Archive of Our Own

Subin fiddled with his phone nervously, the line in front of him slowly diminishing as he waited for his turn to order his drink. Finally, it was his turn. He put his phone away and walked up to the counter, where he was met with the prettiest smile in the world, in his humble opinion.

"Hello again! The usual?" The friendly barista asked cheerfully, already grabbing a cup.

"Yes please." Subin nodded and took his wallet out.

"One milk tea coming up." He said and he scribbled Subin's name on the cup.

Subin paid and moved to the side to wait for his order, like a polite customer, even though there were no people in line behind him. He was lucky his hours were wacky so his break was always after the lunch rush but before the late afternoon rush of people getting off work. This particular coffeeshop wasn't big enough for students to be drawn to it either, so the few tables that were there, were left mostly empty.

"One milk tea for… Subin?" The barista pretended to look around to find the customer the drink was for like there was any other option than Subin.

"Right here." Subin giggled and reached out for his drink.

"Ah, there you are!" He handed his drink over with a fancy swing of his hand and a bow, and Subin giggled again.

"Thank you very much, uh…" He pretended to squint at his nametag, "Seung… woo?"

Seungwoo laughed through his nose, his shoulders shaking and Subin felt his heart soar. They had had the same interaction nearly every day, for several weeks now; the only exception being the holidays, because then the shop was busy. Still, it made him feel all giddy inside and he couldn't stop smiling for hours after. It was all he needed to get through even the roughest days.

The first time he came there was because he was simply craving some milk tea (he hadn't had any for ages) and he had spotted the little coffeeshop on his way to work. He figured he could quickly hop in during his break, and if it was too busy he would leave, but he had found the place deserted, the lone barista behind the counter playing games on his phone.

Subin had very quietly announced his presence, not wanting to startle the man, but also really wanting to order his tea. Seungwoo had snapped his head up and put on his customer smile, uttering a hasty apology. Subin had told him it was okay, inwardly screaming at how beautiful the man was. From then on it had become his daily habit to come in for a milk tea, Seungwoo's simple smile lifting his spirits and giving him energy. Seungsik, Subin’s best friend, would often laugh and say he was his emotional support barista.

"Have a nice day!" He said to the still giggling Seungwoo, making his way to the exit with his drink.

"Thanks, you too!" Seungwoo yelled back. I will now, Subin thought to himself.

"You really must love this tea." Seungwoo mused the next day as he handed him his drink.

"What gives you that idea?" Subin joked, his heart hammering in his chest. He couldn't let on that he wasn't really here for the tea.

"A lucky guess, I suppose." Seungwoo said nonchalantly, leaning against the counter with his hip. The coffeeshop was completely deserted, and on days like this he liked to casually chat with Subin, who didn't mind at all.

"I wouldn't call that lucky." Subin giggled and leaned on the counter across from Seungwoo.

"Not? I think I'm rather lucky." Seungwoo tilted his head and scrunched his nose.

"Oh? Really? Why is that?" Subin teased, raising his eyebrows.

"Because you love milk tea, which means I get to talk to a cute customer everyday." Subin's heart stopped functioning for a second, a blush rising to his cheeks. Did Seungwoo, his crush of several weeks, just call him cute? He couldn't wrap his head around it, but luckily he was saved from having to answer by a customer walking in.

Both he and Seungwoo straightened up at the same time and he stuttered a goodbye that was met with a sly smile from Seungwoo, who then turned to the customer to take his order. He rushed out without looking back, his face red and his hands shaking as he held his drink. He was so distracted that he ended up walking into a street lantern and spilling all of his milk tea on the sidewalk.

He had half a mind to go back and ask for a new one, but he was still too flabbergasted to even think about forming a decent sentence, so that was out of the question. Not that his break was long enough to allow for him to go back, if he wanted to eat at all. He quickly threw out the empty cup and headed back to the office to have his lunch.

He hadn't expected Seungwoo to flirt with him. All the attempts he had made at flirting with the other were half-hearted and always met with simple jokes, so he never thought Seungwoo actually liked him back. He managed to get through the day without making too many mistakes, despite being distracted, and when his coworkers asked if he was okay he just said he was tired.

Once he got home he immediately picked up his phone and pressed the ‘call’ button next to Seungsik’s name. He needed a second opinion on the situation.

“Hello?” Seungsik sounded like he had just woken up, at 9 pm. “Subinnie?”

“Seungsik!” Subin yelled into the phone. “I need your expert opinion.”

“Lower your volume first, please, I don’t want hearing problems.” Seungsik grumbled.

“Like you don’t listen to loud music 24/7. Hag.” Subin accused, a lot quieter.

“Thanks. What’s going on?” He could hear Seungsik was suppressing a yawn.

“Did I wake you up?” Subin asked, feeling a bit guilty.

“No, I’ve just been working on this report so damn long I’m not sure what time nor sleep is anymore.” Seungsik muttered something that sounded like a curse and Subin heard typing.

“You’re still working?” Subin asked, worried. Seungsik had a tendency to overwork himself, and Subin often took it upon himself to pull him out of it, just like Seungsik would take it upon himself to take care of Subin when the stress of daily life got too much. That was, until he found Seungwoo, but he wouldn’t admit that just yet.

“I messed up, and I have to fix it before tomorrow.” Seungsik sighed. “It’s fine though, I’m almost done. What did you want to ask?”

“It’s not that important, it can wait till tomorrow.” He didn’t want to bother the other if he was tired and working.

“No, it’s fine. I always have time for you Subinnie, you know that right?” Seungsik said gently.

“Stop that.” Subin grumbled and Seungsik let out a bright laugh. At least he wasn’t too tired to do that, Subin thought, relieved. “Alright well. When I went for my milk tea today something happened, and I’m not sure what to think of it.”

“What happened?” Seungsik immediately sounded worried.

“He… Seungwoo called me cute.” Subin cringed as the words came out, his heart beating rapidly at the memory.

Seungsik squealed and Subin had to hold the phone away from his ear for a moment. “I told you! I told you he wasn’t out of your league! If anything you’re out of his league!” Seungsik yelled happily, all his tiredness gone. Subin smiled despite himself. “What exactly did he say? I need details? What did you say?”

“Calm down, please.” Subin chuckled and moved the phone back to his ear. “You’re not the only one who can go deaf.”

“Sorry, sorry. But tell me.” Seungsik encouraged.

“Well, he said he was lucky that he got to talk to such a cute customer every day.” Seungsik squealed again, but it sounded further away, so he had probably turned his face away to spare Subin. “And then I got flustered, but a customer came in so I could make my escape.”

“You ran away?” Seungsik gasped.

“I had to get back to work! Plus I really didn’t know how to respond to that! I ended up spilling all my milk tea on the sidewalk.” Subin sulked.

“Ahw Subinnie, you should’ve flirted back of course!” Seungsik giggled.

“So you think it was flirting too?” Subin asked, hopeful, paying no mind to the teasing tone in Seungsik’s voice.

“What else could it have been? He called you cute! Shoot your shot!” Seungsik said enthusiastically.

“Should I? What if I misunderstood?” Subin said, still doubtful. “I don’t want to look like a fool.”

“Try to flirt back a bit, see how it goes. If he flirts more you’ll know he’s interested. If he doesn’t, you’ll know he’s not.” Seungsik said sagely.

“What if it weirds him out?” Could he just flirt randomly with someone he didn’t know that well yet?

“It’s just harmless flirting, if he gets weirded out by something like that he’s the weird one. Plus you can always just brush it off as friendly banter.” Seungsik reassured him. “Just try it, I can tell he’s into you from the things you’ve told me. It will be fine.”

“Okay, I’ll try.” Subin said quietly. He wasn’t sure if he was capable of forming sentences anymore in front of Seungwoo, let alone flirt, but he would try. He wanted to know if the other had been serious when he called him cute.

“Good. Now I have to get back to work, sorry Subin.” Seungsik instantly sounded tired again, and Subin frowned.

“Don’t make it too late, work be damned, you deserve rest too.” He scolded him and he heard the other chuckle.

“I’ll be sure not to, I promise. Goodnight Subinnie.”

“Goodnight Sik.” Subin said softly before hanging up.

He spent that night mostly awake, his brain playing the interaction from earlier that day over and over as he became more and more nervous about the next day. He really wanted to follow Seungsik’s advice and flirt, but it was far too scary. He tried to think of what to say, and somewhere in the middle of thinking of ways to say “you’re pretty” without being too obvious, he fell asleep at last.

The next day, he got to the coffeeshop in record time, despite the fear of what he was about to try and do, and quickly headed in, relieved to find it once again empty. At least nobody was there to witness his miserable attempts at flirting. Seungwoo's head appeared around the doorway and he smiled upon seeing Subin.

"Just a sec!" He yelled out, disappearing again. All Subin's nerves instantly evaporated at seeing his smile, so he patiently waited for Seungwoo to come back. It didn’t take long before Seungwoo ran up to the counter, out of breath, with his usual big, lazy smile plastered onto his face. It was so different from his usual put together customer friendly appearance, Subin felt his heart flutter. He wasn’t just a customer to Seungwoo anymore. Perhaps he would even call them friends. Perhaps they could be more.

“Did you run a marathon back there?” He joked when Seungwoo finally calmed his breathing a bit.

“No I just…” Seungwoo looked away, almost shy. Subin felt his stomach flip at the cute blush that appeared on his usually so confident face. “I didn’t want to keep you waiting.” He finished quietly.

“Oh. Thank you,” Subin said, unable to come up with anything better. It seemed his brain had left him right when he needed it most. How was he supposed to flirt when Seungwoo was being all coy?

“Milk tea, right?” Seungwoo straightened up and looked at him again, all shyness suddenly gone. Subin blinked and then nodded, questioning if he had even seen it correctly. “Coming right up.” And Seungwoo quickly went to work.

Subin simply stood there, trying to come up with something to say, until Seungwoo spun around and pretended to search the restaurant. “Subin? Anyone called Subin for a milk tea?” He called out and Subin finally unfroze, breaking into his usual giggles. He didn’t know how that never got old.

“That’ll be me.” He said and he reached out, but Seungwoo pulled the drink back with a frown. Subin froze and stared at him confused as he took the drink back to the cash register.

“In that case…” He mumbled and picked up his marker again to scribble on the cup. Holding it up, he smiled, satisfied and went up to Subin to hand him the drink. “There you go, sir.”

“Why thank you, sir. What was that all about?” He asked, holding up the cup to see what was scribbled on it. Subinnie~ it read, and Subin smiled, feeling his cheeks heat up. “Oh, cute.” He said before he could stop himself.

Seungwoo’s smile grew even wider at the words. “You are very cute.” He said, his eyes forming half crescents. Subin’s mouth flopped open and he stared at him, completely taken by surprise. He quickly recovered, though, pulling himself together and huffing slightly.

“I’m not cute.” He tried to make himself look as annoyed as possible, hoping to deter the other from ever calling him cute again, because one: it wasn’t true and two: it made his heart flutter in a way he couldn’t handle. It seemed to have the opposite effect, however, Seungwoo letting out a small noise as his entire face scrunched up.

“Aahh you’re too adorable. My heart!” He squealed dramatically, covering his face with his big hands. Subin swore he heard a giggle escape him.

He frowned. He was clearly messing with him, there was no way he actually found him that cute. He folded his arms and took a deep breath to chew him out, when the door opened and a customer walked in. Seungwoo immediately went back to his professional mask, not even a hint of amusement left in his expression, and when the customer looked at Subin questioningly he quickly straightened out his own facial expression into something more friendly and bowed, before rushing out with his drink.

He frantically tried to calm his heart and sort his thoughts as he pulled out his lunch in the break room. He buried his head in his arms, which lay crossed on the table, What was he supposed to think? Seungwoo had called him cute three times now, but he wasn’t sure if he actually meant it, or if he was just comfortable enough with him now to tease him.

He thought back to the interaction, and honestly nothing about Seungwoo had made him seem insincere. So he was serious. He actually found him cute. He groaned and rubbed his head into his arms. Could it be possible? Could he actually like him back? There was only one way to find out. He sat up straight and bit into his sandwich, a determined look on his face. He was going to ask him out.

He walked into the coffeeshop the next day determined to at least get a phone number. Nerves ran through him, and unlike the usual dreadful feelings, they did not disappear upon seeing the other, instead growing stronger. He swallowed against the lump in his throat as Seungwoo smiled down at him from behind the counter.

“What can I get for you today?” His soft and gentle voice put some strength back into Subin’s resolve and he nodded slightly to himself.

“I would like an iced tea.” He smiled, diverting from his usual order. He felt like if he ordered the same thing again he might chicken out and just follow their usual routine, as silly as that may sound. He supposed he shouldn’t risk it.

“Changing it up a bit I see?” Seungwoo winked at him and Subin nearly crumbled, but he kept his face as straight as possible, determined to keep himself together.

“I felt it was time for something different.” He said as nonchalantly as he could while his heart thrummed in his throat.

“Then I’m glad you merely switched the drink and not the place you drink it at.” Seungwoo said, scribbling the order on the cup under his name. The words seemed to encourage Subin, rather than fluster him like he was sure Seungwoo intended.

He mustered up all his courage so he could speak without the words coming out too rushed or scrambled. “Where else would I find such a charming barista?” He managed to sound quite confident, and it made him feel good enough to throw a wink back at Seungwoo, who was now staring at him with his mouth slightly open. A small smile appeared, however, as he collected himself.

“There are plenty, far more charming baristas around.” He said quietly as he turned to make the drink while Subin paid.

It took him by surprise. He had always seen Seungwoo as such a confident person. Now that he thought about it, the previous day Seungwoo had also seemed a bit shy and unsure, when he had come out of the back to greet him. Perhaps he wasn’t as confident as he showed himself to be. Or perhaps it was Subin who made him shy. He blushed and pushed that thought away as he took a new, deep breath to form his next sentence.

“I can’t imagine that being possible.” He said and he saw the other freeze for a moment. He couldn’t be sure from this distance, but he swore the back of his ears were tinged red. “I don’t think there could be a person more charming than the barista that works here.”

“Really? Perhaps I should meet this barista then.” Seungwoo turned to hand him his drink, and Subin could clearly see the soft pink on his cheeks. He was trying to mask it with a confident smirk, but Subin saw right through him.

“Wouldn’t you know him? You work at the same place.” Subin couldn’t stop a giggle from escaping his lips, but that only seemed to darken Seungwoo’s blush.

“Perhaps, what shift does he usually take?” Subin took his drink and leaned against the counter towards Seungwoo.

“Well he’s always working when I take my break, so around this time in the afternoon, actually.” Subin pretended to look around behind the counter as Seungwoo softly chuckled.

“Hm, did you happen to catch his name? Maybe then I’ll remember him.” The words sounded a bit shaken. Seungwoo cleared his throat.

“Well,” Subin let his eyes drop down to Seungwoo’s name tag, “I believe it’s Seungwoo.” He looked up again to meet Seungwoo’s eyes, who looked away after only a second, swallowing.

“Oh. I do know him then.” He stammered and scratched his neck, before looking back up at Subin. “Now that you mention it, he does talk a lot about a certain cute customer he gets.”

It was Subin’s turn to blush, as Seungwoo’s usual confidence reappeared. “Oh? Really?” He tried to act aloof, but the words came out high pitched and he had to cough a few times.

“I bet he was speaking of you. How about I give you his number? Then you can ask him yourself.” The words were a bit rushed, giving away how nervous Seungwoo felt, but he had his confident smile back, which completely disarmed Subin.

“That would be great,” he squeaked, his voice completely failing him. Seungwoo reached out and took his cup back, taking out his marker and scribbling on it hurriedly.

“There you go.” He smiled timidly as he handed him the cup and Subin swore he was getting whiplash from the constant changes in Seungwoo’s confidence.

“Thank you very much.” He took the cup back, his hand briefly touching Seungwoo’s. He blushed and quickly pulled back, straightening up before glancing up at the clock and realizing he wouldn’t have time to eat anymore. “Oh shoot. I should get back.” Seungwoo nodded at him, a small frown on his face. “I’ll be in touch.” He added softly, putting the smile back on Seungwoo’s face.

Subin looked back once he was outside to see Seungwoo leaning onto the counter with his face in his hands, rubbing frantically. He giggled at how flustered the other was and looked down at the cup in his hands, his heart fluttering at the numbers that were hastily scribbled on there. He had Seungwoo’s number now.

The rest of the day couldn’t pass fast enough in Subin’s opinion. He had made it to work barely in time to clock in, unable to take out his phone to text the other until after he was done. When he was finally clocked out he hurriedly grabbed his phone and the cup (that had been carefully wedged into his desk’s drawer so that no one would throw it out). He quickly typed the numbers, and then had to delete them and start over because he didn’t type a single one right.

Finally, after another two tries, Seungwoo was saved in his phone. Now he just had to send him a text… His fingers hovered over the keyboard, but he couldn’t figure out what to type. He frowned, annoyed, and put his phone away again. He would figure it out at home, where he could relax. He kept the cup, stuffing it in his bag just to be safe, and maybe because he wanted to keep the reminder.

Once he was home he dumped his bag in the corner to clean up later and dropped into the couch, taking out his phone to order some food. He unlocked it and stared blankly at the empty messages tab that opened. Right. He was going to send Seungwoo a message. He sighed, wracking his brain for the right thing to send. He couldn't just wait for Seungwoo to send him something, since he didn't have Subin's number.

He decided to consult Seungsik, since he still had to tell him about his new accomplishment as well.

Subin: “I did it. I got his number.”

Seungsik: “YAY I TOLD YOU YOU COULD DO IT!”

Subin: “Well, technically, he offered. But! I did do some flirting ^^”

Seungsik: “I’m proud of you :3 have you texted him yet?”

Subin: “No… I was actually messaging you to ask for advice ><”

Seungsik: “You don’t know what to write?”

Subin: “Exactly.”

Seungsik: “Just say hi and say why you messaged so he knows for sure it’s you :) you got this!”

Subin: “Helpful. :s”

Seungsik: “This is between you and him! But you managed to flirt with him today! I’m sure you’ll think of something Sub.”

Subin: “I’ll try… ;-; Thanks”

He closed the chat with Seungsik and opened the empty tab with Seungwoo’s contact. He frowned as he tried several different sentences, all of them sounding equally terrible.

Finally, he settled on:

Subin: "Hi! Is this Seungwoo? A cute barista gave me your number :)"

He briefly wondered whether he should've included his name when the three dots appeared, signalling that Seungwoo was already typing back. He bit his lip as he waited, nerves settling in his stomach.

Seungwoo: "Hey! He told me a cute guy got my number, I was starting to wonder whether you'd actually send anything ;) Subin right?"

Subin chuckled at how the other still felt the need to confirm it was him even as he continued their banter.

Subin: "Yeap, that's me!"

Subin: "I didn't have time to send anything before, I only just got home :c"

Seungwoo: "That's okay! I'll gladly wait for you."

Subin coughed at the cheesiness of the other, imagining his smug smile all too vividly.

Subin: “Cheese.”

Seungwoo: “:)”

Seungwoo: “Are you free this weekend?”

Subin: “For you, always.”

Subin: “Jsdkgjkksd ignore that. I meant I’m always free on the weekend.”

Seungwoo: “And you call me cheesy, psh.”

Subin: “Did you just-”

Subin: “You know what? Never mind. Did you still want to make plans or not?”

Seungwoo: “YES”

Seungwoo: “Oops caps. I meant yea, sure.”

Subin: “Of course you did.”

Subin: “What did you have in mind?”

Seungwoo: “I… nothing?”

Subin: “You’re asking me out on a date to do nothing?”

Seungwoo: “No! I just didn’t actually have anything in mind yet?”

Seungwoo: “I wasn’t expecting a yes :s”

Subin: "What why not"

Subin: "Did I not make it obvious enough?"

Seungwoo: "Make what obvious enough o.o"

Subin: "... That I like you, you idiot."

Seungwoo: "I am screaming"

Seungwoo: "Need several moments"

Subin: "?? Did you really not know?"

Subin: "Hello?"

Subin: "Seungwoo are you okay?"

It took several more minutes of Subin staring at his phone in confusion, before Seungwoo finally responded again.

Seungwoo: "So I thought of something."

Subin: "You're just going to ignore the rest of the conversation?"

Seungwoo: "Yes c:"

Subin: "..."

Seungwoo: "So I was thinking"

Seungwoo: "Milk tea? With me?"

Subin: "You want to get milk tea with me?"

Seungwoo: "._. you hate it"

Subin: "No, I don't."

Subin: "I would love to :3"

Seungwoo: ";-;"

Seungwoo: "Okay well I know a great place"

Seungwoo: "Not my workplace"

Seungwoo: "Different place."

Subin: "O.. kay"

Subin: "Do you actually have a place in mind?"

Seungwoo: "Yes! >:c"

Seungwoo: *address*

Seungwoo: "Meet me there at 4? Saturday :3"

Subin: "Oh! You actually had one"

Seungwoo: ";-; hey a little faith?"

Subin: "Hehehe I'll meet you there at 4 :3 Saturday."

Seungwoo: "Yay"

Seungwoo: "See you tomorrow then ^^"

Subin: "See you tomorrow :)"

Subin squealed at how cute Seungwoo had acted in their messages. He hadn't expected that, usually Seungwoo was cool and collected. But maybe this was just how he really was when he got comfortable. Subin smiled at the thought of being close enough to Seungwoo to get to see his other sides.

He was in the middle of ordering a burger and some fries when a new message from Seungwoo popped up.

Seungwoo: "Miss you :c"

Subin giggled, noticing it had barely been 10 minutes since they said goodbye. So impatient. A warm, fuzzy feeling spread through him though, when he realized Seungwoo really did like him that much.

Seungwoo: "Sorry that's too clingy isn't it TT"

Subin: “I miss you too.”

Seungwoo: “o”

They chatted until deep into the night, neither of them really feeling the need to go to bed. When they finally did, Subin felt happy for once. He no longer just had an emotional support barista that got him through the days, he now had an emotional support… (What was he really? Friend?) That could get him through the night as well. (Boyfriend?)

He groaned and closed his eyes, forcing himself to think of something else. They hadn’t even gone on one date yet, for crying out loud. Once he managed though, he quickly fell into a deep and peaceful sleep, uninterrupted until his alarm woke him. He groggily debated sleeping some more, but when he opened his phone to set a new alarm he noticed he had a new message. He shot up, wide awake when he realized it was a message from Seungwoo.

Seungwoo: “Goodmorning!”

Seungwoo: “I’ll head out first I suppose :) see you later!”

Subin: “Morning ^^”

Subin: “Good luck at work!”

Subin then shot Seungsik a quick good morning message as well, quickly typing a summary of his conversation with Seungwoo. Seungsik was already at work, so he wouldn’t see it until later that day, but Subin wanted to already let him know anyway. He then decided to snooze a bit, seeing as neither of the Seungs was going to respond to him anytime soon.

When it was finally time for his break, he practically ran over to the coffeeshop, unbothered by the annoyed looks of the few people walking around. He opened the door a little bit too enthusiastically, but managed to catch it in time to stop it from crashing into the counter. Seungwoo whipped his head around from behind the counter and broke into a wide smile that showed a hint of teeth.

There were a few people sitting around, but they were all too invested in their laptops and books to pay any mind, so Subin skipped over to where Seungwoo was and happily leaned on the counter to talk to him. His enthusiasm was met with a bright laugh from Seungwoo that sent his heart into overdrive.

“Hey Subinnie,” Seungwoo said quietly, to not disturb any of the customers. Subin flushed slightly at the nickname.

“Hey,” he kept his voice politely low as well, “how are you?”

“Good, now that you’re here.” Seungwoo smiled happily and Subin had to look away to stop himself from blushing too much.

“God, you’re cheesy.” He groaned, earning a chuckle from the other. “It’s cute.”

At that Seungwoo’s cheeks and ears turned red and his eyes went wide. “It is?”

“Very cute.” Subin smiled at how Seungwoo tried to hide himself behind his hands.

“Stop that.” Seungwoo mumbled and he pouted.

“Stop what?” Subin said happily. “I’m not doing anything.”

“You’re a little brat.” Seungwoo huffed, but then his tone turned softer and more serious. “I’ll get you your drink so you can get back to work in time to eat.”

Subin looked over at the clock and sighed. “Wish my break was longer.” 

“Hey you’ll see me again tomorrow, for as long as you want to” Seungwoo said, trying to cheer him up, “And we can text when you’re free. Don’t feel too bad.”

“Thank you,” he said softly as Seungwoo turned to make his drink. He hadn’t realized Seungwoo had caught on to his mood shifts between coming in, talking to him and then leaving, but it seemed Seungwoo knew more than he let on. How on earth had he ever convinced himself Subin didn’t like him?

He had also sort of forgotten it was Friday already and he had his date planned with Seungwoo the next day. He didn’t have time for the nerves to take over, however, as Seungwoo turned around in that moment with the biggest smile on his face and he felt his heart melt into goo again.

“Anytime,” Seungwoo said earnestly as he handed Subin his drink. “Take care at work.”

“I will, you too.” Subin smiled and made his way back to the office. He still had some time to shove a sandwich in his face before he had to get back to work.

He checked his messages and saw a stream of replies from Seungsik, which he quickly skimmed through. They ranged from happy screaming about his baby getting a date to throwing outfit ideas at him. He chuckled to himself and replied to the most important ones.

Subin: “‘YOU SCORED A DATE???’ Yes I did :3”

Subin: “‘ARE YOU NERVOUS BABY DO YOU NEED ME TO COME BY’ I am ;-;;; but it's fine I’ll be okay <3 you’re too busy rn don’t stress over me! I’ll let you know how it goes :3”

Subin: “‘Wear that one black shirt it looks good on you!’ If I can find it lol!”

Subin: “Gtg back to work! I’ll talk to you later c: good luck today”

When he was done working he wasted no time in grabbing his phone and shooting Seungwoo a quick text, letting him know he was off work. He immediately got a “Drive safe.” back, which warmed his heart. They texted again until late in the night, only stopping when their eyes grew too heavy. When Subin tried to sleep, however, the reality of their plans the next day hit him and he couldn’t close his eyes, the nerves keeping him on edge.

What if it was awkward? What if they could find nothing to talk about? He groaned and covered his eyes with his hands, trying to force the thoughts out of his head. He would worry about that if it got to that point. So far they had always had something to talk about, but their interactions were so short it was hard not to. This would be different. This was a date.

How much did he really know about Seungwoo? They hadn’t really talked about themselves. That could be a start. He should find out more about Seungwoo, and he should tell Seungwoo more about himself. That thought settled the nerves in his stomach a bit, enough for him to start drifting into sleep, but right before he passed out a new shocking thought came to him: what if Seungwoo didn’t like him? What if he found him annoying?

Subin shook his head furiously. He couldn’t let himself think like that, or he would chicken out and cancel the date. He turned around and resolutely closed his eyes, banishing all date related thoughts from his head. He thought about calling Seungsik, but he knew that he was already asleep, and he didn’t want to bother the other seeing as he hadn’t even had time to reply to Subin yet. Eventually, he managed to fall asleep, but his dreams were anything but peaceful, filled with failed dates and no-shows. When he woke he was even more anxious than the night before.

Still, he managed to get himself up and ready, dressed in neat but casual clothes (he managed to find the shirt Seungsik had asked him to wear), that he deemed fit for a date, though Seungwoo had only seen him in his work uniform, which was a whole lot neater than this. He shot Seungsik a ‘thank you’ upon seeing his good luck message and then typed the address of the coffeeshop in his phone, before heading out a bit early so he was sure to be on time. He refused to let his nerves or his dreams discourage him, even when he tripped and barely avoided smacking into a street lantern.

He found it quite easily, and so arrived before Seungwoo, twenty minutes early. It would be impolite to sit down without ordering, but it would also be impolite to order before his date showed up. He debated on whether he would look weird if he stood outside for another twenty minutes when a familiar voice called out.

“Subin!” Seungwoo yelled from across the street. Subin waved, a smile automatically appearing on his face as all his nerves melted away. Seungwoo came.

“Seungwoo! Hi!” He enthusiastically greeted the other once he had crossed the street.

“Sorry, did I keep you waiting long? You could’ve entered before me.” Seungwoo sounded genuinely concerned and Subin giggled.

“I just walked up myself, don’t worry. I was about to go in when I heard you yell.” Seungwoo didn’t have to know about his existential crisis from earlier.

“Oh, good. Shall we then?” He smiled again and held the door open for Subin, who walked in feeling a bit shy.

“Thank you.” He said quietly, before turning to give the barista his order. He got a milk tea and Seungwoo hastily ordered an iced americano, before Subin had the chance to pay. Seungwoo insisted on paying since the date was his idea and he wouldn’t hear any of Subin’s protests.

He also got them each a slice of chocolate cake, which Subin didn’t think he could finish as his stomach was doing all sorts of weird flips every time Seungwoo even so much as looked at him. They took a seat at the only table for two still available, in the middle of the coffeeshop. It would have bothered Subin if he hadn’t been so caught up in the way the lighting hit Seungwoo just perfectly, bringing out his sharp nose and his beautiful eyes.

He didn’t quite realize he was staring until he saw Seungwoo’s mouth curl into a smirk and he shook himself out of it, blushing slightly. Great start.

“You alright?” Seungwoo asked, the smirk still evident on his face.

“I’m fine,” Subin grumbled before taking a sip of his milk tea. Seungwoo looked far too pleased with himself.

“You’re cute when you pull a serious face like that.” He teased, causing Subin to blush even more.

“Stop calling me cute.” He huffed.

“Why? I’m only stating facts.” Seungwoo chuckled at Subin’s pout.

“I’m not cute.” He said between his teeth and Seungwoo held up his hands in defeat.

“Alright, alright. You’re not cute.” Seungwoo put his hand on his chin, thinking for a moment. “If you’re not cute, what does that make you… Oh! I know: you’re very handsome Subinnie!” He tilted his head, his smile betraying that he knew how annoying he was being, but Subin couldn’t find it in himself to be annoyed when he looked that cute.

“You’re the handsome one here, not me.” He smiled satisfied when Seungwoo’s cheeks went red at the compliment. He meant it as well, Seungwoo looked extremely good in his casual clothes, without the work apron (not that that had been a bad look on him, in Subin’s humble opinion).

“I’m not- you- you can’t just say stuff like that.” Seungwoo stammered and Subin giggled.

“Why not? I’m only stating facts after all.” He said cheekily, earning an annoyed look from Seungwoo.

After that, they tore into their cakes while they tried to find out more about each other. Seungwoo told him about his family and his friends, and Subin told him about his family and his pets. Seungwoo was heartbroken for him when he learned he had to leave his pets behind with his parents when he moved out, as the apartment complex he was at had a far too heavy pet fee.

Against Subin’s expectations, they never ran out of things to talk about. If he had nothing to say anymore Seungwoo would find something else, or he would make some flirty remark and they would bicker again. Subin felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time. He felt like he belonged there, like he was supposed to be there. It felt good.

They stayed at the coffeeshop far past dinner time, neither of them hungry enough to let go of the company they shared. Subin had found a new favourite sound: Seungwoo’s laugh when he wasn’t holding back in case a customer came by. He told as many jokes as he could and, no matter how bad they were, Seungwoo cackled over and over again. Subin never wanted to see him do anything but smile and be happy. He started to get the feeling his feelings for the other ran a bit deeper than just a simple crush, but he was not ready to admit that yet.

Finally, it was time for them to leave, as the coffeeshop closed at 8. It was already pitch black outside, but Subin did not want the night to end yet. He grabbed Seungwoo’s hand and looked up at him, determined to make this night last as long as he could. “Can I walk you home?” He asked and Seungwoo smiled brightly.

“Of course, if you’d like. I just hope it’s not out of your way.” He gave Subin the address, and Subin quickly checked on his phone where exactly that was. It was only a few blocks away from his apartment, so he shook his head.

“It’s the same direction, we live quite close to each other actually.”

“Oh really? What a coincidence!” Seungwoo said happily, squeezing his hand. They made off, Seungwoo leading the way since Subin didn’t really remember the way back.

At first they walked in silence, Seungwoo gently swinging their hands in between them. Subin blushed every time he threw a glance in Seungwoo’s way and met his eyes on accident. The close contact was making him rather shy. He liked it, though, so he kept his hand firmly in Seungwoo’s, even when they had to form a single-file line to let other people pass. He realized suddenly that this was the first time they had physically touched each other and he felt his cheeks grow impossibly warmer.

“Are you okay? You look like you’re burning up.” Seungwoo said, lifting his free hand to Subin’s cheek.

“I’m fine.” Subin squeaked out, but he let Seungwoo press his hand against his cheek and forehead.

“It’s just your cheeks…” Seungwoo mumbled and he pulled his hand back to scratch the back of his neck as he looked away.

Subin coughed, embarrassed. “I was just thinking…” He trailed off instantly, not even sure if he wanted to speak in the first place.

“What?” Seungwoo looked back at him curiously and Subin instantly gave in.

“This is the first time we’ve actually, you know… had physical contact?” He said awkwardly.

“Oh. You’re right.” Seungwoo mused, a soft blush appearing on his cheeks as well now. He didn’t loosen his grip on Subin’s hand, though, who was grateful for that.

They walked in silence again, both of them staring ahead and refusing to make eye contact for a while. Subin couldn’t help but let a small smile take over his face, however, as Seungwoo picked up his hand-swinging again. A soft, warm breeze started playing around them and the soft noises and lights from the city made him feel like he was part of a cheesy romantic movie.

He glanced up at Seungwoo again and his heart stopped at how gorgeous his side profile was like this, in the glow of the street lanterns and shop lights. He quickly looked back ahead, keeping his eyes on the road the rest of the way. He didn’t realize they were already at his apartment building until his feet automatically turned into the path and Seungwoo stopped, confused.

“Where are you going?” He tugged him back onto the sidewalk, a soft frown on his face. Subin giggled, slightly embarrassed. He had been so focused on keeping himself from staring at Seungwoo, he hadn’t been paying attention.

“Sorry, this is my place, I automatically tried to go home.” He made to walk on, past his building, to get Seungwoo home, but he was stopped again.

“It’s okay, it’s not far anymore, you should just go home.” Seungwoo smiled sadly, probably noticing how out of it Subin was. If only he knew the reason.

“No, I said I’d walk you home, so I will.” He said, moving to walk away again, tugging Seungwoo along by his hand.

“I don’t want you to have to walk home alone though.” Seungwoo pouted.

“And I don’t want you to have to walk home alone.” Subin responded, stubbornly struggling on as Seungwoo still stood in the same spot, stubbornly refusing to move.

“Then we are at an impasse I fear.” Seungwoo smiled patiently as Subin continued to pull at him.

“No, we will simply walk to your house. That was the plan already before you knew where I lived.” Subin huffed, and Seungwoo finally gave in, letting himself be dragged along.

“I suppose you’re right there.” He chuckled as Subin panted, exhausted.

“Good, I’m glad we agree.” He said sullenly. They fell into a comfortable silence again, after Subin’s mild annoyance melted away.

They arrived at Seungwoo’s place a few minutes later, and Subin supposed he really shouldn’t have been worried, but he really didn’t want to have to say goodbye yet. He looked up at Seungwoo, who looked down at him, and he saw his own reluctance reflected on the other’s face. He wanted to say something, anything, but his voice caught in his throat as they simply continued to stare at each other, their fingers still firmly intertwined.

He wanted to do something, something rash like lean up and kiss Seungwoo’s cheek, or pull him in for a hug, but he wasn’t sure what was within bounds on a first date, especially since it was the first time they had even so much as touched hands.

“I’d best get going then,” Subin said eventually, and he let go of Seungwoo’s hand as he turned to leave, but then Seungwoo grabbed his hand and pulled him into him. Subin fell into his chest while his strong arms wrapped around him securely.

“Text me when you get home.” He pressed a soft kiss onto Subin’s head and Subin melted into his embrace, his heart beating wildly. “Be safe.”

“I will.” Subin sighed, wrapping his hands around Seungwoo’s waist, so they could stand there like that a little bit longer. It was warm, and it felt safe. His heart calmed down as he breathed into Seungwoo’s jacket. He felt Seungwoo’s nose press into his hair and he closed his eyes.

Suddenly, Seungwoo started nodding his head, rubbing his nose all over Subin’s hair and messing it up. Subin gasped and let go, trying to wriggle himself out of his embrace. “Seungwoo! What’s that for?” He yelled as Seungwoo giggled happily, pulling him even closer. “Stop it!”

Seungwoo cackled and finally let go, but Subiun didn’t move. He didn’t want to move. “Subinnie.” Seungwoo said softly, gently pushing against his shoulders. Subin made a disgruntled noise but he let himself be pushed back slightly, looking up. He blushed when he realized how close their faces were and how pretty Seungwoo’s lips looked, and pushed himself further away.

“I’ll get going now!” He half yelled, stumbling backwards. Seungwoo looked at him a little bit puzzled, before smiling and giving him a little wave.

“Goodnight!” He turned to head in and Subin turned so he wouldn’t stumble and fall as he clumsily walked backwards along the path. His cheeks felt hot in the cold evening air, a blush evident on his face. He had been so close, all he would’ve had to do was lean forward a bit to connect their lips. He squirmed at the thought and walked even faster. He couldn’t wait to get home and hide in his blankets the entire Sunday.

Once he was safely cuddled into his blankets he whipped out his phone to scream at his best friend, while his cheeks slowly cooled down.

Subin: “AAAAAAAAAAAAA”

Seungsik was quick to respond; only a few minutes went by before the familiar ping of an incoming message sounded. He must’ve been waiting for a message.

Seungsik: “DID IT GO WELL DID YOU KITH”

Subin: “WHAT NO”

Subin: “We hugged and I’m ;-;;;;”

Seungsik: “Omg that’s so wholesome”

Subin: “IKR”

Subin: “He ;-; he’s soft. And So Pretty. And an absolute idiot.”

Seungsik: “You guys are the cutest :3”

Subin: “>< shut up”

Subin: “He kissed the top of my head :c and then he nuzzled? My hair??”

Seungsik: “o.o What”

Subin: “>< he pressed his nose into my hair and just kind of wiggled his head? It was kind of cute”

Subin: “I’m lying it was very cute he got all giggly”

Subin: “I think I… I might be in l-”

Seungsik: “SAY IT DO IT I KNOW YOU WANT TO”

Subin: “:cccccccccccccc”

Subin: “In love”

Seungsik: “\o/ I KNEW IT”

Seungsik: “I’M SO PROUD”

Subin: “Stopp ><”

Subin: “ANYWAY how was your day <3”

Seungsik: “YOU CAN’T JUST CHANGE THE SUBJECT ON ME”

Subin: “<33”

Seungsik: “JUNG SUBIN”

Subin: “:S I need to come to terms with this myself thank you”

Seungsik: “Okay fair..”

Seungsik: “My day was uneventful I slept”

Subin: “You slept all day? Were you that tired :c”

Seungsik: “Perhaps… but it’s fine I can rest for a week now!”

Subin: “Oh right you got your holiday! Are you planning on doing anything fun?”

Seungsik: “I’ll sleep :D”

Subin: “That sounds lovely c:” 

Seungsik: “It’ll be great hehe”

Seungsik: “I’m gonna make dinner, have you eaten?”

Subin: “Ah, no I haven’t.”

Seungsik: “You should! Ah, if it wasn’t so late already I’d come bring some over…”

Seungsik: “How about I come over tomorrow? You can give me a detailed description of your date and i can feed you a proper meal for once owo”

Subin: “That would be lovely! :3 I’ve missed you”

Seungsik: “I missed you too subsub!”

Seungsik: “I’ll head over once both of us have woken up! We can spend the entire day together :3”

Subin: “Omg ;-; yes pls”

Subin: “See you tomorrow <3”

He put his phone away, choosing to throw together a sandwich instead of ordering something online. It was a lot healthier of a meal and for once he didn’t feel too drained to actually do it. He got himself wrapped up in blankets again, turning on his tv to see if anything was on tv, or maybe start a movie, as he chomped down on his sandwich. He ended up getting lost in a cooking show that happened to be on, and before he knew it it was late, and he started feeling tired.

He sent both Seungwoo and Seungsik a goodnight message, accidentally adding a heart to both messages. He was mentally screaming at himself for being such an idiot when he got a message back.

Seungwoo: “:o”

Seungwoo: “Goodnight Subinnie <3”

He squealed and dove under the covers, his cheeks burning red again. Before he could comprehend what had happened, however, he had dozed off into a deep sleep full of dreams of roses and hearts and Seungwoo. They were the best dreams he had had in a while, so he was a little bit disappointed when he woke up. But then he remembered he was going to hang out with his best friend for the first time in weeks so he quickly whipped out his phone to text the other.

Seungsik: “I’m up, message me when I can come!”

Seungsik: “... sleepyhead”

Subin: “>< sorry you know my sleep schedule is wack. I’m up”

Seungsik responded within a minute that he was coming over, so Subin quickly got up and got himself dressed. It was just Seungsik coming over, but they could decide to go somewhere, and he didn’t want to have to waste time getting ready if they did. His phone buzzed with an incoming message and he frowned, wondering why Seungsik didn’t just let himself in, as he had a spare key. Maybe he forgot.

When he opened the door, however, nobody was there. Really confused now, he went back inside and opened his phone. Maybe something had happened and he couldn’t come anymore. Then he saw that the message was from Seungwoo. He wanted to smack himself for forgetting that he had his number now, but in his defence: he had been expecting a text from his best friend.

Seungwoo: “Good morning :3”

Subin: “Morning ^^”

Right then the door to his apartment opened again and a brightly smiling Seungsik stepped in with his arms wide open. Subin let out a small yelp before leaping into Seungsik’s arms and squeezing his best friend in a tight hug. Seungsik let out a soft ‘oof’ and wrapped his arms around him securely. He wondered briefly if this was something Seungwoo would get jealous over, and he decided he would ask him. If it was, he couldn’t possibly see himself staying with him. He found it very important to be able to hug and cuddle his friends.

Seungsik untangled himself from his grip and hopped over to the kitchen, where he unceremoniously dropped his bags of food on the counter before heading over to the living area and flopping down on the couch with a grunt. Subin chuckled softly and sat down next to him. He patted his head gently as Seungsik lowered himself to rest on his lap.

“If I had known you were this tired I would’ve come over to yours.” He said softly.

“You still had to get ready, this was faster.” Seungsik mumbled.

“That’s true.” Subin giggled and squeezed his shoulder. “Why did you wake up so early then, though?"

"I just happened to, so I kept myself up until you were as well. In hindsight I should've known you'd take forever and just slept more." He sighed and yawned.

"Sorry." Subin chuckled. "We can just stay in and watch tv all day if you want. So you can rest.”

Seungsik nodded, and so they settled on a movie to watch as they simply rested on the couch. At some point Seungsik started letting out soft snoring noises, and Subin smiled as he ran his hand through his hair. It really took him back to their college days, where they would spend nights studying until their brains gave up even with all the coffee they put into their bodies. Seungsik was always the first to give in, simply laying down on the nearest soft thing he could find (usually Subin’s lap) and falling asleep right there.

He lost interest in the movie at some point himself, and turned it off, picking up his phone again to play some games. It opened on the messages he had exchanged with Seungwoo, and he briefly wondered how it would feel to have Seungwoo’s head in his lap instead. He blushed and shook his head, expelling the thought. He didn’t think his heart would be able to take that. Or what if it was his head in Seungwoo’s lap instead? He covered his eyes with his hands and tried not to scream.

He wanted to know what it was like to rest his head on Seungwoo’s shoulder as they shared a couch, and to then let his head fall, pretending to be tired (or actually being tired) until it would land on his lap. He thought about Seungwoo running his long fingers through his hair, or scraping his scalp. The thought made shivers run down his spine, and the movement made Seungsik stir. He quickly lowered one hand back to Seungsik’s hair in an attempt to shush the other back to sleep.

He focused back on his phone, opening a random game to get his mind off things, when it buzzed in his hands and he almost dropped it. It was a message from Seungwoo again.

Seungwoo: “Hey sleepy head uwu”

Subin: “>< shush”

Subin: “You only woke up half an hour earlier than me >:c”

Seungwoo: “:>”

Seungwoo: “Are you doing anything today?”

Subin: “Not really, just watched a movie”

Seungwoo: “Would you want to go somewhere”

Seungwoo: “With me”

Seungwoo: “c:”

Subin’s heart skipped a beat at the thought of seeing Seungwoo again, but then Seungsik stirred and opened his eyes and he realized he couldn’t. Both him and Seungsik had been so excited to spend a day together, he couldn’t just ditch.

“Oh, I fell asleep. What are you frowning about?” Seungsik asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes and shaking his head in an attempt to wake himself up.

“Nothing.” Subin said, quickly straightening out his face. But Seungsik wasn’t dense.

“What is it? You can tell me.” He sat up and Subin straightened up a bit as well, looking down at his phone.

“It’s nothing really.” He tried to type a message back to reject Seungwoo, but Seungsik snatched his phone out of his hands. “Hey! Give that back!” But it was already too late, Seungsik had read his messages.

“Oh! Seungwoo wants to go out again? Is that why you were frowning?” He finally gave Subin the phone back, who huffed.

“It’s fine I already told you. I’m gonna tell him no because we made plans first.”

“Tell him yes instead.” Seungsik smiled brightly at him. Subin simply sighed.

“I knew you would say that, but Sik, we haven’t hung out properly in ages!” He protested weakly, because he knew that Seungsik wasn’t going to give in, and he also secretly wanted him not to.

“And I’ll still be here when you get back! I have a week off, I don’t need to go anywhere so I can stay up with you all night still. All I’m doing right now is napping anyway, you might as well go have some fun while I sleep.” And there was no arguing with that, not when he said it so sternly.

“Are you sure?” Subin asked anyway, wanting to give him one last chance to change his mind. It wouldn’t sit right with him if he accepted it too fast. “I don’t know how long I’d be gone.”

“It’s fine, Subinnie. I’ve spent days alone here before, I’ll entertain myself. And then tonight you can tell me all about your day.” He shoved him lightly. “Now accept, or I’ll do it for you.”

“Okay, okay.” Subin held his phone out of reach as he typed a quick message back to Seungwoo.

Subin: “O?”

Subin: “Yes :3”

Seungwoo: “Yay!”

Seungwoo: “I hope this isn’t going to sound too lame…”

Subin: “I’m sure it’s not lame :3 what did you have in mind?”

Seungwoo: “Well I need some books, for a friend I’m tutoring, so I thought maybe we could go to the mall together?”

Subin: “That sounds fun!”

Seungwoo: “You can admit if it's lame…”

Subin: “It’s not c:”

Seungwoo: “:o okay if you say so! When can I pick you up?”

Subin: “Whenever :3 I’m already dressed hehe”

Seungwoo: “Alright! Be there in 15 ^^”

Subin smiled happily and put his phone away. He turned back to Seungsik who was staring at him with wide eyes, a knowing smile on his face.

“What?” Subin asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

“You’re so fucked.” Seungsik chuckled and ruffled his hair. Subin was about to slap him away, but then he realized he was actually fixing it for him so it looked a bit less like he just jumped out of bed.

“Thanks.” He said softly when Seungsik was done messing with his hair. Seungsik merely nodded.

“What are you guys gonna do?” He asked curiously as he dropped back on the couch into a comfortable position to continue his nap.

“We’re going shopping.” Subin answered, a soft smile on his face. He couldn’t help it, with the prospect of another afternoon with Seungwoo.

“Oh that sounds fun! Get me something nice.” Seungsik mumbled.

“Get yourself something nice.” Subin poked his side and Seungsik squirmed.

“Hey! You’re the one ditching me! You should get me something nice to thank me for my generosity.” He joked as he slapped Subin’s fingers away.

“Ah, you’re right. Sorry.” Subin couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.

“I’m joking, Subinnie. Go have fun, don’t worry about me.” He yawned and closed his eyes, settling further into the couch.

Subin decided to quietly get up to go put some earrings in and make sure he smelled a bit more decent, before sitting at the kitchen table, nervously waiting for Seungwoo to come. He knew it was silly to feel nervous at this point; being with Seungwoo was comfortable, never awkward or weird. But he couldn’t help how his heart beat wildly in his chest, picking up speed even more when he finally got the ‘I’m here’ text.

“I’ll head out now. Rest well Sikie.” He said softly, but loud enough for the other to hear. He got a grunt in response, so he doubted the other even heard him, but he knew where Subin was going and how to reach him, so he wasn’t worried. He smiled and headed downstairs, all the while trying to calm his heart a bit.

When he finally spotted Seungwoo down the hall, his breath caught in his throat. He swore the other had put on a bit of make-up and, combined with his outfit that showed a hint of tattoo, he looked… well he looked hot . He was at a loss for words, but it seemed Seungwoo was as well, neither of them saying anything for a while.

Finally, Seungwoo broke the silence. “You- you look good.” He stammered and Subin looked down at himself briefly before looking back up and smiling. He hadn’t realized he had put on his favourite black jeans, the ones that Seungsik always said made him look stunning when they were picking outfits for going out.

“You too.” He said shyly and Seungwoo smiled back.

“Let’s go?” Seungwoo reached out his hand and Subin took it, happy to close the distance between them even if that made the urge to kiss the other all the much worse. It felt wrong to be too far apart and he really didn’t know how he was supposed to deal with that anymore whenever he would see him at the coffeeshop.

“Let’s go.” He said and Seungwoo squeezed his hand before taking off in the direction of the city center. It seemed like for them it was easiest to walk in comfortable silence, with Seungwoo swinging their hands back and forth. Subin smiled. He liked it.

“Do you need anything specific?” Seungwoo asked once they had reached the mall. He was trying to map out their route through the mall, so they wouldn’t miss any stores they really wanted to visit.

“Well, I should buy something nice for one of my friends, but I can do that at any store.” Subin shrugged and looked up at the map with Seungwoo.

“Oh, for a birthday?” Seungwoo mused, his eyes narrowing as he traced his finger along the map to all the stores he wanted to visit.

“Ah, no nothing like that.” Subin said hesitantly. He hadn’t told Seungwoo about ditching his plans with Seungsik yet. “Let’s go to that one as well!” He pointed at one of his favourite clothing stores that Seungwoo’s finger had just passed.

“Oh, why then?” Seungwoo asked on, letting his finger draw a line from Subin’s suggestion to his own. “Or just no reason?”

“Just, uhm. This is gonna sound bad but I swear it’s not. It’s because we were supposed to hang out today but then I went out with you.” Subin mumbled and Seungwoo froze, his finger on an ice-cream stall.

“What? Why didn’t you tell me?” He frowned as he looked down at Subin and Subin shrunk into himself.

“Because, well, I was going to tell you, but then he saw my messages and he told me to go! He practically shoved me out of the house so he could have a nice nap!” He defended himself and Seungwoo’s expression softened.

“Ah, Subinnie. First of all I’m not angry so please don’t look so scared.” He chuckled softly as Subin relaxed. “But I would prefer it if you still told me these things, even if we end up hanging out anyway.”

Now it was Subin’s turn to frown. “As if you wouldn’t have done anything to then get me to give up my plans with you.”

Seungwoo let out a laugh. “You underestimate how selfish I can be. Sure, I would’ve offered to cancel our plans, but I wouldn’t have tried too hard.”

Subin blushed as he remembered how he had only half-assedly tried to refuse Seungsik’s offer. “I suppose we’re both fucked, huh.” He mumbled, not really intending for Seungwoo to hear, but it seemed like he did as he let out another loud laugh.

“I guess so. Come on, I think I got it figured out.” He took Subin’s hand in his again and squeezed, before leading them off to the nearest store.

The first on their invisible list that Seungwoo had hid inside his head, according to him, was a candy store. Subin’s mouth watered at all the nice candies, and he debated getting some for him and Seungwoo to share, but the store was rather expensive so both of them left empty handed.

“Well that was rather disappointing.” Seungwoo chuckled. “Let’s get to the next one.” He took Subin’s hand again, intertwining their fingers securely even though the next  store was only a few steps away.

This time it was a clothing store. They took their time, going through the racks and occasionally showing each other something to get a second opinion. Subin’s arms were slowly filling with comfy, warm sweaters for the winter, and Seungwoo was no better off.

“What do you think of this one?” Seungwoo asked, holding up a ridiculous, bright red sweater that had a bright green print and Subin almost snorted. Seungwoo seemed serious, though and Subin was at a loss for words, not knowing whether to be honest and tell him it was awful, or lie and tell him his taste was great. To be fair so far their taste had been really similar, so Subin hadn’t thought something like this would happen.

“Uh. It’s nice?” He said hesitantly, trying not to grimace. Seungwoo’s cheeks swelled until he couldn’t hold his laughter anymore and it sounded clear and loud through the store. Subin might’ve been embarrassed if it wasn’t such a mesmerizing sound.

“I can’t believe you thought I was serious! Please if I ever try to buy something like this slap some sense into me.” He chuckled and hung the sweater back where it belonged. 

“Oh thank god, I thought you really were gonna take that home.” Subin giggled through his embarrassment.

“Have a little faith in me, Subinnie!” Seungwoo pretended to be horrified, but he couldn’t hold his laughter long enough for it to be believable.

“Sorry.” Subin grinned and they moved on to the cash register, still occasionally chuckling.

They left the store with more bags than they had intended, but Subin felt too elated to be bothered. He still had a hand free to hold Seungwoo’s, and so he did and they set off to the next store, and the next, their hauls slowly growing in size. Eventually they made it to their last stop; the book store they had come there for in the first place.

“Here give me your bags, I’ll wait while you find the books.” Subin offered, eyeing some very comfortable looking poofs that were stacked in one of the store’s corners.

“Ah we can just leave them there they have a good view of it from the cash register, nothing will get stolen. We can explore a bit together.” Seungwoo smiled and pointed at the cash register, from behind which a friendly looking guy that looked to be a bit younger than them smiled and waved.

“Alright, if you say so.” Subin was a bit disappointed he couldn’t rest his feet a bit, but that quickly melted when he saw Seungwoo’s happy expression. He looked around the store at the rows and rows of books that were organized so neatly it almost seemed impossible. The store was a bit dark, which gave a cozy but mysterious atmosphere. It was like they had entered a different world once they stepped in, except the mall was still visible through the windows at the front.

Seungwoo led him through aisle after aisle, deeper into the store than he had thought possible at first. Eventually they came to a halt at the section full of academic books, from sciences to history, and Seungwoo led them into an aisle full of confusing looking math books. He seemed to know quite well where to look, taking out book after book while barely even glancing at their titles. Subin took them from him, so it would be easier to reach up and pick out the books he needed. They had to let go of each other, and Subin’s hand felt cold at the loss of contact.

“Thanks,” Seungwoo said after pulling out the fifth and last book. He reached for the stack, but Subin had already turned back to head to the front of the store.

“I got them, don’t worry.” He said, throwing a smile back at Seungwoo before taking off.

He sort of remembered the direction he was supposed to head in, but he still ended up on the other side of the cash register from where they started. It was a downright maze. He plopped the books down in front of the friendly man that upon closer inspection was a whole lot taller than Subin had expected. Seungwoo hurried up to them and put the last book on top of the pile, whipping out his card to pay for them.

“Hey Seungwoo and Seungwoo’s friend.” The cashier greeted them cheerfully, ringing the books up.

“Hey Eunsang. This is Subin. Subin, this is Eunsang, a good friend of mine.” Seungwoo introduced them and Subin lifted a timid hand in greeting.

“Nice to meet you, Subin.” Eunsang said, mimicking Subin’s greeting.

“Nice to meet you too.” Subin said softly.

Seungwoo and Eunsang exchanged a few quick words, from which Subin learned that Eunsang was also a student Seungwoo tutored, but not the one he bought the books for. He seemed very soft and gentle, from the way he wrapped the books and carefully put them in a bag for them. Subin could understand why Seungwoo looked at him with such an adoring look. It made him smile.

“You’re really good friends aren’t you?” He asked once they were out of the store, their shopping bags clutched tightly in their hands.

“Please don’t tell me you’re jealous.” Seungwoo said, a bit apprehensive.

“What? No!” Subin said, a bit insulted. “I thought it was sweet.”

“Sorry,” Seungwoo looked guilty. “I’ve had people get insanely jealous over my friendships, it’s a bit of a sensitive subject.”

“I get it.” Subin said quietly, thinking of the way he treated his friends. He hated the thought of someone getting jealous over simple interactions or hugs, so he understood why Seungwoo had reacted like that. “I’m not like that, so please don’t worry. I cannot stand it when people get jealous over friendships.”

“Me neither.” Seungwoo said, relieved. “But yeah, we are really good friends. I used to be his mentor at school, and now I’m helping him through his last year.”

“That’s lovely.” Subin said earnestly. Seungwoo smiled warmly at him.

“So, do you still want to go somewhere else? Because you don’t have anything for your friend yet.” Subin froze, realizing he had completely forgotten about the gift he was going to buy Seungsik.

“Ah, right.” He wracked his brain, trying to come up with something suitable quickly.

“How about we get him some nice snacks?” Seungwoo pointed at a small convenience store on the corner of the exit of the mall.

“Oh that’s a great idea! I can get him some beer for tonight, I don’t have any at my place right now.” Subin said, perking up.

Finally, they were all set. Subin had stuffed the 6-pack he had bought in the only bag that could still hold it. They walked back together, without even thinking about it. Subin was glad they lived so close together, it stalled the goodbyes a bit.

“Hey, uh, would you like to have dinner with me?” Seungwoo asked suddenly, a few minutes into their walk.

Subin looked up, surprised, but then he remembered that he promised Seungsik he would eat with him, and he really didn’t feel it was fair to ditch him any longer. “Ah, I would love to…” He trailed off, not sure of how to let the other down easy.

“Oh but right you have that friend over!” Seungwoo exclaimed. “Sorry, forget I asked.” He couldn’t hide his disappointment well enough, and Subin felt his heart break a little.

“I could ask if you’re allowed to join?” He offered. “If you’re cool with that of course.”

Seungwoo smiled slightly at the thought. “Well you did already meet one of my friends, it would be fair if I met one of yours.”

“Exactly.” Subin chuckled and he pulled up his phone to ask Seungsik, hoping he was awake by then.

Subin: “Hey! You awake?”

Seungsik: “Hi :3 I just woke up lol timing”

Subin: “Sleepyhead”

Seungsik: “:< What do you want you little demon”

Seungsik: “Are you ditching dinner”

Subin: “No… can Seungwoo eat with us c:”

Seungsik: “YES”

Seungsik: “I’m dying to meet him”

Subin: “Yay we’re on our way :3 look decent <3”

Seungsik: “-_- Duh”

Seungsik: “<3”

Subin smiled and put his phone away. Seungwoo looked at him with his eyebrows raised. “He says it’s cool.”

“You must be really good friends as well.” Seungwoo smiled tenderly at him and it made Subin melt into the ground.

“Yeah, he’s been my best friend since we were children pretty much.”

“Cute. Hey, what about I invite my best friend too? He shouldn’t be doing anything right now, and then we have equal numbers. Less chance of a third wheel, y’know.” Seungwoo offered. Subin briefly wondered who he thought the third wheel would be. Subin was sure it would’ve been him, not Seungwoo or Seungsik.

“That’s a great idea!” He said enthusiastically. Seungsik would have his hands full entertaining another person, it was perfect.

Seungwoo whipped out his phone and Subin watched him type away quietly. At first they were just short messages, but at some point he seemed to be typing for several minutes. Subin wondered what they were talking about. Seungwoo’s mouth formed a slight pout, and Subin had the sinking feeling his friend was not up for it, but then he looked up with a smile.

“He’s coming this way now. I gave him the address. I hope that's cool.” He said cheerfully and Subin let out a sigh of relief.

“Sure, I don’t mind.” He smiled back and they continued their walk. Subin didn’t want to pry, but he was rather curious as to what the two of them had been talking about. Eventually, he couldn’t hold his curiosity. “You don’t have to answer if I’m being nosy, but what did you talk to your friend about?”

Seungwoo chuckled softly. “Ah so that’s what was on your mind? He was asking me about your friend, the idiot. I told him I had no idea what your friend is like or what he looks like, I don’t even know his name. I had to explain to him that I wasn’t inviting him along to set him up.”

Subin giggled. He could imagine the conversation all too well. “Typical. Oh, that reminds me; I should probably tell Seungsik there’s another extra guest.” He took out his phone again, but they kept walking this time, Seungwoo gently guiding him along by staying close to him.

Subin: “Seungwoo invited a friend as well, that cool?”

Seungsik: “The more the merrier!”

Seungsik: “Who is this friend of his? oO Is he cute”

Subin sighed and simply put his phone away. Seungwoo had bothered, but he wasn’t going to even try.

“What did he say?” Seungwoo asked and Subin snapped out of his reverie.

“Oh, right, sorry. He’s cool with it. He also asked if your friend is cute. I did not respond.” He grumbled and Seungwoo laughed brightly.

“Our friends are idiots.” Subin chuckled along with him.

“What if they actually end up liking each other?” He mused, the idea very entertaining.

“That would be very amusing.” Seungwoo admitted. “We should totally set them up.”

Subin shook his head, laughing. “Let them figure it out themselves. I bet they’re gonna act like total idiots.”

“You’re right.” Seungwoo agreed as they walked up the path to Subin’s apartment building.

Subin quietly led him up to his floor and kicked against the door, not wanting to bother with knocking. Seungsik wasted no time in opening the door, a big smile on his face. Subin simply walked in past him so he could put his stuff down, but Seungwoo hovered at the door, hesitant.

“Hello! You must be Seungwoo then?” Seungsik greeted him, still holding the door open.

“Ah, yes, hi.” Seungwoo stammered. “And you must be Seungsik.”

“Are you a vampire or something? Come in!” Subin told him and Seungwoo relaxed a bit, walking into the apartment. He set down his stuff next to Subin’s while Subin hopped over to where Seungsik was still holding the door open, wrapping him in a short hug. “You can close the door now he’s inside.”

“Where’s the friend?” Seungsik asked, confused.

“He’ll be here soon. It’s a fifteen minute walk, we were a little closer.” Seungwoo answered, checking his phone.

“Oh, alright.” Seungsik closed the door and went over to the kitchen, where he had apparently been cutting up just about all the vegetables that Subin owned, plus the ones he had brought himself.

“Are you cooking for an army?” Subin asked sceptically.

“I just wanted to make sure there’s enough variation. I have no idea what Seungwoo and his friend like to eat.” Seungsik shrugged and went back to his task.

“That’s very nice of you, thank you.” Seungwoo said earnestly. “Me and Sejun eat just about anything though, so you really don’t have to bother.”

“I like bothering.” Seungsik threw him a smile.

“Can we help?” Subin offered, but Seungsik quickly shook his head. 

“It’s alright, I got it. You can let Sejun in once he’s here and unpack your winter stock.” He chuckled as he eyed the bags they had brought in.

“Oh right, this is for you, for being such a good friend.” Subin said and he fished the cans of beer out of his bag to put them in the fridge.

“Oh! Thank you Subinnie!” Seungsik said happily. “We can have those with dinner!”

Subin protested about how it was the beer he had specifically bought for Seungsik, but Seungsik was set on sharing it with everyone. Meanwhile, Seungwoo still stood in the middle of the room, fidgeting with his fingers. Once Subin noticed he quickly hurried over and took his jacket from him, hanging it up along with his own.

“You can sit, we won’t bite.” He joked and gestured to the couch. Seungwoo smiled and sat down, right as his phone chimed.

“Oh, Sejun is here.” He made to get up again after checking his phone, but Subin gestured for him to stay put.

“I’ll get him.” He smiled and headed downstairs. He was a bit reluctant to leave Seungwoo alone with Seungsik, but they could probably get along for a few minutes. He was more reluctant to let Seungwoo walk all the way back downstairs when this was his first time over.

In the lobby he found a confused looking man of about his age, who smiled with the deepest dimple he had ever seen once he spotted him.

“Hi! Are you Subin?” He asked kindly. “I’m Sejun, Seungwoo’s friend. He texted me you were coming down.”

“Hi Sejun.” Subin was amazed at the speed at which the words left Sejun’s mouth. “Right this way.”

He led him upstairs and all the while Sejun chatted on and on, about the way there and the weather, and about how excited he was to meet Subin and his friend. Subin simply let him talk, thinking about how it must be quite easy to be friends with Sejun; he easily talked for two.

“This is it.” Subin finally spoke up again, opening the door to his apartment to let the other in.

“Ohh you have such a pretty view!” Sejun immediately made his way to the other side of the apartment to look out the window, completely ignoring both Seungsik and Seungwoo.

Seungsik was completely unbothered by this. He merely continued to stir his vegetables as they fried. It smelled good. Seungwoo, however, frowned and cleared his throat. When that didn’t get Sejun’s attention, he got up and smacked the back of his head lightly.

“Ow, hey!” Sejun rubbed his head a bit overdramatically and both Subin and Seungsik chuckled.

“Be polite.” Seungwoo hissed through his teeth at him before going back to his spot on the couch like nothing happened.

Sejun turned and smiled sheepishly. “Right, sorry. Hello! I’m Sejun.” He walked over to the kitchen where Seungsik had turned to greet him.

“Hi, I’m Seungsik.” He shook Sejun’s hand and then turned back to his cooking.

“I’m assuming you and Subin already got acquainted?” Seungwoo asked, raising an eyebrow at Sejun.

“Yeah we did! He’s fun.” Sejun answered as if Subin wasn’t physically there.

“Feel free to grab a seat.” Subin said when Sejun lingered in the kitchen. He sat down next to Seungwoo on the couch. Sejun simply sat down on one of his kitchen chairs, his eyes on the window. Subin frowned and looked over at Seungwoo questioningly, but Seungwoo shrugged and shook his head.

“Don’t ask. I don’t know either.” He sighed and moved one arm to rest on the back of the couch. It looked like an invitation for Subin to lean into him and rest on his shoulder, but he wasn’t sure if that was Seungwoo’s intention, so he stayed where he was, a soft blush on his cheeks.

“Dinner’s ready!” Seungsik said from the kitchen and Subin hurriedly got up to grab plates and cutlery. They plated the food in the kitchen and then brought it to the front, where Sejun had finally joined Seungwoo on the couch. Subin was glad they all seemed to agree that eating in the living area was more comfortable than cramming them all around his small kitchen table. He put the plates he was holding down and rushed back to take out the beer and a can of iced tea for himself.

They all dug in and the first bites were met with noises of delight. “Seungsik this is great!” Sejun exclaimed and Subin smiled proudly.

Seungsik had a small blush on his face as he took the compliment. “Thank you.”

Seungwoo made another noise of delight at his second bite and Subin chuckled. Cute , he thought, and then; god I’m fucked. He took a quick sip of his ice tea to cool his cheeks down a bit before they gave him away and dug in again.

“So, Seungsik, what do you do for a living?” Sejun asked, his eyes locked on the other’s face. Subin couldn’t quite make out what he was thinking, but he was glad Sejun felt comfortable enough to start a conversation.

“I work at the research lab at the university.” Seungsik said, shy under such an intense gaze. “I do research and then write reports on it. It’s mainly food related research.”

Sejun seemed fascinated already. “That’s so cool. Is that a lot of paperwork, though?”

Seungsik finally met his eyes as he grew a bit more confident. “Yeah, quite a bit, but it’s all very interesting, so I don’t mind doing it.”

“Unless it keeps you up until 4 a.m.” Subin cut in.

“That’s only if I mess it up or miss a deadline, though.” Seungsik sighed. “But yeah, on those days I hate it.”

“Does that happen a lot?” Seungwoo asked, frowning. He had probably noticed Seungsik looked very tired, Subin mused.

“Lately, yes. It’s been very busy. But I have a week off now.” Seungsik smiled brightly. “I can rest up.”

“He napped all day.” Subin giggled and Sejun chuckled as well.

“Really? Cute.” He said and Seungsik coughed, quickly grabbing his beer and taking a sip. Subin wanted to facepalm, and from the groan he heard next to him Seungwoo did as well. They exchanged a brief, tired glance, and then broke out in laughter. Their friends were idiots.

“What do you do, Sejun?” Seungsik asked hoarsely, in a desperate attempt to change the subject. His ears burned a bright red and Subin briefly wondered if he should come to his rescue. He looked over at Seungwoo, who shook his head as if he could read his thoughts.

Should we stop them?

Let them be, they’re grown ups.

Subin shrugged and went back to his mean as Sejun talked about his work as a preschool teacher. Seungsik seemed absolutely enamoured with Sejun’s stories of the cute children he taught. Subin had to admit he was as well. He hadn’t expected Sejun to be so soft, but when he talked about the children his whole demeanor changed. He talked as though they were his own children and he was a proud father of fifteen.

Once they were done eating Seungwoo yet again put his arm up on the back rest, and Subin was too close to ignore it this time. He practically had his arm wrapped around him, all Subin had to do was lean in slightly more. And so he did. Seungwoo was quick to pull him into him, his head hitting his shoulder as they listened to Sejun ramble on and drank their drinks.

“That’s so cute.” Seungsik breathed out after the upteenth story Sejun told that night. His eyes were a bit unfocused by then, the beer kicking in. Sejun’s words were starting to slur as well. Subin was glad he hadn’t drunk. He cast a quick glance up at Seungwoo and discerned that he could hold his alcohol a lot better than the other two. That or he hadn’t had as many drinks. Either way; Seungwoo wasn’t nearly as far gone as the other two. Subin was glad for that.

“You’re cute.” Sejun answered with an overexaggerated wink and Seungsik turned into a blushing mess, too far gone to form a proper response.

“They’re so going to end up fucking.” Subin whispered in Seungwoo’s ear, who snorted. It didn’t seem to phase the other two.

“Definitely.” They giggled as they watched Sejun throw more compliments at Seungsik.

“Is it smart to let them, though?” Subin asked after a bit, his voice barely loud enough for Seungwoo to hear.

“They can handle their own. At least, Sejun can.” He shrugged.

“Seungsik can as well.” Subin sighed. “What if they make it awkward, we’ll have to deal with that.”

Seungwoo chuckled. “That’s their problem then, not ours.”

He smiled at Subin, who suddenly realized just how close they were. His head on Seungwoo’s shoulder, he only had to lean up a tiny bit to… He blushed and lowered his head instead, burying it into Seungwoo’s shoulder. Seungwoo rubbed his shoulder and pressed a soft kiss against his head. Subin felt very warm. He was sure they both wanted the same thing, so he didn’t know why he couldn’t bring himself to take that final step and connect their lips.

It was nice to know that Seungwoo was patient enough to wait until he was ready, but Subin didn’t want to make him wait. He didn’t want to wait. Seungwoo squeezed his shoulder softly and he looked back up, trying not to stare at his lips too much. Seungwoo nodded in Seungsik and Sejun’s direction, who seemed to be in the middle of a heated discussion, a lot closer to each other than they had been just a few minutes ago.

“You wanna go for a walk?” Seungwoo asked softly and Subin nodded. They got up quickly and put their plates and cans away in the kitchen before grabbing their coats.

“We’re headed out for a bit!” Subin said, loud enough to draw the attention of the other two. Both Sejun and Seungsik merely nodded briefly in their direction as acknowledgement, before continuing their conversation. Subin and Seungwoo threw each other a knowing glance before heading out laughing freely.

The cold air hit them when they stepped out. It was getting rather late, but neither of them really cared. Seungwoo’s hand found his, and Subin leaned into him, walking as close to him as possible. He felt a small blush creep up on his cheeks as they took off in a random direction. Both of them knew these streets well enough to find the way back blindfolded, so Subin didn’t worry about getting lost.

Seungwoo stuck his free hand deep in his pocket and shivered slightly at the cold. Subin wasn’t as affected, he rather liked it, but still he crept even closer to Seungwoo in an attempt to keep him warm. Seungwoo chuckled.

“Are you trying to crawl into my pocket?” He joked when they came to a halt at some benches and greenery a few streets further. Subin blushed and tried to move away, but Seungwoo let go of his hand, wrapping that arm around him instead to keep him close.

“You seemed cold.” Subin answered, glancing up at him. His nose was red with cold and his lips seemed a bit blue.

“And you were trying to keep me warm?” Seungwoo smiled happily at him. “How sweet.”

“Shut up.” Subin blushed as they met eyes. “Clearly it didn’t work.”

“What do you mean? I feel pretty warm right now.”

“Your nose says differently, rudolph.” Subin accused, reaching up to cup his cheek. His heart beat wildly in his chest, but he firmly kept his eyes on Seungwoo. “And your lips…” He gulped and trailed off.

“What’s with my lips?” Seungwoo breathed, leaning forward into his hand. He was so close…

“They’re blue.” Subin whispered, unmoving. Seungwoo was leaning so close, and yet he was so far away. “They’re cold.” He traced the tip of his thumb over his lips and Seungwoo’s eyes widened slightly. He didn’t move away, though, standing perfectly still.

“Your finger is cold too.” He said quietly and Subin moved his thumb away again.

“Then let me try this.” He managed before finally closing the distance and pressing his lips against Seungwoo’s. He felt Seungwoo take a deep breath in surprise, before kissing him back. His lips were cold, but soft against Subin’s. He moved his hand from his cheek to his neck, resting his other hand on his waist. Seungwoo moved both his hands to wrap around Subin, pulling him even closer.

He felt like he was being pulled up into heaven. Seungwoo’s soft lips moved with his lazily, the kiss slow and tender. He felt his cold nose press into his cheek, but he didn’t mind. His lips were warm now, and he couldn’t get enough of them. Seungwoo licked his lips and he parted them, the kiss deepening. He had no clue how long they stood there, pressed together, but it wasn’t long enough, in his opinion. Finally, they broke apart, panting for breath. Both their cheeks were tinted red, smiles on their lips.

“Did that work?” Subin asked softly and Seungwoo laughed brightly.

“Definitely.” He answered, before pulling him back in for another kiss.

“We should head back.” Subin said when they eventually broke apart again. Seungwoo sighed and nodded.

“That would be for the best.”

Subin took his phone out of his pocket to make sure Seungsik hadn’t gotten too worried and gasped at the message that popped up. “Those two!”

Seungwoo cackled and looked along with Subin as he typed a message back.

Seungsik: “Sejn and I toko off to myplac e! You to turltee doves have fun <32

Subin: “WHORE”

Subin: “...Have fun too”

He sighed and put his phone away right as Seungwoo took his out. Curious, he glanced at his screen too.

Sejun: “Yah I left with the pretty boy :3 dont miss me! Kisses”

Seungwoo: “You best be tucking him into bed mister he is far too drunk.”

Sejun: “Dont worry! We only kissed a bit hes sleeping <3”

Seungwoo: “That’s… Unlike you, I’m impressed.”

Sejun: “He has the whole week off! I do too ;)”

Seungwoo: “There he is.”

Seungwoo: “Don’t do stupid things.”

Sejun: “Nighty nighty loverboy”

Seungwoo put his phone away and rubbed his face. “Well, I suppose we don’t have to head back just yet then.” Subin said softly and Seungwoo grinned at him.

“Or we do go back and continue this somewhere warmer.” He said, shivering slightly.

They made it back to Subin’s and flopped down together on the couch, their coats forgotten on a chair in the kitchen area. Subin could not get enough of kissing Seungwoo, and it seemed like the same was true for Seungwoo, who made no moves to stop him at any point. They laid there until deep in the night. Subin told him to stay the night, , and Seungwoo didn’t have to think twice before accepting. They ended up cuddled in Subin’s bed, slowly drifting off to sleep.

Subin happily snuggled himself into Seungwoo’s chest as they dozed off. “Hey Sub?” Seungwoo asked quietly, afraid to wake him if he was already asleep. He hummed in acknowledgement. “Can I call you my boyfriend?”

Subin blushed and looked up at him sleepily. Seungwoo had a small pout on his face and Subin giggled. “If I can call you mine.” He answered cheekily and pressed his lips against Seungwoo’s again, before he could respond.

Boyfriend. He was his emotional support boyfriend.