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Seungmin’s existence seemed insignificant where he eyed him, starting from his obvious pillow-fluffed caramel locks, the obscure chocolate dot of a mole on his puffy cheek, and his instant curving bright smile as he slammed down on the video game controller.
In the eyes of Seungmin, his childhood best-friend, Jisung, was nothing less than an innocent saint sent to live among the weak mortals of earth.
In reality, the shorter brunette was every part human as he spent hours gathering cheat codes, wasting his study time to play Mortal Kombat 4. Seungmin hardly minded it though, after all, he isn’t into video games. He’s totally into Seo Jisung, though.
"How does it feel losing for the…" Jisung halted his celebratory cheer, "Third time?- Whoa, didn't know it was possible to suck that hard, 'Min. You prove me wrong every time."
Seungmin mumbled into his hoodie. "Shut it, Seo."
"I mean it!" His gaze fixated on the television. "At this point, It's like taking treats from a helpless puppy. Should I do you a favor and let you win?"
The taller brunette nearly choked. "Do me a favor?"
Jisung nodded, but Seungmin was sure this was some sorta scam because anyone who knew him learned early that if you ever wanted Seo Jisung to do anything for you, like change the smoke alarm, get the groceries out of the car, or wash the clothes, don't expect him to do it for free. However, if you're Kim Seungmin, don't even toy with the idea because owing Jisung is like owing the devil. A cute devil.
"Yeah! A favor." Jisung set down the controller, his smile weakening at the talk of business as he eyed down his friend. "I let you win, and."
He replied, "And...? What would I have to do for you?"
"Well, you see." His eyes glimpsed into Seungmin's soul. "That's confidential information, dude."
Seungmin scoffed, fogging his prescription glasses. "Bullshit."
"Whatever suits your bull, 'Min." Jisung yawned, returning to his cheery state. "Should we keep playing? Because I'm gonna win either way! By the way, I think my victory dance is finally improving-"
SLAM! The taller brunette would've shit himself if he was anyone else walking into their tangled situation as he pinned the older against his own shared bedroom floor in a hard slam. Ironically, identical to the position the fighters took in Jisung's collection of repetitive video games. Except, their ears weren't burning in color like Seungmin's or stunned like Jisung with a wild smile.
"When-When," He caught his breath.
Seungmin grinned. "Take your time, Seo."
Jisung's wild smile never did leave his lips as he saw the peeking of Seungmin's eyes through his foggy lenses. That sight alone caused him to burst into a fit of giggles and squirms. And if the cute devilish human below him is enjoying such a peculiar view, then Seungmin is too, as his own chuckles synched with Jisung, which allowed him to fall into the smaller boy's shoulder.
Seungmin inhaled his scent. "Something funny, Seo?"
"Only you idiot," Jisung laced his fingers into the other's hair.
He mumbled into the boy's shoulder. "I could stay like this forever."
"Then die on my shoulder, dude." The slightly older boy ruffled his dark locks.
The younger one only exhaled because if that had been an option earlier from the day they met in Kindergarten when the smaller boy stole his crayons, Seungmin would've chosen it in a heartbeat: Similary to how Hyunjin would've chosen death than to walk in on the two friends after a hot shower, or even better, learn how to contain his oscar-nominated gasp, which now filled their bedroom.
“So!” Hyunjin smirked, clutching onto his red robe. “It’s that kind of studying session.”
"Don't you ever shut up!?" The blonde watched in amusement as his brother scrambled to his feet, and their house guest fell to his.
Jisung's hair defied gravity as it stood up in the air, but so did his fist as it neared Hyunjin's face. "Now, you wouldn't punch a pretty face, baby bro."
"If it makes you any less arrogant." The brunette tsked. "I might have to."
Hyunjin flinched before glimpsing at the brace-face brunette on the floor. "And what about you, Seungmin?"
"What about me, Hwang?" Seungmin scoffed, his soft doe eyes conflicting with his gruff tone.
Hyunjin said. "Oh, I don't know- what we're you doing on top of my brother?"
"What did you think I was doing?" He replied. "You know exactly how Jisung gets-"
Hyunjin raised an eyebrow, not noticing the lack of Jisung's fist in his face. "How does he get?"
"He celebrates and," Seungmin swallowed. "Gloats about it."
The blonde nodded, knowing the feeling well. "So, you pinned him against the ground because he was celebrating?"
"Well, uh." He sunk in on himself. "I guess."
"Without his consent?" Hyunjin asked.
Seungmin bite into his bottom lip. "Yeah..."
"Just, Just be careful, Seungmin." Hyunjin sighed before taking clothes from the dresser and exiting the room.
Eventually, the tension within the brothers' room faded into the background like most troubles in their young lives. Still, Jisung made sure to flash his friend a smile from time to time to lessen the accuracy of Hyunjin's words. This small action appeased Seungmin's racing mind but increased the rate of his flustered heart.
As the night soon came, Jisung found himself yawning into Seungmin's grasp as his body grew weaker with each passing round of Mario Party. A game much to Seungmin's speed, but even then, the brace-face brunette found himself absorbed into the world of the cute devil.
"Tired?" Seungmin questioned.
Jisung replied, "You have no idea."
"Should we quit then?" He asked.
"No, no!" Jisung exclaimed before pouting with sudden realization. "If we stop playing, then you'll have to go home."
Seungmin waved off his concern. "That's okay. I'm sure my moms are missing me by now."
"You think?" The brunette yawned. "Because if not, I won't hesitate to collect you like a Pokémon."
He broke out into a toothy smile. "Sounds frightening, Seo~"
"I know, right!" Jisung ignored his obvious sarcasm as he sat up with a long stretch.
Seungmin only rolled his eyes. "You're silly- besides, I'm the only boy. It'd be hard for them not to miss me."
"Yeah..." His voice trailed, "but you have six older sisters, 'Min."
The brunette grumbled. "Still."
A soft knock fell upon the bedroom door, swaying the pair of besties from their ongoing banter about whether Seungmin should stay or go. Of course, Seungmin didn't want to impose on the family by overstaying his welcome: even if they considered him a part of it. If it was up to Hyunjin, who waited at the door with a tapping foot, he'd tell the two to make up their damn minds already.
"Come on!!" Hyunjin groaned before slumping against the door with a noisy yawn. "Daddy's home, and I'm not sure how long he's offering free rides."
Jisung's eyes twinkled as it wasn't like their father to come home before midnight. "Dad's home...? Already?!"
"Yeah." He nodded with a slight smile. "I found it weird too, Ji."
Seungmin shook his head at the brothers. "In that case, I really should get going then."
"Are you sure?" Jisung questioned for the millionth time. "Because dad doesn't care if you stay or not! He thinks you're like family and-"
The brace-face teen's lips curved into a smirk. "Are you trying to kidnap me, Seo?"
"You know I have to try, dude!" The brunette lightly hit his shoulder. "Besides, Hyunjin won't try! Come on, die on my shoulder! Like you said earlier."
Seungmin knew lots of things without having to glare at Hyunjin. He knew that the blonde had a smirk written across his lips, he knew that his skin was somehow burning in the brothers' well-chilled bedroom, and lastly, Seungmin knew that the ride home wasn't going to be easy on him.
It wasn't. even after the brace-face teen threatened the seemingly perfect blonde with a gruesome murder scene, even after he greeted Mr. Seo with a bow and grabbed his shoes off the rack, and even after Jisung pulled him into a final goodbye hug, where Seungmin had to remind the teen he wasn't dying, but going home. Was there really a difference at his house, though?
Still, as Seungmin sat in the backseat of Mr. Seo's car, a car he's been in millions of times throughout the years as it isn't exactly easy to convince the kind-hearted father to let him take the late-night subway or bus. Apparently, it's not safe, but Seungmin figured those stories of creepy individuals lurking on public transportation were a Seo family tale as his mothers hadn't warned him of such.
Mr. Seo cranked down the radio. "Asleep yet, Seungmin?"
"No, sir!" His gaze left the passing streetlights. "Is something wrong?"
The man smiled, the soon aging lines clear on his face. "Nothing's wrong, relax."
"Oh," The teen stretched into a contagious yawn. "Then...?"
Mr. Seo swallowed the enlarged lump in his throat. "Err, you. It's, uh, you know I don't mind if you ever want to call me by, uh, my first name."
"I." Seungmin attempted to speak but was only met with ear-blushing silence.
The man noticed this as well. "We've known each other for a long time now, and... As you and Jisung get closer to adulthood, develop adult feelings-"
"M, Mr. Seo?" Seungmin mumbled into his hoodie, finally getting the courage to speak again.
He answered. "Yes?"
"What did," The brunette glared at the sleeping blonde in the passenger seat. "Hyunjin tell you?"
Although Seungmin wore glasses from the moment the sun peeked into his shared bedroom to the moment, he prayed himself to sleep. The teen wasn't blind, or at least not to the world around him. He noticed how Hyunjin tagged along in the car, despite always complaining about how far Seungmin lived. Or how Mr. Seo was oddly nervous, despite his naturally cool nature: Which neither of his sons seemed to inherit.
Seungmin squealed before the man could even get a word out. "We didn't! Haven't! Jisung and I aren't! Gosh, I'm gonna kill Hyunjin!"
"Wait!" His eyes widened. "I didn't- I'm not going to harm your son, sons? I would never! Jisung included. He's my best friend. Just my best friend, we've never, I haven't. Damnit- Shit sorry, sir."
The father remembered this feeling well as most high schoolers have a moment of pure humiliation in front of their first love's parents at some point, or in Seungmin's case, his best friend's father as Jisung is painfully oblivious to the teen's feelings. Either way, the man continued driving, but not without the absence of a cheeky grin on his lips, even as he reassured the teen with words that only a parent could have.
The reassurance hardly helped Seungmin as he found himself lying in bed hours after his mothers and sisters had entered their peaceful dream states. Seungmin had not reached this state. Wondering if making a deal with Jisung would've been less stressful than planning Hyunjin's figurative death.
After all, if you ever want Seo Jisung to do something for you, like change the smoke alarm, get the groceries out of the car, or wash the clothes, don't expect him to do it for free. However, if you're Kim Seungmin, owning the cute devil or a boy might be less embarrassing than admitting your crush to his father.