Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“This food tastes like shit.”

Wonwoo raises an eyebrow at his best friend. “I thought you knew the caterer and said they had amazing pasta?”

“That doesn’t mean that they don’t have food that tastes bad! Every single seemingly edible thing I found from the buffet table turns out to just be another mystery block,” Soonyoung makes a gagging noise as he lifts his fork with what Wonwoo assumes is meat.

The night had been painstakingly slow so far. It was only nine in the evening and they still had two more hours to kill, yet Wonwoo already felt like he was suffocating from all the teenagers he had to share this space with. It didn’t help that his tuxedo was stained in the corner because someone who conveniently carried a glass of orange juice had accidentally bumped into him.

He was kind of regretting not bringing along a date, it would have been nice to have someone he was comfortable to be chatting with. But then again, he really didn’t want to feel too obligated to keep them company all night.

Besides - he already had eyes for someone else.

Across the table, he watches Soonyoung continue to complain about the food and tell stories to his date, Hyejin. She is visibly amused by how animated he tells the story of how he once tripped onto a birthday cake and was forced by his mother to eat the whole thing (even though everyone at the table has heard it one too many times already).

A pang of jealousy rips through Wonwoo but he simply sighs and swallows it down. If he’s being completely honest, he has no right to be feeling this way right now. After all, he did encourage Soonyoung to ask her out to prom.

It really wasn’t like he himself could ask his best friend to be his date. Not that there was anything wrong with it, just that he didn’t know how to make it not sound like he had a big fat crush on this boy he’s known for half of his life when there’s the potential of jeopardizing their friendship.

Ah, yes, the old “I have a crush on my best friend but I don’t want to ruin our friendship and make things awkward” situation. Wonwoo nods solemnly at himself.

No one knew that he liked Soonyoung, and he figured that maybe he just really is that good at hiding his emotions. Sometimes he’d give himself a pat on the back for even being able to handle red alert situations. For example, those times when they hang out together, eat together, or when this idiot of a best friend of his would suddenly - literally - jump onto his body in the middle of the hallway.

In fact, tonight, when he first saw Soonyoung, he had sucked in a sharp breath and it took extreme control for every muscle in his body to just not ogle. How was it even possible for him to look even better than he already did on a daily basis?

With black hair styled into a quick but neat quiff and a tuxedo hugging his form, Soonyoung just looked plain sinful. Despite that, his sharp eyes still glinted with playfulness and fun.

“How do I look?”

Wonwoo wanted to yell at him, is that even a fucking question? Instead he settled for a quick, “looking good, bro,” with a nod and high-five.

Not the smoothest, but it could’ve gone worse.

The sound of loud chatter breaks Wonwoo’s train of thought.

“Soonyoung-ah, I’m not feeling too well, I think I’ll leave early,” Hyejin announces. She gives a small smile of reassurance to everyone at the table and begins to return her belongings to her purse.

Soonyoung’s eyebrows furrow in concern. “Why, what’s wrong? It’s the food, isn’t it? I knew the croquette wasn’t a good idea...” he mumbles the last bit.

“I’m not sure,” she replies, “but I think I picked up a virus from my mom while I was taking care of her when she was sick last week.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t have come tonight, then. I would’ve understood.” Soonyoung holds her hand lightly. Hyejin squeezes it in return.

Was it Soonyoung’s hand or Wonwoo’s heart that felt a squeeze?

“Sorry, I didn’t want to let you down. I wanted to at least show up for an hour or two,” she admits. “Sorry that we can’t dance like I promised.”

Soonyoung shakes his head. “It’s okay, don’t worry about it. I’ll bring you home, yeah?”

This is when Wonwoo begins to tune the conversation out. It makes sense that someone would walk her home, right? Especially her prom date. Plus, she was sick. Nothing bad about walking her home.

After sending quick goodbyes and “get well soon”s, the pair leaves and Wonwoo is left to deal with two of his face-licking friends. “Prom isn’t for making out, get a room,” he mutters. (Jihoon glares, Junhui doesn’t care.)

God, why did he have to be single?

The room begins to get even stuffier after merely 10 minutes. Soonyoung still isn’t back, and Wonwoo was starting to miss the idiot.

So he does what any normal person would do and takes a step outside for a bit. It’s chilly, but nothing he can’t handle. At least he could breathe easy and relax here. He sits on the stairs and relaxes so much that he doesn’t notice when his eyes begin to close and he falls asleep.

He also obviously doesn’t notice when, fifteen minutes later, a figure runs up to him and kicks his side.

“Wake up, weakshit,” the figure demands.

Wonwoo jolts awake, hitting his head against the metal railing he was leaning on.

He winces, rubbing the spot he just injured. Wonwoo then glances up through blurry vision and sees familiar eyes right in front of his. Next thing he knew, something collides with his fist, and Soonyoung is rubbing his chin, face contorted in pain.

“That’s not how you wake someone up! Also, I am not a weakshit.” Wonwoo glares pointedly at the culprit, hoping that said culprit wouldn’t notice if in case his face does work up a pink tint. It isn’t normal to have your face that close to someone else’s, is it?

Soonyoung rolls his eyes. “I’m not the one who fell asleep on the stairs on prom night. And you did that to yourself. I on the other hand... was it really necessary to hit my chin?”

“What was I supposed to do? Kiss you?”

Oh.

Wonwoo panics when the other boy is silent for a few seconds. Shit shit shit, did I just?

“Well, would’ve been better than hurting my precious face,” Soonyoung pouts.

Fuck you and your cute pout.

(Wonwoo is pointedly ignoring the fact that that exchange just implied that it would be okay for them to kiss.)

A strong breeze passes by, and they are suddenly reminded of the fact that prolonged exposure to the cold probably isn’t the best thing. Wonwoo shudders. “Let’s get back inside,” he says quickly.

As he turns his body in the direction of the blaring music and dimly lit building, a hand grips him arm.

“Hey,” Soonyoung deadpans, “there is so way I’m going back in there.”

“Didn’t you say that you like prom?”

Ignore the hand ignore the hand ignore the hand.

“Dude, can you, like, stop using everything I’ve said in the past against me?”

“No.”

“I’m a changed man!”

“You said that yesterday.”

“But-“

“You just want McDonald’s, don’t you?”

There’s a long pause that hangs in the air. That cursed fast food chain was Soonyoung’s guilty pleasure, and they both knew it. Soonyoung is sad? Cheer him up with McDonald’s. Happy? Celebrate with McDonald’s. Angry? Stress eat with McDonald’s. The only reason why Wonwoo even allows himself to step into that greasy hell is because he gets to spend time with Soonyoung.

“Yeah, I do,” the other admits with a huff, dropping his hand from its hold. Wonwoo feels the cold seep into the spot where that warm hand just was, causing a smaller shiver to run through him again.

They step into the brightly lit McDonald’s branch a few blocks away. Not only did they completely stand out while wearing their suits, but were also wet from the pelting rain that suddenly began to pour on their way there.

“Wonu-yah, we look like the guys from Kingsman,” Soonyoung lets out an excited giggle at the mention of his favorite movie.

Wonwoo tries not to let the childhood nickname make his heart jump (but it does, anyway). Was that a giggle? That was a giggle. The was the cutest fucking giggle I’ve heard in my whole life. The universe can take me now. I’ll die a happy man.

After getting his double quarter pounder with cheese and a box of chicken nuggets, Soonyoung decides to settle for a seat by the window. Wonwoo trails behind him, plopping his sundae onto the table.

They take a seat in front of each other and Soonyoung immediately digs in. He has this big smile on his face as he chews and Wonwoo can’t help but smile at him as well.

“You’ve got to stop eating this junk someday,” he shakes his head.

“Hey-“ chew, “you-“ chew, “are-“ swallow, “eating this junk too,” Soonyoung defends, taking another big bite off of his burger right after.

“So far, the sundae is the only thing I can stand.”

“Figures, it’s probably the most humane thing on the menu.”

“I’d say it’s the fries.”

He glances out the window for a little while, scooping his ice cream and shoving it into his mouth. He realized that he just ditched prom because his long time best friend and crush wanted to eat at McDonald’s. How whipped was he to agree to that sort of thing?

(Plus, he sort of felt bad for ditching Jihoon and Junhui. Not that they would notice anyway.)

Although, he doesn’t regret it. There was something extremely endearing about just watching Soonyoung enjoy something. These days, Wonwoo has seen him nothing but stressed and worried about meeting deadlines for projects and practices for his dance classes. He would barely get any sleep at all and it often caused him to be cranky.

Still, Wonwoo, like the lovesick puppy he is, enjoyed even that kind of company anyway. They would argue about pointless things, but it was fun. Soonyoung was sort of an overachiever and Wonwoo was someone who could balance out that much energy.

The thought of that: being able to balance each other out, being so close to each other... and just - the mere thought of them, together.

It makes his heart skip a beat (actually, it makes his heart short circuit and his brain go dizzy, but he doesn’t like to think about that).

He shifts his gaze to Soonyoung who is now alternating between nuggets and biting the burger. The few people who are only tables away actually look concerned for Soonyoung, as if he could choke any minute. If Wonwoo were them, he’d probably be concerned, too, considering how puffed up those cheeks were and how fast his jaw worked to chew.

Yeah... me... him... together. Wonwoo winces.

“Do you want to choke? Stop eating so quickly. The food isn’t gonna go anywhere.”

He gets a tongue sticking out at him in return.

“You’re like a child, do you know that?” He laughs in disbelief.

“We’re the same age. When I look at you, trust me, I know.”

Wonwoo rolls his eyes. “Getting smart now, are we?”

“I’ve got a brain. Might as well use it. You should try it sometime!”

“I might just accidentally punch that cheeky smile off of your face sometime!”

Their smiles match for a split second before the older one’s drops. “Not funny. Keep my face intact please. You’ll ruin it for the ladies.”

“Oh boy,” Wonwoo grumbles, “they’ll be glad they missed it.”

At the remark, he watches as Soonyoung lifts a nugget and says, “I would throw this at you right now, but I spent good money on it, so be glad that you’ve been saved.” And just like that, it disappears into the boy’s mouth.

Despite their usual bickering, Wonwoo really enjoyed these moments. He liked to poke fun at his best friend; it made him feel like that’s all they were: best friends. It didn’t need to be complicated with unrequited feelings, longing and angst. Two best buds enjoying crappy fast food could be just as fun as being on a date (though, admittedly, that date would have to be pretty lousy to even be compared to this fiasco right now).

Or at least, that’s what he’d like to believe.

Chapter Text

There are 2 things (amongst many) that Kwon Soonyoung does not like to tolerate in this world:

1. obliviousness and
2. Jeon Wonwoo

So, you can probably imagine his frustration when his best friend is both.

Like the fucking idiot he is, Soonyoung tried to play the jealousy card. But when he mentioned “wanting to bring a date to prom” to Wonwoo, the guy just looked up from his phone, nodded, and responded, “Sure. I know a few girls. I can help you if you want.”

Soonyoung had huffed at that, clearly disappointed, but bit back with, “I don’t need your help. I know plenty girls! Girls that I’d like to take as my date.”

And this one guy, too.

And suddenly, 3 months later, he’s here, in a big hall full of cheap looking decor and a pretty decent local band playing on the stage, eating what he doesn’t dare accept as actual food with a girl who he has known for half a year as his date.

Hyejin is a fun girl - she really is. She’s like the hypeman you never knew you needed but knows when enough is enough. There were a few instances in class wherein she would crack jokes (that were actually funny) and is really just loved by everyone. Soonyoung thinks that, had they met earlier in their lives, they’d be really close friends now.

He returns to their table with a new plate of food. When he puts it down on the table, Hyejin looks at it in disdain. “What is that,” she quips, “Santa’s leftover charcoal?”

Soonyoung chuckles, albeit restrained as he winces. “I think it’s meatloaf. I got you a croquette. You like these right? Though, I’m not sure they’re exactly... edible.” He lifts the meatloaf to his mouth and takes a bite.

It’s rubbery and chewy. He’s pretty sure a meatloaf isn’t supposed to be either of those adjectives.

“This food tastes like shit,” he complains.

Wonwoo then pipes up from his seat for the first time in what feels like ages. (Though, Soonyoung is used to it by now. He does a lot of the talking between the two of them.) “I thought you knew the caterer and said they had amazing pasta?”

“That doesn’t mean that they don’t have food that tastes bad! Every single seemingly edible thing I found from the buffet table turns out to just be another mystery block,” Soonyoung lifts his fork of which the alleged meatloaf sits and gags at it. Disgusting.

And that was about all he got from Wonwoo. It wasn’t a bad thing, if anything he found it endearing. Usually, Wonwoo rambles a lot more only when they’re alone. Not because he doesn’t like people or anything - he’s just naturally a pretty shy and reserved person.

But oh boy did Soonyoung wish and pray to the heavens that that pretty face of his would not be so blank all the time. Did his best friend even realize the amount of times that he has tried to impress him? Low-key flirt with him? Fucking get some skinship every once in a while? Too many times.

He didn’t know whether he was the problem or if it was Wonwoo. On one hand, it’s never been that difficult for Soonyoung to show affection for someone especially if it’s someone close. And that exactly is the problem on his end. It’s hard to tell the difference between how he shows affection for people he likes and how he shows affection for people he like likes.

On the other hand, Wonwoo has lately always thinking about something else, most of the time pretty out of it, but more importantly for some reason doesn’t seem to be getting the hint.

That’s exactly how he’s been tonight, lost in his thoughts, swirling around his lemonade while distractedly listening to short conversations going around the table.

Soonyoung continues to entertain Hyejin, telling her stories and making her laugh. However, he can’t help but take glances at Wonwoo every once in a while, hoping that he’d join in instead of sighing at nothing every two minutes. It worries him a little and makes a mental note to ask him if he’s okay later.

They continue chatting for a few minutes, before Hyejin informs him that she isn’t feeling well. He agrees to take her home first and regrets not really noticing earlier that she did become a little pale.

Soonyoung gets back quickly: in about less than twenty minutes. While he’s climbing the first flight of stairs, he notices someone perched atop the highest step of the second flight. Upon nearing, he realizes it’s Wonwoo.

The other boy is asleep, visibly tired. It was pretty stuffy in there. A small part of Soonyoung wants to think that Wonwoo is out here to wait for his return, but who the hell would miss his loud ass?

He takes a seat one step below his friend.

Just for a little bit.

As creepy as it sounds, sometimes Soonyoung just likes to look at Wonwoo’s face. It’s not a secret that he’s really, really (really) handsome, so much so that even other boys in their school compliment him. And when he’s like this, looking so peaceful with the tall street lamp illuminating and accentuating his features at the perfect angle, Soonyoung really can’t help but stare.

(He even considers pulling out his phone and snapping a quick picture, but he knows that Wonwoo doesn’t like it when people take pictures of him without him knowing, so he resists all urge to do it.)

Soonyoung drops his head between his knees and sighs, wondering how on Earth he even managed to fall for someone like this. It was like it came straight out of one of those dramas whose leads were opposites that attracted. He could picture it in his head: some cheesy title like “Secret Chicken”, Soonyoung pining for a guy way out of his league and said guy (hopefully) ending up with a mutual feeling. Then, somewhere along the way, they kiss for the first time.

A glance at Wonwoo, eyes not daring to go near the “lip area”, and Soonyoung immediately feels the tips of his ears redden and his heart take a leap.

I am abso-fucking-lutely unbelievable. This is ridiculous.

Once he’s done cringing at himself, Soonyoung pats Wonwoo’s head, hoping that it gives a light wake up call. To his surprise, it doesn’t. He figures that maybe he just really not cut out for this gentle affection type of thing. It’s better to stick to the fun stuff.

“Forgive me, Wonu-yah,” he whispers to himself before charging and swinging a good kick to the sleeping boy.

When he’s sure that Wonwoo is awake (hint: the punch to his face was a dead giveaway), he rolls his eyes at his best friend’s complaints. “I’m not the one who fell asleep on the stairs on prom night. And you did that to yourself. I on the other hand... was it really necessary to hit my chin?”

“What was I supposed to do? Kiss you?” Wonwoo retorts.

Oh.

Soonyoung goes silent, unblinking.

That would’ve been really nice but probably only on my end.

How does anyone not fall for someone when they spew shit like that out of nowhere?

“Well, would’ve been better than hurting my precious face,” Soonyoung fights the blush that is crawling up his neck and settles for a pout. He didn’t exactly want to reject the idea of a kiss.

Wonwoo suggests to return to their table inside, but Soonyoung refuses. He really doesn’t want to go back into the venue right now. Not when there’s shitty food and lack of entertainment. He’s just itching to spend time with Wonwoo and get him alone.

He was worried that Wonwoo was tired. Maybe they needed a little getaway. Added bonus if there’s good food in the said getaway. In fact, he just got a sudden craving for chicken nuggets (specifically, McDonald’s).

“Didn’t you say that you like prom?” Wonwoo’s nose does a small scrunch.

Fuck, I want to boop his nose. When did I become a sap?

Right, I’ve always been a sap.

In Wonwoo’s defense, Soonyoung does remember telling him that. But that was only because he was excited to have an excuse to see his crush in a suit. Said crush did not disappoint.

Soonyoung groans inwardly. “Dude, can you, like, stop using everything I’ve said in the past against me?”

“No.”

“I’m a changed man!”

“You said that yesterday.”

“But-“ He’s about to suggest getting some more edible food when Wonwoo beats him to it.

“You just want McDonald’s, don’t you?”

A pause ensues.

“Yeah, I do,” Soonyoung finally admits.

“Now that, my friend, was a good meal.”

Soonyoung slings an arm around Wonwoo’s shoulders. He feels the fill of the hearty (and unhealthy) McDonald’s meal in his stomach as they step out into the sidewalk.

The rain has cleared by now, leaving a kind of humidity hanging in the air and small puddles out on the streets.

“Petrichor,” Wonwoo says quietly.

Soonyoung stretches, pausing midway. “Petri what?”

“Petrichor. It’s the smell after it rains. Weird, isn’t it? That we have a name for that specific smell...”

“Yeah... gotta love humanity... Uh, do you think they’ll one day invent a name for what you feel after having a good, full meal at McDonald’s?” Soonyoung expresses genuine curiousity towards the idea of humans ever having enough time to be able to come up with these kinds of things.

Wonwoo replies, “It’s called contentment.”

“No, no,” Soonyoung protests, “like, specifically for McDonald’s only. When you have a good fill of their food.”

“Then that’s no longer contentment, it’s contamination.”

A gasp fills the air, and Soonyoung hurriedly covers Wonwoo’s mouth. “You evil man. Don’t say that when we’re right in front of the establishment!”

“What are you talking about? I shit talk them all the time, even while we’re inside,” Wonwoo rolls his eyes.

“You don’t know what Ronald McDonald can do,” Soonyoung whispers.

“You really are a child,” Wonwoo resists a laugh, his perfect row of teeth peeking through when he smiles in both disbelief and fondness. “Get your hand off of my face!”

Once his hand is swatted out of the way, Soonyoung grins at his best friend who just shakes his head. He knows Wonwoo is always entertained when he pulls dumb shit like that.

They begin to walk with no direction in particular. Soonyoung has a small skip in his step. It’s about time that he should bring up how Wonwoo is doing. It was on his mind most of the time while they ate. He notices that Wonwoo has his head down, watching each step they take along the wet sidewalk.

There isn’t much life bustling around them, which is unusual for a Friday night. All that Soonyoung can see is a few small street food stops open a block or two away.

He duly takes note of their surroundings for a bit. God, the street’s about as dry as Wonwoo’s sense of humor... there’s nothing here.

He tries to aim for a good time to start a little of his planned “catching up” talk, but for some odd reason, he just can’t get it right. He suddenly felt nervous upon realizing (rather late, too) that it was just the two of them together right now.

Recently, both of them had been busy with various things. Admittedly, Soonyoung was busier than Wonwoo was, but Wonwoo had more mental work to do. His parents enrolled him into a tutorial center to begin preparing for college. The only times that they would get to be together is in school along with their other friends. He doesn’t really remember the last time that they really got to be alone together like this and what it felt like, yet he’s been craving for it all night.

Thanks to the rain, it’s become a little chillier. His lack of gloves serves as a reminder to Soonyoung of how he gets cold quite easily. He rubs his hands together and stuffs them into his in his pockets.

He then becomes distracted by Wonwoo’s hands when he takes a quick look. He wonders on about how they’re probably warmer and how they’re just a little bit larger than his. He tries his best to recall a memory of whether or not their hands have ever touched for more than briefly, yet to no avail.

How would it feel like?

Soonyoung dares to let his thoughts lead him in that direction. He hadn’t thought much of it before, but tonight it had really crossed his mind. (It crossed his mind, then made a sharp u-turn and crossed again. And again. And again. Then it just halts smack in the fucking middle of his thought process.)

It would be really nice if we could hold hands right now.

The sound of footsteps stop.

Wonwoo’s head snaps up and their eyes meet.

“Are you talking to me?”

Chapter Text

They walk in silence, Wonwoo simply pondering on about the things he likes about Soonyoung because - well, how could he not think about it right now? The two of them finally got a night (albeit quite short) for just the two of them, as runaways from their school prom night.

He wonders if Soonyoung will fall ill after that episode of running through the rain earlier. (Although, between the two of them, he’s more prone to sickness.) It would mean that Soonyoung would be absent from school, ringing up Wonwoo in the middle of class just to say, “Come to my house and make me soup.”

(He never once declined the request.)

Is it bad to want him to catch a cold?

Shit, mom will kill me if I’m the one who gets sick.

If he’s being honest, this proves to Wonwoo that he’s as much of an idiot as Soonyoung is.

A meowing cat catches his attention, trotting past the pair. He coos, mentioning cute it is. Soonyoung didn’t seem to hear him, but had he did, he would’ve scowled at it. He isn’t really a cat person.

Actually, they generally have different interests, for example, Soonyoung loves dancing and he would much prefer reading books or play a good half hour of Animal Crossing. (Both were once enthusiastic and eager to help each other to try the other’s interest, but, long story short, it didn’t work out as well as they had hoped. Never again.)

Wonwoo would rarely say much of his pointless thoughts out loud, but his mind is continuously running with inner monologue, most of it just plain dumb and pointless. What he loved so much about Soonyoung was that, more often than not, the things that his best friend loves to babble about mirrors his own thoughts.

It drew him in, how much their minds were actually alike. Same values, humor, curiosity... what was different was how they expressed it. If Soonyoung blurted it out, Wonwoo finds that he was thinking the exact same thing.

But tonight, Wonwoo didn’t know if he was grateful for that.

Next to him, Soonyoung eagerly rubs his hands together to garner some form warmth. He sighs, lifting his own to examine them. They’re not cold.

Is it a good enough excuse to hold his hands if I say it’s to warm them? It makes sense, right? Who wouldn’t want to warm their hands... in their best friend’s... no homo.

If that backfires, I’m going to have to endure the rest of the night in silent shame and awkwa-

A noise halts his inner monologue.

“It would be really nice if we could hold hands right now.”

It’s low, merely above a whisper, but thanks to the silent surroundings, Wonwoo hears it.

He hears it and his mind can think of nothing but fuck.

It catches him off guard, and he looks up to meet Soonyoung’s eyes, just to see if he’s serious or not.

“Are you talking to me?” Wonwoo manages. He thinks he hears the slightest crack in his voice but decidedly ignores it.

Soonyoung stares at him, his expression unreadable between shocked and scared. “What.” (It was more of a statement than a question.)

“What?”

“I... I wasn’t saying anything?”

“Oh, sorry...” Wonwoo wants to disappear into the pavement below them. “Maybe you were just thinking of something else. It was just a whisper so I wasn’t sure if you were talking to me.”

They don’t move for a good five seconds.

Dear universe, please just take me already.

“But, um... I mean, if it’s okay with you, I kind of...” Soonyoung clears his throat. Once, twice, three times. “Do you happen to have gloves on you right now?”

Wonwoo shakes his head, “No. Just my wallet. Sorry. We can go look for some cheap ones, maybe? There’s probably a small shopping district up ahead.” Or I could just, you know...

The other boy laughs nervously. “Oh, no, don’t worry. It’s fine that you don’t have any.”

“What? I thought you-“

Soonyoung quickly intertwines their fingers. “I prefer this, if that’s okay with you.”

Neither of them can manage to make eye contact.

Fuck shit fuck shit fuck shit fuck. Wonwoo’s brain began to become filled with a mental keyboard smash, nothing coherent coming out of it.

He looks down to their hands, instantly looking away and feeling his entire body go stiff.

No homo, remember? No homo.

He looks at it again and this time, his legs go jelly and his knees go weak.

Oh my god, I’m such a homo.

“I-I’m supposed to hold it like this,” Wonwoo positions their hands so that they’re no longer intertwined, but rather his is more or less enveloping Soonyoung’s fingers. “They’ll get warmer faster.”

(He didn’t know who he was kidding, his hands were probably colder than Soonyoung’s at this point. Sweaty, too. He prays that it isn’t too obvious.)

Wonwoo seriously felt like crying. This was too much for his poor heart. All Soonyoung wants is to get his hands warm and here he is wishing that it were more than that.

“Oh. Thanks,” Soonyoung nods curtly, still not making eye contact.

It’s only awkward if you make it awkward.

“We should-“

“Before that, I wanted to ask you something. Are you okay?”

For the first time in what feels like forever, Soonyoung finally turns his head to look straight at Wonwoo. His eyes aren’t sparkling with fun like they were back in McDonald’s anymore. Instead, they’re hard and demanding of an answer. (For other people, Soonyoung would have looked either (a) scary or (b) inconsiderate, but Wonwoo knows better.)

“I’m sorry that it’s bad timing, but...” his friend groans and slides his hand down his face. “Look, I’m just trying to enjoy holding your hand but I need to know what you’re thinking first. It’s been on my mind all night. You’ve been out of it lately, you know?”

If Wonwoo were drinking water right now, he’d choke on it. “You’re trying to what?”

“Never mind what I said! Answer my question, please?”

It takes a lot of effort, but he quickly dismissed the hand holding from his head. “I’m... I’m fine. Sorry if you’re worried. I guess I didn’t notice.” Wonwoo wants to tell Soonyoung that he’s not fine, but how would he follow up with the reason that it was because he had a crush that he can’t stop thinking about?

“I’m not a moron, just tell me.”

“I object, that statement is-“

“Alright, whatever, say I am a moron, it doesn’t matter. I’m the cutest moron you’ve ever met-”

“Sadly.”

Soonyoung pauses, mouth hanging in the air, then continues. “But stop avoiding my concern! I’m trying to be a good friend here.”

“I want to tell you, really, but I don’t think now is the right time.”

“Since when did you keep things from me?” Soonyoung’s eyebrows furrow.

Wonwoo sighs, he doesn’t know what to say. Soonyoung looked hurt that for the first time, Wonwoo wasn’t willing to tell him what was up. This was turning into an argument that he would much rather not have right now. Everything was going so well.

This is seriously way too complicated. I just want to magically start dating.

Soonyoung drops their connected hands. “Sorry. Forget I asked. I just ruined the mood, didn’t I?”

I’m the fucking president of club dumbass.

If there were a wall next to him, Soonyoung would bash his own head into it.

He could spend hours at the studio where his dance classes are held with each move in perfect sync with every beat of the music. Even if he were tired, all the timing came perfectly to him, like his body moved automatically without fail.

This night, however, his mouth had successfully blabbered on without filter. Every timing was off and every word just came out more wrong the more he listened to himself.

Nice one, Soonyoung. All hail.

(He’s a good distance away from Wonwoo now, who is still frozen in place.)

I’ve really fucked myself over. I should start digging my own grave.

Soonyoung feels his heart clench. He was being nosy and he knows it. “I’m really sorry. You don’t have to be scared of me. I won’t ask anymore if you don’t want me to,” he turns around and says it loud enough for Wonwoo to hear.

The other is startled, as if he wasn’t expecting them to talk to each other any time soon. “It’s okay. Thanks,” Wonwoo catches up to him and asks, “Uh, can I go the bathroom for a bit?”

They don’t know where exactly the nearest restroom is, but they walk a little further into town to find a quaint clothing shop, brightly lit with colorful displays and trendy pop music on repeat. (Basically, it was encompassing every mood that Soonyoung was not feeling.) Luckily, the owner let’s them use the restroom in the back.

While Wonwoo is doing his business, Soonyoung searches the store. Or at least, he pretends to. His mind is really just focused on how right Wonwoo is that he is a moron.

“Sir, I suggest the dark blue one. It would suit you,” a small voice interrupts his self-deprecation. The old, short lady laughs lightly at Soonyoung. When he looks at the clothes in front of him, it’s a row of neatly hung dresses in various colors and shades.

He laughs. “Dark blue isn’t really my color. I’m more of a yellow, I think. Maybe red?”

The old store owner nods in agreement. “I can see it when you crack a smile. Not so much just a second ago, though. What’re you so down in the dumps for? And what’s with the outfit?”

“Oh, this... right,” Soonyoung suddenly remembers that he’s wearing a suit, which wouldn’t be so weird if he weren’t wandering around town mid-evening on a Friday night as a teenager. “My friend and I just escaped a boring event, is all.”

“Speaking of, your friend seems to be bac-“

Soonyoung turns to look behind him, but before the elder can finish her sentence, he’s being hastily dragged towards the door, and eventually exiting the shop. He hears Wonwoo give a quick thanks to her before continuing to be pulled further and further from the small amount of people around the area.

“Wonwoo, what are you-“

“I’m sorry.”

Now, Soonyoung is even more confused. “Well, your grip might’ve left a mark but it’s all good,” he rubs the spot where he was just dragged from moments ago.

“No, not that,” Wonwoo sighs, “I just - I can’t believe I’m...”

“Pregnant?”

“No!”

Wonwoo’s current stress level is painfully evident. One of his hands sit atop Soonyoung’s shoulder, the other hiding his face. He makes an incoherent mumbling noise for a bit. Soonyoung wonders if he’s truly lost it.

God, Wonwoo, you were so supposed to be the sane one in this relationship.

He stays still, not knowing what to do. He had never seen his best friend like this before, not even when his favorite game’s file got deleted (which, in itself, is a long enough story for another day).

A lengthy silence hangs between them. It’s like Adam Sandler had that stupid remote of his in that one movie and pressed pause but forgot to press play.

“You’re so annoying, Soonyoung-ah,” Wonwoo says this however doesn’t look annoyed at all. In fact, he looks relatively happy.

Soonyoung really would like to make him get straight to the point already. “What, why? You’re the one who was trying to apologize, like, five seconds ago. You’d think that I’m the one annoyed with you.”

“I just don’t get it, you know. It’s not fair.”

“What isn’t?”

“Me, you. It’s unfair.”

“Look, Wonwoo, I’ll be honest, I have no fucking idea what you’re saying right now.”

Wonwoo takes a deep breath, as if he were about to dive into the ocean and not resurface for the next thirty minutes.

“I’m sorry that I kept this from you. I just thought it was unfair that I like you so much, when I feel like nothing is ever going to happen even if I want it to,” Wonwoo rambles, “Your smile, your laughter, our endless strings of conversation, your personality, the way you whine about not having enough barbecue sauce with your nuggets, it’s all so annoying. It’s annoying because it turns me into the cheesiest guy on the planet who wants to tell you how happy you make me, how much you mean to me, all of that. I’m going to regret spewing all of this at your face in about three seconds, so don’t worry, you don’t have to say anything.” Wonwoo lets go of Soonyoung’s shoulder to burry his face in his hands.

Soonyoung feels his mind go blank, nothing is processing. Everything stopped at “I like you so much”.

“I...” he tries, but Wonwoo shushes him.

“Give me a second.”

Everything suddenly sinks in, and Soonyoung feels like he’s on cloud nine. He peeks at Wonwoo, taking in how red his ears have become. He touches his own, and sure enough, they’re just the same.

Knowing his best friend, Wonwoo the worrywart, he had probably tried his best to try and hide his feelings. He probably didn’t want Soonyoung to know. Sadly, he was really good at it. (Either that, Soonyoung thinks, or I’m just about as blind as he was.)

“Hey,” he flicks Wonwoo’s forehead affectionately, “don’t be embarrassed. I know how you feel. You annoy me, too, you know. Especially when you don’t reciprocate the feeling...”

Wonwoo finally removes his face from its hiding place. “Oh... sorry.”

A mental facepalm registers in Soonyoung’s head. “Do you even get what I’m trying to say?” Soonyoung laughs, trying his best to lighten them both up, he could tell Wonwoo was too tense, he thought that he might’ve somehow repelled Soonyoung from remaining his friend. Even if he didn’t see Wonwoo in the way he did now, the last thing he would want to do is make Wonwoo uncomfortable.

“Wonu-yah, what I’m trying to say is, I happen to be the second cheesiest guy on the planet and you make me way more happy than I think is even possible,” Soonyoung begins to ramble just like Wonwoo had earlier, but he doesn’t notice. “And even when we argue, I try my best to apologize because I hate making you upset, and you’re always there for me so how could I not be forever thankful? You mean way more than the world to me, I hope you know that now.

”Sometimes, when we’re together, I think that we could just stay as friends and everything would be fine. But even when I tell myself that, I’m pretty stubborn and tend not to listen, so I try so hard to show you and return the amount of affection you give me. I did it on my own will, because something inside me told me to. I’m so glad I did.

“God, there’s so much I’ve wanted to tell you, you know? It’s been months. Seriously.”

“I’m relieved,” Wonwoo smiles. And the smile turns into a grin. Then, into laughter. “This is so great. I don’t even know what to say to you, I’m just so happy.” He quietly slips his hand into Soonyoung’s, intertwining their fingers and holding tight.

Soonyoung smiles softly, saying nothing in return. He knows that that one gesture meant so much coming from Wonwoo.

He then takes it all in: Wonwoo’s smile (which makes him want to melt into a puddle), their hands, together (which he wishes he could show off to the world, screaming how he just got the man of his dreams), just generally how insanely mundane yet exciting this night just became. It didn’t feel real. If this were a dream, he never wanted to wake up.

It was a long way to get here, but there was not a single moment that he regretted, not even eating that shitty mystery meatloaf.

After all, if it weren’t for that shitty mystery meatloaf, they wouldn’t have ditched prom on a rainy night, gotten McDonald’s on a whim, used the weather as an excuse to hold hands, used a restroom at the back of a small clothing shop, or become the cheesiest guys on the planet to declare how whipped they are for each other.

Chapter Text

Nothing about this night was what Wonwoo expected, yet, somehow, he’s seen it in his dreams. Maybe not the exact same thing, but he’ll admit that the scene of him and Soonyoung admitting their feelings for each other has (embarrassingly) appeared in his dreams more than he welcomes it to do so.

He listens quietly while Soonyoung blabbers next to him. They’re walking now, back to where the night began. It’s already in sight, they’re just a few hundred meters from the gate entrance. “Listen, I tried so hard to show you that I liked you, you know? Dude, you’re like a rock when I talk to you sometimes. A really cute rock.”

The conversation had somehow spun back to where it was fifteen minutes ago, in the depths of Soonyoung’s complaints that Wonwoo hadn’t thought that Soonyoung had a crush on him. At this, he sighs.

He then stops in his tracks to rest his hand atop Soonyoung’s head. The other stops rambling, eager to listen to what he had to say this time.

“I’m sorry that I was too busy trying to hide my big fat crush on you that I didn’t notice your big fat crush on me.”

Wonwoo’s voice was soft and sincere, yet at the same time teasing. He was sure that his best friend (boyfriend?) needed a lot of reassurance right now that, yes - they’re something now.

(He isn’t sure what they are, but it’s definitely not nothing.)

Soonyoung bursts into a fit of giggles. “How do you say that so calmly?” His cheeks become their usual poofy form when his mouth stretches into a grin, and Wonwoo can’t help but pinch them.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a while,” he explains, squishing and stretching Soonyoung’s cheeks in different directions. He himself feels a grin plastered on his face now, so wide that he thinks it’ll give him wrinkles unless he stops soon.

I can’t believe a human can be this cute. My heart wants to fucking explode. Oh my god.

“Oh my god,” Wonwoo’s cheek-squished victim groans. “Stop it. Please.” Soonyoung desperately shoves his hands into Wonwoo’s face, making sure to drag them downward. “Stop smiling like that. It makes me want to become the second cheesiest guy on the planet again.”

Wonwoo notices how warm the cheeks under his hands have become. “Aww,” he coos, “glad I’m not the only one.”

“Just don’t do it when we’re with other people. I’m going to be that sap who wants to fucking cry and lose my shit every time I see you smile.”

“I’ll be doing it a lot more now, then!” Wonwoo flashes another smile, booping the nose of the other whose face now greatly resembles the >:( emoji. He pulls Soonyoung close to him just so that they’re within a hug’s reach.

“I just told you not to!”

“But it’s cute when you get flustered. Look, you’re all pouty and stuff. Like a lost puppy who just wants to go home and stop suffering.”

“So, what am I supposed to do?” Soonyoung smirks, his demeanor changing, “Kiss you?”

Wonwoo’s heart rate speeds at the familiarity of the question. “What, you’re making the first move?” He hears his heartbeat drumming in his ears. Shut up, Soonyoung will hear you. Either that or we could get lucky enough for him to feel you for himself.

“Of course I am! Is it too early to establish who the domina-“

Before he can finish the question, Wonwoo covers his mouth. “Don’t finish that question.”

“I really want to kiss you right now and you’re just teasing me!” Soonyoung pointedly (or attempts to) glare at the hand covering his mouth.

“You really want to what?”

“I said, kiss you. Keep up, Wonwoo,” Soonyoung rolls his eyes. His voice is muffled behind the hand.

Wonwoo drops his hand, whining, “Don’t say things like that!” He positions his arms to wrap just around and above Soonyoung’s hips. The action is reciprocated.

“Why not?”

“Because...” Wonwoo’s cheeks warm this time. (He could tell Soonyoung was enjoying this as much as he himself had earlier.)

“Because...?” Soonyoung echoes, smug smirk gracing his features.

“I want to... uh, go?”

“Go? Where? We just came from the bathroom, in case you forgot.”

“No, I mean,” Wonwoo struggles to get the words out, but he forces it to. “I want to be the one. To do it. First, I mean. Yeah.”

He watches Soonyoung break eye contact only to look as if he’s in deep thought. “W-well, we can’t both do it first. That might hurt.”

A long three seconds of dead-silence between them ensues, and Wonwoo thinks that he should just go for it to beat Soonyoung to it. Unfortunately, that same idea occurs to Soonyoung, and they end up bumping their faces into each other.

“Fuck, that hurt,” Soonyoung rubs his upper lip while Wonwoo rubs his lower one. They both wince slightly.

(This is when Wonwoo realizes that he is in fact taller than Soonyoung.)

This is a lot harder than I thought. Everything really has to be difficult, doesn’t it?

Suddenly, between his arms, he feels Soonyoung rise a bit through tiptoeing and the quick peck onto his lips is gone as soon as it began.

In shock, he begins to tickle Soonyoung (who is conveniently in the perfect position), accusing him of being a cheater.

“Hey! I told you I wanted to do it first!” Wonwoo tries to make himself seem mad, but not a single part of his body is cooperating. He feels giddy inside, laughing almost as much as Soonyoung is.

After a good few seconds, Soonyoung can’t seem to breathe anymore and repeatedly begs for it to end, so Wonwoo stops the attack.

“That’s so unnecessary. You’re lucky because I got to kiss you or else I would’ve done the same,” Soonyoung is panting, evidently out of breath but mostly from laughing and not from trying to escape the wrath. (His forehead has a thin sheen of sweat, which Wonwoo wasn’t sure was even possible to acquire in that short span of time.)

Wonwoo feels it again, the fun of poking fun at each other and having fun as best friends. But starting tonight, it would all be different. He didn’t need to think about how complicated it was with longing and unrequited feelings anymore. He trusts Soonyoung enough to know that now.

He leans down - just a little - until his lips touch with Soonyoung’s. It’s so, very light, just enough to press them together. It’s not what he imagined it to be like, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It didn’t feel like an explosion of rainbows and glitter, it felt like relief, as if he’s finally found what he’s been looking for.

They stay like that, shifting ever so slightly a few times. When they separate, Soonyoung lets out a low whistle. “Dang, that kiss makes mine look embarrassing.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Wonwoo laughs, “a kiss is a kiss. Between us, it should always mean the same thing. Besides, we’ve embarrassed ourselves enough for today. I don’t think we can exceed the limit.”

(They do it again, just for fun.)

Wonwoo checks his watch. It’s already around ten minutes to eleven o’clock. He thinks it’s just enough time to -

Soonyoung interrupts his thoughts and suggests exactly what he was just thinking. “So, um... neither of us has a dance yet, and it’s prom night. Plus, I think Junhui and Jihoon-”

Wonwoo nods, wordlessly interlocking their hands together. (He thinks that this is a habit he’ll end up acquiring.) Soonyoung‘s hand is cold and slightly clammy, but Wonwoo isn’t one to complain. His is probably worse.

To say the least, this night has been nerve wracking for the both of them and will continue to be. (Although, he didn’t know why Soonyoung would be nervous to dance right now. In case he forgot, he‘s the dancer between the two of them.)

In spite of this, neither of them mention any of it, because they know that they share the same feelings, and nothing could give them more comfort than that.

“Wonu-yah.”

Wonwoo feels the nickname rip through his heart.

I really need to get a grip on that.

“What?”

Soonyoung smiles. It’s a really charming smile, warm and endearing as always, but it has a different context to it. He hasn’t smiled like that all night, Wonwoo mentally notes.

“Nothing,” he squeezes Wonwoo’s hand tighter. “I just really like prom - shitty food and all.”

“Me, too, Soonyoung.”