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“Have you ever been pumpkin picking?” Changbin asks out of the blue.
Hyunjin looks up from his sketchbook, quirking an eyebrow. “Hmm?”
“Pumpkin picking.” Changbin holds out his phone, gesturing to an image of a happy couple in a field full of round, bright orange pumpkins. “Like for Halloween…”
Leaning over, Hyunjin lets out a small, derisive snort. “Of course not. There’s nothing like that here, is there?” he asks with an eye roll, shaking his head. He quickly regrets it when he sees Changbin’s face fall.
“Oh. Yeah. You’re right,” Changbin replies as he sits back, trying to hide his disappointment as he flips away from the image, fiddling with his phone awkwardly.
There’s tension for a few moments before Changbin laughs at something, showing Hyunjin his phone again with a funny clip. Everything seems to return to normal, but there’s something nagging at the back of Hyunjin’s mind now.
—
It’s a few days later, and Hyunjin is sitting with Jisung when he’s reminded of the conversation with Changbin.
“What’s special about picking pumpkins?”
“Huh?” Jisung pulls his gaze away from his notebook.
“Going out and picking pumpkins. Is it like… I don’t know… an important event of some sort?”
Jisung taps his pen against his chin. “Where’s this coming from?”
“Changbin-hyung asked if I’d been pumpkin picking before and I said no. But he didn’t explain why he asked…”
Jisung’s mouth is in the shape of a small ‘o’ as he looks at Hyunjin, seeming to weigh his options in his mind before speaking. “Well, I’ve heard that it’s a cute date idea. Going out to get a pumpkin with someone you like. And it’s also like a promise to spend more time together because usually you’d carve the pumpkin with that person as well.”
When he chances a glance at Hyunjin, Jisung grins as he notices how flustered he looks.
“I see…” Hyunjin says slowly.
“So maaaaybeeee,” Jisung drags out the syllables. “Binnie-hyung wanted to ask you to go pumpkin picking with him.”
Hyunjin abruptly stands. “I uh… forgot something I have to do,” he blurts out, before leaving the room and an amused Jisung behind.
—
Between schedules and practice, Hyunjin does his best to search for any pumpkin patches nearby but every lead he gets ends with nothing helpful. He knows it’s not really a Korean tradition, but he thought maybe since Halloween was being celebrated more.
Every dead end just adds to the sting he feels when he remembers the look on Changbin’s face when he had inadvertently shot down the idea. It only strengthens his determination, however, and in the end he decides that if he can’t find a pumpkin patch, he’ll make do with whatever he can.
Halloween is approaching swiftly, and he only has so much time to set his plan in motion.
—
With some advice from Felix and Jisung, Hyunjin finally picks a day where their schedules are light to ask Changbin to run a few errands with him. He tries to ignore the butterflies in his stomach when Changbin almost trips over himself as he eagerly agrees.
First stop is some coffee. It’s a fairly chilly day out, though Hyunjin is secretly pleased because all of the things he had read definitely said enjoying a warm beverage made the date cozier. And even though he is presently the only one aware that it’s a date, he hopes Changbin will agree with the sentiment when he finds out as well.
Following the directions on his phone, they take transit until they reach an area a little ways out of the city. There, the foliage is turning, and it’s truly a sight to behold. Hyunjin is really starting to understand why this is such a popular date idea, and he nudges Changbin, pointing out how pretty the trees look.
Changbin nods in agreement, though he is starting to get a little curious as to why they’re out this way. Hyunjin just continues to lead him as he proceeds along the route.
It’s a peaceful walk, and Hyunjin even manages to casually loop his arm through Changbin’s, keeping them close together. He’s thankful he had the foresight to dress casually, as even though he wanted to look as cute as possible for a date, it was better if they could go unrecognized. Conversation is light and relaxed, and Hyunjin finds he’s laughing as much as he is talking, Changbin being absolutely charming.
Reaching their destination, there’s a large market set up with rows and rows of produce, and Hyunjin is glad to spot what he’s looking for almost right away. They meander together down the aisle, stopping at a few stalls before they make their way to the star of the show.
It’s not a huge selection, but there’s a good number of bright orange pumpkins sitting on display.
“I know it’s not exactly the same,” Hyunjin starts. “But I thought maybe you’d like to pick a pumpkin with me? And we could… take it back to the dorm to carve?”
He immediately feels nervous that his idea isn’t as good as he originally thought, and he fidgets as he watches Changbin realize what’s happening. And then he’s being dragged into a tight hug, which he allows himself to relax into and return.
“I’m sorry for how I reacted when you first brought it up. If I had known you were trying to suggest a date idea, I wouldn’t have been rude about it. So I wanted to make it up to you.”
Changbin pulls back, looking at Hyunjin with wide eyes. “A date? This is a date?”
Hyunjin is suddenly hit with the idea that maybe he had read it all wrong, and now he’s just embarrassed himself and made things awkward. “I… uh… I thought… Jisung said that pumpkin picking was a good date idea, and I just… if you don’t want-…”
“I do!” Changbin blurts out before Hyunjin can keep rambling. “I just didn’t think that you…” He looks adorably flustered, and Hyunjin offers a smile.
“You do?”
“Yea.”
“So then this is a date?”
The smile he receives in response warms him more than the coffee did before.
“Definitely,” Changbin replies, reaching out and taking Hyunjin’s hand in his. Their fingers interlock, and Hyunjin can’t keep the giddy grin from creeping onto his face.
“Alright, then let’s pick a pumpkin!” Changbin says, pulling Hyunjin to the stand.
They spend the next few minutes debating over which pumpkin is the best, arguing playfully until they end up settling on two pumpkins and paying for them. Hyunjin thinks the high price is well worth it, even for something that isn’t going to really have a practical use.
Pumpkins acquired, they walk around the market a bit longer, picking out a few more items until they decide it’s time to head back to the dorms.
The trip home is spent with them sitting close together and whispering between themselves. Hyunjin feels giddy as Changbin brings up the prospect of more dates and other cute things they could do. And while Hyunjin knows that they’ll never beat Jisung and Minho for most sickeningly sweet couple, he thinks that just maybe he and Changbin can give them a run for their money.
Once back at the dorm, they set up everything they would need to carve the pumpkins and get started.
Changbin does most of the initial work as Hyunjin quickly discovers that the texture of the inside of the pumpkin is not his cup of tea at all. He tries to help, but the cold, slimy insides just make him cringe, and it’s easier to take Changbin’s teasing about it than it is to touch the goop.
When it comes time to pick a design, Hyunjin quickly sketches his idea onto his pumpkin, a cute rendering of Dwaekki. And when Changbin shows him his own idea - a little Jiniret - Hyunjin is even more certain they’ll be able to give Minsung a taste of their own medicine.
Carving the images out proves to be tougher than drawing, but in the end they’re both happy with the results. They don’t have any tea light candles to put inside, but Hyunjin manages to find a few small scented candles that work just as well, even if the scents of ‘ocean mist’ and ‘lavender breeze’ are a little strange among the general pumpkin smell.
After everything is cleaned up, they settle down on the couch, putting on a movie and curling up together, albeit awkwardly at first until they both realize how silly they’re being and just relax. Sure, they just went on a really great date, and there’s the promise of more in the future, but that doesn’t mean they have to be weird about it.
“Hey Jinnie?” Changbin says as the credits start to roll.
“Yea?”
“Thanks for a really nice date today. I… just thanks.”
Hyunjin smiles. “You’re welcome,” he replies, turning to look at Changbin and finding their faces mere breaths apart. “Next year,” he says softly. “We’ll find an actual pumpkin patch to go to.”
“I’d like that,” Changbin says with a hum, eyes flicking down to Hyunjin’s lips, and then back up to his eyes.
With a soft snort, Hyunjin leans in to kiss him, simple and sweet. “Me too, Hyung. Me too.”