Work Text:
In past years, Yeonjun would spend his New Year’s Eve at some party or another in Gangnam or something. He would get blackout drunk, find someone to take home, have a quick fuck, and pass out. It wasn’t the safest nor the classiest tradition, but Yeonjun wasn’t one for traditions much. He liked having an excuse to drink way too much and party with abandon.
This year, however, it was different. He didn’t seek out a random party, he didn’t get blackout drunk, and he didn’t find someone to take home. Because he had someone at home already. Someone kind, and sweet, and all-around perfect. Call Yeonjun smitten, because he was. He and Soobin had only gone on a handful of dates, and Yeonjun was hesitant to even ask the kid to spend his New Year’s Eve with him, but when he finally worked up the courage and asked, Soobin shyly told him he had already cancelled his own plans in the hopes that Yeonjun would be free, too.
They hadn’t defined anything, but Yeonjun didn’t mind. He kind of liked how easy it was, how he didn’t have to worry about anything. And okay, maybe a part of him was delaying asking Soobin to be his boyfriend because he had yet to reveal who his father was and how he had been born into arguably one of the most powerful families in South Korea. He wasn’t entirely sure how to broach that topic, and he was scared that Soobin would be angry at him for keeping it a secret, which Yeonjun knew was the dumbest reason for not telling Soobin.
It’s just, things were so nice and calm and Yeonjun felt so happy. He hadn’t ever met someone who didn’t like him for his money or his face, and he was loath to let that go. If he was being self-destructive, so be it. He would take any time with Soobin, even if it was limited. But he hoped that the boy would understand when Yeonjun finally felt comfortable telling him.
It’s not like he was lying, Soobin hadn’t asked about his family or anything, and Yeonjun hadn’t felt the need to tell him. It wasn’t important. Or maybe it was, but Yeonjun just didn’t want to deal with it. What he wanted to do was enjoy New Year’s Eve with his…whatever Soobin was to him, and worry about everything else later.
And so that’s what he did.
Soobin had to work the morning of New Year’s Eve—he worked at a boutique thrift store, which Yeonjun didn’t know existed until Soobin brought him a bracelet that had been dropped off by a quote-unquote “wealthy donator”. It was a cute bracelet, and Yeonjun wore it proudly around his wrist. If he was being honest, he kind of expected his skin to turn green and for him to catch an infection, but he was pleasantly surprised when neither of those things happened. Soobin was showing him sides to life that Yeonjun had never experienced, growing up as privileged as he had.
Yeonjun spent the morning cleaning the apartment, and then ran out to do a few errands. He stopped by the liquor store to buy some champagne, and then went across the street to the market to buy a bundle of tangerines. They were his favourite fruit, and were said to bring good luck if eaten at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s. It was also a cheesy nod to the night he first met Soobin.
Ingredients for dinner were in the fridge, but Yeonjun wasn’t doing the cooking. Soobin had insisted he do it and sent an entire list of what he needed to Yeonjun. He tried to pay too, but Yeonjun didn’t let him. He liked to indulge Soobin, and money was never an issue for him, so he oftentimes picked up the bill. Soobin pouted every single time but had started repaying Yeonjun with sexual favours and Yeonjun thought the arrangement was quite lovely.
When the apartment was clean and organised, Yeonjun took a shower and blow-dried his hair until it was nice and soft and silky. He contemplated makeup, before deciding to just be bare-faced. He was in his own apartment, and he knew he didn’t need to impress Soobin anymore. He didn’t get dressed up either, which was a fucking relief. As much as he enjoyed looking like sex on legs, those outfits were never as comfortable as they appeared to be. They pinched Yeonjun’s skin and the tags always itched his neck. Honestly, you’d think Saint Laurent would be better about that.
He dressed down in sweats and a loose sweater, spritzing just a bit of perfume on his wrists. Nothing wrong with smelling nice. He checked the clock, it was nearing 7pm, the time Soobin was scheduled to arrive.
Yeonjun did a quick sweep of the apartment once more, shoving a few things under his bed that he forgot to pick up. While checking his appearance in the mirror, his buzzer went off. He smiled to himself, jogging out to his foyer and hitting the button to let Soobin up.
The smile stayed on his lips as he went to the kitchen, pacing awkwardly as he waited. Not two minutes later, a knock rang out at the door. Yeonjun smiled again—call him whipped—and went to open it.
Soobin stood on the other side, bundled up so much only his eyes were visible, but they crinkled as he smiled beneath his scarf and Yeonjun was a goner. “Happy New Year, hyung!” the younger cried out, voice slightly muffled. Yeonjun chuckled, stepping back and letting Soobin in. The boy had a bag of more foodstuffs in one hand, and a bottle of soju wrapped in a ribbon in the other.
The taller made his way to the kitchen as if he lived there, which made Yeonjun’s stomach flutter. It was embarrassing how easy it was for him to imagine Soobin living with him, despite only knowing him for barely a month. It was scary, how easily he welcomed the idea, and he looked at Soobin in a kind of awe. He was convinced he’d spend the rest of his life trying to figure out why the boy had such an effect on him.
Or maybe, that’s what falling in love was. Meeting someone who defied all your expectations and made every moment a whirlwind of excitement and happiness.
God, Yeonjun needed help.
“You got everything on the list?” Soobin asked, standing in the middle of the kitchen with his coat and scarf in his hands and brows raised. Yeonjun blushed as he blinked and shook his invasive thoughts away. “Yeah, should all be there,” he said. His voice sounded kind of strained, but it was a regular occurrence when he was with Soobin.
The younger smiled gently, before nodding and brushing past Yeonjun to hang his coat and scarf on the hooks by the door. Yeonjun took the opportunity to close his eyes and take a deep breath. The only exhausting thing about being with Soobin was how much he overthought everything. He had a bad habit of not being able to ‘go with the flow’ and he didn’t like that it was causing issues with his potential relationship.
He should really start looking for a therapist.
He heard Soobin’s light footsteps behind him, and so he stood back up straight and rolled his neck a few times. Soobin moved around him, but not before sliding a hand up Yeonjun’s spine to cup the back of his neck. “Are you alright?” he asked, voice the equivalent of running water.
Yeonjun blushed, looking over at Soobin. The boy was gazing at him in mild concern, brows adorably scrunched. Yeonjun didn’t want Soobin to know about his inner demons, so he smiled and nodded. “Yeah, sorry, just spaced out for a bit,” he replied. Soobin stared at him for a moment longer, before smiling and kissing Yeonjun’s nose cutely. “Want to help me cook?” he asked, voice a lot less heavy. Yeonjun grinned and nodded. “As long as you’re okay with me probably messing it all up,” he said.
Soobin giggled, walking over to the fridge to pull out the ingredients. “I have full faith in you.”
The two cooked together, Soobin giving Yeonjun specific instructions and guiding him when the elder was confused. Yeonjun was hopeless, but Soobin seemed to enjoy teaching him so Yeonjun didn’t let himself feel bad. There was a lot of laughter, and halfway through Yeonjun opened the soju and poured them both glasses so that by the time the meal was finished they were both pleasantly buzzed.
They ate on the floor of the living room, and Yeonjun fed Soobin a couple bites, laughing each time. Soobin let him, but not before giving Yeonjun a few bites himself. It was weirdly domestic, and very cute, and Yeonjun was happy.
When the dishes had been done and the kitchen cleaned, the two sat back down on the floor with refilled glasses. Yeonjun smiled at Soobin as he leaned his side against the couch, swirling his straw around his cup. Soobin smiled back, taking a tiny sip before putting his glass on the coffee table and scooting a bit closer so his knees touched Yeonjun’s. It was about a quarter past ten. Less than two hours to a new year. A fresh start.
“So, what do you usually do for New Year’s?” Soobin asked. It was an innocent question, but it made Yeonjun hesitate. He wasn’t exactly ashamed of his past behaviour, but he was so nervous of messing things up with Soobin that he had resisted really opening up to him. Sure, the boy had knocked down some of Yeonjun’s walls, but it was easier to break a few rules than it was to divulge behaviours and past decisions and that kind of stuff. But Soobin was looking at him with no judgement in his eyes, just gentle curiosity, so Yeonjun decided to just tell him.
“I would find a party somewhere. Get really drunk, that kind of thing,” he said, omitting a few details. He assumed Soobin would be able to fill in the blanks. The younger hummed, taking another drink. “I usually go to my best friend’s house, and our other friends come over,” he replied. Yeonjun’s brows rose, and he suddenly felt a bit guilty. “Shit, I didn’t mean to steal you away from them, I’m sorry,” he apologised.
Soobin’s eyes widened and he shook his head rapidly. “No! I wanted to be here, they understand,” he rushed, blushing. He dropped his gaze then, laughing a bit awkwardly. “They were the ones who actually told me I should spend it with you.”
A wave of admiration washed over Yeonjun and he smiled widely, giggling. “I should thank your friends,” he commented. Soobin blushed, but giggled too, looking back at his hands. Yeonjun took a drink through his straw, the alcohol burning his throat but making his mind quiet a bit.
He stared at Soobin, long enough that the boy must have felt it, and lifted his head. As soon as he did, Yeonjun bit his lip and moved right into Soobin’s space. He climbed into his lap, throwing his legs on either side of Soobin’s, and settled right over his thighs. Soobin blushed but accepted him easily, large hands resting on Yeonjun’s waist. Yeonjun locked his arms around Soobin’s neck and gave him a cheeky grin.
“This seat taken?” he asked. Soobin rolled his eyes, shaking his head a bit. “Yah, you’re so cheesy,” he complained. Yeonjun only grinned wider, eyes scrunching up. He brushed his fingers through Soobin’s soft hair. “Tell me your new year resolutions,” he prompted.
Soobin smiled, before pursing his lips and thinking hard. He puffed his cheeks out a few times, before speaking. “To graduate from university, and get a nice job,” he answered. It was a standard answer, but Yeonjun loved to hear it anyway. Soobin’s eyes flickered away from Yeonjun’s for a moment as he pretended to study the pattern of one of the throw pillows on the couch. “Maybe fall in love on the way, but I’ve resolved to do that the past couple of years and nothing really happened so maybe it’s a lost cause,” he murmured, much quieter.
Yeonjun’s heart had jumped to triple-speed at the mention of falling in love, and he knew his cheeks were burning. Soobin peeked at him, before laughing awkwardly. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that,” he said. Yeonjun shook his head, still stroking the boy’s soft hair. “Those are great resolutions, Soobin-ah,” he whispered. “I hope they all come true.”
Soobin looked at him, and smiled shyly. “What are yours?” he asked, clearly wanting to shift attention. Yeonjun acquiesced and sighed dramatically, looking over Soobin’s head for a moment as he thought. “Ummm,” he hummed. His fingers kept up their ministrations in Soobin’s hair, but the boy seemed to enjoy it, so Yeonjun didn’t stop. He wracked his brains, thinking of an answer, but he wasn’t sure. He didn’t usually do New Year’s resolutions. Didn’t see the point in setting goals that were likely to either not be met or change over time.
“Honestly, just to make it to next year,” he said without really thinking, laughing.
It didn’t register as that morbid to him, but when he looked at Soobin, he saw his saddened expression. Before he could reassure him, the younger pulled Yeonjun against him in a firm but gentle hug. Yeonjun’s eyes widened, before he hugged Soobin back and pat his back awkwardly. Yeonjun hadn’t meant what he said in a sad way, but…he didn’t mean it in a happy way either.
Soobin let go after a moment, and Yeonjun leaned back to look at him. “Didn’t mean to be a buzzkill, sorry,” he muttered. Soobin gave him a small smile, shaking his head. “You didn’t hyung.”
Yeonjun bit his lip, unable to ignore the shift in the mood. However, Soobin must have been able to tell, so he patted Yeonjun’s knees a few times. “Midnight is soon, up, up!” he ordered. Yeonjun broke a smile and followed orders, standing up and pulling Soobin with him. The taller grabbed both their glasses of soju and took them to the kitchen. He rinsed them out and filled them back up with champagne, handing Yeonjun his.
The elder accepted, smiling softly. Soobin moved closer, reaching a thumb up to brush over Yeonjun’s cheek. “I’m really glad I’m here with you,” he whispered. Yeonjun blushed, gulping. “I’m glad you’re here too,” he replied.
Soobin grinned, before walking into the living room to look at the clock. Yeonjun followed and saw that it was indeed close to midnight. How fast the time flew when he was with Soobin.
When it came down to the last minute, Soobin turned to Yeonjun. “Count down with me?” he asked, so softly. Yeonjun blushed, before nodding.
They stared into each other’s eyes like some cheesy soap opera as they counted down, and as they got closer to one, Yeonjun’s heart beat even faster. They gravitated closer to one another, and Yeonjun couldn’t help but glance at Soobin’s lips every few seconds. Watching the way they shaped around the words he was saying, it was hypnotising.
When they got to the final few seconds, Yeonjun lifted his eyes nervously to find Soobin already staring at him.
Together they said, “three. Two. One.”
“Happy New Year, Yeonjun-hyung.”
“Happy New Year, Soobin.”
And then they were kissing. Yeonjun had never kissed anyone at midnight, but now he understood why it was so special. He could feel the energy running between them, the hope of the new year, the reset button being pressed, the slate wiped clean. He kissed Soobin passionately, his hand that wasn’t holding his glass of champagne resting on top of Soobin’s, which cupped Yeonjun’s cheek.
It was perfect in every way, a literal scene from a storybook, and Yeonjun felt like he was on cloud nine.
When they parted, they looked at each other as if there was nobody else that mattered, and Yeonjun never wanted to look away. He wanted this moment, this new year, to be the start of the best year of his life. And looking at Soobin, he believed it would be.