Chapter Text
Comeback had been… draining. That was the easiest word for it, Hyeongjun decided. Along with their usual music shows and interviews, endless practise sessions and meetings, photoshoots and late nights at the company, Hyeongjun had gotten sick. He had Enteritis. Even though he had wished for a break, staying home was almost worse. He listened to the others talk without him, spent his time alone staring at a wall. He had barely seen Jooyeon since he started staying home.
Of course, the younger vistited every chance he got, bringing with him all kinds of snacks and treats, but it wasn't enough for Hyeongjun. He missed Jooyeon a lot.
He also missed performing. He missed the rush of standing on stage in front of Villains, the way he knew watching their show was the highlight of their day. He loved his fans, and he regretted being unable to see them.
It wasn't something he could change though. That was out of his power. He also knew Villains would much prefer he stayed home and got better than pushing himself to perform when he wasn't well. They really cared for him, and he cared for them just as much (more in his opinion, but he would never start that argument).
He lay on his bed, stairing at the roof. Hyeongjun was alone, as usual. He was feeling a bit better, well enough for the others not to worry when they left each morning. He still took medication twice a day, not much could be done about that, but he was feeling alright.
He heard the dorm's front door open, someone stepping inside. He didn't bother calling out, whoever it was already knew he was there.
The door to his bedroom clicked open a few seconds later, a familiar face peering around the corner. "Hey, Hyeongjun, how are you doing?" Jooyeon asked, smile soft.
The older flushed slightly, pushing himself into a sitting position - or as much of a sitting position he could manage in a bunk bed. "Pretty good. I feel a lot better." After a moments hesitation, Hyeongjun asked, "why are you here? Don't you have work?"
Jooyeon chuckled, the sound not unlike bells, bringing more heat to the older’s face. "I'm taking my lunch break here today. The others are all eating at the company, but I managed to slip away."
Hyeongjun’s lips parted and his eyes widened ever so slightly. Jooyeon thought he looked like a fish… an extremely cute fish. "You walked all the way here just for your lunch break? Why?"
Even though he expected this question, Jooyeon felt caught off guard. It was his turn to blush. He never liked blushing, but it was something he couldn't control around the older. "I…" he trailed off, suddenly feeling silly. "I figured we could call this our first date?" He said it like a question, raising the hand still behind the door to reveal a plastic bag of food and, to Hyeongjun’s surprise, a small bouquet of flowers. "It's not the best and I understand if you would rather wait until you feel better. I can’t even stay that long. Ah, sorry, this wasn't as good of an idea as I-"
"Don’t even finish that sentence!" Hyeongjun pushed himself out of bed, making his way across the room to the younger. "I love it," he felt like exploding just saying that, but it was true. He did love it a lot. He didn't really talk about it much - being closeted, he naturally tried to avoid any conversations revolving around dating or girls - but he had always wanted to go on a date like that. A date where he and his partner would just stay in and talk and eat nice food. He wasn't as keen on the idea of going somewhere busy with lots of people. Perhaps that was his introverted side talking?
To Hyeongjun, this was his perfect date idea. Of course Jooyeon, who the older would often describe to his light green diary as 'perfect', knew that.
"You do?" Jooyeon asked, the tips of his ears flushing from a perfect mixture of embarrassment and pride. "Then… well, let's sit down." He hesitated for a second, eyes flicking across the room. Hyeongjun and Gunil's bedroom was almost too small for the kind of 'picnic-style' lunch Jooyeon had planned. Recognising the look in the younger’s eyes, Hyeongjun tugged on his sleeve and guided him to his own bed. The older climbed up the ladder first, before taking the bag to let the younger follow.
The small yellow flowers were nestled between a few big green leaves. Holding them softly in his hands, Hyeongjun couldn't keep the smile off his face. "I didn't know which ones you would like," Jooyeon grunted as he settled across from the other. "These ones reminded me of you. They say yellow means happiness right? And you make me happy so…" He shrugged nonchalantly, busying himself with opening the food containers.
Hyeongjun’s jaw dropped, internally screaming. He paused, taking a second to collect himself before shakily asking what was for lunch. "Nothing too fancy," Jooyeon replied, "just a few things from the store. I got some sandwiches, a few donuts, and a couple of other snacks. Oh, and your favourite drink," he held the bottle out for Hyeongjun. The man just stared at it for a moment, eyes wide. The hesitation once again started to make the younger feel like he had made a mistake. "Sorry-"
He was cut off when the older surged forwards, throwing his arms around Jooyeon’s shoulders. "Thank you," he whispered, "I really love it."
Blushing at the contact, Jooyeon rubbed small circles on Hyeongjun’s back. "I'm glad you like it. One day I'll take you somewhere propper as a date, but I'm happy you're okay with this right now, even if it's small."
Sitting back, Hyeongjun pouted slightly as his eyebrows creased. (Adorable, Jooyeon noted.) "I like this. I prefer small dates like this to any big ones." He paused, running his fingers across one of the leaves. "I, uhm, actually have always dreamed of have a date like this with my boyfriend." His cheeks heated up at the comfession.
The smallest smirk curled onto Jooyeon’s lips. "We aren't boyfriends yet," he teased, eyes playful. "I mean, we could be, if you wanted to actually fulfil your dream."
It took Hyeongjun a good few seconds to actually process what the younger had said. Once he had, he choked on the air he had inhailed. "A-are you asking to be my boyfriend?"
Jooyeon enjoyed teasing the older. Even before their confession a month or so ago, teasing Hyeongjun had always been one of his favourite things. It was an easy way to get attention and leave a memorable impact on the other. "Do you want me to?"
The last thing he expected was for the older to say, "yes, I do," in full seriousness. It was Jooyeon’s turn to choke, eyes widening at the bluntness of the statement. The smile behind Hyeongjun’s eyes was the only way Jooyeon knew he was teasing him.
The last thing that he would ever do is to admit defeat when teasing another person. Jiseok in particular understood this quite well, the pair often teasing each other back and fourth for days at a time. So, he did the only thing he could think of. "Okay," he said, shrugging like it was nothing, "we're boyfriends then." Without missing a beat, Jooyeon leant forwards and planted a kiss on Hyeongjun’s cheek. Then, ignoring the violent blush undeniably present on his cheeks, the man went about unpacking the last of the food.
Hyeongjun let out a strangled noise. "What was that for?" he whined. "There was no reason."
Jooyeon could only shrug. He was enjoying himself way too much. "Felt like it. Now, here," he pushed a sandwich in the older’s direction, "eat this."
Hyeongjun took the sandwich, but didn't eat it right away. Instead he stared at it for a second. He looked as if he was gathering his thoughts. Then, the man sat up, taking a breath. He moved forwards, much slower than Jooyeon had moments ago. He stopped just more than an inch from the younger’s face. They were so close they could feel each other's breaths against their skin. Hyeongjun couldn't quite bring himself to make eye contact with the other man, his eyes staring intensely at Jooyeon’s cheeks, watching them grow warm.
The younger was startled when a sandwich was shoved roughly between his parted lips. He blinked in susprise, suddnely aware that Hyeongjun was no longer close to him. The man had leant back, focusing his attention to unwrapping another sandwich for himself, cheeks impossibly hot.
The younger chewed his bite of the sandwich before stairing at the older man again. "What…?" he didn't even have the mental capacity to finish his question. His brain was still caught up on the fact that Han Hyeongjun, who now his boyfriend, had almost kissed him.
The man shrugged, eyes trained on the sandwich in his hands. "F-felt like it," he parroted, taking the opportunity to tease the other, even if he himself was still struggling to process what just happened. He tried to drown out his thoughts by taking a bite.
A soft chuckle fell from Jooyeon’s lips. He exhaled and let himself smile, noting just how gone he really was for the man in front of him.