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Wooseok knew he shouldn't be here. Not when he was so well-known to be a man of his words. One time, Yohan had told him he would pay for his rent if he finally gives in with his unicorn agenda but he never did. He was a man full of pride, not in an arrogant way but in a sense that he was a firm believer and was a conformist when it comes to his stance in life. The rules he encloses himself in.
But now, Wooseok is so close to crossing that perfectly conforming lifestyle.
Wooseok had a dating rule he has always lived by: NEVER spend the night if you've only been dating for a month. Three months is the acceptable time span, and anything that's less than three is a total no go for Kim Wooseok.
Yet here he was checking the window from time to time, checking if the blizzard had calmed down or not. Unfortunately, it hasn't.
Seungyoun, his a month and a week (and 3 days) of a boyfriend comes out from the kitchen with a mug of hot chocolate in his hands. Wooseok hoped towards him taking a cup in his hands and took a sip before placing it down by the coffee table. It was still too hot for him to drink anyway.
"Was this forecasted?" Wooseok asked. Seungyoun blinked innocently, before making his way to the window as well.
There were barely anyone outside. It was normal since who would be insane enough to brave the freezing snow storm? Exactly, no one. But what baffled Wooseok was the fact that when Seungyoun had invited him over today, there wasn't any mention of this natural weather disturbance.
In fact ever since it started snowing, Wooseok has been checking the conditions everyday, careful enough not to go out if things get way out of hand.
Today was no exception. Seungyoun had asked Wooseok to play board games with him and watch movies that afternoon just to spend some time together. Wooseok could have made a hard pass but he hasn't seen his boyfriend for days now since the other was too busy with work. So instead of turning down the dangerous offer of staying under the same roof with Seungyoun, he gave in and ended up going.
But before he left his house, he did make an effort to check the weather for the day. It was normal. Normal to the fact that Wooseok wouldn't be worried over the possibility of being stranded in Seungyoun's home.
Luck might not just be on his side because once he arrived at Seungyoun's place, it suddenly started snowing like crazy.
Crazy as in if he steps out of the front door he would either end up buried in snow, or dragged by the strong current of cold, teeth clattering wind.
Seungyoun set aside his red holiday curtains (It was Wooseok who set them up on Seungyoun's living room windows) and peaked at the winter wonderland that was happening live just outside his house.
"I don't think anyone predicted this," he said before turning back to look at Wooseok who was now comfortably settled on the couch with his knees to his chest. The small boy was curled up draped in Seungyoun's thickest blanket that smelled so much like the owner, Wooseok couldn't help but inhale against the fabric.
"How am I supposed to go home then?" Wooseok asked out loud to no one in particular.
"I'd offer to drive you home but I think my car won't be able to pass through the blanket of snow piling up on the streets," Seungyoun took the vacant spot beside him pulling the younger closer against him. He untucked the blanket from Wooseok's side just so he can join him from under the covers. He wrapped an arm around the smaller boy making his shoulder accessible for Wooseok to lean on.
"Or," he rolled off, "You can stay the night,"
Wooseok detached himself from the older male almost immediately earning an audible whine, "You know I can't,"
"Is this about your three month rule again?" Wooseok nodded. It wasn't the first time Seungyoun has heard of Wooseok's said 3 month regulation. He encountered it first hand when he wanted Wooseok to sleep over a month ago after Seungyoun invited him to dinner. He just wanted to sleep next to his beautiful boyfriend with no other intentions (or at least he thinks he can control himself) and wake up the following morning still by his side.
But Wooseok rejected the offer in seconds. Not wanting to offend his boyfriend, he quickly followed with an explanation saying he has this rule he has always lived by.
That was the day Seungyoun was introduced to the three month rule.
The three month rule was quite simple. Wooseok will not spend a night with the person he was dating within the period of the first three months. It was a crazy rule, to be honest. Yohan finds it old fashioned and stuck up, some adjectives that would perfectly describe Wooseok. But it had a very important meaning in Wooseok's life.
Wooseok believes the three month rule is the factor that really tests the people he dates. So far, out of all the 3 boyfriends he had in the past before Seungyoun, they all couldn't bear to make it. And because of that, it becomes a subject of arguments and misunderstandings. In the end, Wooseok breaks up with them.
He told Yohan how this rule was a determining factor of whether or not the relationship would work out because if the person Wooseok was dating wasn't patient enough to deal with this silly rule of his, how would know that person survive the rest of their relationship with all the other shenanigans Wooseok had in his life.
"Baby, I'm telling you, you must have some exceptions when it comes to your rule," Seungyoun coaxed, pulling Wooseok back but this time, he placed the smaller boy atop his lap before wrapping the both of them in the thick blanket.
"Like?" Wooseok decided to amuse his boyfriend.
"These kind of unpredictable situations. You can't expect to get home with all that snow. You have no other choice but to spend the night," Seungyoun's hot breathe was just behind Wooseok and it sent tingles down the smaller boy's spine.
"Mhmmm," he hummed, "You make a valid point but then if some time in the evening, the snow manages to settle down, I can still manage to get home,"
Seungyoun groaned, "I can never win against you, can't I?"
Wooseok only giggled, Seungyoun had placed his chin on Wooseok's shoulder now, his hair softly grazing his cheek, "If you can't live with the fact that you are always going to lose against me then you better back out of this relationship while you still can,"
A sour expression was painted across Seungyoun's face, "Why are you letting me have an easy pass out? I'm not going anywhere and you know that,"
Wooseok does know. Because Seungyoun… let's just say he's different from all the other people Wooseok had dated.
First, Seungyoun was one of his best friends. Before they dated (before Seungyoun finally found the balls to ask Wooseok out after crushing on him for 5 years), they were already good friends. They had a small peer formed back in college. Kim Yohan, who was the person Wooseok was closest to, Han Seungwoo, their friend who was taking up pre-med, Lee Hangyul, the guy who joined the gang halfway after being in the same club with Yohan, then there was Seungyoun, the funny, undeniably handsome, clumsy as hell, yet in an endearingly cute way friend of Seungwoo.
Seungyoun has always had the biggest (literally the fattest) crush on Wooseok. Although because of the smaller's tendency to be a little too intense, he always found it difficult to confess. Another factor was how Wooseok doesn't seem to share the same interest towards him and that only made him feel more hopeless.
But then earlier this year, after a much needed night out to celebrate their graduation, Seungyoun got totally wasted and shit faced, he ended up confessing to Wooseok on a drunken whim. None of their friends were sober enough to stop him, and Wooseok on the other hand, was not drunk enough to let it slide.
After that incident, Wooseok had started to pay more attention to the other boy (it seemed like everyone else but him forgot about what happened). Seungyoun was always there for Wooseok. When he needed a ride for his first job interview, the Cho boy volunteered with no hesitance. When Yohan arranged their routined game nights at his house, Seungyoun made sure to take care or whatever Wooseok needed. And that's when Wooseok finally sees it for real. Seungyoun liked him… or more. He was so endearing towards him it brought these little pesky butterflies he was now giving house to in his stomach.
The second difference Cho Seungyoun had from all the other boys he had dated from the past was, falling in love with Seungyoun felt as natural as how the seasons transition in time.
From their graduation last spring to the transition of summer, Wooseok had started to open his heart to the boy. He welcomed the somersaults his heart did whenever Seungyoun was a little too overprotective and careful around him whenever they were in public, he painted his cheeks with the rosiest shade of red everytime Seungyoun gave him too much of his attention. It was too natural to the point that when Wooseok realized he liked the other boy it was during the time they were out together (Seungyoun offered to pick him up from work). They were both in Seungyoun’s car, the taller boy’s regular playlist accompanies them and they both hum along. Wooseok consciously looked at Seungyoun and he felt them again, the crazy pesky butterflies fluttering against his ribcage.
He liked Seungyoun. Or maybe more. And the thought didn’t surprise him. It was as if falling for Cho Seungyoun was the most usual thing in the world, like how we’re all naturally grounded by gravity. Or, could gravity be the reason behind him falling in love with Seungyoun?
And lastly… perhaps the most iconic difference Cho Seungyoun has against all his other ex lovers… Seungyoun had a way with Wooseok. A way of making the boy break down his own walls, defy his own beliefs, and break his own rules. He has Wooseok wrapped around his finger like a love sick fool who is under his enchanted trance. Wooseok loses his own bitchass prideful self whenever Seungyoun was within proximity, and Yohan would often tease him for this. Because as far as Yohan could remember, Seungyoun and Wooseok wasn’t like this before. And seeing his best friend submit foolishly to Seungyoun was such a grand spectacle for him.
“How about,” Seungyoun spoke lifting Wooseok off his lap placing the boy back to his former position on the couch. “Let’s make a bet. If you win against me in a game of jenga, I will brave this ass biting cold to drive you home. But if I win, you’re going to have to stay over,”
“We all know I’m the best at Jenga,” Wooseok declared boastfully.
“That’s because I always let you win,” Seungyoun grinned.
The older male stood up from the couch and left the living room. Wooseok assumed to get the jenga game pieces from his room. Wooseok also got up on his feet just to comfortably sit once again but this time on the floor where Seungyoun joined him a few seconds later to arrange the tower of jenga between the two of them.
“So, do we have a deal?” Seungyoun asked.
“Baby, you already built the jenga tower how can I say no?”
The smile on Seungyoun’s lips reached his ears, “Wooseok, you don’t go back on your words, right?”
“Can we stop asking questions and just play? I go first,”
Their game of jenga started with Wooseok being too confident with himself. Maybe he shouldn’t have because it might have not jinxed his predicted victory. Wooseok shouldn’t have let his guard down because Cho Seungyoun always had something up his sleeve.
On his sixth turn and jenga piece, Seungyoun leaned towards Wooseok which caught the smaller boy by surprise. Fortunately, he was still smart enough to carefully withdraw his hand away from the piece, “What are you doing? That’s cheating!”
Seungyoun raised his hand above both of their heads and he pointed towards it using his lips, “Wooseokie, we’re under the mistletoe, does that mean I get to have a kiss?”
Wooseok rolled his eyes, there was indeed a mistletoe dangling on Seungyoun’s hand, “Is this your lousy attempt to distract me and make me lose,”
The other boy only shrugged pretending to be completely clueless about what the former was saying, “I just want a kiss,”
“One,” Wooseok raised a finger, “Just one kiss,”
This is what Seungyoun does to him. He makes Wooseok give in. So… so easily.
It was Wooseok’s turn to lean in, a ghost of a smile was on Seungyoun’s lips before it could even meet his. Seungyoun heard him inhale sharply before fully taking his mouth in his. He tasted like hot choco and was as warm as he remembered it. Seungyoun tasted too sweet and addictive, that one kiss Wooseok had said a while ago was long forgotten as he gets too drowned in Seungyoun’s taste he involuntarily reaches for the other’s head pulling it closer him closer, wanting to dive in deeper into whatever Seungyoun was trying to reel him in. Seugyoun as well has found his hands on that back of Wooseok’s head, the mistletoe has been forgotten discarded somewhere on the floor.
The cold they were feeling minutes ago became absent as heat started to pool at the pit of Wooseok’s stomach. Cho Seungyoun was intoxicating it would hurt so bad to break free from something that felt so good.
Then he finally heard it. The tumbling down of the Jenga tower. He pulled himself away and was shocked to find himself in the process of straddling Seungyoun’s lap. His sudden movement was what caused the fall of the proud Jenga tower that could have been his winning bargain to leave the night.
“You!” he breathed out with an accusing finger at Seungyoun who only had the brightest smile on his lips, “You wanted this to happen!”
“What I did? It’s not like you didn’t like it,” he was smug and it only made Wooseok feel more embarrassed. Because he did like it. Too much.
Burying his face on both his palms, Wooseok cradled his flushed face away from Seungyoun’s sight. He can’t believe Seungyoun has done it again. He took the bait and fell for Seungyoun’s well thought of trap.
“Come on, don’t hide your pretty face from me,” Seungyoun cooed taking both his hands away from his face, pulling him back into his lap, this time, Wooseok is finally straddling him.
“Guess you’ll have to spend the night,” he teased.
“Why do you always make me…”
“Break the rules?”
Wooseok nodded.
“Because, you love me,” Seungyoun said a matter of factly. And Wooseok didn’t even have to deny or affirm it because it was true. Seungyoun makes him break rules, forget about his own beliefs, and lets down all his unnecessary guards down because it’s the truth… he loves him too much, and Wooseok was willing to give up everything just for this man.
“Ugh, Yohan is going to make a grand deal of this,” Wooseok groaned and leaned against Seungyoun’s chest comfortably laying against it perfectly fit just for him.
“Consider it as his early Christmas gift from you,”
Wooseok remained silent after that. He stayed still against Seungyoun’s body listening to the heartbeat of the man he loves so much he was willing to make a fool out of himself. And from his view he can see the blizzard slowly starting to calm down, quite earlier than he had assumed it would. The falling snow looked so natural. Just like how natural it feels like to be with Seungyoun at that hour, in his house, in his arms, this December evening.
“So, are you staying over?” Seungyoun inquired once more, still giving Wooseok the chance to back out (or not).
Wooseok hummed, closing his eyes, “It’s not like this is the first time I broke a rule for you,”
And then Seungyoun smiled.
“What was that again?” he attempted to tease the smaller boy in his arms, “Never date your friend rule?”
Another exasperated groan left Wooseok’s mouth, “Shut up or else I’m really leaving,”