Chapter Text
«»
To Beomgyu, Yeonjun was the sun. And once the sun came out, all the stars disappeared.
In other words, Beomgyu was in love with him. He loved every part of him, down to every last inch. There was just something so captivating about him, it pulled Beomgyu in deeper and deeper until finally, he was too far gone.
Yeonjun had him by the throat, (not that he was complaining, of course), and it was too late for him to fight his way out of his grip. Yet, he didn’t want to. He was perfectly fine where he was, watching his favorite person be happy, even though he wasn’t the cause of it.
His girlfriend was, and Beomgyu couldn’t lie, she was exceptionally pretty from the pictures he’d seen. He had never actually met her, though he wasn’t sure he wanted to because ever since they had broken up, Yeonjun had changed.
The boy didn’t know the details, his friends refusing to tell him because “that’s what he got for being out of town.” Beomgyu had decided he wanted to go to college and ended up picking the farthest one from his home. It was the best one, he had argued, but his friends were still upset at him for it.
It wasn’t his fault that that was the best out of them all. But anyway, he had come to visit them over the summer like he usually did every year, and at first, everything had seemed normal. When he first arrived, they were all excited to see him, and he was excited to see them too, of course, but he was especially excited to see him .
And Yeonjun has seemed perfectly normal. He had seemed like the happy, loving boy Beomgyu had come to fall in love with, but as the days wore on, he noticed slight changes in his behavior.
Like he would stop greeting them every morning when they came down for breakfast, or he would just walk past them in the halls without so much as a ‘hello.’
The others eventually started noticing it too, and just blamed it on the breakup, and Beomgyu did too, for a while.
But a tiny part of him couldn’t help but wonder if the changes were because he showed up.
«»
“Hyung! Do you want to come with us to go pick up some stuff from town?” Kai called, skipping down the stairs two at a time as he strode into the living room, grabbing the bagel Taehyun was about to put in his mouth.
“Who are you referring to by ‘us’?” Yeonjun questioned, remaining stone-faced even when the rest of them cracked up at Taehyun’s death glare as he began chasing the male around the living room.
“All of us!” Kai answered, screaming as the second youngest cornered him and began to tickle him.
He nodded slowly, not-so-subtly glancing at Beomgyu as he spoke. “I see…I think I’ll pass, thanks. I have to go down to the shop to er…work.”
“Oh…okay,” Kai mumbled, quieting down as he looked at Beomgyu too.
The boy just stared at the floor as he wrung his hands together, not very hungry anymore. Luckily, Soobin came to his rescue as he took one of the younger's hands and slipped his fingers in, giving it a small squeeze.
"Well, let's go then since we don't have to wait for anyone," Soobin voiced, glaring at Yeonjun as he did.
He simply shrugged, going back to whatever it was that he had been doing before they interjected. Beomgyu sighed, letting Soobin drag him by the hand as they all filed out of the house.
"Why did Yeonjun hyung look at you when he said he can't come?" Kai asked as they strolled around all the shops, looking for a certain one.
Beomgyu tried to seem indifferent as he answered. "I don't know, it's probably nothing."
And he left it at that because he didn't feel like explaining everything he had noticed over the few weeks he had been there. Even though the others had noticed them too, Beomgyu knew for a fact that they
didn’t see it the way he did. Soobin seemed to be the only person who was aware of the younger's feelings for Yeonjun, but they had never talked about it. He didn't want to, it's not like he felt the same way anyway.
The silence that followed was sickening, so Beomgyu decided he would get away for a few minutes and collect his thoughts.
"Where are you going, Gyu?"
He turned, greeted by the confused expression of Soobin, who had stopped in his tracks. The others noticed they had paused and came back to them, wearing the same puzzled look on their faces.
"Um, I'm going to go check out some stuff over there," he told them, pointing to the opposite side of the street that was lined with more shops and stalls.
"Okay, just be safe," the eldest warned, ruffling his hair.
"I will, hyung, don't worry."
The boy waved, giving them a small smile as he walked across the road, (after looking both ways, of course, he wasn't an idiot). He went into the first store he saw, making his way over to the very back. There was sure to be no one there, or so he had thought.
A boy was checking out some of the merchandise the store had to offer, and he didn't look too much older than Beomgyu, but he was definitely older. He had light blonde hair, a very defined jawline, and piercing eyes. But they were the kind that could turn soft if he was with the right person, and they did just that when he glanced up to see Beomgyu staring at him.
The younger felt like an idiot as a faint blush coated his cheeks, catching himself from staring at the stranger any longer than he already had. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare."
"It's fine, I don't blame you. I would stare at me too," he chuckled, his voice deep and appealing, something about it drawing Beomgyu in.
“Right…” the taller trailed, feeling his palms start to sweat. He was getting nervous, but why? And he didn’t want the conversation to end there, he wanted it to keep going. But once again he came back to the same question: why?
“I’ll save us both from the awkwardness. I’m Minhyuk, Lee Minhyuk,” the boy informed, reaching out a hand.
“Thank you, oh my god. Um, I’m Beomgyu, Choi Beomgyu.”
He wiped his hand on his pants, trying to make it look casual as he accepted Minhyuk’s hand, shaking it quickly.
“Nice to meet you, Beomgyu. I’ll see you around?” he grinned, winking as he let go.
“Y-Yeah, you will,” the younger breathed, watching him chuckle as he headed out. He didn’t miss the way he eyed him up and down, though, as he was leaving.
Beomgyu blinked. What the fuck just happened? Did he just meet the hottest guy ever in the back of some random store? And did the stranger fall for him? He definitely fell for him, who wouldn’t fall for the Choi Beomgyu?
But then again…who wouldn’t fall for Lee Minhyuk? Everything about him just seemed so…fascinating. His hair, the way he was dressed, and even his personality was exciting too.
Wait…had Beomgyu fallen for someone other than Yeonjun? No, it couldn’t be, right? It would always be Yeonjun, no matter what. Yet…
Ah, fuck it .
He bolted out of the shop, hoping to make a right guess as he took a left that led toward the beach. Beomgyu prayed that that’s where Minhyuk was headed (though he wasn’t sure why he cared so much) as he continued to quicken his pace, expecting to see a glimpse of at least his clothes, if not his face.
After a few twists and turns, his eyes caught his target, and he speeded up even faster so that he was practically running now. But before he could get there, he also saw the familiar faces of his friends, who had seen him too and were making their way over to him. He slowed to a halt, looking anywhere but at them as he pretended to watch a child trip on her shoes, scraping her knees in the process. That looked like it hurt.
"Hey, there you are! What are you doing over here?"
Beomgyu turned to face the voice, putting on a smile. "I was...looking for you guys! Yeah, um, the stores over there were pretty boring so I thought I could join you instead."
"Uh huh...then why were you running?" Taehyun pressed, to which he got a tap on the nose in return.
"I need to get those steps in," the elder joked, earning him a playful smack to the chest.
"Anyway, we got what we needed, so let's go back, yeah?"
They nodded in agreement and took off in the direction of the house, discussing the weird kinds of people you could meet on the streets. But Beomgyu's only coherent thoughts were about Minhyuk and when he could see him again. He didn't know why, and that seemed to be his answer for a lot of things lately. Not that he cared, as long as he did get to see him again, Beomgyu was fine with anything.
«»
He stared at the sky, watching the different shades blend into each other creating a beautiful sunset. Cambridge had its fair share of pretty sunsets, and Beomgyu was glad that he had chosen to go to college there.
But he had forgotten how exceptional the sunsets were back home in Los Angeles as well.
Beomgyu shook his head, a little too aggressively as he tried to clear his brain. No matter how hard he tried to distract himself, his thoughts always wandered back to Minhyuk. What frustrated him, even more, is that he didn’t know why .
Upset and annoyed, the boy kicked a stone across the cement, watching it tumble off the balcony and onto the patio below. All he needed was to clear his head and it wasn't working. Screw Lee Minhyuk for being so hot, and charming, and mysterious, and-
"You good?"
The male turned to the source of the voice, cursing under his breath when it was the person he least wanted to see. "What are you doing out here?"
"I could ask you the same thing," Yeonjun countered, walking to stand next to him as he leaned his arms on the dusty railing.
Beomgyu rolled his eyes, crossing his arms as he continued to stare at the elder's unbothered figure. "I was thinking."
"About what?"
"...Stuff."
Yeonjun cocked an eyebrow, glancing at him briefly. "What kind of stuff?"
"Why do you need to know?" the younger snapped, getting defensive. Yeonjun raised his hands in surrender, lowering them to pull a small box out of his pocket.
"I just wanted to know if anything was bothering you," he told him, opening the box and taking out a small, white stick.
Beomgyu watched, confused with his mouth agape as the other pulled out another object from his pocket in the shape of a square. He opened it, and the inside ignited a small flame, which he applied to the stick he had between his pointer and middle finger. The younger sucked in a breath, the realization dawning on him. Yeonjun was...smoking.
"Why are you smoking?" Beomgyu demanded, feeling the queasiness arise in his stomach.
None of it made sense. Yeonjun never smoked, he always swore he would never do things like that. He had laughed, saying it was dumb to want to ruin your lungs on purpose, and the younger had agreed. They had promised each other they would never do anything of the sort, all five of them. Yet there he was, standing right in front of him as he took a puff from his cigarette, and he turned to look at Beomgyu again.
"Because I want to," he answered flatly as if it explained everything.
"You promised that you wouldn't do something like this, ever. All of us did. What's gotten into you?"
Yeonjun exhaled, watching the smoke drift into the sky before disappearing. "Things have changed since you last came here, Beomgyu. People have changed, circumstances have changed."
The younger gripped the railing tightly, focusing on the sun setting in the distance as he spoke. "Was it her?"
It was silent, with no reply from the other as he continued to smoke. Beomgyu knew he knew who he was talking about. Yeonjun's ex-girlfriend, almost fiancé, Seo Ji-a.
"Yes."
The confession was so quiet that Beomgyu almost thought he imagined it. But he knew he didn't when the elder looked at him with a warning gaze.
"Why, hyung? What did she do to you?"
Beomgyu wasn't supposed to know anything about their relationship, but he felt like he deserved more than just a few random details here and there mentioned by the others. Just because he didn't live there anymore didn't mean they could exclude him like that. It did sting, but he had to push it to the back of his mind so they wouldn't question him.
"Nothing. She just gifted me this lighter one day with a carving of two swans on it, saying they represented soulmates or whatever, and so I accepted. What else was I supposed to do, shove it back in her face?"
He pulled out the lighter again and showed it to him, and from the dim glow cast by the sun, he could make out two intricately carved swans. Their long necks were curved into a half-heart shape, and together the swans completed the heart. It was beautiful, he couldn't deny it, but the fact that he was still smoking angered him.
"Do the others know?" Beomgyu couldn't help but ask as it tumbled out of his lips.
Slowly, the elder shook his head. "No."
"...Why tell me then?" It was a stupid question, but he wanted to why the other thought it was okay to tell him and not everyone else.
"You're different, Gyu. You and I both know that."
"Different how?"
He didn't answer, infuriating the younger. How was he different? Beomgyu was just like the rest of his friends, the only difference was that he went to school on the other side of the world. That was hardly enough to set him that much apart from the others. There was just one thing that put Yeonjun in a different category from the rest for Beomgyu, and that was his feelings for the former. What could it be for Yeonjun?
Beomgyu sighed, his expression morphing into disgust when the elder offered him the smoking device. The blonde chuckled. "I should've known you weren't brave enough."
"It's not that I'm not brave enough, it's because- you know what, forget it," he huffed, rolling his eyes. It's not like promises were important to the other anyway.
Yeonjun gazed at him, reaching a hand up to brush against his cheek. The younger flinched at the touch, forcing himself not to pay any attention to the hurt that flickered through Yeonjun's eyes. Beomgyu usually wouldn't move away from the elder's touch, he craved it if anything. But it felt different this time, maybe the moment just wasn't right. He shrugged it off, focusing on the more pressing issue.
"Beomgyu-"
"No, hyung. Why are you doing this? You don't smoke. And you and Ji-a broke up, you don't have a reason to use the lighter! Just tell me, why ?" the black-haired pleaded, desperately wanting to know the truth.
The other turned away, ignoring him as he exhaled again. But Beomgyu wasn't going to let this go.
"If she truly loved you, she wouldn't have gifted you that," he whispered, feeling tears gather in his eyes. The boy knew he had overstepped his boundaries, but Yeonjun needed to hear it. He had made it clear that he would never smoke, but he was doing it anyway.
Yet instead of shouting, throwing the cigarette butt in his face, or even just disagreeing, Yeonjun remained absolutely still as he spoke. "Maybe she never did."
«»
“Hey, I heard there’s going to be a bonfire at the beach tonight. You guys down on going?”
Beomgyu’s head whipped up immediately, much too fast for his liking as he tried to act normal. “Is like, everyone from town going to be there?”
Soobin raised an eyebrow at the question. “Yeah…why?”
The younger shrugged, pretending to play with his hair. “No reason, just curious. I wanted to see everyone because I haven’t been here for a hot minute.”
“Uh huh…why do I feel like there’s something you aren’t telling us?” Soobin pressed, setting his phone aside to pay all his attention to Beomgyu. Great, just what he needed. The others were interested too, putting a halt to whatever they were doing to listen to the conversation he and Soobin were about to have. Well, everyone besides Yeonjun, he couldn’t seem to care less.
Beomgyu but his lip, deciding to keep it short and simple. “There’s nothing. Is it so bad to want to see everyone after a full year?”
“Not when you hate all the people in the damn town except for a select few,” Yeonjun muttered, grabbing his chocolate milk from the fridge as he too decided to listen in on their conversation.
The younger turned to glare at him, his knuckles turning white as his hands curled into fists on his knees. “You’re included.”
He didn’t know why he was so riled up, but Yeonjun’s mood had been bugging him lately. And Beomgyu knew it wasn’t just him feeling that way, the others were too. Their earlier conversation was still ringing in his ears, contributing to his sudden mood swing.
“In what?”
“Everyone I hate here,” Beomgyu spat harshly, standing up from his spot and storming up the stairs to his room, ignoring Taehyun and Kai’s worried calls.
He would go to that stupid bonfire, and he was going to look hot doing it. Beomgyu searched through his luggage for something acceptable, since he hadn’t bothered to unpack all his stuff for some odd reason.
After turning his room upside down, he finally found a piece that he deemed good enough.
It was a plain brown mini dress, ending around his mid-thighs. The garment came along with a lace cover-up in a darker shade of brown, which he tied across the front. The cover-up was short-sleeved and see-through with a low neckline, earning some points in the sexy category.
It was cute and simple since it was only a bonfire anyway. Beomgyu completed the look with some gold jewelry and a half-up half-down hairstyle. The top layer of his hair had been pulled up into a messy ponytail, and the lower layer fell freely, ending just above his shoulders.
He decided he would add some gloss to his lips and flecks of gold on his eyelids, using it as an excuse to show off his brown irises.
Beomgyu stepped back from his mirror, deciding the look was complete before grabbing his bag and heading out of the room, going down the stairs. He ignored everyone’s reactions to his outfit, though they were all positive as he stole a quick glance at Yeonjun from beneath his bangs.
The male was looking straight at him, and his expression was…unexpected. Beomgyu hadn’t been anticipating that Yeonjun would even look at him, but there he was, standing in the middle of the living room gawking . The younger stifled a laugh as he opened the main door, about to head out before a hand caught his wrist.
He turned, half-expecting to see Kai or Soobin telling him to wait for them, but it was Yeonjun.
“Everything okay?”
Beomgyu didn’t mean it, he couldn’t care less, but why had he stopped him from going?
“You…you look beautiful, Beommie.”
The younger’s breath caught in his throat as he met Yeonjun’s eyes. Did he just call him beautiful? Choi Yeonjun calling him beautiful? There was no way.
“Um, thank you,” he mumbled, his stare flickering to their hands.
There was a hint of a smile on Yeonjun’s lips as pulled him forward, placing his other arm around Beomgyu’s waist as he let his wrist go. The elder brushed the pad of his thumb against his cheek, ignoring the wind whipping their hair and stinging their eyes.
“What are you doing, hyung?”
It took everything in Beomgyu not to stutter at that moment, as he forced himself to stay still, wanting the moment to last. It felt right, unlike last time.
The other didn’t respond, his eyes lingering on Beomgyu’s lips for just a few seconds before he let him go, just like that.
Beomgyu blinked. Had he imagined that or did it really just happen? It had been too quick to tell.
“I’m uh, going to be late. I should get going…” the younger chuckled nervously, taking a step backward.
“Yeah, I’m not going to keep you waiting. Who am I to do that anyway?”
And he turned and went inside, Taehyun and the others coming out seconds after.
Beomgyu scoffed, rolling his eyes as all the emotions he had just been feeling disappeared. “Asshole.”
No one had anything to say to that, so they all took the short walk to the beach in silence. Beomgyu kicked pebbles as he walked, replaying the moment he had had with Yeonjun prior.
It was different than all the others was all he could come up with. Every time Yeonjun did something like that, for example: pulling him close, playing with his hair, or tracing his fingers along his face, Beomgyu’s chest got that warm fluttery feeling.
And he always craved for more . Every single time, he wanted the elder to take it further, keep it going. But it was like Yeonjun knew that and was just teasing him. He always pulled away quickly, right when Beomgyu was going to lose all his self-control and give in.
“What were you and Yeonjun hyung talking about?”
Beomgyu snapped out of his thoughts, being welcomed by the curious voice of Taehyun. “Um, nothing, I wasn't really paying attention.”
He looked like he wanted to inquire further, but the elder looked away before he could. Honestly, why did Taehyun care so much? Even earlier at the shops, he wanted to know what was going on. Couldn't he just leave it be?
No, Taehyun just cares about you. People do that .
The male exhaled, realizing what a bitch he was being to the poor boy who just wanted to strike a conversation. Beomgyu glanced up, seeing the younger also staring at the ground as they turned the corner, the beach just up ahead.
"Hey, Taehyun-ah," he called, perking the said boy's interest.
"Yeah?"
Beomgyu stayed silent, carefully slipping his fingers into the other's and giving it a small squeeze. The younger glanced at him from underneath his hair, a growing smile on his lips. He squeezed back, and the two of them continued to walk hand in hand.
Any time one out of the two of them upset each other in any way, they would intertwine fingers and squeeze their hands as a silent apology. It had always been that way, for as long as Beomgyu could remember. Because Taehyun was his best friend, and fights were inevitable, but they could get through them together.
"Well, we're here," Soobin said as the party came into view. There were lots of people, most of them holding a red solo cup in hand as they mingled amongst themselves. A few were circled around the bonfire itself, while others were busy making out on the sand.
Beomgyu liked to think of himself as a party person. He had always enjoyed them, getting scarily drunk to forget his name as he just wanted to have a good time. And every single time, without fail, Yeonjun would always be by his side to take care of him and nurse his painful hangovers in the morning. But now, Yeonjun wasn't here and he was going to have to do it alone. But that was okay because he had a certain someone lurking in his brain that he wanted to find. Someone who had corrupted all of his thoughts since the minute they had met.
"I'm going to go get a drink," Beomgyu informed, untangling his fingers from Taehyun's as he gave them all a small smile.
"Okay, we're going to be over there," Soobin pointed to a small, empty patch of sand that was yet to be taken over.
He nodded, waving as he turned on his heel. Beomgyu had no intention of hanging out with his friends tonight. If it was true, and everyone from town was said to be here, then Minhyuk would be too. The male grabbed a cup, pouring different contents into it as he hadn't bothered to read the labels of them. It didn't matter to him anyway.
Beomgyu hummed, searching the crowd for any signs of Lee Minhyuk. He recognized some of the people, being as he had grown up here, but most of them seemed new and different. It was exciting, or maybe that was the alcohol kicking in as he took another sip of his creation.
All these new faces around him were starting to make him dizzy, but he ignored the sensation as he continued to search for the boy. Was the alcohol supposed to kick in this quickly? He never remembered it being this fast. Or was it because he had mixed a bunch of things together? Maybe he should start reading the labels next time...
Ah! There he was, his target was in sight! He was sitting around the bonfire, talking away with some other people as he laughed and took sips out of his cup. Beomgyu smiled to himself, making his way over to him. He kneeled and tapped his shoulder from behind, wanting to surprise him.
He turned around, slightly confused until he recognized who it was. "Beomgyu?"
"Mhm, I found you!" the younger giggled, sitting next to him as he took a long swig of his drink.
"Well, that was sooner than I had anticipated. But it's good to see you," Minhyuk grinned, eyeing his outfit as he looked him up and down again.
The younger found that quite hot, licking his lips as he gazed at him. "I like it when you do that."
"Yeah? Do what?"
"Look at me like that."
The elder smiled again, scooting closer to him. "Well, I could look at you all day, babe. You look beautiful tonight.”
Beomgyu frowned, feeling like the sentence was a tad bit familiar. He swear he had heard it somewhere before, but he ignored it, swishing his drink around as he drank from it again. "Y'know, I've been thinking about you."
"Thinking about me?" the blonde questioned, yet a hint of a smile was peeking at his lips.
"Yeah, you sparked my interest for some reason. I don't know what it is, but it's annoying," Beomgyu grumbled, meeting the elder's eyes.
"I've been thinking about you too, Beomgyu," Minhyuk admitted, bringing a finger to the other's lips as he traced around them.
The younger smiled at that, setting his cup down in the sand. It took him a second to focus, blinking the blurriness out of his eyes. "Really?"
Minhyuk chuckled, nodding as he moved his hand to play with Beomgyu's hair. The black-haired leaned into his touch, eyes fluttering closed. He felt so safe in the elder's touch like it was always meant to be that way. Where had he been all those summers ago?
Beomgyu opened his eyes, his breath getting stuck in his throat as he realized how close the other was to him. He could count how many eyelashes were on each of his eyes, though he felt like his brain would explode with the effort. The younger also couldn't help but admire his eyes. They were so pretty with the light from the fire casting a glow on them.
The black-haired leaned in closer before a movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned his head, ever so slightly, and felt like vomiting on the spot. There, just a few feet away, sat Yeonjun and some random girl making out aggressively.
His heart shattered. Had he already moved on from Ji-a so quickly that he wanted someone new? And why didn't he just come with the rest of their group? Why come alone? Beomgyu's hands clenched into fists at his sides, but he swiftly dropped them when he realized that Minhyuk was still there, waiting. Whatever Yeonjun had meant about Beomgyu being "different" from the others didn't matter to him anymore. He had someone who cared about him and appreciated him. It was time to move on.
Without hesitation, the younger smirked before closing the distance between them and capturing Minhyuk's lips. The blonde kissed him back eagerly, letting his hands explore Beomgyu before cupping his face. He didn't know if it was the sudden adrenaline rush from the drinks or his own decision, but he adjusted himself on the elder's lap comfortably.
"There are people here, love," Minhyuk mumbled, trailing kisses down his neck as the younger gripped his shirt.
"They're all doing the same thing. We can do it better," he slurred, wrapping his arms around the other’s neck as the older boy rested his hands on his hips.
Beomgyu tilted the elder’s head upward, pressing their lips together as he felt their tongues collide. It was messy, the two of them barely aware of what they were doing because of the alcohol messing with their heads. At some point, they were laying on the ground, Beomgyu on top of the elder as he panted heavily.
“You’re good at this,” Minhyuk noted, out of breath as he licked his swollen lips.
“I’ve had practice.”
“So have I.”
Before he knew it, they were back at it again, mouth against mouth, tongue against tongue. Beomgyu barely registered whatever the other had whispered in his ear, but he chose to ignore it as he gripped the loops on his jeans.
Minhyuk pulled away, a mysterious grin on his lips as he spoke. “Not here, baby. We don’t want to give them too good of a show.”
The younger rolled his eyes, getting off of him and grabbing his drink from the ground. Minhyuk walked over, sitting on the space beside him.
“So, are you going to be a dick and just use me for a make-out session, or am I good enough to get your number?”
Beomgyu swallowed thickly, setting his cup down again. The question was direct, straight to the point. And he liked that. Minhyuk knew what he wanted, and the younger was no different. He wasn’t going to play him as he did to all the others he had kissed. Why not give something new a try?
“I’m usually a dick, but I guess I’ll make an exception for you.”
The elder laughed, taking his phone out of his pocket and handing it to him. Beomgyu accepted it, his brain scrambling as he tried to remember the digits of his phone number. After multiple failed attempts, he finally managed to punch in the numbers that seemed correct.
He handed it back to Minhyuk, almost dropping the phone. “I’m not certain that’s correct, but I gave up on trying.”
“You really are drunk, huh?” he chuckled, tucking a strand of the younger’s hair behind his ear.
“Mhm!”
“Do you remember everything the next morning when you drink?”
Beomgyu considered lying, unsure as to why. If he said no, it would probably hurt the other’s emotions, and even though the younger was a bad person, he wasn’t that bad of a person.
“Yeahhh, do you?”
The elder nodded, Beomgyu smiling contently. Both of them would remember the eventful night tomorrow, and maybe this could be the start of something new, something amazing.
“Hey, do you want to meet up tomorrow morning and get to know each other a bit more?”
Beomgyu blinked. By the looks of it, he had just gotten asked out subtly. Or it was just a question. He couldn't really tell anymore as he decided to grant his request.
“Why not? Just text me.”
It fell silent, the younger reaching for his cup for what seemed to be the hundredth time that night, and he frowned as it seemed heavier than it was the last time he had held it. Beomgyu squinted at it, slowly registering that someone had refilled his drink for him while he wasn’t looking, and while he knew that wasn’t safe…he didn’t seem to care. It didn’t feel like the first time, anyway. He probably just noticed it now.
The younger brought it up to his lips, about to take a drink when a hand yanked it out of his own.
“Hey, that was mine! Don’t be mean~” Beomgyu practically whined as he tried to grab it back, and failed miserably.
“Yah, don’t be an idiot. This drink is probably spiked, who knows who refilled it! I think we’ve played enough, don’t you?” Minhyuk scolded lightly, setting the drink down and forcing the younger to look at him.
“No, more play,” the black-haired denied, making grabbing motions for his cup.
Minhyuk rolled his eyes, standing up and waiting for the other to do the same. The boy tried to get up on his own, wobbling as he collapsed on the older boy, barely conscious anymore.
The elder sucked in a breath, draping an arm around Beomgyu’s shoulders to keep him steady as they walked. “Can you tell me your address? I can walk you home.”
Instead, Beomgyu giggled, tapping the other’s nose. “I see your game, silly. I’m not telling you my address! Plus, I came here with some friends. They’re probably wondering where I am.”
Minhyuk’s cheeks flushed, and he cleared his throat before answering. “N-no, that’s not what I meant. And I don’t know your friends so it would be better and safer if I walked you-"
“S’okay, don’t worry, Minhyukie. I’ll find them on my own."
The elder stopped in his tracks, turning his head to glance at the boy in his arms. “How many drinks did you have?”
“I don’t know, I lost count. Someone kept refilling them for me…” he hiccuped, avoiding the other’s gaze.
“And you didn’t think to tell me?! Beomgyu-“
“S…Stop yelling at me. I don’t like it,” the younger mumbled, shutting Minhyuk up instantly.
He didn’t get why the other was yelling at him, but his voice was so loud . It made his ears ring, and when Beomgyu was brave enough to attempt to focus on his features, he couldn’t. The boy didn’t remember feeling this way after getting drunk, something felt off. But he didn’t know what.
“Hey, I’m sorry. Look, I’m just worried about you,” the elder tried, and he said some more after that but Beomgyu didn’t hear him. He was too busy focusing on a blurry blob in front of him which looked strikingly familiar.
The younger could make out blonde hair, and that laugh…he swore he could recognize it anywhere. So without thinking, Beomgyu launched himself into the familiar stranger’s arms, instantly feeling them embrace him.
He heard someone shouting his name, and it sounded like the stranger so he responded what best he could. “I knew it was you!”
Slowly, he could start to make out some words. They were asking…Minhyuk questions. And the stranger and some new person were questioning him.
“Beomgyu, respond if you can understand us! It’s Kai and Taehyun, we’re here to help you, hyung.”
Those names alerted something in his brain, and it took everything in him to force his mouth open as he clung tighter to the stranger. He didn’t know who was holding him, Kai or Taehyun, so he decided to call him stranger. “You guys seem familiar…”
“Oh my god, what did that man do to you-"
Beomgyu blinked confusedly until he remembered who he was with just a few seconds ago. “No! M-Minhyukie didn’t do anything, he helped me!”
More shouting could be heard, so the younger removed himself from the stranger, raising his finger to silence everyone. “He…he saved me! You guys don’t understand, he was gonna take me home but I said no because of the rest of you, and then he-“
“Shh, it’s okay, Gyu. We understand, let’s just go home now, hm?”
“Home,” Beomgyu repeated wearily, reaching his arms out for the stranger again. He didn’t think he would be able to stand for much longer on his own, though he was surprised he was already.
Thankfully, a pair of arms encircled him again and the boy leaned into the warmth, shutting his eyes as he let the darkness finally overtake him.
The last thing he heard was “Good night, Beomgyu,” before he drifted off.
«»
He awoke groggily to the sound of a notification buzzing on his phone, twice, and Beomgyu wanted nothing more than to smack whoever gave it to him severely . The boy opened his eyes, regretting the action almost immediately as bright white light sliced into his corneas. He twisted in the covers, slowly processing his surroundings to be his room.
As the spots faded away from his eyes, an immediate headache took over, Beomgyu wincing in pain. He despised hangovers the next day, but the boy got drunk often so it kind of came with the package.
Beomgyu groaned, pushing the blankets back as he sat upright, holding his head. Getting up slowly, the male was starting to get his memories back from yesterday.
He had found Minhyuk, made out with him, they had talked…and then he didn’t remember anything after that. It was strange, Beomgyu always remembered what happened when he was drunk. What was so different this time?
Beomgyu rolled his eyes, grimacing from the action almost immediately afterward. He would just ask one of his friends what had happened. He went into the bathroom, brushing his teeth as he looked at himself in the mirror.
His hair was disheveled and his lips were still a little bit swollen. Somehow, he had ended up in his pajamas and the makeup had been removed off his face. Beomgyu smiled softly, making a mental note to thank whoever had done it later.
After finishing up, he decided to head downstairs to fix up something quick. Skipping down the stairs, he realized he forgot to check his phone as he set it on the kitchen counter, glancing at the notifications.
There were two messages from an unknown number, but they seemed sweet enough.
good morning ☀️
it’s minhyuk btw, we still on for that date?
Beomgyu smiled, humming as he reached into the cabinet for a mug. He heard footsteps shuffling into the room behind him, intriguing the boy’s interest. No one else was supposed to be awake at the hour, it was barely eight.
He turned, and clutched the glass in his hand tightly, wanting to throw it at the newcomer.
“What are you doing here?” Beomgyu asked through gritted teeth, setting the cup down before he could break it.
Yeonjun looked confused and slightly bored as he answered. “I could ask the same thing to you.”
The younger scoffed at the wordplay, grabbing milk from the fridge and pouring it into his glass. Beomgyu had remembered that before he had made out with Minhyuk, he had seen Yeonjun kissing another girl at the bonfire.
It seemed kind of bitchy, kissing someone just because the person you’ve been in love with for years still hasn’t noticed you. But Beomgyu didn’t care, he didn’t care about a lot of things, and he was okay with that.
“Anyway, who’s that?”
Beomgyu turned to where the elder was pointing at his phone, looking at the texts Minhyuk had sent earlier. “None of your business.”
The other blinked, rubbing the back of his nape awkwardly. “Okay…well, do you want to go grab some breakfast in town for the others?”
“And since when do you care about them, or me for that matter? I have other places to be,” the younger hissed, downing his milk in one go before placing it in the sink. He grabbed his phone and headed out the door, leaving a dumbfounded and upset Yeonjun in his wake.
Beomgyu knew he had taken it a bit too far, but after seeing him make out with that girl like that…he was glad he wasn’t there to experience his relationship with Ji-a. The boy didn’t know what he would do if he saw them together, and he didn’t want to think about it so he pushed the thought to the back of his mind.
He opened his phone, realizing he never answered the messages.
good morning :)
yeah im ready, im omw rn
The male also saved the number to his contacts, since he knew he wouldn’t remember later.
For now, all he would focus on was Minhyuk, because anything else would be too much for him to handle.