Work Text:
They were finally, finally on their first date. After several months of pining, a nerve-wracking confession, a few weeks of awkward schedules, and here they were. It was difficult to find time for a date, with their ridiculously busy lives as college students, but the second they both had a free weekend Yeonjun booked tickets to the local amusement park, and they were off. He had picked up Soobin himself, had spent an hour cleaning out his car, and when he saw the boy he couldn’t help but smile so widely his cheeks hurt. Soobin looked stunning, wearing an oversized t-shirt with a striped long-sleeve shirt on underneath that extended past his knuckles, and denim jeans. His hair was purposefully a bit messy, and his dimples were on full display as he climbed into the passenger seat, long legs and all.
Yeonjun had said hello, his own cheeks burning with both excitement and nerves, and it appeared that Soobin hadn’t been any less anxious than him. This was a long time coming, they both liked each other more than they thought they knew, and Yeonjun hoped the date was the start to something, well, beautiful. They spoke about their days as they drove, and Yeonjun seriously hadn’t felt as happy as he did in that moment in a long time. Soobin brought out a side of him he thought he had lost, and he didn’t think he could ever repay that favour. When they arrived, Yeonjun fished the tickets out of his back pocket and handed Soobin his.
The younger’s eyes popped, and he looked at Yeonjun a bit in awe. He had adorably scolded Yeonjun for paying, but Yeonjun shook his head, ruffling Soobin’s hair and telling him he had wanted to. After they passed through security, they stood at the entrance, and that’s where they were now, looking at the complimentary map they had been given upon presenting their tickets. They both huddled over it, and Yeonjun tried his best not to freak out over how close they were. Soobin’s hair was literally brushing over his forehead.
“Do you like rollercoasters?” Soobin asked, pointing at one of the illustrations. Yeonjun laughed, before nodding, eyes scanning over all of the attractions. “The scarier the better,” he replied. He chanced a glance at Soobin, and his heart skipped a beat as he saw the boy smiling, still looking at the map. They chose which rides to go on, before Yeonjun folded up the map and put it in his back pocket. They walked towards the closest one, and their fingers brushed. Yeonjun wanted to hold Soobin’s hand so badly, but he knew how timid the boy was, and he didn’t want to rush anything. He did his best to keep his eyes trained on the path, rather than ogling at just how tall Soobin really was. It did things to him, okay? They made it to the first ride, a pretty tame coaster that only had one drop and didn’t even go upside-down. It was fine, they would work up to that. They obediently got in line, and Soobin turned to face Yeonjun, dimples popping as he smiled. “Have you come here before?” he asked.
Yeonjun returned the smile, glad that Soobin was initiating conversation, and wasn’t as shy as he used to be around the older. Yeonjun remembered when the poor kid used to run as soon as he entered a room. “Not since I was a child,” he answered easily. Soobin nodded, leaning against the division, puffing out his cheeks as he looked around him. Yeonjun preferred to keep his gaze trained on the boy, and when Soobin caught him staring, he blushed so prettily Yeonjun almost fell over. “Do I have something on my face?” he asked. Yeonjun laughed, before shaking his head, reaching out to poke his cheek. “Just cuteness,” he replied. The blush he got in response made his mouth water, and he laughed again as Soobin covered his mouth, looking away.
The line moved forward, and the two maintained light conversation and heavy flirting until it was their turn to ride. Yeonjun climbed in first, and Soobin followed, managing to tuck his long, long legs in safely. The attendant pulled the protective bar down, and Yeonjun gripped his, looking at Soobin. He seemed fine, and blushed as they made eye contact again. “Wanna hold hands?” Yeonjun risked, holding out his hand. Soobin looked at it, before nodding and slipping his larger one into Yeonjun’s palm without hesitation. Yeonjun grinned, locking their fingers together and lowering their arms. As the ride began, he squeezed Soobin’s hand, and when the drop came, they both screamed so loudly everyone in Seoul could hear them.
Soobin’s hair was windswept when they got off, his forehead exposed, and Yeonjun about had an aneurysm when he saw. He couldn’t imagine he looked that great, his hair a tangled mess, but Soobin looked breathtaking. And based on the look Yeonjun was getting, maybe Soobin felt the same about how he looked. They hadn’t stopped holding hands even as they got off and left the ride, and Yeonjun didn’t have a problem with that. He would hold Soobin’s hand for forever if he could.
“Did you have fun?” he asked. Soobin nodded quickly, moving out of the way of some other visitors. It was so fucking endearing how he didn’t seem to realise how much space he actually took up. A small person stuck in a large body. Or at least, a tall body. Yeonjun smiled, before pulling him to the next ride. The two laughed as they ran, weaving through the crowd, and Yeonjun was in heaven. All of the waiting had so been worth it.
The couple rode a few more rollercoasters, before Soobin requested a break, feeling a bit lightheaded. Yeonjun immediately acquiesced, feeling a bit queasy himself. Human bodies weren’t meant to be suspended upside down that often, after all. “Can I be really cheesy and attempt to win you a plushie?” he asked. Soobin sputtered a little, laughing in disbelief. His ears burned bright red, and Yeonjun relished in the effect he had on the boy. After he recovered, Yeonjun smiling in adoration the entire time, he turned the tables and suddenly it was Yeonjun who was blushing. “I was actually kind of wanting to win you a plushie, hyung,” he said, voice soft.
Yeonjun’s eyes widened as he felt his cheeks heat up, and he had a minor cardiac episode before he moved closer, tilting his head to maintain eye contact. “Fine by me, sweetheart,” he replied, before being brave and kissing his cheek. His heart was threatening to stop, but he couldn’t help himself. Soobin’s cheek was soft against his lips, and when he pulled back, the taller looked like he had seen God, and well, that satisfied Yeonjun. They stared at each other for a moment, like two lovesick teenagers, before Soobin nodded, and turned away, walking right up to the attendant and showing his ticket. Yeonjun chuckled quietly to himself, before following him.
“I’m going to be so bad at this,” Soobin said, taking the little ping-pong ball in his hand. He had to toss it into one of the rings floating in the water, and Yeonjun honestly thought it was pretty difficult. Riding on his newfound confidence after the cheek kiss, he pressed right up behind Soobin, resting his chin on the boy’s shoulder (their height difference perfect for such an action) and held his hands on his waist. He couldn’t see Soobin’s face, but he could feel his body tense a bit, and he smiled to himself. “I’ll still like you even if you don’t win,” he promised. Soobin laughed, before aiming, and getting ready to throw.
However, before he could, a trio of voices screamed out their names. Soobin flinched, dropping the ping pong ball into the water, and Yeonjun automatically slid his hands around Soobin’s waist at the reaction, just wanting to protect him. The two turned their heads to see who had so rudely interrupted them, and Yeonjun groaned as he saw. He dropped his arms to his side and stepped back from Soobin, a scowl already on his face. The younger didn’t seem nearly as upset, but he did seem a bit embarrassed, eyes wide as his best friend and both of Yeonjun’s best friends walked up.
“Wow! What a strange coincidence, running into you two here!” Beomgyu said, obnoxiously loud. He held his arms open, and Soobin (the angel he was) accepted the hug. When Beomgyu went to hug Yeonjun with a cheery “Hi hyung!”, Yeonjun shoved him off, rolling his eyes. “I actually hate you right now,” he replied. Beomgyu paid the comment no mind, smiling brightly as he slung an arm around Taehyun’s shoulders and looked at the two boys. “We haven’t been to an amusement park in ages and today is so nice outside, we thought it was a great idea!” he explained. Yeonjun narrowed his eyes, a sharp retort on his lips, when Kai spoke first. “Soobinie-hyung! Can you help me win a plushie?!” he screeched.
Yeonjun’s eyes widened, and he felt a surge of frustration course through him. His hands were clenched into fists, and goddammit this was his date with Soobin! He couldn’t believe his friends had decided to interfere with one of the most important days of his life. Fucking typical. But Soobin, being sent from Heaven itself, smiled and nodded, submitting to Kai’s begging. He seemed to realise that he was on a date just then though, and looked to Yeonjun quickly, worried. “I’m s-sorry, hyung, we can ditch them and go on the ferris wheel or something instead,” he said quickly.
And Yeonjun panicked, not wanting Soobin to think he was angry at him for being such a kind person. He shook his head, smiling genuinely at him, tickling his earlobe. Honestly, it made Yeonjun’s heart flutter at seeing how much Soobin cared for his dongsaengs, frustration aside. “We can go after you win, okay?” he responded. Soobin nodded, face breaking into a smile that blinded Yeonjun, and he surprised the older by giving him a quick hug. It only lasted a second, but Yeonjun swore he never felt safer than in Soobin’s arms. “Thank you, hyung, seriously,” Soobin said, before pulling away and going to help Kai.
Once his attention was redirected, Yeonjun turned to glare at Beomgyu, marching right up into his space. “What the fuck, ‘Gyu?” he hissed, lowering his voice so Soobin didn’t hear. Beomgyu only stared back at Yeonjun, arm still around Taehyun, who looked like he wanted to disappear. “I’m sorry, did we interrupt something?” he asked nonchalantly. Yeonjun knew Beomgyu was being purposefully annoying, it was one of his strongest traits. He also knew that his best friend was most likely just making sure Yeonjun hadn’t been stood up again, but Soobin was different, and he wished Beomgyu believed that.
“You know how long I waited for this day, so can you please leave and let me enjoy it with Soobin alone?” he asked, trying to calm his tone. Beomgyu hesitated, and Taehyun looked up at him, the voice of reason as always. “Maybe we should listen to hyung, they seemed so happy before we interrupted,” he suggested. Beomgyu glanced at him, and Yeonjun knew that it had been decided. Beomgyu hardly ever went against Taehyun’s advice, the godsend. Beomgyu looked back at Yeonjun, dramatically narrowing his eyes and pursing his lips. “If Soobin-ssi takes one step out of line—” he began, before Yeonjun groaned, grabbing both boys and forcefully turning them around, giving them a little push. “I’m fine, dad,” he mocked.
Beomgyu turned his head, but thankfully Taehyun pulled him back, and the two walked a few paces away to another game. Yeonjun took a deep breath, did his best to collect his thoughts, and then went back to Soobin and Kai. In his absence, one of them (he didn’t know which) had gotten a plushie, and Kai hugged it to his chest tightly, the happiest expression on his face. “Thank you so much, hyung!” he said. Soobin giggled (Yeonjun was gonna die), and ruffled Kai’s long hair. Yeonjun approached them, and suddenly Soobin’s grin was directed at him, and he melted a bit.
He looked at Kai, patting his shoulder. The kid may have been nearly twenty, but he couldn’t help but treat him as the youngest that he was, out of their group. “Beomgyu and Taehyunnie are going to ride some rides, why don’t you go tag along with them?” he prompted, raising his brows. He saw Soobin blush in his peripheral vision, pressing his lips together. Kai looked at Yeonjun for a second, before his eyes popped, and he quickly nodded. “Ohhh, yeah, sure hyung!” he said, before bowing to both of them. “Bye, have a good rest of your date!” he squealed, before turning and running off.
Yeonjun sighed in relief as he was finally left alone with Soobin, and he heard Soobin giggle sympathetically. He looked at him, at his hand covering his smile, and he was such a fucking goner it was embarrassing. “Sorry about them,” he apologised, and Soobin shook his head, lowering his hand. “I love them, it’s okay,” he replied. Yeonjun only smiled, before holding out his hand. “Let’s go ride the ferris wheel,” he said. Soobin smiled, a softer smile, and took Yeonjun’s hand. Their fingers intertwined, and they set off, walking so close together that their shoulders bumped.
The line was relatively short, and the sun was setting as they climbed into their seat. There was a slight delay as other visitors got into the other swings, and Yeonjun literally felt his heart drop as Kai suddenly appeared out of nowhere, arms flying. “Hyungs! Wait!” he shouted. Yeonjun groaned, dropping his head into his hand, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Fucking hell,” he moaned. Before Soobin could say anything, Kai ran up and quite literally squeezed in between the two, shoving Yeonjun to the side and clapping as he pulling the safety bar down. “I’ve always wanted to ride this,” he said, as if he hadn’t just rudely interrupted again. Yeonjun lifted his head, and saw Soobin’s confusion and appalment reflected in his expression, and Yeonjun had had enough.
He ignored Kai’s babbling and waved at the attendant, getting her attention. “Excuse me!” he shouted. “He skipped everyone in line, can you please make him get off?!” He heard Soobin choke on a laugh, and Kai’s jaw dropped in shock, before he scrunched his face together. The attendant made her way over, but Kai lifted the safety bar and hopped off before he was scolded. “Beomgyu-hyung dared me to, okay, I’m sorry,” he pouted. Yeonjun quickly moved so that there was no room for him to climb back in should he attempt to, and the attendant lowered the safety bar for him.
Kai looked at them, before being forced to step back, and then the ride began to move. As they slowly lifted, Yeonjun sighed, leaning his head back against the seat. He felt a hand slip into his, and he jolted a bit, remembering who was with him, and suddenly all of his frustrations washed away. Soobin was smiling at him, so soft and precious it kind of made Yeonjun want to cry. He sat back up, running his thumb over Soobin’s knuckles, and schooling his features. “We can come back here, and I can make sure our friends are busy when we do,” he promised, a little worried Soobin was going to abandon him after the date was over.
But he only giggled, shaking his head. “I had so much fun today, hyung,” he replied. Yeonjun blushed, before smiling softly. “I’m really glad, because I think this may be my favourite date I’ve ever been on,” he said honestly. Soobin turned red, but he didn’t break eye contact, which was significant. They got lost in each other’s gazes for a moment, before the ferris wheel stopped, and Soobin looked away, gasping a bit. “Look at the sunset, hyung!” he proclaimed, pointing out.
Yeonjun did look, and it was pretty, but he had a better idea as to how to spend the moment. He looked back at Soobin, studying his profile for a second, so fucking enamoured with him. To see him so happy, so excited over a simple sunset, Yeonjun knew it wasn’t going to take much time for him to fall completely in love with the boy. “Hey, Soobin-ah,” he said quietly. Soobin instantly looked at him, the happiness still so fresh in his eyes. “Yeah?” he asked, a little oblivious. Yeonjun swallowed, a little nervous again, but he ignored the butterflies. Soobin looked beautiful, the sun casting a golden glow over his face, and Yeonjun didn’t want to wait another second.
He leaned in, cupping Soobin’s cheek, and pressed his lips against the younger’s, lightly. He felt the boy freeze against him at first, before he relaxed, kissing back just as lightly. He rested one hand over Yeonjun’s, the other landing on his thigh, and wow. Yeonjun had had a lot of first kisses with many different people, but never one as sweet and perfect as with Soobin. It wasn’t heated, they didn’t push past the simple pressure, and yet Yeonjun had never felt higher. Metaphorically and literally.
When they broke apart, they didn’t move far, eyes finding each other, and hands staying where they were. Yeonjun didn’t know what to say, and neither did Soobin apparently. When the ferris wheel started to move again, the spell was broken, and they finally looked away, the embarrassment setting in. Yeonjun flushed, running a hand through his hair, and he could see Soobin wringing his hands together.
When they got off together, they stayed silent, and it was a little awkward. After they moved away from the crowds, though, Soobin grabbed Yeonjun’s hand. Yeonjun was a little confused, and he wondered if he had been too forward with the kiss, if it hadn’t been the right time, even though it felt it. But he kept his mouth shut as Soobin walked them even further away, and to an empty spot between two booths. Once they were there, Soobin stopped, looking at Yeonjun. Yeonjun looked back, a bit confused, before he was suddenly being pushed against the wall and Soobin’s lips were on his again.
He felt his eyes widen at the surprising behaviour, before he lost himself in the kiss, and gave his all back. His hands rested on either side of Soobin’s neck, and their mouths moved together, seamlessly, and Yeonjun couldn’t believe Soobin was such a good kisser. For someone so shy and timid, he never expected this. He wasn’t complaining though, and he kissed back even more. Soobin’s large hands gripped Yeonjun’s hips, and wow okay, Yeonjun could get used to this.
They broke away for air, and Yeonjun opened his eyes, staring wide-eyed at Soobin, who wiped his mouth, and stepped back, ears bright red. “I, um, sorry about that,” he stuttered, clearly embarrassed by his own actions. Yeonjun stood there for a minute, catching his breath, before he smiled, standing up straight and brushing his hair out of his eyes. “Don’t apologise,” he reassured. “That was a pleasant surprise, are you always like that?” Soobin blushed harder, before shaking his head, scratching behind his neck. “You just…do things to me,” he admitted. Yeonjun chuckled, moving closer to him and running his fingers through Soobin’s soft hair.
“I liked it, for your information,” he informed. Soobin snorted, before looking at Yeonjun. “I really did have an amazing time, hyung,” he whispered. Yeonjun smiled gently, before brushing their noses together. He had to stand on his tiptoes to do so, but he didn’t mind. “Me too, baby,” he replied, equally as quiet. He heard Soobin squeak a little at the nickname, and then Yeonjun stepped back and took his hand, walking them towards the exits. Soobin cuddled adorably into Yeonjun’s side, wrapping his other hand around his arm. Yeonjun’s heart soared, and when they got to his car, they both had to put in a conscious effort not to pull over on the side of the highway and make out.
Yeah, all of the waiting was definitely worth it.