwan got in and landed with his face in Mingyu’s chest. As soon as he felt the comfort of arms around him he started to cry.

Notes:

-Chan and Yugyeom, hmm, do I have a good reason for this pairing other than the fact they're both dancers? No, no I don't. But idc. Also, Bambam is Hao's roommate (both GOT7 members for those who don't know them).
-Did Bin have a point or is he overreacting?
-Is Seungkwan crying because of Hansol or because of Bin or both?

What's next for Seungkwan? Will he and Bin make up? Is he going to confront Hansol again? Stay tuned for the next chapter...coming soon

Chapter 110: C2-10 Water Polo Practice

Summary:

Minghao and Mingyu are cute. Not what Seungkwan needs since he's busy sulking after last night and figuring out what to do next.

Notes:

Pretty fast update, no? Enjoy~

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan had let Mingyu convince him to go down to the cafeteria for breakfast instead of just sitting in their room. They were joined by Minghao, but Bin was nowhere to be seen. Of course not. Seungkwan hadn’t sent him any messages and he didn’t make a habit of coming to the cafeteria. He knew Bin was probably already on his way to the swimming pool for his water polo practice.

He sulked his way through breakfast. Minghao was sitting next to him and Seungkwan appreciated the fact that neither he nor Mingyu brought up last night’s party. Over the last few months he had gotten used to having Minghao around a lot and he had this way of showing the different sides of his personality and just the right times. He was soft spoken for a lot of the time, but his more exuberant side popped out whenever Seungkwan was in the mood for a joke. In some ways he resembled Mingyu in how he showed affection. He’d fix Seungkwan’s hair and give him random hugs. Now too when he stood up he softly patted Seungkwan on the head before swinging his bag over his shoulder. 

“I have to get going,” he said and walked around the table to get to Mingyu. He cupped his face in the most gentle way. “I’ll see you later.” He pecked his lips and walked away.

“Ugh, you guys are the cutest,” Seungkwan grumbled when he knew Minghao was out of earshot.

“Why do you say it like that?”

“Because I can’t deal with it right now. Bin is mad at me…” He aimlessly poked his leftover breakfast with a knife. “...and I think he should be,” he added in a small voice. “I can’t even imagine how I would feel if he saw an ex-boyfriend and acted the way I did yesterday.”

“So what are you going to do about it?” Mingyu wasn’t going to pretend as if he thought Seungkwan had nothing to apologize to Bin for.

Seungkwan bit his lips and lifted and dropped his shoulders in a pathetic little shrug. He checked his phone, knowing the chance there’d be a message from his boyfriend was slim. He did have one new message though. From Chan.

Don’t kill the messenger please but Hansol asked me to tell you that he didn’t mean to upset anyone last night and that he didn’t mean anything by the questions he asked Bin. Again, don’t kill the messenger. 

“Then don’t agree to be the messenger,” Seungkwan mumbled under his breath. With sudden determination he slammed his hands down onto the table and stood up.

“W-what?” Mingyu asked, startled by the noise.

“He should be at water polo practice by now. I’m going to go over there and wait for him to be finished and then I’ll apologize and we can talk.” He slumped down a little. “If he’ll talk to me…”

<> 

Seungkwan sat in the back during the water polo practice of Bin and his team, hoping to be inconspicuous about it. He didn’t want to bring too much attention to himself. When practice seemed to be over he walked down to the poolside. Some of the other guys held up their hands in greeting before disappearing to the changing rooms. Seungkwan waved at them awkwardly. Bin, thankfully, didn’t follow them and waited for Seungkwan to get to him.

“Hey,” he said in a way that made it hard for Seungkwan to read what kind of emotion was behind it.

“Hey,” Seungkwan replied. “I came to watch you practice.”

“Yeah, I noticed that. Hard to miss seeing as you were the only person sitting in the stands.” 

“You looked really good. Very skillful.”

“Seungkwan…”

“I know. Sorry. That’s not why I came. Can we talk? Please?”

Bin nodded and gestured in the directions of the plastic seats.

“Don’t you want to get dressed first?” Seungkwan asked.

Bin sat down. “Not really.”

“Oh…” Seungkwan said and hoped that it wasn’t an indication that Bin meant for this conversation to be short. He sat down in the chair next to him. Bin wasn’t looking at him. “I know you’re mad at me...I understand why. I’m so sorry about last night. I don’t know what came over me…”

“Well,” Bin spoke, still with his eyes on the water, “From where I was standing it looked like you still have feelings for your ex.” He turned his head and met Seungkwan’s eyes. “I know he was your first big love and that you were together for quite some time, so I guess I can understand that you’ll feel some type of way about him. But what scares me is the way you completely lost it when all he was doing was asking me a question about you.”

“It was rude of him to ask,” Seungkwan answered.

“Maybe. But why did you let it bother you so much? He can evoke such strong emotion from you in a heartbeat, Seungkwan. You couldn’t even answer me when I asked you what you’d do if he wanted you back. Maybe it wasn’t fair of me to ask you that when you were already emotional, but dammit Kwannie...It scares me so much to think that his guy could just take you away from me if he wanted to.”

“No!” Seungkwan responded quickly and he reached out to place a hand on Bin’s knee. “That’s not true, Binnie. Please believe me. Please—” He stopped to wipe away the stupid tears that were forming in the corner of his eyes. “Please don’t break up with me over this…”

Bin placed his hand on top of Seungkwan’s, “I wasn’t planning on it.”

“No?” Seungkwan asked meekly.

Bin sighed and shook his head, “No. I’m far too crazy about you.” 

“I’m crazy about you too! And I don’t want to fight…”

“Me neither. But can you promise me one thing?”

“What?”

“Don’t string me along. If you still have feelings for him and you’re using me to try and get over him or if you’re just staying with me because you don’t want to hurt my feelings then— I’d choose being heartbroken over being with someone who’d rather be with someone else.”

“Maybe—” Seungkwan started, giving voice to the confusing feelings he had, “I think I probably still have some feelings...I’ve been denying it maybe? To myself. I mostly try not to think about anything that has to do with him, so when I saw him yesterday it was like something burst I guess. But—” he stated and made sure he looked his boyfriend straight in the eyes, “That doesn’t mean I want to be with him. I want to be with you. I love you and you’re not a replacement or a way to get over him.” 

Bin lifted Seungkwan’s hand and placed a kiss on the back. “I believe you.” He smiled and relief washed over the both of them. “Do you want to learn some water polo moves?” 

Seungkwan blinked a few times at the sudden change of topic. “I, eh, didn’t bring any swimwear?”

“I have extra.”

“Are we allowed to still be here? Am I even allowed in the pool?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll just get the key from the coach. He won’t mind.”

<>

They had been playing around in the water for some time and Seungkwan was getting tired. He didn’t offer much resistance when Bin placed his hands on the wet tiles of the edge of the pool, trapping Seungkwan between his arms.

“Is this an official water polo move?” Seungkwan teased.

“No,” Bin answered with a smile. “Neither is this.” He leaned in and their wet lips locked together.

Seungkwan wasn’t sure if it was the way he was being kissed or a side-effect of being in the water, but he felt like he was floating. He pushed Bin’s wet hair back and looked at him with a sense of pride. “You look sexy like this.”

“You look sexy always.”

Seungkwan pouted. “That’s not fair. Now I sound as if I don’t always find you sexy.”

“Do you?”

“Hm, no I guess not. Sometimes you’re cute instead of sexy.”

“Is it weird if I find you even more sexy when you’re cute?”

Seungkwan scoffed with a half-smile on his face, “This guy…”

“This guy...” Bin said and he leaned in to place a kiss in Seungkwan’s neck, “...is about to make you...” —a kiss on the other side— “...feel,” —a kiss on the lips— “...so good.”

“Oh is he now? Right here in a semi-public pool?”

“It’s fine. Nobody ever watches the security tapes anyway.”

Seungkwan froze and his eyes grew three sizes, “Are there seriously security cameras in here? Bin, what the fuck. Why didn’t you tell me?” he whined.

“There aren’t any in the showers or changing rooms.”

Seungkwan narrowed his eyes at the man. Bin just smiled and wiggled his eyebrows.

“Let’s go.”

Seungkwan laughed with an excited giggle, careful not to slip on the wet floor, as he held Bin’s hand on the way to the showers. He held on a little tighter. He wanted to stay in this moment for as long as he could.

Notes:

-MoonKwan still going
-Would things be different though...if Hansol wasn't studying abroad? Seungkwan says no, but...do we believe him?
-I will most likely do a bit of a time skip after this of a few months to go towards the end of this academic year. Because honestly, a pretty stable period for Seungkwan is happening and I don't want to force in story just to keep a timeline

By the way: this story is Seungkwan focused, but are there any couples you'd like more details about? There is a lot more in my head than there is space for in the story. Feel free to DM me on twitter or CC! twt cc

Chapter 111: C2-11 Decisions

Summary:

A few months have gone by since Seungkwan had a fight with Bin about Hansol. Now he has to make up his mind about several things that might have a lasting impact on his future.

Notes:

Ahh a little later than I had hoped, but enjoy an update~

A few months have passed since the last chapter.
Reminder: Dongmin is Bin's roommate.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan double clicked Mingyu’s latest Instagram update to give it a like and sighed.

“What’s wrong?” his boyfriend asked. They were cuddled up on Bin's bed watching a movie that he was paying minimal attention to. It had been about four months since the ‘Hansol incident’ and luckily they hadn’t had any big fights again after that. The band had performed two more times and both Seungkwan and Seokmin had joined professor Eunkwang’s musical again this year. Jihoon hadn’t needed any convincing to be the assistant director this time around.

“Nothing. It’s just...Mingyu has so many followers now. He’s always busy with pictures and fashion and I’m starting to get worried for his grades. It’s almost the end of the year and he’s behind on everything and—”

“And that’s his responsibility.”

“But…he’s always busy doing anything but studying. I barely get to see him.”

“Ah, so that’s what this is about. Are you still upset about him quitting the coffeehouse?” 

“No…” Seungkwan pouted. A little while back Mingyu had mentioned how one of his favorite little vintage clothing boutiques was looking for a sales clerk and, being the best best friend ever, of course Seungkwan had told him to go for it and to not worry about making Seungkwan sad about not working together anymore. “I just...miss him a bit? I know fashion and photography is, like, their thing, but now that we’re not even working together and our class schedule is totally different and I need to spend time with you—I mean, of course I want to spend time with you, but you know what I mean.” He felt bad for even feeling this way because he really liked Minghao and he and Mingyu matched incredibly well, but sometimes he missed the time when they were each other’s person who they spent the most time with.

Bin patted his head, “Yeah, yeah.” Seungkwan sighed again and Bin pulled the arm he had wrapped around his shoulders back and sat up. “Do you mind if I turn this off?” he asked, gesturing to the screen. “We’re not even watching and I kind of need to talk to you about something.”

“Okay?” Seungkwan sat up also and couldn’t help the nerves creeping up inside his stomach. He had no idea what this could be about and ‘I need to talk to you’ wasn’t always a good thing. In fact, wasn’t it usually bad?

“Ehm, this might be bad timing since you just said you feel like you don’t get to spend any time with Mingyu, but I kind of want to talk about next year’s living arrangements.”

“You don’t want me to room with Mingyu anymore?” Bin had never expressed any jealousy about the close relationship he had with his best friend and Seungkwan didn’t understand what he was saying.

“What? No, that’s not what I mean. Dongmin has this friend who lives off campus in a kind of house with three other guys. The thing is that all those guys will be moving out by the start of the new school year and he asked Dongmin to take one of the rooms...and Dongmin asked me if I might want one too and—”

“You’re going to move out of the dorms!? How far away will you be?”

“Baby, let me finish please? I said there are three rooms available, right? So...I was thinking, what if we both move into a room there?”

“Oh…”

“I know it’s kind of a big step since we’d be sort of living together, although we’d both have our own room, but I think it would be nice to sort of move in together? Don't answer right away. Just think about it. OK?”

Seungkwan furrowed his brows together trying to process this sudden proposal. “Will you move there even if I want to stay here?”

“I don’t know about you, but these tiny dorm rooms are slowly making me crazy to be honest. The place isn’t that far. You can sleep over. I can sleep over here. But Dongmin is definitely moving and I really don’t think I can handle getting a new roommate at this point.”

“Right.”

“I totally understand it if you want to continue living like this with Mingyu. I know he’s your best friend and that you’re worried you’re growing apart a little, so don’t feel any pressure to say yes to me. But I’d kick myself if I didn’t even ask. Anyway, you can take a few weeks to decide. I just wanted to let you know what’s going on in my head.”     

Bin let out a small puff of air and Seungkwan could tell he had been nervous to bring it up. He nodded. "Okay," he said with a little smile. "I'll seriously think about it."

{Seungkwan and Mingyu’s room} 

“Wow, he really wants you guys to move in together?” Mingyu asked after having listened to Seugnkwan telling him about his talk with Bin earlier.

“I told you. It’s ‘sort of’ moving in together. We’d have our own room and there’d be two other people living with us.”

“Yeah, but...it’s basically moving in together.”

“Yeah...What do you think I should do?”

“I think you have to decide this one on your own, Kwan.”

Seungkwan scowled. “What a useless best friend. You have to help me make a decision. It affects you too, you know! If I move in with Bin it means I’d move out here.”

“I’m aware of that, but you shouldn’t decide based on what I want.”

Seungkwan scoffed, “Just say you don’t want to share a room with me anymore.”

Mingyu returned his scowl. “Way to twist my words. You know I love living with you.”

“Wouldn’t hurt you to say it once in a while,” he mumbled back.

“Are you trying to start an argument or something? What’s wrong?”

“No. Nothing. I just don’t know what to do and you’re not helping me.”

“Didn’t Bin say you could think about it for a bit? Just let it sink in and just do what feels right. It’s a big step, but it’s not like he’s planning your wedding or whatever.”

Seungkwan let out a groan and fell back onto his bed, “Why do I have to make all these decisions? There’s this and that stupid high school reunion thing. Isn’t it illegal or something to have such a thing before at least ten years have passed since graduation?” The reunion thing was an event for all alumni of the school in honor of its something-th anniversary. They had all gotten an invitation three weeks ago and their group had been debating whether or not to go ever since.

“Don’t remind me,” Mingyu said. 

“You don’t want to go, right?”

“No. And I don’t see why Jeonghan, of all people, keeps telling us we should go. He hated that school and all the people that he liked are us."

"There are those people he hung out with on the roof before our time, I guess? And he keeps talking about facing demons."

"I already faced a demon in high school. I punched him in the face."

Seungkwan sat back up and saw on Mingyu’s face that the whole thing was agitating him. If he was going to go to this he’d want Mingyu with him, but he wasn’t going to push for it. “You don’t have to go. I know Hannie can be very convincing but if you really don’t want to go, don’t.”

“Has he convinced you? I thought you agreed with me that it’s stupid. It’ll be a total mess. Jeonghan and Jisoo are just lucky to be still dating their high school boyfriends. The rest of us will be walking into a room with exes and enemies inside.”

“It is stupid. But maybe Jeonghan has a point? Maybe it’s an opportunity to step into that place when we’re all feeling good. High school wasn’t all bad. A lot of great things happened too.”

“The great things happened despite of high school, not because of it. It’s going to be the worst for you, you know!”

“How come?”

“Our whole class knew you and Hansol were together. They’re going to ask you about him. Or worse, what if he decides to show up? You didn’t exactly handle seeing him well last time.”

“My high school experience was more than just Hansol. I was in clubs, I was the class vice-president.” The more Mingyu told him going was a bad idea, Seungkwan felt like he should. Especially now that he had brought up his ex. He’d be damned if he decided not to go just to avoid seeing him. What would he tell Bin? “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to. Nobody is forcing you. But I just don’t want to regret not going. If it’s as stupid as we think it’s going to be we can just leave. Besides, I think Soonyoung might combust if I don’t tell him Jaehyung didn’t try to hold Seokmin’s hand again or something. He knows he can’t leave the spying to Wonwoo.”

“Fine. Whatever,” Mingyu huffed. “I’ll go.”

“I just told you that you don’t have to go!”

“I’m not going to be the only one of us not going.”

“Jihoon might not go.”

Mingyu scoffed. “As if Jeonghan doesn’t have him wrapped around his finger. If Jeonghan wants him to go, Jihoon will go.”

“So...we’ll go too?”

“I guess we will. But I’m not happy about it.”

Seungkwan had to agree that he wasn’t entirely sure that this was a good idea, but at least he could stripe off one item from his decision list.

Notes:

-What do you think Seungkwan should/will decide about 'sort of' moving in with Bin?
-High school reunion...will Hansol show up? Taesung?
-idk about what's customary in other countries but when I had a high school reunion nobody brought their significant others? I always see it in movies/shows but I don't get it?? They don't know anybody there? Anyway, this is an alumni only event so no boyfriends (even if they could maybe they wouldn't tbh...Jeonghan and Jisoo are lucky in this case)

twt cc

Chapter 112: C2-12 High school reunion

Summary:

It's time for Seungkwan and his fellow high school survivors to head to their reunion and find out if enough time has gone by to forget the things they didn't like about that place. Chan delivers some news about another alumnus.

Notes:

pfff this one just refused to be written, so sorry if it feels a bit messy!

reminder: Bambam is Minghao's roommate. Bambam's best friend is Yugyeom (this is only relevant for a small thing)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The longer he spent in the school’s gymnasium the more Seungkwan thought he should have listened to Mingyu about coming to their high school reunion. At least half of the people he talked to wanted to know about Hansol and seemed to be more interested in getting some gossip material than anything else. The only person he actually appreciated catching up with was his former basketball captain, Johnny. At least he seemed genuinely interested when asking him about what he was up to these days. A bonus was that more old team members joined their conversation and one from before Seungkwan’s time introduced himself as Sehun. That was when Seungkwan remembered the picture Jihoon had shown them of his basketball team ex. It was weird picturing this guy with him, but maybe that was because Jihoon had always been secretive and private about his love life and the only person Seungkwan had really seen him with was Seungcheol. The face Jihoon made when Seungkwan made eye-contact from across the room, however, was priceless.

The only person having a worse time than Jihoon was probably Mingyu. From the moment they had arrived he had stuck to Seungkwan’s side, not wanting to end up alone in a corner. It had worked well when they were talking to some former classmates, but now that Seungkwan was talking with basketball people, who Mingyu barely knew, he felt like he had absolutely no reason to be here. Not nearly enough time had passed for him to forget how little he had actually liked the people he had gone to high school with. He scanned the crowd, disassociating from whatever conversation was happening right next to him. He froze when his eyes landed on a person he had hoped wouldn’t show up. Taesung, the homophobic senior he had gotten into a fight with. Their eyes locked, but Mingyu refused to look away. If Taesung still had some sort of problem with him or Seungkwan he was just going to have to deal with it. He watched him scoff and say something to the people he was standing with. They all looked his way and threw dirty looks in his direction.

“Mingyu,” Seungkwan said as he pulled at his arm. “I have to go to the bathroom. Come with me.”

“I didn’t know we were a couple of teenage girls. Go by yourself,” he grumbled back.

“And leave you here alone to continue exchanging death-stares with Taesung and his buddies? I don’t think so.”

“I’m not alone I’ll go stand with—” He looked around for their friends but failed to spot any of them. “Where are all the guys?” he asked with a pout. The only reason he had come here was because they had wanted to come.

Seungkwan looked around as well, but he didn’t see them either. “I know Jihoon disappeared not long after spotting his ex, but what happened to everybody else? Hold on, I'll text them. I can’t believe they just abandoned us.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw he actually had an unread message in their group chat. “They’re in the music room,” he mumbled.

{Music Room} 

“How long have you guys been in here?” Seungkwan asked when he and Mingyu entered. Jihoon, Seokmin, Jeonghan, Jisoo, Chan and Wonwoo were all there. He sat down on one of the empty chairs. He noticed how the room had barely changed in the time they had been gone.

“About twenty minutes,” Jisoo answered. “Jihoon tried to leave and it caused a chain effect of all of us getting out of there,” he added with a chuckle. 

“We would have asked you guys to come too, but you were busy talking to basketball people,” Chan added.

“I wasn’t,” Mingyu responded.

“This whole thing is a bust,” Jeonghan sighed and he leaned his head down on Jisoo’s shoulder. “I thought it would give me a sense of satisfaction or redemption or whatever coming back here, but I’m only reminded about how glad I am to be gone from this school. Sorry for dragging you all down here.”

“It’s not your fault or anything, but I told you,” Jihoon said. “Didn’t I say that we’d just end up hanging by ourselves like we always did? Not even the guys we hung out on the roof with before we met Hansol and Chan came. Well, except for Sehun but I definitely didn’t come here to talk with him.”

“Oooh,” Jisoo teased, “Afraid your boyfriend would be jealous?”

Jeonghan chuckled, “I guarantee you that Cheollie would be jealous. Afraid that someone is going to try and steal his cute sexy boyfriend who he loves so much.”

“Shut up,” Jihoon hissed, a hint of red creeping up the back of his neck and ears. “He knows he doesn’t have to be jealous or anything,” he added in a mumble.

“Just be glad you’re not his roommate anymore,” Chan said, directed at Jeonghan. “They keep sexiling me.”

“Still,” Seokmin said. “It’s kind of nice to be in this room again. Don’t you think? We had some good times here.”

“I didn’t,” Chan scowled. He had joined their group in the year the school had decided to shut down the music club and sadly didn’t have the same connection to this room as most of the others did. “Was it really fun?”

“Well, you know,” Jisoo started, “It was a place for us to hide away during lunch and avoid having to deal with other people.”

“And make music, right?” Wonwoo asked with a chuckle.

“Hm, yeah that too I suppose. But we only took that more seriously after Kwannie joined us.” Jeonghan replied. “I can still picture him walking into our lives. Eyes filled with young hope and determination. He suggested Battle of the Bands too.”

“And of course he got us our own personal groupie, Mr. Kim Mingyu,” Seokmin said with a smile.

“Yes, yes, I am indeed the glue that holds us all together,” Seungkwan quipped.

“You kind of are, you know,” Mingyu said and he poked his cheek. “Or at least the sheepdog who turned us into a herd. No, wait, that sounds weird. You are the...pebble that caused ripples, the siren who sang to—”

“Stop talking,” Seungkwan ordered.

“No, but really. I don’t want to give you all the credit but if you hadn’t become my friend I certainly wouldn’t have become friends with these guys and, well, me and Wonwoo would have never dated and he wouldn’t be our friend today.”

Seokmin let out a soft gasp, “I might have never met Soonyoung.”

“See? Ripples.”

“Except for Chan,” Seungkwan mumbled. He secretly loved the idea of being the glue of the group and he could certainly see how he got some of them together, but he didn’t feel like he was super glue exactly. Or else their group wouldn’t have the cracks in it that it did. “He became friends with Jihoon and Hansol up on the roof. Nothing to do with me.”

“Don’t say it like that. You make it sound as if we weren’t even friends,” Chan said.

“Me and Han never hung out with Hansol outside of the roof before you befriended him and started dragging him along to everywhere. Chances are things would have been very different,” Jihoon added.

“Maybe.”

“You know...speaking of Hansol,” Jeonghan started and several pairs of eyes shot in his direction. Jisoo especially looked at him as if he wasn’t sure if he should continue talking. “Did you guys hear?”

“Hear what?” Mingyu asked so Seungkwan didn’t have to.

“Oh, ehm, his college apparently has this exchange program or something and he’s going to do his next year at our uni. He said he misses his family and being home, so he thought it was a good opportunity...”

Seungkwan didn’t have a response ready for that. Was he even supposed to have a response?

“We don’t really know the details,” Chan added. “But he dropped a message in the roof chat and we’ve been meaning to bring it up, but...anyway...”

“OK,” Seungkwan replied dryly. “It’s not like I’ll have to see him. I mean, I hardly even see you guys and I actually want to see you. So…” He sucked in his lower lip and felt the weight of all the eyes in the room on him. “I don’t know why you’re all staring at me. I know I behaved a little...unhinged the last time I saw him, but I promise you can invite him to something if you want without fear of me going off. That’s what you want to hear, right?” His tone was accusatory, but even he himself didn’t know what he was accusing his friends of.

“Kwannie, we just thought you should know,” Jeonghan said.

“OK. Now I know. Honestly, it’s no big deal. Why is everybody so hung up on me and Hansol? First all my old classmates and now you guys. Let it go. We’ve been broken up for ages already.” Inside he knew it was a situation of the pot calling the kettle black and the way he had behaved every time he had seen him since the break-up didn’t exactly scream indifference.

“I have to pee!” Mingyu suddenly announced and he stood up straight with a jolt. “Seungkwan, come with me to the bathroom.”

“I thought you said we weren’t a couple of teenage girls. Go by yourself.”

“I don’t want to go by myself.” Mingyu pouted and pulled on Seungkwan’s sleeve. “Please? You said you had to go earlier and what if I run into someone? What if I run into Taesung in the bathroom and we get into a fight and I get arrested and my future is ruined?”

“Wha—? Fine,” Seungkwan rolled his eyes at his best friend. “I’ll go with you.”

“I thought you might wanted to step out,” Mingyu said when they had left the room and started walking to the nearest restroom.

“So you don’t actually have to pee?”

“No, I do.”

After going to the toilet Seungkwan looked down the hallway in the opposite direction of the music room. “Let’s go to our old classroom.”

“Why?” Mingyu asked.

Seungkwan shrugged. “I just feel like it.”

Mingyu agreed and followed him down the hall. They flipped the light switch and stood a few steps away from the door.

Seungkwan walked to the back of the room and sat down at the desk where he had sat during his first year here. Mingyu sat down at his place next to him.

“Do you remember the day I transferred?” Seungkwan asked, his eyes on the blackboard.

“Of course I do. I just wanted you to stop talking to me.”

“I was just being friendly.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“I dropped a book on Hansol’s desk to wake him up after class. Did I ever tell you that?”

“No. I don’t think you did.”

“Yeah...it just annoyed me that he was sleeping during class.” He sighed and let the silence fill the room for a while. He slammed his hands down on the desk, causing Mingyu to flinch at the sudden noise. “I’m going to do it,” he said.

Mingyu looked up at him confused. “Do what?” 

"Move in with Bin." 

“Did you decide that just now?”

“No. Well, I mean, I haven’t told him yet.” He looked at Mingyu. “It’s a little scary, but I think living with him will be more fun than not living with him.”

“Romantic,” Mingyu snickered.

“You know what I mean. And you’re okay with it, right?”

“Whatever makes you happy, Booboo.”

Seungkwan scrunched up his nose. “That better not be my new nickname. If you call me that again I’m going to start calling you Gyugyu.”

“Aww, that sounds cute.”

Seungkwan sighed, “You’re supposed to hate it.”

Mingyu giggled and ignored the sour expression on his friend’s face. “So, just to be clear. You’re sure about moving in with him? Like sure sure.”

Seungkwan nodded. A smile appeared on his face. “More so now that I’ve actually said it out loud. I know we won’t be alone in the apartment, but we won’t ever have to wonder whose place we’re going to go to because his place will be my place. And that’s...pretty awesome.”

Mingyu sat up and leaned over to ruffle Seungkwan’s hair, “You’re so cute sometimes, Booboo.” 

The younger slapped his hand away and frowned deeply, “Stop. It.”

“Okay, so, now that you’ve made up your mind I guess I can tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

“Well, actually...me and Hao have been talking too and we kind of decided that if you move out we'd also look for something together. He really likes his roommate, but they have a different kind of vibe at times and, you know, things are a bit awkward since Chan and Yugyeom broke up…" 

"How come you told me to make my own decisions but you can let whether or not you move in with Hao depend on what I do?"

Mingyu shrugged. “If you had decided not to move in with Bin I wouldn’t have had enough reason. I do want to live with Minghao, of course, but I also love rooming with you, so...I would have been fine waiting a bit longer. But if you move out I really don’t want to stay in the dorms.”

“Maybe you two can find a place close to us?”

“Yeah. That’d be nice. And we can still have movie nights and stuff like that, right?”

Seungkwan nodded. 

“A-are you crying?”

He sniffed. “No! It’s just—It’ll be the end of an era, you know.”

Mingyu stood up and bent down to wrap Seungkwan in a hug. “We’re not moving out just yet. And it’s not like we’re never going to see each other. We’ll still hang out all the time.”

He sat down on Seungkwan’s desk (who tried to push him off). “Do you think Jihoon and Seokmin will be upset? They're going to be the only ones left still living in a dorm."

"They managed to survive the year before us, so I think they’ll be okay.”

“Maybe they’ll move in with their boyfriends too.”

“Oh, Soonyoung and Seungcheol would love that, I’m sure. But I don’t think Jihoon is ready for that step just yet and Seokmin would never leave him by himself.”

“That’s true…” He stood up and stretched his arms with a groan. “Let’s get out of here. The more time I spend here the more I feel like punching something.”

“Uh-oh. Somebody better hide the basketballs.”

Notes:

-Chan...I'm sorry you only had a boyfriend in the months that I skipped >.<
-just to be clear: Hansol will be going to the same university as Jeonghan, Wonwoo, Soonyoung, Seungcheol, Jun and Chan. Not the same as Seungkwan.
-a lot of people moving in together, lol. It's true what Seungkwan said. Jihoon isn't ready for the commitment just yet
-Wonwoo and Mingyu are pretty much friends now. They hang out together sometimes along with their boyfriends

Thank you to all of you who are still reading!! (or who are new to the story and binged it?) I appreciate it a lot and I love hearing your thoughts!

Chapter 113: C2-13 End of an Era

Summary:

Seungkwan and Mingyu pack up their shared dorm room.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan and Mingyu’s dorm room was a mess of boxes, both full and empty,  and stuff still needing to be packed. The year had come to an end with Seungkwan quite pleased with his final results, Mingyu less so. Seeing as they weren’t going to stay in the dorm next year, they had to clear out.

“I still can’t believe they won’t let us keep our room for a few weeks more...it’s going to be empty over the summer anyway,” Seungkwan said for the umpteenth time.

“Yeah...But at least now we’ll have gotten it out of the way and we can enjoy summer,” Mingyu replied.

”Speak for yourself,” Seungkwan grumbled. While Mingyu and Minghao had found a tiny apartment together that they could move into right away, the rooms Seungkwan and Bin were going to be moving into weren’t going to be available until near the end of their summer vacation. Which was why he was packing up and temporarily going to store his things in his old bedroom back home.

He grabbed another box and placed it on his bed. He sighed and looked at his wardrobe. “Time to tackle this thing, I suppose.” 

As he put more and more into boxes he came across clothes he had almost completely forgotten about, stuffed in the back of his closet. Some loose socks that had gotten lost in the mess. A pair of pants that Mingyu guaranteed made his ass look good but made him feel too self-conscious to wear on a normal day. And then he pulled out the hoodie that he hadn’t worn in ages, the one that had been getting buried deeper with every load of fresh laundry getting placed on top. He stared at the red sleeve contrasting the navy of the rest of the fabric. He quickly stuffed it into an empty box and covered it with other clothes. 

“Can you atleast fold your clothes before you pack them?” Mingyu sighed. “You can save a lot of space and the less boxes we have to haul the better. And I said this yesterday too, but you should really combine light stuff with heavy stuff like books and—” 

“Yeah, okay, I get it. Just let me pack.” He closed the box and labeled it ‘ Non-essential clothes ’ with a black marker. 

With the sound of the playlist Seungkwan had made for the day as their BGM, the two young men continued packing up their room. Now that it was near empty it started to hit Seungkwan that from today on they wouldn’t be roommates anymore. He wasn’t going to be seeing Mingyu every day anymore. He folded the last of his boxes shut and placed his hands on top. “It’s so weird,” he whispered.

“Hm?” Mingyu hummed from the other side of the room, almost done himself.

“I said it’s weird. Last year around this time we didn’t even have boyfriends and now we’re moving in with them. But I guess the weird part...” He turned around and looked at his best friend. “...is that there isn’t going to be a place that’s ours anymore.”

Mingyu took the two steps it took to get from his bed to Seungkwan’s and looked him in the eye. “There is a place.”

“Where?”

Mingyu took Seungkwan’s hand and held it against his chest. “Right here. You’ll always be in my heart, Boo Seungkwan.”

There was a moment of silence before they both started laughing. 

“I can’t believe you just said that with a straight face,” Seungkwan chuckled.

“I kind of mean it though.” With a yank on his arm he pulled Seungkwan close and wrapped him in his arms. “I’ll keep an extra blanket around so that if you’re ever sad you can come right over and be my Boorrito.” 

“Wouldn’t Hao mind?”

“Are you kidding? You know he loves you. He might even want to make it a sandwich.”

Seungkwan pulled back so he could frown at him. “Why do you make it sound like he wants a threesome?”

“Hey, if that’s how you want to take what I said...that’s on you.” He laughed again and placed his arm on Seungkwan’s shoulder. “Let’s go get some take-out and have our last meal as roommates.”

Seungkwan shook Mingyu’s arm off and hooked their arms together, “Can we order instead? I don’t feel like going outside.”

“I tell you what. Because I’m super nice and this is my last chance to be a good roommate to you I’ll go and get it. You pick out a movie for us to watch while we eat.”

Seungkwan sat on his bed with his phone waiting for Mingyu to return when there was a knock on the door. Bin popped his head inside.

“Hey, I just wanted to see how the packing is going.” He walked in and nodded approvingly. “But I see you guys are basically done already.”

“Yeah...Mingyu’s just gone to get dinner. How’s your room?”

“Well,” Bin said and he hopped onto the bed next to him, “We’re not done yet, but it’s getting there.” He placed a hand on Seungkwan’s thigh and gave a squeeze. “Are you okay? You look a bit sad.”

“I guess I am a bit sad. But I’m okay.”

 

{ Seungkwan’s house, the next day

 

He let out a long tired sigh and looked at all the boxes filling up his room (and part of the living room). “And then we have to do it again in a few weeks.” 

Bin wrapped his arms around Seungkwan’s waist from behind and placed his chin on his shoulder. “Yeah, but a few weeks from now after we’re done we get to have sex in our new rooms.”

Seungkwan clicked his tongue, “As if I’ll have any energy left for that . And we have two other people living with us.” He groaned, feeling fatigue sinking into his muscles. “I’m going to take a shower.”

“All right.” Bin placed a kiss on his lips. “Hurry back.” He let his hand pass his boyfriend’s butt as he let go of him. That’s when he noticed a loose thread on his sleeve. “Baby? Do you have some scissors somewhere?”

“Why?” Seungkwan asked while he grabbed something to wear for the night before heading for the bathroom.

“Just a loose thread on my shirt.”

“Oh. Yeah, ehm, there’s probably some scissors somewhere in or around my desk.” He waved his hand in the general direction of his desk and left Bin to it.

Bin looked around for a pair of scissors on the desk. Not seeing one, he opened the drawer. He took out the pile of papers to see underneath, but no scissors. When he wanted to put the pile back he noticed there was some sort of book between the papers. It looked like a photo album. Most likely from when Seungkwan was in high school or younger. Without thinking that it might be something he wasn’t allowed to see, he gave in to his curiosity and opened it to take a peek inside. Pictures of Seungkwan and Hansol. Another page. Seungkwan and Hansol. Another one. Seungkwan and Hansol. He slammed it shut. He didn’t need to see more. It was pretty clear what it was. With shaking hands he placed it back into the drawer and closed it. He sat down at the edge of Seungkwan’s bed and took a deep breath. This didn’t have to mean anything. Seungkwan probably even forgot that he had it or else he wouldn’t have told him to look for scissors there. It didn’t mean anything.

Notes:

-who can I give cookies to for remembering that hoodie?
-Two options: summer time will be two chapters, one with a short road trip and one with a BBQ OR it will be one chapter mostly focused on the BBQ only. Oh yeah, Seungcheol has some news about where (and with who) he'll be living next year

Thank you for reading~

Chapter 114: C2-14 End of Summer (BBQ)

Summary:

The end of summer is already here. The group is having a nice summer barbecue. The whole group.

Notes:

Ahhh finally an update!!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

"I really have to get up now," Bin said, his arm stretched out on the bed for Seungkwan to use as a pillow.

"Why," Seungkwan whined and he rolled on his side to cling to him like a koala. 

"Because I’ve got to get to work, so I can pay rent and occasionally buy you presents."

"Yeah...I guess you should go then,” Seungkwan said with a pout. The end of their summer vacation was in sight and he wasn’t quite ready for it to be over yet. It hadn’t been the most eventful summer with the both of them working their part-time jobs a lot and the only vacation they had was a short road trip they had taken to go visit Seungkwan’s dad. They had only just moved into the apartment and Seungkwan was still getting used to the extra roommates, but having Bin so close was wonderful. Despite the fact they each had their own room they hadn't spent a night sleeping apart since the move-in.

With a groan he sat up and got off the bed. “I promised Seungcheol and Jisoo that I'd help with the shopping for tonight anyway. You'll be able to get to the park on time, right?"

“Yeah, should be fine. I’ll text you if I’m running late so you guys don’t eat all the food before I get there.” He placed a quick kiss on Seungkwan’s cheek. “I’m going to get dressed. I’ll see you tonight.” He ran his thumb over the place he had just kissed and stared at him with gentle eyes. “Don’t fight with him, ok?”

Seungkwan nodded. “I know. I won’t.” 

The him in question was Hansol. When an apartment had opened up in Jeonghan and Jisoo’s building, Seungcheol and Chan had decided to leave the dorms behind and move there. Unlike Jeonghan and Jisoo’s place, however, theirs had three bedrooms instead of two and, being college students on a budget, needed another roommate. Seungkwan didn’t know if they had asked Hansol or if Hansol had asked them, but the end result was that for the next year the three of them would be living together. And although Seungkwan had already anticipated seeing him on some occasions, having him live with two of his friends just added another layer of unavoidableness. Seungkwan saw the end-of-summer barbecue they were having tonight as a kind of test for himself. An opportunity to prove he could handle it. He had to prove it. To himself. And to Bin.

{ Barbecue spot that night}

“Guys, I think it’s about ready for some meat,” Mingyu said while feeling the hot air coming off the barbecue as if he was some sort of grilling expert. “Kwannie, do you know if Bin is almost here? And does anybody have an ETA for the other guys? Why is everybody so late?”

“Bin just finished work so he’s on his way. I don’t know about the others, but Seokmin and Soonyoung are right there,” Seungkwan answered and he gestured in the direction of them walking over.

“Which means Jun and Wonwoo are right behind,” Minghao added. “I think they all left together.”

“Sorry we’re a bit late, but we got distracted by some squirrels and the cat couple stayed to take some pictures or something,” Soonyoung said merrily when they got closer. “Is there any food yet?”

It only took a few minutes before Jun and Wonwoo joined them and a few more before Chan arrived together with Hansol. Seungkwan stood up from where he had been sitting and resolutely walked over to them. He stopped in front of Hansol. “Can I talk to you for a moment?” he asked. In a way he was glad to be able to get this out of the way before Bin was even here. He had decided that the best way to go about this was to address the elephant in the room before it could cause any damage.

“Eh, yeah. Sure. I mean, of course,” Hansol replied, casting a quick glance at the others before following Seungkwan to a spot a few meters away.

“So, eh, just you tonight?” Hansol asked tentatively.

“Bin is on his way, actually,” Seungkwan answered. “But that’s kind of what I want to talk to you about. Can you not talk to him about me like you did last time?” 

“I—” 

“I know I shouldn’t have yelled the way I did and I might have overreacted a tiny bit,” Seungkwan continued, cutting Hansol off. “But I think you can understand that I do not appreciate my ex-boyfriend talking to my current boyfriend about the relationship he and I have. That’s none of your business.”

Hansol didn’t reply, but he nodded. 

Seungkwan let out the breath he had been holding. “All right. So...That’s that. As for me...I’ll try not to yell at you again.” 

At that Hansol couldn’t contain a chuckle. “You’ll try .” 

Seungkwan scoffed, but he had a hint of a smile on his lips. “No guarantees. You might do something that warrants yelling.” 

“Fair enough.”

“So, eh,” Seungkwan looked down and aimlessly kicked some sand away, “How are you?”

“How am I?” Hansol wasn’t really sure what was happening right now. He had planned to put at least three people between him and Seungkwan at all times tonight, but now here they were talking. Almost friendly.

“Yeah. It’s just a normal question. I’m just trying to make this a normal situation, Hansol.”

“Oh. Ehm. Okay. I’ve been, eh, I’ve been alright I suppose.”

“You guys are really getting that rooftop gang of yours back together, huh? I mean, I know Jihoon doesn’t technically live with you, but Seungcheol does so I’d expect to find him hanging around if I were you.”

“Yeah,” Hansol chuckled, “I was surprised to see how cute they are together. I never would have pictured Jihoon like that. Just yesterday they were cuddled up on the couch watching a movie and it was so cute. Made me feel super single though.”

Seungkwan stiffened and the smile he’d had on his face evaporated.

Hansol once again wanted to kick himself. Just as they were starting to talk normally he had to say something to make it awkward. “So...what’s Mingyu doing now that you’re moving out?” he asked in an attempt to change the topic and hold onto the conversation.

“Oh, he’s also moved in with his boyfriend, actually.”

“Right, I think someone mentioned that maybe. Min-Ming—”

“Minghao. His name is Minghao.”

“Right. Sorry. It slipped my mind. Is it true that he used to date Wonwoo’s new boyfriend?”

“Oh man, you should have been there when they found that out,” Seungkwan let out a little laugh. “Back then it was horribly tense, but looking back at it it’s kind of hilarious. So, the band was going to perform and Minghao was going to introduce Gyu to his best friend. The best friend turned out to be Jun, Wonwoo’s boyfriend. And if that wasn’t awkward enough, Jun accidentally reveals that he and Hao used to date!”

Hansol listened to Seungkwan telling the story. He missed just listening to him. It was nice to look at Seungkwan’s face and not be met with eyes filled with hurt or anger. He allowed himself to laugh with him until he straightened up at the sight of the last person of their party arriving. He nodded his head to gesture behind Seungkwan. “Your boyfriend is here.” 

Seungkwan turned around and saw Bin walking closer to the barbecue scene. He waved when he saw him. He turned back to Hansol. “I’d better get back, but, eh...good talk?”

Hansol nodded silently and watched Seungkwan walking over to Bin with little hurried steps to go greet him.

Bin wrapped an arm around Seungkwan’s shoulder and looked back at Hansol who was slowly making his way to the barbecue area. “Everything alright?” he asked.

Seungkwan snaked his arms around his boyfriend’s waist. “Yeah. I just talked to him to apologize for yelling and to tell him not to give me reason to do it again.”

“So far so good then, I suppose,” he said and tangled their fingers together.

<>

Jisoo climbed onto the pile of large rocks that Hansol was sitting on and sat down with a grunt. “I’m getting old,” he joked. There was no response from the man staring at their friends playing soccer on the field next to the barbecue space. “You okay?” he asked.

“Am I just an idiot?” Hansol asked in return. “Am I an idiot for thinking that I could just come back here and re-join the group as if me and Seungkwan don’t have all this history? Especially after how well the last time went...” 

“I thought tonight was going well though?”

“Yeah, I guess it could be worse, but…” He ducked his head down into his hoodie. “I know I’m the one who broke up with him. It’s just…” He sighed. “Maybe it would be easier if he was with Mingyu or something...At least then I could say ‘ See. Those two always had a thing going on. Me and him were never meant to be ’. But now he’s just with some random guy and—”

“To be fair...” Jisoo cut him off. “...to you he’s just some random guy, but we’ve all known him for a while. They’ve already been together for almost a year, Hansol.” He looked over and sighed at the sight of his friend’s pained face. “What I meant to say was that it’s really hard and it will take time to get used to it. And who knows what the future holds? He and Mingyu might still end up together.”

Hansol snorted and glared at him. “You’re such a good friend.”

Jisoo smiled and lightly shoved him with his shoulder. “You still have all of us. That’s something, right?”

Hansol knew that. He knew that they could have easily chosen to drop him after breaking up with Seungkwan. He wouldn’t have blamed them. Not one bit.

“Can I ask you something? Did you decide to come back because of Seungkwan?”

“What would be the point in that? He’s with somebody else.”

“And if he wasn’t?”

“But he is.”

Jisoo sighed. “Fine. Be stubborn. Don’t deal with your feelings. It’s going to be a long year.”

<>

A few hours later all the food had been eaten and a vast amount of alcohol had been consumed while they sat around a small fire pit with a fire blazing. Seungkwan sat with his head on Bin’s shoulder feeling sleepy. The memory of falling asleep together with Wonwoo while they waited for Mingyu after he had gotten into a fight with Taesung randomly entered his mind. He yawned.

Across from him Soonyoung was busy squirming around on Seokmin’s lap trying to kiss him but getting stopped by a hand pressed against his mouth.  “He, eh, gets a little clingy when he’s tipsy.” 

“Clingy? I think the word you’re looking for is horny,” Jeonghan said with a snort. “Don’t let us hold you back.”

“Baby, stop trying to make out with me in front of our friends,” Seokmin said to his boyfriend. “Soonyoung,” he added in a stricter voice. “Stop grinding on me or I’m pushing you off.”

With a giggle Soonyoung got off from Seokmin’s lap before getting forcibly removed and he stumbled his way over to where Wonwoo was sitting. He sat down on the grass in front of him and looked up with unfocused eyes. “I’m so glad you’re here, Wonwon. Remember last year at the beach when I was looking at the group photos and then you weren’t in all of them and I said to the guys how I felt bad for being in the photo but not you? Remember that?”

“Eh, no, because I wasn’t there. Just how drunk are you?”

“So you also don’t remember breakfast?” He let out a high pitched giggle and hid his mouth behind his hands.

“Again, I wasn’t there.”

Soonyoung leaned his head down on Wonwoo’s leg. “Mingyu and Jihoon had sex.”

Seungkwan clicked his tongue at drunk Soonyoung’s lack of restraint and common sense. He doubted anyone here wanted to bring that up.

“At breakfast?” Jun asked dryly. 

“No, silly. The night before. It was pretty funny.” Soonyoung replied and he hugged Wonwoo’s leg. “I don’t feel so good.”

“You and me both,” Seungcheol grumbled.

“Oh now Cheollie, at least you already knew about this,” Jeonghan said.

“I did too, actually.” Minghao spoke up.

“Oh…” Jihoon said softly.

“You don’t have to look so pressed,” Minghao said with a raised eyebrow. “I don’t really care to be honest.”

“Isn’t this nice, you guys?” Jeonghan said with a dreamy voice. “How we’re all so open and comfortable with each other.” 

“Honey, I think you’ve had enough to drink,” Jisoo said. 

Jeonghan stretched out his hand in his boyfriend’s direction. “Take me home. I want to sleep for at least twelve hours straight.”

“Yeah, we’d better get going too,” Mingyu said and he stood up. “If I drink any more I’m afraid I’m going to wake up with a neck tattoo or something.”

“Jihoon, if you’re going home with Cheol I’m taking Soonyoung back to our room, ok?”

“Yeah, sure. Just don’t let him puke anywhere.”

Chan sighed. “Hansol, we’d better sleep with earplugs tonight. Something tells me that Jihoon is going to try extra hard to make Seungcheol forget he ever had sex with anyone else.”

“Do you want to come over to my place and play games?” Wonwoo suggested. “I don’t have any plans for tomorrow so we can just go for as long as we can keep our eyes open.”

Seungkwan listened to everybody talking and making plans as they gathered all their trash and he couldn’t be completely sure that it wasn’t the alcohol in his system, but he felt warm inside. Maybe having Hansol back in the group was good. Or at least not bad.

Notes:

- Clearly this year has been a lot less chapters than the previous ones, but that's because I did a time skip of a few months...
- You might be thinking "geez, Hansol, get over it already" but you know...they've barely seen each other or communicated so it hasn't really had a chance to heal or something
- I've been thinking about another wedding day flashforward, but it's hard to write something that doesn't involve the other groom. So...I'm thinking of doing a bit that's more focused on one of the other couples...
- Why does Hansol always end up living with Seungcheol for some reason in my fics??
- Soonyoung getting clingy when intoxicated based on true events
- if there are any things unclear about who lives where with who please let me know~
- Thank you for reading <3

Chapter 115: Flowers - a flashforward

Summary:

A flashforward to the night of the wedding. The vows have been said, rings exchanged, speeches given. Now it's time to dance. Or in Jihoon's case...steal something.

Notes:

Flashforward mostly focused on Jihoon, with a bit of Seungkwan (mostly because idk how to write more flashbacks of the wedding without spoiling things, lol)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“You know, you’re not supposed to take those,” Seungkwan said as he walked in on Jihoon trying to stuff one of the centerpieces into a gift bag.

“They’ll just be thrown away later anyway,” Jihoon mumbled. “I just thought they’d look nice for a few more days if I put them on my desk at work.”

Seungkwan sighed and rolled his eyes, “Your boyfriend is literally in charge of the flowers. Why not just ask him instead of committing larceny at my wedding.”

“I don’t want to bother him when he’s working. He was more stressed than usual, because, you know. He wanted it to be perfect for you guys.” He shook the bag to make the flowers sink down. “Anyway, shouldn’t you be out on the dance floor?”

“I’ll get right back to it. I just need to use the bathroom. And, man, who would have thought getting married is more exhausting than managing a class full of kids all day. In a good way though. Anyway, I really need to go pee. Dance with me later?” he asked, slowly taking a few backward steps in the direction of the restrooms.

“Shouldn’t you dance with your husband ?”

“Please?” he begged. “I’ve already danced with almost everybody else. And that husband of mine is getting plenty of dancing time, don’t you worry. I just want to dance with all of my friends, too.” 

“Alright, come find me after you’ve been to the bathroom. I’ll just go and put my stolen goods in my car first.”

When Jihoon returned to the party Seungkwan was already dancing to a slow song with his mother and he decided not to interrupt their time together. He spotted Seungcheol standing to the side, overlooking the scene. He still had his headset on, but Jihoon could tell some of the tension had left his shoulders. He walked over and softly poked his side to get his attention.

“There you are,” Seungcheol said. “I thought you’d turned into a runaway bride.”

Jihoon raised one eyebrow and looked at him with a deadpan stare.

“Sorry. That was a weird joke,” Seungcheol said and quickly focussed his eyes on the people on the dance floor. “I know we’re not even engaged or anything. I didn’t mean anything by it…I just have wedding planner brain.”

Jihoon also looked at the people on the dance floor. Everybody looked happy. He felt happy too. He leaned in just a little bit closer so his shoulder was touching Seungcheol’s arm. “Do you want to be?”

“Want to be what?” Seungcheol asked and turned his head to look at him again.

“Engaged.”

Seungcheol breathed out through his nose and felt an uneasy feeling creeping up inside. He knew Jihoon wasn’t the most traditional guy and had always moved at a different pace in their relationship than Seungcheol himself had. He had always adapted to this pace, however, and tried not to put pressure on where their relationship was going. But Seungcheol didn’t get into the wedding planning business for nothing. He loved weddings and he hoped to have his own someday. And recently ‘someday’ started to feel too vague, too far away. The idea that Jihoon might never want that kind of life was always a little voice in the corner of his thoughts about the future. “Maybe we shouldn’t talk about that now.”

“Alright. I just meant...we could be.”

For a second Seungcheol felt like his brain was about to implode trying to figure out exactly what was happening right now. “Are you...proposing to me? You’re not, right? No, wait. Are you?”

“I didn’t mean to…” Jihoon replied softly before his eyes grew in shock realizing his bad choice in words. “No!” he said sharply, grabbing one of Seungcheol’s arms. “What I mean is, I didn’t mean to just say it randomly like that. I don’t mean that I didn’t mean it.”

Seungcheol pushed his lips into his signature pout, “How can someone who can write lyrics as beautiful as you at the same time be so inept at voicing their emotions? Now, what exactly are you saying because you’re kind of freaking me out here.”

“Seungcheol...let’s get married. That’s what I’m saying.”

“You’re serious?”

“I am, but if you pull a Seungkwan and make me re-do my proposal just because it was spontaneous and maybe not as spectacular or romantic as you had pictured then I’ll retract my previous statement.” He still had his fingers wrapped around Seungcheol’s arm and the longer it took for him to say anything the tighter the grip became. “S-so? What do you think?”

The look of surprise and confusion on Seungcheol’s face melted away to reveal a big smile underneath. He bent down to wrap his strong arms around Jihoon’s tiny waist and he swung him around once before setting him down again to catch his lips in a kiss, feeling hands wrap around his neck.

Jihoon couldn’t help himself from smiling even if it made the kiss a little awkward. But he soon pulled back, still holding onto him. “I’m really happy, but...Let’s, eh, not tell anyone yet.”

Seungcheol nodded with a chuckle. “Oh no, definitely not yet. Seungkwan would kill us for announcing our engagement at his wedding.”

They both laughed. Jihoon placed his head on Seungcheol’s shoulder and with interlaced fingers they looked at the people dancing. They stayed like that until Seungkwan finally came over and dragged Jihoon onto the dancefloor.

Notes:

- All the way back in chapter 38 I actually made a joke about Jihoon potentially stealing a centerpiece at Seungkwan's wedding, well...guess what...I put that in because I already had this idea back then, lol
-I am planning to write the Seungkwan proposal as well once it's time....
-Jihoon always has a flower on his desk because flowers remind him of Seungcheol now/Seungcheol gives it to him usually

twt cc

Chapter 116: C3-1 Band at the Bar

Summary:

At the beginning of the new academic year the band plays at the bar. A professor has something to discuss and Soonyoung runs into an old friend.

Notes:

Sorry for taking a while! idek what this chapter is, lol

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

When the band was scheduled to play another gig at the bar at the beginning of the new academic year, Seungkwan was half-expecting Hansol to show up as well. It would make sense seeing as everybody else was there. But he didn't come and Seungkwan thought it was best not to ask either of his roommates about it. He did, however, spot another familiar face after they were done playing.

"Professor? What are you doing here? You didn't come to see us play, did you?" he asked Seo Eunkwang, his favorite teacher and director of the annual musical.

"I sure did," the man answered with a big smile. "Seokmin told me about it and I couldn't pass up the chance to see my top stars perform."

"Oh...he did?" Seungkwan could almost hear Mingyu's voice in his head, teasing him for still having a schoolboy crush on his teacher and feeling a little jealous knowing Seokmin apparently talked to him about stuff. "W-what did you think?"

"It was great, of course! I didn't expect any less. Now, do you know where Jihoon is? I've brought a friend who I think he should meet." He looked around the bar and spotted the young man in question still hanging around the stage. "Ah, nevermind, there he is. I'll see you in class, Seungkwan."

"Yeah, okay, professor. Thank you for coming," he said and followed him with his eyes as he walked over to Jihoon after beckoning over who Seungkwan assumed was his friend.

With a huff he sat down on the chair between Seokmin and Bin.

"What's wrong?" Seokmin asked. "People seemed to like our performance."

"Professor Eunkwang did."

"Oh!" Seokmin's face lit up. "He came? I should go say hi."

"Don't bother," Seungkwan pouted, "He wanted to talk to Jihoon and introduce him to his friend for some reason."

"Why does that make you mad?" Bin asked.

"Because," Mingyu answered on his best friend's behalf. "Seungkwan is probably wondering why his Eunkwang doesn't want him to meet his friend and what makes Jihoon so special to get all this attention from his —”

"Shut up!" Seungkwan hissed, a blush on his face. "I'm not even mad. I just can't imagine what they'd have to talk about."

Seungcheol looked behind him to take a look at who his boyfriend was talking to. "I don't know what they're talking about, but I haven't seen him this serious and nervous since I introduced him to one of my brothers over the summer."

"What's going on?" Wonwoo asked, setting down one tray of drinks. He was followed by Soonyoung with another tray.

"We don't know. Maybe nothing," Jisoo answered. "The professor that Seungkwan has the hots for wanted Jihoon to talk to someone, but we don't know why."

"I do not have the hots for him!"

"Baby, it's fine. Lots of people have a crush on their teacher," Bin said. He put his arm around his neck and pulled him closer, "Now tell me, is it just that professor in particular or is it the fact that he's a professor because I'm not opposed to roleplay, you know."

Seungkwan wiggled free and took a drink from one of the trays. "...I hate it here."

"If you weren't so obvious and get all bent out of shape over a joke, maybe we wouldn't tease you so much," Chan laughed.

Seungkwan scoffed, "Well, at least I'm not some creep secretly taking pictures of his ass. Mingyu." If he was going down, he'd be damned if he didn't drag Mingyu down with him.

Jeonghan let out a loud laugh, "What is it with this professor?"

"I didn't take pictures of him !"

"But you took pictures of another professor's ass?" Minghao asked with a look of slight disgust on his face. "Creepy. Why am I dating such a creepy guy?"

"D-don't look at me like that! It wasn't like that!"

"It was exactly like that," Seungkwan snorted.

While they were busy calling each other out and messing around, a young man in a leather jacket and his black hair slicked back approached their table and tapped Soonyoung on his shoulder. When he looked up to see who it was his face split open in a wide smile.

“Jooheon!?” Soonyoung exclaimed with glee and he shot up from his chair. “What are you doing here?”

“A friend told me about this band that was playing here tonight, so I came to check it out. I never expected to see you here! Thank god it really is you though and I didn't just tap a stranger on the shoulder.”

“I can say the same thing! What the fuck, for real,” Soonyoung said with a laugh. 

“I can't believe how long it's been. You look good, man.”

“So do you,” Soonyoung said and he playfully hit the other man on his arm. "Wow. Someone's been working out!"

Seungkwan pursed his lips together at the scene in front of him and leaned in closer to Seokmin next to him. "Do you know this guy?" he whispered.

“No,” Seokmin mumbled back and furrowed his brows closer together at the giggle that had just come out of his boyfriend's mouth. "I guess they know each other."

"Eh, yeah," Seungkwan said thinking that it was pretty obvious that they did.

"Sit down, sit down," Soonyoung said and he held out a chair for this supposed friend. "We have to catch up!" Not bothering with introductions, Soonyoung continued talking, "So how have you been?"

"Pretty good! I'm taking a bit of a gap year right now to save up for my Master's and stuff."

"That's cool. How is Changkyun?"

"I, eh, I'm not sure. Okay, I guess. I haven't really spoken to him in a while. We broke up a few months ago."

Soonyoung let out a little gasp and covered his mouth with one hand. "No way! You were together for years."

Jooheon shrugged, "Yeah, but shit happens, you know. It's okay. We're still sort of friendly."

"So...you're single?" Soonyoung asked. It was almost immediately followed by a cry of pain. "Ow! Who kicked me!?"

Seungkwan (the one who had kicked him) ignored him and plastered on a smile for Jooheon, "Hi, I'm Seungkwan, a friend of Soonyoung's." He gestured to Seokmin. "And this is Seokmin, his boyfriend. Nice to meet you."

"Oh, shit, I'm sorry. I was so surprised to run into this guy that I totally forgot to introduce myself. I'm Jooheon. We went to the same high school."

"He was my senior," Soonyoung added. While maybe not totally picking up on the fact that Seokmin wasn't so psyched about how excited he was to see Jooheon, Soonyoung at least found his manners and decided to introduce him to the table. "Guys! This is Jooheon. My senior from high school. Jooheon, these are all the guys."

With a smile that even Seokmin had to admit was cute, he greeted everybody. His eyes landed on Seungcheol and he got a puzzled look on his face. "Have we met before? You look familiar."

“Eh, yeah…” Seungcheol replied, shifting in his seat. “Seungcheol. We met like two years ago.”

“Right! We met when you were dating Hyunwoo! He's the one who told me about the band playing, by the way. He’s around here somewhere.”

“What!?" Soonyoung exclaimed. "You're friends with Hyunwoo? I know Hyunwoo! This is crazy."

Jooheon laughed and his eyes wrinkled up in crescents. His smile made the dimples in his cheeks stand out. "Yeah. If only I would have come here sooner. But it's not exactly in my area. Oh, that reminds me. Really nice gig before," he said and nodded politely at each member of the band.

"Thanks," Seokmin replied.

Soonyoung clearly thought that was enough time wasted not talking to his old schoolmate and soon they were engaged in a conversation that no-one else could follow since it was all high school stories and names of people they didn't know.

Seokmin was very close to accidentally on purpose knocking over a drink and causing a distraction when Jihoon finally joined them. He stood next to Seungcheol's chair and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Who were you talking to?" Seungcheol asked and he gently pulled him down to sit on his lap. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah..." Jihoon answered, a bit dazed. "That was a friend of professor Seo. He goes by the name Bumzu and he works for a music company...He...he said he's interested in...me."

"Interested in you? What does that mean?" Chan asked. "You're not even the singer of the band."

"No, not for singing. He heard I write most of our stuff and the professor told him about what I did for the musical and all that and he said I have a real talent for creating songs...He asked me if I'm interested in an internship, but—"

"What but!?" Seungkwan squealed. "No buts!"

"No butts? I didn't agree to this," Jeonghan joked.

"But," Jihoon repeated, "I don't know if I should or can. With school and everything...I told him I'd think about it."

"Lee Jihoon! You have to do it! You—"

"He'll think about it," Seungcheol shut Seungkwan down. He knew the younger meant well, but he also knew Jihoon and he looked like he was still processing this turn of events.

"He also told me about this club that he'd like us to play at so his boss can hear some of the songs live...I know you're probably all busy, so it's okay if we don't."

"Hoonie," Jeonghan sighed. "Of course we will."

"We actually like playing in the band too, you know," Jisoo added with a smile.

<>

Later that night everybody had gone home one by one and Seungkwan and Bin were walking to where they had parked the car that they had borrowed from one of their housemates. They were joined by Soonyoung and Seokmin after the latter had said he could use some fresh air before going to Soonyoung's room for the night. Seungkwan suspected it had something to do with the fact that Soonyoung was still hyped after talking with Jooheon all night. Even now he wouldn't shut up about it and finally Seokmin snapped.

"You know, Jooheon was in a band at school. He plays the drums," Soonyoung said. "I used to think he was so cool back in high school."

"Used to?" Seokmin scoffed.

"Should we go?" Bin asked in a hush voice. "This sounds like it's headed for a fight."

"Nah," Seungkwan waved away his concerns, "Seokmin isn't the type to—"

"You were all over him! You barely seemed to remember I even exist while you were busy giggling," Seokmin said, sounding upset. Seungkwan clasped his teeth together and pulled the corners of his mouth back in an apologetic awkward 'my bad' face.

"What? I was just happy to see an old friend."

" Someone's been working out," Seokmin mimicked.

"He looked like he has been!"

"Well, I wouldn't know because you've never told me about him. If he was such a good friend how come you haven't even mentioned him once? It's because you have a thing for him, isn't it?"

"I...Okay, you're right," Soonyoung admitted far more easily than you'd expect. "I had a huge crush on him back then. Like...major. I guess seeing him tonight brought back some of that and the young heartbroken teenager in me was just being dumb. I'm sorry. I didn't realize how I was acting. Did I really sound as stupid as you just made me sound? How embarrassing...Minnie, I'm so sorry. Please don't think it meant anything."

"You did sound a bit stupid..." Seokmin mumbled. He could never stay mad for long. He reached out and took Soonyoung's hand. Behind them Seungkwan and Bin were silently listening in. "Why were you heartbroken? Did you confess to him?" Seokmin asked, his voice gentle.

"No...It was so stupid. I had the brilliant idea of finally getting him to see me as a 'man', whatever the fuck that means, at his graduation party. I got my goth friend Changkyun to make out with me in front of him and I thought that would get him to realize what he was missing out on and he'd get jealous and we'd fall in love and I'd have a cool college boyfriend to brag about."

"So, what happened?"

"Well, he did realize what he was missing out on and he did get jealous and he did fall in love and became a cool college boyfriend to brag about. For Changkyun. He liked Changkyun. Not me."

"Wow."

"Yeah...Now that I say it like that I feel even more stupid for how I behaved tonight. Besides, I do have a cool college boyfriend to brag about. He's in a band, you know. And he was the lead in a musical two years in a row. Oh, and he's super fucking hot."

"Oh, yeah?" Seokmin giggled. "Well, my cool college boyfriend works at a bar and has an amazing body and believe me when I say he knows how to use it."

The pair flinched when there was the sound of someone clearing their throat.

"Not to interrupt your weird flirting or making up or whatever, but this is our car," Seungkwan said.

"Oh, shit. I totally forgot you were here," Soonyoung said.

"Clearly," Bin laughed. He unlocked the car and held the door on the passenger's side open for Seungkwan to get in.

"Good night, guys. Don't wake up Wonwoo with your love making," Seungkwan said before closing the car door.

"Don't worry," Soonyoung said. "He's sleeping over at Jun's so we can even have sex on his bed and he wouldn't even know."

"We won't though!" Seokmin added and he slapped his boyfriend, who was laughing at himself, on the shoulder.

<>

As they drove home Seungkwan was overcome with sleep and he sank down a little further in his seat.

"Don't sleep yet," Bin said. "I'll have to wake you up once we get home and you'll be grumpy."

"I won't be," Seungkwan yawned.

"Baby..."

"Fine, I'll try to stay awake," he huffed and sat back up. "But you have to help me."

"Okay. What do you want? Some music? Or do you want to talk about what we're going to do for our anniversary? It's pretty soon."

"Oh!" Seungkwan exclaimed, a jolt of energy going through him. "It is! It's almost the same as Mingyu and Hao's anniversary. We have to do something fun!"

"But, eh, not with them, right? I mean, I really like them, but for our anniversary—"

"No, no, of course not with them. They can have their own anniversary. What do you want to do? It has to be fun, but also romantic. Are we doing presents? What do you want to do?"

"I don't know," Bin smiled with his eyes on the road. "We'll think of something. Something good."

"Yeah," Seungkwan replied, but he was already falling back into his sleepy state. A smile on his face. This time when his eyes started to close Bin didn't try to wake him again.

Notes:

-I've had Soonyoung's backstory in my head for AGES and even though it doesn't go into a lot of detail here I wanted to have it in the story
-He wasn't at this one, but Hansol might decide to go to the next band performance
-Also, could this be the year Chan finds love?
-Jihoon getting semi-scouted for his talent? Deserved.

Chapter 117: C3-2 One Year

Summary:

Mingyu comes over after fighting with Minghao. It's been one year since Seungkwan started dating Bin.

Notes:

Hello~

So...I'm a bit in a writing rut and I'm trying to pull myself out. Sorry it's taking longer to update >.<
Most of this chapter was written at 3 am after an ill-timed energy drink...

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan was catching up on a TV show Bin didn’t care for when his phone rang. It was Mingyu.

Kwannie...Can I come over?

“Sure. But why do you say it like that?” Mingyu’s voice was soft and devoid of any cheerfulness and Seungkwan knew him long enough to know that he wasn’t asking to come over just to hang out because he felt like it. “Is something wrong?”

“I’ll tell you once I get to your place. I’m coming now, okay?”

It wasn’t long after that, that they were sitting on Seungkwan’s bed with some music softly playing in the background. “So? What’s going on?” Seungkwan asked.

“Me and Hao had a fight…” Mingyu explained. “A big one. He’s really mad at me I think.”

As far as Seungkwan knew the two of them didn’t fight often and if they did it wasn’t anything that turned into a big thing, so this was rare. “Oh...What was it about?”

Mingyu sighed. “I bought some stuff...expensive stuff that I guess I didn’t really need.”

“What did you buy?”

“New make-up stuff...You know how I’ve been posting some stuff online? I wanted some better quality things to work with.”

“Well, I mean...if you bought it with your own money I don’t think Minghao can be mad at you for it.”

“Yeah…”

“There’s something else, isn’t there? Is it because you’ve been spending more time on your make-up and beauty stuff than on studying? Because then I actually kind of a-”

Mingyu clicked his tongue. “Will you stop it with that? No, that’s not why he’s mad. He’s mad because...well...maybe I kind of sort of forgot that for our one year anniversary we had planned to rent a car and drive to the countryside and stay in a nice place and eat nice food and do some fun stuff together. I remembered when he mentioned it today and how we had to book something soon, but with the stuff I bought I don’t have enough money for it...He said it wasn’t about the money or even the plans we had made, but he said it made him feel like he isn’t very high on my list of what I find important.”

“Mingyu…” He didn’t want to scold his friend too much when he was clearly already upset about it, but if his boyfriend had done something like that, Seungkwan would be royally pissed off too.

“It’s not true, you know,” Mingyu sniffed as tears started to form in his eyes. “You know it’s not...I told you about my gift, right? I worked really hard on that scrapbook of our first year together and I think if he saw it he’d understand that too. And I got him those shoes he’s been eyeing.”

“Then why don’t you show it to him and tell him how sorry you are for not thinking ahead a bit better?”

“Because it's an anniversary gift...He’s not supposed to see it yet.”

“Mingyu...I love you, but you’re such an idiot sometimes.” He sighed and reached out to gently place a hand on Mingyu’s thigh to comfort him. “Listen, you can totally stay here if you want. You can even spend the night. But do you think that avoiding him is the best way to show him you love him?”

“No…” Mingyu mumbled. “I’ll go home in a little bit...After I think of a way to make it up to him.” He looked up at Seungkwan with a pout. “What are you guys doing for your anniversary?”

Seungkwan frowned and pursed his lips. “You can’t just mooch off of us. You have to think of your own thing or else it’s not very genuine.”

“I was just asking…”

“Fine. I’ll tell you. We’re going on a bike ride to that big park where they have those swan pedal boats and eat lunch there. At night we’re going to the restaurant we had our first date at and end it with karaoke. I know it sounds like any other date, but to us—”

“A picnic!” Mingyu shouted and he sat up straight with big eyes. “That’s it! I can make him a picnic and I know just where to go! There’s this art park over at—”

“Hey! I just told you to think of your own thing!”

“Relax, it’s totally not the same as your date. First of all, if you make a lunch for Bin you might give him food poisoning.”

Seungkwan scoffed. “Are you looking to fight with everybody today?”

Mingyu ignored him and stood up. “Okay, I have to get home and talk to him. I’ll tell him about my new date plan and again that I’m really sorry and that I have a great gift but that he’s going to have to trust me and wait to see it. Thanks for hearing me out, Kwannie.”

“Yeah, yeah. Of course. I hope he forgives you, but knowing him, he will.”

<>

“If you keep looking at your phone you might end up dropping it in the water,” Bin said when Seungkwan checked his phone for the umpteenth time.

“I’m sorry. Sorry,” he repeated and he put his phone back into his bag. “Just some band stuff. Jihoon is really stressing out about this one. We’re all trying to tell him to relax and that this Bumzu guy is already interested and this performance isn’t a big deal because it’s not an audition or anything, but it’s no use. He has us rehearse so much even though he’s acting as if it doesn’t even really matter to him whether he gets this internship or not, but we all know he badly wants it.”

“Just don’t let his stress become your stress too, okay? I love how much you care, but—”

“Yeah, I know. Don’t worry. I’m putting the phone away for the rest of the day.”

Bin raised an eyebrow and looked at him like he didn’t quite believe that.

“What? I can leave my phone alone for a few hours! Today is about us . Although Chan is freaking out a little bit also...but, no, I’ll respond to him later. He knows we’re out. It’s fine.”

“What is he freaking out about?”

“Oh, it’s just that some guy he likes or something might also come to watch us perform. He’s been pretty vague about the whole thing but he seems to have contacted him on Instagram and now he doesn’t know what to do next if the guy actually shows up.”

“Man…,” Bin groaned. “I’m so bummed I can’t be there that night. It’s just the coach with his insane training schedule...with the tournament coming up next month...”

“I know. I already told you not to worry about it. I know how important the water polo team is to you.”

“Someone better record it for me. You’re always so insanely hot when you’re on stage and now I’m curious about this guy Chan likes.”

“Stop it,” Seungkwan said with a slight blush creeping up his face. He still got flustered knowing just how much his boyfriend liked to see him perform. “I’ll ask Mingyu or Wonwoo or someone to film it.”

“Good,” Bin said with a smile. 

They fell into momentary silence as they paddled their swan boat to the middle of the lake. Bin stared down the water and felt the soft breeze on his face. It was peaceful here. He took Seungkwan’s hand. “Time really did fly this past year, didn’t it?” he said and he looked to the side.

“Yeah. It really did. I can’t believe we’re already celebrating our anniversary,” Seungkwan replied looking back.

“I know. It feels like only yesterday that you chased me down the street just because you couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing me again,” Bin said in a jokingly dramatic way.

“And only yesterday that you threw away perfectly good coffee just to get a new one with me because you couldn’t wait to spend time with me.” Seungkwan retorted.

“Worth it. I’d throw away all the coffee in the world to spend time with you.”

Seungkwan shook his head in disappointment, “I know you’re trying to be romantic, but know your audience, Moon.”

Bin chuckled and he started to lean in to kiss him.

“No, stop, you’ll make the boat flip over!” Seungkwan yelled.

“Then meet me halfway. It’ll be fine.”

That’s what he did. They stopped pedaling completely and let the boat float aimlessly on the water as they kissed, not caring about the other people around them. That is, until one other couple told them to watch where they were going after almost crashing into them. They apologized, but the smiles didn’t leave their faces as they held hands and pedaled back to land.

Notes:

-Next time the band will play again. Bin can't be there because he's too busy, but Hansol will be there to support Jihoon....
-Chan has a guy he likes...who he knows on Instagram...any thoughts?

Chapter 118: C3-3 Dancing

Summary:

The band performs at a club to showcase Jihoon's songs for his potentially future boss. People dance. But should they?

Notes:

Sorry, I was diving for that big jewel the old Titanic lady threw into the ocean...or some other excuse for not updating. The writing vibes aren't vibing lately T__T

Also, lol wtf is this chapter's summary.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan missed the eyes of his boyfriend staring at him from the audience, but tonight was about Jihoon anyway. They were at a club much bigger than the bar to perform so the boss from a music production company could see Jihoon’s songs in action. The audience reaction was great and nobody made any mistakes while playing. When they stepped off stage Jihoon’s nerves had been replaced with fire.

“If this ‘boss’ wants to reject me that just means he has no ear for music. We did great. You guys did great,” he said, waving his fist around. “I’m going to go talk to them.”

“Good luck!” Seokmin yelled after him.

“Come on, guys,” Jeonghan said as he started pushing them in the direction of the way leading to the floor of the club. “Let’s go. I’m dying to see if the guy that has Chan all nervous and panicky has shown up yet!”

“I thought it wasn’t sure yet if he was even coming?” Seungkwan asked. Of course, as always, Jeonghan seemed to have more details than he did.

“Not 100%, no. But I’ve got a feeling.”

They quickly found their group along with a few extra people. Jooheon, Soonyoung’s old schoolmate, and his friend Hyunwoo were also there. Before they reached them Seungkwan pulled on Seokmin’s arm.

“Did you know he was coming?” he asked him.

“You mean Jooheon? Yeah. I told Soonyoung that he should invite him.”

“Why?”

“Because they’re old friends and—”

Seungkwan sighed and hooked their arms together as he started walking again. “You are too good for this world, Minnie. You really, really are.” He let him go when they reached the others and he poked Mingyu in the side. “Did you get everything? You know I promised Bin that—”

“Yes, don’t worry. I’ve got your boyfriend’s jerk off material right here.”

Seungkwan clicked his tongue and scrunched up his nose, “Thanks for making him being supportive into a creepy thing.”

“I’m not saying it’s creepy. I’m just saying that he really gets a kick out of seeing you perform and that he’ll definitely je-”

“Stop! Just…send the video,” he sighed.

“Is Jihoon talking with the company people?” Seungcheol asked when he saw his boyfriend wasn’t with him.

“Yeah,” Jeonghan answered. “He was all fired up after the show.”

“As always, great one, guys,” Wonwoo said and raised his drink as a salute.

“Personally, I think Seokmin, my boyfriend, was the most awesome,” Soonyoung declared. “You always hear people talk about how cool drummers are, but really people on the keyboard are so amazing.” He followed his statement with a giggle and clung to his boyfriend’s arm. 

Seungkwan wasn’t sure if he found Soonyoung’s overcompensatingly praising Seokmin in the presence of his former crush endearing or stupid, but Seokmin seemed happy with it so he decided to give it no response and instead focused his attention on Chan. He nudged his arm. “And? Is he here?” Seungkwan asked. “What does this guy look like anyway? You said you follow him on Insta, right? You should show us so we can keep an eye out.”

A bit hesitant, Chan pulled out his phone. Seungkwan took it from him and looked at the young man in the picture. He was staring at the camera, one eye visible through his black bangs. The black top he was wearing revealed his arms, covered with several small tattoos. “He looks emo.” Seungkwan blurted out. Immediately Chan took his phone back.

“He isn’t emo , he’s artistic. And believe me when I say he’s an amazing dancer. The way he moves…”

“I want to see too!” Soonyoung said and he yanked Chan’s phone from his hands. “Ooh,” he said, impressed. “He looks pretty. And…” He scrunched his eyebrows together and held the phone a little closer. “He looks familiar. Did you ever show me his dance videos or something? He reminds me a little of that Thai dancer who-” He gasped and looked up at Chan in excitement. “Is this him!? Is this the guy? Did you actually invite your bisexual awaking to this club?”

Once again Chan quickly took his phone back and shoved it in his pocket. “Don’t say it like that. But...yeah. He, eh, actually started a Master’s degree at a university in the next town over...it’s not super close so I doubt he’ll even come. He was just being polite saying that he’ll try to make it.”

“Chan, when were you going to tell us you’re a stalker?” Jisoo asked with a hint of mischief sparkling in his eyes.

“I’m not a stalker! I only know where he studies because he talked about it on his vlog! He said in a story that he was looking for fun things to do so I DMed him and he replied.”

“Are you going to ask him out when he does get here?” Mingyu asked with a smirk.

“Chan, you have to do it for queer people everywhere,” Soonyoung said and he placed a hand on Chan’s shoulder. 

“Guys, I don’t even know if he’s going to show up and even if he...does...I…” Chan’s voice trailed off and he was left staring. Almost simultaneously everybody else turned theirs heads and found the reason for his sudden silence.

“Speak of the devil,” Jeonghan said. “There he is.”

“There who is?” someone asked. It was Jihoon who had just walked over.

“Hoonie, we all want to hear how your talk with the bossman went, but right now we have to psych up Chan so he’ll ask out the one that showed him the light into the delights of men.” Jeonghan said without taking his eyes off the man from the picture making his way over to the bar in the back of the club.

“Eh, what?” Jihoon asked.

“His bisexual awakening. You know. The guy he’s had a digital crush on for years,” Seokmin explained.

“The Thai youtube dancer?” Another voice asked and it made Seungkwan tear his eyes away and turn around.

“Oh,” he said, staring right into Hansol’s face, “I didn’t know you were here.”

“Yeah...I just went to the bathroom,” Hansol replied. “I saw you guys play though,” he added with a little smile.

“Oh, well, you’re back just in time to see Chan go up to offer to buy a drink for his bisex—”

“Ten,” Chan interrupted him. “His name is Ten, so stop calling him my bisexual awakening. And who said I was going up there? What if he thinks I’m a stalker like you guys?”

“Chan,” Jisoo said, serious this time, “I was just kidding. I’m sure he won’t think that. If he did he wouldn’t have replied to you and actually shown up.”

“Exactly!” Jun spoke up. “Just think of it this way: right now you have nothing, so the worst case scenario is that after talking to him you’ll still have nothing. But you already have that now anyway, so might as well try to get something.”

“My man has a point,” Wonwoo said.

“Unless you’re chicken,” Seungkwan challenged.

“I’m not chicken! I’ll show you! I’ll go up to him and buy him a drink!” Chan downed the drink he already had, shoved his glass in Seungcheol’s hand, took a deep breath and walked off in the direction of the bar.

“He’s so easy,” Seungkwan said. “I knew he’d go over there if I told him he couldn’t.”

“How did it go, Jihoon?” Minghao asked, making all of them refocus their attention.

“Good. Yeah, really good. They said the internship thing can be flexible so it’ll work around my classes and stuff, so...I don’t really have any reason not to do it. I’ll go to their office next week to discuss the details.”

“You’re so cool, Hoonie!” Seokmin said, clapping his hands.

“I don’t know about that,” he mumbled in reply, feeling shyness wash over him.

“You are, babe,” Seungcheol agreed with a big proud smile.

“Do you want to dance?” Jihoon asked him. He was feeling good and he didn’t just want to stand there and get praised.

“Excellent idea!” Soonyoung said. “It’ll be easier to see how Chan is doing.”

“As if you won’t be too busy grinding on Seokmin to pay any attention to Chan within the course of one song,” Wonwoo said dryly.

“That’s it! Just for that I’m making you dance too!”

“But I don’t think Jun wants to da—”

“No, not Jun. You, Jeon Wonwoo. I’m making you dance. Now, come on!” Soonyoung grabbed his roommate and dragged him onto the dancefloor under the amused gaze of their respective boyfriends. They were soon joined by Jihoon and Seungcheol and a few songs in Jun and Seokmin also ventured out onto the dance floor. Soonyoung’s old friends had decided to bail now that there wasn’t anyone left who they knew. This left Jeonghan, Jisoo, Mingyu, Minghao, Seungkwan and Hansol standing on the side.

Seungkwan had gotten more or less used to the idea of the possibility of running into Hansol at these things and no longer felt the immediate urge to run away and hide or to yell at him whenever he did. He did, however, as they stood there, feel the need to explain to him why Bin wasn’t here tonight. He had told Hansol the last time that he saw him that he didn’t appreciate him talking about or mentioning Bin, so it didn’t make much sense to bring him up for no real reason.

“How’s living with Chan and Cheol?” he asked instead. Making conversation felt a little awkward, but not as much as standing in silence did. He felt it would be rude to purposely move to stand next to someone else.

“Oh, it’s good. Me and Chan have always been chill and Seungcheol is nice too.”

“Hm,” Seungkwan hummed in reply. “Did Chan tell you about Ten ?”

“Not really. I mean, I didn’t know that the guy coming tonight was that guy.”

“I wish we could see them better from over here.” Seungkwan got on his tippy-toes and tried to see over the crowd. “I know I’m being nosy, you don’t have to judge me,” he added.

Hansol chuckled, “I wasn’t saying anything.”

Seungkwan sighed and gave up his attempts to spy. “I’ll just ask him later. Or he’ll probably tell me on his own. If it went well anyway.” He stared in the general direction of the dance floor and occasionally caught a glimpse of someone from their group. They seemed to be having fun.

“Do you want to dance?"

Seungkwan looked at Hansol, trying to figure out if he had really just asked him to dance or if he was hearing things. “What?” he asked, softly.

There was a moment of panic in Hansol’s eyes, “I-I just mean as friends. Of course. You know what? I’m sorry, nevermind. I shouldn’t have asked. You just looked like you wanted to dance…” He started chewing on his lips that were already chapped.

“I do,” Seungkwan answered honestly. “I guess we can dance. As friends. In a group. We can join the others.”

“Yeah? Yeah. That’s what I meant anyway.”

Seungkwan followed him onto the dance floor, not noticing the way Mingyu’s eyes followed them there.

* * * 

Seungkwan let out a yelp of surprise when he felt a sudden coldness soaking into the side of his shirt. He looked to the side. “Kim Mingyu!” he shouted at the person responsible. He pulled at his shirt to reveal a large wet stain. “Look what you did!”

“Sorry,” Mingyu said flatly. “It’ll set and get sticky if we don’t get it out right away. Come on.” Without giving Seungkwan a chance to protest he grabbed him by the hand and dragged him to the restroom where he started making an attempt to clean Seungkwan’s shirt as best he could.

Seungkwan watched him in silence. There was something off about how Mingyu was behaving right now. His apology had sounded less than sincere and even now he was scowling as if he was upset with Seungkwan.“Did you really spill your drink on me by accident?” he asked.

“You know me...clumsy as ever,” Mingyu replied without looking up from what he was doing. “Although I’m surprised you even noticed.”

“How could I not notice you spilling a drink, ice included, all over me?”

“You seemed pretty preoccupied.” 

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Honestly, Seungkwan,” Mingyu sighed and looked him in the eye. “What were you doing? Dancing with him like that.”

“Is that why you spilled your drink on me? Seriously? To get me away from Hansol? We were just...as friends. What do you mean?”

“Oh, he’s your friend now?” Mingyu said, a drop of venom in his voice.

“What? Why can’t we be friends? You and Wonwoo are friends.”

“Me and Wonwoo don’t dance together when our boyfriends aren’t there. Me and my boyfriend haven’t had a fight about lingering feelings for one's ex.”

“You’re being weird.”

“Am I? I just don’t want you to do something you’ll regret.”

“I wasn’t doing anything in the first place!”

“If that’s true then why are you getting all upset! Just admit that you were edging toward a line you don’t want to cross!”

“You’re crazy. And who are you to tell me what to do?”

“I’m not. I just don’t want you to—”

“Dance? Because that’s all I was doing. We weren’t even really dancing together . We were dancing with the group.”

Mingyu scoffed. “You weren’t even near the group!”

“Yes, we were! People move around when they dance, you know! What is your problem? Where do you get off acting like a possessive jealous boyfriend!?”

“That’s ridiculous! You’re only getting angry because you know I’m right! If you’d take a moment to objectively look at the situation, you’ll see that.”

“All I see right now is an asshole.” 

“You know what, Seungkwan? Fuck you. I’m just trying to look out for you and this is the thanks I get?”

“I don’t need you to look out for me. I’m not a child.”

“You’re acting like one.”

“Says the guy who just spilled his drink all over me on purpose. Thank you for ruining my evening. I’m leaving.”

He was so worked up that he didn’t even bother saying goodbye to any of the others. He sent a message that he was going home in a group chat that didn’t have Mingyu in it and left with a knot in his stomach. He and Mingyu bickered, sure, but they never fought like this. 

He made sure to be quiet when he got home. Although he was back a lot earlier than he had anticipated he was sure Bin was already asleep. He went to the bathroom and threw his dirty shirt in the laundry basket. 

As he lay on his bed with nothing but the quiet night to keep him company his mind wandered back to the dance floor. He tried to remember how he and Hansol had been dancing. It was true that he couldn’t really remember dancing with any of the others. They had initially tried to get through the crowd to get to them, but they hadn’t quite reached them, had they? He and Hansol had ended up dancing close to the group, but not exactly with them. He had spun around while Hansol guided him with his hand. Once. Seungkwan had laughed. It had been fun to dance with him. 

And that scared him.

Notes:

- Mingyu acting irrational? Seungkwan acting irrational? Both? Neither?
- Did Mingyu hit the nail on the head or was he completely out of line?
- How do we feel about Chan and Ten?

Next time Seungkwan has to take a long hard look in the mirror.

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Chapter 119: C3-4 Time

Summary:

Seungkwan and Mingyu are still fighting, but Seungkwan hadn't told his boyfriend about it. Let alone about the exact reason why they're fighting. He's about to find out.

Notes:

Hello good people who are still on this journey with me~ (or people who read this some time in the future)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Bin, having most of his classes in the same department, would run into Minghao every now and then on campus. This day he saw him just as he was getting out of a lecture hall and they walked outside together.

“Is Seungkwan moping around like Mingyu is?” Minghao asked.

Honestly, Bin had noticed that Seungkwan had been a little quiet, but he thought it was just because he was busy with preparing for his classes and upcoming school visits. “A little,” he answered, not sure if there was more to the question.

Minghao sighed. “I wish they’d just talk to each other. It’s been three days.”

“What do you mean? Are they fighting or something?”

“Oh…” Minghao said, realizing he might have said something he shouldn’t have. “Seungkwan didn’t tell you? Yeah, they are. Since that night at the club.”

This was the first Bin was hearing about this. When he had asked about the night, Seungkwan had only mentioned Jihoon and Chan really. Nothing about Mingyu. “Do you know why they’re fighting?”

Minghao hesitated for a moment. “Well…” he started. “Mingyu told me that he accidentally spilled his drink on Seungkwan and that Seungkwan got really mad because he thought he did it on purpose.”

“That’s it? They’ve been fighting for three days over that ?” Bin asked.

“That’s what Mingyu told me.”

“Seungkwan is stubborn, but he’s not that stubborn,” Bin said. He found it hard to believe that there wasn’t more to it. Judging from the look on his face, Minghao didn’t quite buy it either. “I guess I’ll talk to him when I get home. Thanks, Hao.”

{Seungkwan and Bin’s apartment}  

“Baby?” Bin said carefully while they were doing the dishes after dinner. “Did you and Mingyu have a fight?”

Seungkwan froze for a second and stopped wiping the bowl he was drying. He shrugged. “Why do you ask?” he asked in a mumble.

“Well, first of all, you’ve been a bit down these past few days and you haven’t talked about him at all, which is unusual. Second of all, Minghao told me. He says Mingyu is moping around.”

Seungkwan huffed indignantly.

“Is it true you’re fighting just because he spilled his drink on you?” 

“No,” Seungkwan replied. “I’m not fighting with him because he just spilled a drink on me. He did it on purpose.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Because he’s crazy.” He opened the cupboard and jammed the bowl inside.

“Seungkwan…” Bin took off the rubber gloves he had been wearing and took his scowling boyfriend by the hips. “This is your best friend we’re talking about. Do you really want me to believe he just spilled it on you for no good reason?”

Seungkwan looked away and just shrugged again.

“Are you sure it wasn’t just an accident?”

“He told me that he did it on purpose!”

“But why?”

“Because—” Seungkwan hesitated. He didn’t want to tell Bin about dancing with Hansol. It would upset him over nothing. “He thought it would be funny and he’s refusing to apologize.”

“Hao told me that Mingyu says he didn’t do it on purpose.”

Seungkwan pulled Bin’s hands off him. “Fine. Take his side.”

“I’m not taking anyone’s side. I just don’t understand why Mingyu would do that.”

“You should take a side. My side,” Seungkwan huffed.

“Is everything okay with you? Is school stressing you out?” Bin couldn’t understand why Seungkwan was acting this way, even if Mingyu had spilled it on him in a weird attempt to be funny, it was no reason for friends like them to fight for days.

“I’m fine . Me and Mingyu will make up as soon as he stops being an idiot.”

“Okay. Just...talk to me about things like this, okay? Don’t carry stuff around all by yourself when you don’t have to.”

Seungkwan felt a sting of guilt in his gut. He wasn’t telling the whole truth. He was acting childish, immature. Not just to his boyfriend in keeping things from him. Mingyu had sent him a few messages over the past couple of days and he had ignored them. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “For making you worry. It’s not a big deal, so don’t.”

Bin playfully pinched his cheek. “I love you.”

“Love you too.”

<> 

Mingyu headed over to the coffee shop after his final class of the day. He would have skipped it if there wasn’t an attendance requirement. He was sick of fighting with Seungkwan and, while he still felt he had a point, wanted to make up already. Which was hard to do since he kept ignoring his messages. So, in the hope that Seungkwan was working today, he stopped by the Grind.

“Hey Mingi,” he greeted his former co-worker behind the counter, “Is Seungkwan working?”

“Eh, no. He’s got the afternoon shift tomorrow though. Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Fine. Just get me a chai latte, please. Oh, and a green tea.” Now that his plan turned out to be fruitless he might as well go and pick up his boyfriend from class. It was still a bit early, but if he walked back slowly he wouldn’t have to wait too long. He was almost there when he heard someone call his name. He turned around and saw Bin walking closer.

“Hey! What’s up? I never see you around this part of campus.”

“Eh, hey. Yeah, I’m just on my way to pick up Hao. His class ends soon.”

Bin looked at the cup in his hand. “He’s working tomorrow,” he said. “Seungkwan, I mean. You went to the Grind, right?”

“Yeah…” He couldn’t really tell if Bin was upset or not.

“I talked with Seungkwan. He told me what happened.” 

“Oh?” Hao had told him that he had ran into Bin yesterday and that Seungkwan apparently hadn’t told him about the fight. He was glad to know he had at least talked with Bin now.

“Personally, I think you’re both being silly.” He smiled a little.

“Yeah, I guess so. Well, I was going over to talk with him, but he wasn’t there so…”

“Do you want me to tell him that?”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll catch him tomorrow.”

“All right. Well, I was just on my way to water polo practice, so I’ll see you around!”

“Okay. Have a good practice. And...listen Bin, about Hansol…I’m sure he didn’t have bad intentions or anything and it didn’t mean anything. I overreacted.”

“Hansol?” Bin asked, confused by the sudden change in topic. “What does he have to do with anything?”

“I-I thought Seungkwan told you about what happened?” Mingyu stammered.

“He didn’t say anything about Hansol. Just that you spilled your drink on him.”

“Oh...eh…”

“Mingyu? What happened with Hansol?”

“N-nothing. Well, something, but not really. I—”

“Mingyu, can you please tell me what’s going on? You’re kind of freaking me out here.”

“Didn’t Seungkwan tell you why I spilled my drink on him?”

“He said you thought it would be funny, but…”

Mingyu furrowed his brows together. “As if I’d do that.”

“Then why? How does any of this relate to Hansol? I didn’t even know he was there that night.”

“Well...some of the group were dancing and then Hansol said to Seungkwan that he looked like he wanted to dance too and Seungkwan said he did and then they ended up dancing. Sort of together. I, eh, thought it would be better if they didn’t so I made the stupid decision to throw my drink on Seungkwan.”

“I see. Is dancing all they did?”

“Yes! Oh gosh, Bin, I’m sorry. I’m probably making it sound worse than it maybe was. I don’t know, I just— Maybe you should just talk to Kwannie?”

“Yeah. I think I will.”

{Seungkwan and Bin’s apartment}

“Welcome home!” Seungkwan yelled from the living room couch and he stood up. “The others aren’t home so I thought we could have a romantic-cuddle-on-the-couch movie night!”

Bin hung his key on the hook by the door and took off his coat. “I ran into Mingyu today.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh.”

Seungkwan looked at him and the way his lips were stiffly pressed together. “Are you mad at me or something?”

“Why did you lie to me?” Bin had been distracted by what Mingyu had told him all throughout practice and he didn’t have it in him to not bring it up right away.

“Lie to you? About what?”

“About why you and Mingyu are fighting. You said he dumped his drink on you on purpose because he thought it would be funny.”

“He did spill it on me on purpose,” Seungkwan responded immediately.

“That’s not the part I’m talking about. He didn’t do it because he thought it would be funny. He did it because he saw you dancing with your ex and wanted to stop it.”

“He—He said that?” 

“Yeah, he did. Why didn’t you tell me Hansol was there? And that you danced with him?”

“Just as friends! It was just as friends. Mingyu overreacted.”

Bin took a deep breath. “Mingyu said that too. That he overreacted. And maybe I’d believe that if you had told me about it from the start. Why couldn’t you just tell me?”

“Because I knew you’d get upset.”

“Maybe I should be upset. Would you have danced with him if I had been there?”

“Of course not. Then I would have danced with you .”

“Okay. What if I wasn’t in the mood to dance, but you were. Would you dance with him? If it’s just as friends, you shouldn’t feel weird about doing it in front of me. Right?”

“What do you want me to do? He’s friends with my friends. He’s just there sometimes.”

“Don’t make it sound as if I’m some jealous boyfriend who doesn’t want you to talk with your friends, Seungkwan! There’s a long way between him just being there and you two dancing together. Besides, you’re the one who feels it's necessary to lie to me about what you do with him!”

“I didn’t even do anything!”

Bin scoffed. “I understand you’re trying to be on some sort of friend level with him, but didn’t it occur to you at all that it might upset me? I know you and Mingyu are saying that he overreacted, but what he saw must have been enough, at least in that moment, for him to feel like it was more than just friendly.”

“I won’t do it again then,” Seungkwan mumbled. “If I see him at a party I’ll just stay away and not even talk with him. Is that better?”

“All I’m hearing is that if you don’t go out of your way to avoid him then there’s no telling what could happen between the two of you.”

“That’s not—”

“Maybe it’s not that you need more distance from him. Maybe…” He stopped to take a breath and push back some emotions. “Maybe we need a little bit of distance from each other.”

“What are you saying? Are you breaki—”

“No! But I don’t know what I’m feeling right now. I can’t shake the thought that there’s still something between you two and all that’s keeping you from him is your attachment to me.”

“Bin, we-we talked about this before. Remember? I promised you that I wouldn’t string you along or stay with you just because I don’t want to hurt you. I meant that. I still mean it. There is nothing between me and Ha—”

“That’s just the thing, Seungkwan. We did already have this conversation before and yet here we are again. And I’m starting to think that you might not even know what you’re doing yourself.”

“That’s not fair. That means you’re going to think there’s something between me and Hansol no matter what I do.”

“It’s not just this. Back when we had just moved your stuff from your dorm to your mom’s place I saw the photo album you keep in your desk.”

“Photo album?” It took him a second to realize he was talking about the album of him and Hansol together. “Oh...You—You went through my stuff?”

"No. I was looking for scissors. You told me to look in your desk and it was in one of the drawers."

“Which clearly means I had forgotten it was even there! Do you really think that if I was secretly still in love with my ex I’d want you to find that? Or that I’d make you find it on purpose?”

“No, but—”

“How is this relationship supposed to work if you don’t trust me?”

Bin looked at him with a sad look on his face. “I’ll call one of my friends and ask if I can crash at their place for a few days. I need some time to think.”

"Bin, wait! You always do this when we fight! You pull away instead of talking to me!"

"We can talk later. Please. If we continue this talk right now, I might say something I'll regret."

Seungkwan hid in his room while he listened to Bin pack some of his things and leave. He couldn’t quite grasp the fact that this was actually happening right now. Sitting in his room he felt that he didn’t want to stay there by himself right now. He also didn’t want to call Mingyu. So he called the next person he trusted the most to take care of him. “Jeonghan?” he said over the phone. “Can you come over?”

<>

“Why do you have a suitcase?” Seungkwan asked when he opened the door to let Jeonghan in. “How long are you planning on staying? I just meant for tonight.”

“It’s for you. You don’t want to stay here right now, do you? You can stay with me and Jisoo.”

“But...what if he comes back and I’m not here.”

“You said he was planning to stay with a friend for at least a few days, right? I see no reason why you can’t do the same. Maybe it’s good. Get some distance. Give him a chance to miss you.”

“I don’t want distance.”

“But he does and maybe right now all you can do is give it to him. Come on, I’ll help you pack and then you can tell me all about what’s going on exactly. Okay?”

“Okay,” he agreed. It sounded better than staying here right now. “I’ll stay with you. But just for a day or two.”

Notes:

-I swear the universe was against me writing this fight...throwing MoonKwan cuteness at me all day

Next time Mingyu and Seungkwan will talk and Seungkwan is taking a long hard look in the mirror.

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Chapter 120: C3-5 Makeup

Summary:

Seungkwan goes to stay with Jeonghan and Jisoo, but he can't help but miss the comfort of his best friend. It's about time they made up.

Notes:

Hello~ This chapter turned out a bit longer than what I was expecting, but they just kept talking! lol

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

After arriving at the apartment Jisoo had helped him turn the sofa in their spare room into a bed. Seungkwan didn’t feel like talking about the fight he had with his boyfriend but agreed to watch some TV with the two of them. He had his head on Jeonghan’s shoulder as he kept zoning in and out of the show that was on. 

It wasn’t a break up. They hadn’t broken up. It was a fight. 

Just a fight. He kept telling himself. 

When he had finally given up on distracting himself with mildly interesting television he had gotten ready for bed and was now under the covers, staring at his phone. He had sent Bin two messages. 

‘I’m staying over at Jeonghan and Jisoo’s...so you can go home if you want’

He had hesitated but followed it up with a second.

‘Good night. I love you.’

It took about half an hour before he got a reply.

Binnie: Thanks for letting me know. I love you too

No emojis to color the message like he usually did. Seungkwan sighed and put away his phone. He turned on his side and tried to get comfortable, but he felt lonely. He wanted to crawl in bed with Jeonghan and Jisoo, but he didn’t want to take the joke of him being their son to a level where he acted like a little child crawling into his parents’ bed after a nightmare. More than that, he really could use a Mingyu cuddle right about now. He picked up his phone again and opened his muted chat with his best friend. He started typing but quickly deleted the message. He wasn’t sure how to start. He had ignored him for days and, while he was no longer angry, he didn’t really feel like apologizing either. He started typing again but again deleted his words. He went around this loop a few more times before he froze at the sight of three bouncing dots indicating that Mingyu was typing.

Gyugyu~: I can see you typing...What do you want?

Seungkwan couldn’t quite figure out if he should read this in an angry voice or not. Still not sure what to say he just wrote what he felt.

I miss you

He sat up in his bed and waited for the dots to turn into Mingyu’s reply.

Gyugyu~: So are you done ignoring me? Because I miss you too. 

Seungkwan felt a sense of relief. Mingyu didn’t seem to be mad anymore. He saw that he was still typing, so he waited.

Gyugyu~: I wanted to meet you today but you weren’t at the Grind. On my way back I ran into Bin...he said you’d told him about our fight and I assumed that meant he knew why we fought… I told him that I probably overreacted. Was he okay?

Although Bin hadn’t really mentioned running into Mingyu, Seungkwan had figured that’s who he heard about him dancing with Hansol from. He couldn’t really be mad at Mingyu for it. Seungkwan should have probably told him himself to begin with.

Boo: I’m staying at Jeonghan and Jisoo, so...not really

The chat screen made way for Mingyu’s incoming call. It was late, but not the dead of night just yet, so he answered.

Hey,” Mingyu said with a soft voice, probably keeping it down for Minghao’s sake.

“Hey,” Seungkwan said back. It had only been a few days but it felt like forever since he had last heard his voice.

“What happened?”

“We had a fight...and...He said he needs some time to think…”

What does that mean? What happened exactly? ” 

“I don’t know...Gyu? Could you maybe come over here tomorrow after I’m done with my shift?”

"Of course, but don't you want to talk now?"

"That's okay...I think I'll feel better talking with you in person. I should try to get some sleep now anyway. You should too."

"Okay. Then I'll see you tomorrow. I'll send you some cute dog pictures to wake up to so mute the chat, okay?"

Seungkwan didn't tell him it had already been on mute. They wished each other good night and Seungkwan once again put his phone down. He resisted the urge to check for any messages from Bin.

***

The next day Mingyu showed up at The Grind just as Seungkwan was finishing up. He had a bag with him indicating he intended to spend the night. Seungkwan hadn't been expecting him to pick him up instead of meeting him at the apartment but he was grateful that he had. Together they rode the bus. They walked in Jeonghan and Jisoo sitting at the table both with their laptops and books out. The both of them looked up as they entered.

“You know, usually houseguests aren’t supposed to bring over more people,” Jisoo said as they took off their shoes.

“S-sorry,” Seungkwan mumbled.

“He’s kidding, Seungkwan. Mingyu is always welcome. He at least tends to clean up after himself.”

“Of course I’m kidding. They know that.” Jisoo said with a gruntle. "There are some leftovers in the fridge if you guys are hungry. Help yourselves."

Seungkwan walked over and rested his hands on Jisoo's shoulders. "Thanks, Dad."

Jeonghan reached up from where he was sitting and lazily stroked Seungkwan’s cheek. “How was your day?”

Seungkwan’s response came in the form of a big silent sigh. He looked over at Mingyu. “We’ll just hang out in the room, okay? Good luck studying.”

He led Mingyu to the guest room and placed his bag on the floor. When he turned around Mingyu had done the same but was still standing near the door. 

“Should we hug it out before anything?” Mingyu asked and tentatively opened his arms.

Seungkwan needed little convincing. He held on a little tighter, finally feeling the sense of comfort he had been needing. “I’m sorry for ignoring you,” he said against Mingyu’s shoulder.

“And I’m sorry for the way I handled things at the club.” He lightly patted Seungkwan’s head before breaking the hug. “How are you?”

Seungkwan shrugged. “Not great. My boyfriend is thinking .”

Mingyu sat down on the sofa bed and patted the empty space next to him.

Seungkwan sat down, but wasn’t sure where to start. It didn’t feel like they needed to waste any more words talking about their own fight. “So...you ran into him yesterday?”

“Eh, yeah. Hao told me that you hadn’t told him about our fight.”

Seungkwan sucked in his lower lip and started chewing on it. He had his eyes cast downward. He nodded.

“Right. Well, when I saw him he said that you had told him and he didn’t seem mad and I thought everything was good between you two. I just told him that I probably overreacted and that Hansol hadn’t had any intentions with the dancing or anything. I thought I was defusing the situation in a better way than I had tried to do before…”

Seungkwan nodded again. “We did talk. About you and me fighting. I told him, but I didn’t tell him about the dancing with Hansol part. So when he came home after finding out about that from you we got into an argument. He blew up and said it wasn’t the fact that I danced with Hansol but the fact that I had kept it from him.”

“Why did you?”

“I-it wasn’t worth him getting upset over nothing.”

“With the risk of you getting mad at me again, but...it didn’t look like nothing , Seungkwan.”

“But we weren’t—”

“I know. I know you weren’t grinding on each other or kissing or anything like that, but…”

“But what?”

“It wasn’t so much what you guys did, but the way you were...looking at each other while you did it.”

“You lost your mind and possibly ruined my relationship because we looked at each other?”

“It wasn’t just looking, it was the look. The way you used to look at each other. I wouldn’t have been all that surprised seeing it from Hansol, but you looked at him too, you know.”

“That’s—” Seungkwan stopped. He breathed in slowly. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Do you ever look at Wonwoo and wonder about what if you hadn’t broken up or what if you’d get back together. What that would be like.”

Mingyu needed a moment to consider his answer. He and Wonwoo were at a point where he called him a friend again and he no longer felt like he had to avoid the topic of them being exes as if nobody knew about it. “I think...when I think about me and Wonwoo now, it almost feels weird to think that we were ever together. Like...we were both different people. Not who we are now. Or something. I’m not saying he never pops into my head, but it’s memories, not what ifs.”

Seungkwan felt a lump in his throat and he looked at Mingyu with tears stinging his eyes. “Would it make me a bad person if I still had some feelings for Hansol?” 

Mingyu took his hand. “No. It wouldn’t make you a bad person. But do you?”

Seungkwan sniffed. “When I look at him it’s not just memories. It’s also the why and the what ifs. And the how . How did we go from happy and in love to broken up? And then I think about Bin and I feel guilty and sad. I love Bin a lot, but the thoughts about Hansol are still there.” He wiped away a tear with his sleeve and Mingyu quickly started to rummage through his bag looking for tissues. “When we danced it was fun. It felt nice. It felt...a little bit like us. I just thought it meant I had really moved on, you know. That I wasn’t angry at him anymore and we were just friends. But now I think that maybe it was more than that. You clearly thought so. Bin seems to think so.” He took the tissues Mingyu was holding out for him and dapped away the tears. “I would never cheat on Bin. I wouldn’t. And I wouldn’t want to get back together with Hansol even if I was single, but there’s still a part of me that has trouble letting go.” 

“Do you want to know what Hao said to me the other day?”

“What?”

“He said that maybe you feel like you never got closure from Hansol because you two were so far apart when you broke up and never really talked it out face to face.”  

Seungkwan pulled his legs up and hugged his knees. “So you two just sit around discussing my relationships or something?”

Mingyu sighed and scooted a little closer. “I’ve just told him your history so he could understand the situation. But do you think he has a point? You just said that you still think about why you broke up in the first place.”

“But it shouldn’t matter, should it? I’ve moved on. I’m with Bin now. I love Bin. I—”

“Maybe you don’t want to feel this way, but you do. You can’t keep pushing it away.”

Seungkwan hugged his knees closer. “I told Bin that our relationship can’t work if he doesn’t trust me, but how can he trust me if I tell him I still think about someone else sometimes?”

“Do you have to tell him though? I’m all for honesty, but what good will it do him if you tell him that? Unless...are you thinking about breaking up with him over it?”

“I don’t want that. But what am I supposed to do? I don’t want to lie to him if he straight up asks me either. Not that he would believe me anyway...He found the photo album of me and Hansol that’s still in my desk at my mom’s. I think he thinks it means something.”

Mingyu decided not to comment on that.

“I feel like I can’t even think anymore. I’ve been thinking about how I feel and what to do and I just don’t know, Mingyu. Can you distract me with something for a bit? Maybe it’ll help me clear my head.”

A smile appeared on his best friend’s face. “I’ve got just the thing!” bent over to get a case of  He stood up to grab his bag and placed it on the bed. “I brought some of my stuff. I’ll do your makeup and you can do mine.”

“I don’t know how to do make-up,” Seungkwan grumbled.

“That’s why it’ll be fun. You’ll look all pretty and I’ll probably end up looking like a toddler who found their parent’s makeup bag.”

<>

“So,” Mingyu said as he sat while he let Seungkwan apply eyeshadow to his lids. “Have you talked with Chan about that Ten guy? Because I heard he went to his place and they talked for hours.”

Seungkwan scoffed. “Talked? Yeah, right.”

“That’s what he told Soonyoung anyway.”

“Please don’t think of me as a bad friend when I say that I’m not really in the mood to ask Chan about his blossoming romance while my own relationship is hanging on by a thread. It’s so typical that he’d start dating someone the moment I—”

“Ow!” Mingyu’s cry of pain interrupted him. “You poked me in the eye, man.”

“I told you I don’t know how to do makeup.” With a huff of frustration he chucked the brush he had been using onto Mingyu’s brush bag. “Sorry...I appreciate the effort but I don’t think I’ll be able to relax after all until after I’ve talked with Bin.”

“Have you spoken to him at all since you fought?”

Seungkwan shook his head. “Just one text. I want to talk with him, but I don’t know if it would be better if I wait for him to contact me.”

“You could just let him know you are ready to talk and leave the rest up to him.”

“Yeah...I could do that.”

He sent a text to Bin saying just that. “I know it’s still a bit early, but can we get in the bed and just talk until we fall asleep or something?”

“Sure, I'm up for a Boorrito.” 

And so, they got ready for bed and wrapped themselves in blankets, Seungkwan letting Mingyu pull him closer so they’d both fit on the bed. It wasn’t exactly big enough for two people.

“What do you want to talk about?” Mingyu asked.

“I don’t know...Anything new with you?”

“Thinking of dropping out of college and going to beauty school.”

“Haha, very funny.”

“I’m not joking,” Mingyu whispered.

Seungkwan tried to wiggle his way around in his blanket to face him but Mingyu’s arms kept him in place. “You can’t be serious!” he said with a grunt.

“Why not?” Mingyu’s voice was still soft.

“Because you can’t drop out of college!” 

“Why not?”

“Because!”

“I’d be going to another type of school though. It’s not like I’m thinking about buying a bar.”

Seungkwan scoffed. “Buying a bar. Why would you—Don’t tell me...” This time had enough force behind his squirms to turn around and look Mingyu in the eyes. “You’re not talking about Soonyoung, are you? He doesn’t have money to buy a bar. Does he?”

“No. But according to Wonwoo the owner of the bar is planning to retire not too long from now and is looking for someone to take over and Soonyoung said he might be able to work out a deal with him.”

“And what does Seokmin think of all this?”

“I don’t know. I only heard about it from Wonwoo and Jun,” Mingyu admitted.

“Man…” Seungkwan said as he turned back around. “As soon as I’ve dealt with my own problems I need to get my head back in the game. I’m missing all these important developments.” He felt around behind him until he found Mingyu’s arm and pulled it over him. “And don’t think you’re off the hook, mister! Dropping out of college…” 

“Kwannie?”

“What?”

“Can you sing me a lullaby?”

A little taken aback by the sudden request Seungkwan had to take a second to adjust his energy. “Yeah, eh, sure, I guess.”

“Yay!” Mingyu squealed happily and he nuzzled Seungkwan’s neck. “You’re the best.”

Seungkwan’s head was still a mess with thoughts and emotions, but at least he didn’t feel lonely anymore as he softly sang Mingyu and himself to sleep.

Notes:

-idek what to write here. Just like Seungkwan, my head is a bit messy atm
-what do you make of Seungkwan's conflicted feelings?
-he will talk with Bin in the next chapter
-should Mingyu drop out of college to pursue a different path?
-should Soonyoung become a bar owner? (he's in his last year of college now)
-were Ten and Chan really just talking or...?

Chapter 121: C3-6 What I have to say

Summary:

Bin comes over to talk. Seungkwan struggles with what to say, but he gets there in the end.

Notes:

Sorry it took so long!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Still in bed with Mingyu asleep next to him, Seungkwan groggily felt around for his phone. A text from his boyfriend woke him up instantly. He tapped Mingyu’s shoulder repeatedly to wake him. “Gyu...He agreed to talk.”

“Bin?” Mingyu groaned in reply while he tried to wake himself up properly.

“Yeah...But he said he wants to talk here . That can’t be good, right?” 

“Maybe he wants to go back to your place together?” Mingyu offered, not voicing his agreement to Seungkwan’s statement. “Or just see where you’re at.”

“Maybe…” He sighed. “I should get dressed.”

<>

Mingyu had left and Jeonghan and Jisoo had decided to go out for breakfast (no doubt after Mingyu had told them Bin was on his way over to talk with Seungkwan). So now he was pacing around in the living room. He was trying to rehearse what to say, but it was difficult rehearsing what you don’t know. The doorbell rang and he went to open the door. 

“Hey,” he said as he held it open. 

“Hey.”

The air was heavy. Loaded with uncertainty.

“Come in. Jeonghan and Jisoo aren’t home right now, so we can just talk on the couch. If that’s okay.”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

“How are you?” Seungkwan asked as Bin took off his coat and shoes.

“Not great. You?”

“Me too.”

Bin followed Seungkwan to the couch and they sat down. Neither of them spoke.

“I’m not sure where we’re supposed to start,” Seungkwan broke the silence.

“Me neither,” his boyfriend replied. “But since you said you wanted to talk, maybe you should start.”

“Right…” Mingyu had said it wasn’t necessary to tell Bin about his feelings regarding Hansol as long as he was sure it wasn’t going to interfere with their relationship. The thing was, Seungkwan wasn’t so sure that it wouldn’t. He just knew that if he wasn’t honest with his feelings now it would start to eat away at him. And so he decided that honesty was the best policy. “I’ve been trying to figure out what to tell you. I wanted to be able to tell you that everything I said before about how I feel when it comes to Hansol was true. I wanted to be able to tell you that I am completely over him and don’t have any feelings for him that don’t fall into the category of friendship. But I can’t.” He saw the twitch in Bin’s mouth and it resonated down to his own stomach. “I swear nothing has happened between him and me other than us dancing and nothing beyond that would have happened either. But there is still that part of me that goes to him. I don’t know how to stop it or make it go away. I thought I had, after that Christmas dinner blow-up, but all I did was put it away in a box and tried to tape it shut. I still have some things that I have to process. But it doesn’t change my feelings for you! It’s a separate thing.” 

“How can you believe that?” Bin asked. “How can I believe that? The last time we had this conversation you told me that even though you still had some feelings for him you didn’t want to be with him. You wanted to be with me, but—” He took a breath and cast his eyes upward to stop tears from falling. “I want to continue to believe you when you say that and have that be enough. But I don’t think I can anymore. I can’t continue to compete with a shadow from your past, Seungkwan. Especially not when the shadow is so very real now. I think we both agree that we can’t be together if I don’t trust that I’m the one, the only one, you want to be with. And I don’t think I can. Not when you have feelings for someone else.”

Seungkwan had to take a deep breath before he could say what he was about to. “I think you’re right,” he said, voice trembling slightly. “What I said is true. About how I want to be with you. But it’s not fair of me to ask you to stay with someone who is so...conflicted. I’ve really been trying so hard, but I can’t just wish my feelings away or continue to push them aside. I’m not exactly sure how I feel about him anymore and I have to figure that out and resolve it before I can even think to ask you to give me another chance.”

“That doesn’t exactly sound as if you’re not asking me to wait for you while you figure out if you might want to be with someone else.”

Seungkwan nodded and a tear dropped down onto his hands. “I know. I’m sorry. You don’t have—I understand that I’m saying unreasonable things and I don’t expect you to wait for me. You shouldn’t. I’m not asking you to. It’s just hard to say what I have to say.”

Bin nodded slowly. He inhaled sharply through his nose and released his breath slowly. “Let’s break up? That’s what you’re trying to say, isn’t it? It’s what we’re both trying to say. Even though neither of us seem to want to be the one to actually say it.”

Seungkwan tried to swallow but his mouth was dry. “So, that’s it then? We’re no longer together?” Seungkwan asked without needing an answer. “What happens now?”

Bin smiled sadly. “Now, I’ll go to the nearest place where they sell ice cream and eat so much that my coach will yell at me tomorrow.” He looked into Seungkwan’s eyes and saw his own sadness reflected in them. But he couldn’t imagine him feeling worse than he himself did right now. “Do you think you can stay here for a few more days?” he asked.

Seungkwan nodded. “Yeah,” he croaked out in reply. “They won’t mind.”

“We can figure out how to deal with the apartment situation a bit later then. Okay?”

Seungkwan nodded again.

Bin stood up from the couch and stood motionless for a few seconds as if his body had forgotten how to walk. In those few seconds Seungkwan reached up and weakly took his hand. He wasn’t looking at him.

“I’m sorry that I’m not…” Seungkwan said with a voice barely above a whisper. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t a better boyfriend. You deserve so much better.”

The ‘wasn’t’ cut right through Bin’s heart. With pain in his heart he bent down, far enough to place a soft kiss on Seungkwan’s cheek. “I’m sorry I wasn’t enough for you to forget him.” 

<>

There was a knock on the door of the bedroom. After Bin had left he had gotten up, laid down on the bed hugging a pillow and cried. 

“Kwannie? Are you in there? Mingyu says you haven’t been replying to his messages.”

It was Jeonghan.

With heavy feet Seungkwan stood up from the bed and opened the door. He registered the short moment of relief on Jeonghan’s and Jisoo’s faces when they saw him before their expressions became worried again. He knew he should have responded to Mingyu to let him know he was safe at home after the jogging out in the cold incident after his break-up with Hansol, but he hadn’t had the strength to be bothered. 

“Are you okay?” Jeonghan asked.

He wanted to answer, but he couldn’t get any words out. He shook his head and tears started to fall again. In an instant Jeonghan had him wrapped in his embrace. Seungkwan weakly tugged on Jisoo’s sleeve to let him know that a two-person hug wasn’t going to be enough.

Notes:

-Seungkwan says he doesn't want to be with Hansol, but he does think he should talk with him about...stuff
-it makes more sense for Bin to stay at the apartment because one of their other housemates is Bin's college roommate (would be awkward af)

I swear every time I tried to write this I suddenly got a headache. The universe didn't want this to happen. Bin...I am so sorry for your broken heart.

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Chapter 122: C3-7 Late Night Walk

Summary:

Seungkwan is trying to get through his breakup with Bin as best as he can, but still struggles with his own feelings.

Notes:

Hi~ I feel like this is only half a chapter really, but I wanted to update SOMETHING

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan and Mingyu were sitting on the couch in the latter’s living room, waiting for Minghao to come home so the three of them could have dinner together.

“Why do you keep looking at your phone with a face like someone asked you to solve a complex math problem?” Mingyu asked.  

Seungkwan sighed. “I want to know how his match went.”

“Bin’s water polo?”

He nodded. “Do you think it’s weird if I ask him? It’s just that he has been training so hard and I just hope it went well.” It had only been two weeks since their breakup and there had almost been no contact between them. The contact that they did have was about their living situation and how to divide the few things they had bought together. Seungkwan didn’t want it. He didn’t want the reminder and he didn’t need more stuff taking up all the space in Jeonghan and Jisoo’s apartment. He felt bad enough about invading their home for an undetermined period of time. When Seungkwan had come by the apartment to pick up his things Bin hadn’t been there. 

“I don’t know about weird,” Mingyu answered, “but do you think he’d want you to? From what you’ve told me he doesn’t seem very keen on communication. If you really want to know you can just check the club website or something.”

“Oh! I didn’t think of that. They always post updates on Twitter!” He didn’t waste any time checking. “They won!” he said with a smile. For a second he felt happy looking at the picture attached to the post. The whole team cheering; Bin’s smile bright. Then he felt sad again. “I miss him…I wish I could just congratulate him without feeling weird about it. But I think I’ll also feel weird if I don’t send anything, so I might as well.”

It took him about ten minutes before he had constructed a message he deemed to be just right (casual, but not too casual). Now all he had to do was try to not obsess over getting a reply. Perhaps it was good timing then that Mingyu decided to ask him something that had been on his mind. 

“Kwannie?” he started.

“Hm?”

“Can you explain something to me?”

“What?”

“Isn’t part of the reason that you broke up with Bin that you realised you still have feelings for Hansol?”

Seungkwan had, of course, told Mingyu about how his talk with Bin had gone, but they hadn’t really talked about it further. “I don’t really know what I’m feeling,” he answered honestly. “But, yeah, I feel something , I suppose. I just don’t know what that means. I’ve been thinking that the thing Hao said was right. About how me and him never talked about our breakup and I still feel confused about that.”

“Then, don’t you think you should at least talk to Hansol? I’m sure he’s heard by now that you and Bin broke up...”

Seungkwan fumbled with his shirt. “Yeah...I should talk with him. I’m going to. But I’m not sure I’m ready for that just yet. I don’t know what to say or what he’s going to say. I don’t want him to get the wrong idea.”

“Only one way to find out.”

Seungkwan sank down and placed his head on Mingyu’s shoulder. “Why are feelings so hard?”

Mingyu took his hand and sighed. He used his thumb to caress the back of Seungkwan’s hand. “I don’t know. Things would be easier if we could just choose who to love. Then again, where’s the fun in that?”

“I would have just chosen you. You can sort of cook and we like the same food, you’re handsome, kind, I already know you’re a good kisser.” He felt the movement of Mingyu’s thumb stop. He sat up and looked at him. “I’m sorry. Was that a weird thing to say? Please don’t tell Hao I said that. I didn’t mean—”

“It’s okay. I know.”

“My head is such a mess, Mingyu.”

“You’ll figure it out.” He wrapped an arm around his best friend’s shoulder and pulled him to his chest. “Maybe not today, but that’s okay.”

* * *

Overall, Seungkwan thought he was handling this breakup a lot better than the last one. He didn’t shut down and was generally keeping it together. Sometimes, however, he was suddenly hit with a wave of sadness and missing him. It usually came after something reminded him of Bin. This particular evening it was the movie Jeonghan and Jisoo had decided to watch. It was the same movie that Seungkwan had not paid any attention to when he had gone up to Bin’s room for the first time and they had officially become a couple. He didn’t remember the plot at all—he had been too focussed on sitting close to the guy he liked— but seeing it now was enough. He stood up and started going towards the door. “I’m just going for a walk,” he said as he put on his coat. “I’ve got my phone with me.”

Evening walks had become his go-to thing to clear his head recently. He liked wandering around without a specific goal as to where he was going. He’d walk around for a while and go back home. This night, however, he didn’t feel like going in when he arrived back at the building. They were probably still watching that movie. So, he decided to stay outside a little longer. He didn’t feel like walking anymore so he sat himself down on one of the big stones alongside the wall. He stared at the people walking by, not really registering what they looked like. A sudden voice next to him startled him and pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Hey. What are you doing out here?”

He looked at the owner of the voice. Hansol. It took Seungkwan a moment to understand why he would be here. “Oh right,” he said, more to himself than to him, “I sort of forgot you live in this building.” It was a miracle that they hadn’t run into each other before in the time that Seungkwan had lived here really. “And to answer your question: I’m just...sitting.”  

Hansol nodded quietly. He looked like he wanted to say something. But all he said was: “Well, eh...I’m heading in. Have a nice evening.”

“Wait,” Seungkwan heard himself say. 

Hansol turned back around.

“Can we...when you have some time...can we talk?”

“Eh, sure. About what?”

“Well...I know this is kind of out of the blue, since it’s been like two years, but can we talk about the way we broke up?”

 “Okay.” Hansol didn’t ask him why and if he was caught off guard by the request he didn’t show it. “I have time right now if you want?” 

“Oh...yeah, might as well.” It wasn’t a conversation he particularly wanted to have, but he needed to bite the bullet if he ever hoped to untangle the wires in his head.

“Do you want to stay out here or go inside?” 

“Jeonghan and Jisoo are inside…” 

“Chan and Cheol are both out, so we can go to my place.”

Seungkwan nodded and stood up. They walked inside together. 

“Chan is out with Ten again,” Hansol said as they rode the elevator up. “Have you met him?”

“No, not yet,” Seungkwan answered, pretending as if this wasn’t super awkward. “I’ve been...busy.”

Hansol nodded but didn’t say anything else. He opened the door to the apartment and let Seungkwan in. “Do you want to talk in here or—?” 

“Here is fine,” Seungkwan answered right away. The bedroom didn’t seem like the best place to have this conversation. Although he found himself wondering what Hansol’s room looked like. He walked over to the sofa in the middle of the room and sat down.

Hansol sat down on the other edge. “So,” he said. “Let’s talk.”

Notes:

-sorry for the cliffhanger...I promise I'm not going to timeskip over their conversation. The next chapter will continue right here.
-how do you think this is going to play out? Mutual understanding? Fighting? Something else?
(fyi, Seungkwan did offer to just move back home with his mother, but Jeonghan wouldn't have it, lol.)

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Chapter 123: C3-8 It

Summary:

Seungkwan and Hansol finally discuss their breakup.

Notes:

Hello~ How is everybody doing with all the comeback photos? Hahaha...ha.......ha (I'm FINE)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

"So, let's talk."

Seungkwan swallowed. The room was so quiet that it was starting to make him feel uncomfortable, but he needed to push through and break the silence. "Okay. I’ll just start then.” He was sure Hansol had heard about him breaking up with Bin, but he didn’t want to mention him here. He didn’t want to explain exactly why he wanted to have this talk now. So he just dived right in. “When we broke up I just— I guess I didn't...don't really understand what happened. I know we weren't perfect and the long distance was hard but I didn't think we were at a point where we would break up."

Hansol nodded and breathed in and released slowly before he started talking. Of course he had heard about Seungkwan’s breakup with Bin, but he hadn’t quite been expecting to have a conversation about their own. "I— I needed that space. I was in my head a lot and, as cliche as it sounds, needed time for myself to figure out...who I am I guess."

"But...what did you need to do alone that you couldn't do with me as your boyfriend?"

"Have you never felt— Everybody always goes around with labeled boxes. Gay, straight, bi, pan...It hadn't felt as much of an issue to me before. You know that I never really bothered with labelling myself as this way or that way. Maybe it was because I was in a new environment or in a different phase of my life, but more and more I started to feel like I had to fit in a certain box. But I couldn't find the one that felt right and it was starting to make me feel confused, I suppose."

“Confused? About us?”

Hansol shook his head. “About me . It wasn’t about you, Seungkwan.” 

"Then why couldn't you talk to me about this? I would have been there for you and told you that a 'Hansol' box was all you needed."

"You would have tried to fix it. Saying something like that. But it was something I had to figure out for myself before coming to the same conclusion. Which I did eventually. But at that time I felt like I couldn’t get that space because you weren’t hearing me. I needed to breathe, but...I felt like whenever I tried to tell you that I needed space you didn't listen. You took it personally, you—"

“Of course I did!” Seungkwan cut him off. “You were thousands of miles away and I was just trying to keep us together but I felt like you wanted less and less of me and I guess I was right."

“I didn’t want less of you . I wanted less of the scheduling and pressure to always be available.”

“Oh, okay. So, you didn’t want less of me but you did want to spend less time on me. That doesn’t even make any sense. I’m sorry that you felt unheard, but when did you ever really try to talk to me about what you were going through? All I ever heard about was your classes or sports club. You barely even talked about the people you spent time with.”

“I wanted to talk to you but I felt like my back was against a wall. After that last video call I really wanted to talk to you, explain to you what I was feeling but you ignored me every chance you got!”

“Right. You wanted to explain after already breaking up with me. Even if we had talked, would it have mattered? You still would have wanted space. It doesn’t really matter what the reason was. Telling me to break up and wanting me to be okay with it is selfish. You just wanted to 'explain' so I would say 'oh, okay, sure, let's break up then. No hard feelings and good luck with finding yourself.' You just wanted to talk to me to make yourself feel better! So don’t even try to say that it was for my sake that you wanted to talk after the fact! I had already told you not to place me in a limbo and talking to me and coming at me with ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ bullshit would have given me hope that you would figure yourself out and come back to me. I’m not a phone call you can put on hold!”

“I know that. Don’t you know how bad I felt? I didn’t want to feel the way that I did. My head was a mess.”

Seungkwan looked at him and seeing the hurt in his eyes relaxed the furrow of his brows. He hadn’t wanted to talk to Hansol to fight with him. “I can understand struggling with finding your identity. I’m not angry at you for that, but you have to understand that it hurts, It’s hard to—” He took a breath and tried to will away the tears stinging his eyes. “It’s hard to hear and accept that you were going through something that I couldn’t help you with. I thought I was someone you could rely on. Someone you could have taken with you on your journey. Maybe I was just too young and naïve at that time but I really thought that we were it.”

“Seungkwan,” Hansol said and his hand stretched out for a second but he pulled back. “I don’t know how else to tell you that no matter what you would have said or done I still needed that time for myself. By myself. If there had been anyone who could help me with it of course it would have been you. I just wish I would have been able to explain it to you better so you wouldn't have ended up hating me. Or maybe you’re right and it wouldn’t have mattered. I still broke your heart.”

“I don't hate you...” Seungkwan said softly. “I tried to hate you. I wanted to hate you. But I never did. I hated what you did and I hated the way you continued to make me feel, but I don’t hate you.”

“How did I continue to make you feel?” Hansol asked.

Seungkwan stared at his knees, avoiding looking directly at Hansol. “The problem isn’t how you make me feel, the problem is that you make me feel anything at all.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t want you to make me feel angry and I don’t want you to make me feel happy. Because either way I lose. I can’t be with you and I can’t be with anyone else because I still allow you to have a piece of my heart.”

“Seungkwan, you—”

“I trusted you,” Seungkwan continued, fearing that what Hansol had to say was not something he could handle right now. “I trusted that you loved me as much as I loved you. I trusted you to never break my heart. No matter the reason, you broke that trust."

“Then tell me what I can do to fix it,” Hansol said and this time didn’t stop himself from placing his hand on top of Seungkwan’s.

“Fix it?” Seungkwan repeated with a choked voice.

“You say you can’t be with me. If it’s because I broke your trust then tell me how to gain it again.”

Seungkwan looked at him. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

“I think you know what I’m trying to say, but seeing as we don’t have the best track record of communication let me be very clear. I want you back, Boo Seungkwan.”

Seungkwan immediately pulled his hand out from under Hansol’s touch. He sat and stared at him silently.

“I realize you were with someone else not that long ago, but you said yourself that you thought we were it . Just because we took separate paths for some time doesn’t mean the final destination can’t still be the same. I know I hurt you, but—”

“Stop it,” Seungkwan said with a voice much weaker than he wanted to sound. “I didn’t want to talk with you because I want us to try again. I wanted to find a way to finally process. Process and let go.”

“But why not process and make a fresh start together? I have never felt for anyone the way I feel about you. Seungkwan. I never stopped loving you. You know I don’t throw words like that around if I don’t really mean them. We can work things out. We can—”

“You loved me before and that wasn’t enough.” Seungkwan said as he stood up from the couch. “I have to go.”

“Seungkwan, wait. Don’t leave like this.” Hansol got up also and followed him to the door.

Seungkwan turned around to say something else but he forgot what it was when their eyes met.

“Seungkwan, I—” Hansol let out a little yelp of surprise when Seungkwan suddenly stepped forward and kissed him full force on the lips. He naturally placed his hands on Seungkwan’s hips as they continued to kiss. 

Seungkwan’s head was spinning and he was grateful for the door against his back to give him some support. He wrapped his arms around Hansol’s neck and pulled him even closer. A shiver went down his spine when he felt fingers touch the skin of his hips just above the waistband of his pants.

“Seungkwan,” Hansol moaned against his mouth. “Can I touch you more?”

“Yes. Now shut up. Don’t talk,” Seungkwan said in between kisses. He didn’t want to think about what they were doing and talking would make him think. “It’s just for tonight,” he added.

And Hansol froze. Still with his hands on Seungkwan’s hips he looked him in the eye. “I don’t want to be with you for just one night. If that’s all you can give me then...I don’t think we should.”

Seungkwan let his arms drop down. He never would have thought that someone telling him that they wanted more than just one night of sex would make him feel so sad.

“I can’t,” he whispered.

Hansol took a step back. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “Maybe we shouldn’t say anything else tonight. I’ve told you how I feel and that’s not going to change. You’re it, Boo Seungkwan.”

Without any more words he turned around and walked back to the couch. He waited for the sound of the door opening and closing to let the tears finally come.

Notes:

-I hope Hansol's explanation of what he was feeling and going through made sense. Sometimes you just need to be with yourself and that's not the other person's fault or anything
-Seungkwan was maybe hoping that a night of sex would rid him of lingering feelings, a "get it out of your system" kind of thing. But Hansol doesn't want that. He knows what he wants now. And it's Seungkwan

Let me know what you think <3

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Chapter 124: C3-9 A Way To Say Goodbye

Summary:

Seungkwan wanders back outside after his talk with Hansol.

Notes:

I know this one isn't very long but what is very long is the period of time I haven't updated....so I decided to post this now instead of waiting for my brain to finish more. I HOPE the next one won't take this long.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan didn’t go back home. The last thing he wanted to do now was cross the living room and be followed by two pairs of (well-meaning) curious eyes. So he walked back out into the chilly night air. It wasn’t early, but it wasn’t so late that he’d have trouble getting back home if he headed for the bar for a bit. He didn’t even know if Soonyoung was working tonight but he didn’t even really care. He just wanted to find a way to clear his head, to stop the storm of thoughts that was whirling inside of it.

It wasn’t too crowded and Seungkwan found an empty seat at the bar. He didn’t know the person tending it. He didn’t bother to look around for someone else he might know and ordered a beer. He emptied it rather quickly but didn’t bother to get the bartender’s attention for another one. He wasn’t out to get drunk. He stared at the empty glass as he slowly spun it around with his hand.

Someone sat down in the seat next to him.

“Can I buy you a drink?” they said.

Seungkwan turned his head, surprised by the familiar voice.

“It’s just,” Bin said and he nodded at his empty beer glass, “you look like you could use a new one.”

<>

Seungkwan cursed under his breath as he struggled to get dressed in near complete darkness and almost fell over trying to get into his pants. The only light in Bin’s bedroom was the strip of light coming in under the door and the faint light of the streetlight outside.

“You can turn the light on, you know,” Bin said and put word to action by turning on the light on his nightstand.

“I didn’t want to wake you,” Seungkwan replied in a hushed voice, standing in the middle of the room, awkward and still only halfway into his pants.

“I wasn’t asleep.” Bin sat up and looked on as Seungkwan silently started to get dressed again. “Were you really just going to leave like that? In the dark, without a word of goodbye?”

“No…well…I don’t know. I wasn’t sure…what to do,” Seungkwan answered honestly. “I’m sorry.”

Bin sighed. “It’s okay, Seungkwan. I know what this was. This was our last, post-break-up, it’s-really-over hook-up.” He breathed in deeply and let it all out in one short breath. He stood up and walked over to Seungkwan. He looked him in the eyes, a small smile on his face. “There are worse ways to say goodbye.”

{The Next Morning, Hansol, Chan, and Seungcheol’s Apartment} 

Hansol woke up late, feeling unrested after a night of tossing and turning. With his hair still a mess he walked into the living room in search of breakfast. He found Chan and his boyfriend, Ten, in the kitchen doing the same thing. He had met Ten before but, as he lived a little out of the way, didn’t know him all that well yet. Chan smiled brightly when he saw Hansol come in.

“Morning,” Hansol greeted them and he opened the fridge in the hopes there were some leftovers he could heat up. He closed the door again, empty-handed.

“Do you want some ramyeon? We were just thinking of making some,” Ten offered with a smile. 

“Oh, yeah. Thanks.”

“We didn’t wake you when we got home, did we?” 

“No.” Hansol had heard them come home but he hadn’t been asleep. “How was your night?” he asked.

"Fun. Fine. Nothing special," Chan answered as he filled a large pan with water.

"We saw one of your friends who I haven't met yet,” Ten added. “We wanted to go say hi but he got picked up by a guy before we had the chance."

"Oh yeah?" Hansol snickered, missing the way Chan almost dropped the pan into the sink. "Who was it?"

"No-one! It doesn't matter!" Chan said and shoved two packs of ramyeon in his boyfriend’s hands. “Can you add these when the water boils?”

“Eh, sure? But why can’t we tell him who—” Ten started but he stopped when Chan’s eyes went wide again. “Oh shit, did we catch someone cheating or something? I know many of your friends are dating each other…”

“No, no, nobody is cheating on anybody! Hansol is just not that interested. In, eh, romance and stuff.”

“Oh...okay,” Ten said slowly and he looked at Hansol slightly confused. Hansol looked back equally confused.

“Chan? Who was it? Why can’t you tell me?”

“Okay, fine. I just wasn’t going to say anything because I thought maybe it was weird for you, but I guess it’s not as if you two are...you know.”

Hansol didn’t know.

“It was Seungkwan. With Bin. Or, well, first it was just Seungkwan by himself and then Bin went over there. They...they left together."

"Last night?" Hansol asked, mouth dry. "Are you sure it was him?"

“Yeah…I thought it was kind of weird for him to be out by himself but maybe he was meeting him there. Or something...I don’t know. Like I said, they left before we went over.”

Hansol nodded slowly, absentmindedly. He got up and went back to his room.

Notes:

-Seungkwan went to "Soonyoung's" bar because he didn't want to go to some random place, he just didn't want to go home yet
-it was pure coincidence that Bin was there (it's still a popular place for the college peeps)
-what does it meaaaan

next time: Seungkwan has started a kind of internship training at a nursery school and one of the kids gives him some insight, lol

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Chapter 125: C3-10 Unblock

Summary:

Chan gets the old rooftop gang together to lift Hansol's spirits. Seungkwan gets to thinking after a conversation with a newly wed.

Notes:

Yo~ Hope you're all doing well this winter.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“Okay. I’ll be right there,” Jeonghan said and hung up the phone. Jisoo looked at him in question.

“Is everything alright?” he asked.

“That was Jihoon. Apparently Hansol has been moping around and Chan suggested a little rooftop reunion. He suspects it has something to do with Seungkwan.” Jeonghan stared at the door of their spare bedroom that Seungkwan was staying in. “He got home pretty late last night. Did he say anything to you this morning before he went to his Mom’s?”

“No. But I wouldn’t be surprised if something happened. Can’t be good if Hansol is upset because of it.” He stood up and walked over to Jeonghan to plant a kiss on his cheek. “Where are you meeting? At their place?”

Jeonghan looked at him like he had just asked a very silly question. “On the roof, of course. It’s a rooftop meeting.”

“Oh...I didn’t think you guys would actually go to the roof. You’re not going to get high, right? Because if the landlord finds out—”

“Relax, baby. I’m a respectable member of society now.”

Jisoo raised an eyebrow, “If you say so.”

{Roof}

“So,” Jeonghan said as he sat down next to Jihoon, “is this a ‘I need a distraction’ type of hang-out where we don’t talk about our problems or a ‘I need someone to listen to me rant about my problems’ sort of thing?”

“What kind of problems do you have?” Jihoon asked with a little scoff. 

“I wasn’t talking about myself.”

Hansol knew they were here because he hadn’t been very good at covering up his feelings when Chan had mentioned seeing Seungkwan with Bin last night. It had been a long time since he had been up on a roof venting about his feelings for Seungkwan. But maybe that’s what he needed. Before he and Seungkwan had gotten together Jeonghan and Jihoon had always been there to listen without judgment. Chan had never seen him as the lovesick idiot that he was in that first year of high school but he trusted him to be supportive.

“Last night,” he started, not seeing the point of dragging it out, “Chan saw Seungkwan at the bar and he got picked up by Bin. Normally that would already make me feel bad, although I know I have no right to—”

“You can feel bad,” Jihoon said. “You can’t tell him what to do and Seungkwan doesn’t owe you anything, but that doesn’t mean you can’t feel bad if he fu— meets up with his ex.”

Hansol nodded, “Yeah, I guess. But I wasn’t finished. Last night when I came home I saw him sitting outside, so I decided to say hi because I thought it was weird to just ignore him sitting there. He suddenly asked me if we could talk. He wanted to talk about how we broke up and stuff. I invited him up to the apartment and we talked. I told him about how I had felt at the time and he told me how much I had hurt him and how I had broken his trust. I asked him how I could fix it. I-I told him I want him back. It wasn’t entirely a spur of the moment thing. I already knew that I did and I was probably going to tell him as much at some point but I didn’t want to rush him. In any case, he didn’t take it very well. But then we started kissing and it was heading for more but then he said it would be just for one night and I...I stopped it. I don’t want him for just one night. When I told him that, he left. And I guess he went to the bar after that…”

“Well, shit,” Chan said after a moment of silence. A sentiment shared by the other two.

Hansol sighed and opened one of the beers Chan had brought with him. “So, yeah, I’m not having a great day. Maybe I made him realize that the person who he really wants to be with is Bin.”

Or ,” Jeonghan chimed in, “maybe he felt overwhelmed, went out for a drink, ran into Bin and things just happened. Maybe because of what you said, maybe because he’s still getting over that breakup.”

“Kudos to you for not sleeping with him though,” Jihoon said. “If you’re not on the same page then it’s probably better.”

“Maybe I should have. Then he wouldn’t have gone out…”

“And then he would have realized he wants you back too?” Jeonghan asked softly. “Hansol, listen to me, I think Seungkwan does still have feelings for you. I mean, you definitely get to him. But you know him, right? Even if he does, he’s not just suddenly going to turn one-eighty. If you want my advice, give him some space but not too much space. If there is a chance that he does want to get back together, he needs to know that what you said wasn’t just a fluke. He needs to know you mean it. But you also definitely shouldn’t make him feel pressured.”

Hansol blank stared in his direction. “I forgot how unhelpful some of your advice could be. No offense.”

“Do you think I’m wrong though?” Jeonghan countered. “This kind of situation doesn’t have a cookie-cutter approach. You’re going to have to play this one by ear.”

Hansol nodded. “Yeah, I guess I know that.” He took a deep breath and calmed himself down. “Okay. Enough about me. I think I want to turn this into a distraction hangout now.”

“Excellent,” Jeonghan replied. “Chan, how come you didn’t invite any of us to hang with you and Ten?”

“We were on a date! Why don’t you ask Jihoon why he didn’t invite you out to the movies with him and Seungcheol!”

“They did invite us, actually. But we decided to have a movie night at home.”

“So you wouldn’t have gone to the bar even if I had asked? You are so— Hansol, help me out here.”

“What movie did you watch?” he asked Jeonghan, earning a laugh from Jihoon and an incredulous look from Chan.

~~~~~ 

After his rollercoaster of a weekend Seungkwan was actually glad he had his internship at a kindergarten to distract him. As part of his education he had to get experience at several places and so wasn't in any one place very long. He had started at the first school two weeks ago and this was already the last week he'd be here. He loved the kids and was already sad that he'd have to say goodbye so soon. For now, however, he had his best smile on and pushed other things going on in his life to the back of his mind. Well, for as long as he could anyway.

“Mr. Seungkwan?" one of the little girls asked and tugged at his apron to get him to sit down opposite her. "Are you married?” 

“No, Yena, I’m not,” Seungkwan answered as he allowed her to climb on his lap.

“Oh. I’m married though.”

“You are?” Seungkwan asked her with a chuckle.

“Uhuh. I got married to Jae yesterday. I married him because he’s my best friend.”

“I see.”

“Who is your best friend?”

“My best friend? His name is Mingyu.”

“Are you going to marry him?”

“No. I don’t think so.”

“Why not? Don’t you want to get married?”

“I...haven’t really thought about it. I guess I do. Yeah.”

“Okay. So. You have to marry your best friend.” She scrambled to her feet again and stared at him, waiting to hear that she was right.

“Why is that? Can’t I marry someone else I like?”

She shrugged. “I guess. But I think it’s better to marry your best friend because best friends love each other forever.”

“What if you have two best friends?”

She furrowed her little brows together. “How can you have two best friends?”

“Some people do,” Seungkwan smiled.

“Oh. Well, you can just marry both of them. Or one of them. I don’t know.” She ended with a shrug. “I don’t think my parents are best friends…” she added softly.

“Even people who aren’t best friends can love each other very much, Yena.”

She nodded. “Mr. Seungkwan?”

“Yes?” he replied, anticipating a question about the meaning of love or something else that he wasn’t sure how to answer.

“Can you come play in the sandbox with me? I want to make a castle.”

“Oh, eh, sure.”

He followed her and together built her 'future castle house' out of sand, but her words hadn't left his mind.

~~~~~

That evening he had plans to meet Wonwoo and Jun for dinner. Partly because he wanted to see them, partly because he was avoiding going home. The chances of running into Hansol were low, but not zero and he didn't want to see him until he knew what to say.

He waved and smiled when he spotted Wonwoo in the back and he sat down at the table. "Where's Jun?"

"He's running a bit late. He said we could go ahead and order."

"Oh, okay. We can just wait."

"Nah, it's fine. He wants us to eat. Besides, he knows that if we order the meat now, it'll be ready to eat by the time he gets here."

They placed their order and exhausted the topic of school and internships while they waited. It got Seungkwan thinking. 

"Wonwoo...is Jun your best friend?"

Wonwoo looked at him a little surprised at the sudden question but they were interrupted by the arrival of their food before he could answer and Seungkwan explained, "A girl at the kindergarten today told me to marry my best friend because best friends love each other forever."

"Are you taking relationship advice from three-year-olds? I don’t think that’s the way to go,” Wonwoo joked. He added, in a more serious tone, “Besides, your best friend is already in a relationship.” He looked at Seungkwan silently shoving a piece of meat into his mouth and starting to chew. “Unless you’re talking about someone else?” It didn’t seem likely that Seungkwan would choose Wonwoo to discuss anything related to Mingyu with.

“I…I was just making conversation.”

“Well, to answer your question: I’d say Soonyoung is my best friend and Jun is my partner. I can’t think of Jun as my best friend because he doesn’t fit there in my head. He’s supposed to be something else to me. If we’d ever stop being what we are now I don’t think we’d be best friends. Take him and Minghao and it was the opposite. They weren’t supposed to be lovers. They were supposed to be best friends.”

“So you don’t think it’s possible for best friends to also be boyfriends or for boyfriends to be best friends?”

“I didn’t say that. It’s just not the way that I see things. For me.”

“Right…”

He didn’t say anything else until Jun had joined them and they were halfway through their meal.

“Jun? Who is your best friend?” Seungkwan asked, ignoring the look Wonwoo shot him.

“Hm?” Jun asked with his mouth full. “Minghao. I thought everybody knew that?”

“What about Wonwoo?”

“He’s my boyfriend.” Jun was getting more confused at the line of questioning and he looked between Seungkwan and Wonwoo to try and catch the tone of the conversation. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, no. I was just checking something.”

“...okay?”

“Don’t worry about it, kitten. He’s just…processing the words of a toddler.”

Jun laughed at that. He loaded a spoon full of food and held it out to Seungkwan, “Here. I don’t know what’s going on but I do know that you have to taste this. It’s really good.”

Seungkwan took the bite and looked on as Jun did the same for Wonwoo. They always had a sense of harmony around them. They worked. They fit.

“What?” Wonwoo asked when he caught his stare.

“Did you call Jun ‘kitten’ just now?”

~~~~~

Later that night Seungkwan was in his bed with his phone in hand. He had unblocked Hansol’s number months ago when he was trying to be more indifferent and friendly towards him. He had never used it though. He typed a message and hit send. 

Did you mean what you said?

He started to wonder if maybe Hansol had him blocked or if he had maybe deleted him all together and now didn’t even know who was sending him this message. He was about to follow up with a ‘this is Seungkwan’ type of thing when Hansol started typing. The simplest of messages came back. Very Hansol.

Yes

Seungkwan stared at the screen for a moment before he sent another message: I’m going to sleep now. I’m doing a training thing at a kindergarten and I have to get up early…

Hansol caught himself smiling. Both at the thought of Seungkwan working at a kindergarten and at the fact that it was a normal message. Maybe he just wanted to let him know that he wouldn’t be sending anything else today and Hansol tried not to get his hopes up that this was Seungkwan’s way of slowly letting him in again. But it was something.

Good night, Boo Seungkwan

Notes:

- Is it possible to have two best friends and should you marry one of them?
- would Wonwoo call Jun 'kitten'?
- what are Seungkwan's intentions? Maybe Hansol should get his hopes up? Or will it get crushed if he does?

Next time Seungkwan will finally collect his thoughts and some relics from the past

Chapter 126: C3-11 Friendly texts

Summary:

Seungkwan and Hansol have been texting back and forth for a few days and all seems well, but Mingyu sees things differently.

Notes:

Hi! Happy late new year!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

It was Friday night and Seungkwan had accepted an invitation from Mingyu to have dinner over at his and Minghao’s place. With everything that had been going on it felt like forever since he had talked to them. Normally Mingyu would be the first to know everything going on with Seungkwan, but he hadn’t felt much like talking about it and especially not over the phone. He also didn’t want to make everything about him and his relationship problems. He already felt like a bad enough friend for not having met Chan’s new boyfriend in person yet (something he would be sure to correct in the near future). At the same time he knew that the longer he waited the more upset Mingyu would be that he hadn’t confided in him. 

Their apartment was small but always looked and felt very put together and homely. All of the art and photographs on the walls were made by them and the whole place was currently filled with the smell of the food Mingyu had been preparing for them. Seungkwan liked hanging out at this apartment.

“I thought you’d be tired after your week at the kindergarten,” Minghao said. “But I’m happy to spend some time with my cute Kwannie.” He took a hold of Seungkwan’s face and squeezed his cheeks softly.

“Since when is he your Kwannie?” Mingyu asked.  

“What? We can share. Right, Seungkwan?”

“Yeah, Mingyu. Don’t be so selfish.” Seungkwan laughed at his best friend’s pout.

“That’s not even what I meant!” Mingyu grumbled.

“Ah, my Hao is so cute too,” Seungkwan joked and returned the favor of squeezing his cheeks. He laughed again and gave Mingyu’s shoulder a light shove. 

Minghao stood up and positioned himself behind Seungkwan’s chair. “I’m sure you worked hard. Do you want a shoulder rub?”

“Always. But don’t you want to eat first?”

“That’s okay. I’ll eat in a bit. I’ll loosen up these shoulders first. Man, you are so tight. Stress?”

“Let’s just say it’s been a weird week,” Seungkwan said with a sigh. He contorted his face as Hao continued to put pressure on all his sore spots.

“How come?” Mingyu asked, his mouth now full of food.

Seungkwan sighed. “Where to start…” 

“The beginning. Is it work, study or something else?”

“Something else…it’s kind of a long story.”

“We’re not going anywhere,” Minghao said and Mingyu nodded. He didn’t like it when he had to pull information out of his best friend instead of him just pouring his thoughts out because it usually meant it was something he was a little bit ashamed of or embarrassed by.

“Well, last weekend Jeonghan and Jisoo wanted to watch this movie, but I had already seen it together with Bin and it reminded me of that, so I passed. I went out for a walk instead and then I ran into Hansol outside the building. I decided it was time for me to face him and our past so I asked him if we could talk about how we broke up. I’ll spare you the details right now but it was a difficult conversation. But ultimately I think it was good. I understood him better and I got to say what I had to say. And then…he started saying he wanted me back.”

“He said that?” Mingyu asked. “With those words? I mean, I’m not surprised, but did he say it clearly?” 

“He said it very clearly. But I told him I didn’t want that and that us getting back together wasn’t the reason I had wanted to talk. I wanted to process it and finally put it in the past. Get over it. Anyway, I was going to leave but then…I don’t know…we kissed and stuff and he asked me if he could do more. I thought maybe if I sleep with him that would give us some closure.”

“Ehm…that sounds like a bad idea…”

“Well, Hansol thought so too. He said that if all I could give him was one night, he didn’t want it. I told him I couldn’t give him more and he backed off. He said it would be best if we didn’t do anything else but he also told me that his feelings wouldn’t change, because apparently I’m it .”

Mingyu had forgotten all about the food now. “Then what?” he asked.

“I left. It was all very overwhelming. Then…on Monday night I texted him. I asked him if he had meant what he said. He said yes. Then I told him I had to go to bed because I had to get up early. And now we’ve sort of been sending messages back and forth.”

“What kind of messages?” Minghao asked this time. He had stopped massaging and had simply placed his hands on Seungkwan’s shoulders.

“Nothing special, really. He sent me a picture of a cat that he saw and I replied that it was cute. This morning I said something about the weather. Stuff like that.”

Mingyu nodded slowly, going over all the information in his head. “So…to recap: you guys talked about your breakup, he said he wants you back, you almost had sex but decided not to, and now you’re sending each other random messages without talking about where you stand with each other?”

“Yeah…”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but don’t you think you’re being mean?”

“How is talking about the weather and cute cats mean?”

“Because he wants to date you, Seungkwan. He’s in love with you. You said you wanted to talk to him so you could finally leave your relationship in the past, but what is he supposed to make of this? Aren’t you leading him on a bit?"

“I—” Seungkwan didn’t have an answer ready. “I already told him I didn’t want to get back together. Why is the only other option zero contact? Do you really think I’m leading him on? Hao, what do you think?” 

"I think," Minghao said and he sat back down so he could look at their faces as he talked, "you’re both adults. Seungkwan, do you like texting with Hansol about the mundane?"

"Well, yeah. We only text a little though."

“Well, then—”

“How would you feel if you confessed to a guy and he rejected you but then keeps talking to you?” Mingyu interrupted, not yet willing to let it go.

“I’d think he wants us to be just friends. Is that so terrible?” Seungkwan replied.

“I’m not saying it’s terrible, I’m saying that it might not be possible for you two to just be friends. You’ve tried that before and it didn’t work. I know the situation is different now, but just because you’ve talked about things doesn’t mean your past relationship is just gone from your memories.”

“Darling,” Minghao said directed at his boyfriend, “maybe just let the two of them figure that out? Who are we to decide if they can be friends or not?”

“I’m not deciding anything. I’m just saying—”

“And now you’ve said it. Let’s eat.”

They started eating in silence. Seungkwan felt the tension in the air and he looked down at his food instead of at his friends.

“I’m sorry,” Mingyu mumbled after a few moments. “I didn’t mean to make you feel bad or anything. Sending a couple of texts here and there sounds like a good way to slowly start a friendship again.”

“Really?”

“Sure. Why not? It's better than sleeping with someone to try and get closure anyway,” he added with a chuckle but Seungkwan’s face fell at the comment.

“W-what? You told us you didn’t sleep with him. Right?”

Seungkwan shook his head, “I didn’t But I…I slept with Bin. After I left Hansol’s place I went out and ran into him. We talked a little and I went with him.”

“Oh…”

“It actually did feel like closure for us, so I don’t regret that it happened.”

“Oh, well, ehm, that’s good. I guess? Terrible timing though.”

Seungkwan scoffed, a cautious smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, “Tell me about it.”

“Speaking of terrible timing, Mingyu, why don’t you tell Seungkwan about the big news?” Minghao decided it was time to shift the conversation.

“What news?” Seungkwan asked.

“Oh…remember when I told you I was thinking of quitting college and applying to beauty school?”

“Yeah,” Seungkwan said, narrowing his eyes.

“Well, we’ve talked about it a lot and I’ve talked with my parents and I totally thought they’d get super mad that I was even considering it but my Mom actually got super excited and my Dad said it would make more sense for me to do something I enjoy and am actually good at. That might have been a jab at my barely average academic results, but it meant he was supportive at least. So, I've decided I'll be focusing on writing my applications, getting a portfolio together and working part-time jobs for the next few months. I even already talked to Mr. Hakyeon and he said I could come back to the Grind for a few shifts a week.” 

Seungkwan looked at his best friend of many years who was staring at him with a nervous face that was looking for approval. He had objected to Mingyu dropping out of college when he had first told him that he was considering it, but he had to agree with Mingyu's father on this. His poker face turned into a smile. "I'm really excited for you, Mingyu. I know I said before that I thought dropping out of college was a bad idea, but you were right. It’s not like you’re going to lie on the couch all day eating snacks doing nothing. I'm sure it'll work out."

"Really?" Mingyu's face broke open with the biggest smile. "I'm so happy you said that! Do you want to be in my portfolio as a model?"

"Do you even need a portfolio just to apply?"

"Can't hurt, right?"

"I don't think I'm really the model type…"

"Of course you are! And you were my original model besides myself. Kwannie, I can make you look so good. Please? Please? Hao already agreed too!"

"Don't you need some girls?"

"I will also need girls. And older people. I want to be as diverse as I can be! Oh, it's going to be so good!"

Seungkwan smiled again and started to feel emotional all of a sudden seeing him so excited and happy about this. He stood up and wrapped himself around Mingyu's shoulders. "You're going to be great. I know it."

{The Grind, the following day}

Seungkwan was always on his phone the second his break started. He clicked on the link Mingyu had sent to his new Pinterest board titled ' Makeup Inspiration Seungkwan ' and absentmindedly scrolled through the pictures. As he was doing so a notification popped up. He had a new message from Hansol. The last thing Seungkwan had sent him was a short message about him heading off to work and a string of emojis (a sleepy one, a cup of coffee, a running man, and a flexing arm).

Hansol: [I'm gonna go out to grab some food for dinner later. Wanna come with?]

Without thinking too much about it, and with one eye on the clock he replied: breaktime is over. Text me time and place~

<>

Seungkwan looked at himself in the mirror. He’d had enough time to go home and change before he was going to meet Hansol. He looked nice. He had styled his hair with precision, the shirt he was wearing was one of his more expensive ones and the pants were a pair he knew looked good on him. He almost took a picture to send to Mingyu for judgment when the reality of what he was doing sank in. This wasn’t the amount of effort he would normally put into his outfit if he was just going to ‘grab something to eat’. This was date level preperation. Mingyu's words about him leading Hansol on bounced around in his head. Then they stopped and fell into place. He opened his chat with Hansol.

[Sorry I know it’s last minute but I have to cancel]

He threw his phone on his bed and started changing his clothes back to something more casual. He was standing in front of the mirror again, running his hands through his hair to lose the style, when he heard his phone vibrate. It was Hansol, asking if everything was okay.

[Yeah but I have to go to my Mom for a bit. Are you home tomorrow? I’ll explain then. Sorry.]

{Hansol’s apartment} 

Hansol had been trying his best to follow Jeonghan’s advice of treading the line between making sure Seungkwan knew he was serious and not pushing too hard. When he had taken some picture of a cat napping on a bench he had picked the best one, added the most neutral caption he could think of (‘saw this cat’) and sent it. He felt like he was doing good when Seungkwan replied with: Lol it’s cute.

It wasn’t just him sending and Seungkwan replying either. Seungkwan sent him a picture of some food and made a comment about the weather. He even gave him little updates about how his days were going. So he had felt pretty safe when pushing just a little bit further beyond the smallest of small talk and asked him if he wanted to grab something to eat. He thought it had sounded casual and Seungkwan had said yes. He had just wanted to ask him if he was at home or if they should meet at the restaurant when he got Seungkwan’s message.

“He canceled,” Hansol said as he walked into the living room where Seungcheol and Chan were. He sat down on the couch with a thud. “He said he’ll explain tomorrow.”

“He’ll explain what?” Seungcheol asked.

Hansol shrugged. “Why he had to cancel, I guess. Maybe I pushed too far, too fast. I just thought we were getting along again and…I don’t know.”

“I mean, he did say yes,” Chan chimed in. “Maybe wait to see what he has to say tomorrow before you think the worst. Is he coming here?”

Hansol nodded. “He didn’t say what time, but he said he had to go to his Mom’s so probably in the afternoon or evening.”

“Do you want us to leave when he gets here? I can go study in the library or go hang out upstairs,” Chan offered.

“If you don’t mind…You don’t have to if it’s inconvenient. Seungkwan knows you guys live here too.”

“It’s no problem.”

“Thanks.” He sighed. Now that his plans fell through he didn’t feel like going out anymore. There wasn’t much he could do about the situation and he would just have to wait and try not to let his head run over with different scenarios of what Seungkwan would have to say. All there was to do was wait for the next day to come.

Notes:

-I know it's a cliffhanger but the next day is something that needs its own chapter imho
-emojis he sent: 😴☕️🏃♂️💪
-is Seungkwan's reason for canceling good or bad? Does Mingyu have a point about him leading Hansol on?
(idk how beauty school applications work, I tried searching for it and it didn't seem like you need a portfolio just to apply but...like Mingyu said 'can't hurt'. And I'll take any excuse for Mingyu to use Seungkwan as his model)

twt

Chapter 127: C3-12 Orange Juice

Summary:

Seungkwan comes over earlier than Hansol had been expecting and he has some things to show him.

Notes:

This one...I hope I've done this chapter justice

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Hansol woke up to the sound of his phone buzzing on his nightstand. Half asleep he picked it up. It was still early.

Boo Seungkwan: [Are you up?]

Hansol sat up and looked at the time again to confirm that he hadn’t been sleeping late.

[I’m awake]

Boo Seungkwan: [Can I come over?]

[Give me 15?]

Boo Seungkwan: [I’ll give you 30]

Sure enough, thirty minutes later almost on the dot he got another message from Seungkwan saying that he was at the door. Hansol went to open it.

“Hi,” Seungkwan said. “I didn’t want to ring the bell in case someone else is home. I know it’s still kind of early.”

Hansol nodded and moved out of the way so he could enter. “Cheol isn’t home, but Chan’s in his room. He was going to study someplace else later, but I kind of thought you’d come in the afternoon.”

“Oh…sorry.”

“It’s fine. You never said a time. I hope you don’t mind we’re not alone?”

“No,” Seungkwan assured him. “I thought we could talk in your room anyway.”

“Oh, yeah, sure.”

“I’m sorry I canceled so last minute yesterday,” Seungkwan said as he followed him to his room. The last bedroom belonging to Hansol that he had been in was the one at his parents’ house. This one wasn’t all that different. Perhaps a bit neater.

“That’s okay. Is everything alright with your mom?”

“My mom? She’s fine. Why?”

“You said you had to go to your mom.”

“Oh, yeah, but I just meant I had to go to the apartment. Or to be more specific, my room. I have some things I need to show you.” He sat down on one end of Hansol’s bed (given that Hansol didn’t have a place to sit in his room other than his bed or the chair by his desk).

Hansol sat down on the other end. He tried to get a sense of Seungkwan’s mood. He didn't necessarily look like he was about to tell him something he wouldn't want to hear, but Hansol knew better by now than to get his hopes up too high.

Seungkwan placed his bag on the floor between his feet. It looked full. “So…you told Chan and Seungcheol that I was coming over today?” he asked.

Hansol nodded. “Was I not supposed to?”

Seungkwan shrugged, not so sure himself. He hadn’t told anybody that he was coming here, but it wasn’t like it was a secret. He just didn’t want to deal with any questions from their friends until all was said and done. He zipped his bag open. 

The first item he pulled out was something Hansol recognized immediately even though he hadn’t seen it in years. It was the photo album he had made for Seungkwan for their two year anniversary. Right before he had left.

Seungkwan placed it on his lap and ran his hands over the cover. “When we broke up I didn’t want it in my dorm room anymore,” he explained. “But I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away. It didn’t feel real yet, I suppose. So I brought it back to my old room and stuffed it in a desk drawer. I didn’t look at it again until that day, what was to be our third anniversary, when we ran into each other and you came to my house. I looked at all the pictures and cried. I told myself that day to get over you."

He looked up and met Hansol's eyes. "But I still didn’t throw it away. I put it back in the drawer and it was still there when Bin found it more than a year after that.”

Seungkwan placed the album in the space between them. He reached into his bag again. 

Hansol sat silent. He didn’t know where Seungkwan was going with this or if he was expected to react, so he just sat and listened and watched as Seungkwan placed a bracelet on top of the album. His couple bracelet from the same anniversary.

“I’m sure you remember how upset I got when I saw you were still wearing yours long after we had broken up.”

Hansol nodded.

“Do you know when I took mine off?”

Hansol shook his head. Of course he didn’t.

“I took it off after I slept with someone else for the first time. I kept thinking about you the whole time and seeing that bracelet around my wrist while I was in bed with someone else…I felt horrible.” He looked at Hansol’s untelling face. “I didn’t bring these items here and tell you this to make you feel bad. I have a point, I promise.” Next, he pulled out a blue and red hoodie. “Look familiar?” he asked.

“Kind of,” Hansol replied softly. He felt like he was experiencing the world’s slowest punch to the gut. “Isn’t that the one you borrowed and never gave back?”

“You never asked for it back,” Seungkwan said. 

Hansol nodded. He had never minded Seungkwan wearing his clothes and at the time it hadn’t occurred to him that he might lose the opportunity to have it returned to him.

“Do you remember when I borrowed it?”

“Of course.” Hansol would never forget the night he and Seungkwan had almost slept together for the first time, only to be interrupted by his parents coming home earlier than expected. They had gotten dressed in a panic and Hansol had thrown him this hoodie to wear. “Seungkwan, why did you bring all of this? You said you have a point. What is it?”

“I brought these things because I need you to understand how I’m feeling and I think these items help with that. We talked about why we broke up, but I didn’t really tell you about how it affected me. After you broke up with me, I felt broken. I didn’t know how to react or how to deal with what I was feeling. I didn’t handle it very well. I pretended everything was fine at first. I tried to distract myself. I did the laundry and I went to class. I went out jogging. And then, as I was jogging through the park at night, I just…broke down. I started crying and I couldn’t stop. I sat on a bench, drenched in sweat from my run, and cried. I’m not sure how long I sat there and I only vaguely remember Mingyu and Seokmin coming to find me. Mingyu carried me to our room on his back. I woke up the next day with him sitting on the floor next to my bed, holding my hand. Jihoon, Jisoo and Seokmin were huddled together on the other bed. Jeonghan came a little later and stayed with me for the rest of the day. Again, I’m not telling you any of this to make you feel bad and quite honestly it’s embarrassing to tell. But I need you to know how much of a mess I was, so that you can understand why it wasn’t easy for me to see you after that or to even act like a normal person around you.” He looked at the pile of items. “And yet I kept these things that remind me of you. I told you before that I wanted to talk about our breakup so I could finally process and get over it. These are the tangible things I never let go.”

“Seungkwan, I—”

“Wait! Before you say anything, there’s one more item that I want to show you.” From his bag he pulled out the last thing. 

“Orange juice?” Hansol asked, confused.

“I don’t know if you even remember,” Seungkwan mumbled. As Hansol continued to sit silently across from him he felt silly, sitting there with a carton of juice after unloading all the hurt he had felt. It wasn’t the best transition into what he was really getting to. 

“You asked me if I wanted orange juice and I told you I was in love with you.” Hansol answered. “Of course I remember. I’m just not sure I get why you have it now.”

“Well, I just thought…That time you ran away and we never actually got to have any, so I figured maybe we could start off our clean slate with some juice. Sorry, I thought it would be romantic or something to go back to our beginning.”

“Romantic?” Hansol asked, voice hoarse.

“I guess not,” Seungkwan chuckled awkwardly.

“No! I mean, yes! But I—” He studied Seugnkwan’s face. He felt very much confused. “I thought you were showing me these things to tell me that you’re really putting it behind you now; that you’re ready to let go of everything. I thought you were here to put a definite end to us.”

Seungkwan’s eyes softened. “I told you I didn’t bring this stuff to hurt you. Hansol, yesterday I accepted your invitation to grab something to eat without much thought. After my shift I went home and started getting ready. I put on a nice outfit and made sure my hair looked good. In short succession of each other I had two realizations. The first was that I was getting ready for a date. And then I realized something even more important. I wanted it to be a date.” He placed a hand on top of the pile. “I’m not here to dramatically hand you the last tokens of our lost relationship. I’m here to tell you that I don’t want to try to get over you anymore. I want to be with you.”

Hansol hadn’t realized how fast his heart had been beating until it came to a sudden halt hearing those words. It seemed his brain had a hard time deciding what to make him feel right now. Disbelief? Confusion? Euphoria? In any case, it resulted in a dumb grin slowly forming on his face.

“But!” Seungkwan continued before Hansol’s grin could turn into a full smile. “You need to understand that a part of me is scared to take that step. Not just scared that things won’t work out again, but scared that everytime you say that you want to talk about something that I’ll think that it's going to be bad news; scared that I'll always feel like you could leave me at any minute.”

Hansol scooted forward, “Seungkwan, what can I do to convince you that—”

“You can let me finish talking, for one thing.”

Hansol quickly pressed his lips together.

“I'm scared of those things,” Seungkwan repeated. “But I think what scares me the most, more than the possibility of it not working out, is going on to live my life always wondering what we could have had. Never taking the chance. The idea that there was a possibility for us to be together in the happy ending way that I always pictured when we were teenagers and that I didn't even try to get there. That scares me the most. So, instead of trying to avoid you or get over you or try to be your friend...I want us to be together again.”

“Together?”

Seungkwan nodded. “Together. You already said you wanted me back so I didn’t think you’d have any objections with that. Now, I’m sure that we’ve both changed to some degree and we’ll have to take things slow. Really slow, so that we can figure out how to fit together again.”

“So what do you want to do? Hang out? Go on an actual date?”

Seungkwan sighed. “Come on, Hansol. I haven’t changed that much. What do you think I mean? I want us to be boyfriends again. Will you be my boyfriend?”

“Definitely.” The grin back on his face, Hansol stared at the man sitting across from him. Boo Seungkwan. Once again, his.

“Can you…can you kiss me?” Seungkwan asked bashfully.

With care Hansol picked up the hoodie, bracelet and photo album. He stood up and placed them on his desk. He sat back down on the bed, closer, and took the juice Seungkwan was still holding. He placed it on the floor.

Seungkwan kept his hands in his lap and his eyes on Hansol who was getting closer. He smiled when Hansol softly caressed his cheek with his thumb before pressing their lips together.

It was a slow kiss, one without rush and filled with the promise of many more.

Hansol pulled back and inhaled deeply. “Hi, Boo Seungkwan.”

Seungkwan chuckled. “Hi.”

“I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too.”

“This is really happening, right?”

Seungkwan nodded. “Yeah. But, just to be sure, maybe you should kiss me again.”

Notes:

- They still have a lot to talk about and figure out, but they're going to try to do that together
- How will everybody (Mingyu) react?
- I hope you can understand how Seungkwan is feeling and why he decided this was the way he wanted to do things
- How slow is slow?

Chapter 128: C3-13 Breakfast talk

Summary:

Now that they're back together there are still many things to talk about. Seungkwan asks Hansol to let him tell Mingyu before they tell anybody else.

Notes:

So sorry for not replying to any comments on the last update!! As you can maybe tell from the fact I didn't update in a month and a half...I haven't been feeling it (not writing, not being on here) even though this chapter has been an open tab in my browser at all times.

I blame any spelling errors on booster fever!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan had his head on Hansol's chest as they were lying on his bed. They hadn't said much since they had kissed. He heard the growl of Hansol's stomach and lifted his head slightly. "You didn't have breakfast yet, did you?" he asked.

Hansol chuckled and sat himself up. “Is it just me or does this feel like a dejavu? Should I run out to get some convenience store sandwiches?” It was what he had done all those years ago after kissing him for the first time.

Seungkwan laughed, “Oh my gosh you’re right. And then while you’re gone I’ll call Mingyu to let him know we just kissed.” 

Hansol failed to control the expression on his face at the mention of the name. 

“What?” Seungkwan asked.

“Do you think Mingyu will be okay with us getting back together?” he asked. With all the changes over the years one thing hadn’t changed. Mingyu was still Seungkwan’s best friend and perhaps still the person he was closest to. Where in the first years of high school Hansol had sometimes felt jealous of their relationship he had also come to consider Mingyu as his own friend. That is, until he and Seungkwan had broken up. Now he wasn’t sure what to think. He felt it was very possible Mingyu would be less than pleased with their reunion and a part of him was worried about how much Seungkwan would take his opinion to heart.

“He will be,” Seungkwan assured him. “You know what he said when I told him and Hao that you and I were texting each other? He said I was leading you on and that it was mean of me. So even if he says anything I’ll just tell him he should be happy that I’m no longer doing that.” 

“You don’t think he’ll have a problem with me ? I don’t think he likes me much anymore.”

“Why do you care so much about what Mingyu thinks? He’s not the boss of me.”

“No, but you do care about what he thinks, right?”

“Well, sure I do, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make my own decisions about who I want to be with. But all of this is a non-issue anyway since he’s not going to have a problem. And I’m sure he still likes you. It’ll be fine! I’d be more worried about my dad, honestly.”

“Your dad?” Hansol asked, his eyes growing wide. “Oh man, do your parents hate me? Your sisters are going to kick my ass, aren’t they?”

“No, no, no, it’ll be fine! If I’m happy, they’ll be happy! Forget I even said anything. Besides, I think ‘going slow’ should include not telling our parents right away. Or at least not meeting up with them for a bit.”

“Yeah, maybe that’s better. We are going to tell people though, right? Our friends?”

“Of course. I won’t be able to not tell people anyway. But do you mind if I tell Mingyu first? I mean, I'd like to be the one to tell him rather than him hearing it from someone else and if we tell any of our friends it'll just spread like wildfire.”

Hansol nodded. He could understand that. He never quite had a friendship like those two, but he got it. For the most part.

“Was he right, by the way? Did you feel like I was leading you on with the texts?”

“Aren’t we together now? How is that leading me on?”

“But that wasn’t my intention at the time! I didn’t think I wanted to…I guess I just didn’t really think about the way it could—”

“Boo Seungkwan, you worry too much about all things. You weren’t leading me on. I can’t say that I wasn’t hoping, but you told me you didn’t want us to get back together. The texting was nice. I’ve missed talking to you about…Well, about everything.”

Seungkwan smiled and leaned in for a soft kiss.

Just as they broke apart again Hansol’s phone buzzed from atop of the nightstand. He checked it. "Chan said he saw your shoes by the door on his way out and told me to let him know how things go." He looked up from his phone and studied Seungkwan’s face. “What should I tell him? I can just ignore him until he gets back.”

“Do you mind? I promise I’ll tell Mingyu later today.”

“Sure,” Hansol replied. His stomach made another noise and he pressed a hand against it.

“But first!" Seungkwan said, standing up. "Food for you.” He held out his hand and Hansol took it. He let it go again somewhat reluctantly once they reached the kitchen. As he watched Hansol open the fridge to see if they even had any food Seungkwan felt a wave of giddiness splashing around in his guts. For a long time his remaining feelings for Hansol had been a source of sadness and frustration but now they were once again there to make him feel happy. He let out an involuntary giggle.

“What?” Hansol asked, closing the fridge, a container of unidentified take-out leftovers in his hand.

“Nothing.”

Hansol put the container on the counter. “Nothing? So why are you laughing?” he asked with a little smirk on his lips. 

Seungkwan didn’t answer. Instead, he hopped forward and placed a quick kiss on Hansol’s cheek. He laughed again. “Just happy, I guess.”

Hansol got his hands on Seungkwan’s hips and pulled him closer. He kissed him. “Are you hungry? There’s enough food for two,” he whispered against his lips. He badly wanted to kiss him more, but he wasn’t going to. He didn’t want to rush forward until he slammed into Seungkwan’s boundaries. He wanted to walk the path slowly together.

“I’ll have a bite or two.” 

Hansol nodded and after a few more seconds of floating on air he stepped back. "I'll just heat this up real quick," he said and put the food in the microwave.

"It tastes better if you heat it up in a frying pan," Seungkwan said. "But the microwave is faster," he added quickly, not wanting to sound as if he was nagging him.

"And less dishes," Hansol replied. "Besides, I'm a terrible cook. One time I managed to burn something while the inside was still frozen."

Seungkwan laughed, but he wasn't much better himself. Most of his meals were take-out or extremely basic. "So…" he said while they waited for the food to be ready. "You've met Chan's boyfriend, right?" he asked, filling the silence with a conversation that wasn’t about them.

"Yeah, a few times. Why? Haven't you?"

Seungkwan sucked in his lower lip and shook his head. "I’ve been kind of preoccupied with my own stuff…Moving and all that.”

Hansol nodded.

“Is he nice? Ten?"

"Yeah. I like him. He makes Chan laugh and they seem to have fun together. Although I think half of the things he says are innuendoes about sex."

"Good. That he's nice. Not so much the sex innuendoes. Although I guess if it makes Chan happy it doesn't really matter. I still can’t believe he got together with his Internet crush. Who does that? Don’t tell him I said this, but that’s pretty amazing."

Hansol chuckled. “Yeah, it is. And maybe now we can all hang out sometime. We can have a movie night or go and have a drink—” His mind flashed to last week. The last time he had seen Ten. “They, eh, went out on a date last weekend,” he said.

"Ok? Good for them?" Seungkwan replied. He wasn't sure why he'd need that specific information. He eyed his boyfriend, who suddenly looked stiff and serious.

“They went to the bar.”

“Oh?” Seungkwan said, slowly starting to get a feeling of what this conversation was really leading to. 

Hansol looked at him but quickly looked away again. He felt nervous bringing this up and he didn’t want to ruin the mood when they’d just barely gotten back together, but he knew that if he waited longer it was sure to become a bigger thing than it needed to be. So he explained. “It was on the same night that you and I talked. They said they saw you there. They were going to say hi but then you were talking with Bin and then you left with him. That's what they said.”

"Oh...And now you're asking me if that's true?"

"No. I just wanted to let you know what I know and that it doesn't matter. I just felt weird keeping from you that I know. That’s it."

Seungkwan nodded, but the conversation didn't feel over. "I didn't go there to meet up with him. He was just there and we talked for a bit and...well...we said goodbye."

"And with goodbye you mean slept together?” The moment he asked he regretted it. It was difficult to read Seungkwan’s reaction. “Sorry. I shouldn't have asked that. We weren't together. It's not my business."

"We did sleep together,” Seungkwan answered. “It's completely over between us now. I promise. But breaking up with him was hard. I felt so bad for not being able to commit to him as much as a good boyfriend should."

"What do you mean? You were even living together."

"You know what I mean."

"I don't really. Was there someone else?"

Seungkwan stared at him with a blank expression, wondering if he was being serious right now.

"Oh...you mean...wait...do you mean me ? You broke up because of me?"

"Yes and no."

The microwave pinged.

"Your food is ready."

"It can wait another minute." 

Seungkwan breathed in through his nose and slowly exhaled. "We broke up because I clearly had some unresolved feelings towards you. I kind of thought you knew that.”

“Well, I mean, I don’t know!” Hansol stammered in response. “If that’s true then why didn’t you want to get back together with me?”

“Because! Feelings are nice and all but that alone isn’t enough, Hansol! And we’re back together now, aren’t we? So it doesn’t even matter.”

“I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I’m not upset! It’s just weird to talk to you about this. I wasn’t expecting you to suddenly drop this on me. I know the timing was horrible but it wasn’t about you.”

“Sorry,” Hansol mumbled. “I know it’s weird. It’s weird for me too. But I’m just trying to be better at communicating or something. I don’t want to keep these sorts of things from you. Remember in high school all that Hyunggu stuff?”

Seungkwan pressed his lips together.

“That time we both kept things from each other because we thought it didn’t matter or that the other person didn’t need to know about it. We were wrong and I think we should be able to talk about things even if they’re uncomfortable. I know I’m not the best at it, but I want to do better this time, Seungkwan. I am aware that you were with someone else not too long ago and that it’s still very recent.”

“I told you, it’s completely over. My head was still a mess when he and I broke up and a part of me even thought we’d be able to work it out if I got my feelings in order. I realize now that as much as I wanted to feel the same way about him that I had always felt about you, I just didn't. I loved him. I did. But it wasn't enough. It wasn’t us ."

"I never really dated anyone else," Hansol blurted out. "At least not for long and nothing really as serious as what you two had…"

"Oh…I see." Seungkwan shifted his weight from left to right, feeling even more uncomfortable than before.

Hansol groaned and rubbed his hands across his face. "Sorry, can we, like, put a pin in this conversation? This morning is...a lot."

"Agreed. Let's go back to eating breakfast and kissing or something."

They ended up on the living room couch, sitting next to each other with little space between them. Hansol ate and occasionally fed a spoonful to Seungkwan. They talked about topics that felt safer than their relationships with other people. Hansol listened to Seungkwan talk about the children he worked with and Seungkwan learned Hansol had taken a part-time job at a store that mostly sold video games and related merchandise. They talked about school for a bit until Hansol suddenly froze with wide eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Seungkwan asked.

“I completely forgot. I have a deadline tomorrow. I have to hand in an assignment. I was planning to finish it this weekend but, well…You know, what? It’s fine. I’ll just pull an all-nighter. Should be fine.”

“Hansol, no. Getting enough sleep is very important for your health.”

“Okay, then I’ll just hand it in a little late. I can take the deduction.”

“Or I leave and you get to work. Maybe it’s good. That way we don’t overdose on spending time together. We need to pace ourselves.”

Hansol sighed. “Fine. If you think it’s better, I’ll do my stupid homework and try not to think about how you’ll only be an elevator ride away.”

“Good. I have some stuff I need to do as well anyway. I’ll also talk to Mingyu. Maybe we should just go ahead and tell the others right after. If I tell Mingyu he’s going to tell Minghao and then Jun and Wonwoo will know, leading to Soonyoung, Seokmin and Jihoon and I then there’s the people we live with…”

“We could make a groupchat, dump the info and watch it explode?”

“That’s a lot of people in one chat, but I guess it’s easiest. I’ll let you know when I’ve talked to Mingyu and I’ll make a groupchat after. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Okay, so…I’ll go now.”

Hansol nodded and they both stood up. He walked him over to the door where he gave him one more kiss for the road. He returned to his room and sat down at his desk. He glanced over at the unopened orange juice. He got back up and soon returned with a glass from the kitchen. He poured himself a glass and opened his laptop. 

{Seungkwan’s room} 

When getting back he said a quick hello to Jeonghan and Jisoo but made a beeline for his room. He really wanted to talk to Mingyu first and those two would immediately notice something was up. He hopped onto his bed and started a video call with his best friend. He promptly picked up.

“What’s up?” he asked.

Seungkwan scrunched up his nose. “Why are you naked?”

Mingyu looked puzzled and looked down at his body. “I’m not naked. I’m shirtless. See?” he said and panned the camera down to reveal his sweatpants.

“Okay, why are you shirtless?”

“Because I’m in my own home and I like to be shirtless. You’re the one who called me all of a sudden.”

“Fine. Sorry. It doesn’t matter anyway. Are you alone? I need to tell you something.”

“Minghao is home but he’s doing some sort of meditation in the bedroom so he won’t hear. Is everything alright?”

"Well, something kind of big happened but I don’t want to make a big deal out of it. I just wanted to tell you first.”

“Okay…” Mingyu said slowly and Seungkwan saw him taking a seat on the couch.

“I’ll just go ahead and say it. Me and Hansol are back together."

"Oh…” Mingyu said, clearly taken aback. “That's...I thought you said you didn't want to get back together?"

“I didn’t think I did, but yesterday I had an epiphany.” 

“Wow,” Mingyu said and a slight smile curled up the sides of his mouth. “Sounds serious. Tell me about it.”

“Well, he asked me, casually , if I wanted to get something to eat. I said yes. But when I was getting ready I felt so…You know that feeling when you’re getting ready for a date or meeting someone you’re looking forward to seeing? That. Suddenly it all felt a little ridiculous. He had already said he wanted me back, so why was I still clinging to the thought that I didn’t want to be with him when I clearly did? But I couldn’t just show up and slip it into conversation like it was no big deal. So I came up with a plan.”

Seungkwan told the story of how he had told Hansol that he wanted to be boyfriends again and how the rest of the morning had gone. Mingyu listened attentively but didn’t show much reaction.

“So…” Seungkwan ended after explaining he told Hansol to work on his assignment and that’s why he was calling him now. “...are you happy for me?”

“I’m happy if you’re happy,” Mingyu said. Seungkwan frowned.

“What does that mean? Do you think it’s a bad idea?”

“No, no that’s not what I meant! I just… You’re sure this is what you want, right? You’ve missed years of each other’s lives and you can’t just pick up where you left off.”

“Don’t you think I know that? We’re not rushing into this with our eyes closed. Okay?”

“Okay. I’m happy for you. And Hansol. I can’t imagine how he must have felt realizing he’d lost the best thing he’d ever had.”

Seungkwan rolled his eyes, but the smile on his lips and the color of his cheeks betrayed how he really felt about the compliment. “Stop it, you sound like my dad.”

Mingyu laughed, “What?”

“You do! He said to me that Hansol made the biggest mistake of his life by letting me go. Of course he has to say that because he’s my dad.”

“Nah, he was just spitting facts.”

“Anyway, please be nice to him when you see him next. He already thinks you don’t like him anymore.”

Mingyu sighed, “Of course I’ll be nice.”

“Thanks. He’ll be nice too.”

“Why wouldn’t he be? What did I do?”

“Nothing. Probably. I don’t know. Anyway, I have to go. I need to finish a lesson plan assignment and I want to get it done before Hansol finishes his homework. We don’t have any plans or anything but…just in case. Say hi to Hao for me!”

Mingyu nodded and they ended their call. He lowered his phone down and sighed.

“Everything alright?” Minghao asked from behind him as he came out of their bedroom.

“Yeah, I guess. Seungkwan just called. He and Hansol are back together.”

“Oh, I see. And that big sigh of yours was what? Disapproval?”

“I don’t know,” Mingyu replied in a mumble.

“Didn’t you yourself say that they probably wouldn’t work as friends? Now they’re not friends.” He sat down next to him and put a hand on his thigh. “We should invite them over for dinner. We can make it a triple date night with Chan and Ten.”

“You want to have a dinner party?”

“Well, I’d like to get to know Hansol better. I’ve never seen him as Seungkwan’s boyfriend and I barely know him. And if we invite one more couple we can make sure they don’t feel like we’re holding a magnifying glass over their every move.”

“Fine. Me and Seungkwan have a shift together on Tuesday. I’ll ask him then.”

“Great.” He leaned in and kissed his cheek. “And don’t worry so much. It’s not your relationship.”

Mingyu nodded. He knew that. Of course he knew that. And it wasn’t as if he didn’t know Seungkwan had never completely let go of Hansol. And knowing that Hansol had made it perfectly clear what he wanted, it shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise. He hadn’t lied exactly when saying he was happy for them. He wanted to be at least. But Seungkwan getting his heart broken was fresher in his memory than the times they had been happy.

Notes:

- they still have to get used to each other again and also figure out just how much they actually want to know about who the other has been with in the time they were apart
- dinner party, yay or nay?
- but perhaps...they should go on an actual date with just the two of them first
(Also, remember how Seungkwan got a drunken tattoo? Hansol doesn't know about it yet, lol. Will he like it? Will Seungkwan tell him why he chose that tattoo?)

Chapter 129: C3-14 Second First Date / At Our Own Pace

Summary:

Seungkwan is getting ready for his (second) first date with Hansol and struggles with where they should draw the line.

Notes:

Sooo, I was REALLY close to cutting this one in two, but then I figured it's been so long since I updated that I wasn't going to end it on a sort of cliffhanger and just post it in one go, lol.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

After informing all of their friends that he and Hansol were a couple again, all Seungkwan had to do now was exercise some restraint. With the distance between them only being a short elevator ride, it was almost too easy to go and see him whenever he wanted. The problem with that was that he wanted to see him a lot and at the same time he didn’t. Even though they weren’t starting from zero exactly, he felt like some boundaries were important if they wanted the reconstruction of their relationship to be solid. His fears and doubts that had stopped him from giving in to his feelings for Hansol before hadn’t suddenly disappeared. Spending time together was important, but learning how to be apart was too. 

Luckily there was enough during the week to keep him occupied. Besides classes and assignments he had his job at the coffeehouse and now that Mingyu was back there as well it was all the better. Except he kind of wanted to ignore his best friend on their first shift together. Seungkwan kept catching Mingyu staring at him with a hesitant look on his face that suggested he had things he wanted to say, but every time he just looked away again.

It wasn’t until the end of the day when they had just closed shop that Mingyu finally started talking.

"So,” Mingyu asked while they were cleaning up the tables, “was it weird having sex with him again?"

"Mingyu! We’re at work!” Seungkwan scolded immediately. If that’s what he wanted to talk about, he was glad that he hadn’t done it with any customers around.

“Nobody can even hear us. It's just us. Spill the beans, Boo!” 

“There are no ‘beans’ to spill. We haven't slept together yet. I mean, not again yet."

"Why not?"

"Because! We haven’t even gone on a date or anything yet and we’re taking things slow. I just think we should at least do a ‘couple’ thing together first.” 

“Some would argue that sex is a couple thing,” Mingyu chuckled. "Or it can be. Honestly, I'd think you'd be all over him as soon as you felt free to do so. You wanted to sleep with him before."

"I—Before was before and now is now. We kissed, we cuddled, it was nice. Okay? Sheesh, is that what you’ve been wanting to ask me all day?"

“What? No.”

“Then why have you been glancing at me so much?”

“Well, okay, I did want to talk about you and Hansol, I guess. But I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to ask stuff? I don’t know…I was just trying to give you the space to bring him up if you wanted to on your own, but then I just…snapped. I didn’t mean to dive right into the sex stuff.”

“Why wouldn’t you be allowed to ask things? We always talk about relationship stuff. Don’t we?”

“I don’t know. It’s just that for a long time Hansol has been such a sensitive topic for you and I suppose I’ve gotten used to avoiding him in our conversations.”

Seungkwan put down his cleaning cloth. “What do you want to know?”

Mingyu wasn’t sure what he wanted to know. The most important thing was that Seungkwan was happy, but something told him that he wouldn’t be happy with Mingyu asking him if he was. “When are you going to go on a date?”

“Saturday. Our schedules don’t really match, but we’re going out to dinner and a movie after Hansol’s part-time job on Saturday.”

“And then go home together,” Mingyu said. “Because you live in the same building!” he added quickly when he saw Seungkwan picking up the cloth, undoubtedly with the intent to throw it at his head.

“Oh! This reminds me to tell you that Hao wanted to invite you guys over for a dinner party. We’ll invite Chan and Ten too. Fun?”

“Yeah, I guess that does sound like it could be fun. But clearly we can’t this weekend.”

“Probably best you two have a normal date before a triple one, yeah. Besides, we don’t have to have dinner on the weekend. We’re not old people.”

“How is having dinner on the weekend something for old people?”

“Having dinner isn’t, but having a dinner party is.”

“I don’t really care as long as it’s after we’ve been on our own date first.

{Saturday, late morning}

With a frustrated groan Seungkwan slammed his laptop shut. “That’s it. I give up. Nothing is registering in my brain today.”

Jeonghan, who was sitting across from him at the table, looked up from his own laptop. “That’s because your brain is already out on your date.”

Seungkwan frowned and sighed loudly. “It’s still hours before I go to meet him. I already know what I’m going to wear and I know exactly which busses I can take to get to the game store and how to get from there to the hamburger place and a few back-up places in case they don’t have any seats available; movie tickets have been booked and paid for. And still I can’t focus on anything else. It’s stupid.”

“Very stupid,” Jeonghan replied.

“You don’t have to agree with me,” Seungkwan grumbled back.

“By the way, you know you’re free to bring Hansol over after, right? Just keep it down so me and Jisoo don’t have to hear everything.”

“Hear wha— Oh, come on! We’re not going to do anything with you guys in the next room!”

“It’s fine, Kwannie. You live here too now and where else are you going to do it? Don’t waste your money on a hotel.”

“We’ll just— We can— Why is everybody so obsessed with me and Hansol doing it?”

“I’m just saying that if you’re going to have sex, you don’t have to feel like you can’t do it here.”

“I’m already nervous enough as is without all of my friends breathing down my neck! First Mingyu and now you guys…”

“Yeah, babe. They’ll do it when they’ll do it and it’s none of our business. We’re not their parents.”

“Agree to disagree,” Jeonghan said calmly.

Thank you , Jisoo!” Seungkwan exclaimed, “Finally a normal person!”

Jeonghan chuckled. “That depends on how you define normal.”

“Can you just drop it, please? I just want to go on a simple date.”

“I’m sorry, Kwannie. I didn’t mean anything by it. I won’t even ask how it went tomorrow. Okay?”

“You can ask,” Seungkwan mumbled. “After! Right now I just want to not think about the date.”

“What you need is a distraction,” Jisoo said.

“Yes! Please, distract me!”

“Excellent. Get your coat.”

“Where are we going?” Seungkwan asked as he was getting up to grab wallet and keys.

“A place with many wonderful things from all over the world.”

“Like a museum? I do need to be back in time to get ready and—”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. We won’t be that long.”

{The Supermarket}

“Why are we here?” Seungkwan asked. “I thought you were going to take me to a place with many wonderful things from all over the world?”

“And isn’t it wonderful how we can just go to a store and get everything we need for dinner? Pasta from Italy, coffee from Brazil, Wine from—”

“You tricked me!”

“We need groceries and now you’re doing something useful with your time instead of driving yourself crazy and distracting Jeonghan when he’s supposed to be focussing on that paper he’s been avoiding.”

“Next time just tell me where we’re going.” 

<>

“Can you keep a secret?” Jisoo asked, slowly strolling through the aisles.

“What kind of secret?” Seungkwan asked and he eyed him curiously.

“I’m going to ask Jeonghan to marry me.”

Seungkwan stopped right there in the middle of the canned goods aisle. “Oh. My. God! Are you serious!?” he squealed. 

Jisoo smirked, but didn’t answer. He looked up and down the shelves. “Do you know if we need any tuna?”

“Hong Jisoo! Answer me!”

The other man just smiled and pressed a finger to his lips. “Shhh. Don’t tell anyone. It has to be a surprise.”

“B-but, you can’t just drop this and go. Tell me more! When? Why now? Do you have a ring? And, most importantly, do you really expect to be able to keep something like this a secret from Jeonghan? That man knows everything!”

“He knows everything because people tell him everything. So all you and I have to do is not tell him and it’ll be fine.”

Seungkwan groaned, “Then why did you tell me?”

“I thought it would be a good distraction.”

{That Evening}

Seungkwan had arrived a little early and was waiting around outside for Hansol to come out. He was on his phone (confirming for the seventeenth time that he had indeed reserved the movie tickets) when he heard the sound of voices getting closer. He recognized one of them. He looked up to see Hansol walking his way together with who he assumed was one of his co-workers.

He couldn’t quite make out what they were saying and he only caught the end of Hansol’s sentence when they got closer.

“...actually he’s my boyfriend.”

Seungkwan’s eyes darted over to the young man next to Hansol. Judging from the look on his face he was surprised to say the least.They awkwardly made eye contact for a split second.

“Boy…friend,” he stammered, “Oh, eh, that’s cool, man. I didn’t, ehm—”

“Yeah, we’re going to a movie. See you next week, man,” Hansol said as he lifted his hand to signal his goodbye. He walked the few remaining steps over to Seungkwan and continued walking. “Hey. I’m starving. You said you picked out a place to eat, right?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I did. It’s this way,” Seungkwan replied. He looked back at Hansol’s co-worker who still had his eyes on them. “What was that all about?”

“What?”

“Your co-worker just now. He seemed a little shocked. Didn’t he know that you’re…you?”

Hansol shrugged. “I guess he didn’t. But it’s not like I’ve been keeping it a secret. I wear pride stuff quite regularly, so if he had paid any attention I guess he could have at least suspected. Just because I don’t shout it from the rooftops that I’m not straight doesn’t mean that I’m pretending to be or hiding it. If that’s what he assumed, that’s not my problem. Anyway, I don’t care if he knows.” 

“Well in that case you could have actually introduced us, you know.”

“Oh, yeah. I didn’t really stop to think. When I saw you I just wanted to go. Normally I don’t mind the Saturday shift but today felt endless.” He looked sideways to smile at him. “You look nice.”

“Thank you,” Seungkwan said, feeling a little shy, as he usually did when getting compliments. “You do too. Which is unfair since I had all day to get ready and you just got off from work.”

Hansol chuckled, “Boo Seungkwan, you could show up in sweatpants and an old T-shirt with holes in it for all I care. You’d still look good. But I appreciate the effort.”

“Can I hold your hand?” Seungkwan asked suddenly. When they had first started dating, holding hands out in public had felt like a big deal, a bridge he needed to consciously cross to be able to do it. Over the years he had cared less and less about the occasional disapproving stares and right now it only felt like a big deal because it was Hansol. He wanted to hold his hand again and walk with him.

“I’d like that.”

Hansol felt a warmth spreading through his body when Seungkwan took his hand. It wasn’t the first time he had felt their fingers tangle together since getting back together, but it was the first time they held hands for other people to see. 

The way Seungkwan held his hand out in public felt more confident, more easy going, than it had in high school. With a jolt Hansol felt the gap of time they had spent apart and the warmth mixed with a hint of sadness over the parts of Seungkwan’s life that he had missed. He tried not to regret anything and he had told himself countless times that breaking up when they did had been necessary, but sometimes he wasn’t so sure. He squeezed his hand a little tighter. He never wanted to let go again.

{Date Time}

When their burgers arrived Hansol unceremoniously shoved it to the center of the table. Seungkwan looked at him in question.

“Is something wrong?” he asked. He had done quite some research to find a place that had an interesting menu and was still within college student budget, so he would be very much disappointed if it turned out all those glowing reviews online didn’t hold up.

“No. But I thought you might want to take a picture of our burgers together before we start eating them. I know it’s not the first food we’re eating together since we became a couple again, but it is the first date food. Second first.”

Seungkwan didn’t say anything. He simply pushed his plate next to the other one and put his hand palm up down on the table and waited for the weight of Hansol’s hand before taking a few shots of their meal.

“All done.”

Hansol took his food back and picked up his burger with both hands. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until the smell hit his nose. He eagerly took a big bite and started chewing. When he looked up he caught Seungkwan staring at him instead of eating as well. “What?” he asked with his mouth half-full.

“We’re on a date.”

Hansol was wondering if he was missing something important. Had he forgotten to do something he was expected to do on a date? Or, perhaps worse, did he do something he wasn’t supposed to do? But Seungkwan didn’t seem upset. In fact, he looked quite the opposite. He was staring at him with a soft smile and his eyes were even softer. “Eh, yeah, we are.”

“A date , Hansol. Us . You and me.” A soft little laugh escaped him when he saw the way Hansol was looking at him; confusion in his eyes and he was chewing slowly, barely moving his jaw. “Sorry if I’m being weird. The reality of it just hit me. That we’re really here. Really doing this.”

“Don’t say sorry. You’re not being weird.” He put his burger down and reached across the table again to place his hand on Seungkwan’s. “I’m here and you’re here. And so are the burgers.”

“Okay, now you’re the one who is being weird,” Seungkwan laughed. He lifted his fingers out from underneath the palm of Hansol’s hand and properly laced their fingers together. “I’m glad that we’re here.”

“Me too.”

{Apartment lobby, later that evening}

In the very recent past the fact that they lived in the same building at the moment had given Seungkwan nothing but stress, but now it was also actually kind of convenient. It was nice that they didn’t have to worry about which one of them would have to go home by themselves. 

However, despite all the build-up to the date in his system, he hadn’t stopped to think about how they’d end the night. He had told all his nosey friends that they were focusing on keeping it a simple date. With a clean ending. So, it was probably best if they parted ways once the elevator got to Hansol’s floor. Once in the elevator, however, he noticed Hansol only pressed a single button.

“You just pressed the button for my floor,” Seungkwan pointed out.

“I know. If it’s okay, I want to drop you off at the door.”

“Are you scared I’ll get into trouble on the elevator ride up from your floor?” Seungkwan chuckled. “It takes about ten seconds.” But he liked it. He liked that Hansol cared and wanted to draw out their time.

“No, I’m not scared you’ll get into trouble. I just want to kiss you goodnight and I don’t really want to do it in the lobby or in the elevator.”

“Who says I’m going to let you kiss me goodnight?” 

Hansol chuckled. “Boo Seungkwan, can I please kiss you goodnight?”

Seungkwan hummed a little, as if he was thinking. “Yeah, I suppose that is acceptable.” Wanted. He wanted to be kissed at the end of a date. Their date. He looked over at him, his eyes darting over his mouth. He didn’t just want to be kissed, he needed to be kissed by those lips specifically. His heartbeat started to rise when he noticed Hansol was staring at him too. 

He turned his head away and quickly licked his lips to make sure they weren’t dry. Before he could turn back the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Seungkwan took his boyfriend by the hand and yanked him along to his front door where he pulled him into his personal space. The way their lips clashed together was clumsy and too eager to be considered a good kiss, but it didn’t matter to either one of them. Seungkwan kept pulling him closer until he felt his back hit the wall and Hansol couldn’t possibly get any closer. He felt him slide a hand between his head and the wall and his chest swelled with affection at the way Hansol was trying to prevent him hitting his head as they kissed.

Hansol’s nose filled with the scent of whatever fragrance Seungkwan was wearing. He didn’t dislike it but he longed to smell Seungkwan . The way he used to smell when they woke up in the morning together and even the smell he had when they finished basketball practice. He knew Seungkwan would look at him like he was crazy if he told him that he wanted to smell his sweaty skin but Hansol wouldn’t care. 

He pulled away from Seugnkwan’s mouth and kissed his neck. He should have known the scent would be even stronger behind his ears. He’d get a nose-full of the authentic Boo Seungkwan smell some other time. He kissed his neck again, a little lower and slightly more forceful.

“You know,” Seungkwan said, “we’re still out in the hallway.”

Hansol stopped and lifted his head. He pulled his hands back. His head was buzzing. “Right. We’d better call it a night.” He had to force the words out of his mouth.

“Oh, ehm, yeah,” Seungkwan replied. He cleared his throat and straightened his jacket once the air filled up the space Hansol left. “I had a good time.”

“Me too.” Hansol took a step towards the elevator. “I’ll see you later. Maybe tomorrow when you get home from work? I’ll try to finish my homework on time.”

“I’ll text you.”

Hansol nodded and took another step away. He pressed the button and the elevator doors opened. “Good night, Boo Seungkwan.”

“Good night, Sollie.”

Pang.

It shot through Hansol like a bolt of lightning to hear Seungkwan call him that again. He couldn’t even remember when he had heard it last. Too long ago.

If the doors of the elevator hadn’t shut automatically he wouldn’t have closed them. He would have stepped back out again. He would have pressed him against the wall and kissed him like crazy. He would have tasted every flavor Seungkwan’s mouth and skin had to offer. He would have felt the warmth of his stomach as his hands made his way up. Or down. He would have— He inhaled deeply and finally pressed the button for his floor.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Seungkwan watched the elevator doors close and sighed. He turned away and started looking around for his keys that were somewhere in his bag, but before he had even found them he gave up. The phantom of Hansol’s touch was still making his lips tingle and his head feel fuzzy. He turned back around and stared at the elevator.

“Fuck it,” he mumbled to himself and he marched over to it. He tapped his foot impatiently while waiting for it to come back up. With every second the chance that he’d still be on time to catch Hansol before going into his apartment grew smaller. But he wasn’t done yet with this date and he hoped Hansol wasn’t either.

“Finally!” he exasperated when the doors started to open. Knowing full well that whether he pressed the button once or pressed it a dozen times wouldn’t make any difference, he continued to press the button for Hansol’s floor until he was sure the elevator was moving again. 

When the doors opened he let out a surprised gasp. “Oh— You startled me!” he said to Hansol who was standing right in front of him on the other side.

“Sorry. I saw the elevator go back up right after I got off and I thought it might be you.”

“Yeah, uh, I just wanted to say something.”

“What’s that?” Hansol asked, not moving even when Seungkwan stepped out of the elevator and into his space.

“You know how we agreed to take things slow?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, what even is slow, you know?”

“Not fast?” Hansol offered. 

“What I mean is, instead of slow, or fast, maybe we can agree to go at a pace that works for us .”

“That sounds good.”

“Yeah?” Seungkwan said. He sucked in his lower lip when Hansol placed his hands on his hips. 

Their faces hovered close together. “What’s something that works for you?” Hansol asked in a whisper against Seungkwan’s lips.

“I think…going to your room right now is something that would work for me.”

“Wow, what an amazing coincidence. That’s what would work for me too.”

“Is anybody home?”

“They might be. But if we make a run for it we’ll be from the front door to my bedroom in three seconds.”

“Let’s do it.”

Hansol unlocked the door, took Seungkwan’s hand, and opened the door. Before whoever was on the couch (Seungkwan thought he saw Seungcheol and Jihoon together on the couch in a blur) could say anything they sped to Hansol’s bedroom and closed the door. Hansol trapped Seungkwan between the door and his arms. Their short burst of laughter was drowned by their kiss.

Hansol pulled his shirt over his head and threw it aside. He did the same for Seungkwan. He guided him to his bed. He stopped at the edge of it and started kissing him. Slower than before. Taking his time in going down his neck and collarbones. When his fingers reached the skin of Seungkwan’s sides he felt him shiver. 

He returned to his lips and found the wetness of his tongue. He got his hands ready to undo Seungkwan’s pants, but before he did he made sure to ask for confirmation that they were on the same page. “Can I take off your pants?”

“Yeah,” Seungkwan said back in a heavy breath. “Can I too? You want this?”

“Badly. So much.”

With only their boxers remaining Hansol sat down on the bed and pulled Seungkwan onto his lap. A shiver went through him this time; a jolt of realization that all the heat he was feeling was Seungkwan’s skin against his and how much he had longed to feel it.

“I’m nervous,” Seungkwan whispered.

“Why?” Hansol asked softly. “It’s only me.”

“I know, but…you know. Aren’t you a little nervous, too?”

Hansol took one of Seungkwan’s hands and guided it to his chest. “Can you feel how fast my heart is beating?”

Seungkwan nodded. With silent fascination Seungkwan slowly ran his fingertips over Hansol’s chest. It was the same but different. It was Hansol but not the exact same. He tried to figure out if it was because Hansol had changed somehow or if his memory had simply faded. He made a mental note to make sure to remember every inch of him this time.

Hansol gently hooked two fingers under Seungkwan’s chin and lifted his head slightly. “You’re so beautiful, Seungkwan.”

Seungkwan lost all sense of himself staring into Hansol’s deep brown eyes that were looking at him filled with the same emotion that was expanding in his chest.

The feeling floated between them but neither one of them shaped it into words. Not yet.

Seungkwan cupped Hansol’s face and stroked his cheeks. He pulled him close and kissed him deeply.

* * * 

Hansol nuzzled Seungkwan’s neck, in search for his scent, and continued to slowly caress his arm while he regained his ability to breathe. His boyfriend squirmed a little in his arms, probably feeling like they should go and take a shower, but until he was actually told to let him go, Hansol was holding his grip. He kissed his shoulder.

Seungkwan turned around in his arms and studied the features of Hansol’s face. Even more than with his body Seungkwan felt like this Hansol before him now was the same and yet different. His eyes were the same color, his nose the same shape, he had the same mole on his neck as he had always had. But he also looked slightly more mature and his jaw was more defined; the traces of adolescence all but gone. 

Seungkwan smiled into the kiss Hansol gave him. 

“Kissing you still feels like fireworks,” Seungkwan said.

“I don’t even have words to describe what kissing you feels like,” Hansol replied.

Seungkwan clicked his tongue. “Don’t try to one-up me, Hansol.”

“I’m not. It’s just true.”

Seungkwan kissed him again. 

* * *  

While the hot water of the shower was running down their naked bodies Hansol gently ran his fingers over the part of Seungkwan’s skin that was covered by a tattoo of a flower. 

“Trying to see if it’ll rub off?” Seungkwan asked.

“No,” Hansol looked up. “It’s just… I never really expected you to get a tattoo.”

“Well, I did.”

Hansol placed his hand on Seungkwan’s hip, touching the tattoo with his thumb. He continued to stare at it in fascination. He wondered about the story behind it, but right now didn’t feel like the time to ask. “It’s kind of hot. The placement of it.”

“Yeah?” 

“Totally. It makes me want to sink down on my knees to get a closer look.”

“We just had sex.”

“True,” Hansol said, “but I wasn’t really in a good position to look at it then, now was I?”

“Well, then, don’t let me stop you.” 

* * *

Seungkwan grimaced looking at his hands. “My skin became all wrinkly. We shouldn’t shower so long.”

“I didn’t hear you complaining when I was su— Ow!” Hansol couldn’t help but laugh as he rubbed his leg where Seungkwan had kicked him.

“Shh! It’s already late! I should probably head up.”

“Or not.”

“But…I don’t have any pajamas here.”

“Just borrow one of my shirts.”

“Is it really okay?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

Seungkwan shrugged. “I don’t know…Is it really okay for me to stay over?”

“Unless you don’t want to of course. You don’t have to.”

“But you wouldn’t mind if I did stay? You have to be honest!”

“Well, if I’m being honest…”

Seungkwan should have known. They were going too fast. He had to calm down.

“...I’d be a little bummed if you’d leave right now.”

And so Seungkwan decided to stay. Because when all was said and done it was in bed next to Hansol that he had the calmest sleep.

Notes:

- In case anyone is wondering about the when, why now and if he has a ring for Jisoo's proposal plans: he doesn't have a set moment in mind yet; now because he feels like it's the natural next step and he is ready for them to take it; he has a ring that his mother gave to him (and he might not know exactly when he's going to propose but *I* know when his plans are getting revealed, lol)
- kudos to you and your memory if you remember their previous first date and how Seungkwan wanted to take a picture and they held hands
- next dinner party perhaps? Mingyu has opinions?
- speaking of Mingyu having opinions...he and Hansol can at least shake hands on agreeing that Seungkwan's tattoo placement is hot, hehe

Chapter 130: C3-15 Dinner Party

Summary:

Hansol, Seungkwan, Chan and Ten head over to Mingyu and Minghao's apartment for a small dinner party. It doesn't go great.

Notes:

Hello~

A quick thank you to the people reading this (you!)!!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Despite Mingyu saying that it was something old grown up people did, they finally managed to find a date that worked for their dinner party on a weekend a few weeks after he had first extended the invitation. Seungkwan had tried not to show it to Hansol but he felt a little nervous about the evening to come. Although he had in the meantime met Chan’s boyfriend at their apartment, it would be the first time Mingyu and Hansol were spending time together again.

Hansol, for his part, had tried to not let Seungkwan know how obvious it was that he felt nervous. He wasn’t sure he’d have the words to calm him down anyway. While he could promise to try to get along with Mingyu as best as he’d let him, he wasn’t planning on acting any differently than he normally would. He wasn’t dating Mingyu and Mingyu wasn’t some sort of high official in Seungkwan land, so if he was expecting something from Hansol, such as an apology, he might end up disappointed.

As soon as Minghao opened the door to let them in, Seungkwan started overcompensating for any tension that might arise. He used the same voice he used with customers who seemed like they’d be difficult, extra sweet and more cheerful than his normal tone. He snapped out of it when he complimented Chan’s outfit and got a confused stare in return.

The fact that Mingyu was still finishing up dinner for the first half hour or so that they were there, allowed the rest of them to get the conversation going without Seungkwan having to feel like he needed to build a bridge out of olive branches between his best friend and his boyfriend.

Unfortunately that didn't necessarily mean everything went smoothly and it was when the topic of conversation had somehow landed on their respective universities' extra-curricular programs that things got slightly awkward.

"Doesn't your college have a strong water polo team?" Ten asked Seungkwan. 

"Oh, eh, yeah, the team is good," Seungkwan replied, his shoulders tense, hoping that would be the end of that inquiry.

"A friend of mine keeps showing me pics," Ten continued. "I don't know much about water polo, but damn, they're hot." He caught Chan's eyes and mistook his warning glare for jealousy rather than his attempt to get him to stop talking.

"They're mostly in the water, splashing around, so it’s not like you see much…" Seungkwan replied softly.

"You've been to matches?" Hansol asked. "I didn't know you liked water polo. We should go together next time. Although I don't know if I should cheer for another school." He chuckled, but judging from Seungkwan's face, his boyfriend didn't seem very enthusiastic about the idea.

"I used to watch the games because Bin is on the team, so…maybe not," Seungkwan mumbled.

"Oh…" Hansol wondered if that was something he should have known. A piece of information someone had mentioned before and he'd forgotten or perhaps had ignored on purpose. When he had first found out Seungkwan was dating someone he had been constantly torn between wanting to know more about the guy and wanting to know as little as possible. Something that hadn’t changed.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry," Ten was quick to say. He didn't know all the details of what had gone on in Seungkwan's love life, but he knew enough to realize it was a topic that was still fresh and best avoided. "Fuck water polo then. How about those lacrosse guys, huh?"

"Lacrosse?" Chan asked with a raised brow. He would have laughed at the random sport thrown out by his boyfriend if he wasn't feeling the lingering strain on the conversation.

However, arguably the best thing about dinner parties is that, if all else fails, there is food. If a conversation turns awkward or silent there is always something to be done or said about whatever the hosts have prepared. And luckily Mingyu had great timing and cut through the tension with the announcement that they were ready to eat. 

* * *

While the night had been (mostly) free from any more awkward conversations since they dropped the topic of sports, it wasn’t because Hansol and Mingyu were getting along. Seungkwan hoped he was just imagining things but Mingyu didn’t seem too keen on rekindling their friendship. Neither did Hansol for that matter. It had helped greatly that Hansol and Minghao seemed to click and had been holding conversations between them, but Mingyu had barely exchanged two words with him.

“So, Mingyu, how is your portfolio coming along?” Seungkwan asked as if Mingyu hadn’t sent him dozens of pictures he had taken so far already. “Me and Hansol were just talking the other day and he said it’s so amazing how you decided to quit college and pursue your dreams. Didn’t you, Hansol?” It was a somewhat poor attempt to get Mingyu and Hansol to engage in more conversation together. 

Hansol, who couldn’t exactly recall having said that, was silent for a moment and was getting stared at by Seungkwan who seemed to try to communicate with him by eye contact alone. He looked over at Mingyu who was now also staring at him. “Oh, eh, yeah!” he said, catching on to what Seungkwan was trying to do. “It’s really cool, man. Not everyone has the guts to quit college and just go for it.”

Mingyu’s mouth tightened for a second. He had promised Seungkwan that he’d be nice to Hansol and he knew that he hadn’t made a lot of effort so far to get to know him again. But he found it harder than he had expected to just talk to him. It felt weird to just pretend like the last two years hadn’t happened.

“Thanks,” he answered. “It’s going pretty good so far. I don’t have everything I want yet, but it’s getting there. What about you? How has college life been treating you? Everything you were hoping for?”

“Well, eh, mostly okay.”

"You had your own room, right? Must be nice. Although me and Seungkwan were perfect roommates together."

"Right."

"Of course the first few months he spent a lot of time talking to you. Or trying to talk to you. But that didn't last very long." It was out of his mouth before he realized it. He could feel the daggers shooting from Seungkwan’s eyes without even looking at him. But a part of him just had to say it, had to remind Hansol that he had always been there for Seungkwan even when Hansol had not been. Especially when Hansol had not been.

"Does anybody want something else to drink?" Minghao interrupted the conversation, no doubt on purpose. 

Mingyu, however, didn't take it as an opportunity to change the topic. “Did you have a lot of parties over there?” 

“Not really. A few. Normal college stuff.”

“Hm,” Mingyu grunted in reply and he shoved a big chunk of food in his mouth. 

“Did you guys party a lot then?” Hansol asked in return.

“Just the first year mostly.”

“Speak for yourself,” Seungkwan interjected, “ You partied a lot. Me, not so much.”

“You partied some. Remember when we tried to steal alcohol from that one party?”

Of course Seungkwan remembered. That had been the night they had gotten drunk in their room after Mingyu had caught his boyfriend cheating on him. The night they had made out in the middle of a crowded room to make said ex jealous. The night they had gotten tattoos, made a let’s-get-married-if-we’re-still-both-single-later-pact, and had later made out on Seungkwan’s bed before falling asleep. The night that made Seungkwan ask the question why Mingyu didn’t sleep with him. 

“Vaguely,” he answered and hoped Mingyu had enough sense to leave it at that.

“Why wasn’t I ever invited to any of these wild parties you were supposedly having?” Chan asked.

Seungkwan frowned at him, “You were in high school.”

“Was it successful?” Ten asked.

“Was what successful?” Seungkwan asked in return.

“The alcohol heist.”

“Oh, that. No, I guess it wasn’t.”

“Yeah, we got distracted. You see my ex— Ow!” Mingyu exclaimed when he felt a blunt pain from the kick Seungkwan landed on his leg. “Why did you kick me!? I was just going to tell the story!”

“It’s a dumb story that no-one wants to hear!” Seungkwan hissed at him. Clearly Mingyu lacked sense tonight.

“I want to hear,” Hansol interrupted. 

“You don’t.”

“But it sounds like a fun story.”

“It’s not. We were just drunk and tried to take some drinks from Mingyu’s cheating ex-boyfriend’s party. We ended up not taking anything because he started hitting on me and he didn't recognize that I was Mingyu's roommate and he didn't even care when I told him. So I got pissed off and dragged Mingyu out of there.”

“Wow, that dude sounds like an ass.”

"Yup." Mingyu could completely understand why Seungkwan wouldn't tell the whole story. He hadn’t been planning on telling the whole story either. He hadn’t even told Minghao all of this story. "But Seungkwan was there for me to make me feel better. Just like I was there for him when you dumped him." 

"Stop it," Seungkwan warned. He hadn’t been expecting the two of them to be peas in a pod together right out of the gate, but he hadn’t thought Mingyu was going to be acting this obnoxiously either.

Mingyu looked at him, then at Hansol. "What happens when you go back to finish college? When you leave again."

"What are you doing?" Seungkwan hissed.

“I’m just saying. He’s going to leave again, so how is it going to be different?”

Minghao’s chair scraped over the floor as he stood up suddenly. “Who wants dessert?” he asked a little louder than he normally spoke. He started picking up dishes from the table without actually waiting for an answer. “Mingyu, help me get things to the kitchen and bring out the dessert.”

“I’ll help,” Chan said and was already halfway up from his seat when Minghao shot him a look that made him sit down again.

“Mingyu can help, Chan. We’re the hosts.”

{kitchen} 

“You’re being rude,” Minghao said after he placed the dirty dishes in the sink.

“I just asked a question.”

“You know you weren’t ‘just’ asking a question, Mingyu.”

“It’s not my fault if Hansol doesn’t have an answer. It’s a valid question.”

“Maybe. But it’s not your question to ask.”

“I’m just—”

“I understand you want to look out for Seungkwan, but if you keep pestering Hansol like this, you might end up pushing Seungkwan away instead. Didn’t you tell him you’d be nice to Hansol?”

“I’m trying.”

“Try harder. You’re being rude to the both of them and, quite frankly, you’re being rude to me. Listening to you finding ways to slide how close you and another man are into the conversation isn’t exactly my idea of a good time. Even if that other man is Seungkwan. I don’t understand why you’re so upset in the first place.”

“Wouldn’t you be upset if this was Jun? If Jun got back with someone who had hurt him before? You’d want to make damn sure that the guy wouldn’t do it again. Right?”

“Of course. But I would still respect Jun’s choice and bite my tongue sometimes.”

“Look, honestly, I didn’t think it would bother me this much to see them back together either. But Seungkwan was so fucked up after they broke up. I don’t ever want to see him like that again and maybe now that it’s real and not a potential ‘what if they get back together’ the possibility that they’re going to break up again is real too.”

Minghao gently rubbed his hands up and down his boyfriend’s arms. “I love how much you care for him, but you can’t protect him from the world.”

When Mingyu stayed silent Minghao sighed and let go. He turned his back to him and opened the fridge to get the desserts. “Fine. Be bitter. But it’ll bite you in the ass in the end.” 

They walked back into the living room just to catch the end of what Hansol was saying. 

“...Seok seems pretty excited about it now too, actually.”

Seungkwan glanced over at Mingyu as he put the desserts down on the table. “That's because Seokmin is supportive of other people. He isn't assuming the worst will happen and believes they can make it work. As their friends we should cheer them on and if things don't go as well as they'd hoped, we should be there for them."

“Subtle,” Mingyu mumbled under his breath.

“Are you guys talking about the bar?” Minghao asked, ignoring Mingyu.

“Yes,” Seungkwan answered.

“Didn’t you say it was a dumb idea to make such a huge financial commitment at their age and that you couldn’t believe Seokmin was okay with it?” Mingyu recalled.

“I changed my mind. It’s their life.”

“So!” Chan interrupted, louder than he needed to, "Did you guys make this yourselves? It looks really yummy."

"Yummy? What are you five?" Seungkwan snapped.

Hansol took a bite and hummed. "Hmm. Yummy."

Seungkwan glared at him for a second but then his face relaxed. He shook his head and sighed with a smile betraying his endearment. "Fine. It's yummy."

Throughout dessert Mingyu didn’t say much and anything Seungkwan said was directed at anyone but him. They all got up to leave soon after, having stretched the conversation to its thinnest. 

At the door, where they said their goodbyes for the night, Seungkwan leaned in so only Mingyu could hear him. “If Hansol hadn’t convinced me to stay, I would have left before dessert.” He hesitated a second but added, “It did taste good.”

{apartment lobby}

Seungkwan held Hansol’s hand as they walked inside, Chan and Ten a few steps ahead.

“Have you been to the roof?” Hansol asked suddenly. It felt like they were going to talk about tonight and he’d rather do it in the fresh night air than inside a crowded apartment where others might be listening.

“The roof? No. Why?”

“Do you want to go have a look?” 

“Now? Isn’t it too late?”

“No. This time is great. Nobody is hanging any laundry there at this hour and you can see all the city lights. Maybe even a few stars.”

“Fine. Let’s go then.”

{Roof}

Seungkwan walked to the low wall surrounding the roof and looked out at the city around them. It really was pretty and just when he thought it was a bit chilly out tonight he felt Hansol’s warmth wrap around him from behind. He leaned his head back.

“I’m sorry about Mingyu tonight.”

“Don’t be. You’re not responsible for what he says or does.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Baby, it’s fine . I know you want us to get along, but it’s just going to take some more time.”

Hansol let go and took off his jacket. He laid it out on the stone floor and sat down.

Seungkwan joined him. “Aren’t you cold?” he asked.

“Not if you come closer.”

Seungkwan happily obliged and snuggled next to him.

For a moment they were both silent. Looking at the far away sky. And if it wasn’t for his determination to do better this time, to communicate more of what he was feeling, Hansol probably wouldn’t have opened his mouth again.

“So…there was one thing that Mingyu said that kind of bothered me.”

“I never slept with him.” 

Completely out of line with what Hansol had been about to say, he wasn’t sure how to respond to the sudden statement.

“That’s what’s bothering you, right? All the stuff he said about him being there for me and me making him ‘feel better’ and me not wanting him to tell the story about that party. I know what that sounded like, but—”

“Seungkwan, that’s not— I mean, I haven’t not thought about the possibility that at some point you two…but I wasn’t going to ask.”

“Oh. Well, I feel better having said it out loud anyway.”

“So why didn’t you want him to tell the story about that party then?”

“Because…it was a bit of a crazy night and we did some stuff and it felt weird talking about that in front of you and Minghao. And Chan and Ten.”

“When you say stuff, you mean…?”

“I really didn’t sleep with him. And we really did go to his ex’s party to steal booze and he did hit on me. But I didn’t drag Mingyu away. I dragged Mingyu in. We made out in front of the guy and then ran away, laughing like idiots. Later that night we got our tattoos.”

“Oh. I see. So you got it together with Mingyu. Does he…does he have the same one?”

“It’s not a couple tattoo, don’t worry. I was drunk, but I wasn’t that drunk. I already told you mine is my birth flower, right? Mingyu got his on his lower back.”

“He got a tramp stamp?”

“Yup. But don’t call it that to his face. Also don’t tell him that it was kind of hilarious to watch him jump out of my bed in shock when he remembered it the next morning.”

“He was in your bed?”

Seungkwan nodded. “After the tattoos we went back to our room and we fell asleep on my bed.”

Hansol placed a soft kiss in Seungkwan’s neck. “Well, I don’t know much about tattoos, but I like yours. Thanks for telling the story. But, like I said, that wasn’t what bothered me about tonight. It was when Mingyu asked what would happen when I go back. Is that something you worry about?” 

“When you go back to finish your degree next term? Yeah, a little. A lot. I don’t know.” He sighed. “I think it was definitely a reason why I didn’t want to get back together at first. I was so sure of us the first time, so it’s hard not to feel a little nervous about it.”

“It’ll be different this time, Seungkwan. I promise.”

"I'm choosing to believe you. But I'll need you to understand whenever I get a little needy for attention while you're away. I'll try not to be and let you do your thing too, but I need you to try and meet me halfway. Don’t shut me out again."

Hansol nuzzled his neck, “What about when I  get a little needy?”

“I’m serious, Hansol.”

“I know. I’m serious too when I say things will be different.” He hugged him closer. 

“Maybe I should start saving again,” Seungkwan said.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, before we broke up I was saving up so I could go and see you.”

“You never told me that.”

“I wanted to be sure I could save enough in time for the holidays that time.”

“Oh, wow. Thank you.”

“What are you thanking me for?”

“For always thinking of me. I don’t think I always appreciated how much you care.”

Seungkwan twisted his body and sat up so he could kiss him. “Yeah, you’d better appreciate me more.”

“Right here on the roof?” Hansol joked with a smirk.

Not what I meant.” He kissed him again.

“Seungkwan, I—” Hansol hesitated.

Seungkwan could see the words dangling from his lips, he could almost hear them. But Hansol seemed unsure if he should let them travel from his mouth. Last time Hansol had said it first. It would definitely be easier, safer, to leave the timing up to him again, to not be the first one to make themself vulnerable and exposed. But maybe that was exactly why Seungkwan found the courage to go first. 

“I love you.”

Hansol smiled. “I love you too, Boo Seungkwan.”

{Seungkwan’s room} 

“Move over,” Seungkwan said, waving his hand in the direction of the bed where Hansol was lying on.

Hansol scooted out of the way to make space and turned on his side so he could look at him, unabashed.  

“I want to be the big spoon.” Seungkwan said matter-of-factly while settling into bed.

Hansol hummed in agreement. He couldn’t think of anything better right now than to fall asleep while Seungkwan held him. He knew he had to wait a bit though. Seungkwan never went to bed without spending at least twenty minutes on his phone before going to sleep.

“By the way,” he said after about ten minutes of staring at him, “I’ve been thinking that if you want, you could take my room while I’m gone.”

“Where are you going?”

“I mean next term.”

“Oh. That would be kind of great actually. I know they don’t really mind or anything, but it was never the plan that I’d just continue to live with Jeonghan and Jisoo. Especially now that they’re going to get—” He just about managed to stop himself from telling Hansol that Jisoo could propose to Jeonghan any day now. “...a new couch.”

Hansol raised an eyebrow but didn’t question how them getting a new couch would have any influence on Seungkwan staying in their apartment.

“But there’s one problem with that plan,” Seungkwan continued. “What about when you get back? Would I move out or would you find another place or what? I know that’s way into the future stuff, but…”

“I’ve been thinking about that too and I have a solution.”

“Which is?”

Hansol propped his head up on his elbow. “What if you move out but I don’t move back in?”

“Okay?” Seungkwan said slowly. “What kind of plan is that?” He put his phone away and also turned on his side and stared at Hansol’s suddenly serious face.

“The kind where we move in together.”

“Hansol…we’ve only been back together for a few weeks.”

“I know.” He brushed a lock of out of place hair out of Seungkwan’s face. “But by then we’d be back together for almost a year. Ish.”

“Right. That’s true. But—”

“How about this? When I have to leave you take the room. When I get back I’ll stay with my parents. Then we can find a place together or not if you don’t feel like we’re ready yet. I don’t want to pressure you. At all. Zero pressure. I was just thinking my thoughts out loud.”

“Thank you for sharing them with me.” He leaned in and placed a peck on his lips. “It sounds like a reasonable plan.”

Notes:

Next time Hansol gets a surprise visitor!

Chapter 131: C3-16 Beer buddies

Summary:

Hansol gets an unexpected visitor.

Notes:

What's this? An update that didn't take an aeon to appear? :o

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Hansol reluctantly got up from his bed, where he had been looking at cat memes instead of doing homework, when the doorbell rang for the second time. He was the only one home at the moment and he wasn’t expecting any visitors. Seungkwan would probably come by a little later in the evening, but he never rang the doorbell anyway.

He looked through the peephole and was surprised by who he saw standing on the other side. He opened the door, not knowing what to expect. “Seungkwan isn’t here,” he said.

“I know,” Mingyu replied. “I came for you.”

“Okay. Why?”

“I brought beer.” With a shy smile he held up a six-pack.

Hansol nodded approvingly and opened the door further. “Come on in.”

Mingyu followed him inside and sat down on the sofa. He opened one of the cans and held it out for Hansol to take. He opened another one for himself and started sipping at it.

The scene reminded him of the first time he had gone over to Seungkwan’s house, holding a bag of snacks and feeling uncomfortable. Of course this time he didn’t feel uncomfortable because he was an anti-social closeted teen. He felt uncomfortable because Hansol was possibly one of the hardest people to get a read on in situations such as these. But he knew he had to bite through the sour apple and do what he had come here for. 

“I want to apologize. I know I’ve been acting like a pain in the ass ever since you and Kwannie got back together.”

Hansol said nothing. He only nodded slightly. Mingyu wasn’t sure if it was a sign that he was accepting his apology or that he was agreeing.

“I just don’t…trust you.”

“Wow,” Hansol said dryly.

“I know that sounds awful or whatever but I can’t help the way I feel. But I can help the way I act. So…sorry for being a jerk at dinner. And I know that how I feel in this case is irrelevant. And I really hope that this feeling goes away so I can be really happy for you guys. I want to be.”

Hansol knew he didn’t owe Mingyu any explanations or promises when it came to his relationship with Seungkwan, but knowing how much those two meant to each other and the effort Mingyu was making now he decided he could try a little harder too.

“Mingyu,” he started, “I never wanted to hurt him, you know. I didn’t break up with him because I wanted to. I know it was a decision I made and believe me when I say I had to live with the consequences, but I needed to figure some stuff out by myself. It’s okay if you don’t trust me right now. You will. Because I have zero intention of ever letting him go again.”

Mingyu looked straight into Hansol’s eyes and kept the contact unbroken for a few seconds, staring intently. Then he lifted his can of beer and lightly tapped it against the one in Hansol’s hand. “Okay.”

* * * 

They were two beers in and as they continued to catch up, Mingyu started to realize something. He had missed Hansol. All the negative had overshadowed his feelings toward him from the moment he had found Seungkwan sitting in the dark, staring at his computer screen, but now he could see a few rays of sun breaking through the clouds.

He grabbed his phone and scooted closer. “Smile!”

Hansol looked at the camera with an expressionless face. He laughed at Mingyu’s judgemental expression after taking the first picture.

“Can’t you smile a bit more?” Mingyu complained. “We should show Kwannie how well we’re getting along. Where’s your happy face?”

“This is my happy face.”

Mingyu clicked his tongue. “Fine. Just…hold the beer up or something.” He sighed looking at his phone. “I guess it’ll do. I’ll send it to— Oh, hold up. Got a message from the boyfriend.” He quickly replied to the question of how it was going and put his phone away. “Minghao really seems to like you, by the way,” Mingyu said. 

“I like him, too. You’ve been together for a while, right?” Seungkwan had told him the story about how they had found out Wonwoo’s boyfriend and Minghao were best friends but that was about all he really knew. 

“A year and a few months. But it feels longer. In a good way.”

“How did you meet?”

“He was a regular at the coffeehouse and I had a huge crush on him for a while before I asked him out. Well, before Seungkwan pushed me to ask him out.”

Hansol took another sip of his beer, emptying the can. It must’ve already started to affect his brain because he couldn’t believe he was about to ask Mingyu for relationship advice. “When you two got together, did you talk about who you were with before that? I mean stuff like how many people and for how long.”

Despite the alcohol making his head feel a little fuzzy, Mingyu understood he wasn’t really asking about him and Minghao. “Did you and Seungkwan not have that talk yet?”

“Not really. Kind of. We put a pin in it and then it never came up again. Do you think we should?”

“Me and Hao did. It’s not like I gave him a detailed list of all the people I’ve slept with, but we talked about it, yeah. Personally I think it brought us closer. But I guess for some people it’s better to just not know. Do you not want to tell him about yours?”

“It’s more that I’m not sure I want to know his. He was my first everything and I was his first for most things and maybe it’s better if I keep that in a bubble. But at the same time I can’t help but think about it sometimes. I know he’s slept with at least two other people… And I…well.”

Mingyu wanted to ask more. Not to judge him, but he was curious. Curious about what he had been up to, what kind of people he would be with if not Seungkwan. But he didn’t want to break the fragile peace they had started to build.

“Another beer?”

Hansol nodded.

* * * 

Seungkwan frowned at his phone. Hansol hadn’t read any of his last messages that he was on his way. He had even tried calling to make sure he was home but it went unanswered. Most likely he had his phone on silent again. So he rang the bell. He had said he would come over after visiting his mother, so he was expecting him to be there.

To his surprise the door wasn’t opened by any of the residents of the apartment. Instead he was greeted by Mingyu’s big body wrapping around him.

“Kwannie!”

Ah. He was drunk.

“Why are you here?” Seungkwan said, groaning, trying to push him off. “Where’s Hansol?”

“Baby! Bring your fine ass over here!” Hansol shouted from the living room.

“Oh. So, you’re both drunk.” Seungkwan concluded. He looked around expecting to find Seungcheol or Chan or someone besides the two of them, but all he found was the mess of beer cans on the table. “What’s going on here?”

“Didn’t you see the picture?” Mingyu asked, still clinging onto Seungkwan like a koala.

“What picture?”

“The picture! I sent you a picture of us and Hansol wouldn’t smile and— Wait…did I forget to send it?” He started giggling loudly and pulled Seungkwan down to the couch, wedging him in between himself and Hansol.

“I never got any picture, so can one of you please explain to me why you two are drinking together?”

Mingyu wrapped his arms around Seungkwan’s shoulders again. “Because we love you.”

Hansol didn’t say anything but he took Seungkwan’s hand and Seungkwan decided that it was enough of an explanation. 

“How was your mom?” Hansol asked.

“She’s fine. She wants you to come over for dinner some time.”

“You told her!?” Hansol almost yelled. 

“You told your sister!” Seungkwan retorted. He waved his hand in front of his nose when the smell from his boyfriend’s alcohol breath reached him.

“Yeah, well…that’s my sister, you know.”

“And this is my mom. She didn’t seem very surprised when I told her, actually. Just like when we first got together.”

Hansol had to admit he had always felt welcomed by her from the moment he had stepped inside. But that was before he had broken her son’s heart.

“You’re sure she doesn’t hate me?”

“Of course not. And, eh, we’ll deal with my dad some other time.”

Suddenly Mingyu perked up. “Oh! We should all go fishing again! My dad keeps mentioning it too!” 

“Fishing? Really? I don’t know. Last time wasn’t exactly a grand success.”

“It was fun! And this time you won’t have to avoid me for a day because you feel weird about Hyunggu.”

“Hyunggu?” Hansol asked. “You guys went fishing with Hyunggu?”

“No, no, no. My dad took us, and Seungkwan’s dad, fishing, right? And all day Kwannie was kind of avoiding me, but I just thought he wanted to spend time with his dad or something. But then later in the tent he told me he fucked Hyunggu in a love hotel the day before and then we made out and he laughed in my face because it was weird how we had both had had Hyunggu’s tongue in our mouth.”

The silence that followed sobered Mingyu up by a couple of units of alcohol and he opened and closed his mouth like a fish on land a few times. “I-I want, I mean is…well…eh…that did happen, but eh…sorry.”

“You hooked up with Hyunggu?” Hansol said with lips so stiff they barely moved. “Hyunggu? From high school?”

Showing no emotion on his face Seungkwan stood up without providing an answer. “Mingyu, it’s time for you to leave.”

“Kwannie, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to—”

“I know, I know,” he said as he pulled him up and lightly pushed him towards the door. “Tell me again tomorrow when you’re not drunk. Go ask Jeonghan or Jisoo to call you an Uber or something. Hansol and I need to have a talk.”

He closed the door and turned around. Hansol hadn’t moved an inch. Seungkwan sat down with a little space between them. He frowned at the way Hansol was avoiding looking at him.

“Yes. I slept with Hyunggu,” he said and Hansol finally moved, eyes shifting in his direction. “But if you’re thinking about giving me crap for it, forget it. I didn’t want you to find out like this or at all, to be honest, but you have absolutely zero right to have an opinion on it. Let alone be mad about it. We were not together. We weren’t even in the same country. The first time I slept with someone else wasn’t a good experience and at least Hyunggu made me feel a little better. It was a one time thing and it was just sex, but if you think you can  make me feel b—”

“Can you give me, like, a second to process this?” 

“I’ll tell you what,” he said as he stood up. “I’ll give you a whole lot of seconds. Good night, Hansol.”

He did nothing to stop him from leaving. In the back of his head a voice whispered to him to never go to bed angry, but he wasn’t even angry . He was, for a lack of a better word, annoyed. How the hell had Hyunggu weaseled his way into his boyfriend’s pants and why hadn’t he been there to prevent it from happening? It was an irrational thought process threatening to spiral. Especially if he tried to talk about it right now. So he let him leave and sank back into the couch. Idiot. He thought.

{Jeonghan, Jisoo, and Seungkwan’s apartment} 

Having calmed down a little on the short elevator ride up, Seungkwan entered the apartment. He was half expecting to find a lingering Mingyu there, but instead he found Jeonghan and Jisoo sitting together with Chan in their living room.

“Hey guys. Oh, hey Chan. I didn’t know you were here. Did Mingyu’s drunk ass come by?”

“Mingyu? No. Is everything okay?” Jeonghan asked.

Seungkwan sighed and pulled out his phone. As he was making sure that Mingyu was getting home alright he noticed the sad expression on Chan’s face. He forgot about his own issues for a moment and joined him on the couch. “Chan? What’s wrong?”

“I broke up with Ten.”

“What!? But you were just at the dinner party yesterday and everything seemed fine with you guys!”

“Everything was fine. Just fine.”

“So, what happened?”

Chan sighed. “He’s really nice and fun to be with, but that was all it was. When I was going to drop him off at the station I realized that I wasn’t really going to miss him.” He groaned. “It sounds horrible when I say it like that. I just mean that he didn’t really feel like a boyfriend. Throughout the week we barely talked and when we did see each other all we did was go to clubs or bars and have sex really. And like I said, that’s fun, but I feel like I could do that with anyone.”

“You didn’t dump him at the station, did you?”

“Of course not! We went to a quiet cafe and talked. I didn’t really mean to break up with him when I said I thought we should talk, but it just became clear that we don’t really match very well. He seemed pretty okay with it, too, actually.” 

“Some things just aren’t meant to be,” Jeonghan said and patted Chan on the arm.

He nodded slightly. “Still sucks though.”

Seungkwan wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Chan.”

“Thanks.”

“Is there anything I can do? Anything you want?”

“No, I’ll be okay. I just needed to vent to some people.” He stood up from the couch and stretched his arms. “I’m heading down.” He looked at Seungkwan. “Are you coming? Hansol said something about you coming over tonight.”

“Oh, eh, no. I’ve already been. He and Mingyu got drunk together and Mingyu opened his big mouth about something and me and Hansol kind of got into a little fight.” Seeing the look of worry immediately spreading all over Chan’s face he added, “We’re fine! We’ll talk tomorrow. It wasn’t even really a fight! I just thought he needed some time to cool off.”

Before going to sleep that night he sent his boyfriend a message.

Let me know when you’re free tomorrow so we can talk. I love you.

{The next morning}

He would have expected Hansol to sleep well past noon but when he checked his phone first thing in the morning he already had a message from him asking if he could come over.

Twenty minutes later they sat across from each other, cups of coffee on the table in front of them.

“How’s your head?” Seungkwan asked.

“Haven’t had any complaints.”

Seungkwan’s face didn’t move.

“Sorry,” Hansol mumbled.

Seungkwan cupped his warm coffee cup with his hands and stared down at the table. It was hard to start a conversation if you can’t even figure out if you’re feeling angry or sorry. Or maybe both. But he didn’t want to feel sorry or guilty because he didn’t think he had anything to feel sorry for. Then again, he also didn’t care much for feeling angry.

“So,” he said. “I’m guessing you weren’t so drunk yesterday that you forgot about why we’re…” He didn’t want to say fight. They weren’t fighting . It was a hiccup. “...having a talk?”  

Hansol shook his head. “Not really information I would just forget.” He looked up at him. “I get what you said yesterday about me not being allowed to have an opinion about who you slept with while we weren’t together. But I— Hyunggu? How did that even happen?”

Seungkwan decided to answer. He could understand that hearing he slept with the person who had been somewhat of an issue for them during high school was more shocking than knowing he slept with some nameless man. “We ran into each other at a supermarket and got to talking. When we walked by a hotel we decided to go in.”

“Was it…was it one time?” He wasn't sure if he was pushing too far with this question, but if he was going to ask, it had to be now.

Seungkwan nodded. “Yeah. I decided after that that I’m not really into casual stuff like that.” 

Hansol nodded too. “I didn’t mean to make you feel like I was angry at you, by the way. I was just taken aback.”

Seungkwan took a deep breath. “So. All my cards are on the table, Hansol. After you, I slept with one random guy from a party, Hyunggu once, I kissed Mingyu, and I was in a serious relationship with Bin. That’s it.” 

“Do you want to know anything?” Hansol asked, shifting in his seat.

“I’m not sure. You already told me that you didn’t date anyone seriously , so I’m assuming that means you did date. Or did you just…sleep with a bunch of people?”

Hansol mulled over the answer in his head and how to frame it best. “No,” he said. “I didn’t just sleep with a bunch of people. But I also wasn’t in anything serious.”

“How many?”

“Two. One guy who I slept with a handful of times but never dated. And a girl.”

“Oh.”

“She asked me out and I wasn’t sure about anything at that point. I’m not very proud of it but I think I dated her to see if I could be with a woman. It didn’t last very long. She broke up with me after about two months because apparently I ‘wasn’t emotionally available’. Which I guess was true. Not because she was a woman, but because I never met anyone I was really interested in. And I’m also not much for the casual sex thing, so…”

“I guess we have that in common then.”

“Yeah.” It was quiet for a few more seconds as they each drank their coffee while it was still warm. “Was this good?” he asked. “That we had this conversation?”

“I don’t know. I think so. At least now we know all there is to know.”

“Mingyu said it might bring us closer.”

Seungkwan stared at him in disbelief. “You talked to Mingyu about this?”

“I was drunk.”

“Still.”

“He was the one who showed up at my place unannounced by the way. I didn’t ask him to come. He apologized for his behavior at dinner. He also said he wants to be happy for us but that he doesn’t trust me yet, but I told him he will.” He placed his hand across the table and was relieved Seungkwan took the invite.

“I’m going to be an idiot sometimes, Seungkwan, but I’m trying.”

“I know you are. We’re all idiots sometimes.”

“So, we’re good?”

“That depends…” Seungkwan said and a smirk appeared on his face. “How’s your head?”

Hansol smirked back and stood up with their fingers still laced together. He walked around the table and let Seungkwan snake his arms around his waist. He leaned down to kiss him.

Keeping the kisses flowing, Seungkwan stood up from his chair and started moving them in the direction of the bedroom. “I don’t care if you’re an idiot sometimes,” he whispered in between kisses. “As long as you’re mine.”

Notes:

So....in the past I would have cut this chapter in two pieces maybe, but...we're living in the future now, baby! A future where I just make any length chapters lol.
-the Hyunggu thing had to come out at some point, it just had to
-okay so...I didn't REALLY mean for Chan to be single AGAIN, BUT I've found him a new boyfriend so...
-I honestly think all reactions here were valid?
(-just in case not everybody gets the "How's your head?" joke: "head" is a euphemism for oral sex)

Chapter 132: C3-17 Surprise Party

Summary:

Everybody heads on over to Soonyoung's bar for a celebration. Just not the celebration they thought.

Notes:

Wow, I can't believe I have to start this with HAPPY NEW YEAR when the last update was in the summer...

orz

Chapter Text

“Wow,” Seungkwan said with a gasp when they opened the door to, what was now, Soonyoung’s bar. “They weren’t kidding when they said they wanted to celebrate in style. The place looks beautiful. Look at all the pretty fairy lights, Hansol.”

“I’m looking,” Hansol replied. 

The whole bar was decked out with lights, flowers, and a fancy red carpet that led them to the long table in the middle. Or perhaps it were the regular tables all pushed together and covered with an expensive looking cloth and fancy tableware. The small stage at the back of the bar was decorated with an arch. Hansol didn’t stop to think that it seemed out of place for a dinner where they were supposed to celebrate Soonyoung and Seokmin officially signing the contract that would eventually make them owners of the bar. He just thought it was all a bit excessive. But Seungkwan seemed to like it.

“I’m glad we didn’t ignore them when they asked us to come in suits,” Seungkwan noted.

“Welcome, welcome,” Seokmin beamed at them as he made his way over. “Please find your name cards on your plates and have a seat. Once my parents and sister arrive we can start.”

“Your parents are coming?” Seungkwan asked. “And start what exactly?”  

“Yeah. Soon’s family is already here too. See?” He turned around and waved to the far end of the table, ignoring Seungkwan’s other question.

Seungkwan remembered Soonyoung’s sister from when she had come to watch the musical. He nodded politely in greeting when she spotted him as they were finding their designated seats. 

“I’m surprised you’re here before us,” he said to Chan as he sat himself down next to him.

“Why?” Chan questioned. “You’re the one who’s always late.”

“I am not always late. But weren’t you hanging out with your new friend ?”

“Maybe I was. And maybe I considered for a second not coming at all because he asked me to stay over at his place tonight, but I wouldn’t miss Seokmin and Soonyoung’s big party.”

Seungkwan hummed in response. “So, have you told him you like him yet?” 

“No. I haven’t. And I’m not sure I should. Maybe he doesn’t even feel the same way and I’m a little worried I’m going too fast.”

It had only been a few weeks since Chan had broken up with Ten, but when he came home talking about this young man he had met at dance practice about a week after, Seungkwan knew immediately that Chan was already smitten. He normally didn’t talk much about people outside their friend circle but he could barely go a day without mentioning this Yeonjun guy.

“Didn’t you just say he asked you to spend the night with him?” Hansol asked from beside Seungkwan.

“Yeah…but maybe just as friends? I don’t know.”

“Psst, hey,” Mingyu interrupted them from across the table, “Guys, isn’t this party a lot more formal than you would expect? I thought we were just having some drinks and snacks or something.”

“We wouldn’t need suits for that,” Seungkwan pointed out. “You know them, they like to go big or go home.”

Seungkwan would have gladly returned to the conversation about Chan and his new love interest if it hadn’t been for the sudden burst of energy in the shape of Seokmin’s family walking through the door. Soonyoung was the one to welcome them and guide them to their seats with a huge grin on his face. He looked around the table, perhaps confirming all the seats were filled, and nodded. He poked Seokmin’s shoulder.

Seungkwan couldn’t hear the words they exchanged but Seokmin stood up also and held Soonyoung’s hand. He picked up the glass of champagne that had been on the table but he didn’t seem entirely sure what to do with it. Everybody was already looking at them so there was no need to do anything else to indicate he was about to say something.

“So, eh, hi,” he started a bit wobbly. “Me and Soonyoung would like to thank you all for coming tonight and for dressing up so nicely. Now, before we start dinner we have an announcement to make.” He tugged at Soonyoung’s hand. “Go ahead,” he said softly.

“Okay, so,” Soonyoung said, giggling through his words, “We’re getting married!”

It was quiet for a few seconds before Mingyu let out an excited squeal. “You guys!”

Soonyoung’s mother clapped joyfully. “I will gain such a handsome son!”

“Mom…” Soonyoung said as he pouted.

“Oh, hush. You are my beautiful baby, but look at Seokmin’s face! You can’t tell me you think you’re more handsome than him!”

“So this is an engagement party?” Seungkwan asked. “Sneaky.”

“Well, actually…” Soonyoung locked eyes with Seokmin. They counted to three.

“Welcome to our wedding!” they yelled out in unison.

“What!?” Mingyu was the first to yell out. He hastily pulled out his phone and started filming. “Hao! Hao, babe, take pictures!”

“What do you mean ‘welcome to our wedding’?” Seokmin’s sister asked. “Are you seriously getting married right now?”

“Yes!” Seokmin confirmed. “A-aren’t you happy?” he followed up with a slightly hesitant question.

“Well, yeah, but you could have told us! I would have gotten a nicer dress and better make-up and—”

“You look great, sis!” Soonyoung assured her. “And the whole reason we’re doing it like this is that we didn’t want a big fancy wedding that would take months to plan and loads of money. We’ll need all our money for this place and we didn’t want to wait.”

Suddenly Seokmin loudly clapped his hands together. “Okay! We need Jisoo and Wonwoo to come up here and Jihoon of course.”

Jisoo and Wonwoo both looked surprised but Jihoon stood up without question. “They made me promise not to tell anyone,” he mumbled to Seungcheol, who looked more shocked than anyone.

“Hoonie is going to marry us! It’s not so hard to get the right paperwork done and we didn’t want some random person marrying us,” Seokmin explained.

“And why do you need us?” Jisoo asked, now on stage as well.

Seokmin looked at him like he had just asked a really stupid question. “You’re my best man of course.”

“Wonwon is mine!” Soonyoung said and he pulled Wonwoo over to his side.

Wonwoo pushed his glasses higher up his nose and nodded. “Thank you,” he said.

Soonyoung looked at him much like Seokmin had looked at Jisoo just now. “What are you thanking me for? You’re my best friend, silly. Of course you’re my best man.”

* * * 

Seungkwan had never been to a wedding before so he had nothing to compare this one to and he didn’t know exactly how a wedding normally went. What he did know was that Jihoon led the ceremony exactly the way Seungkwan would have expected him to.

While he usually got slightly uncomfortable expressing his feelings, he delivered when it counted the most. The sentiment was real and with Jihoon you knew there'd be no fancy empty words thrown around for the heck of it. Every word he spoke about how well he thought Seokmin and Soonyoung were together and how he saw their future was absolutely genuine.

Watching them exchange their vows, which were sweet and a little bit silly just like them,  Seungkwan had to dab the corners of his eyes with his napkin. He searched for Hansol's hand under the table. Hansol looked at him and smiled before returning his attention to the stage, but he was sure to hold on and rub his thumb up and down along the back of Seungkwan’s hand.. Seungkwan put his head down on Hansol’s shoulder. He didn’t notice Minghao taking their picture.

Everybody stood up and cheered when they shared their wedding’s kiss.

The cake was small but beautiful. A mix of groans and laughter went through the room when they cut into it to reveal the orange and black stripes on the inside.

Jeonghan took a sip from his drink as he watched them cut into the cake and, of course, smeared each other’s faces with it. He chuckled. “You know, I honestly thought me and Jisoo would be the first ones to tie the knot, seeing as we are the longest running couple in our group and all that.”

“It’s not my fault!” Jisoo grumbled. “They didn’t even get engaged! They just suddenly—”

Jeonghan looked at him, surprised by the outburst. He thought that by now he’d know when he was just messing around. “Honey, are you okay? It’s just a joke. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Yeah, well, but I…”

“Have plans to propose?”

“You know!?”

“Oh, wow, I was just teasing. I didn’t think you’d actually admit it. I think it’s sweet though. You’ve been carrying that little box around for nearly two months now, so you must be waiting for the perfect timing. At least that’s what I think you’re doing.”

“I can’t believe you knew.”

“Well, yes. And I’m guessing Seungkwan knows too. He keeps looking at my hand whenever we come home from somewhere.”

“I do not!”

“So you didn’t know?”

“Well…I did…but…” he stammered before looking at Jisoo. “I told you he knows everything!”

“It’s kind of tacky to propose at someone else’s wedding, you know,” Wonwoo said with a hushed voice. “They haven’t even had their first dance yet.”

“I’m not proposing!” Jisoo said quickly. “I mean— I—”

Jeonghan placed a hand on Jisoo’s arm, “Baby, you can ask me whenever you want, however you want. It won’t change my answer. Or maybe I’ll beat you to it.”

“Why would you propose when you know I’m already going to?”

“Because it’s funny.” He smiled at his boyfriend’s disgruntled face. “I’m kidding. I’ll wait for you to ask. Now, let’s get back to celebrating those two before Won yells at us,” he said and lifted his glass in the direction of where Soonyoung and Seokmin were busy kissing each other’s cake smeared faces, Mingyu still hovering around them trying to record it all. 

After they cleaned their faces, Soonyoung announced loudly that it was time to dance and the music started playing. 

Seungkwan looked around the room at all of his friends talking, laughing, dancing. He couldn’t tell if it was the wedding atmosphere or what, but suddenly he felt a little overwhelmed. He loved all of them so much. He tapped his boyfriend on the shoulder. “Dance with me?”

Hansol nodded with his mouth full of the big bite of cupcake he had just taken. He wiped his hands on his napkin and stood up to take Seungkwan by the hand and lead him to a spot at the edge of the space where others were already dancing. 

They playfully swung their hands together and Hansol spun him around, catching him on his chest with his arms wrapping around him. He held him there and softly kissed his neck.

With perfect timing the song changed to a slow one. Seungkwan turned around in Hansol’s arms and looked into his eyes. There was a tightening in his chest. It was a good feeling for the most part. 

“I love you,” he said.

“I love you too,” Hansol replied and leaned down to kiss him as they continued to slowly sway to the music.

Chapter 133: C3-18 Study Time II

Summary:

Seungkwan is over at Hansol's place to study. They study, they kiss, they talk. And Seungkwan feels that time is flying at rocket speed.

Notes:

This chapter is called Study Time II, because Chapter 25 (HS1-24) is called Study Time, lol

idk how to summarize this chapter lol

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan sighed looking at his computer screen. He was sitting on a pillow on the floor of Hansol's room, back against the bed, and his laptop on top of a small, low table. It was more comfortable to study at the dining room table at home, but Jeonghan and Jisoo were busy entertaining Jeonghan's parents and Seungkwan didn't really mind if he could spend this time with his boyfriend. He was already starting to feel the time he'd have to drop him off at the airport racing towards them.

He sighed again, a little louder this time. “Sollie, do you think I’m punctual and organized?”

“Hm? Not really,” Hansol answered without giving it much thought.

Seungkwan frowned and made a slightly annoyed smacking sound with his mouth. He stared at Hansol until the persisting quiet made him look up.

“I just mean you’re sometimes a little late for things,” Hansol clarified. 

“Not at work!” Seungkwan countered immediately. “The kids always had their snacktime right when they were supposed to and the room was always tidy at the end of my shift!”

“Okay, okay. But you didn’t ask me about work. How would I know what you’re like.”

“I’m good with kids, you know," Seungkwan said as he crossed his arms and pushed his lips into a pout.

“I know that. But that’s not what you asked. Why are you so stressed out?”

Seungkwan sighed and slumped his shoulders, letting his arms drop. “It’s this assignment. I have to write a self-evaluation.”

“I’m sure you’ll work it out.”

“Hmyeah. Eventually.” Seungkwan pulled his legs out from under the table and scooted closer to Hansol's side. “What are you working on?”

“Reviewing some stuff for my exam.”

“Is it difficult?”

“A little.”

Seungkwan peeked down at Hansol’s study material and furrowed his brows together. “It looks difficult,” he said. He snuggled a little closer, his nose in Hansol’s neck and his hand running up and down Hansol’s arm. “Such a smart guy.”

“What if I fail?”

Seungkwan crawled onto his boyfriend’s lap, forcing him to put his books away, and kissed his cheek. “You won’t.” He kissed the other side. “Because you’re my smart, handsome, sexy man.”

Hansol casually placed his hands on the curve of Seungkwan’s ass. “So…do you want to take a break? Study break.”

“I want to study the inside of your mouth,” Seungkwan replied and Hansol laughed a little at the bad line.

Seungkwan pouted. “Don’t laugh at me when I’m trying to get you to make out with me.”

“Oh but baby,” Hansol replied with a smirk on his face, “You don’t have to try.”

* * *

"Are you hungry?" Hansol asked with his lips swollen from kissing Seungkwan for far longer than they had spent time studying.

"I can eat," Seungkwan replied while he was turning his shirt back the right way. "What are you in the mood for?"

"Tacos? Oh! And a cheese quesadilla! I know a great place that delivers. They also have salads if you want some health with your food."

"Okay. Can I look at the menu first?" Seungkwan knew Hansol loved this kind of food, but he himself wasn’t all that familiar with it.

“Here. Use my phone. I think I also got a coupon on the app.”

With a raised eyebrow Seungkwan took the phone from him. “You use their app? Just how often do you order from this place?”

Hansol shrugged. “Just sometimes.”

Seungkwan looked at the screen and hummed. "Just sometimes? Is that why you're a gold rank customer? Whatever that means."

"It means I get better deals, so order whatever you want. It's on me today. You deserve it after working so hard."

"Stop talking about sex when I'm about to order food, Hansol."

"I wasn't! I meant your assignment."

"No you didn't and yes you were. But I guess you're right, I did work pretty hard."

He quickly went through the menu and placed some food in the cart along with Hansol’s requests. After placing the order he closed the app. He was about to hand Hansol his phone back when he saw the background of his home screen. It was the two of them at Soonyoung and Seokmin’s wedding; Seungkwan had his head on Hansol’s shoulder and they were looking away, probably at their friends exchanging vows. They looked peaceful.

“Where did you get this photo?” he asked.

“Hm? Oh, that. It was in the album Hao shared from the wedding. Didn’t you look at it?”

“I haven’t gotten around to it yet." He got his own phone and scrolled up in the groupchat where Minghao had sent the link to the pictures he and Mingyu had taken that night. 

While they waited for their food to arrive he looked through the photos, looking for more pictures of him and Hansol. He saved them all to his phone.

“We look happy, don’t you think?” he said to Hansol when he got closer and put his head down on Seungkwan's shoulder.

“Yeah, we do.”

“Mingyu was a little disappointed though.”

“About what?”

“About not knowing beforehand about the wedding. He’s been saving the video he took from when they got together. Seems so long ago. Just them and pizza. And me and Mingyu silently watching in the background."

"I remember. You told me about it after."

"Oh yeah, I guess I did." It was weird sometimes to think about those early months in college where he and Hansol hadn’t broken up yet. A lot of college had blurred into a post-Hansol era category in his memory. Even studying like this together now made him feel more like they were back in high school instead of experiencing college together. And in most ways they weren’t. They didn’t go to the same one and so didn’t share any classes, professors, or places where they’d hang out during the day. They wouldn’t have many ‘ remember back in college?’ type of stories to tell. But they had days like this and Seungkwan cherished them, hoping Hansol did too.

Hansol planted a dry kiss on Seungkwan's cheek and stood up. He picked up his books from the floor and sighed as he put them on a pile on his unused desk. “I can’t wait to be done with college,” he said when he took his place next to Seungkwan again.

“Yeah," Seungkwan agreed. "I’m so done with writing all these papers and assignments and—”

“That’s not what I mean. I can’t wait to be done with college so I can come home again. To you.”

“Oh.”

Hansol wrapped an arm around Seungkwan's shoulders and pulled him to his chest. "I'm going to miss you."

"Didn't you miss me last time?" Seungkwan asked and he started to fumble with his sleeves as a sliver of the feeling of Hansol leading his life away from him, not needing him, made its way into his thoughts. Again.

"Of course I did. But it was different. Last time I was also excited to go, to experience new things. Now…I'll be counting the days."

"What about your friends over there? Aren't you happy you'll get to see them again?"

Hansol shrugged. "Sure, I guess. But if I'm being honest, all of my best friends are here I think. I mean, I know I still have some catching up to do and I don't know everybody's new boyfriends all that well yet, but our group of friends here feels much more like...Well, like a group. I've only ever felt that way after I met you."

"What do you mean?"

"Before you came to our school I was a bit of a loner. Sure, I hung out on the roof with Jihoon and Jeonghan and sometimes those basketball guys, but it wasn't the same. I never really felt part of a social circle, you know. Not until you dragged me into one. I didn't think I cared about stuff like that, but when I lost it...fuck."

"I thought most of the guys still talked to you after we broke up. I know Jeonghan and Jisoo did," Seungkwan said, his voice soft. 

"They did. Here and there. Chan and Jihoon did too. But it wasn't the same. I even missed seeing the endless string of selfies you and Mingyu would take whenever you hung out."

"Wow, it was bad then, if you missed seeing me and Mingyu together," Seungkwan said half-jokingly.

"I don't think I missed seeing you with Mingyu perse, but I missed the way you looked in those photos. And I did sort of miss Mingyu too. Sometimes. But after missing you, I think I mostly missed that feeling of belonging somewhere. And the few attempts I made to pretend like it was still just like high school all blew up in my face and I just ended up hurting you."

"You mean like at Jeonghan and Jisoo's housewarming?"

"Yeah."

"That wasn't just your fault. Jeonghan had asked me beforehand if it was okay to invite you and I said I was fine. I thought I would be. But I felt so angry when I heard you talk to Bin and—" 

He suddenly breathed in loudly and slapped his lap with both hands. "Shouldn't the food be here by now?" he asked and stared at the door, redirecting the conversation he didn’t feel like they needed to have.

"I'm sure it'll get here soon. It's a busy time," Hansol answered. He pulled his arms back and placed one hand on Seungkwan's thigh.

"Kwannie?" he said. "Are you still angry? About anything."

"No, I don't think so. I don't feel great when I think about those times, but I'm not angry about it either. I'm trying to focus on us now.” He looked at Hansol and reached out to playfully poke his cheek. “Okay?”

Hansol smiled. “Okay.”

Notes:

Next time Seungkwan goes to see Hansol's parents and he also talks with his own father who has certain opinions when he learns his son has decided to get back together with the guy who dumped him.

I wanted to finish this fic on Valentine's Day but...seeing as that is tomorrow it won't happen T__T

Chapter 134: C3-19 Approval

Summary:

Seungkwan and Hansol have started organizing Hansol's clothes for when he leaves again. Seungkwan finally tells his father that they're back together.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan held up one of Hansol's jackets and turned it around in the air. He took in all the details and tried to remember if he had ever seen Hansol actually wearing it.

"What about this one?" he asked.

Hansol looked over and pointed at the pile of clothes he was planning to take with him for the months he'd be away.

"And this?" Seungkwan asked with another item in hand.

"Suitcase."

Seungkwan half folded the shirt and placed it on top of the other things already in the suitcase that they were taking to Hansol’s parents’ house later today. He looked over at Hansol’s closet that was supposed to be his soon.

"What time do we have to leave again? I'm not sure we can finish all this before heading over to your parents."

"We still have plenty of time, don't worry. And even if we're a little late, it doesn't really matter."

Seungkwan very much disagreed with that. "I'm not going to be late the first time I'm seeing your parents again, Hansol! It's going to be awkward enough already."

“Why would it be awkward? It’s not like you’ve never met them before.”

“Exactly! That’s why it’s going to be awkward. I haven’t seen your parents in so long. What if they think I’m rude for never having contacted them after we broke up?”

“Why would that be rude? Do you really think my parents would have expected you to keep in touch?"

"No," Seungkwan mumbled. "Not really. But what if they just don't like me anymore?" 

Hansol dropped the pair of jeans he had been holding on top of one of the piles and walked over to his boyfriend. He pulled him in closer by his elbows and waited for him to look up.

"Baby, they love you and they're very happy to get to see you again. Okay? Out of the two of us, you are not the one who has to feel nervous about parents."

Seungkwan accepted the quick kiss Hansol gave him but furrowed his brows together. “What are you talking about? My mom loved seeing you again.”

“You have another parent,” Hansol mumbled. He stepped away and grabbed some more clothes from his closet. “You still haven’t told him, have you?” 

Seungkwan had told his mother after a few weeks of dating. He had been slightly nervous to tell her but he had known that ultimately she would be happy for him. For them.

His father, on the other hand, was more difficult to predict. And, as they didn't talk often, it hadn't taken a lot of effort to simply not mention it to him and let it be an issue of the future.

“Do you want me to?” Seungkwan asked.

Hansol shrugged his shoulders. “It’s just that your mom knows, my parents know, our sisters know…”

“It’s not like we’ll have time to meet him.”

“Or do you just not want to tell him?” Hansol asked, hitting the nail on the head.

Because if Seungkwan was being honest, he wasn’t exactly looking forward to telling him, but he didn’t want to tell Hansol the main reason why. The truth was that his father had liked Bin. Back in high school he had been nice enough to Hansol, but Seungkwan had been surprised how quickly and how well he had gotten along with Bin. They talked sports and had almost naturally fallen into a good connection. It was possible his father had still been somewhat uncomfortable with the fact his son was bringing home a boy instead of a girl and had simply grown more accepting and open by the time he had introduced him to his second boyfriend, but it lingered in his head and he was worried about his reaction. 

“I’ll tell him. I’ll call him tomorrow or something.”

“I’m not saying you have to tell him. No offense, but he scares me a little. But we’ve told everybody else. If you think meeting my parents now will be awkward, how am I supposed to feel when I meet your dad again and we’ve been together for a year or something and he just found out?”

“We’re nowhere near a year,” Seungkwan said. "But I'll tell him if that makes you feel better."

Hansol didn’t move a muscle in his face for a few seconds and then he nodded.

"I'll tell him," Seungkwan repeated quietly to himself.

<>

Meeting Hansol’s parents had gone perfectly fine and Seungkwan had been welcomed with open arms. It had almost felt like barely any time had passed since the last time he had met them. All the negative scenarios that had built up inside his head had been just that, something he had constructed based on very little. So perhaps his father wouldn’t react in the way Seungkwan was anticipating. Maybe he didn’t even care all that much who his son was dating. Although Seungkwan wasn’t sure if that sort of attitude was preferable. He did want him to care a little. 

“How are things with you?” his father asked after Seungkwan had stretched the topic of his father’s work and other small talk to its limit on their video call.

“Okay,” Seungkwan replied. This would have been a good moment to bring up the changes in his love life if his father hadn’t asked his next question.

“Have you heard from Bin lately?”

“Why would I hear from him? We broke up months ago.”

“I thought it was more like a temporary break.”

“I don’t know why you’d think that, but it wasn’t.”

“Oh…it’s just that Bin said—” 

“Bin said?” Seungkwan interrupted his father before he could finish his sentence. “Why are you talking to my ex?”

“Will you calm down? I’m not talking to him. I texted him about something else right after you two took a break and he told me about it. He said it was a mutual decision because there were some things to figure out. I thought that maybe you’d get back together after some time apart. That boy was good to you, Seungkwan.”

“Can we stop talking about this now? We broke up and we are definitely not getting back together. Sometimes things just don’t work out.” The whole point of this call had been for Seungkwan to tell his father about Hansol, but the sudden mention of Bin had thrown him for a loop. His father, on the other hand, continued the conversation on another branch of the same tree that Seungkwan wanted to get down from.

“Fine, fine,” he said. “How’s Mingyu?”

“He’s fine. Working hard.”

“Good. Does he still have a boyfriend?”

“Why are you suddenly so interested in everybody’s relationships?”

“Mingyu’s a good guy. Maybe if he were single you could—”

“What? Date him? My goodness, dad, I’ve told you before that Mingyu and I are best friends. Just because we’re both gay doesn’t mean—”

“I know that. But you seem to get along well and I like him as a person.”

“And? No offense, but if I was looking for relationship advice I wouldn’t be asking a middle-aged divorced straight man.” 

Seungkwan pressed his lips tightly together and avoided looking at the screen. Suddenly he was a teenager again, fighting with his father and hitting below the belt. He hadn’t raised his voice in the way he would have back then, but the words spoken out of angry frustration left a bitter taste in his mouth. But he also wasn’t going to sit here and have his father spout nonsense.

He heard his father sigh.

“Both of your sisters have boyfriends now and I want you to be happy too,” he said.

Seungkwan looked at him through the screen and saw the sincerity in his eyes. He sighed too. “I can be happy without a boyfriend.”

Come on, Boo Seungkwan. Tell him.

“But…I, um, do have a boyfriend. Actually.”

“Oh? Since when?”

“Since a little while ago…”

“I see. Does he have a name?”

"Yes…Hansol,” Seungkwan mumbled. But when he saw the look on his own face on the camera he sat up straighter. He had looked embarrassed to say the name and he wasn’t. He shouldn’t be. He wasn’t ashamed that he had chosen to be with him again. Hansol wasn’t a secret or a bad choice and he didn't deserve for his boyfriend to treat him as such. “It’s Hansol,” he repeated with more confidence in his tone. “We got back together.”

“What are you talking about?” his father said in a stern voice. “Is that why you broke up with Bin? To go back to some guy who—”

“He’s not ‘some guy’ and I didn’t break up with Bin to get back together with him. We reconnected recently and we both realized we still had feelings for each other and decided our relationship deserved a second chance.”

“Why would you get back together with him? Don’t forget how he treated you, Seungkwan. He threw you away the second he—”

“Stop it, dad! That’s not what happened and things are different now! We’ve talked a lot and—"

"Talking doesn’t mean as much as actions. He showed his true colors when he broke up with you the first time. He’ll just do it again. I don’t think I can approve of this, son."

"Approve of this? My relationships don't need your approval! What decade are you living in? I love him. Not Bin and not Mingyu. Hansol Vernon Chwe. And he loves me and we make each other happy. In fact, he makes me feel happy in ways that no-one else ever has. So drop it. He’s my boyfriend and you will be nice to him when you see him again or you won’t see me until you are.”

Again he had to remind himself that he didn’t want to fight with his father, that he didn’t want the growth in their relationship to shrivel up. But the look on his father’s face, the slightly confused and angry cold expression, reminded him of the time he had come out to him. The same heavy silence was hanging in the air now too. But his father had come around to his son being gay, he had grown so much and Seungkwan had to believe the same would be true about his relationship with Hansol.

“He’s not going to break up with me again, okay? Even if you don’t agree with my choice right now, can you please be nice? For me?”

“I’ll try.” 

"Give him a chance."

"I said I'll try, Seungkwan.”

For now that had to be enough.

“When will I see him again then?” his father asked. His voice didn’t sound angry anymore. “I can come to the city on a weekend and we’ll have dinner. I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Well, about that. Hansol actually has to finish the last few months back over at his own university and he’s leaving soon, so…when he gets back?”

Seungkwan could tell from the strained look on his father’s face that he had opinions about that but was holding them in to prevent another argument. He supposed he had to appreciate that.

“But you could still come and we’ll have dinner with the two of us,” Seungkwan suggested.

"Hm," his father grunted in reply. "I'll come after he's left then. I'm assuming you're going to spend a lot of time with him before he goes."

"Thanks, dad."

They ended the call not long after and Seungkwan took a deep breath in. He felt exhausted. At least he could tell Hansol now that he had told his father about them. But when he picked up his phone he didn’t call Hansol.

“Hey, Kwannie, what’s up?”

Seungkwan placed his phone against an empty mug on his desk and waved at Mingyu on the screen.

“I just told my dad about me and Hansol,” he said with a groan.

“From that sound you just made I take it that it didn’t go very well?”

"Well, basically he seems to think just about anyone is better for me than Hansol, including you and Bin, who he has been texting by the way, and I’m pretty sure he thinks I’m an idiot for getting back together with him and trusting him not to break up with me again."

"Oh. What did you say?"

"Well, I told him that I wasn't taking relationship advice from him and that he'd better be nice to him." Seungkwan groaned again. "I shouldn't have told him.”

"Are you scared that he's right though?"

“About what?”

"You know….about Hansol breaking up with you again."

"Are you serious? I thought we were done with you being unsupportive."

"I'm not being unsupportive! I don't want him to break up with you again. But none of us thought he was going to the first time either. I just mean that this time you've been together is nice and all but the real test isn't these few months where you've been all in love again. It's when he leaves."

"He's not on probation. It's not just up to him."

"I know that, but isn't there even a small part of you that—"

"What exactly do you want me to say here, Mingyu? That I don't trust him? That I'm going to kiss him goodbye at the airport expecting it to be the last time that I kiss him? Do you want me to have a nervous breakdown every time he doesn’t reply to me within a few hours? I wouldn't be with him now if I didn't think we can handle being apart for a little while again.”

“Okay. I’m sorry. I know that the situation is different from that time, but, you know, he broke my best friend and I still haven’t fully forgiven him for that.”

Seungkwan clicked his tongue, “You’re weird. You don’t have to be so overprotective.”

If they had been face-to-face Seungkwan would have reached out and patted him on the head. “All right, I’d better go tell Hansol that my dad knows now and lie that he was at least neutral about it. Thanks for letting me vent a little.”

He hung up and opened his calendar app to put in the date his father was planning to come visit him before he’d forget. 

He stared at Hansol’s departure date. His father’s comment about spending a lot of time with him before he left almost felt cruel. Because, honestly, the time they had left was nowhere near enough

Notes:

Hello person reading this, I hope you're doing well!

-Hansol did want Seungkwan to tell his dad tbh
-I guess Seungkwan's dad is being supportive in his own way...but maybe not the best way
-when will Mingyu get over the Verkwan breakup??
-there isn't much time left before Hansol has to leave...

twt

Chapter 135: C3-20 Goodbye Again

Summary:

The last day before Hansol leaves again is here. Seungkwan tries to hold it together.

Notes:

As usual it took longer for me to update than I would have like, but here I am! I will truly try to get the next one up faster though!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

All of Hansol's things were either packed or stored away and the closet and shelves were already filled with Seungkwan's things. Hansol had said goodbye to his family and per his request they wouldn't be dropping him off at the airport tomorrow. It would just be the two of them. Seungkwan felt a little bad about it, but he was grateful. He wanted to be the last one to see him before he left and to have that moment for just them.

There were still a few hours left before their friends would fill the living room to, once again, wish Hansol luck on the other side of the world. 

“Here,” Hansol said, suddenly holding out a dark blue gift box with an orange bow on it. “It’s a present.”

Seungkwan took the unexpected gift with a big smile on his face. He always loved getting presents, even more so when he didn’t know he was getting any. He quickly sat down on the bed and opened it.

He stared at the contents, slightly confused by what he had been given. It was a framed photo. Well, half of a photo to be more exact. The original had been the two of them making a big heart together using their arms over their heads. 

"Ehm, it's very sweet that you got me a gift, but why did you cut me out of the picture?" he asked.

"Because,” Hansol said as he sat down closely next to him. “I have that half. We can put it on our desks or something."

"This is so unlike you. I mean, it's so romantic. "

"Hey, I'm romantic! What about that photo album I made?"

"You had a picture of my bed in it because we had sex there!"

"Not just sex. Our first time. That's romantic. Sex is romantic. Our first time was romantic. At least it was for me."

Seugnkwan’s heart immediately melted into a puddle of mush. He set the box aside and placed a hand on Hansol’s leg. "Oh, Sollie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get all negative. I really like the gift. Thank you." 

He planted a kiss on his boyfriend’s cheek and hopped off the bed.

“Actually,” he said and he walked over to one of his bags standing in the corner. “I got you something too. I wasn’t sure when to give it to you, but I suppose now is a good time.”

He walked back to the bed and sat down again with a small sleek black box. He watched Hansol open it and studied his reaction.

“Wait…” Hansol said, confused, much like Seungkwan had been but for a different reason. “How did you get my bracelet? I always keep it—”

“In your desk drawer next to your allergy meds. Yeah, I know. I didn’t snoop! I just saw you take it out and put it back once before we were heading out. I only took it out this morning because I thought you might notice.”

“I did notice! Sort of. I was going to put it in my hand luggage earlier but I couldn’t find it, so I figured I had already packed it with my other stuff by mistake. But I don’t think I understand. What does this mean, Seungkwan? I didn’t think you’d want me to wear it again.”

“I don’t. But there’s a reason you still have it and why I still have mine. It means something. So, I wanted us to keep them in a more special place. But, you’ll notice there’s a necklace in there as well. I do like the idea of having something on me that’s connected to you and I thought a necklace might be nice. The charm on yours is slightly bigger and mine fits into it.”

He pulled at the chain around his neck and pulled his necklace out of his shirt. “See?”

“Wait,” Hansol said and he took his necklace out of the box to put it on. When it was around his neck he held it up and waited for Seungkwan to show him how they fit together perfectly.

“Do you like it?” Seungkwan asked softly. Hansol was staring at him with such intensity that it was making him feel shy.

Hansol dropped the necklace and caught Seungkwan in a heavy kiss. They kissed until they were wearing nothing but the necklaces around their necks.

* * * 

It was quiet in the room. Seungkwan had his head on Hansol's chest and felt it rise and fall with his slow breathing.

They’d been lying like this for some time now. Hansol was holding on to Seungkwan tightly and he occasionally lifted his head to press a kiss on his hair. The air in the room had been calming, peaceful, at first, but the longer neither of them spoke the more Seungkwan started to feel uneasy. It was starting to feel like something was wrong, pressing down on them.

“You’re very quiet,” he said and placed a gentle kiss on Hansol’s chest. “More than usual.”

“I’m just thinking.”

Seungkwan pushed himself up slightly so he could look at his face. “About what?”

Hansol kept his head down on the pillow and didn’t look up. He just sighed. “Things.”

Seungkwan sat up, effectively freeing him from Hansol’s hold which was met with a light grunt. He stared down at him. Now he definitely felt like something was wrong. He reached out and lightly massaged Hansol's ear for a second and caressed his cheek with the back of his fingers. "Talk to me?"

Hansol sighed but sat up also. He grabbed his shirt from the floor and pulled it over his head. He stood up and put the rest of his clothes on while Seungkwan waited.

“Hansol?” Seungkwan asked, still on the bed with only half of his naked body covered by the sheets, while Hansol stood silently in the middle of the room. “Don’t pull this non-communication shit on me. Not today. You’re leaving tomorrow.”

“Yes, I am. Exactly. That’s why.”

“That’s why what, Hansol? What’s wrong?”

“I’m scared, Seungkwan,” Hansol confessed. “I’m scared that I won’t be with you and I’m scared of me doing something stupid that will drive you away; Slipping into my old behaviors.”

“Like what?”

“Like… I feel like I pushed you away before and a part of me knew that I was doing it. And I never really listened to you properly whenever you were upset about something. We’ve talked about it before and I know me telling you not to worry isn’t going to cut it. I’m going to have to prove to you that things are different this time around, but I'm not sure how to do that except try to listen better and include you more in my daily life. Call you more, send you more pictures, stuff like that. But—"

He sighed loudly and roughly pushed his hair out of his face. He sounded frustrated.

Seungkwan turned his body away and let his legs hang off the bed. His fingers curled around the edge of the mattress as he squeezed into it hard. He could deal with his father thinking Hansol would break up with him again. He could handle his best friend having a cautious attitude towards him. But if Hansol himself was doubting everything, he was left alone to shoulder the trust in their relationship.

“Can’t you be a bit more confident?” he asked, his voice weak. “If you know what you can do differently from last time, can’t you have a bit more confidence that you’re actually going to do those things?”

Hansol stood stiffly in front of him. “I’m just trying to tell you how I’m feeling.”

“And I appreciate that, but trusting you again has been hard enough already, Hansol. I can’t trust you for the both of us. I need you to trust in yourself. In us. All of the things you just mentioned, isn’t that plenty? I'm not sure what you think I'm expecting from you, but I just don't want to feel as if I'm a task for you. I want you to want to tell me about your day or ask me about mine. And if you tell me we're going to call at a certain time I don't want you to blow me off. If something comes up just talk to me and we'll be fine. But I can’t be the only one who believes that."

Hansol sank to his knees and placed his hands on Seungkwan’s. He looked up at him. “I believe in us,” he whispered. “Boo Seungkwan, I believe you are my future. When I say I’m scared I don't mean that I think we’ll break apart again. I mean that I’m scared that I’ll make mistakes and make it harder than it has to be. I don’t want to hurt you.”

He reached up and touched Seungkwan’s cheek wet with tears.

“I’m sorry I made you cry now. I didn’t realize how hard it already is for you. I’ll do better.”

He knew Hansol was trying. He was trying too. But it was hard sometimes to find balance between letting Hansol come to him with his thoughts on his own or pushing him a little to speak his mind more often. Seungkwan took his hand and pressed a kiss on the back. It was a balance they had to find together, steadinging each other along the way.

“I just remembered something you said to me on our first anniversary,” Seungkwan said and a small smile curled his lips. They had been at his father’s house then, made to sleep in separate rooms Seungkwan had snuck into Hansol’s room at midnight to wish him happy anniversary. “You said that even the not so great memories were pretty good because those are also a part of our story. I think you were right as long as we make sure the ending is happy.”

Hansol nodded. He sat up high enough to press a kiss on Seungkwan’s lips.

“I love you,” Seungkwan breathed through the open mouthed kisses as he let himself be pushed down onto the bed once more.

* * * 

Although having their friends over was really for Hansol, it was just the distraction Seungkwan needed to keep his mind occupied from tomorrow. And, as always, Jeonghan and Jisoo proved to be extra good at distracting him.

“What is that!?” Seungkwan said loudly and froze for a few seconds after he noticed there was something new about Jeonghan’s appearance.

"What is what?" Jeonghan asked innocently and sipped his drink, probably well aware that he was holding it with the hand Seungkwan was so interested in.

"This!" Seungkwan yelled out and he grabbed Jeonghan's hand to get a better look at the engagement ring he had around his finger. "When!? How!? Why didn't you tell anyone!"

"He, eh, thought it would be funny to see how long it would take before one of you would notice," Jisoo answered.

Jeonghan gleefully wrapped Seugnkwan in a hug. "Of course my Seungkwannie noticed first!" 

“I proposed last night,” Jisoo said, dumb grin on his face.

Seungcheol lightly slapped both of them on the shoulder. “Congratulations, guys. But, um, couldn’t you have waited until after Hansol’s party?”

The pair shrugged simultaneously. 

“We’re not even making a big deal out of it and I’m sure Hansol doesn’t mind,” Jeonghan said. “It’s not even really a party as much as a get-together.”

“Hansol!” Jisoo shouted across the room. “Me and Jeonghan got engaged!”

Hansol nodded approvingly and held up his thumb. “Cool. Congrats.”

“See? He’s fine with it.”

Seungkwan hugged them again and took another look at the ring. He laughed loudly when Seokmin and Soonyoung started to give them marriage advice (they had been married for weeks already, after all).

Later in the evening Seungkwan, feeling tired, had his head resting on Chan’s shoulder as they sat on the couch. He wasn’t paying attention to the conversation. He yawned and looked around the room for Hansol. He was surprised to find him standing on the other side of the room talking to Mingyu. He was even more surprised when Mingyu handed him something that looked like a gift bag and Hansol got his awkward not-sure-how-to-react-to-that-face when he looked inside. Mingyu, on the other hand, looked so serious that it made Seungkwan smile. He’d ask one of them about it later.

* * * 

He spit out the toothpaste and wiped the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand. He turned the bathroom light off and walked through the living room, glad he had asked everybody to help clean up before they left so he wouldn’t have to deal with it after dropping Hansol off at the airport.

When he walked into the bedroom Hansol was just closing the backpack he was using for his hand luggage.

“Got everything?” Seungkwan asked. He was certain that he did. Seungkwan had reminded him enough about all the important things.

Hansol nodded and walked over for a kiss. “Everything I can take with me anyway.”

“Did you have a good time tonight?” Seungkwan asked as they got closer to the bed.

"Yeah, I did. You?"

“Hmhm,” Seungkwan hummed. "I saw you talking to Mingyu. Looked kind of serious."

"Yeah, no, it was fine,” Hansol said, clearing his throat and suddenly looking flustered. He pulled back the covers and got into bed. “We talked for a bit and he gave me jerk off material."

"Excuse me?" Seungkwan asked, freezing with one leg already in the bed.

"Well, I can't be totally sure that was his intention, but he gave me some pictures of you."

Seungkwan narrowed his eyes into thin suspicious slits. "What kind of pictures?"

"Pictures he took of you. For his portfolio I think. You look really pretty. Sexy as fuck to be honest.”

Seungkwan joined his boyfriend under the covers, but he continued to glare at him. “Mingyu gave you sexy pictures of me? Show them to me.”

“No, I can’t. They’re already in my bag.”

Seungkwan poked at Hansol’s sides, making him flinch. “So take them out. I want to know what kind of ‘sexy’ pictures Mingyu gave you.”

Hansol let out a little yelp when Seungkwan poked him again. He wrapped his fingers around Seungkwan’s wrist to get him to stop. “I told you. They’re from a shoot you guys did for his make-up portfolio. And I have to hand it to him…He knows what he’s doing. I don’t know what he did to your lips, but, damn. Like, they’re always pretty and I always want to kiss them but these pictures are next level.”  

Seungkwan's disgruntled expression melted into a shy grin. He had a good idea what pictures these were and it felt good to know that Hansol thought he looked sexy in them. Sexy as fuck, apparently.

He leaned in and pressed his lips firmly against Hansol’s mouth. He moved them slowly and kissed him deeply. He kissed his jaw and his neck, going lower and lower, determined to provide some good memories of his lips to go with the pictures to get him through their time apart.

* * * 

"You have to go," Seungkwan said softly.

“I must be the only person wishing their plane was delayed,” Hansol replied.

“Go,” Seungkwan said sternly. “Don’t make me take you through security myself.”

“I don’t think you can go back there without a ticket.”

Seungkwan sighed. “I know that, Hansol.”

Hansol chuckled. “I know you know that, Boo Seungkwan. I was just teasing.”

“So, um, have a good flight and—”

“I’ll call you as soon as I can.”

“Good.”

Hansol nodded once and as if that was the signal he needed to give himself to come down to reality, he pulled his hands free from Seungkwan’s and hoisted his backpack up.

“I love you, Boo Seungkwan. I’ll see you soon.”

Seungkwan accepted the fleeting touch of Hansol’s lips and whispered his ‘I love you’ back. He was determined not to cry this time. Not in front of Hansol and not after he had watched him disappear up the escalator. He stared at the Hansol-less space with unfocused eyes for a few moments before finally turning around and almost walking face first into Mingyu’s chest.

He stumbled back a step but was quickly stabilized by Mingyu holding onto him.

Seungkwan hadn't asked him to come. In fact, he had told everybody that they didn’t need to do anything special for him this time. It wasn’t summer vacation and he actually had some stuff to do that he could focus on. And yet he didn't question that Mingyu had come anyway. Not even for a second. Because this was Mingyu, always there right where Seungkwan needed him most.

Mingyu swung his arm around Seungkwan's shoulder and they started walking towards the trains.

“Hansol told me about the present you gave him yesterday,” Seungkwan said once they were settled in their seats.

“Oh yeah?” Mingyu asked with a giggle. “He liked it, right? Of course he did. I knew he would. That guy gets all hot and bothered when you put on so much as a bit of lip gloss.”  

“Yeah, he liked it. You could have asked me before giving it to him, though.”

“Sorry, but you would’ve gotten all shy and embarrassed about being sexy and then I’d have to convince you that you are sexy and you’d eventually agree anyway. So I just saved us some time. Did he also tell you that I told him he’d better remember every single day how lucky he is to have you.”

“No, he didn’t tell me that part,” Seungkwan said. He sank down in his seat and put his head down on his friend’s shoulder. He turned his head enough to stare out the window at the landscape that was speeding by.

“Are you okay?” Mingyu asked after a moment of silence

Seungkwan sighed. "I think so."

He found Mingyu's hand and tangled their fingers together.

“Thank you for being here with me."

“Of course I am. Seungkwan, I’ll always be here.”

And Seungkwan knew he would be.

Notes:

-Jisoo & Jeonghan engaged! yay
-kudos if you remember their first anniversary lol
-they'll be...fine?

Chapter 136: We Are Here (wedding)

Summary:

Seungkwan walks down the aisle and (finally) becomes a married man!

Notes:

You can't believe how much I struggled with ending this...how to end a story that's been going on for AGES??? I know some of you had hoped for a different ending, but I hope you enjoy anyway!

A BIG big thank you to all the people who have read this and have made it all the way here!! (either via binge or those who have had to suffer through my irregular updates!). Now, it's not the END end because I WILL post 2 more little bonus chapters soon (yes, soon, they are 90% done) of things that happened between the last chapter and now (for instance...the proposal). But first: let's get married!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

As Jeonghan and Jisoo’s young daughter diligently spread flower petals on the aisle, Seungkwan and his parents followed. He looked to the far end of the hall and saw his groom waiting for him. His face was so stiff and serious that it would have made Seungkwan laugh if he wasn’t completely riddled with nerves himself. He hadn’t been this nervous up to this point, but now that the moment of truth was here he couldn’t help letting some nerves take hold of him. 

He kissed his mother on her cheek before his parents sat down next to his two sisters. He made sure to look over to the other side of the hall to throw a quick smile at the other set of parents and little sister. 

He took his place and released a steady breath. He was ready.

* * * 

The first half of the ceremony went by in a blurr. He was barely registering what was being said and was only able to nod and smile at the right times because he had rehearsed the whole thing about a million times. In the back of his mind a little voice reminded him that everything was being recorded and it snapped him right back into focus. He wasn’t about to mess up his wedding ceremony with indisputable proof that could be thrown in his face every anniversary.

As he turned to face his almost-husband, so they could say their vows to each other, he wished he hadn’t let Jeonghan convince him to go without his notecards. He didn’t even think he would actually look at them, but they were like a safety net in case he got too overwhelmed to get the words out. The feeling lasted for a second only. As soon as their eyes met he knew he wouldn’t have needed them. He knew what to say and he took the other man’s hands. 

He started speaking, his voice clear and stable, “When I was a little boy I thought that once you meet the person you’re going to marry it would be so easy. You’d never fight and always be happy. Nothing but sunshine and rainbows. I had lost some of that naive view by the time I was a teenager, but I still thought that love with the right person was supposed to be easy and effortless. Then I met you.” 

He smiled and gave their guests time to chuckle at his joke.

"I know now that love isn’t about automatically falling into place. It’s much more beautiful than that. It’s about being willing to put in the effort to understand the other person, to accept them for who they are, and change together into one halves of a whole and walk the path to the place where you’re supposed to go.”

He stopped for a moment. His voice had started to waver slightly, but he wasn’t going to cry just yet. After his own he still had another set of vows to get through. He felt a soft squeeze from the hands holding his and their communication happened without words as it did in their most intimate moments..

“For my part, I think I’m really good at loving you and I promise you that I will continue to do so for the rest of our lives. I promise to stand by you and support you and to take care of you only when you need me to. In the good times and the bad, Chwe Hansol, I promise to be yours now and forever."

Proud that he had gotten through his vows as well as he had, Seungkwan took a deep breath. He was surprised to see Hansol’s eyes watery and him blinking fiercely to gain control. Seungkwan took another deep breath while staring into Hansol’s eyes so he would join him. They exhaled together.

Hansol cleared his throat and Seungkwan’s heart started to pound faster in anticipation. He had regretted their decision to come up with what they were going to say by themselves more than once during the writing process. He had constantly been worried that he wouldn’t be able to express his feelings well enough, but now that he had finished his part all that was left was to see how Hansol had gotten along (although Seungkwan was sure to love it no matter what). 

“Boo Seungkwan,” Hansol started, "The first day we met, you threw a book on my desk to wake me up. And I honestly think that I hadn’t been truly awake until that moment. You crashed into my existence like you wouldn’t believe. You woke me up and took me on a journey and filled my days with color. You are everything I could ever want and more. I vow myself to you and to our life together, no matter what may come onto our path. I love you, Seungkwan. Always.” 

No longer pretending that he wasn’t going to cry, Seungkwan held out his hand and promptly had a tissue handed to him from behind. He carefully dabbed his eyes and without a thought handed the used tissue back to Mingyu. It was quickly replaced by a wedding ring.

The blur had returned to Seungkwan’s sense of reality as he watched the ring he was set to wear for the rest of his life being placed on his finger by Hansol’s unsteady hands and he did the same for him. 

The words that finally, officially, declared them husband and husband echoed through his mind like an enchanting melody until it got drowned out by the applause and cheers of their friends and family as they shared their first kiss as a married couple. Fireworks. Magic. Love.

* * * 

The cutting of the cake went a little differently than what they had planned. Hansol, having the sweet tooth that he had, seemed to forget what he was supposed to be doing as soon as he had a fork in his hand because, instead of feeding a piece to his new husband, he took a big bite for himself. He hummed happily at the taste before he saw Seungkwan’s exasperated expression. He tried to redeem himself by quickly picking up another bite and holding it out to him, but the damage was done. Seungkwan dipped his finger into the frosting and smeared it across Hansol’s cheek.

He tried to hold his laughter but it came out in a joyful scream when Hansol tried to return the favor.

“Don’t you dare!” he yelled as he backed away, almost bumping into Mingyu who had temporarily abandoned his position as best man to take pictures again. Seungkwan locked eyes with Hansol and an understanding was formed between them. After a silent countdown from three, they both attacked Mingyu’s face with the cake frosting left on their fingers.

“Aww, guys!” Mingyu cried. “Why am I getting dragged into this?”

Seungkwan good-naturedly patted his cheek and chuckled at his best man’s pouty face. On the other side of the cake Minghao nodded approvingly and he held up his own camera to let them know he had definitely caught that on film.

“Seungkwan,” Hansol said to get his attention back on him. “Cake.”

With a big smile Seungkwan ate the piece off of Hansol’s fork and fed him some in return.

It wasn’t how they had planned it, but it was perfect.

* * * 

"Dance with me?" Seungkwan asked as he held out his hand to Mingyu.

Mingyu smiled and nodded. He looked around for someone he trusted enough with his camera. Seungkwan pointed to the other side of the room. "Seungcheol will hold it. He has to do whatever I want because I'm the groom and also because he's getting paid to be here."

"You and Hansol aren't even paying them full price," Mingyu reminded him, but he was already walking away backwards to ask the wedding planner to hold his camera for a dance or two.

Before Mingyu returned to his side, Seungkwan turned his attention elsewhere. He hopped over to his husband and hooked their arms together. 

"Hansollie," he sing-songed and he gave a quick squeeze to his husband's ear with his free hand, "I'm going to dance with Mingyu now, so you should dance with Chan!"

"Why?" Hansol asked with his mouth full of whatever food he had just shoved in his mouth.

"Because us dancing with our best men will look good in the pictures!"

"You do realize you'll be dancing with the photographer?"

"Minghao is also taking photos and I've seen Seokmin pull out a camera a few times! It'll be fine! Now hurry, it’s already getting late and I still want to dance with my mom and Jihoon if I can find him. And you and I should close the night together and—"

Hansol leaned in and placed a kiss on Seungkwan's lips. "Okay. I'll dance with Chan if that's what you want."

Seungkwan pressed a quick peck on Hansol's cheek in return. "Thank you."

As if summoned by the word ‘dance’ Chan suddenly appeared and made a silly bow and held out his hand for Hansol to take. Seungkwan rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help but laugh when Mingyu did the same for him.

He grabbed Mingyu's hand and pulled him onto the dance floor. The song was cheerful and upbeat and Seungkwan was more than happy to let Mingyu lead their uncoordinated dance.

Mingyu spun him around and pulled him playfully to his chest. They both let out a loud 'oompfh' that was anything but elegant when Seungkwan landed with too much force.

“You look really happy, Seungkwan,” Mingyu said loudly to be heard over the music.

“I am really happy!” Seungkwan yelled back. “I just got married to the love of my life!”

He shoved his hand in Mingyu’s face, “Look! I am married! I’ve got a ring and everything!”

Mingyu laughed, “Yeah, I know. I handed that ring to you and watched you get married.”

Seungkwan giggled and suddenly grabbed Mingyu’s face with both hands, "I love you, Kim Mingyu. You big sweet man."

"Are you drunk?" Mingyu joked and Seungkwan slapped his chest.

"I'm being serious! You’re the best best friend anyone could have! And the best best man, too!”

Mingyu smiled widely and nodded his head, “I love you too, Kwannie. Don’t forget me now that you're a married man.” 

“Never! But speaking of being a married man… I know I don't have a bouquet but if you want I'll throw one of the centerpieces over my shoulder so you or Hao can catch it."

Mingyu chuckled. "Don't bother. Seungcheol will kill you if you start throwing his precious flowers around and I'd probably drop it anyway. Besides, we're not in any rush to get married."

"Oh? If you wait too long Chan will marry Yeonjun before you get to walk down the aisle."

"So? Even if Chan gets married before me, there's always Jihoon."

Seungkwan snorted, "Do not say that to Seungcheol! He'll get sad."

They continued to dance together until Seungkwan insisted he and Hansol should switch partners for one song. As he danced with Chan he couldn’t resist casting a side eye to Hansol and Mingyu dancing together. It was the mix of fun and awkwardness that he had expected to see and when they both laughed at the same time it filled him with warmth.

Everything was as it should be.

* * * 

“Wow,” Hansol said as he opened the door to the honeymoon suite. “Look at the size of that bed!”

“We should enjoy it,” Seungkwan said, attaching himself to Hansol’s back as soon as he had closed the door, “Our actual honeymoon hotel isn’t nearly as luxurious as this one.”

Hansol turned around in Seungkwan’s arms and kissed him softly.

“We got married today,” Seungkwan whispered.

Hansol smiled, “We sure did, Boo Seungkwan.”

Seungkwan smirked and started to undo his husband’s tie. “You said nice things during the ceremony.”

“And I meant every word.” 

“Where do you think our path will take us?” 

“Hmm,” Hansol made a noise like he was thinking, “I don’t exactly have a map, but I think it will lead us to some amazing places in the future.” He kissed Seungkwan’s lips with more hunger this time. “As for right now, I think I see the shower and then that big bed right up ahead.”

* * *

There was a knock on the door.

“Room service!” a voice said from the hallway.

Seungkwan sat up in the bed with his eyes half closed and his hair a mess. He poked Hansol’s arm. “Honey, did you order anything?”

Hansol, hair even messier than Seungkwan’s, shook his head and yawned loudly.

There was another knock.

“Go open the door,” Seungkwan commanded and he started lightly pushing his husband out of bed. “I can’t because I’m not wearing anything!”

Without pointing out that he was just as naked as Seungkwan was, Hansol got out of bed and put on some pants to open the door somewhat decently. As soon as he did he had to step out of the way for the overzealous member of the hotel staff who pushed in a cart decked out with a variety of foods.

“Good morning, sirs. I have your breakfast ready for you. Would you like me to set it out on the table?”

“Uh, yeah, sure. Thanks. But I don’t think we actually ordered anything? I thought breakfast was down in the restaurant.”

“Don’t worry, sir. It’s all been taken care of,” the jaunty man said and handed him an envelope. “If there is anything else you need please feel free to call reception. Enjoy your meal, sirs.” He nodded politely to both of them and left the room.

Hansol hopped back onto the bed where Seungkwan was still awkwardly holding the sheets up to cover his naked chest. He handed him the envelope.

Ignoring Hansol who had started to place soft kisses on his neck, Seungkwan opened it and took out a card. There was only one short sentence.

From all of us

He turned the card around. It was a group photo taken years ago in the first summer after he and Hansol had gotten back together. Seungkwan smiled at the picture.

“We all look so young,” he said.

“We’re still young,” Hansol replied.

“We’re not that young. Half of us are married now and Jeonghan and Jisoo are parents . And I’m pretty sure Wonwoo and Jun are thinking about kids and—”

“Babe?”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s eat. Before we have to check into a retirement home.”

They sat down at the table and let their eyes feast on the lavish breakfast their friends had provided.

“Wow, look at all this fancy stuff!” Hansol said with enthusiasm. “I don’t even know what half of this food is, but it looks delicious!”

Seungkwan—while he had to agree it looked delicious— picked up his champagne glass with one eyebrow raised. “They probably think they’re funny giving us orange juice instead of actual champagne.”

“Should we do a love shot?” Hansol asked and held up his own glass.

“With orange juice?” Seungkwan chuckled.

Hansol shrugged. “Why not?”

“Yeah, okay.”

They tried their best to create a romantic moment, but they failed miserably the second their eyes met as they were struggling to drink out of their glasses with their arms hooked together. They both started giggling and almost poured orange juice all over themselves.

“Whoever came up with the ‘love shot’ must have been single,” Seungkwan said and he wiped his chin with a napkin. From the corner of his eye he noticed that Hansol was staring at him. He chuckled.

“What? Did I miss a spot?”

“I’m in love with you.”

Seungkwan pressed his lips together in an attempt to not smile too much like an idiot and nodded. “Oh, yeah? I guess it’s a good thing I married you then. Now, eat your breakfast so we can take a shower because I am also very much in love with you and I need your wet naked body pressed up against me.”

“Wow.”

* * *

Seungkwan looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. He was trying to somewhat style his hair while his husband had attached himself to his back. Hansol had his arms wrapped around his waist and was showering his neck and shoulders with soft kisses.

“We don’t have time for another round, Hansol. Checkout is in twenty minutes.”

He leaned back against Hansol’s chest and took his hands to pull him as close as he possibly could be. 

Hansol leaned his head on Seungkwan’s shoulder and looked at him through their reflections in the mirror.

“We look good together, Boo Seungkwan.”

“We do,” Seungkwan agreed. “If only my younger self could see me now. Would you have believed it if someone had told you on the day that we met that we’d end up getting married?”

“No,” Hansol replied and turned Seungkwan around in his arms. “But only because I wouldn’t have thought it possible that someone as amazing and beautiful as you would ever fall for me. But here we are.”

Seungkwan smiled softly. “Here we are.”

He closed the distance between them and kissed him slowly. He was right where he wanted to be.

Notes:

- Oh man...I can't believe it took this long to get here. It was never supposed to take THIS long and I really shot myself in the foot with the "who will he marry" concept tbh... A part of me wants to create an alternative universe with a Boogyu ending because believe me when I say it was hard sometimes to stick to my original endgames (it was always going to be Verkwan, but Boogyu was Boogyu-ing so hard sometimes)

- I apologize if people think the wedding is sudden after the last chapter, BUT if I wanted to keep up the "Hansol vs Mingyu" thing I'd have to create drama that I didn't felt fit, just to keep the concept up. So I felt it was better to make the reveal and add a little bonus chapter about how they handled their long distance relationship the second time around.

-For now this is listed as the final chapter BUT I will be adding 2 more bonus chapters (1 about Hansol and Seungkwan handling some long distance communication, and another with the proposal)

THANK YOU to all of you. Please know that they all ended up very happy!

(I actually had thoughts about a sequel to this where Seungkwan and Hansol talk about having kids, but I think I need a break from this universe lol. The struggle has been real)

Chapter 137: BONUS: Managing the Distance

Summary:

With Hansol away in another country, he and Seungkwan work hard on their communication.

Notes:

Here is BONUS number 1! It's mostly just a few snippets of times when they made sure to TALK about things and I hope it shows that they've learned to communicate better than before! I think it's clear but this takes place before the wedding, lol. It's when Hansol is away.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan mindlessly swirled his straw around his half-empty cup of Iced Americano, making the cubes of ice dance. On the table the screen of his phone lit up with an incoming message notification. He sighed, picked up his phone and swiped his thumb over his code with the trained smoothness of someone who did this countless times a day.

"Everything all right?" Mingyu asked from across the table. "You look a little upset."

"I'm not upset," Seungkwan replied without looking up as he typed a quick ' looks good!' to Hansol's picture of the snack he was apparently eating as he worked on an assignment. "It's just… Do you think it’s a bad idea if I tell Hansol he can go a little easier on the amount of messages he sends me?”

“Yes. That sounds like a horrible idea. Why?”

“He’s trying. Really hard. But he sends me pictures of his breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Every day. Even snacks sometimes!” —he held up his phone to show the most recent picture and placed it face down on the table—“It was sweet at first and made me feel like part of his day, but there are only so many ways I can react to him eating toast, you know.”

“Is it annoying enough to risk a fight over? Not to mention hurting his feelings. Maybe he really likes sharing those things with you.”

“Maybe… but I kind of doubt it. He’s never cared about taking pictures of food or anything like that. What if he’s only doing it because he thinks it’s what I want. But it’s only been three weeks and I don’t want to make him feel like I don’t appreciate his efforts.”

“Right. It’s only been three weeks. I’m sure he’ll tone it down soon enough.”

“But seriously, Gyu. I’m starting to run out of storage!”

Mingyu chuckled. “Oh, come on. It can’t be that bad! How much does he eat in a day?”

“It’s not just the food. He shows me what he wears, pictures of where he went that day—even if it’s just a lecture hall—random stuff he sees, and the list goes on. He has even sent me a few pictures of when he washed the dishes!”

“Okay, I take it back. Maybe you should talk to him about this or you’ll both go crazy.”

* * *

When Seungkwan returned home he was greeted by Jihoon lounging on their sofa while Seungcheol was preparing some sort of food in the kitchen. He noticed a package next to the door addressed to him. He picked it up and looked at the label. It was from Hansol.

“There’s a package for you,” Jihoon mumbled without looking up from his phone.

“Yeah, I’ve got it. I’ll be in my room.”

He carried the box to his room and closed the door. He was almost sure Hansol wouldn’t send him anything weird or embarrassing but he felt more comfortable opening an unexpected package from his boyfriend in privacy.  

He opened the package and the first thing he saw was a postcard of a cartoon red panda and a polar bear holding hands. A slightly weird combination to be honest, but they looked ridiculously cute together. He turned the card over and found his boyfriend was still a man of few words.

Hope you like some of this stuff. Love you.

P.S. You’re the panda

Seungkwan chuckled and looked at the front of the card again. He stood up and placed it on his desk before checking out what else was inside. Most of the things in the package were snacks that you couldn’t get here, but at the bottom of the box was another item. 

Seungkwan pulled the T-shirt out and recognized it instantly. It was one of Hansol’s. There was a small sticky note attached to it.

Sweet dreams, Boo Seungkwan

Seungkwan pressed it to his nose and inhaled deeply. As he had hoped it smelled like him. He had asked Hansol for a shirt to sleep in before he had left and had found comfort on the first night alone, but the smell was gone quickly and, of course, at some point he’d had to wash it. He was glad to have a new one to satisfy his Hansol fix, even if only for a little while.

He looked at the clock and decided to take a bath before it was time for his video call with Hansol.

<>

“I got your package,” Seungkwan said and pulled at the shirt he was wearing so Hansol could see it better. “Thank you. I haven’t tried any of the snacks yet, but I’m sure I’ll love them. The card was really cute, too.”

“I’m glad it arrived safely and that you liked it. But don’t even think about sending me something, okay?”

“Why not?”

“Because it was my turn to do something nice.”

“Hansol…”

Honesty and not stuffing away what you’re feeling just because the other person might not like what you have to say. That was what he was expecting from Hansol, so he should give him the same in return.

“I need to talk to you about something and I don’t want you to take it in a bad way.”

“Okay,” Hansol said dryly, but he sat up straighter in his chair and Seungkwan could see the uncertainty spreading across his face.

“It’s about the messages you send me all day. It’s… kind of a lot. I was thinking that maybe you don’t have to send so many?”

“Oh. Okay.”

“It’s not that I don’t enjoy hearing about your day! I do. And I really appreciate that you’re trying this hard, but—”

“Seungkwan. I said okay. I know I’ve been going a little hard because I was missing you so much and I want to make you happy, but it’s getting a bit much for me too.”

“Really? You’re not just saying that? I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.”

“No, it’s fine. Don’t get me wrong, I do want to share stuff with you, but I guess I’m still adjusting and figuring out what to send. And how much.”

“Send me whatever you feel like sharing—stuff you actually want me to know about or react to—but don’t share stuff just to share it. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah, I think so. And, also, if I share everything with you during the day we’ll end up with less to talk about during our calls.”

“Right.”

“Although I suppose we could give video sex another go.”

 

{ a few weeks until Hansol’s return} 

 

“Seungkwan?” Seungcheol asked one evening after Seungkwan got home after an afternoon class, “Have you and Hansol discussed whether or not you’re going to move in together when he gets back?”

“Hm? Oh, no, not yet.”

“Are you, uh, going to?”

“Are you looking to get rid of me?”

“No! It’s just that Jihoon kind of asked about it and I kind of got the feeling that he was asking because he’s interested in your room.”

“You mean he’s interested in living in the same place as you. You know, I’m not sure I can do that to Chan. He’s still traumatized from the time he walked in on you guys. But I’ll think about it and talk to Hansol and I’ll let you know, okay?”

“Okay. And Seungkwan? There’s no pressure to decide to move in together. I don’t want you to force anything just because of us.”

Seungkwan nodded. But he kind of wished Seungcheol hadn’t brought it up at all. He had tried to focus on their relationship in the now and hadn’t thought much about what would happen when Hansol came back. Hansol hadn’t brought it up either. But, realistically, it was a conversation they needed to have. There were only a few weeks left before Hansol was due to return and as much as he was looking forward to it, he knew they had to know where they were at.

Before that, however, he’d need to figure out for himself how he felt about them possibly moving in together.

He went back to his room and opened his laptop. He sighed. Even if they did decide to move in together, it wasn’t so easy to find a place, was it? He decided to do a quick search for apartments in the area. Just to look.

Hours went by and he was still at it. Except now he had countless tabs open of apartments he thought were nice, furniture stores, budget moving companies, and bank information about how to open up a joint account.

He stared at this screen for a moment. Then he took out his phone and messaged Hansol.

Time to talk?

Almost immediately his boyfriend replied and not a minute later he was on video call.

“You’re not busy?” Seungkwan asked.

“Nope, not really. Just thought about watching a movie just now, but that can wait.”

“Oh, okay,” Seungkwan replied, suddenly a little nervous to broach the subject of moving in together now that he knew what he wanted.

“Did you just want to talk or is something wrong?”

“No, no, nothing is wrong.”

“Okay. Good. So, what’s going on with you?”

“Not much. I’ve just been looking at some… websites.”

Hansol frowned a little. “What? Is our video sexlife not enough for you?”

“What!? Oh my— Hansol! Not those types of websites! And even if I was, there’s nothing wrong with that! Everybody does it! You do it!”

“I don’t, actually.” He chuckled and his frown melted away. “But it’s good to know that you do. What kind of stuff do you watch?”

“Hansol! I was not looking at porn! And don’t lie to me! Everybody looks at those kinds of things sometimes!”

“I really don’t. I’m just not really interested in watching people I don’t know have sex. Don’t forget I have those pictures of you and a good imagination.”

“Now you’re making me look bad! And I wasn’t even— I didn’t call to talk about this! I was just looking at apartments and stuff and I want us to move in together!”

Hansol's face went blank. “Oh.” He sat up straighter. “Really?”

“Did you change your mind? When you suggested it you made it sound like it was all up to me, but it’s okay if you feel like it’s too soon now.”

It wasn’t okay. Rationally Seungkwan knew that it was perfectly fine if Hansol had changed his mind and that it would be better if he would be honest about it if he had. Despite their long history, they hadn’t been able to spend all that much time together—in person—since getting back together. It would be completely normal if either one of them thought moving in was too soon. But as rational as he wanted to be, Seungkwan’s emotions were stronger in this case. He wanted to move in with Hansol and he would feel hurt and sad if he no longer wanted to.

“No! I haven’t changed my mind. Seungkwan, I’d love to move in with you. Like, seriously.”

Seungkwan sighed a sigh of relief. “Okay, good.”

“You weren’t worried about that, were you? There’s no way I’d change my mind about that.”

“No, no. Of course I wasn’t worried,” Seungkwan said, probably not very convincing. “But, okay, so, here’s what I was thinking. I’ll look up some places that look good and then when you get back we can go look at them together. If we do it like that, we won’t be moving in together right away, but still pretty quickly. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, of course. Sounds good. I’m really glad you brought it up to be honest. I’d been thinking about bringing it up myself since it’s only a few weeks until I get back now, but I didn’t want to put any pressure on you.”

“Thank you. That’s sweet.”

“One thing though. You said you’ll look up places, but don’t think you have to do everything by yourself. I have the Internet too. We can both look up stuff.”

“It’s not a hassle?”

“Seungkwan, I’m excited about this. I want to look up places for us to live. Yeah, finding a place and moving and what not is a hassle, but it’s a hassle I’d like us to handle together.”

Seungkwan smiled.

“Me too.”

Notes:

- They did move in together and Jihoon moved in with Seungcheol and Chan (but he almost never slept in his own bed... He gave Chan noise cancelling headphones for his birthday)

Chapter 138: BONUS: The Proposal

Summary:

Boo Seungkwan gets proposed to. Sort of twice.

Notes:

!! I posted this right after I posted the other bonus! As it is a bonus chapter, it's not necessary to read that one for this, but if you want please check it out!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Seungkwan scoffed at the main character of the movie making a stupid decision. “What an idiot,” he mumbled and looked to the side to see if Hansol agreed. It was hard to tell if he did or not because he was just staring at him. “Right?”

Hansol seemed to snap out of it but he clearly hadn’t registered anything Seungkwan had said. “What?” he asked.

Seungkwan sighed and smiled. “Nothing. I was just saying how this man is an idiot.”

“Oh. What did he do?”

“Are you even watching the movie?” Seungkwan chuckled.

“Sorry. I was a little distracted.”

“By?”

“You.”

"I wasn't even doing anything."

With a smile and a slight blush on his face Seungkwan returned his eyes to the screen, but he took Hansol’s hand and scooted just a little closer still.

"Let's get married," Hansol said, eyes still firmly fixed on Seungkwan’s face.

Seungkwan picked up the remote and pressed pause. He inhaled deeply. "Chwe Hansol, you are not proposing to me randomly without thinking while we're watching some movie that isn't even that good, are you?"

He turned to stare at him with a piercing glare, hoping that his boyfriend understood that this was not what he had in mind when it came to proposals. He knew Hansol and he knew better than to expect some grand loud gesture with a lot of bells and whistles, but he wanted some thought behind it at least.

"Um…"

"You're better not. When you randomly blurted out you were in love with me that was a cute awkward teen moment. A marriage proposal is different."

"Okay, okay. I'm not proposing."

If Hansol had been distracted earlier then Seungkwan surely was now. His heart was pounding and absolutely nothing that was happening in the movie had a change of getting into his brain after that. He sat there quietly, still holding Hansol’s hand.

"But…” he started, “... you are going to or...?"

"Oh no, you can't have your cake and eat it too! Now you'll just have to wait and see."

* * * 

On the rare occasions when parents were really in a bind the nursery school Seungkwan worked at opened on Saturdays. Seungkwan usually didn’t mind coming in on those days as there were fewer kids to look after and there was a little extra pay. So that day as well, it was no surprise that he had agreed to come in.

He, however, was surprised to find that he was the first one there. While never late, he was never the first one to arrive either.

Before he had gotten into the office to put away his bag he noticed something on the wall at the beginning of the hallway. It was a picture of himself as a baby, only a few months old. Was there some teacher childhood photo event he didn't know about? How had they even gotten it? Confused, he looked around the hall to see if there were more pictures. And then he noticed the line of pictures on both sides. He looked at the baby picture opposite his own. He hadn't seen this photo before but he recognized him right away. Baby Hansol.

As he walked down the hall the children in the pictures grew older; Seungkwan on one side, Hansol on the other. They became toddlers, teens, adults. He stopped once he reached the closed door of the classroom at the end. There was a note on it.

Go inside

With his heart pounding out of his chest he opened the door. He had to give it to Hansol. Despite Seungkwan being on the lookout for a proposal since that night where he sort of already did, he hadn't seen this coming.

There was a path of rose petals leading to the center of the room, lit up by countless fairy lights (Seungkwan couldn't help but feel that Hansol had enlisted Mingyu's help here). But there was no sign of Hansol. Not knowing what else to do, Seungkwan slowly walked to the center of the room. When he got there he could see the back of the room more clearly and saw a figure crouched down against the wall.

“Mingyu?” Seungkwan asked, squinting his eyes against the light. “Is that you? Where’s Hansol?”

“Shhh,” Mingyu hissed. “I’m not here.”

“I can see you.”

Mingyu didn’t respond and Seungkwan was about to lose his patience when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and there he was. In a suit and everything. 

“You startled me,” Seungkwan said softly.

“Sorry,” Hansol replied with an equally small voice. “I didn’t want to risk blurting stuff out again the moment you stepped into the room, so I thought this would be better.”

“Oh.”

Hansol took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving Seungkwan’s face. “I’ve never really done this before, so I’m a little nervous.”

(If he hadn’t been busy lovingly staring at Hansol’s face and trying not to cry, Seungkwan might have reminded him of the failed couch proposal.)

“But I’ve done a lot of things with you that I had never done before,” Hansol continued, “Before you I had never been in love, I had never kissed anyone, I had never confessed my feelings, and I didn’t know how intense and all-consuming love can be. You are my first love, my only love, and now I’m hoping that you’ll agree to be my last so that we can continue to have firsts together and build a future that is better than anything either of us could have imagined.”

Hansol sank down on one knee and Seungkwan covered his mouth with his hand to conceal a small gasp. Hansol pulled a little box out of his pants' pocket and opened it to reveal an engagement ring. "Boo Seungkwan, will you marry me?"

In the few seconds that it took for Seungkwan to remember that it was his turn to say something, Hansol’s face contorted with nerves and seriousness and looked like he was about to throw up as if there was any other possibility than what Seungkwan said next.

“Yes. Yes, Hansol, of course I’ll marry you.”

With the biggest grin his face muscles allowed, Hansol took the ring out of the box and placed it on Seungkwan’s left ring finger. As soon as it was on he was pulled up by his new fiance and wrapped in a hug.

Hansol let his hands slide down to Seungkwan’s hips and he kissed him gently.

“We should go outside,” he said. “Everybody is waiting.”

“Everybody?” Seungkwan asked. “The kids?”

Hansol chuckled, “No, not the kids. You’re not actually working today.”

He took Seungkwan by the hand and started walking towards the doors that led to the nursery’s outside area. 

Seungkwan jumped when Mingyu was suddenly there to open the curtains. The second Hansol had tapped on his shoulder he had forgotten he had been there.

“W-we’re engaged,” he said sheepishly.

Mingyu nodded with a big grin on his face as he pushed open the doors.

When they stepped outside they were bombarded with applause and cheers. Seungkwan looked around in full surprise and saw his parents, Hansol’s parents, their siblings, their friends, and even some of his co-workers.

“W-what’s all this?”

“I thought you might want to celebrate and, you know, this way everybody knows right away,” Hansol explained. “Of course it would have been really awkward if you had said no.”

Seungkwan shoved his shoulder. “Like I would have said no.”

“You did the first time,” Hansol joked.

“That was not a proposal!” Seungkwan shot back, but he laughed and squeezed his hand.

As they got congratulated left and right by their loved ones and asked to share the story of how exactly the proposal had gone, Seungkwan felt like he was walking on clouds, hovering in a daze of happiness with Hansol by his side.

Notes:

The amount of times I rewrote the way he proposed... I had a hard time figuring out how one proposes marriage to Boo Seungkwan. But I think Hansol pulled it of nicely in the end (I think his spontaneous one was more 'him', but he was more than happy to put a little more effort in it for the love of his life. He just wasn't thinking before. He thought it and just said it, lol)

Vernon's show where he drinks cocktails and mentioned how he's had the peach flavor before because Seungkwan likes it ALMOST made me want to write their honeymoon, but... this is it. I have to end it here for my own sanity.

A final BIG thank you to all of you who made it to the end! (p.s. I've locked the doors but you can still find me on the bird app (it will always be the bird app) @ Llama_Cow )