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Sewoon eyed the door of the apartment they were heading into warily, somehow getting the feeling that something was going to go awry tonight. In all honesty, if it were up to him, he'd rather stay at home to binge-watch that foreign zombie show Noh Taehyun recommended to him a while back; the first few episodes caught his attention and he was dying to see what's going to happen next.
But of course Donghyun had to pull him away from the comfort of his bed and drag him to some shindig whose host he barely even knew. "It'll be fun this time, I promise!" he chirped, as if he hadn't said the same thing twenty million times before to no avail.
He had nothing against the kid, really - Sewoon just didn't enjoy parties where people got so inebriated, they lose most of their inhibitions and manners.
(He said this to Donghyun once and got "but those are the best kinds of parties, hyung!" in reply. Sewoon had since learnt that it was better to keep his mouth shut.)
The older boy could've easily overpowered Donghyun, locked the door and holed himself up in his room for the rest of the weekend, but there was one singular reason why he wasn't fully against the idea of going - and that reason was im Youngmin.
It was an arguably perfect reason: Sewoon and Youngmin grew up together in Busan, and their mothers made them swear up and down that they'll always look after and take care of each other during their college years in Seoul. So by all means, Sewoon was just keeping his part of the promise.
This was the reason he churned out to inquiring friends who knew that he wasn't the partying type. Too bad nobody believed him, on account of Sewoon only taking an interest in parties after rumours circulated of the one time Youngmin kissed everyone in his vicinity when he'd ingested more alcohol than he should.
"Of course I was worried - he could've gotten mono!" Sewoon insisted when asked at the time, knowing that deep inside it wasn't the truth and that mono was the farthest thing from his mind.
It was only after a few weeks of denial that he finally realized that he was in love with his best friend.
It was also then that he figured if Youngmin was to go on another kissing spree and he still can't stop him - well, he might as well be part of his repertoire.
The door suddenly opened, dragging him out of his reverie and forcing him to focus on the person who opened it. It was Kang Daniel, probably the school's most popular student (being a successful jock usually does that) and all-around nice guy. Tossing a casual grin at the two guests, he exclaimed, "Hey Donghyun, Sewoon, come on in!" before disappearing to some dark corner with someone who looked like Ong Seongwoo.
Sewoon turned and gave Donghyun a questioning glance. "You got invited to a party hosted by Kang Daniel?"
Giving him a low hum of affirmation, Donghyun met Sewoon's gaze with a knowing twinkle in his eyes. "So did Youngmin hyung!"
Sewoon tried to ignore the flutter in his stomach incited by the older boy's name and the knowledge that he was somewhere in the same room. "Of course Youngmin was invited, they take several classes together. I was questioning your credibility."
"Hyung, I’m hurt," the sophomore replied with a pout, his hand splayed across his heart as if wounded before answering. "Daniel hyung owes me; I helped him pass first-year calculus."
Sewoon rolled his eyes at the younger's dramatics. "Then I stand corrected," he replied, eyes stealthily looking around for a glimpse of red amongst the sea of black, brunette and blonde. The lighting was so dim, however, that he could barely make anyone out from the crowd.
Letting out a tiny sigh of frustration, the guitarist turned to Donghyun, ignoring his knowing gaze as he gestured towards the kitchen. "I’m gonna go get a soda or something. Call me when you want to go home, okay?"
Without waiting for Donghyun's confirmation, Sewoon walked off, hoping that kang Daniel had the tact to serve something else besides alcohol while his eyes still roamed around the room for Youngmin.
Turns out that he didn't have to look that far; he found the familiar mop of red hair in the kitchen, making small talk with a fellow senior that Sewoon knows in passing called Kim Yongguk. Swallowing the bitter taste of jealousy that rose in his throat when he saw the two laugh together, he walked up to them - and it was only then that he noticed the can of beer in Youngmin's hand.
"Hyung, remember what happened the last time you drank," he scolded as he approached the two taller figures, to which Youngmin responded to with an easy grin and a playful roll of his eyes. "It's only this tiny little can, Woonie, no biggie."
Eyeing him, then the can of beer, warily, Sewoon asked, "And how many of these tiny little cans have you had?"
"Three, mother." Youngmin rolled his eyes again - a little less good-naturedly this time - then turned towards Yongguk. "Ah, right. Yongguk, this is Sewoon, otherwise known as mother hen-"
"Hey!"
Ignoring the interruption from the guitarist, Youngmin continued the introductions. "-and Sewoon, this is Yongguk - we took a couple of classes together back in sophomore year." he clapped his hands, a lopsided grin forming on his lips. "Now all my favourite people know each other~"
After exchanging awkward "hey"s with Yongguk, Sewoon's attention returned to Youngmin who, to his alarm, was reaching for his fourth can of beer. "Youngmin hyung, I really don't think-"
"Ah, hyungs, there you are!"
Donghyun strolled into the kitchen, a wide grin on his face as he proceeded to tug Sewoon towards the living room. "A game of truth or dare is about to start, come join us!"
Sewoon paled at the thought of his fate being at the mercy of a bunch of drunk college kids. But on the other hand... Glancing back towards Youngmin, the younger boy sees the gleam of interest in his eyes as he placed the opened can of beer on the countertop.
Sewoon breathed out a sigh of relief. As long as it stopped Youngmin from drinking, he'd do whatever it takes. "Let's go."
***
Sewoon did say he'd do anything to stop Youngmin from getting drunk, but he never thought this would fall into that category. Deep brown eyes gazed at all the faces grinning back expectantly as its owner swallowed nervously.
"So... Jeong Sewoon." the guy who was with Kang Daniel earlier - Ong Seongwoo, if he remembered correctly - had the honour of giving Sewoon his question. Raising a brow, he continued, a sly smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. "Truth or dare?"
Sewoon gulped, inhaling deeply before he trusted himself to speak. He was hyper-aware of Youngmin's presence next to him; the older's hand had somehow managed to land on Sewoon's lap several minutes ago and didn't seem to be leaving anytime soon. "Truth," he croaked out.
He was greeted by good-natured jeers for taking the 'easy road'; Youngmin even slapped his thigh as he snorted in amusement. "Don't be such a stick in the mud, Woonie," he drawled out, making the latter want to crawl under a rock and die.
Seongwoo himself looked disappointed but not surprised as he turned to Daniel to discuss Sewoon's question (which Sewoon didn't think was fair but whatever, the sooner this was over with, the better). After a minute of deliberation, they turned back to the crowd, identical grins decorating their faces.
"Jeong Sewoon, how do you feel about Im Youngmin?"
The music major felt a rush of blood to his cheeks as the other players and some onlookers hooted and stomped their feet in delight; he also felt the hand in his lap grow tense, its grip on his thigh slightly tighter than it was earlier. Sewoon knew that his crush on Youngmin was common knowledge now (thanks, Kim Donghyun) and he'd even entertained the notion of confessing to Youngmin one day (not that he'd ever work up the nerve to actually do it), but in front of all these people?
Sewoon decided to settle for a brief explanation that wasn't necessarily untrue, but didn't give them the full story either. "I, um, Youngmin hyung's my childhood friend," he began slowly, to which he could hear Donghyun audibly groan. "We've been friends forever and I know I can count on him when I need to-"
"Wrong," Seongwoo interjected, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "It's called truth, Sewoon, not 'recite the obvious' - which means it's time for a forfeit!"
This drew frenzied cheers from the crowd gathered around them as Sewoon sat still, gaping at Seongwoo in disbelief. "Wait a second - what do you mean by forfeit?" he finally asked, brows furrowed at the older guy.
The dance major smirked, sitting up straighter as he exchanged glances with kang Daniel. "You didn't necessarily say anything untrue, but you were... Withholding information, which is kind of the same thing," he answered with a noncommittal shrug. "This means that I now get to give you a dare which you can't back out of.
"So what will it be, folks?" he grinned, looking around at the crowd surrounding their circle. The chanting started almost immediately, reaching a point where it was starting to get deafening.
"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"
Sewoon paled, his eyes trying to avoid the expectant gazes of the crowd. Turning towards Youngmin, he noticed the senior staring back at him with an unreadable expression on his face. The singer would give anything to read the thoughts behind his guarded expression when he realized that Seongwoo had spoken up yet again.
"Well!" he clapped his hands together, the grin on his face turning devious, "That settles it. Sewoon, I dare you to kiss Youngmin."
A bead of sweat trickled down his face. He'd imagined doing it hundreds of times by now - mostly in the privacy of their shared dorm, or somewhere when they were both alone - but not like this!
Sewoon faced Youngmin as a weak smile quivered upon his lips. He knew that if he refused, he'd never hear the end of it (and god knows what other tricks Seongwoo and Daniel had up their sleeves) - might as well get it over with now. Trying to calm down his erratically beating heart, his hands reached up towards Youngmin's face, cupping it gently as his lips landed...
On the redhead's cheek.
He heard the loud, collective groans of the crowd as he pulled away, avoiding Youngmin's gaze at all costs. Meeting Seongwoo's disappointed glare from across the room, Sewoon managed to speak up, his voice slightly shaking. "Is that enough for you?"
It was only then that Sewoon heard the sound of soft chuckles from the boy next to him. Trying to ignore the havoc it created in his stomach, he faced Youngmin and was met by the older's warm gaze as he rolled his eyes playfully.
"You know that's not what they meant, you idiot."
The next thing he knew, it was Youngmin who was cupping his cheeks tenderly as the redhead swooped down and pressed his lips upon Sewoon's.
Surprised by the unexpected move, the brunette's eyes went wide - and even wider still when he felt Youngmin's lips move against his. The older boy let out a snort of amusement at Sewoon's startled squeak as he continued his ministrations, oblivious to the cheers of the crowd surrounding them.
Sewoon, on the other hand, was not oblivious - he was mortified, and also torn because they were kissing in front of a bunch of people he barely knew, but he also didn't want Youngmin to stop.
But he figured that, considering Youngmin (and most of the people there) were drunk and wouldn't have a recollection of tonight's turn of events...
Sewoon felt his eyes flutter close as he gave up all pretenses and abandoned himself to the kiss, knowing that it would never probably happen again. This is what he'd been dreaming about for months now, and they definitely paled in comparison with the real thing - Youngmin's lips are plush, slightly chapped due to his habit of wetting them whenever he's nervous, but Sewoon liked it nonetheless (though perhaps that was due to his lack of experience in this particular area).
One of Youngmin's hands moved towards Sewoon's, intertwining their fingers together while the other rubbed slow circles against his cheek, and Sewoon felt his heartbeat stutter. The older's boldness stirred his courage, moving in to shorten the distance in between them and leaning in further to deepen their kiss. If Youngmin was surprised at his sudden move, then he didn't show it; Sewoon felt the other's lips curve into a slight smile as his fingers moved away from his cheeks to curl at the nape of his neck, and he tried to suppress his shudder at the shivers tingling up and down his spine.
It seemed like an age before they finally pulled away, Youngmin snickering as he carressed the faintest blush of pink on Sewoon's cheeks. Gesturing for him to come closer, the former whispered into the latter's ears,
"I’m in love with you, Jeong Sewoon."
And passed out cold.
***
He ended up having to make an early exit from the party (not that he minded much) and drag the sleeping Youngmin back to their shared dorm using his car. The older boy showed no signs of waking up anytime soon, for which Sewoon was thankful - he didn't think he could meet his gaze after all that had transpired earlier, much less talk to him coherently.
He threw occasional glances towards the sleeping form in the seat beside him, wondering what exactly possessed Youngmin to do what he did. He was inebriated, which explains the kissing thing, but what about what he said afterwards?
"I’m in love with you, Jeong Sewoon."
Sewoon felt the heat rushing up to his cheeks again, despite an hour or so having passed from that event. What did he mean by that? Was he caught in the moment, what with all the kissing and everything? Or was he just teasing the younger boy like he usually did? Sewoon wouldn't put it past him to do so - he tended to get carried away with his words sometimes - but this would be unusually cruel, even for him.
Then again, Youngmin didn't even know how Sewoon felt for him.
"What am I going to do with you..." he mussed his hair in exasperation as they arrived at their dorm complex. Well, whatever his intention, the memory was going to stick with Sewoon for life. He couldn't decide whether it's a blessing or a curse that Youngmin would have no recollections of the night's events.
Probably the former.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that; he had a 145lb man to carry up through 2 flights of stairs.
***
Sewoon's mind woke up before his eyes did.
The sun's rays seeped through his cream-coloured blinds, alerting the brunette that he's already slept past his usual schedule. As he remembered last night's events, he reminded himself that there was a small consolation to all of this - Youngmin wouldn't remember anything from last night, which would save them both from the awkward conversation that would eventually happen when either of them brought it up.
Also - if he didn't get drunk last night and still managed to sleep in this late, Youngmin would probably still be out cold in his bed. Sewoon let out a sigh of relief as he slowly opened his eyes.
"You’re awake!"
Sewoon froze and swiveled his head to his bedside, where he found a fresh-faced Youngmin smiling across from him. "What-"
"I figured that you'd still be asleep after last night - sorry for that, by the way, I didn't mean to pass out on you like that - so I brought you breakfast in bed."
Quickly making himself sit up, Sewoon rubbed his eyes and noticed a tray containing a glass of orange juice and what looked to be burnt scrambled eggs. Noticing his wary gaze at the food, Youngmin winced. "Um, sorry about that. You know that my cooking skills are less than exemplary."
"Doesn’t matter, it's the thought that counts," Sewoon murmured, opting instead for several gulps of orange juice. Wiping his mouth, he continued while avoiding Youngmin's fixed stare. "Still doesn't change the fact that this isn't like you, though, hyung. What's going on?"
There were several beats of silence before Youngmin sat up straighter in his seat, exhaling the breath he'd been holding. Sewoon had a bad feeling about this. "I wanted to talk about last night."
Sewoon looked up from the acrid-smelling eggs, his stomach churning like there was no tomorrow. Deciding not to take any chances - Youngmin probably just wanted to apologize for passing out last night - he played dumb. "What, for blacking out? It's no big dea-"
"Don’t be an idiot, Sewoon, I was talking about the kiss," Youngmin replied, rolling his eyes. "I might've been slightly tipsy, but I still remember that, at least."
Sewoon exhaled defeatedly, hands fiddling with the fork and knife on his plate. "I know, you're right. I’m really sorry for putting you in that situation, hyung."
Youngmin shrugged nonchalantly. "Why should you feel sorry? I’m not."
The guitarist looked up immediately with a questioning look in his eyes, while Youngmin just looked so done. "Come on, Sewoon, don't tell me you didn't hear what I said to you after the kiss-"
"I did," Sewoon interrupted him quickly, "but I didn't know whether you were serious or not on account of, you know, you being drunk and everything."
The redhead sighed as he crossed his arms, raising a finely arched brow at Sewoon. "What do I have to do to convince you, then, kiss you and tell you I’m in love with you again?" He paused, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "Actually, that's not a bad idea."
Sewoon started sputtering, making Youngmin grin in amusement. "You- Kiss- Again- What?"
"You heard me," Youngmin drawled as he crawled up onto the guitarist's bed, a satisfied smile growing on his lips while eyeing the latter's adam's apple bobbing nervously. Cornering Sewoon up to his headboard, face inches away from his own, he whispered, "I’m going to kiss you again."
Sewoon's heart throbbed painfully, eyes tightly closed as he waited for the brush of his roommate's lips against his. Seconds passed and, when he still didn't feel it, he opened his eyes in annoyance. "What are you-"
"Wait. You do want this, right?" Youngmin asked carefully, his gaze boring into Sewoon's, tongue briefly poking out to wet his bottom lip. The latter gulped, unable to look away as the older guy continued. "I’m... You... What we have..."
After waiting for several seconds and still being greeted by the sound of Youngmin's stammers, Sewoon finally had it. He exhaled and rubbed his face, trying to appear stern, but the sly gleam in his eyes gave his emotions away.
"Yes, hyung," he began, unable to help the smile that tugged at the corners of his lips.
"I’ve liked you since we were first placed in the same dorm and I’ve been waiting for you to kiss me for the last..." Sewoon glimpsed at the wall clock and returned his gaze towards the older boy, who looked nothing short of astounded. "3 minutes, so..." The smile on his face transformed into a full-blown grin. "Could you get on with it already? I have an early class today."
All Youngmin could do was stare at him for two whole minutes before finally breaking into peals of laughter, one arm clutching at his stomach while the other was still steadfastly stuck on the headboard. When he finally calmed down, the redhead moved his hands to cup Sewoon's face as the brightest smile lit up his face.
"Your wish is my command."
His lips finally landed on Sewoon's, and the guitarist decided then and there that people who say that first kisses are the best don't know what they're saying - second kisses are far superior.