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Lee Daehwi is really good at being in denial.
The boy plays four instruments, speaks three languages, solves calculus problems in the blink of an eye, and manages to wrap his head around all of that fairly easily. One thing he cannot wrap his head around, refuses to wrap his head around is his big, gay crush on Bae Jinyoung.
Daehwi considers them friends, close friends at that. They don't ever really stop talking. Daehwi texts him in the morning when he wakes up, during and in between classes, before he goes to sleep; he subjects himself to Jinyoung's lame humor as much as possible and he doesn't even mind that the jokes are terrible. Jinyoung does that thing where he laughs so hard at his own jokes that his usual tiny smile stretches into a rectangle and the sight alone makes Daehwi long to kiss him.
They were actually set to hang out that day, but Daehwi's boss called him in for work. He wants to be a rebellious teenager and say "screw Youngmin!" but that would be a little cruel, even if he never found out about it. He and Donghyun don't usually go on dates, but Youngmin scored some tickets for some kind of cruise and insisted they go. It meant Daehwi would likely be working double shifts, but since he was getting paid for it, it didn't bother him that much. He was lucky Youngmin even gave him the job, given that he had no knowledge about flowers prior to his employment.
Daehwi, now an expert in flower meanings, care, and arrangements, finishes putting together a bouquet before he allows himself a deep sigh. He flops back onto his stool, picking up his copy of Drifting House. No sooner than he makes it through three lines, Woojin is bursting through the door of the tiny flower shop, rattling change in his hands obnoxiously.
Daehwi doesn't even look up from his book. "What do you want?"
Woojin huffs a laugh. "Is that how you talk to all of your paying customers?"
Daehwi sighs, placing his book down gently and offering Woojin his fake, yet somehow still charming, retail smile. "Hello, welcome to Hana Flower Shop! How may I help you?"
Woojin sips his drink before answering, "You can start by getting that fake smile off of your face."
Daehwi gasps dramatically, pressing his palm to his heart in mock offense. "You dare call this a fake smile?"
"You save your real ones for Jinyoung."
Daehwi groans at the response, and lays his forehead on the counter. "Don't ever say that around me again."
"It's true," Woojin insists, taking a seat on the counter, "Which reminds me, when are you going to ask him out?"
"We will not be talking about this. Forbidden question," Daehwi yawns.
"Daehwi-ah, I'm serious. I know you like him."
"But what am I supposed to do?" Daehwi finds himself whining. He jumps off of his stool to check on the flowers in the mini greenhouse. "Go up to him and say 'I have a big gay crush on you please reciprocate it?'"
Woojin seems more than a little amused at the younger's misery. "Yes, say exactly that."
Daehwi returns from his little walk around the shop and settles back onto his stool. "I don't even know if he likes boys."
A thought runs through Daehwi's head and he freezes. "What if he's dating Jihoon hyung?"
Woojin laughs at that. "Park Jihoon?"
Daehwi nods. "Pretty, good dancer, always doing cringey aegyo."
Woojin raises an eyebrow. "My boyfriend, Park Jihoon?"
Daehwi's muscles lock and he looks over at Woojin's broad smile. He slaps him on the arm repeatedly.
"Hyung, why didn't you tell me?"
Woojin raises his arms to deflect that attack. "Yah, stop hitting me! That's what I came here to tell you!"
Daehwi sips Woojin's drink until the elder stops looking so wounded. "I thought Jihoon was dating someone else though."
"Guanlinnie? He's my boyfriend too." Woojin says nonchalantly, grin growing ever wider as he thinks of his boyfriends.
"You have two people who agreed to date your stupid ass and I can't even find one person who likes me."
Woojin blinks. "I'll let that slide because I can see your frustration."
“I’m sorry, hyung,” Daehwi says, truly meaning it. “I’m just a little stressed out by this. I hate being gay.”
The snort that rips its way through Woojin is not at all quiet. “No you don’t. You love boys.”
Daehwi leans back on his stool, crossing his legs. “You’re right. I do. And I’m sorry about the comment.”
Woojin dismisses his apology with a wave of his hand. “It’s okay. Though I can’t believe I’m seeing the impeccable, well put together Lee Daehwi falling apart, over a boy.”
“When you put it like that, it’s embarrassing, hyung.”
Woojin stands to deposit his now empty drink container in this trash. “It’s embarrassing anyway I say it. And there are many people that like you, Daehwi. Daniel hyung is very fond of you. Jaehwan hyung too. I’m convinced he has a secret crush on you.”
Daehwi nearly falls over. “Don’t say things like that!”
Woojin, in his laughter at the reaction, trips over his own feet on his way back to the counter. He slams his chin on it, and it’s Daehwi’s turn to laugh as he prances around the small shop in pain. Woojin cups his chin in one hand, using the other to lean across the offending counter and slap his dongsaeng on the arm.
“What’s so good about Jinyoung anyway?”
Daehwi stops mid-laugh, and gapes as Woojin. “What kind of question is that?”
Woojin looks lost, so Daehwi starts rambling. “Hyung, he’s perfect. He’s so handsome and chic looking, but deep down he’s really warm and soft. And he’s really pretty when he smiles. He’s super kind too, and I know that sounds lame but he’s so polite and gentle to everyone he meets. He’s great with kids, he sucks with puppies but that’s something we can work on. He gets embarrassed and blushes easily, and his ears turn this adorable shade of red. His thighs are so muscular and perfect for sitting on—“
Woojin’s eyebrows jump up to hide behind his bangs. “Daehwi, you are a child—“
“—just so we can be close and he can wrap his arms around me. Just thinking about holding him makes me feel happy,” All of Daehwi’s words are coming out as or are accompanied by a sigh, and he’s wringing his hands together like he’s the leading actress in some kind of overacted drama, completely overrun with sorrow and fondness and other emotions of that nature. Woojin finds it just the slightest bit cute.
“He makes me really happy, hyung,” Daehwi whispers, eyes soft and voice softer, reverberating around the shop. “He colors my world. He’s basically my joy. I can’t express all of my feelings with words. Jinyoung hyung…he’s incredible. Ethereal. He’s—“
“—Walking in the direction of this store,” Woojin says abruptly, cutting off Daehwi’s lovesick monologue. Daehwi’s eyes widen in a way that would be comical if not for the sheer panic that is reflected in them.
“You’re kidding me,” Daehwi whimpers, hopes, all to no avail when he sees the familiar auburn head of his best friend bobbing down the sidewalk. Daehwi wants to hide. He does.
Daehwi drops down behind the counter, hoping that Jinyoung is planning on going to the chicken restaurant a few doors down. His eyes are shut tight, but it all means nothing when he hears the bell above the door ring once. He wants to scream, you told me you had homework to do but that would certainly blow his cover, so he doesn’t. Daehwi holds on the last, unlikely shred of hope that it’s a different customer but his sanity is shattered when he hears the familiar voice. He’s fucked.
“Woojin hyung?” Jinyoung asks, and Daehwi had completely forgotten that Woojin had nowhere to hide. Then it dawns on him that Woojin probably stayed visible so he could embarrass Daehwi as much as humanly possible. Double fucked. He groans internally.
Daehwi hears the smile in Woojin’s voice when he greets the younger. “Jinyoung, hey. What can I help you with?”
Jinyoung scratches his head and even Woojin has to admit that it’s cute. “Is Youngmin hyung here? Or, you know, an actual employee?”
“There is an employee here. Shall I fetch him?” Woojin asks, laying some foreign accent over the words in a way that’s supposed to be funny. No one laughs. Daehwi kind of wants to laugh at that though.
Daehwi guesses that Jinyoung asnwers nonverbally, because he doesn’t hear an answer before there is something falling from the counter. Apparently ruining other people’s possessions was Woojin’s way of summoning him. Daehwi barely catches Donghyun’s favorite flower pot in time.
“You’re an ass,” Daehwi grits out, still hidden.
“Language, Daehwi,” Woojin chides.
“Daehwi?”
Daehwi rises, and there Jinyoung stands, looking unfairly gentle in a baby blue sweater. Daehwi wants to punch him in the face. Or kiss him. Either works. So does both.
“What were you doing down there? I know you heard my voice,” Jinyoung questions, sounding a little bit hurt. Daehwi can’t stand it.
“I dropped a contact. I didn’t want to stand up and not be able to see your face,” Daehwi lies, and he thinks it goes rather smoothly until—
“Daehwi, you have 20/20 vision.”
Park Woojin is an ass. Daehwi doesn’t even have to glance over at him to see him smiling mischievously, and he immediately begins to make plans to murder his hyung.
Jinyoung, bless him, ignores their discourse. “Where’s Youngmin hyung?”
Daehwi raises a singular eyebrow. “He’s out right now. What’s up?”
Jinyoung stumbles back the slightest bit, as if he hadn’t been expecting that response. “O-oh,” he stutters, scratching his head. “I’ll just come back tomorrow then?”
Daehwi shakes his head, now thoroughly confused. “He’s going to be gone all week. Is it something I could help you with?”
“I’ll just come back next week then,” Jinyoung mumbles to himself, but it was still loud enough for Daehwi to hear. “Text me when he gets back, yeah?”
Then he turns on his heel and walks quickly towards the door. He was just going to leave. Just like that. No elaboration, no opportunity to help him. Just gone.
Daehwi is appalled.
But not appalled enough to let him slip away that easily. Daehwi clears his throat to get his hyung’s attention, but he keeps walking and Daehwi is about to lose him. He decides to make use of his clear throat.
“Bae Jinyoung!”
The elder finally stops, but the way he freezes mid step is like something out of a cartoon. Daehwi would have laughed were he not so annoyed. Jinyoung’s shoulders deflate like a week old helium balloon, and he turns back to his best friend with a shy smile on his face.
Even when Daehwi wants to strangle him, he’s still awed by the elder. It’s unfair.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
“Daehwi—”
“Are you not asking me because you think I don’t know? Why were you trying to run away so fast?”
“I wasn’t running,” Jinyoung mumurs quietly, eyes down. He looked like carbon copy of the Jinyoung Daehwi used to know, quiet and dissociative, and Daehwi didn’t like it one bit.
“Come on, hyung. I could probably answer your question.” Daehwi prods, convincing salesman smile switched on.
“What flowers do you give to tell someone you like them?”
Daehwi’s eyes nearly bulge out of his head. “Hyung, you…like someone?”
Jinyoung covers his face with his hands when Daehwi literally flings himself over the counter. He looks at the younger incredulously.
“You’re not supposed to do that.”
Daehwi hits his arm rather roughly. “Be quiet! And start talking!”
Woojin’s laughter sounds out across the store, and Daehwi is momentarily startled because he had forgotten anyone else was in there. Woojin’s voice sounded far away, and Daehwi figures he had probably found solace in one of the amaryllis aisles.
“He can only do one or the other, Daehwi-ah.”
Daehwi sighs, rolling his eyes because he knows Woojin can’t see him. Jinyoung bites back a smile at his behavior. Half a second later, Woojin returns to the front of the store, a singular pink tulip in his hand. Woojin opens his mouth to speak, but Daehwi beats him to it.
“Can you leave for a second, hyung? Please?”
Woojin grins, wiggling his eyebrows. “Where do you want me to go?”
“I don’t know, just not in this area. Go to the greenhouse or something,” Daehwi says, holding out his keys, an offering, a plea.
“Isn’t that a restricted, personnel only section of the store?”
“Yes.”
“Sweet!”
Woojin reaches for the keys, but before he grabs them, Daehwi pulls them back with a small pout on his lips. “If you break anything I will literally pull the bones out of your fingers with a rusty pair of pliers.”
Woojin snatches the blue keychain from the younger, huffing a dry laugh at his likely empty threat. “Daehwi, when have your pretty, flower-softened hands ever held a pair of pliers? A rusty pair at that?”
Daehwi folds his arms across his chest at the comment. “Get out. I have an interrogation to conduct.”
The eldest of the three raises his hands in surrender, then goes slinking to the side door that leads to the greenhouse. That leaves Jinyoung and Daehwi by themselves, and the younger can feel the nervousness radiating off of his hyung in waves. He decides to change his tactic. Daehwi, like a civilized human and not a rouge zoo animal, takes the short set of stairs back to his place behind the counter. He unwraps a lollipop and beckons Jinyoung closer.
Once Jinyoung’s leaned his forearms against the counter, Daehwi begins his calculated attack. “So what’s her name?”
Jinyoung rears back like he’s been slapped. “Her?”
Daehwi squints at him. “The person you like. Is it not a her?” He asks, voice raising at the end of his question due to his excitement.
Jinyoung makes a big deal out of rolling his eyes, and Daehwi is almost ecstatic at the friendly action. “Forget I said anything.”
“Wait, hyung, wait,” Daehwi pleads, his hands grasping each other, before Jinyoung can walk away and leave for real this time. “You don’t have to tell me who it is now. But I better find out tomorrow, when they say yes.”
Jinyoung scoffs at that. “What makes you think they would say yes?”
Daehwi’s features arrange themselves into something that closely resembles disbelief while he leaves the area behind the counter to start the flower searching. “Why wouldn’t they? Hyung, you’re so handsome.”
Jinyoung makes a sound with his mouth that’s both offended and flattered. “Yah, Daehwi, is that the only reason you like me? Because I’m handsome?”
Daehwi brushes his way past Jinyoung to lead him into the daisy aisle, panicking the tiniest bit when his back is turned to the older. He does put up a front after a few beats, tossing a nonchalant snort over his shoulder. “I mean, I like you for other reasons too, but I’m not going to stroke your ego any further. Everyone tells you that you’re handsome, no harm done.”
Daehwi plucks six white daisies from their display vases, wrapping the wet stems with a hand towel so they don’t drip onto the floor. He half expects the conversation to end there, to pick up when they’re actually looking each other in the face again, but that’s not Jinyoung’s style apparently.
“It means more when you say it.”
Daehwi ignores the way his heart speeds up while navigating the aisles to find a different flower. “Why is that?”
Jinyoung hums, seemingly thinking about how to word his answer. “You see me when I’m ugly.”
Daehwi assumes Jinyoung means when he wakes up. It’s always the same after every sleepover they’ve had. Jinyoung’s hair sticks up in all directions, his eyes don’t want to open, and dried saliva lingers at the corners of his mouth. Daehwi still finds him breathtaking and he’s sure Woojin would mock him for years if he ever heard what was about to come out of his mouth.
“Don’t be ridiculous, hyung. You’re never ugly,” Daehwi responds, voice a little too soft, too obvious. He busies himself with selecting six red carnations so he doesn’t have to see Jinyoung’s reaction.
Jinyoung, unseen by Daehwi, seems taken aback by the tenderness in the younger’s voice. It makes his neck go hot with embarrassment and his heart rate pick up speed. He wordlessly follows the employee back to the counter and before he can stop himself he just—
“You really think so?”
Daehwi whips around at the speed of light to point at Jinyoung with an accusing finger. “You stop that. I said I will not stroke your ego, sir Jinyoung,” he pouts, poking the elder’s chest in tandem with the three syllables it takes to address him. Jinyoung doesn’t even notice the lack of formalities.
Daehwi takes his usual spot behind the counter and lays the flowers out. He begins to wrap them while Jinyoung watches with keen eyes.
“Wow Daehwi,” Jinyoung breathes while he ties the ribbon around the stems. “It’s so pretty. You’re really good at what you do.”
Daehwi, unused to compliments, let alone from Jinyoung, practically feels his ears turn a rather bright shade of red. He resists the urge to cover them so his hyung doesn’t see.
“He’ll love them,” Jinyoung continues on, fingering one of the petals on a daisy. “He really has an eye for beauty and detail.”
Daehwi freezes. “Did you just say he?”
Jinyoung’s eyes widen once he realizes his fatal mistake. “No! I said they!”
“Jinyoung hyung those two words don’t even sound remotely that same,” Daehwi says, folding his arms.
Jinyoung ignores Daehwi and his prying, too good observation skills. “What is the total?”
Daehwi sighs, ringing up the purchase. “Twenty eight thousand won. I’ll add in a pretty vase for free.”
Jinyoung stops leafing through his wallet at the second statement. He looks up at Daehwi—something that stuns him because he never has to do that—in confusion. “Why?”
Daehwi taps on the counter with his fingertips. “Because, hyung! I need you to impress this boy! You deserve it.”
Jinyoung agrees to take the vase, and Daehwi immediately plucks one from underneath the counter to put the flowers in. It is thin, with the curvature of a beautiful woman, and the flowers really do look great in it. Jinyoung pays with exact change, and Daehwi pushes the vase closer to the other end of the counter. The elder takes it after pocketing his wallet.
“Go get em, tiger,” Daehwi encourages. Jinyoung’s reponse comes in the form of a dazzling eye smile. Daehwi physically has to roll his lips into his mouth to avoid leaning over the counter to kiss his best friend.
“Thanks, Daehwi! I’ll text you later. I actually have homework to do,” Jinyoung says brightly.
Daehwi waits until he sees Jinyoung’s small head turn the corner until he slams his forehead on the countertop and lets out an agonized groan. It takes less than ten seconds for his keychain to land next to his ear, and he cringes at the volume of it. Woojin’s voice returns as well, mocking and obnoxious and far too close.
“Don’t be ridiculous, hyung. You’re never ugly,” Woojin imitates, cackling his way through the words. He wipes a tear that isn’t even there. “Seriously, Daehwi, where do you come up with this stuff?”
“How did you even hear that?”
“I’m not you, Daehwi. I can only be entertained by flowers for so long,” Woojin says, shrugging his shoulders. “I came back after like three minutes because my chin is still throbbing from the impact and I wanted to see if you had a first aid kit amongst all the things under that counter. I was able to catch the tail end of your conversation, right around ‘it means more when you say it.’”
Woojin lowers his voice to do a poor imitation of Jinyoung’s. He lowers his eyelids too, and straightens his posture. He does ambiguous hand motions that he probably thinks make him look more like Jinyoung, but actually make him look like an idiot. Daehwi hasn’t even see him do it, so his impression was all for naught.
“Also, a word of advice. Don’t sound so excited at the prospect of him liking a boy. It seems like that weird fetishization shit that you hate.”
“Hyung, I’m gay,” Daehwi emphasizes, and he sounds so exasperated that Woojin almost feels bad for pestering him. “Am I not allowed to be excited that I might have another friend that likes boys?”
“Daehwi, literally all of your friends like boys. Me, Chenle and Jisung, Somi, Seongwoo hyung, Daniel hyung, Kyla, Hyungseob, even your boss is gay—”
“Okay! I surround myself with gay people, I get it,” Daehwi whines.
“I can list way more than that, Daehwi,” Woojin says, lips spreading into a big stupid grin that Daehwi knows is there without even having to see it.
“You have ten seconds to get out,” Daehwi says, head remaining unmoved.
“Or what?” Woojin foolishly challenges.
“I’ll show Jihoon and Guanlinnie those videos of you as a child,” Daehwi threatens, voice completely serious, even if a little muffled by his current position.
The bell above the door rings on Woojin’s way out of the shop.
—
Daehwi is doing his physics homework during a pretty typical lull in his shift the next afternoon. He has allowed Woojin behind the counter so he can sit, and the elder is doing so on the floor, neglecting his homework in favor of playing a game on his phone. The pinging noises fill the silences between songs playing from some indie Spotify playlist, and everything is calm.
Then the door swings open.
Jihoon walks in, followed by Guanlin, dragging a miserable looking Jinyoung behind them, vase from the previous day in his hands. Woojin peeks up over the counter, and his eyes widen when he sees his boyfriends. He puts his phone down and reveals himself fully.
Guanlin sees him first, gummy smile growing on his face. “Hyung, hi! What are you doing here?”
Woojin smiles as well, going to the floor to greet them. “I could ask you the same thing.”
Guanlin leans down to kiss him on the forehead, and Jihoon catches him on the lips before speaking. Daehwi looks on fondly, watching Woojin becoming flustered so quickly was refreshing and adorable.
“I had to bring my sweet Jinyoungie back here. Guanlin just followed me,” Jihoon explains, and that is what catches Daehwi’s attention.
“Is there something wrong with the flowers?” Daehwi asks, suddenly feeling nervous. He’s never fucked up an order past his training, but maybe something about Jinyoung’s closeness threw him off his game.
Daehwi’s mind begins to race with the possibility of errors. Did I cut the stems too short? Did I forget the rule of opposition? Should I have used more flowers? Did I confuse the meanings of red carnations and yellow carnations?
Jihoon uses the hand not encased in Woojin’s to push Jinyoung forward, none too gently. Jinyoung stumbles, and sends a glare in his direction before stepping up and placing the vase on the counter. Daehwi blows out a tense breath.
“Could you tell me where I went wrong?”
“Daehwi—” Jinyoung begins.
The younger wasn’t listening. He’d already come down from the counter and was preparing to venture into the aisles. “Hyung, I’ll make you a new one for free. I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to mess anything up!”
Jinyoung, now very thankful for his quick reflexes, reaches out and grabs Daehwi’s arm. Daehwi’s eyes waver incredulously.
“Let go, hyung. I feel really bad and I want to fix it,” Daehwi borderline whines. He manages to pull his arm free, but before he could take a step, Jinyoung latches onto his hand and pulls the younger toward him.
“The bouquet is impeccable Daehwi,” he murmurs. It takes an incredible amount of courage to do so, but Jinyoung take Daehwi’s other hand and entwines their fingers. Then he just looks at him for a few seconds, drinking him in all of his innocent, refreshing beauty.
Daehwi’s poor heart has gone into overdrive and he thinks he might faint from the feeling of Jinyoung’s hands alone, but the intense stare has his knees on the verge of buckling. He breaks the eye contact for self-preservation purposes. Jinyoung is far too handsome to be real, like a statue carved by the patient hands of several gods, because just one isn’t enough to create a masterpiece like the one standing in front of him.
“Yah, Daehwi, look at me,” Jinyoung gently chides, using the knuckle of his finger to lift up Daehwi’s chin. The sharp intake of breath front the shorter is not lost on him, and he smiles a little bit. Jinyoung only speaks when he knows he has Daehwi’s full attention.
“I have to tell you something, and I need you to listen very closely. Can you do that for me?”
Daehwi merely nods, so Jinyoung closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Then he says it.
“Daehwi-ah, hyung likes you. A lot.”
There is a beat of silence before Daehwi’s eyes widen.
“Which hyung?”
Jinyoung can hear Jihoon holding back laughter behind him. He supposes that if he were watching this, he would want to laugh too. But he’s experiencing it, and he kind of wants to die. Just a little bit.
Jinyoung doesn’t know what to say. He opens his mouth to clarify, but Woojin’s voice rings out before he can.
“Lee Daehwi, you are a fucking idiot.”
Both Jinyoung and Daehwi look over to him, and the three lovers are a fucking mess. Jihoon has gripped onto Guanlin’s waist to stay upright, but it doesn’t work as he had intended it to, because the younger is bent over in laughter as well. Both of them have some attachment to Woojin, who is trying so hard to look annoyed and to not crack a smile, but it doesn’t work, and he collapses into peals of laughter along with them. Just by watching them, Jinyoung feels obligated to laugh, and it is a little funny.
Daehwi starts pouting when Jinyoung falls victim to his own giggles as well. “Why are you all laughing?”
Woojin reigns himself in first. “Jinyoung likes a boy. Right?”
Jinyoung nods to affirm. “Right.”
“Jinyoung hyung is older than you, right?” Guanlin asks this time.
Daehwi furrows his eyebrows. “Yes?”
“Jinyoung is here, giving you a bouquet that you yourself said is to express to someone that you like them,” Jihoon says slowly, and the four of them see the lightbulb switch on in Daehwi’s head. Finally.
“Hyung! Which hyung told you to give me these? Was it Jaehwan hyung?”
Guess not.
Jihoon nearly falls over once the words are out of Daehwi’s mouth. Jinyoung’s face, once sporting a soft blush, it now full blown red. He has yet to let go of Daehwi’s hands, but it has to be done at some point.
While the other three in the shop are busy giggling about Daehwi’s oblivion again, Jinyoung does release Daehwi’s hands. Then he cups his face and kisses him on the lips. Just like that.
Jinyoung swallows Daehwi’s tiny gasp with his own lips, and presses into him a little bit further. Jinyoung keeps everything at a slow pace, showing Daehwi that he could back away at any time. The elder’s face is on fire, and he keeps his eyes shut tight and just enjoys the feeling of Daehwi’s lips on his.
Daehwi, on the other hand, feels like his entire body is on fire. He feels like he’s dead. Or possibly just have an incredibly pleasant dream. Do the dead even have dreams?
Daehwi doesn’t know. All he knows that Bae Jinyoung is kissing him and he doesn’t want him to stop. His fingers come up to fist themselves in the fabric of Jinyoung’s black t-shirt. Daehwi wants more of Jinyoung’s lips, needs more of Jinyoung’s lips so he leans into him and hopes the elder doesn’t notice. Daehwi opens his lips the tiniest bit and there is a loud clearing of a throat from beside them.
Daehwi detaches their lips, but stays close to Jinyoung, not willing to let go of his dream quite yet. He opens his eyes, and his hyung is looking at him fondly, eyes saturated with something that is akin to awe. Daehwi thought it was impossible for Jinyoung to get any more beautiful, but he is consistently proven wrong, this time the first place look is post kiss.
Jinyoung smiles a little, ignoring their friends. “You know, if you don’t like me this is going to get very awkward very fast.”
“God, Jinyoung! He likes you,” Woojin says, tired of all of the angst. “He never shuts up about you!”
Daehwi is too happy to feel embarrassed. “He’s right, you know. I talk about you a lot.”
Jinyoung’s responding eye smile almost makes Daehwi’s knees buckle. “Yeah?”
Daehwi nods. “Yeah. But why did you just kiss me?”
Guanlin, soft, patient Guanlin, nearly barks at him. “Daehwi!”
Daehwi turns his head to the side in panic, holding his hands up in surrender. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding! I get it now. I just wanted him to kiss me like that again.”
Jinyoung chuckles, and places a tiny kiss on Daehwi’s nose. He follows it up with a kiss to his knuckles, and Daehwi wants to know where such a perfect human came from. “We’ll talk tomorrow, yeah?”
“Yeah,” Daehwi breathes.
Jihoon looks bewildered. “You’re not going to ask him to be your boyfriend?”
Jinyoung grins, looking back at Daehwi again. “Nope,”
Woojin looks exasperated as well. “Daehwi?”
“Nope.”
“Are you both dumb?” Jihoon shrieks. “I dragged him here for this sole purpose and you don’t go through with it?”
Jinyoung wants to laugh at his best friend. “I don’t want any of you around when it happens.”
Jihoon looks ready to protest, but Guanlin, bless him, drapes his lanky figure over his boyfriend’s and easily distracts him.
“I’ll see you later, Daehwi,” Jinyoung bids goodbye, and then leaves the store without the people he came with. Daehwi finds Woojin’s bag behind the counter, and tosses it at him.
“Go hang out with your boyfriends for a while. I need to be alone for a little bit,” he says.
Woojin catches the bag one-handed and easily. “Why do you sound like you’ve just been broken up with and not made out with?”
Daehwi looks scandalized. “We did not make out.”
Guanlin chuckles. “Yeah, you did.”
Daehwi waves his hand at them. “All of you get out. Go make out with each other for a while.”
Jihoon laughs like that’s the funniest thing he’s ever heard. “Don’t have to tell me twice,” he says, taking one of Guanlin’s and Woojin’s hands in each of his own, and leading them out of the store.
Daehwi makes use of his newfound silence by burying his head in his arms, failing his legs, and screaming quietly.