Chapter Text
[14:43]
Me : so what if we met up?
Riki would be lying if he said sending that message did make his stomach turn to knots. It was a normal Saturday afternoon, and he was hanging out with Heeseung, wasting time and procrastinating the tutoring his hyung had offered.
“Hyung”, he said, letting out a breath.
Heeseung looked up at him from where he was resting over a comic book on the small table they were seated around, situated in the middle of the room.
Heeseung hummed at him, and Riki took a deep breath.
“I asked Sunoo hyung if he wanted to meet up”.
Heeseung’s eyes widened, and he closed the book, a smile forming on his lips.
“Yeah?” Riki nodded, and the smile widened. “Wow, didn’t know you had it in you, Riki!”
Riki felt his face grow slightly hot, but he couldn’t help the small satisfied smile.
“Mhm, I hope he says yes”, Riki responded, looking down at his phone. He hoped Sunoo saw his message soon, and that he wanted to meet him as well.
He locked his phone, putting it beside him on the table. He took a deep breath.
“Okay, waiting for Sunoo hyung makes me nervous. Distract me with algebra please, hyung!”
Heeseung laughed, and put the comic he had been reading aside, picking out his book for the tutoring.
“Let’s go, Riki-ya”.
***
Sunoo was laying on his bed, scrolling through Pinterest for fashion inspiration, when he got a notification from Riki. The last the younger had said was how he would be offline for a few hours due to tutoring, so it surprised him getting a message. Even more so, when he saw the content of said message.
[14:43]
nikikitty : so what if we met up?
Sunoo almost dropped his phone on his face.
When his fingers managed to strengthen their grip on the phone, avoiding a mark on his forehead, thanks very much, he yet again just stared at the notification.
Riki wanted to meet him.
By now they had talked for a bit over a month, and Sunoo thought it was safe to say that he really, really had the hots for the other boy. And he thought that Riki genuinely liked him back. Was this confirmation?
Without any delay, he left the app he had scrolled through, and went to his contacts. He clicked on one of them, and made a call.
After a few seconds, the call connected.
“ Hi, hyung! What’s up? ”
Sunoo let out a shaky breath, bracing himself.
“So, I may or may not have kept something from you, Wonie”.
Jungwon paused on the phone, and then he heard the sound of Jungwon saying something in the background to someone. After a few moments, his friend came back.
“Sorry, I was with my grandma, but I’m alone now. What do you mean?”
Sunoo swallowed. God, he should’ve said something earlier.
“So…”, he started. Sunoo rolled over on his stomach, inhaling and exhaling once, and then continued. “I’m actually talking to this guy right now, and-”
Jungwon gasped through the line, interrupting him.
“ So that’s what you’ve been so sneaky about on your phone! I thought you had made an Only Fans or something ”.
Sunoo almost choked.
“Wh- ‘ an Only Fans ' - Wonie, what the fuck- no?!”
Jungwon laughed.
“ Well, you were being so secretive! How was I supposed to know? ”
Sunoo gritted his teeth, groaning.
“Well, why would your first thought be that I became a camboy, Wonie? Like, hello?”
Jungwon let out another laugh.
“ Sorry, sorry ”, he then paused. “ Oh, you met a guy? ”
Sunoo swallowed, humming.
“Yeah… and he wants to meet up…”
Jungwon let out a gasp.
“ How long have you been talking? What does he look like? Where does he live? You’re sure he’s not a catfish? ”
Sunoo hummed again, lifting one of his hands and inspecting his nails. He needed to trim them.
“We’ve been talking for almost one and a half month now. He goes to a school in the next city, and… despite being really, really handsome, yeah, I’m very sure he’s legit”. Sunoo let out a sigh, scrunching his eyes closed. “He says he is over 185 centimetres, Wonie”.
Jungwon let out a few oh ’s and ah ’s during Sunoo’s explanation. His voice was light when he spoke.
“ And? Do you want to meet him? ”
Sunoo sighed, rolling over on his back yet again.
“… Yeah”. He sighed again. “I think I really like him, Wonie”.
Jungwon let out a cooing sound.
“ Aw, that’s so cute, hyung ”.
Sunoo swallowed.
“You’re not mad at me for not telling you earlier?”
He heard his friend let out a chuckle.
“ Nah, I mean I figured that if it was something going on, you’d tell me sooner or later. But so, he asked to meet up? What’s his name, by the way? ”
Sunoo’s lips formed a smile, relieved and giddy.
“Riki. Yeah, he messaged me, asking about meeting up”.
Jungwon hummed.
“ What did you respond, then? ”
Sunoo blinked.
“Uh”, he said. “I haven’t replied. I called you instead”.
Jungwon groaned, but his voice sounded amused.
“ Tell him you want to, then, hyung. And if you feel unsure, I could always go with you, hm? ”
Sunoo let out a breath.
“You’re right, I should. And that would actually be great. Thank you, Wonie”.
Jungwon hummed through the line.
“I’ll get back to my grandma, but keep me updated, okay?”
Sunoo smiled.
“I will. And say hi to her from me!”
Jungwon replied, saying he would, before they hung up. Sunoo let out a breath as he lowered his phone from his ear. Telling Jungwon went better than he had thought.
He turned his attention to the phone in his hand, and checked the notification. The message from Riki shone back at him. With his heart beating in his chest, he clicked on it and immediately typed in a reply. Taking another deep breath, he clicked send.
[14:55]
Me : I’d like that 🥺
***
Riki was grateful for his friends. Even when they were being loud little shits, going between belting out the lyrics to EXO’s “Call Me Baby” and poking fun at him in the car. Not even Heeseung, behind the wheel of his dad’s car, spared him the teasing. Yeah, they were annoying as hell, but they also distracted Riki from being too nervous. Because he was finally going to meet Sunoo.
It was exactly one week since he had asked the question, and even though he didn’t think Sunoo would refuse, it still felt like a weight was picked from his chest when the elder did agree. He was so excited, but also nervous. He couldn’t believe they were gonna meet up. He couldn’t believe someone he hadn’t even known for two months had become this important to him.
When they reached the destination, a parking lot outside of a big mall, Riki thought he would die. He was so nervous. Nothing could compare to what he was feeling in this moment.
Heeseung turned of the car, and turned to him in the passenger seat. His friends had grown quiet too.
“Are you okay, Riki-ya? You ready for this?”
Riki swallowed, and then tried a weak smile.
“Ready as I’ll ever be”.
Jay spoke from the backseat.
“We’re with you, if anything happens we’ll come for you”.
Jake nodded from his seat next to Jay.
“Definitely, that’s why we’re here”.
Sunghoon hummed.
”Speak for yourselves, I’m here to see our Riki-ya make a fool out of himself”.
Jay let out a barking laugh at that, and Riki rolled his eyes.
“Well, I won’t let your wish come true, Hoonie hyung”.
Sunghoon let out a snort, and Heeseung spoke.
“Well, well. Shall we go?”
Riki, feeling a bit better, nodded and they stepped out of the car.
When Riki entered the mall they had set as their meeting spot, his heart was pounding in his chest. His friends were close behind him, and it was a comfort.
“Where is he?”, Sunghoon said to his side.
Riki swallowed.
“He said he’s with his friend, by the escalators that should be in the centre of the mall”.
They continued their walk, going past different stores. He heard Heeseung tell Jake they should go to a gaming store they just passed by, but Riki wasn’t really listening. He thought he was most likely getting closer to where Sunoo would be waiting.
Passing a corner, another clothing store, Riki was met with an area that had a cafe in the middle, positioned right next to a set of stairs and escalators leading up to the second floor.
“Oh, god”, slipped through his lips.
It caught the attention of his hyungs.
“Do you see him? Where?”, Jay said, looking around.
Riki was about to open his mouth, respond that he hadn’t seen him yet, when Sunghoon interrupted him.
“Isn’t that him and his friend? Standing by the wall next to the stairway?”
Riki blinked, and moved his gaze immediately to where his hyung had pointed. And his breath got stuck. Yeah, it was a bit too far away to make out details, but that had got to be Kim Sunoo. Pale skin, dark hair, seemingly checking his reflection and talking to his friend. A light blue shirt, making him look soft and approachable. Riki’s heart sped up.
“Yeah”, he simply said. “That’s him”.
He nodded at his hyungs, who all smiled back at him. They would part with him here, and they would meet up again by the time they all would go home. He smiled back at them, and turned towards the boy he now knew must be Kim Sunoo. With a bated breath, he started making his way over.
***
“Wonie, I will throw up”.
“No, hyung, you won’t”.
“I will literally faint”.
Jungwon let out a sigh, staring at his hyung who wouldn’t stop checking himself in his camera app. A real drama queen. Jungwon had to fight the urge to smack his hyung on his head. He couldn’t do that. He had worked hard on helping Sunoo style his hair, after all.
“Stop being dramatic! It’ll turn out okay, and if he’s weird just text me and we can escape!”
Sunoo grimaced, before pouting.
“But what if-“
A low voice interrupted him.
“Kim Sunoo?”
Both of them turned around. Jungwon had to raise his gaze before meeting the eyes of the person who had come up to them. Wow, he was tall . Jungwon stared at the kid in front of them, he had brown bangs falling over his eyes, and he looked to be a foreigner. He was wearing a black hoodie underneath a leather jacket. He was handsome. Jungwon then blinked. Wait, was this…
“Riki-ya!”
Sunoo’s high-pitched voice confirmed it for him. Jungwon looked at his friend, and he had a wide, silly smile on his face, pale cheeks slightly flushed. Jungwon had to refrain from letting out a snort. His hyung was easy to read.
He heaved up the backpack he had put against the ground, catching the attention of the two boys who were currently staring at each other.
“Well”, he said, putting the bag on his back. “I’ll get going then, hyung. If you need me, I’ll be at the library across the street”.
He smiled at Sunoo, before turning to the tall boy who finally seemed to notice him. He smiled at him.
“Nice to meet you, Riki. I’m Yang Jungwon”, he paused, and then spoke again. “I’ve heard lots and lots about you”.
Sunoo let out a flustered ‘ hey! ’ at that, and Jungwon chuckled, before putting his hand up and waving at both of them, and then he started walking towards the exit. He sure hoped the meeting would go well, and that Sunoo wouldn’t call him in thirty minutes. He really needed to work on his school assignments.
***
Sunoo glared after his friend’s back, before turning back to Riki, biting his lip.
“I haven’t talked lots and lots about you…”, he grumbled, face red. Just a little bit. Not enough to be considered ‘lots and lots’, at least!
Riki chuckled.
“Well”, he said. His voice was dark and nice to listen to. “I’ve talked about you ‘lots and lots’ to my hyungs, so”.
Sunoo felt his face grow, if possibly, even redder in seconds. He lifted his hands, putting them over his cheeks to hide it. Looking up at Riki through his dark bangs, he could immediately tell he wasn’t doing a very good job at hiding it.
Still, even as he felt shy and embarrassed, when Riki smiled at him, a beautiful and wide smile, he couldn’t help but smile back. His heart felt light in his chest.
Still, he was Kim Sunoo.
“Don’t tease your elders, kiddo”.
Riki laughed at that, and Sunoo let go of his face. Riki smiled widely, as he responded.
“I never would, Sunoo hyung”.
Sunoo beamed back at him, happy to have been able to make the taller boy laugh. It felt easy and comfortable and he was so, so happy they had finally met.
“Well, let’s go eat and drink somewhere? This café right next to us is nice”.
Riki nodded, smiling.
“Sounds great, hyung”.
***
Riki’s friends stayed by the spot Riki had left them until they could see that things were going well. They saw how their younger friend made his way over, stopping in front of the two boys. After a couple of moments, Kim Sunoo’s friend left with a wave, moving the direction they were standing in. They saw Riki say something, causing the shorter boy to put his hands on his face, and it made Jake chuckle.
“Wow, I wonder what he said?”
Sunghoon nodded.
“Seems like he’s got it under control”.
Jay laughed.
“Disappointed?”
Sunghoon rolled his eyes at him.
”Moron”.
The kid who had been waiting with Kim Sunoo reached them, and Heeseung spoke to him.
“Hi”, he said, causing the shorter male to come to a stop. “Are you a friend of Kim Sunoo’s? We’re Riki’s friends”.
The boy blinked, and then nodded with a smile. He had dimples. The boy glanced over his shoulders, looking at the two who had now moved over to the café next to where they had met, and then spoke.
“I’m Yang Jungwon”, he said.
Heeseung smiled.
“I’m Lee Heeseung”, he said.
The rest of his friends walked closer to him, and Sunghoon introduced himself too.
“I’m Park Sunghoon”.
Jake spoke too.
“Sim Jaeyun, but most call me Jake”.
Jay nodded.
“Park Jongseong, or just Jay”.
The boy, Jungwon, laughed.
“I might or might not remember your names, but I’ll try. You’ll have to bear with me asking again. Especially since it seems my hyung and your friend hit it off pretty well”.
The boy smiled again, and continued.
“I’m on my way to the library, I need to work on some assignments, but it was nice meeting you guys”.
Heeseung smiled back at him, and Jay spoke.
“I’m sure we’ll meet again”.
Jungwon laughed, nodding.
“Goodbye for now, then”.
He smiled another wide grin at them, and then started walking again.
Sunghoon hummed.
“He looked like a little cat, didn’t he?”
Jake laughed.
“I thought so too!”
Heeseung hummed, casting one last glance at Riki and Kim Sunoo, the two were sitting at a table, chatting. He smiled at the sight, and then turned to his friends.
“Let’s go check the stores”.
***
It was confirmed, Riki thought. Kim Sunoo was the prettiest person he had ever seen. He was easy to talk to, and his reactions to things were amusing. He was so happy they had met up. This crush he had on his hyung, he could feel it blossom into something bigger just by watching the pretty boy eat the cake he had bought, letting out happy sounds as he ate small bits of it. Even the whipped cream that was smudged on his upper lip was lovely.
Kim Sunoo talked a lot, and Riki was happy to listen. No matter what the topic was, he’d listen to every since word that came out of those pretty lips.
He was so lost, that eventually Sunoo asked him.
“You didn’t like the cake?”
Riki blinked, looking down at the piece of apple pie he had purchased. He had only taken one spoon of it, and then he had forgotten about it.
He let out a flustered chuckle.
“No, it’s good”.
For good measure, he picked up his spoon, and took a bit of it. It was good. Sweet.
Sunoo raised an eyebrow at him, having pretty much finished his own piece of chocolate cake. Riki swallowed the dessert he had in his mouth, and then spoke.
“I suppose I got lost when staring at something even sweeter”.
Sunoo blinked, looking confused, and then he got it. He groaned, hiding his mouth behind his palm. Riki did see a smile behind it though, and the elder looked pleased. He couldn’t help but laugh at it, as Sunoo rolled his eyes.
“You’re silly”, Sunoo said. But he was smiling.
Riki smiled back, now eating his cake again. He was silly, but it was okay. If it made Sunoo’s face grow flushed and his mouth to smile, then he would happily be silly.
As Sunoo went back to talking again, Riki couldn’t help but smile wide. After this, he thought, he would ask Sunoo if he wanted to be his boyfriend. Maybe it was fast, but he wanted nothing more than it. He would introduce Sunoo to his hyungs, and maybe he could befriend Yang Jungwon too.
Judging by the way Sunoo kept looking at him, smiling in return, he thought that Sunoo probably wouldn’t object.