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"Hey, that’s cute." Seungmin remarked, looking into Hyunjin's notes.
Ever since the fateful geography period, they had formed an unspoken agreement to sit next to each other. Hyunjin certainly didn’t mind the change in status quo, geography was without a doubt the most boring subject he had. Fuck ocean currents.
Despite the boredom however, Hyunjin found himself looking forward to the period. As much as Hyunjin was tempted to, he couldn't really ditch his friend group everyday to sit with Seungmin at lunch. Seungmin would probably get bored of him even if he did.
Hence, the only time he could truly spend time with the boy was when his teacher was droning on endlessly about the oceanic bedrock and underwater earthquakes. Not the most ideal situation, but Hyunjin was taught to make the most of what he got.
"Thanks." He replied, "Guess who this is supposed to be."
Seungmin scrunched his eyebrows and focused on the baby chick.
"I'm gonna guess Felix." He stated, "The only friends that I know you're reasonably close with is Changbin and Felix. There's no way you'd draw Changbin without biceps, even in baby chick form."
"Excellent deduction, you're right. Maybe we should start calling you Sherlock." Hyunjin teased. "I'm offended you think I have only two friends though. You count, you know."
Seungmin paused, not expecting that. He leaned his head on his palm, covering the bottom half of his face. But Hyunjin could tell he was smiling by the crinkle of his eyes. Seeing Seungmin smile, because of something he said made him feel pleasantly warm, despite the August heat.
Hyunjin wouldn't admit to it, but if he made a mental note to spend more time finding doodling ideas on Pinterest. It was purely for artistic exploration. He wouldn't go that far for a crush.
If lying to oneself was a legal offence, Hyunjin would be serving life imprisonment already.
The period came to an end faster than he had anticipated, and before he'd even realized he was sitting on Changbin's bed with a glass of orange juice in hand.
He stared at his reflection in the mirror, he knew he looked good, that wasn't one of his insecurities. It would a be a lie, however, for him to declare that he felt confident all the time about his looks.
"Hmm, I think you should go sleeveless honestly." Changbin commented, "I mean, a beach party is literally the best time to wear as little clothing as possible."
"Fair, but what if I'm too obvious?" Hyunjin asked, flopping himself onto Changbin's bed.
"Don't you want to be obvious though? I mean, you definitely want to go out with Seungmin right, no point being shy about it. "
Hyunjin couldn't really deny that.
"Yeah, you're right. I do want to be obvious. Besides, I've been dropping hints all month. I don't think he's the oblivious kind. Might as well go in for the kill tomorrow."
Changbin clapped his hands together, "Then let's make you look absolutely stunning, yeah? I think you should wear my sleeveless navy top along with those shorts you bought last month."
Hyunjin tilted his head, holding up the shirt in question. "Thanks for lending me your clothes and all, but will the shirt look okay on me? I mean, you're like, a billion times bulkier than me."
Changbin shot him a wink. "A loose shirt will float right off your body in the breeze."
Hyunjin gasped, "Oh my god, you're a genius."
"I know." He stated. "Now shoo, I have to be at my cousin's house at 6 to babysit. You better buy me ice-cream on Monday to make up for the shitty head-ache they'll give me. "
Hyunjin saluted, "Yessir! I owe you so much."
"Yeah, you're lucky I consider preventing people from looking like a fashion disasters as social service."
Hyunjin wanted to protest, but knew it would be a losing argument. Changbin wasn't fully wrong anyways.
"Wish you were coming to the party though. Can't you convince your aunt to leave next week?" Hyunjin asked, shooting Changbin his best puppy face.
"And what, third wheel? Felix is already doing that for me. Now get out of my room, I need to take out my child protection gear and pack at least 3 extra sets of spare clothes. Those gremlins have appallingly sharp nails." Changbin grumbled, "Also, don't forget to take breath mints."
And with that poignant statement, Hyunjin was shoved out of the Seo Residence. Changbin's top stuffed in his backpack, he headed back home.
The humid weather made him feel sweaty and sticky, and he suddenly regretted not washing up at Changbin's house. After a long day at school he felt as if he was covered in an invisible layer of grime.
As he passed by Felix's house, and Seungmin's by proxy, he wondered what the boy was doing. He got his answer soon enough.
Through the music blaring in his earphones he heard someone call out his name. He turned towards the source, and was met with a waving Seungmin.
"Hi, fancy seeing you here." Seungmin said, as he walked up to Hyunjin. "Meeting Felix?"
"Ah no, I just came back from Changbin's. On my way back home now."
Seungmin hummed. "I still don't know where you live."
"Oh, you know that Forever 21 no one really goes to? My house is like a block away from that." Hyunjin answered.
"That's like all the way across town. You don't mind walking all the way there?"
Hyunjin rubbed the back of his neck, "I mean it won't take me that much time."
Seungmin hummed again, then suddenly asked, "Do you mind if I join? I have to go visit my Aunt."
Hyunjin nodded, hoping he looked nonchalant. He didn't want Seungmin to think he was that desperate for his company, nevermind the fact he actually was. Seungmin went back in to inform his dad he was leaving, and Hyunjin decided to check his phone in the meantime. As soon as he unlocked the device, his phone pinged.
lixie <3
couple spotted!!!
SSRN_3983784
binnieboo
damn
moving in fast eh?
You
stalking.is.bad.lix
we're not a couple yet anyways
binnieboo
yet
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
lixie<3
its not stalking if you do it
in front my house
what am I supposed to do?
ignore???
You
yes.
lixie<3
wipe off that frown!!
loverboy's heading towards you now~
xoxo
binnieboo
gl @hyundai I believe in u
seduce tf out of him w ur eyes or smth
You
im putting up an ad on craiglist to replace yall
"Alright, let's go now." Seungmin said. Hyunjin smiled at him and stuffed his phone into his pocket, ignoring the wave of notifications.
"So, what're you meeting your aunt for?" He asked, looking Seungmin.
"Actually, my aunt doesn't live here. I kinda just wanted to walk with you." He replied, smiling sheepishly.
Hyunjin had guessed it, but he hadn't expected the other to admit it so openly.
"So, your neighborhood cat still making babies?" Seungmin asked, mischief in his eyes.
Hyunjin laughed, "Oh my god, yes! She was having super loud sex dude, it sounded painful to be honest. I'm telling you those fuckers are getting it better than anyone else in town."
"Well, don't have any proof to deny that statement. But maybe we could change it, yeah?"
Hyunjin felt his heart beat just the slightest bit faster. Was Seungmin suggesting-
"Let's organize a speed dating session for the birds."
Hyunjin paused. "Birds?" he asked, "Why birds?"
"Because if we do it for the dogs, there'll be too many baby puppies on the street, which would make life harder for me. Puppies can't be fed with some grains of rice y'know, you need to feed them substance and actual food."
"Birds, though?" He continued, "More birds just means adding a wee bit more rice. Much more economical."
He looked at Hyunjin with a somber expression, as if he was greatly troubled by the prospect of trying to feed puppies. Hyunjin couldn't hold a straight face, and began laughing.
When he looked at Seungmin again, he could tell the other was trying to hold back his own giggling.
"How much time have you spent thinking about this, huh?" He managed to say, between giggles in his voice. "At this rate, I won't even have to workout anymore. My sides ache so much."
"I'll take that as a compliment, thank you." Seungmin said, and slipped his hand into Hyunjin's.
Feeling a burst of energy, he dragged Seungmin's hand, threw caution to the wind, and ran. Seungmin was taken aback, and yelled on reflex. But soon, both boys was racing each other, while holding each other's hands.
Hyunjin almost missed his house, but then he caught sight of his neighbor's beat up Toyota Corolla and slowed his legs to come to a halt.
Seungmin panted beside him, albeit more heavily.
"Well, this is it." He said, pointing towards his house. "Got your daily dose of Hyunjin?"
"Not really." Seungmin panted out, still catching his breath. "I could do with more Hyunjin. I have very much filled my weekly quota of exercise though."
Hyunjin giggled, again. He seemed to do a lot of that whenever he was around with Seungmin. "Oh c'mon, it was a 5 minute sprint. That's barely anything."
Seungmin groaned, "Not all of us aim to be athletic, you know. Some of us are satisfied just eating an apple once a week and calling it a day."
"Do you want some water?" He asked Seungmin, "You can come in if you want. My mom made some killer lemon tarts yesterday."
"Nah it's fine, I should start heading back. Adios muchachos, may we meet tomorrow." he flashed Hyunjin a mock salute, and turned away to walk back.
Before he could let himself think about, he crossed the distance between them and left the slightest kiss on Seungmin's cheek.
"Goodnight."
He walked back in briskly, and risked a look back. Seungmin was standing in shock. Oh fuck, what if he messed things up?
The boy then smiled, and gave Hyunjin one last wave and head off.
The tension in Hyunjin's body left and he smiled back in response.
Tomorrow was going to be interesting.
You
If he kisses you on the cheek
He prolly likes you right?
Jeongin
asfgdhsjdWHAT
HYUNJIN KISSED YOU
???????????
Seungmin
Like on the cheek tho
Barely touched me okay
And it was rlly fast
Jeongin
OH MY GOD
ASK HIM OUT ALREADY
HE IS SO INTO YOU
YOU ARE SO INTO HIM
Seungmin
THE TIMING HAS TO BE
RIGHT OKAY
I WANT HIM TO SAY YES
Jeongin
romantic seungmin is so weird but slay ig
Seungmin
Shut up
The following afternoon found Hyunjin sitting in Felix's room, adjusting his hair to frame his face the way he wanted. Except he wasn't sure what he actually wanted. Which left him constantly fidgeting with the strands around his face.
"Hmm, you think I should wear yellow or blue?" Felix asked, holding up two button up shirts.
"Yellow, duh. If both of us wear blue we might look like a couple."
Felix mock gasped, "Wow, 3 years of friendship callously shoved aside for one 4 month crush."
Hyunjin narrowed his eyes, "Why are you keeping tabs on how long I've had a crush on him?"
"Because, unfortunately, neither me nor Changbin have any sort of romance going on. You're our only source of tea now."
Hyunjin scoffed, "Glad to know my only purpose is to entertain you both."
"Hey, you're also pretty decent at hugs. You're also the only one who can cook between us." He comforted, "You have multiple purposes."
Hyunjin groaned into his hand and flopped onto Felix's bed. "Am I trying too much?" He asked, voice small and timid.
Felix paused, "Did something happen?"
"Not really, I just-" He pressed his face into his hand, "-I just, really want him to like me. I'm pathetic, aren't I?" He laughed derisively, avoiding Felix's gaze.
"Hey, there's absolutely nothing wrong with liking someone. That's good. And of course you want him to like you too, that's only normal. You're not doing too much, you're putting in a perfectly normal amount of effort and Seungmin is going to appreciate that."
Hyunjin pursed his lips together and nodded, Felix was right. It wasn't as if Seungmin didn't like him at all, he was sure the other boy liked him back too. Worrying wasn't going to help.
"Now c'mon, let's get you even more dolled up. We're gonna make Seungmin drool all over you okay." Felix said, beaming at his friend.
Hyunjin cracked a smile, "Hell yeah."
"Shall we leave then?" Jeongin asked, "It's almost 6:30."
"Yup, if we start now we'll reach by 6:45-ish. Which gives us plenty of time to mingle, if you get what I mean." Felix replied, waggling his eyebrows at Seungmin and Hyunjin.
Hyunjin decided to diplomatically ignore the provocation.
Since Seungmin and Jeongin were also heading towards the same party, Felix had offered to drive all of them to the beach for convenience. Hyunjin should've known he'd have some scheme in mind though, because-
"Uh, Felix?" Seungmin asked, his voice confused. "What's up with all the clothes on the seats?"
Felix's eyes twinkled, "Oh that? Nevermind those, I just borrowed some clothes from Changbin and need to return them tomorrow."
Jeongin peeked into the car. "Dude, my wardrobe has less clothes. And there's a bra in there."
Felix grabbed Jeongin by the shoulders and guided him towards the front seat, "Felix transportation services does not tolerate any judgement!" He looked at Seungmin, "You don't mind sitting with the clothes right? It took me so long to put them in."
Felix punctuated the statement with a sigh, and put on his best puppy dog face.
"There's barely any space though." Hyunjin reasoned.
"Well, I guess you both will just have to adjust a bit. Hope you don't mind it." He said, shooting them both a wink.
Hyunjin felt his face flush. God damnit. He just had to go make friends with the biggest schemers in town. The pile of clothes took up half the seating surface, leaving a measly bit of space for Seungmin and Hyunjin to share.
Seungmin's face didn't give away anything, he simply looked at Hyunjin and asked, "Can I have the window seat?"
"Y-yeah, of course." He replied. Fuck, why was he stammering.
"No more dilly dallying folks, let's go!" Felix yelled, and Jeongin cheered.
Hyunjin was ready for the earth to swallow him whole.
After a bit of adjusting, Hyunjin and Seungmin managed to fit themselves. The end result was their bodies pressed tightly against each other, Seungmin's chest slightly leaning on Hyunjin's and their faces only few centimeters apart. And of course, the scent of Changbin's detergent softener permeating the air. At this rate, the spritz of the cologne he had applied was going to be rendered useless.
Both Felix and Jeongin were singing loudly to the radio. Some pop song Hyunjin didn't know the name of. Hyunjin could not care less about the noise though. Nor could he care about the obnoxious pile of clothes pushing him towards Seungmin.
The only thing he could focus on was Seungmin's face.
The dimming sun rays cast his face in a warm glow, and it was only then Hyunjin realized that:
"You're wearing eye liner."
Seungmin looked at him, and Hyunjin could feel the nervousness radiate off him in waves.
"Do you like it?" He asked. This was the softest Hyunjin had ever heard him speak.
Hyunjin nodded, feeling his throat go dry. "It looks really nice."
Seungmin smiled back, the previous tension also loosened a bit.
"Felix is a really good wingman, you know. I don't think Jeongin would ever think of this." He whispered into Hyunjin's ear, his eyes teasing.
"Oh please, Changbin definitely came up with the idea. He probably helped Felix put all the clothes in too."
"Brilliant initiative on his part, it was kind of unnecessary though. I already like you."
Hyunjin's heart skipped a beat, and the car slowed to a halt.
"Aight lovebirds, we've reached!" Jeongin said. He covered his eyes and looked back, "Is it safe to look?"
"Oh shut up Jeongin." Seungmin said dismissively, "You both go, we'll come soon."
Hyunjin could vaguely make out Felix fake gagging, but the only think he could focus on was Seungmin's words. I already like you.
After months of dancing around, dropping hints and late night chatting, hearing those words felt surreal. Seungmin likes me back.
The car door shut, and soon the boys were enveloped in darkness with the sun having set, traces of the air- conditioner cooling the air inside the automobile and the unavoidable smell of detergent.
The silence was palpable, but Seungmin broke it before it could become awkward.
"Well, I didn't expect to confess in a car smelling like a washing machine-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Hyunjin pressed his lips against the other's. Seungmin froze for a second, and then he slowly leaned in, gently applying pressure back into Hyunjin. They stayed like that for a bit, Hyunjin couldn't bother counting seconds.
He pulled back his head. "I like you too. Like a lot. For a while."
Seungmin smiled softly and scratched the back of his neck. "I genuinely had a better plan for confessing you know. But then the moment just, it just seemed right you know?"
"Or maybe Aerial Detergent is the ultimate aphrodisiac. You never know." Hyunjin teased.
Seungmin smiled indulgently and leaned in to kiss the boy again, and this time it felt even better. The rational part of him knew that they were just pressing their lips together, but the moment just felt so right.
They continued kissing, burning the shapes of their lips into their walls of their memories.
Seungmin eventually broke off, leaning backwards and breathing heavily.
"We should probably head outside now. As lovely as Felix's car is, I really don't want to smell like detergent for the rest of the evening."
Hyunjin giggled, "It is really good detergent though, Changbin's mom has good taste."
Seungmin smiled and opened the door. The cool sea-breeze washed over Hyunjin, and he suddenly felt giddy again.
He squealed and hugged Seungmin. "I'm going to be obnoxiously happy for the rest of the evening, so you better not complain."
"I wouldn't dream of it." Seungmin replied, wrapping his arms around Hyunjin.
"Oi, enough of that!" Jeongin yelled, his voice breaking through the wind. "Come help build the bonfire, otherwise we're ditching you both on the way back!"
Seungmin rolled his eyes and looked at Hyunjin.
"Let's go then, shall we?"
Hyunjin looked at him innocently. "Bet you can't race me there."
He didn't let Seungmin process the words and immediately ran towards the half constructed bonfire.
"Hey that's not fair!" Seungmin shouted, but his lips were curled in a smile.
Hyunjin was smiling too.