Chapter Text
(the tumblr post that inspired this fic) This first chapter is going to be a highschool au! I'm messing with the ages just a bit: Seonghwa, Yeosang and Hongjoong are in third grade (for those in America, that's our senior year), Yunho and Mingi are in second grade (junior year), and San, Wooyoung, and Jongho are in first grade (sophomore year).
1: Breaking the kiss to say something, staying so close that you’re murmuring into each other’s mouths.
Yeosang looked absolutely breathtaking. He had come in after the weekend with his hair dyed. Now, Yeosang wasn’t a stranger to hair dye, not at all. There had been one year where he came in with his hair bleached blonde - to Seonghwa, it looked more golden than anything, like the sun came down to crown Yeosang with a halo of light. But today? Yeosang had walked into school like he owned the place - which, if you asked any of his friends, he did - with freshly dyed pink hair.
When Seonghwa first saw Yeosang with his new hair, he would have been lying if he said it didn’t affect him. Seonghwa and the rest of his best friends - Hongjoong in his and Yeosang’s grade, Yunho and Mingi from a year below, and the kids two years younger that Seonghwa liked to joke about adopting, Jongho, San, and Wooyoung - had been hanging out in the school’s courtyard, waiting for the five-minute-warning bell to ring. Yeosang usually showed up near the time of the bell, and today was no different. Seonghwa had been drinking his daily cup of coffee when he first laid eyes on Yeosang, and the shock of “your crush somehow got even hotter over the weekend” caused him to choke on his drink, almost spilling it all over his new shirt. Hongjoong laughed right beside him, muttering a quick “Seonghwa-hyung’s whipped.” under his breath.
Seonghwa then smacked him in the arm - teasingly, of course - and got up from the courtyard benches to wave Yeosang over.
“Hyung,” Jongho drawled, pulling Seonghwa back by his sleeve. “You gotta either tell Yeosang-hyung you like him, or I’m doing it for you.” Jongho’s remark was followed by a chorus of “Me too!”s from San and Wooyoung. Just as Seonghwa was about to mumble something back to them about “aggravating dongsaengs”, Yeosang stopped in front of them, smiling proudly.
“So…?” He asked, bouncing on his heels. “What do you guys think of the new color?”
Perfect. Gorgeous. Like a mix between cotton candy and cherries and sunsets that blended into the right shade of beautiful. Seonghwa thought, his slightly raised arm falling down and out of Jongho’s grasp. While Seonghwa was trying to get his mouth to form words, the other were complimenting Yeosang left and right. “Hot.” Mingi said with a light-hearted smile, backed up by Yunho who added, “You pull it off! Probably better than any of us could.”
“I like it.” Seonghwa stated matter-of-factly, once he finally kickstarted his brain into gear. “It looks good on you. Matches your eyes. And I like the sweater you’re wearing - how it goes with the color.” Seonghwa grinned. Once he got over the initial shock, he was back to the same confident Seonghwa that the whole school knew.
Yeosang smiled back at him, his eyes lighting up. God, everything about Yeosang was just handsome. His eyes, his lips, his stature. Seonghwa especially loved the birthmark that framed Yeosang’s left eye. He could never understand why Yeosang tried to cover it up sometimes. It was unique and ethereal, just like the rest of him. Seonghwa loved how Yeosang looked, but most of all, he was in love with the boy’s personality. There was something about Yeosang that just made Seonghwa feel happy. He was the right balance between sarcastic and sincere, and his sense of humor could send Seonghwa into a spiral of laughter that could last up to half an hour. His compliments were rare, but always genuine, and he would always be there to cheer anyone up, no matter how long it took.
“Thank you, Seongie-hyung.” Yeosang’s smile got wider when he used his favorite nickname for the older boy. He had liked Seonghwa as more than a friend for a few months now, but still considered himself as too awkward to make a real move. However, his slight insecurity didn’t stop him from enjoying getting to tease his hyung.
“Ooh, look!” Mingi shouted, tapping everyone he could reach repeatedly to get their attention. “Seonghwa-hyung’s cheeks are the same color as Yeosang-hyung’s hair!” And the tall boy wasn’t wrong; Seonghwa’s cheeks did in fact flush pink when Yeosang used the nickname, like they always did when Yeosang not-so-subtly teased him.
“Listen, I-” Seonghwa’s excuse for his blushing was cut off by the warning bell ringing. San giggled, saying “I can’t tell if the bell saved hyung from a bad excuse or stopped him from a good one.”
Seonghwa joined in on the collective laughter, grabbing his backpack from the bench. “Alright, alright, you guys. If you don’t get to class on time, I’m grounding you.”
“Okay, mom!” Yunho exclaimed with mock enthusiasm. “You bet!”
It took about a minute for Seonghwa to finally herd everyone out of the courtyard, carrying Wooyoung’s backpack along with his own because the younger boy had forgotten to take it with him for two days in a row last week. He made sure all the boys were on their way to their correct classes and sat down in his first period physics class with Hongjoong right beside him.
“Hey,” Hongjoong whispered, nudging Seonghwa with the tip of his sneaker. “Yeosang-ah is having a get-together at his house tonight. Just us and the others. Are you gonna go?”
“Tonight?” Seonghwa did a quick run through of all the things he could have possibly had going on later. Sure, he had a test in his math class tomorrow, but it’s not like he ever studied. Seonghwa was blessed with a mind that allowed him to do well in school without putting forth much effort, something that he would never stop being grateful for. “I mean, I’m free, but wouldn’t Yeosang-ah say something himself?”
“You know he’s a decently popular guy. If he started telling people, word would get out and instead of an eight-person hangout, it would turn into a full blown party.” Hongjoong’s answer was immediate, almost as if he had been prepared for Seonghwa to fire back with a question.
Seonghwa sighed, pushing his dark hair off his forehead. “What time? I’d have to tell my parents.”
“At seven. It’s either ‘til eleven, or those that want to sleep over can.”
Staying the night at Yeosang’s house? Seonghwa would most definitely take up on that offer if he could, but his parents would never let him sleep anywhere that wasn’t his house on a school night. “Seven to eleven it is, then.”
Seonghwa was pretty excited for the rest of the day. Him and the boys hadn’t had a lot of time to all hang out together in a few weeks, so he was definitely looking forward to a few hours with his favorite people. After the bell signifying the end of the day rang, Seonghwa was bounding out of his seat and sprinting towards the doors. The bus he took back to his neighbourhood always left earlier on Mondays, and if he missed it, he’d have to walk for a little under an hour until he reached home.
Thankfully, Seonghwa reached the bus in time, collapsing into a seat and regaining a steady pace of breathing. He wanted to get some of his English homework done on the bus, but reading and writing while being on the road always made him feel sick. When Seonghwa got home, he said a quick hello to his mom - his dad wasn’t home yet, he always worked late - and walked to his room, dropping his heavy backpack on the floor. He bent down to pick up his notebook with his English homework and gently tossed it on his desk, sitting down in the chair in front of it. Hell, English was definitely not Seonghwa’s best subject. It wasn’t hard, per se, just a bit confusing. Why were there so many rules? And why were there exceptions to the rules half the time?
By the time Seonghwa finished all his homework, it was around 5:15. Seonghwa figured he’d make himself and his mom a quick meal, and get ready for Yeosang’s little get together. If he were ready by 6:40, he would be able to walk to Yeosang’s house. Seonghwa always preferred to walk places; being connected with the nature made him feel at peace with the world. As he started dinner up on the stove, he couldn’t help but let his thoughts stray to focus on Yeosang. Maybe Jongho had been right earlier. Maybe Seonghwa should just get over himself and be honest with Yeosang. If he got rejected, well, it would suck… But so be it. Seonghwa figured it would be better to get rejected and get over it than have the weight of a crush eat away at him for god knows how long.
But how would he tell Yeosang? What would he say? Where? And when? Seonghwa shook his head to nobody in particular. He tried to shake away his thoughts, both confident and insecure. He made small talk with his mother at dinner - How was school? It was alright. Where did you say you were going? Just Yeosang-ah’s house. And who’s going to be there? Just the boys and I. It’s nothing big. - but the larger part of his focus was spent trying to decide what he was going to wear for tonight. Excusing himself from the table and bringing his dishes to the sink, he retreated back into his room.
Seonghwa had gone through about five different outfits at this point. What would be considered too much? What if he showed up overdressed? Or underdressed? And… Why was he so nervous? Seonghwa laughed to himself, picking out one of his favorite sweaters from his closet - one with black and purple stripes. That sweater and some black ripped jeans. Casual, but still nice. Seonghwa hadn’t realize how long he spent on his extended journey for clothes, and turned on his phone to only to see that it was already a quarter to seven. He cursed under his breath, stumbling into the bathroom to look at his face. He still had a bit of foundation on from this morning, and it had faded enough to look like it was barely there. It would have to do.
“Bye, mom! I love you!” Seonghwa called out as he shoved his feet into his sneakers and grabbed his jacket from the coat rack near his front door. He forgot about the clock when he began the walk to Yeosang’s house. The autumn air was cool against his face, and the crunch the dead leaves on the pavement made whenever Seonghwa walked over them brought a smile to his face, inevitably slowing his pace. The same soft grin was still plastered on his features when he knocked on Yeosang’s door.
The pink-haired boy answered the door, the corners of his mouth turning up in a smile. “Hyung! I’m really glad you could make it.”
Hell, was it impossible for Yeosang to look anything anything less than stunning? He was only wearing a white button down with some light blue denim jeans, but Seonghwa saw an angel. “Of course, Sang-ah,” Seonghwa met Yeosang’s smile. “Sorry I’m a few minutes late, though, I lost track of time getting ready.”
“You care about your looks, hyung,” Yeosang said, his eyes glinting with mischief. “I should have known you’d care about that more than coming here on time.” Yeosang couldn’t even keep a straight face, bursting into laughter halfway through his sentence. “C’mon in, I don’t want you getting too cold.”
“Thanks, Yeosangie,” Seonghwa stepped in through the doorway, wiping his shoes off on the mat and taking them off, leaving them next to a pair of Yeosang’s boots. Seonghwa loved Yeosang’s house. It was always warm and inviting; there were usually candles lit that bathed the house in a soft amber glow. Yeosang closed the door quietly and tugged on the sleeves of Seonghwa’s jacket.
“Here, I’ll put it in the closet. You know which one, right?” Seonghwa nodded, shrugging off his jacket. He didn’t give it to Yeosang, though.
“I’m practically family with how much I’m here, I don’t need you hanging my coat for me, Yeosang-ah.” He gave the shorter boy a small grin. “Don’t waste your energy.”
Yeosang crossed his arms over his chest in mock annoyance. “And here I was trying to be a good dongsaeng.”
“You are, Sang-ah.” Seonghwa said after he hung his coat up. “Which is one of the reasons why I don’t want you doing things for me.” Yeosang hummed in response, the soft smile on his face never fading. “So, where are the others? Shouldn’t they be here by now?”
“Actually…” Yeosang muttered, his smile dropping from his face. His body language had changed, his arms shifting so that they were no longer folded across his chest, but tight around himself as if he were hugging himself. He looked… Nervous? “They… They’re not here.”
Seonghwa cocked his head to the side, confused. “What do you mean? Hongjoong told me your little party was tonight? Did the date get mixed up? Or-”
“There was never any party,” Yeosang said softly, cutting him off. “I told Hongjoong to tell you there was. I, uh, I wanted to get the chance to talk to you alone, but I didn’t know when I’d get the chance… I’m sorry if you had to cancel plans to get here, and you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to, I guess.”
Seonghwa could sense how off the younger boy felt. His brow was creased and his bottom lip was snug between his teeth. Sure, Seonghwa was curious as to what Yeosang wanted to talk to him about - what if it was bad? What if Yeosang found out about Seonghwa’s crush on him and this was when he was going to reject him? - but he first needed to be sure Yeosang felt comfortable.
He pulled Yeosang towards him, wrapping him in a firm hug. “Yeosang-ah, don’t be worried about if you cancelled my plans. We both know my social life revolves on being everybody’s mother; you are my plans. Now, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?”
Yeosang didn’t move or talk for a bit, content to stay wrapped in Seonghwa’s embrace, head resting in the crook of his neck. “Well…” Yeosang said after a while, his voice a bit muffled, as he was practically speaking directly into Seonghwa’s neck. “Can we sit down first?”
“Of course, Sang-ah.”
Yeosang smiled when he pulled back, grabbing Seonghwa’s hand and leading him to the couch in his den. Yeosang fell back on the blue-gray piece of furniture, taking Seonghwa with him. It was silent for the length of just a few heartbeats before Yeosang turned towards Seonghwa, his voice a whisper. Whenever Yeosang whispered, his voice would get just a bit lower in pitch. Seonghwa always thought of Yeosang as having a voice like honey - it was the same with his skin - but when he whispered, it turned from honey to caramel. Still sweet, but richer. “I like you, Seonghwa-hyung.”
Was Seonghwa dreaming? Was this real? Was Kang Yeosang - the Kang Yeosang - being serious when he said he liked Seonghwa? Seonghwa’s voice was trying to catch up with his mind, and he could only get out stuttered half-sentences.
“And when I say I like you,” Yeosang continued, his heart beating out of his chest. “I don’t mean it in the way that you’re my best friend - you are, but that’s not the point. I mean it in the way that I want you to be my boyfriend.”
All the wires in Seonghwa’s brain were short-circuiting. Yeosang. Likes him. Wants to be boyfriends.
“Hyung?” Yeosang shook Seonghwa’s shoulder lightly. “You still with me?” He leaned away a bit, although he never broke contact with Seonghwa’s shoulder. “It’s alright if you don’t like me like that, hyung. You’re still my best friend, I just wanted to get that off my chest, y’know?”
“Yeosangie?” Seonghwa could barely recognize his own voice. It was breathy and almost childlike, half made of worry and the other half excitement. The boy in question murmured a soft ‘yeah?’ and Seonghwa turned to face him, taking one of his hands in his own. “Can I kiss you?”
“That would be nice, yeah.” Yeosang said. He sounded giddy, barely able to contain himself as he leaned back towards Seonghwa, cupping the boy’s face in his hands. They both leaned forward, Seonghwa tilting his head just a bit, and their lips met. To Yeosang, the kiss felt like fireworks. Bright, explosive, something you can feel deep inside of you. To Seonghwa, the kiss felt like flowers blooming. Soft, inspiring, something just meant to happen. With Seonghwa’s free hand, he wrapped it around Yeosang’s slender waist, tugging the boy closer to him. Yeosang complied with Seonghwa’s silent request without breaking their contact, shuffling and shifting his weight so he was situated between Seonghwa’s legs.
They both had to pull away from each other to catch their breath, but they didn’t stay more than three centimeters away from the other. Right as both boys leaned back in, their eyes closing again from instinct, Yeosang mumbled “I’ve been meaning to tell you this sooner.” With how close they were, Yeosang was practically speaking directly against Seonghwa’s mouth, trying to press himself closer to the dark-haired boy.
“So was I,” Seonghwa said softly. He turned his head some more, deepening the kiss, pausing for a moment to continue his statement. “Jongho was gonna tell you if I didn’t.” Yeosang had started laughing, and Seonghwa took this opportunity - Yeosang’s open mouth - to test the waters in trying to deepen the kiss even further. He captured Yeosang’s lips with his own, his tongue darting out to swipe against Yeosang’s bottom lip in a silent plea for access. Yeosang more than happily obliged, his lips parting for Seonghwa. They both knew it might have been messy, but having the other boy licking into their mouth, hands roaming their back… It just felt right.
“You’re beautiful, you know that?” Seonghwa whispered into the kiss. “Especially with the new hair.” Their kissing was now half comprised of words, with the sentences being broken up and punctuated by kisses. “I choked on my coffee this morning,” Seonghwa was giggling at the memory of how affected he had been by Yeosang’s new hair color earlier in the day. “Guess you’ve just got that kind of effect on me, Yeosangie.”
Yeosang had started to laugh too. “So that’s why San told me to not be surprised if you choked when I told you I liked you…” He took one of Seonghwa’s hands from his back and placed it gently on the back of his head, sighing contently when he felt Seonghwa thread his fingers through the pink strands. “That feels nice, Seongie-hyung.” Yeosang said softly, practically talking directly into Seonghwa’s open mouth, leaning into the feeling of Seonghwa’s nails gently running over his scalp.
“Mm, good,” Seonghwa mumbled, pulling Yeosang even closer to him and letting out a soft gasp when their hips aligned in just the right way. “You’re a good kisser.” His voice was deeper than usual, and a bit rough around the edges.
Yeosang let his hands fall from Seonghwa’s face, now opting to wrap his arms around the boy’s neck, fingers dancing along his skin. “So are you, hyung.” He had just pecked Seonghwa’s lips again, about to say something when his phone rang, making the boy jolt in surprise.
Seonghwa dropped his arms from Yeosang’s head and waist and leaned back against the couch. “You should answer it, love,” he said, bringing a hand up to his slightly swollen lips, wiping them dry. “Might be important.”
Yeosang frowned, but yanked his phone out of his back pocket and put it up to his ear, swiping to answer the call. Once he heard the loud screaming of multiple boys from the other end, he moved his phone at least a foot away.
“Hyung, did you do it yet?” “Did your plan work?” “Yeosang-ah, I told him about the fake party like you asked!” “Did you finally tell him you had the hots for him?” “Hyung, hyung, hyung! If it works you gotta tell us all about it tomorrow!” “It’s definitely gonna work, Seonghwa-hyung’s been pining after you for ages.”
The six boys were so loud that Seonghwa was able to hear them from his seat on the couch. He let Yeosang quickly say “Guys. Lower your fricken voices.” The clamor only got louder, Mingi’s loud voice heard over the rest.
“Guys, shut up! He’s probably in the middle of doing it!”
Seonghwa reached for Yeosang’s phone, the pink haired boy more than alright with getting a chance to remove himself from his boisterous best friends. “Children,” Seonghwa started, chuckling when the other end of the phone became silent. “His plan worked.” The screaming started again - probably by Wooyoung and San and Seonghwa instantly hung up the phone. Yeosang’s cheeks were pink, a shade or two darker than his hair. “So, Sang-ah?” Seonghwa asked with a slight smirk.
“Yeah, hyung?”
“Explain this plan of yours? Only if you want, though.”
“Oh, well…” Yeosang started to laugh at himself. “It’s kind of stupid, but I had Hongjoong lie to you and say there was a get together at my house tonight because they had all had enough of my ‘pining over the same boy that is pining over you’ and wanted me to just confess to you already. Hongjoong was supposed to call me later, but I guess him - and the rest of our loser friends - decided to call me earlier.”
Seonghwa took Yeosang’s hands in his own and brought him close once more, their chests touching with Seonghwa’s chin resting on Yeosang’s shoulder. “That’s so convoluted. Didn’t I say earlier that I didn’t want you spending so much energy on me?”
“You’re worth the energy, Seongie-hyung.”
“Can I ask you one more thing?”
“Of course, shoot.”
“I’m a very perceptive person. Right before the kids called, you were about to say something. May I ask what it is?”
Yeosang tightened his arms around where they rested on Seonghwa’s waist. “Would you be my boyfriend if I asked?”
“That depends, Sang-ah,” Seonghwa said, his eyes sparkling playfully. “Would you ask me to be your boyfriend.”
“You’re insufferable, hyung. But I’m not going to focus on that. Park Seonghwa, will you be my boyfriend?”
Seonghwa didn’t answer right away; his thoughts were too busy conglomerating into a cacophony of excitement. He lifted his head off of Yeosang’s shoulder and pressed a chaste kiss to his jaw. “Kang Yeosang, I would love to.”
“I don’t think I can express how happy I am right now. Or thankful.”
“Thank your pink hair. That’s what set me on the ‘tell my beautiful cru- boyfriend that I like him’ path.”
Yeosang smiled. “I like the pink, too. Now, how long did Joong-hyung tell you the party lasted?” When Seonghwa told him Hongjoong had said until eleven, Yeosang shifted his weight around as he checked his phone. “It’s a little past 8:30, we’ve got like two and a half hours. Do you want to leave now? Like, I don’t know if you want to say or when you told your parents you’d be back, so…” He trailed off, looking to Seonghwa for an answer.
“Leave? I’ve got two and a half hours left to spend with my boyfriend, why would I leave?”
“I like you saying that.”
“Boyfriend?”
“Yeah.”
“I like you being that.”
“Me too.”
They were staring at each other, Yeosang looking down and Seonghwa looking up, a contrast from their usual height dynamic. “Do I have to ask to kiss you again?” Seonghwa said with a small laugh. He barely got the chance to say “Or” in the next part of his statement before Yeosang was snaking his hand under Seonghwa’s chin and tilting his head up. Their lips met, softly, and everything felt right in the world.