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Two ice cream cones in blue and pink. A silly little prop for a photoshoot, but also a chance for Taehyun to gather some courage.
“Those are making me hungry.” Taehyun chuckled as Beomgyu passed his props over to the staff, finally done for the day. Tae unfortunately still had his own photos to take as he was last on the call sheet this time.
“Oh, I think there are still snacks in the green room.” Tae smiled and nodded, wondering if Gyu was being intentionally daft or if his line was too subtle. He cleared his throat to try again.
“Really makes me want ice cream.”
Gyu smiled and began cleaning his face with a wet wipe. “I could go get you some.”
Closer, but not quite there.
“Maybe we could go together when I’m done?”
“Okay.”
Taehyun’s mind raced through his shoot. Was this a date? Why should he assume that, after all, this was his friend and coworker? Had he made a mistake? This would be yet another chance for Taehyun to soak in the lovely silly sweetness of Beomgyu and further fall for a person who had no idea of Tae’s increasingly-less-secret feelings. And that’s all contingent on Gyu remembering he agreed to it. Who knows, maybe Soobin texted him about some new game for them to try?
After filling a disappointing roll of film with mediocre pictures (he was handsome, they weren’t horrible), Taehyun walked back to the dressing room to change into his clothes, practicing his “I promise I’m not disappointed face” for when he learned that Gyu bailed.
Taehyun was pleasantly surprised to see Gyu waiting for him when he arrived, though he felt uncomfortable getting changed in front of his hyung. Yes they did this kind of thing all the time but Tae had hoped that maybe the next time Gyu saw him shirtless it would be under different circumstances.
Gyu hardly noticed the awkward silence as he scrolled through his phone.
“Should we go?” Gyu nodded, smiled, and followed Tae out to the street where they could see the Baskin Robbins sign about a block away.
“So… how’s your day?” Taehyun cringed as the words exited his mouth but he felt similarly embarrassed by the aching quiet.
“Oh it was nice. You?”
“Nice, too… yeah...”
“What flavor should we get?” Yet again Tae wasn’t sure if the pulling teeth he was doing was on account of Gyu’s awkwardness or cluelessness.
“Hmm… My Mother Is An Alien?”
“I was thinking we could get mint choco.”
Gyu looked at Tae like he’d threatened violence against him.
“Kidding. It was a joke.” Gyu brightened and laughed as they walked in the door of the bubblegum pink shop.
Taehyun ordered for the both of them and Gyu spun around and waved his arms in celebration which Tae desperately tried not to stare at. He was just so cute. And sweet. And gentle. He was the opposite of Tae in so many ways, but they had the same drive and ability to find the humor in anything. But Gyu had never mentioned a crush on a boy or a girl, never seemed interested in talking about hook-ups with the others. He was a closed book that Tae was tired of re-reading the back cover of.
“Here you go.” Tae handed over the cone and wondered if Gyu felt the same flutter when their fingers touched.
“What do I owe you?”
“My treat.”
“But I’m older.”
Tae shrugged and dug into his cone which was strawberry cheesecake flavored and delicious. He’d imagined himself saying “You can get our next one” but it felt too corny and rehearsed.
Gyu’s new shaggy hair got stuck in his slowly melting treat and Tae picked out the strands in the least “I’m secretly crazy about you” way he could. Tae hadn’t considered how public of a place he’d chosen for this maybe-or-maybe-not-a-date and he couldn’t keep his plastered-on smile.
“Should we head back?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks for the ice cream Taehyun.” Tae once again nodded his head as they walked the overcrowded streets back to their dorm.
“It was fun.” Tae turned to Gyu and smiled.
“I’m glad, Hyung.”
After a few more paces, Tae realized Gyu was no longer by his side. He looked back to see him pouting in place.
“What’s wrong?”
Gyu bit his lip and shrugged his shoulder as he answered, dripping ice cream all over his shirt as he gesticulated.
“You invited me for ice cream, paid for my order and everything, and then just this? We leave? I thought you were being… you know…” Gyu’s bravado wore off and he turned back into his teddy bear self.
“I kind of thought you might--”
“Like you?”
Gyu nodded.
“Yeah, I do.” Taehyun was so dry and sarcastic that Gyu had no idea what to make of this.
“Alright, whatever.”
“No, I absolutely do.”
“Okay great, let’s go home.”
Taehyun let go of his cone which fell to the concrete and walked over to Gyu who stood barely taller than he did. He found his lips between the flowing tapers of hair which were already sticky but got stickier with Taehyun’s fingers.
As Tae pressed his lips against Gyu’s there was a moment of hesitation. Of awareness that they were in a busy city during broad daylight. But he soon forgot about it as Tae’s chilly tongue rapt against his lips, asking for shelter. They kissed one another for what seemed like eternity until they pried their sticky hands off of one another’s cheeks.
“You made me drop my ice cream.”
“I dropped mine too!” Gyu pouted and shoved Tae’s shoulder with his sweater-covered knuckles. “Buy us more? Please?”
Tae smiled an open-mouthed smile and turned Gyu back to Baskin Robbins.
“I can’t believe this, you’re not even my boyfriend yet and you’re already ordering me around.”
“You’re right. I should probably be your boyfriend.”
Gyu took Tae’s hand in his and pulled himself into Tae’s embrace.
“Should we do this in public?”
“We just made out in public.”
Tae laughed as they walked back for a much happier round of desserts. This time they’d just get one cone and share.
