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"did he say he's coming?"
"jaehyuk, that was your hundredth time asking that question in the span of 30 minutes,"
"aye, i know you're waiting for him," jaehyuk said, a smirk on his face before placing a forkful of pasta they ordered from the nearest store. it is 10PM, at jihoon's place, december 31st.
the five (six, if junkyu will come) of them gathered together since none of them can go back their hometowns because of the snowstorm warning. so here they are, gathered on the living room, leaving the dinning table empty when they could eat from there, but the fireplace on their current spot just wouldn't let go of them (well, is it the other way around, actually).
jihoon looked at the time before opening his inbox, planning to message junkyu again, but he doesn't really know what to say. the latter did say that he will come, that is, if the like emoji meant he will when jihoon invited him to celebrate new year's eve with them. he doesn't want to look like he's desperate to the point that he'll message him for the 7th time today just for it to be left on read, although he really is but won't admit.
his best friend's response is very vague , but jihoon still has his hopes up nonetheless.
jihoon sighed a little bit too loud, making them glance at him,
"you think he will come after you basically dumped him on christmas eve?" all heads then turned to the one who spoke: yoshi, who earned mixed reactions from his friends.
jihoon eyed him, mouthing, what the hell? before everyone looked back at him again.
"park jihoon you did WHAT NOW?" hyunsuk dramatically asked, putting jihoon on the pit of curious and furious stares from all three of them, excluding yoshi who knows everything that happened.
"look LOOK!" jihoon massaged his temples to collect himself, "i did not expect him to confess, okay? at christmas eve, even!"
"what did you tell him?" it is now mashiho's turn to ask.
"nothing, i.. just sat there fighting for my life..," jihoon received sighs and facepalms from the bunch, "for the record, i was peacefully eating salad when he came and told me he loves me, okay? i choked and nearly unalived myself because of shock! on! a freaking! salad!"
what's funny is jihoon is dead serious about it, and you can see how his life passed by his face because of a life-and-death situation flashback he just did. man was traumatized— "so that's why you told me not to order salad for tonight's celebration?"
a moment of realization hit the five men, laughing, while jihoon just glared at them, obviously not amused on how his friends are enjoying his suffering... well to be honest he would've laughed too if this happened to someone else, "fuck y'all,"
"ninety-nine percent, he won't come!" jaehyuk said as if it is a public announcement of something news-worthy, "the remaining one percent is to spare our comrade's heart," pertaining to jihoon.
"do you want me to thank you for that?" jihoon asked an obvious rhetorical question, to which jaehyuk still answered just to piss him off, "no, but you can just bring out the bottles of beer we bought earlier so we could just drink the night out to express your gratitude,"
the other three cheered, leaving jihoon with no choice but to comply.
•••
11:45 pm
if i tell you messy is an understatement of how jihoon's place looks right now, believe me. a quarter left till new year, and the four of them are drunk dancing to the speakers blasting christmas evel till their hearts' content.
"and i'm gonna save the day from the dark forces!" drunk hyunsuk announced, jihoon's blanket around his neck as if it is his cape, yoshi even helping him with the wind effect, magically not bothering the coldness of the weather.
"mashi, where are you going?" jihoon, the only sober one (he did drink a little though), asked when the younger stood up, striding it's way to the kitchen.
"i'm gonna make salad," he replied shortly.
"NO SALADS. i don't even have the ingredients," and just after jihoon said that, a bag of what seemed like a can of fruit cocktail and cream on mashiho's hand suddenly appeared. he has no idea how and where on earth did he bought it, but he can't say no now that mashiho turned around and walked away again.
he doesn't know if he can leave a drunk mashiho unattended on his kitchen, but he has more trust on him than the trio he's with at the living room.
jaehyuk on the other hand is still drinking, so jihoon just joined him, sitting down beside the younger. he reluctantly accepted the bottle of beer that jaehyuk offered him, as he's really not a fan of alcoholic beverages.
he took a small sip, "10 more minutes, i heard there's a firework display at the central town, it's visible on my balcony,"
jaehyuk responded with a small laugh, "you think they can make it till midnight? look at those two,"
jihoon whipped his head towards his two friends, only to see them lying on the carpeted floor. it's actually plausible to see how they still managed to make jihoon's blanket as their mat considering how wasted they are. the owner of the blanket shook his head, "i'm not responsible for your hangovers tomorrow, just saying,"
"asahi said he will pick me up tomorrow, i don't know about the three of them though,"
jihoon nodded at him, before taking another sip, not realizing that he finished one already. he placed the bottle down on the mini table, looking at his clock.
8 minutes.
his mind wandered about a certain lad yet again (he has been for the whole time, actually): junkyu. will he come? is he okay? he will celebrate new year alone? they haven't really talked since last christmas because of what happened, and he's been reaching out for the past week but junkyu kept on ignoring him.
it's that freaking salad's fault!
"here,"
and just on time, mashiho placed a bowl of fruit salad he made, before collapsing himself down on jihoon's couch, as if his body forced shut down on itself.
he was about to ask jaehyuk to eat with him, but as soon as he was about to speak, a sleeping jaehyuk welcomed him too, "and they all left me with this mess, great!"
he stood up, turning off the loud music, picking the scattered bottles and other litters on the floor, when knocks echoed from the front door. not really expecting anything, jihoon remained on his place, until he heard knocks again, "park jihoon, are you gonna let me in or not?"
it's junkyu.
out of reflex, he hurriedly went on his way to where junkyu is, the bottles long forgotten as he carefully dropped them down on the carpet, making a faint thud. he arranged his clothes for a second before opening the door, to be greeted by the person he's been waiting for all night, "junkyu,"
jihoon smiled at him, his face red, not sure if it's from the alcohol or because of his blood rushing to his cheeks, but let's pretend it is the former.
junkyu flashed a small smile, walking inside the warmth that his body has been wanting, "the snow on the road was thick, so i waited for the workers to clear it. glad they still work at this hour when they're supposed to be with their families. it took a while, i'm sorry i wasn't able to inform you,"
"it's okay, i'm happy you're here,"
okay that's one courageous move, jihoon. the alcohol made him a little careless about his thoughts, and i don't really know if it's a bad or a good thing, but hey, nothing too serious is gonna happen, right?
they quietly walked their way towards the living room where the others are, seeing the other four sleeping soundly, "it's been a long time since i saw them this wasted, not even on christmas, what the hell?"
junkyu exclaimed, amused smile on his face as he roam around, taking pictures of them that he will surely post tomorrow. junkyu then turned to jihoon, "you look drunk as well, look at you,"
jihoon is relieved that junkyu isn't putting up an act on him because of what happened, "i may have drank a little, yes, but i can still manage, don't worry,"
"you have more left?"
jihoon nodded, pacing towards the table to get both of them a bottle of beer each, "let's stay at the balcony? the fireworks display is gonna start anytime soon,"
11:57 PM, three minutes.
it would be such a waste to leave the salad that mashiho made, so they brought it with them outside, setting up a table. it is colder than they expected it to be, the sliding door's glass leading to the balcony all fogged up, the cold seeping through their coats. they stood against the railings, table behind them.
"i thought you wouldn't come," jihoon started the conversation, handling the bottle he opened to junkyu.
junkyu snorted, "why?"
"well..." jihoon looked at his shoes, making prints on the snow, "i thought you hate me already,"
it made junkyu laugh louder, nudging jihoon on the shoulder, "what are you saying?" the bitterness taking over his mouth as he took a sip, "i literally just told you about my feelings a week ago,"
a minute passed.
that's something that jihoon didn't really expect... junkyu being so open about it. he became more conscious when junkyu scooted closer, their arms touching, his senses all heightened, "damn, it is cold,"
jihoon's gaze fell on junkyu's hands which are already red from cold, and without much thought, he reached for it, clasping their hands as he put both of it inside his pockets, keeping their hands warm. the gesture really flustered junkyu, that he just stood there for a few seconds, mind going everywhere, anywhere, but jihoon's hand on his still takes up 98% of his attention, the remaining two is about what is he gonna do next.
11:59PM, sixty seconds.
"why are you avoiding me though?"
junkyu didn't manage to think of anything else, so he's really glad when jihoon broke the growing silence between them, which is really rare because i can assure you that chaos always ensues whenever they are together. very different from what is happening right now.
"i am?"
"oh, don't play dumb!"
both of them laughed, fog coming from their mouths because of the cold weather which is probably just below 0 degrees celcius. good thing the snow storm ended already, but they are not sure when it'll come back, because it surely will.
junkyu sipped again, feeling the warmth go on his throat, "no, you're the one who shouldn't play dumb," junkyu looked at jihoon, "you know the answer to your own question,"
"do i?"
junkyu rolled his eyes at him, returning his gaze immediately, looking at how jihoon drink his whole bottle down on one shot. he felt jihoon's thumb drawing lines on the back of his hand, which is still inside the older's pocket, hotness gathering on his cheeks which is really questionable because of how cold it is, but it still felt like burning.
and to answer that question, of course jihoon does know.
"junkyu," jihoon called. he has thrown away all precautions and cowardness away from his body, which should be gone already since he knew his friend feels the same way, but here he is, finding courage through alcohol despite not being an alcoholic person.
but junkyu deserves to know, too, right? that he loves him too. that he doesn't need to distance himself because of the accident he didn't know will happen because of the salad, cue scoff, since he feels exactly what junkyu is feeling for him too.
"why?"
both of them looked at each other at the same time, their faces scream neutral but they both feel like they're about to explode just in time for new year. jihoon has a look of admiration plastered on his face, squeezing junkyu's hand in his pocket, while both of junkyu's eyebrows are raised as he wait for what jihoon is gonna say,
"can i kiss you?"
"what?"
it is when the clock strike 12AM, the fireworks display immediately starting to paint the night sky with the brightest of colors, making junkyu turn away from jihoon's eyes with his tinted cheeks.
but he felt jihoon's hand slip away from his hold, before feeling it on his cheeks, meeting jihoon's eyes once more. he blinked two times from shock, "jihoon, you're drunk" he managed to let out.
but jihoon just shook his head, seconds before their lips press against each other. junkyu had his eyes shut, following jihoon's lead, slowly making himself comfortable on jihoon's body, clinging his hands on his shoulders. they both tasted the beer they drank on their mouths, feeling hot all of a sudden despite the cold weather, not really minding if this is something they would regret later on.
junkyu felt jihoon smile against his lips, before slowly pulling away, both of his hands still on his cheeks, "i love you,"
not having a full grasp of what happened, junkyu panted loudly which was covered by the noise of the fireworks as he look below, feeling a little shy, "aren't you saying this just to save our friendship? i can understand if you don't really feel the same way, i swear! i don't mi—"
"do you want me to kiss you again to prove it?" jihoon asked, making junkyu press his lips to a thin line. the older laughed, "i was trying to talk to you for the whole week but you're ignoring me. i didn't mean to make it seem like i dumped you,"
jihoon said, having war flashbacks again, eyeing the salad on the table left untouched, fortunately, or history would've repeated itself.
"it did look like you dumped me," junkyu said, laughing about the thing that made him cry a week ago, "i was regretting it for the whole week, you know? and i can't bring myself to face you because of it,"
jihoon took hold of junkyu's hands again, "well, you don't have to!"
the fireworks display is still ongoing and jihoon heard it lasts for ten minutes, and it has been roughly eight minutes since it started, so they decided to watch the rest of the show with their hands intertwined.
"happy new year, junkyu,"
"happy to start the year with you, jihoon,"
they whispered as soon as it ended.
"are you staying over?"
"what else?" junkyu laughed, "unless you don't want me here,"
jihoon hugged junkyu's arms, "you ain't going anywhere!"
he won't let junkyu anyway, one long week of ignoring is already too much for him. it isn't worth sacrificing for the words left unsaid because the two are more than what they're feeling— they have the bond that everyone wishes to have.
isn't it so worthwhile to be spending the night cleaning up bottles on new year's day?
or maybe it's just each other's presence that makes it special.
"what about the four of them?" junkyu asked, laughing quietly as they entered jihoon's room after cleaning up. they washed themselves too, andd ofcourse jihoon lent some clothes for junkyu to wear.
"they can manage," jihoon replied, patting the space on the bed beside him, to which junkyu immediately understood. they turned off the lamp, bringing forth the darkness that prevailed on the room. it's been 30 minutes since they cleaned anyway, they are drunk and tired, wanting to rest but they just couldn't.
"did you wish for something?" junkyu asked.
"no?" jihoon replied, "you're here anyway,"
junkyu rolled his eyes at jihoon's cheesiness at 12:30AM, "i did,"
"what?"
"to clean up bottles with you on new year's day next year, too,"