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Yang Jeongin wasn’t in love with his best friend.
He just wanted to put it out there because frankly, he’s tired of everybody asking him the same thing over and over again. Jisung in particular—despite being part of their friend group—insisted that anybody could see from a mile away that Jeongin’s relationship status was going to follow the way movies and books portrayed it. Childhood friends turning into lovers after years of mutual pining? A romantic confession? It was the perfect set up.
Except again, Jeongin wasn’t in love with his best friend. Not to mention, he was pretty sure Hyunjin wasn’t in love with him either, so there was really nothing backing up Jisung’s constant comments. He understood why people were likely to think so, though. It had a lot to do with the way Hyunjin acted around any of his friends. The older boy had a tendency to show love and affection through copious amounts of hugs and the occasional peck on the cheek.
It just so happened that he showered Jeongin with more hugs than most, but that was just because they were, as mentioned, childhood friends.
“You don’t shove him away,” Jisung pointed out over lunch once.
“Nobody does,” the younger boy replied easily because it was true. “You’ve seen how he reacts to people rejecting his hugs. You’re no different, Jisung.”
“But you push me away all the time!”
Jeongin merely stuck his tongue out playfully in response, earning him a light kick in the shin since he sat across from the dark-haired boy. He resumed eating his lunch, but their current topic stayed in his mind. The only reason he didn’t do anything when it came to Hyunjin was that he knew the older boy far too well; it went both ways. That meant that if he were ever to shun away from his best friend’s touch, the latter was just bound to push further.
The younger boy would end up in the same situation anyway, so why prolong his suffering?
“I’m just saying, nobody would be surprised if—“
“Good morning!” A cheery voice interrupted, right as someone took a seat next to Jeongin and a lunch tray clattered on the table. He didn’t need to look over to know that it was Hyunjin, easily done based on the voice alone. There was also the way a warm body immediately pressed against his right side, an arm slinging around his shoulder and across the back of his neck. Personal space didn’t exist in Hyunjin’s vocabulary, after all.
The newcomer smiled at the two, “what were you guys talking about? Looked serious.”
There was a distinctive glint in Jisung’s eyes, one that Jeongin thankfully caught before the other boy could open his mouth to reply, allowing him to answer first.
“Homework for history,” the blonde replied simply, shooting the boy across from him a look.
“Yeah, history sucks,” Jisung agreed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes since they actually had something assigned for that class. The older boy did, however, manage to lightly tap Jeongin’s foot with his own as he continued, a knowing grin present on his face, “I’m much more excited for what the future holds. Don’t you agree, Hyunjin?”
Blissfully unaware of what just happened, Hyunjin nodded empathetically.
“I have an essay due tonight for my own history class,” the brunette whined, leaning his head on Jeongin’s shoulder as he spoke, a pout appearing on his lips. The younger boy was more than used to being used as a pillow, but Jisung still eyed the scene like it was his first time witnessing them be that close, which made Jeongin almost want to lightly nudge the older boy’s head off, but he didn’t. “That’s one thing about the future I’m not looking forward to, though.”
Instead, Jeongin frowned, “weren’t you coming over tonight?”
“I still am!” Hyunjin’s head shot up as he spoke, with some of his hair brushing against the blonde’s ear, making the latter involuntarily shiver a bit. “Other than the movie, I’m coming over because I need your internet. Ours is being spotty again, but nobody can come over to fix it until this weekend. I need to be able to access Wikipedia for this paper otherwise I’m doomed, Innie, absolutely doomed.”
“Okay, relax, alright then,” the younger boy said before Hyunjin could continue pleading.
He didn’t have to glance over to know that Jisung was giving them a look, one that spoke measures about how he felt about the situation happening before him. It didn’t help that as soon as he finished speaking, Hyunjin had decided to throw both his arms around Jeongin in thanks, before finally settling down to start eating. Honestly, nothing out of the ordinary, but the blonde did wish that Jisung would stop making a big deal out of things.
Later that day, Jeongin waited outside the building he knew was where Hyunjin had his last class. He still had a few minutes to go before the bell rung, but he figured it wouldn’t hurt to arrive earlier. Although Hyunjin could certainly find his way to Jeongin’s apartment himself—he lived close by, after all—the older boy had a tendency to sulk if he was left behind to walk alone. He enjoyed walking with Jeongin, he reasoned out once, so they’ve been doing so whenever the brunette would visit after school.
Unwittingly, Jeongin’s thoughts flew back to his earlier conversation with Jisung.
Contrary to how romance movies portrayed it, wouldn’t it actually be a little weird to fall in love with one’s best friend? Especially in his own case. Jeongin had practically grown up with Hyunjin and played with him so much when they were children that they were often described as being attached to each other’s hip. Technically, with how often Hyunjin had his arms wrapped around the younger boy, that wasn’t completely an exaggeration.
If anybody else were to drape themselves over Jeongin, they would usually end up pushed away.
He never liked having his personal space invaded.
His thoughts were interrupted by the bell ringing loudly, bringing him back to his present situation. The blonde didn’t wait too long as he watched a crowd of people disperse from the building, keeping his eyes peeled for his best friend. The thing with Hwang Hyunjin was that it was close to impossible to lose him in a crowd. With his height and good looks, most people tended to even make way for him, often intimidated by his general aura.
“Innie!”
Hyunjin appeared in front of the younger boy with a wide smile on his face, the one where his eyes almost disappeared as his cheeks bunched up under them. There was nothing intimidating about him at all, Jeongin thought to himself, smiling back as the older boy immediately latched himself onto the blonde’s arm. As they walked, Hyunjin began to go on about what happened in his last class. Jeongin couldn’t help but wonder when his personal bubble included space for his best friend.
That was nothing though. He also often allowed hugs from his family members, even if it was usually just his mother who did so. His younger brother had grown out of being babied and even seemed to take after Jeongin, since more than once, the other boy would complain about their mother’s hugs. Still, Jeongin knew he didn’t exactly see Hyunjin as a family member There was nothing similar about his actual older brother and Hyunjin, so the line was still there.
He didn’t realize how lost in thought he’s been until there was a hand being waved in front of his face, momentarily making him pause in his step.
“Jeongin, if you don’t pay attention to where you’re walking, you could trip,” Hyunjin chastised, shaking his head. “I’ll fall with you since I’m holding on to you.”
“Sorry,” the younger boy said sheepishly. He didn’t even bother to argue that technically, Hyunjin could always let go and let Jeongin fall to his demise by himself, knowing that he’ll be met with a dramatic gasp and a long complaint about how Jeongin was going to leave him alone in the woods one of these days. They both knew that it was never going to happen, but sometimes Jeongin played along and agreed that he would gladly get rid of the taller boy.
“What’s on your mind, anyway? You’ve been awfully quiet.”
He couldn’t exactly say that Jisung’s relentless teasing finally got to him, could he?
Jeongin shook his head and offered a smile he hoped didn’t look too forced, “nothing, it’s just been a long day.”
Thankfully, the older boy didn’t push on the subject further. They continued walking with Hyunjin humming a song under his breath, still keeping a loose hold on Jeongin’s arm, occasionally steering them along the right path if needed since he must have felt like the younger boy needed guidance walking back to his own apartment. The lack of conversation was a comfortable silence though, even if the blonde still found his mind wandering elsewhere.
When they finally arrived, Hyunjin made a beeline for Jeongin’s bed, dumping his bag by the floor and quickly taking his laptop out.
“How fast do you think I can finish this essay?” He asked, eyes already focused on the screen.
The younger boy scoffed, “knowing you? You’ll submit it a few minutes before the deadline.”
“Where’s your faith in me?” Hyunjin asked dramatically, looking away from his laptop and instead focusing on how the other was in the process of changing into house clothes. Jeongin was actually pretty sure a certain amount of shirts in his closet belonged to the brunette, especially the ones that were just plain black shirts, but he didn’t comment as he picked one out to wear. With a small grin on his face, the older boy spoke again. “Can I borrow something to wear, Innie?”
As if on cue, Jeongin threw a shirt and a pair of sweatpants at the other boy.
“Thank you!” The brunette chirped happily, putting his laptop down to change as well.
Honestly, Hyunjin was lucky that the younger boy preferred wearing loose clothing, otherwise, there wouldn’t have been anything for him to wear—other than the clothes he actually owned but chose to leave, of course. More than once, Jeongin would end up with Hyunjin sprawled over his bed, already fast asleep after a night of working on assignments. That wouldn’t have been comfortable if the older boy were still wearing his skinny jeans.
“I was wondering where that particular shirt of mine went,” Hyunjin commented, staring at the younger boy’s chest.
Jeongin glanced at the mirror and read the words on his shirt, which had something to do with a dance festival. He actually remembered how he acquired the shirt to begin with; back when Hyunjin was still part of the dance crew a few years ago, the younger boy had gone to every single performance and competition that featured his best friend. On one of such occasions, Hyunjin had wanted to lie down on his bed while still in sweaty dance clothes.
He turned to the older boy, “you’re the one who keeps leaving clothes here.”
“You keep telling me to change whenever I visit,” Hyunjin replied with a shrug and a cheeky grin, probably remembering the exact same memory. “Keep it though, let’s pretend you’re the dancer between us.”
“As if,” Jeongin replied, rolling his eyes and taking his own laptop with him towards the bed. Immediately, the brunette scooted over to make some space, so that the two were sitting side by side with their shoulders touching, barely an inch of space between them. The bed wasn’t really made to fit more than one person, but it’s not like the lack of space was new. Soon, they began to quietly work on what they needed to get done.
Well, it was quiet for around an hour or so, before Hyunjin let out a loud whoop of surprise.
“The deadline was moved,” he said shortly after Jeongin complained about the attack on his eardrums. “I don’t have to work on this stupid essay all night, Innie!”
“Great, does that mean you’re going home now?” The younger boy asked, stretching his neck to the side. He’s been staring at powerpoint slides trying to cram information into his brain, but when that didn’t work, he found himself aimlessly scrolling through his social media instead. Jeongin figured that he didn’t have to study in advance for a test that was happening in two days, not when his brain wasn’t cooperating with him.
Hyunjin pouted, “are you telling me to leave?”
“I mean, if you’re no longer working on anything—“ He began, smirking a little to show that he was just teasing.
“Don’t be mean,” the older boy said, lightly whacking Jeongin’s shoulder. “I was originally coming over so we could watch a movie, right?”
“Maybe after I’m done studying.”
The brunette scoffed, “I saw you close your study material half an hour ago. Now let’s decide on what to order for dinner, I’m getting hungry.”
A few hours later, the two of them are settled on Jeongin’s bed with his laptop balanced between them. Boxes of Chinese take-out were strewn on the floor, invisible until much later that night. Jeongin used to have a no-food-on-the-bed policy, but Hyunjin ignored it so often that even the younger boy was beginning to be less nit-picky about it, in the end deciding that it was alright as long as nothing fell on his sheets.
“Have you ever thought of dating?” Hyunjin asked quietly, eyes still trained on the screen, his head resting on the other boy’s shoulder.
“Sure,” Jeongin replied with a shrug, remembering a few of his crushes. He was also pretty sure he’s told Hyunjin about each and every one, much like the older boy did with his own crushes. There was really nothing they hid from each other, but that didn’t cross his mind as he mulled over the other’s question, only half paying attention to the movie now. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to choose a movie where the main characters are best friends who are in love with each other.
“I mean,” the older boy began to say. “Have you ever thought of dating me?”
There it was, the million dollar question that even Jeongin had no real answer to, as he tried to think of something to say. If Hyunjin had asked any other day before, the answer would have been a clear sounding no. It would have led to the brunette faking that he was hurt, while Jeongin would quip back with something teasing before the topic would inevitably be forgotten. Unfortunately, all that was on the younger’s mind that day was the way Jisung had said they would be perfect together.
Not that he would ever admit that out loud.
“Have you?” Jeongin chose to ask instead, hoping the other wouldn’t notice his attempt to dodge.
“I just think I’d make a great boyfriend,” the brunette replied, a cheeky lilt to his tone.
“What makes you say that?”
Hyunjin glanced up from where he was still resting on the younger boy’s shoulder, “you don’t sound like you agree, Innie.”
“I’m just asking,” Jeongin shot back, rolling his eyes. “You sound so sure of yourself.”
There was no challenge in his voice, but of course, Hyunjin saw it as one anyway as the older boy shot up from his spot. He hit pause on the laptop, although the movie was close to ending anyway with both of them certain of how it was going to end at that point. The brunette had a smile on his face that was threatening to break into giggles, but there was a look of determination in his eyes as he spoke that made Jeongin listen quietly.
“You really have no faith in me, Innie!” He began, before listing things down as he ticked them off on his fingers. “I’ll get you all the dolls you want so you can hug them to sleep, lend you my sweaters since you like drowning in clothes, and I’ll even make sure none of your meals have beans in them since you hate eating those. I’ll even buy those bitter chocolate bars you like so much since you’re a baby without a sweet tooth, apparently.”
Jeongin couldn’t help but chuckle as he remembered the first time the older boy had tried stealing some of his chocolate, only to hand it back with a look of disgust.
“Admit it,” Hyunjin said with a huff. “I’ll be a great boyfriend.”
“You only know all those stuff since we’re best friends,” the younger boy found himself saying, an uneasy feeling churning in his gut as he spoke, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop. They were entering dangerous territory with their topic, especially considering recent events. He meant what he said, though. “Besides, you already do most of that, I don’t think it counts. If you end up in a relationship with somebody else, it’ll be like starting from the beginning.”
“I stand by what I said,” the brunette said stubbornly, settling back into his position on Jeongin’s shoulder and continuing the movie.
As expected, the main characters got together in the end, but it wasn’t that bad of a movie. Somewhere along the way, Hyunjin’s mother had called to ask if he was going home or if he was spending the night at Jeongin’s, which wouldn’t have been uncommon, but the older boy assured his mother that he’ll be home soon. Just like that, the night ended with Hyunjin giving Jeongin one last hug goodbye, before leaving the latter alone with his thoughts.
If he followed Hyunjin’s example, he would have made a great boyfriend, too. He already ate the older boy’s share of vegetables on a near-daily basis. Whenever Hyunjin would ask him to sing, he would easily comply, even if he always chose a trot song since the older boy would happily dance along with him. Not just that, but more than once, he’s gifted the other with matching accessories so that the brunette would stop stealing his rings and necklaces.
In Jisung’s words, wasn’t that already couple culture?
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew the answer was yes, but Jeongin firmly believed that everything was just because they were best friends.
They were good like that, he mused, staring blankly up the ceiling as he laid on his bed. He didn’t want anything to change. Maybe that was why he was so adamant about being and staying best friends. Jeongin was more than comfortable with what they already had; he didn’t want to mess it up by catching feelings or taking it another step forward, even if everybody else expected them to do so, especially because everybody expected them to do so.
The next day, Jeongin found himself with Jisung, Seungmin, and Felix for company during lunch. With the latter two present, Jisung thankfully wasn’t bringing anything up like he had the day before. The younger boy already lost a few hours of precious sleep over his own thoughts, he didn’t need to add more to his growing unease. He only half-listened to the conversation going on, something about how Changbin was throwing a party that weekend.
“Are you going?” Felix asked, staring at the other blonde expectantly.
Jeongin nodded, “I will. I haven’t seen Chan and Allen in a while, are they going as well?”
“They said yes,” the other said cheerfully. “Pass the invite to Hyunjin for me, yeah?”
“Okay.”
He shot the older boy a quick text instead of waiting till they met up, knowing that even if he was in class, Hyunjin would still reply. Sure enough, Jeongin received a reply just a few minutes later, confirming that Hyunjin would be going to the party and that he was very excited for it, complete with a wide range of emojis that showed exactly how he felt. With a short chuckle, he placed his phone back on the table and announced the answer to Felix.
The latter gave him a surprised look.
“That was fast,” he said. “Hyunjin usually takes forever to reply.”
“Not to Jeongin,” Jisung quipped before the younger boy could reply, a smug look on his face because this time, he knew there was no way out of the situation.
“Is that so?” Seungmin asked, catching on to what was happening immediately. He turned to the younger boy beside him, making a show of slowly sipping his banana milk as if he was examining Jeongin carefully, before raising his eyebrows in question. Next to him, the other boy wanted to shrink in his seat. “Is there something you’re not telling us, Innie?”
“Please don’t join in,” the blonde groaned, doing his best to glare at Jisung as he spoke. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing.”
The brunette shrugged, “if it’s nothing, why do you seem so affected?”
“I’m not affected.”
“Jeongin,” Seungmin said, tone suddenly serious. “You know, even if something were to happen, it would be totally okay, right? I mean, we—“
“Nothing is happening,” the younger boy interrupted, a little louder than he intended, with more force than he normally spoke with. He must have caught Felix off-guard, since the older boy nearly choked on his drink, with Jisung patting his back soon after. Jeongin looked away from the sight with a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair as he calmed himself down.
He knew his friends meant well, but it was getting to him.
Maybe Seungmin was right; why was he so affected, anyway?
“Sorry,” Jeongin muttered, sighing loudly again. He was used to Jisung teasing him about it, knowing that the older boy was doing just that—teasing him—but Seungmin had made it sound so real and possible. It didn’t do anything to help Jeongin’s own thoughts about the matter. Next to him, the other boy responded with an apology of his own, adding that they’ll drop the topic, pointedly staring at Jisung before the latter nodded in agreement.
Just like that, the rest of the week went by in what the blonde would describe as normal fashion. Lunch with his friends no longer included smug looks from Jisung, even when Hyunjin would drape himself all over Jeongin. He managed to distract himself with actually doing homework and studying in advance, since he knew he wouldn’t be able to study once the weekend comes, due to Changbin’s party. It helped ease him back into how things were before he even considered being in love with his best friend.
Until Hyunjin decided that the best way to spend the night before the party was sleeping over at Jeongin’s house, shortly after arriving uninvited.
“Are you even planning on going home?” The younger boy had asked after noticing that the brunette was bringing a bag that was packed with too many clothes and too little study material for just a regular night of studying together or hanging out. On top of that, Hyunjin had appeared already dressed in comfortable clothes and not his earlier school attire.
“Not really,” Hyunjin said cheerfully. “I already told my parents I was sleeping over before I left.”
“And you didn’t think of telling me first?”
“Would you have said no?”
The blonde blinked, “no, but—“
“Exactly why I didn’t feel the need to tell you,” the older boy said with a grin as he settled onto Jeongin’s bed like he belonged there. “I practically live here, anyway.”
There was nothing Jeongin can say to defend himself against that since it was true. He didn’t particularly mind, but he was planning on finishing a paper that night so he wouldn’t have to worry about it the next day. When he told Hyunjin this, the brunette merely said that it was fine, he was going to entertain himself by playing some new game with Felix online. It wouldn’t be the first time the two of them worked on their own thing, anyway.
Unfortunately, Jeongin knew that with the older boy around, he wouldn’t be able to focus on much. Still, he tried, drowning out the background noises Hyunjin would make to the best of his ability. Neither of the two lasted very long in what they were supposed to be doing, but it did start with Hyunjin sighing that Felix had left him for some homework the other boy only just remembered to do. Nobody else was online.
“Shouldn’t you have some work to do, too?” The blonde asked, shortly after Hyunjin had decided that the next best thing to do was sit on the floor next to Jeongin.
“I already finished,” Hyunjin replied, leaning most of his body weight onto the smaller boy. “I’m a good student, Innie.”
The younger boy replied with a scoff, choosing not to comment any further. He continued working on his essay, typing stuff out and editing when needed, switching to his browser to search for more information, all while Hyunjin watched. The latter was surprisingly quiet, although he still had his head resting gently by the crook of Jeongin’s neck, shifting occasionally to find a better position. It was only when Jeongin was working on his sources—the last page of the document—did the older boy speak again.
“Do you remember how we met?”
Jeongin shook his head, “that was years ago.”
“You were the cutest kid I’ve ever laid my eyes on,” the brunette said with a soft giggle, a smile spreading on his face that Jeongin felt more than saw, since the younger boy was still focused on finally finishing his paper. The faster he finished, the faster he could stop ignoring Hyunjin, after all. It was no good for both of them to be dealing with a bored Hwang Hyunjin, but especially so for Jeongin, since he was the one who often got roped into crazy things.
“You’re just saying that because you have no siblings,” Jeongin commented. “If you had a little brother like me, you wouldn’t find me so cute. I speak from experience.”
“I think I still would have found you cute,” the other boy said stubbornly, about to further defend himself, but instead chose to keep quiet for a few minutes. It was out of character, but the silence was enough for Jeongin to focus on his paper some more and add the finishing touches. He was so in the zone at the time that he barely heard when Hyunjin spoke again, voice nothing but a soft whisper, “I’m just really glad we met at all.”
Jeongin nodded absentmindedly, “same here.”
Some time later, the blonde saved his final document, submitted it successfully, and began closing everything he had open on his laptop screen. He could practically feel the exhaustion and stress leave his body, thankful that he finally got everything academic out of the way. Now he could relax for the night and have fun at the party tomorrow without worrying about deadlines. Next to him, Hyunjin had sat up from his earlier position, patiently waiting for Jeongin to finish. The older boy hasn’t said much, which Jeongin only then realized was odd.
When he turned to the brunette, ready to ask what was on the other’s mind, he found Hyunjin already staring at him.
If time could be stopped, or slowed down, or controlled even in the slightest bit, Jeongin would say that was what happened. He always felt like romance movies exaggerated what it was like for somebody’s point of view to suddenly shift, but that was exactly where he found himself; a moment where everything seemed to slow down, except for the sudden frantic beating of his heart. His surroundings blurred and suddenly the only thing he noticed was Hyunjin.
The older boy’s light brown hair and puppy dog eyes, the mole underneath his eye, the way his earrings dangled and shone in the dim light of his apartment. Jeongin always knew that the other boy was handsome, but it wasn’t just limited to his looks. Hyunjin was kind, and funny, and laughed at every dumb joke Jisung would make. He would yell at movie jump scares and cry whenever the main actor cried, too. He was a simple boy.
He also wore his heart on his sleeve.
Honestly, the younger boy should have realized sooner.
“Since when?” Jeongin asked, voice surprisingly calm despite how he felt like he was going to explode.
“I’m not sure when exactly,” Hyunjin answered. His voice still soft and laced with shyness and such raw honesty, that the blonde almost felt like he was intruding on a private moment, even if Jeongin had been the one who brought the topic up in the first place. The older boy was playing with the hem of his shirt, thumbs twiddling in a nervous way, but he maintained eye contact all throughout. “I just sort of knew, you know?”
“Yeah,” the blonde agreed. “I think I do know.”
Yang Jeongin always knew he wasn’t in love with his best friend, but he knew he did love Hyunjin, if that counted as anything.
It wasn’t the sort of love that began and ended with infatuation, where everything the other person did was perfect until it became unbearably annoying, where sparks flying around inevitably faded away. No, it was a steady kind of love, one that’s been growing at the same pace their friendship’s been growing, one that he took with him ever since he met the older boy, one that took him years to realize that maybe he was a little bit in love after all.
Time began to work again after that. The moment passed almost as if it didn’t happen, but the two were still staring at each other, contemplating what to do next. There was nothing but a comfortable silence, no tension, no pressure. It was like things just fell back into place after a moment of being suspended in the air, slotting back where it belonged, bringing them back to reality just like that. The only thing Jeongin was thinking about was how annoying Jisung would be when the other boy finds out.
“So,” Hyunjin began, shifting closer to the other boy once more and leaning his head on the blonde’s shoulder. “What happens now, Innie?”
“Is something supposed to happen?”
The older boy hummed, “you know that movie we watched the other day? When the leads got together, they kissed and all. That’s usually how other romance flicks do it.”
“Are you saying we’re the lead actors in a romance movie?” Jeongin couldn’t help but ask, a teasing smirk on his face even if he knew the other boy couldn’t see it.
“I’m saying we should kiss,” the brunette whined, hitting Jeongin’s arm lightly, but otherwise didn’t move from his position. It was no secret that Hyunjin’s favourite spot in the whole universe would be right next to the younger boy, head on the other’s shoulder, even if it caused him neck cramps sometimes since he was the taller of the two. The rest of his body was practically folded onto the younger boy, too. He huffed, “you’re so annoying sometimes.”
Jeongin snickered, although he knew there was a light blush on his cheeks.
“You wanna kiss me that bad, Hyunjin?”
That earned him another whack on the arm, harder this time, as Hyunjin groaned and finally sat up from his position. The older boy didn’t go too far, barely pulling back, but there was enough distance now that he could see the pink tint of Jeongin’s high cheekbones. The latter only had a few seconds to think to himself that he was going to be kissing Hyunjin, the boy voted Most Kissable Lips during their high school prom, before the brunette leaned in.
On its own accord, Jeongin’s eyes fluttered shut.
Both boys knew they weren’t each other’s first kiss, but for the younger boy, it felt a lot like it was his first time kissing anybody. His mind short-circuited for a second or two, belatedly coming to the realization that he was kissing his best friend, when Hyunjin had pressed closer by a fraction. That was enough to make Jeongin snap out of it as he kissed back, feeling how soft the other’s lips truly were, matching how they looked.
Hyunjin was about to pull away, but the blonde’s arm shot up to place a hand behind the older boy’s head, gently keeping him in place. The action made Hyunjin practically melt back onto Jeongin, now with one hand on the floor for balance and his other hand clutching the younger boy’s shirt like his life depended on it. There was nothing else in Jeongin’s mind except how nice it felt kissing the other boy, especially when he allowed himself to let his tongue dart out.
That was when Hyunjin jumped back again in surprise and this time the other boy let him.
“Innie!” He complained, cheeks flushed red, almost matching how swollen his lips had gotten.
Jeongin chuckled, “what?”
“You can’t just do that.”
“You’re the one who wanted to kiss,” the younger boy said without much bite, grinning widely at the sight of one blushing Hwang Hyunjin. He knew the brunette got flustered way too easily, but being the one that made Hyunjin flustered was a different story entirely. No matter how clingy and flirty the older boy could get, especially towards Jeongin, he only did so because the latter seldom reciprocated. If anything, Jeongin only just realized how much power he truly held.
The blonde got up from his spot on the floor, reaching his arm towards the other to help him up as well.
“Are we going somewhere?” Hyunjin questioned as he was pulled up.
“My back was starting to hurt,” Jeongin replied simply, before dragging the other boy towards his bed that was just a few steps away. He fell onto his back without warning, but since he was still holding Hyunjin’s hand, that caused the brunette to tumble onto him with a loud yelp. The older boy scrambled to sit up properly while Jeongin couldn’t help but laugh at the sight, but his laughter died in his throat when he realized that Hyunjin was now hovering over him.
The older boy pouted, “you think that was funny?”
“Maybe,” the blonde said, eyes sparkling. His hand reached up to brush loose strands of hair that managed to fall onto Hyunjin’s face. “You should get a haircut.”
“We’re supposed to get one next week, remember? The barber shop has a promotion if we go as a pair or something,” Hyunjin mumbled absentmindedly, barely paying attention to their conversation since Jeongin’s fingers had decided to travel down the rest of his face, skittering through his jawline and down his neck, making him shiver ever so slightly, before landing gently on the older boy’s shoulder. He found himself leaning down again.
Jeongin didn’t know how long they kissed after that, but he did remember when the other boy had whined about how his arms were starting to hurt from trying not to squish the blonde. That led to a wicked grin forming on the younger’s face, who immediately flipped them over so that Hyunjin was the one lying down, eyes wide in surprise. The older boy was close to complaining again, until he felt the brush of Jeongin’s warm fingers on his neck once more.
“You have a mole here,” the younger boy muttered. “Did you know?”
As for the blonde, well, he liked their current position much better. Now that there was light being cast on Hyunjin’s face, it was clear to see the way the blush on his cheeks had never really died down ever since it appeared. Not just that, but his originally smooth lips had small little nicks and bites, which made Jeongin flush at the thought since he wasn’t even aware when any of those happened. He didn’t even want to imagine how making out would have gone if he still had his braces on and was momentarily glad it took them so long.
“I have one on the other side, too,” Hyunjin said quietly.
“Cute,” Jeongin commented before leaning down and leaving a small peck over the mark, which made the brunette release a gasp of surprise. He continued peppering small kisses all over any expanse of skin he could find, careful not to be too forceful or linger on an area for too long; they had a party with all of their friends together, none of which would be the least bit shy to point anything out, even if he knew they’d be happy about the situation.
With that in mind, the younger boy sighed against Hyunjin’s neck.
“Jisung is going to give me hell once he finds out,” he groaned, before collapsing on the bed next to Hyunjin, his arms also giving out as his mind was attacked with mental images of Jisung’s teasing grin and annoying comments. Not just that, but Minho was sure to join in soon after, since he knew anything and everything through the other both. Suddenly, going to a party with them around didn’t seem so enjoyable, until the older boy next to him began to giggle.
“Did you tell him we were just best friends and all that?”
“Yeah,” Jeongin said with a sigh, carding his fingers through his hair. “I don’t want to see him tomorrow.”
“I do,” the brunette said happily, turning to the left so he could give the younger boy a peck on the cheek, making Jeongin glance at him once he pulled away. Hyunjin looked positively delighted at the thought of going to a party with his arms all over Jeongin, clinging to him like he always, but now with the fact that he could be as disgustingly sweet as he wanted to be. He knew Jeongin would let him. Frankly, the younger boy knew that, too.
For a while, there was no other words spoken between them, nothing but their breathing still coming out in slight pants in tune to the rise and fall of their chests. The blonde knew that after that night, there was no turning back, but he wasn’t as apprehensive as he thought he would be. Maybe falling in love with one’s best friend really was the perfect way to go about things. He knew the other boy like the back of his hand, and vice versa, so his worries ebbed away.
“Hey, Innie?” Hyunjin asked as he adjusted his position so that he had one arm slung across the younger boy’s waist, pulling him closer while Jeongin made a small noise of acknowledgment as he curled against the other’s body. The blonde was feeling his earlier high begin to die down, replacing the thrill in his bones with a need for sleep instead, which paired very nicely with the warmth of the older boy. He almost missed the next thing that was asked.
“What if you get tired of me?”
“I’ve dealt with you for years, Hwang Hyunjin,” Jeongin replied, making sure the other could hear the honesty in his otherwise teasing words. “Are you really worried?”
“You’re right,” the brunette whispered, just as Jeongin closed his eyes. “We were long overdue.”