Chapter Text
The day of the winter dance
JAEHYUN
> what outfit looks best?
(JAEHYUN sent two photos)
> mom made me get 2 tuxes cause she said i should have a spare
> in case of anything
> like someone will dump a bottle of cola on me or something lol
> anyway they look the same to me tho
> what do you think
WOONHAK
> Idk theyre pretty similar
> Guess the 2nd one is better
> Cause the fabric looks softer right?
JAEHYUN
> wow
> you're right, it is softer
> how'd you see that from a photo lol
WOONHAK
> Haha
> Just a guess :)
JAEHYUN
> okay i'll take this one
> thx
WOONHAK
> Ur welcome!! :3
> Riwoo will love it haha
JAEHYUN
> lol he better will
> i look awesome
> too bad you can't come
WOONHAK
> Nah dw about me
> Ill have my own winter fance in a few years
> Dance*
> And you won't be invited so we'll be even hahah
JAEHYUN
> yeah right
> i’ll sneak in
> and watch over you all night so you don't do anything stupid
WOONHAK
> The more the merrier
> Btw I have dome good news
> Some*
> Im not going to america after all!!! :Ddd
JAEHYUN
> omg you're not?????
> that's great!!!
> we have to celebrate
> i'll take you out for ice cream tomorrow
> and i'll tell you all the details from tonight~ lol
> anyway how come though? did your mom change her mind?
WOONHAK
> Idk I guess she just thought it wouldnt make a difference
JAEHYUN
> it makes a difference to me <3
> anyway check it out
(JAEHYUN sent one photo)
> does my hair look gooooodddd????
WOONHAK
> Yess it looks awesome!!
> Brb I have to go, moms calling
> But have fun tonight tho!!!!
JAEHYUN
> thankssss
Jaehyun tosses the phone on his bed, going over to his mirror to retouch his makeup before he goes out. He's not in a real hurry yet, but he doesn't like being late either. Especially tonight — right now, it's extra important to be on time. He really needs to impress Riwoo.
Okay, maybe if he looks at it calmly, it's not that deep. This is their fourth date, so it's not like they don't know each other by now. They met the parents, everyone at school knows they're dating, they've done the whole thing. Tonight is just another date, but Jaehyun still wants it to go perfectly.
Every other date they've been on, they had so much fun Jaehyun almost couldn't believe this is a starting relationship. They match each other's energies, they have inside jokes, they talk about all kinds of stuff. It almost feels like they've been together for years and years.
He shouldn't be this nervous.
But it's just that this is his one and only actual winter dance, and the only one he'll spend with Riwoo. He wants to make this a magical night, not just for Riwoo but for himself, too. They both deserve it.
“Jaehyun, aren't you leaving?” His mom calls from downstairs, and Jaehyun checks the time again. He's still doing okay, but maybe he should hurry.
Before he leaves, he puts on some lip balm, then grabs his phone to text Riwoo he's on his way. But maybe he should've waited on that, because as soon as he goes to the living room and his mom sees him, she gasps, which tells he'll be here a while.
“Oh, my Jaehyunie, you look so beautiful!” She says, coming closer to take a better look. “Aish, look at those wrinkles, didn't you press your shirt before you put it on?”
“What wrinkles?” Jaehyun asks, looking down at his very wrinkle-free shirt. He pressed it three times, because he wanted it to be perfect — and it is.
“Look here, see,” his mom points just under the collar, and Jaehyun rushes to a mirror.
“Don't scare the poor kid,” Jaehyun’s dad says. “Jaehyun, you look perfect.”
“You sure?” Jaehyun asks, fixing a strand of hair on his forehead.
“Of course I'm sure. And if you don't leave soon, you'll be late,” his father says, most likely to save him some time; otherwise his mom would probably never let him go.
Jaehyun takes one last look at himself, then nods. Whatever he looks like, he can't be late.
He lingers here for a few more minutes, his mom forcing him to pose for pictures, and then his dad hands him the keys to his car. The car looks nice, too. Not that Riwoo hasn't seen it before, but it's still important that it's in top form today. Yesterday, Jaehyun spent almost two hours making sure it's all clean and ready to go, and right now it's flawless.
The drive to Riwoo's house is way shorter than Jaehyun would've liked. He gets there soon, which means there's nothing left to do but go up and meet Riwoo. He’s so nervous — he doesn't even know why — and he really wishes it would stop before he sweats through his suit.
He goes all the way to Riwoo's door, only to stop with his hand half-raised before he knocks, suddenly his legs feeling like jelly. And again, what's his problem?
He takes a deep breath, smoothing over his suit one last time, then gathers all his courage and knocks twice on the door.
It opens quickly, and suddenly Jaehyun blinks and he's face to face with Riwoo's dad. He takes a step back, not expecting to see him, even though what else could happen when you knock at a door?
“Hello, Mr Lee!” He chirps, remembering his manners.
“You finally decided to pick him up?” Riwoo's dad asks, his voice serious enough that it sends shivers down Jaehyun’s spine, but when he looks at him he sees he's grinning. “Come on, kid, your car's been in the driveway for five minutes.”
“Oh,” Jaehyun says, throwing a dirty look to the car, like it betrayed him or something. He gulps, seeing that Mr Lee is expecting some sort of response. “Ha ha.”
Mr Lee tsk's, opening the door wider for Jaehyun to go through. “Come in, Jaehyun. Riwoo is waiting in the living room.”
Jaehyun follows Mr Lee inside, walking as quietly as he can. Not that Riwoo's dad has even been mean to him — actually, ever since the beginning, he seemed almost as happy as Riwoo about the relationship — but Jaehyun still feels the need to be on his best behavior around him.
As soon as he enters the living room, the first thing he sees is just how gorgeous Riwoo looks. He's dressed in a fancy tuxedo much like Jaehyun’s, with a blue tie, and it's not like there's much going on. But he's beautiful, and today, he's shining.
“Wow, you're pretty,” he says, and Riwoo laughs.
“Thanks. You too.”
Jaehyun pats his cheeks to cool down his blush. He notices Riwoo's mom, and it's even more embarrassing, because he didn't know she was here too.
“Oh, hello, Mrs Lee,” he says quickly.
“Hi, Jaehyun. Look at you, you're so beautiful tonight! You look like you've come straight out of a fairytale.”
“Thank you!”
“Riwoo, didn't you have something for Jaehyun?” Mr Lee asks, and Riwoo lets out a ‘right!’, taking a large bouquet of wildflowers off the table, as his parents quietly leave the room. He holds them up to Jaehyun, saying shyly, “These are for you.”
“Oh!” Jaehyun says, and for a few moments he's speechless, taking in the beauty of the flowers. He's usually an emotional guy, so this doesn't say much — but he swears, he tears up a little.
He takes the flowers as gingerly as he can, looking from them to Riwoo. “They're so beautiful,” he says. Riwoo gives him a big, happy smile.
“I'm glad you like them. I picked them out myself. We also had some roses, but I thought these would be better.”
“I didn't get you anything,” Jaehyun confesses, guilty, but Riwoo waves it off.
“That's okay, you're driving me to the dance. Speaking of, shouldn't we leave?”
Jaehyun nods, but just before he starts to lead the way to the car, Riwoo grabs his hand. They've held hands countless times before, but it's still… wow. It's still so amazing that they're actually doing this stuff. It feels like Jaehyun’s had a crush on Riwoo for years and years, and no matter how long they've been dating, it's still not enough for the amazement to go away.
Before they leave, Riwoo's parents ask them to stay for pictures, and they even have to do all the cheesy couple poses: hold hands, back hugs, side hugs, the whole set. When they finally get inside the car, it seems like a thousand years have passed.
“You really do look great,” Jaehyun tells Riwoo, now a bit less shy that he's focusing on the road.
“Thanks. The shirt is Leehan's, actually. He came by yesterday.”
“Oh? It's nice. I say you steal it.”
“I don't think he'd mind that much.”
Jaehyun laughs, not sure whether Riwoo is joking or not. “What's Leehan doing, anyway? Does he have a date for the dance?”
“Nah. He wasn't so interested in it. He's staying home, he said he might meet a friend.”
“Oh. I guess it's not for everyone.”
“Yeah. But I'm glad I'm going, though. I was so happy when you asked me out.”
Jaehyun takes his eyes off the road just long enough to give Riwoo a smile. “You couldn't have been happier than me when you said yes.”
Riwoo laughs, holding out a hand. It's a bold move when they've been dating for so little, but Jaehyun loves the casualty, and how it's like an open invitation instead of something awkward. Things are so easy with Riwoo. Maybe that's their reward for how complicated it got before.
The school looks completely different when they get there. Jaehyun doesn't know who was in the party planning committee, but they sure did a great job. From the moment they step in, it's like a winter wonderland, not the place where they've had pop quizzes and dreadful math classes for the past few months.
The first thing they do is go get their picture taken, because, honestly, it's not a dance without the pictures. There's quite a line near the camera, but neither Jaehyun, nor Riwoo are in a hurry. The party will still be there in ten minutes; and anyway, Jaehyun is here just to hang out with Riwoo, in any shape and form.
“Oh, look,” Riwoo nudges him after a while, nodding towards the food table. “Isn't that Sungho?”
Jaehyun follows his look and yep, that's Sungho all right. He's hanging out with that tall dude Jaehyun always sees at the library, but neither of them looks so excited to be here.
Sungho meets his eyes and they kind of nod to each other. They've made peace now, so things are okay between them; but when Sungho smiles, it seems a little strained. Maybe his parents are still being jerks.
“Is everything okay with you two?” Riwoo asks, probably noticing how awkward Sungho and his friend are.
“Yeah, we're fine. I guess parties aren't their thing.”
“Hah. Who's forcing them to come, then?”
Jaehyun gives them another long look, but it doesn't go further than that. He and Riwoo are called to the front. They get their pictures taken for the nth time this evening, and after that, it's a free way to have fun.
Jaehyun holds out a hand to Riwoo, facing the rest of the party.
“Ready for the best night of your life, Mr Lee?”
“Why yes of course, Mr Myung!”
Jaehyun leads the way to the dance floor, hand in hand with his boyfriend. He meant it, what he said to Riwoo. Tonight will be the best night of their lives.