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Some song is playing that he doesn’t really know nor does he care for. Jinhwan has sat himself outside, far enough from the noisy crowd around a bonfire and from the bass-boosted house behind him, half-considering to text Hanbin to ask him if it’s too early to leave. It’s not that he didn’t enjoy parties; this one is just, kinda lame. He also doesn’t wanna ruin Hanbin’s night, considering they have to leave together, as they’re a unit (and as Jinhwan is Hanbin’s only reliable source of transportation). He closes his eyes and sways his head and listens to the music as if it’s Bach’s Suite No. 1 in G Major when it’s really some aggressive, upbeat rap song with inappropriate lyrics. He huffs. This is boring. He might as well wander until Hanbin is ready to go. God knows where he is.
Jinhwan renters the house, the music being upsettingly louder than he would’ve liked. He ventures the kitchen, but it’s full of loiterers. Next was the living room, but that just goes without saying. So he gives up, mutters fuck it , and stations himself at a random wall in a miniature hallway that’s relatively empty. He looks to his side and catches a glimpse of Hanbin, being tugged through the crowd by some random person Jinhwan has never seen. An alarm goes off, but Hanbin looks like he’s enjoying himself. Nonetheless, his inner hyung senses kick in and he sends a quick text.
If you need me for anything, please don’t hesitate to call me. Or the police. Stay safe.
Hey, parties can be scary and it doesn’t hurt to take precautions. He prefers his best friend safe and happy.
“You texting someone special or do I have to give you my number first?”
A voice startles him, causing him to cower in the opposite direction with his shoulders raised and his phone against his chest. Jinhwan finds himself looking upon a taller man (what else is new) with his hand against the wall, almost as if to cage in Jinhwan so he can’t escape. There’s a stupid look on his face like he’s proud of himself, like that shitty pickup line will get him laid. Jinhwan goes from alerted to annoyed in seconds.
“Please go away.” The taller whines, leaning against the wall with a dramatic sound. He pouts. Jinhwan rolls his eyes.
“But how could I let my soulmate escape when I just met him.” Annoying. Shut up. The shorter stands upright and glares at him.
“Who, the fuck, even are you?” He smiles. It’s kinda hot, yes, but–
“Koo Junhoe. And I just told you, I’m your soulmate.” Shut up.
“Do you always come on this strong.” He nods causally.
“Pretty much.” Jinhwan sighs in defeat. He wants this man to leave him alone. But that stupid, annoying little part of his heart that’s shallow and makes him feel fuzzy also wants to give this jackass a shot. Just because he has pretty eyes and a charming aura and is uniquely beautiful despite his personality being irritating, rude, trashy, and ugh . The song changes and people cheer for it as if it had scored a touchdown.
Jinhwan leans against the wall where he was before, beside the jackass who seems quite satisfied that he didn’t completely scare off Jinhwan. The two of them don’t say anything for a while. They just stand there, listening, observing, wildly conscious of the fact that their bare arms are touching. Every so often, Junhoe takes a sip of his drink. Jinhwan checks his phone for a brief second. Junhoe taps his foot. Jinhwan fixes his hair. The song changes again.
“You’re really pretty, y’know,” Junhoe says suddenly, calmly, surprisingly sincere. Jinhwan blinks and look up at him. He doesn’t look back. Pretty? He’s heard handsome, nice , even dapper. But pretty is definitely new.
“Um. Thank you.” Junhoe nods and then it’s silent again. It’s kinda weird. Another song passes and Jinhwan does some thinking. This is exactly the kind of guy that only wants you for a night and to never see you again. Jinhwan has encountered one too many before– yes, he had indulged in one of these encounters once or twice before, but every time he felt empty afterward. And frankly, it’s not his gig.
“I’m not interested in having sex,” he tries to say as non-bitterly as he can. Junhoe finally looks at him. “If that’s what you’re trying to get out of me.”
“Do I seem like a one-night stand kinda person?” he asks like he was actually curious. Jinhwan shrugs.
“Kinda.” Junhoe makes a sound. He seems a little offended.
“You don’t really know me.” Because we just met, dumbass.
“Right back at you.”
More silence. Jinhwan does some people watching. A petite girl is being harassed by some creepy buff guy. He would’ve run over to pry the douche away if he wasn’t already being escorted out by someone else. Another lady gets the petite girl. She’s okay.
“What’s your name?”
“Jinhwan.”
Nod.
Silence.
Jinhwan feels his phone buzz; Hanbin has replied. Don’t worry. I’m definitely, absolutely safe. He smiles at the warm vibe of the text and quickly replies as all his previous tension goes away. Give me his name later . Jinhwan slips his phone away again.
Eventually, Junhoe sighs and chugs the remainder of his pathetic red cup and takes Jinhwan by the wrist and leads him outside (again). He says a hey or two of protest but he’s ignored. He doesn’t mind too much. He notes that Junhoe has quite a tight grasp.
In the backyard, there’s a small garden, apparently. Beside it is a table with two seats on either side. Jinhwan is guided into one and Junhoe sits in the other. He looks lovely under the moonlight. Jinhwan tries to stay cautious of this stranger but his heart is making him feel fuzzy.
“What’s your favorite color?” he asks intensely, out of nowhere.
“Huh.”
“Answer me.” They look at each other for a second. It’s becoming summer but it’s still a bit chilly. Hanbin told him to bring a jacket but no, he was too stubborn. He was fond of this plain t-shirt. Junhoe has a muscle tee on and kinda looks like a tool. But he’s still kinda, hot. Charming. Handsome. Pretty .
“Red.”
“Mine too. What’s your biggest insecurity?” Junhoe leans over the table, arms crossed and all. His glare is burning through Jinhwan. His heart rate increases.
“That took a leap, didn't it?”
“Jinan, answer me.” ‘Jinan’ is taken back in surprise and shock and all other synonymous words.
“I’m sorry, what did you call me?” Only his close friends call him that.
“ Answer me.”
“I– Fine. My height.”
“Your height is really cute.” Ugh.
“That’s why I hate it.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“I don’t wanna look like a baby, I wanna look like the twenty-five year old man I am.”
“You’re twenty-five?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m twenty-two.”
“Oh, I see.”
Pause. Junhoe squints at him like he’s concentrating on something. Jinhwan flushes involuntarily and hopes that the color isn’t very visible.
“You look younger.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s– Like I said, it's the height.”
Another pause. Junhoe leans in more.
“Can I kiss you?” Really?
“No, thanks.” Jackass. However. It’s tempting.
“Maybe later?” It takes a whole ten seconds for Jinhwan to contemplate and respond.
“Maybe.” Junhoe gets quite excited about this prospect. He takes his chair and scoots over to sit next to Jinhwan. Is this a child? He points to Jinhwan’s hands, carefully folded on the tabletop.
“May I?” In confusion, Jinhwan unfolds them and slightly shifts one in the direction of the weird man. Junhoe slides his own hand along Jinhwan’s and interlocks their fingers firmly. Jinhwan stares at him, reluctantly closing his fingers around Junhoe's big hand. He seems pleased again.
So, the two strangers hold hands outside of a continuously raging party. Kinda weird, but weirdly nice. Jinhwan’s starting to get embarrassed. Who the fuck is this guy?
“What’s yours?
“Hm?”
“Your biggest insecurity.” Junhoe hums, tilting his head and casually squeezing Jinhwan’s hand and rubbing his thumb along it like this is normal.
“I dunno. I’m confident about a lot of things.
“I would’ve never guessed,” Jinhwan says flatly. Junhoe laughs. Wow. It’s raw and sweet and tender and it makes that stupid part of his heart sing. Jinhwan feels like a love song should start playing, but instead it’s a song about fucking bitches and getting money. That works too, he guesses. Jinhwan throws his elbow on the table and rests his head in his hand.
“You’re weird.” Junhoe mimics the action and smiles.
“Maybe. But it’s more fun that way.”
“What is?”
“What isn’t?”
“Shut up.” Junhoe chuckles and it’s really, pleasant. The atmosphere is pleasant. They met twenty minutes ago but they feel so comfortable with each other. They have another silence, but this time is consists of staring into each other’s eyes as if the world was ending.
Weird, it’s weird. That’s definitely the best word to describe this. Jinhwan is the very last person to believe in love at first sight. Especially in this instance, when Jinhwan would’ve loved to throw his fist straight in this guy’s stomach when they met. Not much time has passed since then. Maybe about thirty minutes, actually? But this guy. He’s alright. Still a little annoying and intimidating, but at the same time he’s interesting and entertaining. Maybe first impressions are overrated. Jinhwan blinks and lets a smile go. Junhoe smiles back. Jinhwan starts hearing his heartbeat pounding in his ears. This is scary, how fast Jinhwan changed this view of this person. Or maybe his view didn’t change, per se. He just learned a bit more about how this person operates. What petty things tick them off, what puny things make them smile. He learned that he should loosen up. It’s not like he’ll have these experiences again. This is like some shit from a teen movie. Maybe he should value that. Jinhwan decides again, fuck it , he’s gonna be bold and live his life while he’s still young. He’s getting old.
“You can kiss me now.”
Junhoe doesn’t need any further confirmation. He leans over, taking his hand from Jinhwan’s to hold his face instead, attempting to give him the best kiss of his damn life. Jinhwan lets his arm fall flat on the table and invests himself in this, just for a second. His lips are soft and work well with Jinhwan’s. Junhoe’s lips and tongue taste violently of alcohol and Jinhwan wonders if that had an effect on how he was behaving tonight. Would Jinhwan like him any less if that was true? Does Jinhwan even like him in the first place? There’s a second of softly gasping for air as they tilt their heads to more comfortable position with better access. This is up there with some the stupidest things Jinhwan has ever done. There’s still the knot in his stomach that’s telling him he’s just another number to this man. Junhoe bites Jinhwan’s bottom lip to distract him from his wandering hands, leading lines down his small chest, catching the hem of his plain t-shirt that he is quite fond of. Would it hurt if Jinhwan never saw him again? The idea of there being something real is the scariest thing of all. Yes, waking up cold and alone after one night of fun hurts, but it’s a scratch on the knee compared to seeing someone walk out of your life. Relationships suck. Jinhwan sucks at relationships. He finally pushes at Junhoe’s chest, gently, calmly, not in a bad way.
“Is something wrong?” Junhoe questions carefully and quietly. It’s nice. Jinhwan doesn’t know how to reply.
“I don’t know.” Junhoe sits back in his chair, his hands back to holding Jinhwan’s. The atmosphere isn’t as pleasant anymore. “I’m not. Good with this stuff. I don’t know.” Junhoe opened his mouth to speak. “No, I don’t want to talk about it.” The younger nods quietly, wrapping his arms around the older’s shoulders and holding him to his chest the best he can with the metal armrests in the way. Jinhwan hugs him back and it’s weird. He’s feeling fuzzy again.
“Who even are you.”
“I told you. Soulmate.”