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“I met your fanboy today,” Bora tells Dongheon as they get ready for the parade, not really looking at him as she tries to fix her hair, frowning at the mirror. “He’ll probably take tons of pictures of us again.”
Dongheon tries not to blush as he nods. He isn’t sure what to say in return and instead just looks down at himself to make sure he looks his best.
“I really like him!” Mimi says from two mirrors down, “his disneybound is always on point, I just wish he drops Ariel and does some Snow White instead.”
Bora directs her frown at Mimi instead, but the younger ignores her in favor of reapplying her red lipstick.
“The only reason for him to do that is if Dongheon hyung would be Snow White’s prince,” Yeonho hums, leaning against the wall near them and playing with the feather on his hat, “but I think he’d have to kill Jaebum hyung first.” he laughs.
Dongheon sighs. “He’s just a visitor who likes The Little Mermaid,” he tries to reason, “it has nothing to do with me. He takes more photos with Bora noona than with me.”
“That’s because you don’t have a meet and greet session!” they all chorus back, already used to his excuses.
“He always asks me about you specifically,” Bora adds as an afterthought, “calls you ‘the softer looking Eric’.” she coos.
Mimi and Yeonho don't even try to hide their amusement, and Dongheon frowns before walking away from them, looking for Haebin instead. She won't make him feel bad for having an enthusiastic fan.
﹌﹌﹌
Dongheon thinks he's a pretty good prince. He has a nice smile, a good posture, and he can pull off the suit. He gets along with Bora and Chaeyoung, can do all the fanservice and cute poses with them without it looking weird or forced.
But then Bora just straight on elbows him in his ribs, making him lose his breath for a second. He tries not to glare at her but he isn't sure it's working.
“Cute fanboy is on the left!” she whisper-yells, smiling as usual as she waves at some children who stay oblivious to her assault.
“And you want him to take a picture of me dying?” he groans in return, but still searches for the boy.
It takes him a moment but finally, his eyes land on familiar red hair with homemade The Little Mermaid themed Mickey ears and a perfect Ariel-bound outfit consisting of glittering green jeans and a purple t-shirt with writings he can't read from his place. The smile returns to his face easily, and he knows Bora is going to make his life a living hell, but for now, they just pose cutely for him.
﹌﹌﹌
As they get back to the dressing room after the parade, almost everyone comments about Dongheon’s fanboy at least once.
Bora and Yeonho are absolutely enjoying it.
“I think he got me on video,” Yeonho says, “I made sure to wink at him, I hope he caught it.”
“I think he got Dongheon wheezing,” Bora says in the same manner one does when trying to outbid someone else while gambling.
Dongheon scuffs and goes to change his clothes, hoping no one notices how hard he is blushing.
﹌﹌﹌
Dongheon takes a little longer than usual to get out of the park, so he's not surprised when there's basically no one to walk to the parking lot with him.
He checks his phone as he's walking, not opening the messages from either Bora or Yeonho. He knows they're going to mock him and he doesn't want to deal with it right now. Instead, he opens the one from Haebin who wishes him a safe ride home and goodnight. He really isn't sure what he did in his past life to deserve her.
He lowers his phone as he gets close to the gate, but stops in his tracks when he notices who's standing at the other side.
He probably makes some noise without realizing, because next thing he knows is that his cute fanboy is looking at him with a big, hopeful smile that makes him kind of weak at his knees.
It takes him another moment before he starts walking again, and cute fanboy pushes himself from where he was leaning and walks towards him as well.
“Hi,” cute fanboy says and it catches Dongheon off guard because he still doesn't quite believe he waited for him, “Eric?” he tilts his head, as if not sure now that Dongheon is not wearing his suit (nor makeup).
“Ah, yeah,” Dongheon answers intelligently, hoping he isn't as flustered as he feels. This close he can see the words don't be such a guppy written in glitter cursive on the other's shirt, and it makes him smile.
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ambush you like this,” he says sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.
Dongheon nods, “it's– uh,” obviously, he deserves all of Bora’s mockery. He swallows before trying again. “It's okay, is there anything you need?”
Cute fanboy shakes his head quickly, waving his hand too before letting it fall next to his body. He opens and closes his mouth a few times before a faint blush makes its way to his face. “I'm Hoyoung,” he manages, and at Dongheon’s confused nod he continues, “and I would really, really like to go out on a date with you”
Dongheon’s breath leaves his lungs surprisingly for the second time this day.
﹌﹌﹌
After getting over the initial surprise-filled embarrassment, Dongheon agrees and they end up exchanging numbers. Dongheon is pretty sure Hoyoung saves him as Eric even after he tells him his real name, but he doesn't comment on it.
Hoyoung leaves first, running to catch his train and promising to text him so they could make plans.
Dongheon walks the rest of the way to his car, not trying to hide his smile as he checks his messages again, this time deciding to open the ones from Bora and Yeonho.
“We saw cute fanboy on the way out! We told him where to wait for you, don't let us down!” says the text from Bora.
“He's so cute! Don't break his heart, hyung!” says the text from Yeonho, with a picture of breathless Dongheon from the parade attached right after.
Dongheon considers blocking them both and changing all of his shifts. Chaeyoung will never betray him like that, and he can probably convince Haebin to switch to his new shifts.
﹌﹌﹌
Hoyoung does text him later that day, just as Dongheon gets out of the shower. It's a picture of him and Bora from the parade today, both looking straight at the camera while holding hands. “Tell noona I'll email her the rest when I'm done editing them” is written underneath.
Dongheon smiles to himself and forwards the picture (even if Bora doesn't deserve it) before going back to the chat with Hoyoung. “Noona’s greedy, don't indulge her like that” he writes back, throwing the phone on his bed as he goes to finish getting dried and dressed.
His phone blasting Under The Sea a few seconds later doesn't even surprise him. This ringtone belongs to either his Ariels or Myungsoo, and really, he doesn't even need to check before answering.
“Hi noona.” he says dryly, and said noona is squealing in return.
“So it worked?” she asks but doesn't wait for his response, “when are you guys going out? Isn't he the cutest?” she keeps throwing questions at him, and Dongheon leaves his phone on speaker as he continues doing his things. “And he takes such good pictures, I asked him to email him some of mine, really, he's so good, isn't he? And so crafty, too! He makes his own Mickey ears, isn't he talented?”
He picks one of the easier questions to answer. “He is cute,” he agrees, and can hear Bora about to start rambling again so he keeps talking in a louder voice as he picks up the phone, noticing he has new messages as the screen lights up, “but you're kind of stopping me from talking to him now.”
On literally every other occasion, she would probably scold him for talking to his elders like this. But this time she just gasps, “are you on a date right now?” she screeches and he can't answer her before she just hangs up.
He stares, confused, at the blinking screen for another moment before shaking his head. He will just explain it on their next shift, probably. He sits down on the bed and opens the message from Hoyoung.
“Ah, but I owe her. She told me where to find you” says the text and Dongheon is already blushing again. He didn't quite expect him to be this forward. He doesn't get to reply before another message pops up. “Sorry, was it too much? I'm just really happy I got to talk to you today” and, really, Dongheon just might die.
He's glad they're not face to face and he can think before blurting things out. “It's all good, I was just distracted for a moment. I'm not good at texting quickly” he nods to himself before sending it out.
He gets a response in a record time. “Do you want me to call?” and really, it's his fault entirely.
“SOS” he texts quickly to Haebin, biting his tongue, “cute fanboy is really straightforward and I'm going to die” he sends right after.
Haebin calls a moment later, and Dongheon doesn't remember being as happy to hear Once Upon a Dream as he is now.
She talks him through texting Hoyoung, and they successfully manage to decide on when and where they should meet for their date.
“You're so cute” Haebin coos when he thanks her, “Bora unnie is going to absolutely kill you for not calling her, though.” she adds.
Dongheon groans, still not quite believing this day. “Please don't tell her.” he pleads even though he knows Haebin will never sell him out like this.
“Don't worry about this,” she says and he can literally hear the unsaid worry about your mess of a date instead .
He thanks her again and wishes her goodnight before hanging up. He's not really surprised to see another message from Hoyoung, and when he sees the “Goodnight hyung!” he can't help but think he's kind of excited for this date.
﹌﹌﹌
Or mortified. Dongheon might have mixed up between excitement and mortification, is what he comes to realize as he waits for Hoyoung at the Café they chose.
He somehow found himself in a new group chat with Haebin, Bora, and Mimi when he woke up today, and while at first he frowned at it, now he is really thankful.
“I'm so bad at this” he writes, adding “why did I agree to this date” before any of them gets to reply.
“Because he's cute!” Mimi answers easily, and he lets out a short laugh.
“And you're cute, and you're probably so cute together” Bora replies a second later. “Send us a selfie of you two!”
“He's not here yet” he texts, checking the time. He was early, and Hoyoung has at least ten more minutes before Dongheon will let himself freak out and leave.
“He's still not late” Haebin writes as if she can read his mind, and Dongheon won't even be surprised at this point if she does.
“ I bet he'll wear a cute Ariel bound again ” Mimi writes, changing the subject.
Dongheon frowns. “Why will he do that?” he types but doesn't send because someone stops near his table and he raises his eyes and, oh. Hoyoung is most definitely not dressed in an Ariel bound, but rather in snug black skinny jeans and a simple blue t-shirt that has I speak fluent movie quotes written on it.
“Hi,” he smiles easily, and Dongheon hopes he mirrors it, “I hope you didn't wait too long.” he says and sits down.
Dongheon quickly silences his phone before shoving it in his bag, shaking his head a no. “Just a few minutes, it's fine.”
Hoyoung hums in return, and they both sit in silence before he coughs. “It's weird to see you outside the park,” he ends up saying, “I actually pass this place quite often on my way home, I wonder how many times I must have missed you here.”
“I, uhm,” he stumbles with his words and really, what is he doing here? He's so bad at this. “It's a place my friend recommended me, I haven't been to here before.”
“Ah,” Hoyoung nods, eyes moving to scan the menu on the walls, “so none of us have any idea what's the best drink here?” he laughs, “we better choose safe ones.”
Dongheon hums, moving his head to look at the menu as well. Hoyoung, unlike him, seems to be completely at ease, filling the silence easily as they try to decide on their orders.
It relaxes him, and by the time they get their drinks they lull into a comfortable chat.
“So,” Dongheon can't hide his amused smile, “I heard you call me 'the softer Eric'.”
Hoyoung doesn't even blush, shrugging easily, “the other Eric has such sharp cheekbones,” he raises his hands to his face, placing them on his cheeks. “They catch so well on camera, his pictures get so many likes, really.”
Dongheon has to remind himself he's the one on a date with Hoyoung right now and that he has no reason to be envious of Myungsoo. “Yeah, he's really handsome.” he nods.
“But I like your face better.” the red-haired says as if it's nothing, smiling at him as he lets his hands drop to the table again.
He isn't sure what to say, looking away for a moment before mumbling an embarrassed “Thanks.”
“Ah, hyung” he laughs, “I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“It's fine” he mumbles, returning to look at him, “you're really straightforward”.
This seems to make the other flush, “yeah, I've been told so.” he scratches the back of his neck. “I just know what I want.” he shrugs.
Dongheon smiles, biting at the inside of his cheek and trying not to read too much into this. “They call you 'the cute fanboy',” he tells the other, switching the subject, “the princesses are hoping you'll disneybound them, too.”
“But Ariel is the best,” he bites at the straw of his drink, “and I like red hair on me.”
“I like red hair on you, too.” he smiles, “makes it easier to spot you”
“I know” Hoyoung smiles back, a single dimple showing this time and– really, Dongheon knows he will be his end.
﹌﹌﹌
Hoyoung excuses himself sometime later, and Dongheon gets his phone out. He sees he has 130 messages in the group chat and a few more from Bora and Haebin in private.
“Still waiting on the selfie!” says the one from Bora, with tons of emojis following. He rolls his eyes and ignores her.
“Call me when you're on your way home! I want to hear everything!” says the one from Haebin and he sends her an OK emoji followed by a heart in response.
He skims through the group chat when Hoyoung returns, and he can't hide his amused smile in time.
“What's so funny?” Hoyoung asks, tilting his head.
“Some of the princesses are demanding an update on the date. And a selfie.” he laughs as he goes to return the phone to his bag.
“What are you doing? Let's send them one.” he reaches across the table, making grabby hands at Dongheon’s phone. “I like taking pictures.”
“Uhm,” he wasn't quite expecting this, but he can't say he's really surprised. He opens the camera application and offers the other his phone which he takes happily, moving a bit in his place so he can get them both in the picture.
“Say ‘under the sea’!” is the only warning Hoyoung gives him before taking a decent amount of selfies, changing his pose between some of them. “I think we got some cute ones.” he hands him the phone back.
Dongheon goes through the pictures, stopping at one where they both look good. “I'll send them this, okay?”
“Send it to me, too,” he nods, “and tell them the date is great” he smiles and Dongheon coughs in surprise.
The date is great, indeed.
﹌﹌﹌
The date is great, and Dongheon really doesn't want it to end, but they both have things early tomorrow and they need to get home.
“So,” Hoyoung smiles when they get out of the Café. “I'll text you?” he tilts his head.
“You better,” Dongheon hums, “we need to plan a second date”
The younger nods happily, hesitating for a second before leaning to leave a peck on Dongheon’s cheek, smiling sheepishly. “I'll see you, hyung” he says before darting off.
He looks after him until he's too far to see before shaking his head, laughing. He unlocks his phone and goes into the chats, not surprised to see a three digit number of new messages at the group chat with the girls, especially after the picture, but what catches him off guard is the three digit number of new messages at the Disney Family group chat.
He has a bad feeling as he opens it, but he's not surprised to see the picture he innocently sent to the girls in there, only with all the possible heart emojis replacing the background of it. Courtesy of Mimi.
Everyone congratulates them, and really, with this amount of betrayal he should really just quit his job.
He lets out a sigh and calls Haebin instead. At least he has one saint there.