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Of all the things Jae had expected when he decided to go to their ten-year high school anniversary, seeing Brian, aka Kang Younghyun, aka his ridiculously straight teenage crush, was definitely one of them. He’s honestly one of the biggest reasons Jae even came in the first place. That, and maybe wanting to flaunt his success to the group of assholes who called him Chicken Little for four years straight because of his glasses and skinny build.
So, seeing Brian in the flesh is not the unexpected part of Jae’s night. It’s not even the warm rush of feelings that stir in his gut when he recognizes the smile he fell for all those years ago. The unexpected lies in everything that comes after.
Because Brian, aka Kang Bra, aka every girl’s secret dream, looks nothing like Jae thought he would.
“You’re drooling,” Sungjin points out with only half-interest, his eyes on the buffet to their side.
Jae nods at the words, belatedly closing his mouth. The music in their old gym is calm, inviting conversation from the fifty-odd people inside without being over-bearing. It means Jae hears the sound of Brian’s laughter when the other tips his head back with a smile splitting his face.
Annoyed, Jae turns to his friend. “Let’s go,” he announces.
Sungjin blinks at him, mouth stuffed with sashimi. He points at the food, eyes pleading.
“You’re here to help me, not to take advantage of the free buffet.”
Sungjin chews quickly, then swallows, leveling Jae with a deadpan look. “I only came for the food, not to see you pathetically try to one up your former crush, who-” he cranes his head grinning- “is probably even more out of your league than he ever was, so how about we just focus on the food, ‘kay?”
Jae wants to throttle him, but settles for a soulless. “Why am I friends with you?”
He receives a shrug, Sungjin once more focused on the buffet.
“And he’s only out of my league because he’s straight,” Jae grumbles, stealing another look at Brian. His gaze lingers on the dark, fitted jeans that hug Brian's thighs, eyes wandering to drink in the sight of Brian's strong shoulders blanketed by a soft-looking, green sweater. An unconscious smile sits on Jae's lips as he boldly keeps going, marvelling at the gorgeous look of Brian's black hair.
It was a mistake.
Brian turns his head right that second and their eyes meet, a certain amount of surprise lighting up Brian’s face before Jae does the responsible thing and turns back around quickly, breathing out a terrified squeak as he does.
Brian Kang looks soft. Gone is his perpetual frown, only accentuated by his sharp features that make it look like he’s always glaring at you. Jae remembers how intimidated he’d feel simply by having the other look at him, even if most of their conversations consisted out of ‘can I borrow a pen?’ and Jae nodding like a mute.
What he was just presented with is not some know-it-all ass like he thought. There’s no mightier-than-thou swag to Brian’s aura, or a blank face looking down at you. In fact, the wide grin and mischievous eyes felt so different that Jae wonders if this guy is even truly Brian Kang.
A sudden snort from Sungjin interrupts his musings and he glances to the side, only to see his friend waving at someone behind Jae with a smile. Which is weird, because Sungjin knows no one here but Jae. So who-?
Dread fills Jae’s stomach as a voice rings out behind him, the timbre softer but oh so familiar.
“Hey! I uh- I don’t think I recognize you?” The little laugh that follows makes Jae weak in the knees and he glares at Sungjin at full strength.
He gets a cheeky grin in response.
“I wasn’t a student here,” Sungjin explains smoothly, “I’m just here with Jae.”
At the mention of his name, Sungjin shifts his foot and almost crushes Jae's toes, resulting in Jae jumping into the air with a pained gasp and Sungjin using his distraction to turn him around fully so that he’s face to face with Brian.
The other looks surprised, but it’s quickly followed by a cautious smile. “Park Jaehyung?”
And if Jae thought he was screwed before, then hearing Brian say his full name, actually recognizing him, is a whole new level of hell. Not to mention seeing the guy up close.
Brian grew out his hair, much like the beginning of high school, but Jae's sure he never had it inky black before. It looks stunning. It falls in waves, showing his forehead and framing those high cheekbones Jae would fantasize about kissing. It looks like the other finally grew into them, his features breathtakingly open and inviting, with a soft smile pulling on his lips.
Which is when Jae realizes he’s staring at Brian’s lips, has been for a while, and he tears his eyes back up to dark, feline eyes.
Is he wearing eye-shadow?
Jae stomps on the thought before he does something ridiculous like lean in to check, instead holding out a casual hand that’s erring on the side of desperate. “Hey, man!” he yells, probably a bit too loud. Brian doesn’t seem to care.
“Hey yourself,” he smiles more, grasping Jae’s hand in a firm grip before letting go. “I’m not sure if you remember me, but I’m-”
Sungjin speaks around his next mouthful, voice much too chipper for someone who’s hopping up on Jae’s to-kill list. “Brian Kang, right?”
Brian’s face freezes, mouth falling into a confused ‘o’, and Jae suddenly, vividly remembers how Brian hated being called Brian … which is why Jae never stopped. His face drains of heat, nervous laughter spilling out.
“It’s Kang Younghyun, dude,” he corrects, savagely elbowing Sungjin in the side. “It’s not Brian, man. I told you this!”
Brian, for his part, watches the proceedings with something that might be enjoyment, though Jae fears it’s just well-masked disgust. Whatever he had hoped to accomplish tonight, whatever closure he thought he’d get by being the bigger man or whatever (and isn’t that just pathetic, needing closure from shit that happened ten years ago), Jae feels the chance slip through his fingers.
Except Brian isn’t done being unexpected.
The man laughs, rich, deep laughter pouring out as he shakes his head. Jae almost forgot the cute nose-scrunch Brian would do when he’s really laughing, something he hadn’t done before but is doing now.
“I’d hoped you’d remember,” Brian says with too much happiness for any guy trying to escape a conversation. He leans in, eyes twinkling with mischief. “Everyone keeps calling me Younghyun here, but I haven’t used that name in years. I’m absolute shit at responding to it. By this point they’re all convinced I’m either deaf, or some sort of long-lost twin here to play a practical joke.” He giggles some more, obviously thinking the idea to be hilarious.
Jae is stumped. “But you hate being called Brian.”
He almost face-palms when Brian grimaces, fingers nervously playing with the glass in his hands. “I did, didn’t I.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”
“It’s okay,” Brian smiles that bright smile and something in Jae settles. “I know this is probably going to sound really weird, but uh-” he takes a deep breath, then looks Jae straight in his eyes. “I wanted to apologize to you. For- well, for most of high school, really. The name thing wasn’t-” he chuckles, his cheeks turning pink. Jae numbly thinks he looks absolutely adorable. “I always thought I hated the fact you called me Brian, but uh- turns out I was just a really closeted gay idiot who had a crush and was too afraid to own up to it.”
Jae just, stops existing. He’s sure. Every upstairs faculty is consumed by the words ‘gay’ and ‘crush’ to the point he’s just staring, silently, and Brian’s cheeks slowly work their way up to red.
He laughs again, a little breathless this time, and places his glass on the buffet table. His hand shakes ever so slightly. “So, yeah. I- I had a bit of a crisis with my sexuality all through high school and you were basically my very loud, very openly bisexual, and very cute wake-up call which I kept trying to ignore.” He winces, wringing his hands. “And I know it’s probably ten years too late, but I’m sorry for ignoring you a lot. And just, not being the friends we could have been.” His face falls as his eyes search Jae’s still frozen expression. “I guess, mostly that last one, but- well, I’ll leave you to it. Thank you for hearing me out.”
His last smile barely reaches his eyes and he turns, and then Sungjin’s elbow is in Jae’s side and he blurts out words before he can examine them in his head, which means the stuff that comes out is as surprising to him as it is Brian.
“How about you make it up to me?”
The wide-eyed shock as Brian turns back around has nothing on the embarrassment ready to eat Jae alive, but now that he has the attention, the words keep coming.
“You could take me out. Like, on a date. I’m free next week Saturday.”
Sungjin coughs next to him, something like ‘you’re free every day’ because his friend knows about his ridiculously non-existent social life, but Jae’s much more focused on the slow smile that’s softening Brian’s face until Jae feels the insane desire to just step up and kiss his cheeks.
“Are you asking me out?” Brian grins.
Jae shrugs, heart pounding even though he adopts an air of casual indifference. “Well, I feel cheated out of the ability to date you most of high school, being your sexual awakening and all, so I feel a date is the least you could do in recompense.”
It sounded much more suave in his head, especially when Brian goes stumped, then grins so much his nose scrunches. “Wait, you would have dated me in high school?”
Jae stutters and Sungjin takes over, suddenly popping up next to him.
“With the way he never shuts up about his biggest crush ever? He would have dated you straight through college too, I’d bet.”
Brian beams and Jae forgets to be mad at Sungjin.
“Really?” Brian looks at him for confirmation.
He nods, unable to stop his blush. “And now,” he adds as casually as he can. “I would definitely like to date you now.”
Which seemingly renders Brian speechless, his cheeks reddening so fast he looks feverish and his mouth once again frozen in that adorable ‘o’. Jae sniggers.
“So, next Saturday?”
Brian grins, nervous laughter spilling out. “Yes! Yeah- uh. I don’t even know where you live, though.”
“I can just fly in again,” Jae manages with a dead-serious expression.
Brian’s mouth drops, actual shock on his features, and Jae doesn’t last more than two seconds before he’s doubling over in his laughter. “Kidding! I’m kidding!”
“Don’t do that!” Brian yells with a smile in his voice.
Sungjin somehow regards them with a very judgmental eyebrow, giving Brian a searching look. “You sure this is the guy who gave you a whole sexual awakening?”
Jae pretends to be hurt, but Brian only rolls his eyes, levelling Jae with an almost fond look. “He’s loud, obnoxious and the sole reason I go by Brian instead of Younghyun.” He winks, destroying any sort of composure Jae thought he had. “Yeah, I’m sure.”
It takes a full ten seconds for Jae’s system to reset and Sungjin laughs at him for all of it, but eventually he and Brian exchange numbers, then proceed to chat for another four hours during which Brian casually devours about a third of the buffet, Jae and Sungjin happily joining in, until Jae is pulled out of the gym by Sungjin grumbling about proper bed-times and having work in the morning.
Jae lets him rant, already thinking about next Saturday. Because after ten long years, Park Jaehyung finally has a date with Kang Younghyun.
Brian.
Jae grins to himself on the way home, a thought popping up.
Wait, but what if I start calling him Younghyun?
(He gets a glass of water in his face, that’s what, which is honestly fine because it’s summer and they’re outside anyway. Besides, it’s worth it to see Brian doubled over with laughter, his nose scrunch in full effect as Jae glares at him from behind his drenched pair of glasses.
Brian’s definitely worth it.)