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it's the end of the school day, and niki's really craving something sweet. there had been plenty of heartfelt confessions everywhere today: a loud proposal in the halls, a live serenade in the middle of class (niki giggled as he remembered passing by the upperclass's ap physics room during his study hall and seeing an embarrassed jake frantically trying to stop heeseung), and, hell, even a cute, albeit mildly disgusting, confession in the bathrooms ("are you pee? cause urine my heart"). he just couldn't catch a break. if everyone was getting sweet confessions, the least he could do was get himself something sweet to drink to drown away his sorrows.
quickly shoving his papers in his bag, niki hurried to leave the classroom, chair scraping against the floor. as he left, filtering out the loud commotion of the many students gossiping about who confessed to who in the halls, a notification came from his phone, sending a vibration to his leg and startling the boy.
he pulled out his phone.
[instagram] : @gongcha uploaded a new post!
he sighed, moving to the side of the hall and leaning against a locker so that he could check the post.
@gongcha : two for one valentines sale! any person who comes with their partner will receive the same drink (excluding toppings) for free!
he almost sobs.
of course the one day where he is willing to throw out all his disciplines to soothe the empty ache in his heart is also the one day his favorite milk tea shop wants to rub it in his face that he's single.
cursing out every god he knows, and the ones he doesn't know, niki shoves the wretched thing back into his pocket and continues anyway.
he still wants something sweet, and so he will get it. two for one sale be damned.
it's still winter, and, not being one to dress for the weather, niki was only wearing the school issued blazer over his uncomfortable collared shirt, so he set a brisk pace in the hopes of getting to the store with all of its sugary drinks and warm heat.
when he entered the store fifteen minutes later, he didn't expect to see another student there, especially one looking around aimlessly like he was searching for someone.
and as if on cue, the other student's gaze meets his, and, oh my god, niki thinks he's screwed because, holy shit, it's the park sunghoon. the very same one who was popular around their school for his academic prowess, athletic ability, and, of course, because the guy just couldn't get any more perfect, unfairly good looks.
the poor boy thinks his heart stops because, oh my god, the park sunghoon is looking at him.
sunghoon lets his gaze wander, and niki tracks his every movement, pinpointing the exact moment the famous upperclassman notices their school's emblem embroidered onto his blazer.
then, sunghoon tilts his head curiously at him and smiles warmly, probably in attempts to lessen the awkward atmosphere niki's managed to create.
and, oh boy, is niki definitely screwed now. he isn't one inclined to believe in rumors, being subjected to many himself, but sunghoon's smile probably could cure some kind of disease, and the young boy thinks that all of those swooning girls must have been onto something.
while sunghoon is the absolute picture of a composed, quietly confident student, with his easy-going demeanor and perfectly ironed blazer under a gray zip-up hoodie (that looks very soft and uncomfortable, niki's mind supplies unhelpfully), niki, on the other hand, is sure he looks like a deer in highlights staring at his upperclassman, who is very attractive, mind you, with his face as red as when he runs a mile for school field days.
"are you also here because of the two for one sale?" sunghoon asks him.
it takes a moment for the words to click in niki's brain as he slowly tries to piece them together, but when it does, it all makes sense to him. of course sunghoon is here for the sale. it's understandable why he would be, niki thinks. he must have gotten many valentines today, and that explains why he was looking around as if waiting for someone. and, for the first time in his life, niki blushes. he doesn't even know why. it's a straightforward question with a simple yes or no answer, yet he feels bashful. how can he explain to his unfairly pretty senior that, no, he is not here for the two for one sale because there are not two people in this equation and he came to the damn store to escape his sorry single life in the first place. everyone and thing wants to taunt him today, he supposes.
"yes- well, no, but-" niki stutters through his words. he is nervous enough as it is, which is causing his already limited english skills to disappear, and it's almost like the boy can feel the unfamiliar language's vocabulary and grammar leave his head, so it's not helping that he wants to make a good impression because he's more nervous- and well. you get the idea.
but sunghoon, damn him and his inability to not be perfect, nods encouragingly and does not interrupt.
he probably thinks niki is an idiot.
well, he wouldn't be the first one.
"no- no, i'm not." he finally gets out, finally getting the feel for the strange cadence of the words again. "i just came here for bubble tea."
"oh!" sunghoon exclaims. "me too! i didn't know there was a sale until i got here, so i was honestly just waiting for someone to come in."
again, it takes niki a bit to process sunghoon's words, but when he does, the boy is still confused.
it must show on his face because sunghoon adds, "so we can split the price of one."
"split... one?" niki asks.
sunghoon thinks the adorably confused expression on the junior's (well, he's assuming that the boy is a junior, he looks too tall to be a sophomore, and sunghoon is sure he would've remembered him if he was a senior) face is the cutest thing he's ever seen.
he chuckles, "yeah, it'll be a better investment for the both of us." really, now he's hoping the boy agrees so he has an excuse to spend more time with him.
unfortunately, niki has no idea what the fuck the word investment means, and he's slightly panicky.
he hesitates before asking sunghoon. he can only pray he doesn't come across as stupid. sunghoon's first impression of him is probably bad enough already.
"what's... investment?" niki asks, trying out the foreign word on his tongue.
the older boy, who was wondering why the younger's words had a distinct soft lilt to them, finally realizes that the boy standing before him was a transfer student from another country. based on the melodic cadence, sunghoon assumes japanese, from its use of many consonant sounds.
making sure to smile so the japanese (again, he's assuming) boy doesn't think sunghoon is mocking or looking down on him, the older (and taller, niki notes) gently explains, "it just means to put something of value into something else in the hopes that you get more value back. like, you came here to spend money to get bubble tea, but now you can spend half and still get bubble tea."
niki's mouth drops to create a perfect "o".
"wait," he says, sputtering over his words, "you. you mean- you?" he points to sunghoon before remembering it's rude to point and dropping his arm back down to his side. "and- and me?" he gestures to himself.
sunghoon chuckles, finding niki adorable. "yes."
niki is still processing this. he thinks his mind has just malfunctioned and shut down. error codes are being sent in, and something has hacked its way into his heart.
"you mean- pretend.. that we are dating?"
"well, yes. i mean, we wouldn't have to lie necessarily, if that's what you're worried about-"
"no, it's not," niki cuts in.
"we would just let them assume we are."
niki peers around sunghoon, who has very broad shoulders, if you were wondering, to peek at the counter. he lets out a sigh of relief. it would have been very awkward if the employee was listening to their conversation, but they have their airpods in.
sunghoon, who is starting to find the poor boy more endearing by the second, asks, "so what do you think?"
niki nods. he doesn't think he'd be able to refuse sunghoon even if he wanted to. plus, he can use the other half to invest- he's happy he knows investment now- in the sketchbook he's been saving up for for a while now.
"i think it's a good idea, sunghoon," he says, smiling shyly up at the senior.
and, oh, sunghoon will pass out if this boy gets any cuter. but, "wait, how do you know my name?" he asks, eyebrows scrunched up in puzzlement.
niki laughs at that. "you're kind of famous. i think everyone knows you."
“oh.” sunghoon looks puzzled, and niki laughs louder.
“hey.” the senior pouts. “why are you laughing?”
niki pauses for a moment to stop giggling before shrugging. “dunno.”
in reality, he’s thinking of this japanese word 恋の予感 , and how he thinks he’s never related to a word more.
恋の予感 , or love at second sight.
he doesn’t love sunghoon now, but he thinks he could. no, he knows that he could. there’s no direct translation for it into any language, but niki thinks sunghoon wouldn’t understand anyway. it’s a nice feeling to experience, soft and comforting and fluttering like the flowers that are soon to bloom.
“whatever.” sunghoon huffs before gently taking niki’s arm by the elbow and guiding him to the counter. the boy thinks he’s making a poor attempt at breathing. he reasons that anyone would, though, if they were in his position.
“ah, wait,” sunghoon says before they actually make it to the ordering counter. he’s still holding niki’s arm, but turns slightly to face him. thankfully, the worker is still consumed by their phone, probably scrolling on tiktok. he continues, “i never got your name. it’d be weird if we were dating, and i didn’t know your name.”
niki’s heart leaps as sunghoon mentions them dating, and he thinks he hides it well, but there is a pink flush taking over his features.
he smiles bashfully. “right. i’m niki.”
oh.
sunghoon tries his best to hide his surprise and continues talking, afraid of allowing room for an awkward silence.
“okay. niki,” he says, smiling, and walks them up to the counter to the counter. the worker is addicted to their phone, he thinks, as a side thought.
but, in reality, he’s very confused. he had heard rumors about a new transfer student from japan, a junior named niki. everyone said he was rude and cold when he first arrived. he didn’t have manners and ignored people who tried to speak to him. (sunghoon also notes that most of these people who tried to talk to him were girls. he hadn’t known it then, but niki was pretty, after all.) not only that, but niki would sometimes even ignore teachers, which is something that someone at their fancy private school would never be able to get away with.
sunghoon’s never been one to believe rumors, especially in highschool, but he really cannot believe that the sweet junior in front of him was the same troublemaker people spoke badly about.
then, he thinks about how niki didn’t know what the word investment meant, which is interesting because all juniors are required to take an econ class. it’s february, so sunghoon thinks they must have covered that material already.
maybe, he realizes, it wasn’t because niki was ignoring them. maybe, he just didn’t understand that they were talking to him, or what they were talking about. maybe, that’s why the boy seemed so shy and quiet to sunghoon. he didn’t know how to act in a different place, so he didn’t act at all.
what a shame that was, because sunghoon thinks everyone would’ve fallen in love with niki if they met him the way sunghoon did. or, maybe, it’s a blessing then, because the only person at school who saw niki like this was him.
either way, niki shifts uncomfortably besides him, so sunghoon pulls himself from his thoughts and turns his full attention back to the boy.
the look on niki’s face tells sunghoon that he’s more confused at the sudden pause than embarrassed, so the senior thinks he’s right. niki himself doesn’t know what his classmates have been saying about him. maybe the junior was reserved to begin with, or maybe he just didn’t want to make new friends in a foreign country.
sunghoon’s glad niki doesn’t know what’s going on. he barely knows the kid, but sunghoon knows his heart would break if niki understood the things that were being said about him.
“um…,” niki says, clutching the long sleeves of his collared shirt and tightening his hands around them, “you should order whatever you want. i love milk tea, and i drink anything, so…”
sunghoon is quick to object. “no, get whatever you want. i’m the one who suggested this idea.”
“yeah, so you should order! i’m already saving money because of you…”
the worker has finally taken out their airpods and looks at them with an expression of disdain.
“but i couldn’t possibly-”
“yes, you could.” niki says defiantly, and, well, sunghoon guesses that’s that.
the worker grumbles, “i’m so sick of couples. what can i get for you guys? if you start making out, though, i will make you pay full price.”
sunghoon splutters. he glances over at niki.
god bless, the boy only looks confused.
niki says questioningly, “i thought you had a two for one deal today?”
now, the worker looks confused. “we do?”
sunghoon jumps in. “yes, right, so we’d love a large oolong milk tea with herbal jelly. thanks,” he says quickly, pulling out his wallet to pay.
“no, wait, sunghoon-” niki starts, grabbing his own wallet.
“oh god, not again,” the worker says.
sunghoon laughs, and gently pushes niki’s outstretched hand away from the worker. “my name’s sunghoon,” he tells them, and to niki: “it’s fine, ki. you can always pay me back later, too.”
oh my god. niki just blocked out everything sunghoon actually said, because…
sunghoon just called him ki .
he must’ve saved a country in his past life.
his brain is not working.
sunghoon waves a hand in front of him.
“hey, you there?” he laughs.
niki shakes himself out of it and lets sunghoon guide him ( again! ) to a table.
they sit down, and sunghoon, sitting up straight and folding his hands together, says in a formal tone “so, niki, tell me about yourself.”
niki laughs, and sunghoon grins in success.
“well,” he says, matching sunghoon’s stiff posture, “i’m from japan, if you couldn’t tell already-”
“so that’s why your voice is so pretty,” sunghoon interjects. to be honest, he would be lying if he said that he hadn’t meant to say that out loud. and it’s all the more worth it he sees niki flush and fumble over his words.
“uh- haha. no- that’s not- well, it’s just-”
“sunghoon!” the worker calls.
damn it. sunghoon really wished to talk to niki a bit longer. how did they make those drinks so quickly? now, he has no excuse.
they get up to collect their drinks, and, as the two are thanking the worker, niki exclaims, “hey! this is my favorite drink!”
“oh my god, wait, really?” sunghoon asks, all excited now. they were definitely destined to meet, he thinks.
(the worker thinks they are dying.)
“yeah! i get this all the time.”
sunghoon laughs. “how perfect, then.”
“yes.” niki beams up at him.
sunghoon beams back, when a slight vibration comes from his pocket. he glances over at niki, who nods towards sunghoon’s phone.
he curses under his breath. he forgot about his figure skating practice.
“hey, i’m sorry niki. i’d love to talk more, but i’ve got practice,” sunghoon tells him sincerely. he really wishes they could talk more.
bless his heart, niki just smiles and nods. “okay. bye sunghoon.”
there’s a lingering sense of disappointment in his chest as he says goodbye, though. he hopes this is not the last time he will see the senior.
the two are about to part when sunghoon glances the boy up and down and says, “wait, that’s not all you’re wearing, right?”
niki feels embarrassed. maybe he should’ve grabbed a coat on his way to school. he scratches his head and pulls the blazer closer to his body.
“oh my god,” sunghoon says, quickly shrugging off his zip-up. “i wouldn't have gotten a cold drink if i had known…” he holds out the hoodie to niki.
he stares at it.
sunghoon sighs before forcing niki to put it on himself as if he were a child.
“take care of yourself, okay?” the senior tells him.
niki frowns. “but… what about you?”
sunghoon chuckles at that. “i practically live at an ice rink. i’m okay. your concern is cute, though.”
ah.
niki’s heart is never going to function properly around sunghoon.
sunghoon’s phone buzzes again.
he curses and quickly gathers himself together. “sorry, i really have to run now. see you, niki!” he says as he’s basically running out the door.
“yeah.. see you.” niki says, but sunghoon is long gone.
he fiddles with the sleeves. and, he was right. the hoodie is as soft as he’d imagined. not that he was imagining wearing it, but- yeah.
he says a quick thank you to the worker, who looks like they are about to now throw up from the display they just witnessed, and exits the store.
anddd, it’s still cold. niki shoves his hand not holding the milk tea into one of the pockets as he begins the walk home, but he feels a piece of paper in the pocket.
curious, he takes it out. there’s writing on it. and, look, he prides himself on being a good person, but he’s really curious.
slowly, he begins to read.
hey, no need to pay me back. or, if you really insist, pay me back with your time :)
niki giggles a little internally at the note. who knows, he might start twirling his hair and kicking his feet too.
how did sunghoon even find the time to write this without him noticing?
he flips it over.
ps.
you’re a cute-tea!
text me: xxx-xxx-xxxx
- sunghoon