Archive of Our Own

“Okay, I’d love to stay for longer, but I kinda have homework to do since I have been procrastinating .” Jeongin tried to shake Hyunjin off him, his friend whining.

“Damn you and your procrastination.” Hyunjin pouted and sighed when Jeongin stood up. “I’ll walk with you to your room so I can postpone being alone for a few more moments.”

The younger snickered and shook his head. “Jisung goes out for once in his life and you’re immediately complaining. Be happy for Jisung, he might be scoring.”

Hyunjin laughed and nodded as they walked out of his and Jisung’s dorm room. “I hope so, Chan seemed to like how Jisung looked.”

“Yeah, thanks to us .” Jeongin pointed out and stopped in front of his door to turn to Hyunjin. “Anyway, make sure that he tells us all the deetz about the party! And have fun being alone until that, I guess.”

Hyunjin snorted and lightly pushed the younger before he waved at him obnoxiously and started his journey back to his room, thinking about his friend. He had good hope for Jisung since Chan genuinely seemed to like him, but he understood his roommates’ worries like no other.

“Hey, Hyunjin!” 

Hyunjin jumped in surprise and turned to the source of the sound, seeing Seungmin smile and wave at him. Right, Kim Seungmin, Chan’s roommate. Hyunjin had finally properly introduced himself to Chan and his friends a few days ago and had learned that they weren’t as intimidating as Hyunjin had expected. He just couldn’t help being a little wary of their popularity, even though Seungmin, Changbin and Felix weren’t as popular as Chan, they were his close friends and they were outgoing. Hyunjin just had bad experiences with popular people when he was in high school, but fortunately ever since he started university everything was better. 

“Coincidence running into you here, I assume that Chan and Jisung already left for the party?” Seungmin asked, wearing that kind smile that Hyunjin had noticed the first time as well. 

“Yeah, they did.” Hyunjin answered and— wait, why isn’t he at the party? They had talked about the party during breaks and Seungmin hadn’t really voiced his excitement to go, Hyunjin remembered, but he also didn’t voice his regret that he couldn’t go. “You’re not going to the party..?”

Seungmin looked surprised at the question and for a split second Hyunjin wondered whether that had been rude to ask, but the younger laughed, it was kind of cute.

“No, I’m not really the party-type, unlike my friends.” 

“Oh.”

Seungmin let out a breathy laugh again and Hyunjin felt a little embarrassed for his reaction. 

“You assumed I was?” He asked, but he didn’t seem to blame Hyunjin. “I understand that you thought so, but I don’t really like the wild atmosphere of most parties. I’m not really wild, although, I wouldn’t call Chan wild either.”

Hyunjin nodded as he listened, intrigued by Seungmin’s explanation. “Interesting, I personally can get a little wild sometimes, but only with my friends. I get embarrassed in front of strangers, and that one time I went to a party… not really great, not really my thing.”

Seungmin gave an empathetic look. “That sucks, I guess everyone can have different reasons for not liking parties.”

“Yeah.” Hyunjin agreed, and he didn’t really know what else to say, though he didn’t want the conversation to end. He both didn’t want to be bored alone in his room and he liked talking to Seungmin for some reason. 

“So, do you have anything to do this Saturday evening?” Seungmin asked as if he read Hyunjin’s mind. 

“No, just, like, waiting for Jisung to return and tell me how it went, I guess.” Hyunjin shrugged. “You?”

Seungmin shrugged as well. “I thought about maybe reading something, but if you want we can hang out together in my room?” 

Hyunjin was surprised by the suggestion, but he guessed that Seungmin still was as comfortable with strangers/acquaintances as the rest of his friends. He was glad for it, though, he wouldn’t have suggested it even though he wanted to.

“Yes, that sounds nice.” 

While talking to Seungmin, Hyunjin found out that both their friend groups and their own personalities were fundamentally different, but they were also quite similar in ways. There were the obvious things like being introverted or ambivert versus being extroverted, or easily talking to strangers and making friends versus being more awkward and clumsy or wary with strangers, but there were also more subtle things, like that Hyunjin and Seungmin both liked reading. Seungmin also seemed put together, neat, and composed (though very friendly too), while Hyunjin was clumsy, messy and sensitive, emotional. 

Hyunjin had also learned that talking with Seungmin went really smoothly and that the younger could be really cute— no scratch that, he was constantly cute, even when he was serious. He just reminded Hyunjin of a puppy for some reason, because when he wasn’t being his composed and serious self, Hyunjin knew Seungmin could also act a little like a mischievous kid, he had seen that during the breaks when Seungmin had interacted with his friends. It felt to Hyunjin like the boy couldn't be any better, he felt comfortable with him, something Hyunjin didn’t feel quickly. 

"I hate to cut this short— I'm enjoying talking to you, but I don't want to go to sleep too late." Seungmin said after a short but comfortable silence had fallen. "I like to write in my diary beforehand and stuff." 

"Of course! I understand." Hyunjin stood up and looked at his phone for the time. He was surprised that (for his standards) it wasn't that late yet, but they did talk for a long time. He should've expected Seungmin to be the type to have a decent sleep schedule, that was another area where they differed, and Hyunjin admired that Seungmin was diligent enough to write in his diary every day. Hyunjin tried to, but he sometimes forgot or didn't feel like it. 

"I also enjoyed talking to you this evening. Thanks for saving me from boredom." Hyunjin smiled as he stood at the door. 

Seungmin laughed a little, eyes almost disappearing and cheeks squishing up a little. "No problem. I'll see you on Monday again? Will you sit with us again?" 

"Yeah, unless Jisung, or Chan, majorly screwed up during the party— which I don't think will happen." Hyunjin joked and, to his delight, Seungmin laughed again. 

"I don't think so either, from what I've learned they both like each other a lot, but they also can be awkward." Seungmin nodded. "Still, Chan is the type to care for people no matter what. I wouldn’t be surprised if Chan would bring Jisung home, even if things go awkward.”

That was good, and Hyunjin wasn’t really surprised hearing it. No wonder Jisung liked Chan so much. 

“I think Jisung would like that, yes.” Hyunjin smiled. “Well, good night and see you on Monday.”

“Good night, Hyunjin.” 

For some reason, the way Seungmin said it made Hyunjin’s heart skip a beat. He liked Seungmin’s voice in general, his personality too. Hyunjin shook his head as he walked back to his room, lightly slapping his cheek. Come on, Hyunjin, keep it together. You know what happens when you attach too fast. He sighed as he opened the door, deciding to focus on the good things, the fact that he had enjoyed hanging out with Seungmin and that he felt comfortable with him already. 

He got ready for bed, but he wasn’t tired yet, so he decided to text Jeongin about his meeting with Chan’s roommate, hoping the younger wasn’t sleeping yet, because Minho probably was. He was in luck, because Jeongin replied, but he did say that he was tired after doing homework, so they kept their conversation short. 

After that, Hyunjin still wasn’t tired and he wanted to wait for Jisung, so, inspired by Seungmin, he grabbed a book to read. He hadn’t done that in a while, and Hyunjin now remembered how much he liked reading, how much it calmed him. Thanks, Seungmin.

The next week they would be hanging out again probably, to Seungmin’s delight. It was because their roommates would also be hanging out again and Hyunjin’s other friends were hanging out together too, doing something Hyunjin found boring, but Seungmin had been happy to hear that Hyunjin had been thinking about visiting Seungmin anyway. 

Seungmin liked Hyunjin. He was very different from himself, yes, but that felt like a breath of fresh air to Seungmin. Hyunjin’s view on the world was interesting and different from Seungmin’s, but in a good way, in an eye-opening way, or in a way that could bring life to interesting and good willed discussions. But don’t get him wrong, Seungmin didn’t see his new friend as a subject to study, not at all, Hyunjin actually made Seungmin’s emotions surface more than usual for some reason. Maybe because Hyunjin seemed so sensitive and Seungmin kind of felt like he wanted to protect him and like he should be open and honest at least in the first stages of their friendship.

A sigh from his roommate pulled Seungmin out of his thoughts and he looked at Chan to see him swinging his legs back and forth as he sat on a chair. Ah. 

“Can’t wait to visit Jisung?” He asked and Chan nodded. “Why? Are you doing anything special?”

The older shook his head, legs still swinging. "No, I don’t know what we’re going to do, but maybe he’ll show me some songs he’s been working on.”

Seungmin nodded slowly, he understood the feeling. “Nice. I get looking forward to hanging out with friends even though you don’t really have anything planned. Just being with someone, or just talking to them can be nice too.”

“Yeah.” Chan agreed and stopped swinging his legs to smirk at his friend. Huh? “So you’re looking forward to Hyunjin stopping by too?”

Oh. It seemed like Chan could look through Seungmin just as well as the other way around, and it had kind of been obvious that Seungmin had been talking about Hyunjin just now.

“Yeah, I am. Although he said he was thinking about it, so I don’t know for sure.” He tried to act casual, not because he didn’t want Chan to notice, Chan already did, but because he just wasn’t that good at talking about his own feelings. 

“If he liked last week as much as you did, he’ll definitely stop by.” 

Seungmin’s eyes widened at that and he felt a blush creep up on him. Gosh, he was just hanging out with a friend, why did the possibility of Hyunjin being excited to stop by affect him so much?

“It wasn’t that special. It was just nice.” The younger mumbled with a slight pout before he looked at Chan again. Time to change the subject after this little lie. “Anyway, are you planning on showing Jisung that song you’ve been working on lately?”

The subject-change was effective as Chan got a little flustered and they talked about Jisung until it was time for Chan to visit Jisung, meaning it was time for Seungmin to wait for Hyunjin to stop by like a little kid waiting for their birthday. Fortunately Hyunjin didn’t let him wait long, and if Seungmin almost ran to the door to open it, that was only for him to know.

“Hey.” Seungmin greeted him with a smile and put on a mysterious face. “I’ve been expecting you.”

Hyunjin snorted and a big smile appeared on his face, squishing his, as Seungmin liked to call them in his head, dumpling-like cheeks. “I hope that’s a good thing.”

“No, I was planning on trapping you in my secret lair and releasing a clone of you so that people won’t get suspicious.” Seungmin couldn’t stop himself from making the comment, but he hoped he didn’t come across as rude or dismissive.

Luckily Hyunjin’s reaction was bursting into a fit of laughter, almost falling over. Seungmin had seen that before, mostly when Jisung made jokes which were objectively hilarious, but he hadn’t expected that he himself would be funny enough to make Hyunjin laugh like that. It made him feel good about himself. 

After Hyunjin was done laughing, Seungmin offered him a drink and some snacks and they talked about their friends for a while. It was nice, Seungmin thought he could talk to Hyunjin for hours on end, but maybe it would also be nice to do something else.

“So, do you want to do anything?” Seungmin asked and Hyunjin tilted his head in confusion. “Like, watch something, maybe even go somewhere, something else than talking? You can also say you just want to chat.”

Hyunjin hummed and looked up in thought. “We can do something else. Uhm, do you have anything in mind?”

Seungmin had hoped that Hyunjin would suggest something because he didn’t really know himself. “I’m gonna be helpful and say it doesn’t really matter. What do you like to do in your spare time?”

Hyunjin straightened himself a little, seemingly thinking of things that made him excited. “Well, I like to read, watch movies or dramas, dance, or learn new things like making bracelets or something. I like taking photos too.”

“Really? Wow.” Seungmin was impressed by the many hobbies Hyunjin had. He seemed to be interested in everything, and from what Seungmin knew, he was also good at a lot of things. Maybe because he has so many hobbies. He was glad to hear that they had some things in common, like reading and photography. He should remember to ask to see Hyunjin’s photography some time. “Well, do you have a good drama or movie to watch? Your favorite one or maybe a new one you have been wanting to see?”

Hyunjin’s face lit up and Seungmin thought he could see his eyes sparkling, it was endearing.

“Yeah? Would you want that?” The taller asked in disbelief. “I, uhm, I kind of have a certain taste in dramas and movies that’s not for everyone…”

“That’s okay, I like to try things out.” Seungmin assured and motioned to his bed. “Let’s sit on my bed? That’ll be more comfortable, I think.”

“Sure.” Hyunjin seemed to be trying to hold back his eagerness, but Seungmin could still see him twitching with enthusiasm as he got comfortable on the bed and Seungmin got his laptop.

The older all but squealed in excitement as he searched for a movie, and Seungmin felt a smile tug at his lips. If Hyunjin was going to be this excited throughout the movie, Seungmin thought it wouldn’t matter if he wouldn’t like it, he could just enjoy Hyunjin’s excitement. And they were sitting kind of close on Seungmin’s narrow bed, which made Seungmin feel warm, which he could enjoy too.

“Okay, so this is my favorite movie, I have watched it maybe twenty times but I never get sick of it.” Hyunjin explained enthusiastically, waving his arms around. “It’s a romance movie and it’s kind of dramatic and sappy, but I like that. I hope you’ll find it bearable too.”

Seungmin chuckled and bumped his knee against Hyunjin’s. “I’m sure I will, else I’ll go screaming or something.”

Hyunjin barked out a laugh and Seungmin wondered what he was doing that Hyunjin found so funny. 

“I mean, you can do that.” He breathed. “But I get it if this isn’t up your alley.”

“Well, let’s find out.” Seungmin said and pressed play, still feeling a smile tug at his lips.

To say that the movie was dramatic was an understatement, but Seungmin wouldn’t judge anyone for liking this. Everyone had different preferences, and this wasn’t Seungmin’s in particular, but it was fine. For Seungmin it was more of a comedy, but he tried to hold back his laughter as the story wasn’t necessarily all happy, and he didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere for Hyunjin, who was completely immersed in the movie. 

The taller was so immersed that he was slowly curling up against Seungmin, holding a fist to his mouth as his eyes were trained on the screen. Seungmin didn’t mind that Hyunjin was so close, he liked the warmth it brought, and he knew from Jeongin’s complaints that Hyunjin was an affectionate person, so it was all good. It even helped him appreciate the movie more for some reason. 

After a while, when the movie was reaching its climax, Seungmin suddenly heard soft sniffling beside him. He looked sideways to see that Hyunjin was softly crying, all curled up on himself. Seungmin's stomach dropped but he didn't know what to do. He could tell that Hyunjin was trying to hold back and Seungmin wondered whether he should pause the movie, maybe something was wrong and he was afraid to say it. 

Seungmin hesitated for a moment, but when Hyunjin let out a louder sob and whimper, he decided to lean forward to hit the spacebar anyway. He felt Hyunjin jolt next to him. 

"Are you okay..?" Seungmin asked worriedly, turning to the other who was looking at him with wide teary eyes. 

"Yeah!— uhm—" Hyunjin sniffed and quickly wiped away his tears. "Sorry, I told myself that I wouldn't cry, but here I am, bawling my eyes out anyway— sorry—" 

"No, it's okay!" Seungmin assured maybe a little too fast, because Hyunjin seemed startled. "I just thought that maybe there was something wrong, that you were reminded of something that happened with you or that you would like to take a breather or something but were scared to ask." 

"Oh." Hyunjin sniffed again and shook his head before he looked down at his knees. "No, uhm, I just— I just cry often when watching movies or dramas, I— I don't really know why, sorry for worrying you." He fanned his face a little and sighed, "Oh my gosh this is embarrassing." 

Seungmin felt bad now so he placed a hand on Hyunjin's knee. "It's okay! I'm not judging. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. Uhm, it's okay to cry when watching something, it means you're empathetic, which is good." 

Hyunjin smiled and hid his head a little in his hands, but Seungmin could still see the blush on his cheeks. Seungmin felt one of his own creep up on him as well, so he quickly turned on the movie again, but he was happy that he had been able to save them from an awkward situation, and he didn't even have to lie for it. He was glad Hyunjin was okay and that he was just crying because he felt for the characters in the movie, a piece of information that moved Seungmin’s heart.

Seungmin himself rarely cried when watching movies or dramas, not because he didn’t cry often, he was kind of in between a crybaby and someone who never cried, maybe even leaning more towards crybaby, but he didn’t watch super emotional movies or dramas often, and Seungmin would cry for other reasons. Again they were different, but similar. Seungmin saw that Hyunjin wasn’t really afraid to show his emotions while Seungmin didn’t really know how to express them. It was admirable that Hyunjin was able to be so vulnerable. Yes, he was embarrassed for crying in front of Seungmin, but he had still been brave enough to pick a movie where it was likely that he would cry. 

For the continuation of the movie, Seungmin noticed that Hyunjin had distanced himself a little compared to before, he wasn’t huddling against Seungmin anymore, and Seungmin kind of missed the warmth. He looked to the side at Hyunjin who was still sitting with his arms around his knees, chin resting on them, accentuating his sharp jaw, and his long hair tucked behind his ear. His eyes were still a little watery and there were some red spots around his equally red nose, but for some reason it suddenly struck Seungmin how beautiful Hyunjin was. Maybe it was because Seungmin was slowly starting to see the beauty of Hyunjin’s personality as well. 

When Hyunjin glanced back at him, Seungmin realized that he had been staring, so he quickly looked at the movie again, feeling his face burn. Gosh, why was he so affected? He felt like some lovestruck teenager crushing on the popular guy, only in this scenario you might argue that he was the popular guy? Although Seungmin wouldn’t be surprised if Hyunjin was at least a little known for his good looks in the dance department. 

He shook the thoughts away, first and foremost he wanted to befriend Hyunjin because he genuinely seemed like a good friend and good person who he could talk to well. He didn’t want to ruin that with whatever he was feeling right now, he didn’t even know how to properly handle it, so he stored it in the back of his mind until it would become important again. 

When the movie ended— Seungmin hadn’t gotten much from the end— Seungmin turned to Hyunjin, who sighed and rubbed his teary eyes before he turned to Seungmin too.

“So… Uhm, what did you think?” He asked a little timidly.

Seungmin opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. He felt like he should think a little before he said anything, because he didn’t want Hyunjin to think that he didn’t enjoy watching it with him. 

“It’s… not my cup of tea— I mean, I wouldn’t pick this out to watch on my own, but I didn’t mind watching it with you.” It wasn’t as smooth as he had hoped, but he got it out.

Hyunjin nodded slowly, giving a wry smile. “That’s okay, but you can also say that you just didn’t like it.”

Okay, apparently I haven’t made my point clear enough, Seungmin thought, but he wasn’t blaming Hyunjin. Hyunjin was probably still embarrassed about crying. 

“I didn’t lie, though.” Seungmin said, hoping his voice wasn’t sounding accusatory. “I may not have liked the movie a lot, but I did like watching it with you. I like hanging out with you and getting to know you. Things that aren’t fun alone can be when doing it with a friend.”

Hyunjin looked at him in disbelief, his damp eyes sparkling in the light. 

“Really? Even though I cried?” 

“Yup.” Seungmin smiled and patted a hand on the other’s knee.

Hyunjin’s expression changed to a pout and then to a blinding smile. 

“Aww, Seungmin!” He squealed and almost knocked Seungmin off the bed as he hugged him. “You’re too nice!”

Seungmin coughed as he was kind of being suffocated in the hug, but it also felt nice. Hyunjin then quickly let go and looked at him with wide eyes.

“Wait, sorry— I didn’t ask, is hugging okay?” 

“Yes, hugging is fine.” Seungmin couldn’t help but chuckle. Hyunjin was cute. 

That pretty bright smile appeared on Hyunjin’s face again and Seungmin’s heart skipped a beat. 

"Great, expect many then." The older grinned. "But don't be afraid to push me away when it becomes too much, I know I can be annoyingly clingy." 

Seungmin just smiled back as an answer before he turned to his laptop again, and he noticed the time. 

"Oh, it's almost dinner time already, do you wanna order something?" Seungmin turned to Hyunjin again, who nodded. 

"Sure, you can pick since I picked the movie. As long as it doesn't contain eggplant." Hyunjin smiled innocently like a little kid asking for no veggies. 

They had a comfortable dinner together, Hyunjin asking about Seungmin’s food and movie preferences, after which their conversation flowed to the topic of their music preferences, which surprisingly were pretty similar. Again they found themselves talking about everything and anything, sharing their opinions and philosophies and the tips and tricks they used when taking photos. Talking to Hyunjin just went so natural, even if they were different, because they were open to each other’s views and they both liked philosophising about things. 

Hyunjin also told Seungmin about how he didn’t easily trust people because people have taken advantage of him or broken his trust before. It made Seungmin want to protect Hyunjin even more, and he was embarrassed to admit that the fact that Hyunjin had trusted him so easily made his heart flutter. 

When a silence fell, Seungmin felt himself yawn. Hyunjin chuckled at him, which made Seungmin feel a little self-conscious, but Hyunjin’s smile was sweet nonetheless.

“It’s getting kinda late, huh? That means it’s going well with Jisung and Chan.” The taller remarked and got his phone out. “I’ll text Jisung if he’s done or if I need to bother anyone for a spot to sleep, because I’m assuming you would like to sleep soon.”

Seungmin appreciated that Hyunjin remembered from last time that Seungmin didn’t like going to sleep late and that he liked to write in his diary beforehand, but he actually didn't really want Hyunjin to go. 

“I don’t mind staying up a little longer, though.” Seungmin shrugged. “And if Chan wants to sleep over at Jisung’s, you can stay here if you want.”

“Yeah?” Hyunjin asked, and now Seungmin was wondering if he was being too forward. “Well, if you don’t mind, then that might be the most convenient option.”

Seungmin nodded. “I don’t mind, there’s room here and I’m sure Chan wouldn’t mind if you slept in his bed for one night, but otherwise I’m okay sleeping on the floor or in Chan’s bed if he prefers that.” 

“I’m not going to let you sleep on the floor in your own—” Hyunjin was cut off by his phone buzzing. “Ah, Chan is coming back soon. Jisung says it went very well with them.”

Seungmin felt a smile appear on his face, he was happy that Chan and Jisung had worked things out together. He knew their differences wouldn’t be a problem and he was sure it wouldn’t become one again either. He did feel a little bummed out that Hyunjin didn’t get to sleep over, though.

“Well, that means I’m going to leave soon…” Hyunjin trailed off, standing up and looking at their empty plates that were still on the table. “Should I quickly help with the dishes before that?”

“Oh, no, there’s no need for that.” Seungmin stood up as well and quickly put the plates in the sink. “I’ll handle it tomorrow, no worries.”

“Okay.” Hyunjin nodded and opened his arms. “Goodbye hug?”

Seungmin chuckled and couldn’t hold back a big smile as he accepted the hug and felt Hyunjin’s arms wrap around his waist and his head lean on his shoulder. 

“I had fun.” The taller smiled as he pulled back.

Seungmin felt warm at the words and the fact that Hyunjin was standing close to him didn’t make it any better. 

“Me too.” 

Seungmin was definitely going to write all about this in his diary.

Seungmin and Hyunjin found themselves texting each other almost every evening from then on, asking about each other’s day despite seeing each other during lunch breaks as well. They shared new music they found, interesting books to read, photos they took, and compared the stories they heard from their roommates. They found out that Chan and Jisung both tended to focus on different aspects when telling stories, but it wasn’t that surprising because Hyunjin had noticed that with himself and Seungmin too when they talked about a book they both had read. 

Jisung, Minho and Jeongin had urged him to confess his feelings for Seungmin or at least ask him on a date multiple times already, but Hyunjin was too scared, he needed to sort out his feelings in his head first. Right now everything regarding his feelings for Seungmin were scrambled in his head, platonic and romantic feelings blurring together in a confusing soup that caused his head to spin whenever he saw the younger.

Still, Hyunjin couldn’t get enough of talking to Seungmin. Whenever he was feeling down, Seungmin knew just the right things to say. At first Hyunjin had felt guilty about burdening or annoying Seungmin with his worries, but Seungmin didn’t mind, in fact, he had told Hyunjin that he liked giving advice and would be glad to be of help. Apparently Seungmin thought a lot about things too, just like Hyunjin, but again they were different, because Hyunjin tended to over think, while Seungmin just normally thought about things and analyzed them. 

Right now, Hyunjin was feeling down again, and for once Jisung hadn't managed to cheer him up— well, technically he had, for a while, but Hyunjin ended up feeling like shit again later, so Jisung told him to text Seungmin, saying that maybe he would be able to help him. Hyunjin felt a little reluctant about it for some reason, he didn't even know why he was feeling bad, which may have been why Jisung's method hadn't been long lasting, but that also meant that Seungmin maybe didn't know what to do either. He might be burdening Seungmin with it, but Jisung managed to convince him to do it. 

"And?" Jisung asked later from within Hyunjin's embrace. Yes, even hugging his friend hadn't helped Hyunjin. "Is Seungmin helping already? Should I cancel my date with Channie?" 

"No… Don't cancel your date for me." Hyunjin sighed, staring at Seungmin's texts. They were really sweet and Hyunjin was feeling a little better already. "I'll be fine eventually, Minnie suggested coming over so you two can enjoy your date." 

Jisung squeezed him tightly and sighed as well. "I'll try, I have faith that Seungmin will succeed unlike me." 

"You did well, though." Hyunjin mumbled, typing his replies to Seungmin before squeezing Jisung in return. "And it'll make me feel better if you have fun on your date! So have fun and tell me all about it okay?" 

"Will do!" Jisung loudly smacked a kiss on top of Hyunjin's head, at which Hyunjin whined, before Jisung let go and stood up. "I'll quickly make myself a tad more presentable and then I'll be off!" 

"Have fun! Go all out!" Hyunjin called after him, snickering at Jisung's flustered reaction as he scrambled to fix his hair despite knowing that Chan didn't care. 

When Jisung left, Hyunjin felt empty, alone with his thoughts. He felt himself thinking about Jisung and Chan, and felt his stomach twist a little. He felt himself thinking that he wanted what Jisung had as well. Was that why he was feeling down? Gosh, should I even burden Seungmin with this?—

A knock on the door pulled Hyunjin out of his thoughts and he quickly stood up to greet Seungmin. 

"Hey, come in." He said, and Seungmin gave him a soft smile which both eased him and stung a little somehow. "Thank you for coming over, you didn't have to." 

"I wanted to." Seungmin assured, and now Hyunjin saw something sad in the other's eyes too. "I… I was hoping you could help me as well." 

Hyunjin hummed in confusion and tilted his head. 

"It's nothing serious, but I wasn't feeling great today either." The younger explained, sighing a little. "I don't know why— but we can discuss that after you feel better." 

"No, we can do both at the same time. I don't really know why I'm feeling down either, so maybe we're even feeling the same?" Hyunjin chuckled a little at himself. It didn't occur often that he and Seungmin felt exactly the same. Yes, they usually agreed on things, but often with other takes on the matter, or with other reasons. And Seungmin couldn't possibly be feeling kind of jealous of Chan and Jisung as well, right? 

Seungmin chuckled too and nodded. "Maybe we are, who knows." 

They positioned themselves on Hyunjin’s bed and Hyunjin immediately embraced the other, leaning his head on his shoulder. It had become a habit of Hyunjin, and he wondered since when he had become so comfortable with Seungmin, because it felt like he had never felt any different. 

Seungmin held Hyunjin in return and almost mindlessly stroked his hands in soothing motions. Seungmin never did a whole lot, but somehow he managed to cheer Hyunjin up with what would seem like the bare minimum, but felt like a lot. 

"Talk to me, Hyunnie." Seungmin said softly. "What's on your mind? Just say whatever, even if you don't know for sure." 

Hyunjin let out a deep sigh, hesitating for a moment because he felt embarrassed. Seungmin squeezed his arm as if to say that he wouldn't judge. 

"It's— it's just… Is it dumb that I kind of feel jealous of Jisung and Chan?” Hyunjin pondered, looking down at his lap. “I mean— it’s not really jealous, I’m really happy for them and I love hearing Jisung talk about their dates and stuff, but…” He trailed off, looking for the right words.

“But you feel like it would be nice if you had it too?” Seungmin finished, and Hyunjin nodded on his shoulder.

“Yeah, well… yeah—” Hyunjin wasn’t sure what to say, because although Seungmin said to just say whatever he was thinking, he didn’t want to just blurt out that he was trying to figure out his feelings for Seungmin. “I guess I’m just like that, you know, fantasizing about romance…”

He heard Seungmin hum to show that he was listening, and his hands had stopped moving, but Hyunjin didn’t mind. 

“And do you have any idea why you’re feeling down now ?” The younger asked after a short silence. That was a good question, and Hyunjin was afraid of the answer— at least, he was afraid that it involved Seungmin.

“Uhm…” Hyunjin trailed off, but he knew he wasn’t going to feel better if he didn’t talk about it. “I think it’s because I’m… I’m struggling with my feelings for someone, uhm, yeah.”

Seungmin was silent now, and Hyunjin looked up at him to see his reaction. The younger was just staring down at the floor with an unreadable expression. Maybe he was trying to figure out who it was, maybe he was trying to figure out what to say to help him. When it was silent for another minute, Hyunjin thought he’d ask Seungmin what was on his mind.

“Do you want to talk now?” He asked and felt Seungmin jerk next to him, apparently startled out of his thoughts. “What were you thinking?”

“Oh, uhm…” Seungmin hesitated, Hyunjin saw as he looked up again. “Just about your situation, uhm, and my own— but that isn’t important. What are you struggling with? Which part of your feelings?”

Hyunjin pouted at him, but Seungmin avoided his gaze. “Minnie, we said we would talk about both of us. I wanna help you too.”

Seungmin looked at him through the corners of his eyes and pressed his lips together before he looked forward again, staying silent. Hyunjin sat upright, startling Seungmin a little, who finally turned his way. 

“Don’t you trust me?” Hyunjin asked, and he knew it was unfair of him to try to pry this out of Seungmin, but he really just wanted to help. He wanted to help make Seungmin happy because he could tell that there was something bothering him. 

“Of course I do!” Seungmin immediately answered, startling both of them with his urgence. “I just… I do want to talk to you about it, eventually, if it still bothers me, but right now I still need to gather my thoughts, I think... and it’s not that important—”

The younger was cut off by Hyunjin grabbing his face and pulling him a little closer. He didn’t want to hear Seungmin being insecure or hesitant. “Your worries and feelings are always important, okay? It’s fine if you want to gather your thoughts, and if you want, I’m open to help you, I want to help you, but either way, just know that your happiness is important, okay? You’re important.” 

Seungmin’s eyes widened and Hyunjin felt both his own and Seungmin’s cheeks heat up. He didn’t mean to blurt that all out, but he was beginning to realize just how important Seungmin had begun to be to him. And being this close to the younger made a whole lot of other realizations happen for Hyunjin. His eyes involuntarily flicked to Seungmin’s lips and he licked his own. He heard his heart beating in his ears as Seungmin didn’t say anything and just stared back at Hyunjin. 

It got a little overwhelming for Hyunjin, just realizing that he in fact wanted to kiss Seungmin and take him on dates and always see him happy whether that was with him or not, and Seungmin’s overwhelmingly tender gaze didn’t make it any better for him, so Hyunjin had to move away to breathe. 

“Sorry.” He breathed and slowly let his hands fall from Seungmin’s cheeks, but not without letting his fingertips brush the soft skin. “I got a little intense there. I just felt like you should know.”

“It’s okay.” Seungmin chuckled breathily, which was a good sign, a sign that he wasn’t uncomfortable. In fact, Seungmin smiled softly at him. “You made me feel better.”

Hyunjin’s heart skipped a beat and he had to look away or else he would explode. 

“Does that mean you do or do not want to gather your thoughts with me?” Hyunjin asked to get his mind off his realization, let things sink in before he would become reckless and jump into things.

Seungmin hummed in thought for a moment, a melodious sound to Hyunjin’s ears. 

“I’m good. Your peptalk helped me already so we can talk about you.” He said and gently pulled Hyunjin in his arms again, Hyunjin immediately melting. “So, what were you struggling with?”

“Well…” Hyunjin thought about what to say, at first he was struggling with what he was feeling, but that had become more clear now. But that meant that now he had the question what Seungmin thought of him. “I guess it’s that I do have someone in my mind that I would want to… that I would want to have a relationship like Chan and Jisung with, in our own way, of course. But I only recently realized my feelings, so it’s all a little overwhelming and I don’t know what they think of me and stuff. I don’t want to ruin what we already have.”

He just said whatever came into his mind, and he realized he was maybe being a little obvious, but he didn’t really care. 

"Take your time getting used to your feelings, I would say." Seungmin said with his soothing voice, leaning back and getting more comfortable with Hyunjin. "I understand your worries, so take your time figuring out what they think. It sounds like you're already good friends so I think it'll be fine." 

"Yeah." Hyunjin chuckled, it was as if Seungmin knew that it was him, and maybe he did, but that was not something to think about right now. He felt a wave of relief wash over him and snuggled closer to Seungmin, suddenly feeling a little tired. He hadn't slept well last night so he had been tired the whole day, but now he was really feeling it. 

"I'm feeling better now, thanks Minnie." Hyunjin yawned and Seungmin chuckled. 

"No problem." 

A comfortable silence fell and Hyunjin’s eyes were slowly falling shut and the comfort and warmth of their position made him even sleepier. He didn’t know if he was dreaming when he heard a soft humming, but he recognized it as Seungmin’s voice as it was his absolute favorite sound. With that heavenly sound, Hyunjin eventually fell asleep.

Seungmin noticed that Hyunjin was tired, and he didn’t really have anything to talk about anymore, so he just pulled Hyunjin closer to make his position more comfortable and began humming a song that was stuck in his head. 

Hyunjin’s head fell down to his chest, meaning he had officially fallen asleep, so Seungmin leaned back a bit more and pulled the blanket over Hyunjin. It was nice sitting like this, knowing that they both felt better about what was bothering them. Seungmin felt a little guilty for not sharing his worries with Hyunjin, but when Hyunjin had said that he was struggling with his feelings for someone, he had been afraid that Hyunjin didn’t mean him . Because when Hyunjin had began about wanting a relationship like Chan and Jisung, Seungmin had realized that was exactly what had been bothering him as well, along with not knowing how to make his feelings for Hyunjin clear. 

His fear of rejection and not being able to convey his feelings had subsided when Hyunjin had assured him that he was important. Seungmin had felt like Hyunjin understood him, that he was there for him too. It had also felt like Hyunjin was about to kiss him, and maybe that was because Seungmin wanted it so bad, but he still felt a lot better. He at least felt like Hyunjin wouldn’t run away and never talk to him again if he would confess his feelings. Now it was just waiting for the right moment to tell him, waiting for Hyunjin to get used to his own feelings. 

Seungmin hoped that would be soon, though, because now that the possibility of Hyunjin liking him back didn’t seem absolutely impossible, Seungmin was itching to do something, especially with Hyunjin lying on his chest, sleeping peacefully with the tiniest smile, being his beautiful self. 

He passed the time by carding a hand through Hyunjin’s hair and daydreaming about Hyunjin. A smile formed on his face thinking about the fact that they had had the same worries, and just thinking about Hyunjin in general, even though he didn’t know for sure that Hyunjin felt the same about him. He was just very glad to have met Hyunjin and have him as a friend. It was nice to know that there were people like Hyunjin, sweet, kind-hearted and empathetic. 

Seungmin didn’t know how much time had passed since Hyunjin had fallen asleep, and he thought he might have fallen asleep himself for a minute because he was just so comfortable with Hyunjin in his arms, but he was pulled back into reality by his stomach growling. Right, it's probably around dinner time right now, maybe even later. Seungmin didn't want to get up or wake Hyunjin up yet, so he just reached for his phone to order something, he imagined Hyunjin would be hungry too when he would wake up. He ordered Hyunjin's favorite food, just because Seungmin felt like seeing Hyunjin extra happy and he didn't particularly have anything special that he himself wanted to eat. 

After he put his phone down, Hyunjin began moving on his chest and tucked his head in the crook of Seungmin’s neck. Seungmin jolted and blushed a little at the contact while Hyunjin tightened his grip and let out a small whine. 

Seungmin’s heart was suddenly pounding loudly, as if it wanted to wake Hyunjin up, but Seungmin hoped his friend couldn’t feel it. Hyunjin shifted some more, pulling himself right on top of Seungmin and rubbing his nose on Seungmin’s shoulder. Seungmin involuntarily shivered when Hyunjin’s breath hit his skin. He felt like he was going to overheat at this point, and even more when Hyunjin sleepily looked up, his hair messy and eyes a little puffy, enhancing the squishiness of his face. 

“I fell asleep..?” The taller mumbled and rubbed his eyes. It was cute and it made Seungmin smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”

“It’s okay, I noticed that you were tired.” Seungmin chuckled and patted Hyunjin’s head. “I just relaxed as well, gathered my thoughts some more, which was nice.”

“Yeah? How long did I sleep?” Hyunjin asked, sitting up a little, but still mostly leaning on Seungmin. 

"Uhm… Almost two hours, I think." Seungmin answered, guessing a bit. 

"And you let me lie on top of you the whole time?" Hyunjin looked at him with big eyes. "Right— I should remove myself from you now—" 

"You don't have to—" 

Hyunjin started to move away, but Seungmin wanted him to stay, so he pulled him back and in the process made Hyunjin lose his balance. Hyunjin practically headbutted Seungmin and fell flat on top of him. Seungmin flinched and groaned at the pain before he felt a hand on his face. He opened his eyes to look right into Hyunjin's, and gosh they were close again. 

"Are you okay?" Hyunjin asked, gently rubbing the spot on Seungmin's forehead that his head had hit as Seungmin snickered at their clumsiness. 

"Hmm. Yeah, sorry it was my fault." Seungmin smiled apologetically and let out a content breath when Hyunjin's hand brushed over his forehead and along his temple to his cheek. If Hyunjin wasn't careful, Seungmin was definitely going to prematurely spill his feelings for him. 

Despite that, Hyunjin's palm settled on his jaw, fingers resting on his cheek, and he didn't make any move to increase the distance between them. It felt so nice that Seungmin leaned into the touch and his eyes fluttered a little. 

"Hyunjin…" Seungmin sighed softly. He couldn't let his feelings out yet, but it was damn hard. "I—" 

"Go out with me, Seungmin." Hyunjin looked at him urgently but gently. 

Seungmin’s eyes widened as he processed what Hyunjin had said. Go out with him? "What..? I— yes! I mean— didn't you say you needed some time?" 

"Yes? Really?" Hyunjin looked surprised at him before he chuckled when Seungmin nodded a little shyly, but Hyunjin also looked a little embarrassed himself. "I did say that I needed some time, but apparently I just needed to sleep on it for a bit. I can't help it that you're just so loveable that I get used to it quickly."

Seungmin blushed and pushed the giggling taller boy softly. He couldn't believe that Hyunjin would just say that out loud. Seungmin felt the same way about Hyunjin, but he wasn't the person to just say that out loud in the other's face (although he was damn close to just blurting it out). He was more the type of person to listen to people's worries and let them hug him as much as they liked because that made them happy, but that was why he felt like he fit with Hyunjin well. 

They both needed someone who was different from them, someone that would provide what they didn't have themselves but what they did want from others. Their differences made it so that they never got bored of each other. No, they weren't perfect, but despite their many differences, Seungmin had never felt annoyed by Hyunjin even though if he logically thought about it he would expect that he inevitably would . Hyunjin was sensitive and Seungmin could get annoyed quickly and sometimes he would notice it too late if someone was in a bad mood, but somehow the two of them managed to avoid fights with each other. Seungmin guessed that in their case you could say that opposites attract. 

"What are you thinking about, Minnie?—" Hyunjin was cut off by Seungmin's phone buzzing. 

"The food!" Seungmin perked up, bringing Hyunjin with him. "I'll go get it!" 

Hyunjin dazedly got off of Seungmin and watched him run out to get the delivery. When he came back, Hyunjin's eyes began sparkling and Seungmin almost saw his mouth water. 

"I ordered some food some time before you woke up." He chuckled. "I was hungry and thought you'd be as well." 

"I am!" Hyunjin groaned and jumped up to hug Seungmin who was placing the food on the table. "Oh my gosh, you ordered my favorite! I love you Seungmin! C'mere." 

Seungmin laughed at Hyunjin's dramatics, and expected a hug again, but instead Hyunjin cupped his jaw with one hand, slung the other around his waist, and kissed him. Seungmin immediately melted and pulled Hyunjin closer by wrapping his arms around his shoulders. Hyunjin's lips felt so good on his, even better than he had imagined. 

When they pulled back, Hyunjin wanted to dive in for another kiss, but Seungmin reluctantly stopped him. "We should eat before it gets cold… Or before we starve to death." 

Hyunjin snorted and laughed. "Okay, yeah we don't want that." He said and eagerly got some plates and cutlery to eat with. 

Seungmin smiled at the quick change in mood and sat down across from Hyunjin. They ate in a comfortable silence, sometimes giggling at each other because of the fuzzy feelings they felt. Seungmin couldn’t really believe that he finally confessed, or well, agreed to go out with Hyunjin.

“So, uhm, may I ask for how long you’ve realized your feelings?” Seungmin asked after a while. He was kind of curious about it because Seungmin had eventually accepted his own feelings after one late night talk with Chan when he couldn’t sleep because he had been thinking about Hyunjin. 

“Uhm…” Hyunjin snorted and his cheeks reddened. “I realized it today… when you said that your worries weren’t important right now.”

Seungmin’s eyes widened and he almost choked on his food. “Wait— today? Just now?”

Hyunjin looked a little embarrassed and like he felt guilty so Seungmin quickly continued.

“I mean, I’m not judging! I’m just surprised that you seem so sure now.”

Hyunjin chuckled. “Yeah, me too, but I only realized my feelings today. I already felt… uhm, things for you ever since you invited me over when Chan and Jisung were at that party.”

Seungmin couldn’t help but blush, he didn’t really know why because he had been the same, but hearing it from Hyunjin made something flutter in his chest. 

“I just didn’t know if I was feeling things because you treated me nice or if I really liked you as well, not just your actions.” Hyunjin continued, leaning his chin on his hand as he looked between the food and Seungmin. “Because it has happened before that someone would flirt with me and give me compliments and I would mistake the feelings I got as actually wanting to date them, but today I realized that I like you for you , and that I want you to be happy and I would like it if I could play a role in that, and not only as a friend, and I could easily get used to that idea.”

Seungmin pressed his lips together and ducked his head to hide how red his cheeks were. He knew Hyunjin sometimes liked to get a little cheesy with his words, but he also knew that Hyunjin always meant them, which made Seungmin even more embarrassed. He heard Hyunjin chuckle lightheartedly at him and felt a hand on his. Seungmin looked up to see a sweet smile on Hyunjin’s face.

“Sorry, I can’t help myself sometimes.” The taller rubbed his thumb over the back of Seungmin’s hand.

“It’s okay, I just don’t know what to say or do in response.” Seungmin breathed, feeling himself relax again. “And it makes me want to say something sweet to you as well or do something in return, but I don’t know what.”

Hyunjin just kept smiling fondly at him as he massaged his hand. “But you already do so much for me. You make me laugh, you listen to my many many worries and rants and you give advice, you let me hug you almost uncomfortably tight, you watch stuff with me that you wouldn’t necessarily pick out yourself, you never ever judge me despite our differences and there are many more things that you do for me.” Hyunjin rambled on and Seungmin opened his mouth to say something, but apparently his friend wasn’t done yet. “And yeah, it took me a while to recognize that those were little things you did for me , and it’s not as obvious as saying things with words, but it’s just as valid and maybe even more meaningful."

Seungmin hid his head in his free hand and shook his head. While Hyunjin had a point, Seungmin wouldn't believe that his measly actions made Hyunjin feel any more loved than Seungmin felt right now. 

"Gosh, Hyunjin…" He felt overwhelmed with feelings and he needed to do something, so he stood up, walked over, letting go of Hyunjin's hand, pushed Hyunjin's chair back a little so that he could straddle him, and pulled him into a kiss. 

Hyunjin seemed a little surprised, and Seungmin would be lying if he said he expected himself to do this, but they both quickly melted into the soft kiss. Seungmin felt butterflies rage through his stomach as Hyunjin pulled him closer at the waist and he angled his face to deepen the kiss. He tangled his fingers in Hyunjin’s long hair and lightly tugged at it and massaged the skin underneath it. Hyunjin hummed delightedly against Seungmin’s lips and started to gently knead Seungmin’s skin in return, making the latter feel warm.

Seungmin was glad that this now was another way for him to show his love for Hyunjin— no, even better, this would be a way for both of them to show their love. 

While Hyunjin was more physically affectionate and liked to voice his affection, and Seungmin would show it through his support, understanding and acts of service, this would be something in which they were similar. Everyone could see that they were different, but if you paid attention you saw the things in which they were the same, and the most obvious one, their feelings for each other.