Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Ricky-ya, let’s go on a date!”

Gyuvin wishes he was saying it in better circumstances, but he’s half-dead from yet another all-nighter, running on nothing but three mango smoothies and the sweet, sweet taste of submitting your last assignment of the week. He has a presentation next Wednesday and two more reports due… at some point, but right now, Gyuvin is in desperate need of some healing and what better way to do it than to spend a little quality time with the love of his life?

The so-called love of his life stares up at him blankly, then Ricky asks: “Sorry, did I forget an anniversary or something?”

Gyuvin rolls his eyes, tossing his bag aside and collapsing onto Ricky as if their couch isn’t more than big enough to fit them both—separately and comfortably. Ricky’s chest is far more comfortable, Gyuvin thinks.

“No,” he says. “I just wanna go out with you. I’ve been so busy and you’ve been so busy and I don’t know if we’re ever gonna not be busy anytime soon, so… Let’s go out, hm?”

Ricky lets out a knowing, “Ah…” and he cards a cool hand through Gyuvin’s hair, a godsent comfort after a long day. “You finally submitted that nightmare paper, huh?” Ricky guesses, laughing when Gyuvin just nods into his palm pitifully.

“What about you?” Gyuvin asks, peeking up at Ricky with hopeful, doe eyes. “Still busy preparing for the exhibition?”

A small shrug and a non-committal sound tells Gyuvin all he needs to know. Ricky’s process is a lot more sporadic than his and Gyuvin will sometimes find Ricky buried in his work for days at a time, then at other times, it’s like he isn’t even trying to graduate. Gyuvin will never understand art students.

“I could probably squeeze you in somewhere,” Ricky says casually, lips twitching with a teasing tone. “What did you have in mind?”

Gyuvin hums. “Something fun?”

Ricky raises a brow. “Define fun.”

Well, that’s fair. Ricky’s idea of fun on a day off is to shop until he’s bought out an entire Louis Vuitton boutique—and then go shop some more. Gyuvin’s idea of fun can range from biking a thirty-something kilometre route to hunting down the best sushi spot in Seoul to burrowing himself in a seedy PC bang playing video games until his eyes pop out of his skull.

Of course, there’s also their mutually agreed upon idea of fun which involves nothing but themselves and their bed but anyway, what Gyuvin was really thinking of was: “Why don’t we go have a first date?”

As expected, Ricky bursts out laughing.

“Gyuvin-ah.” He presses the back of his hand to Gyuvin’s forehead; half-worried, half-amused. “Did that assignment drive you crazy or make you fall sick or something? Why would we have a first date when we’ve been together for three years?”

Gyuvin leans into Ricky’s touch, a small whine leaving his lips as he wraps his arms around Ricky’s waist, pulling him closer. 

“I mean, think about it, Rick. We technically never had a first date,” Gyuvin reminds him. “We just went from friends to…” He vaguely gestures at the way they’re all tangled up right now. “This.”

There aren’t enough words in this world to describe what the two of them have. They’re friends and lovers and rivals and partners and everything in between too. Soulmates, perhaps, comes closest and still, it isn’t enough to explain the way Ricky makes Gyuvin feel. Still, Gyuvin knows in his heart—even if Ricky wasn’t his soulmate, even if Ricky wasn’t made for him and him for Ricky, Gyuvin would still chase him down to the ends of the earth just to tell him: Ricky, I’m here.  

I’m here and I’m all yours. In whatever way you want me, in whatever way you’ll have me; I’m yours, I’m yours, I’m yours and you’re mine.  

What else is there to it? What else does there have to be?

“Well,” Ricky huffs, settling into Gyuvin’s hug and a fond smile plays on his lips as he recalls the day Gyuvin finally confessed, if that’s what you can call it. “It’s not my fault when you’re the one who couldn’t hold it in and decided to tell our entire freshman class how badly you wanted to makeout with me.”

Gyuvin scoffs, pressing his face into Ricky’s neck to say, “Funny, coming from the one who happily ditched class to makeout with me right after.”

That did happen. Ricky had dragged Gyuvin out of the lecture hall mainly out of embarrassment, but once they were on their own, once all that was left between them was the burning tension that had just been growing since the moment they first met—what the hell was Ricky supposed to do? Not kiss him?

Not a chance.

So, they kissed in the empty hallway, kissed on the walk back to their dorm room, kissed on Gyuvin’s bottom bunk and decided they should just get a place of their own when they fell off the fucking bed and crashed onto the floor in a stupid fit of giggles and a hundred more kisses.

The rest is history and now, they’re here.

Ricky sighs, nostalgic. “I can’t believe that was three years ago already…”

“And soon we’ll be graduating,” Gyuvin says, “which is why it’s about time that we have a first date, Ricky-ya. It doesn’t have to be crazy, just dinner and a movie, like everyone else does.”

“Like everyone else, huh?”

Gyuvin nods, sitting up eagerly. “I’ll even pick you up!”

Again, Ricky laughs, loud and full and he playfully shoves at Gyuvin’s shoulder. “What do you mean you’ll pick me up? We live together, idiot.”

“Oh, come on!” Gyuvin catches Ricky’s fist, grinning as he holds it against his heart. “It’s for the first date experience. What do you say?”

Ricky takes a moment to think about it. Gyuvin doesn’t mind. Like he said, their schedules are pretty different and if Ricky can’t find time right now, then Gyuvin will just have to make do with a bike ride with Matthew or call Taerae up for a gaming session.

It’s not ideal, but it’ll do. It’ll do, but Gyuvin still hopes…

“Well, I do have to go to the studio tomorrow,” Ricky says eventually, chewing on his lip and silently counting down the hours on his fingers until— “I’ll be done at five, if that works?”

“That’s perfect!” Gyuvin agrees, even if he hasn’t made any dinner reservations or looked up any movie showtimes or literally even thought anywhere past the persistent little voice in his head that’s been chanting, Date with Ricky, date with Ricky, date with Ricky!

He’ll figure it out tomorrow. For now, Gyuvin snuggles back against Ricky’s side, tired eyes finally falling shut. “Now, stay right here and let me take a nap for a while, Ricky-ya.” 

The next day, Gyuvin is at Ricky’s studio at five on the dot, which isn’t a surprise considering his ‘nap’ lasted an entire night and a half after all the self-inflicted sleep deprivation. He’d only stirred twice—once when Ricky had hauled him over to their room to properly go to bed, and again when Ricky left sometime this morning with a quick kiss on his forehead and a, “Please eat something when you wake up, Qubing.”

Gyuvin slept in until 2PM, fixed himself a quick lunch and hopped online for a few rounds of PUBG with the guys, excusing himself once he died too many times to call it bad luck.

He’d spent a good hour deciding what to wear, going back and forth between, Is this too much for a first date? and What if Ricky’s all dressed up and I show up like a fucking bum?

Gyuvin settles on something in the middle, a denim jacket that’s not too fancy and not too casual, and he grins when Ricky walks out in a simple black sweater and blue jeans combo that mirrors his.

“Hey, handsome!” Gyuvin calls out when Ricky doesn’t notice him standing there, nose buried in his phone as he types away. “Who are you texting?”

Ricky looks up just as Gyuvin’s phone pings, and Gyuvin laughs when his screen lights up with a notification that reads:

rwick❤️

i’m done :)

“You’re so embarrassing,” Ricky tells him as he walks over to where Gyuvin is leaning against his car, an attempt to look cool, no doubt. He says that, but when Gyuvin pulls him in by the hips, resting Ricky’s weight against him like it just comes naturally to him, all Ricky can do is breathe out a hopeless, “Hi.”

“Hi,” Gyuvin says, eyes still crinkled up in a cheeky smile. 

Out of instinct, Gyuvin’s hands start to wander, moving down to cup Ricky’s ass—which looks fucking amazing in these jeans, by the way—but then he remembers what they’re here for and like he’s been electrocuted, Gyuvin throws his arms up. 

Clearing his throat, he just takes Ricky’s bag instead, asking, “So, you ready to go?”

Ricky eyes Gyuvin suspiciously, probably wondering why he’s being so strange, but then Ricky also seems to recall that they’re meant to be on a ‘first date’ right now, and with a snort, he decides to play along.

“Yeah, I’m ready,” he answers, waiting for Gyuvin to open the door for him and adding a perfectly delighted, “Why, thank you!” when Gyuvin even holds a hand against the roof so Ricky won’t bump his head as he steps inside the car.

Gyuvin is just as delighted with Ricky’s over-the-top acting as he skips over to the driver’s side, sliding into his seat and fighting the urge to immediately grab Ricky’s hand the way he normally would.

“Here, let me just—” Gyuvin leans over Ricky to reach for his seatbelt, strapping him in and staring at him a little too long when their eyes meet. 

Ricky looks away first, he always does, but it’s Gyuvin who feels more embarrassed, heat rising to his face as he pats Ricky’s chest and says, “There we go. All safe and sound now, princess.”

It’s ridiculous, but it’s the most fun Gyuvin’s had in forever and judging by the matching blush on Ricky’s face, he’s having fun too.

The drive is nice. The rush hour hasn’t quite hit and so they make small talk over the low hum of whatever playlist comes on shuffle. (It’s probably one of Ricky’s, honestly.) Gyuvin asks about Ricky’s day—“It was okay. Really busy. Jiwoong-hyung’s stressed about the opening but he won’t admit it,”—and Ricky asks about his—“Lost to Gunwook so badly I had to pretend there was something wrong with our wifi…”

It only dawns on Gyuvin then how long it’s been since they actually had time to just talk. Of course, they see each other everyday, they never forget their good mornings and goodnights, and it always gets quiet like this towards the end of the semester so it’s nothing new, it’s nothing bad, but still.

Talking to Ricky is one of Gyuvin’s favourite things to do. He likes how he’s the one person Ricky really opens up to, the one person Ricky isn’t afraid to share all his thoughts with; no matter how inane, no matter how complicated. He likes how Ricky shows more and more of himself once you get him talking, whether it’s in words still tinged in an adorable accent or in lines memorised from a K-drama or in jokes that only make sense in Ricky’s own head but Gyuvin will laugh along anyway. It’s worth it when he sees how happy it makes Ricky.

He likes their random discussions about parallel universes and whether they’d still meet in another life. (They would.) He likes their constant debates about whether pineapples belong on pizza. (They don’t.) He likes their late-night conversations that, regardless of what they talk about, regardless of whether they agree or fight or say they never want to speak to each other again, will always, always end on, “Sleep well.” (Sleep well. I love you. I’ll see you in the morning.)

Gyuvin misses it. Gyuvin misses Ricky.  

“Hey, Rick?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks,” Gyuvin says out of nowhere. “For going on this date with me.”

When Ricky doesn’t say anything, Gyuvin wonders if he’s being too emotional. It’s hard to tell where the line is with Ricky sometimes. Gyuvin has known him for so long, he knows him best too, but there are still times when he’s unsure; moments when he says too much or too little and can only hope that Ricky knows what he means. 

Ricky does, briefly reaching out to squeeze Gyuvin’s hand as if to say, Of course. Of course he would. He would do anything Gyuvin asked. Does Gyuvin even have to ask? And I miss you too, Gyuvin.

And then Ricky lets go, so naturally slipping back into this game they’re playing because that’s something Gyuvin asked of him too. “Don’t thank me just yet,” he says, smirking. “I’m still waiting to see what you have planned for our first date, Gyuvin-ah.”

Gyuvin just laughs, his heart so full that it might burst.

“Well, here’s our first stop, Ricky-ya.”

It’s a ramen restaurant, a hole-in-the-wall type place that Gyuvin’s had on his list for ages. He loves Japanese food, Ricky loves Japanese food, plus there’s a cinema that’s just a ten-minute walk from here so it made the most sense.

It’s walk-in only, typical of a small eatery like this, so Gyuvin is grateful they’re here before it gets busy for dinner. It gives him space to hold Ricky’s chair out for him politely and to lean a little too close when Gyuvin tucks him back in, his lips brushing against Ricky’s cheek in a way that’s not-so-polite and surely isn’t first date appropriate. 

Gyuvin can’t help it. Ricky’s just too pretty.

He quietly browses the menu, making note of a few dishes that look interesting. Gyuvin looks up at Ricky who’s doing the same, and he asks: “So, what do you like?”

“About you?” Ricky asks back, and Gyuvin chokes.

What’s with him?!

Normally, a line like that wouldn’t faze Gyuvin. He’d just spout off a few smooth words of his own until Ricky is a blushing mess and begging him to shut the fuck up, but right now, the atmosphere is a bit…

“N-No,” Gyuvin coughs. “I mean, like… On the menu… So I can order…” He trails off, the back of his neck hot and he wonders whether this denim jacket was a good idea. Are first dates always this awkward?

“Oh,” Ricky says. “Right.” 

At the very least, Ricky seems to be in the same boat as Gyuvin, the tips of his ears turning red as he turns another page, mindlessly flipping through the menu before he just blurts out a flustered, “I–I don’t know. You can choose for me. I’m not a picky eater.”

That’s the biggest lie Gyuvin has ever heard. Ricky is so particular with his food that once he finds something he likes, he’ll eat the exact same thing for all three meals of the day, every day of the week until he’s sick of it and he almost never gets sick of it.

But the Gyuvin who’s taking Ricky out for the first time wouldn’t know that and he admires Ricky’s dedication to the plot, so he quickly pulls himself together and gets back into his role too. 

“Sure thing, cutie,” Gyuvin says, winking. “I’ll pick out something good for you, don’t worry.”

Like a knee-jerk reaction, Ricky raises his fist to throw a punch at Gyuvin, and then he remembers that they’re in public and they’re on a first date and the last time he punched Gyuvin, it turned into a full-blown wrestling match, so—Ricky is forced to turn it into a thumbs up instead. 

“…Thanks,” Ricky grits out. “Appreciate it.”

Gyuvin barks out a laugh so loud everyone turns to them; Ricky buries his face in his menu and just prays their food comes soon.

Two steaming bowls make their way to their table not long after. The waitress sets one down in front of Gyuvin, “Ebi miso ramen for you,” and places the other in front of Ricky, “and the gyudon for you. Anything else I can get you two?”

“We’re good for now, thanks,” Gyuvin tells her, turning back just in time to catch the way Ricky’s eyes light up at the dish Gyuvin ordered for him.

Gyuvin bites back a stupid, proud grin. “Did I make a good choice?”

Ricky blinks away his excitement, schooling his features into a look of nonchalance. “It’s my favourite,” he says coolly. “How’d you know?”

I know everything about you, Ricky, Gyuvin wants to tell him. I know what you like and what you hate. I know what makes you tick and what makes you laugh. I know you better than I know myself and it terrifies me to think that if someone ever asks for my name, I might just say yours instead.  

But all Gyuvin says is, “Lucky guess?”

“Real lucky,” Ricky snickers. “Careful, Gyuvin. We’re only on date one. People might think you’re obsessed with me or something.”

Gyuvin props his chin in his palms, looking up at Ricky with twinkling eyes. “Are you saying there’s gonna be a date two?”

Ricky nearly breaks character. He just can’t win against Gyuvin’s flirting. In fact, he has to physically turn away and laugh into his fist until he gets it out of his system, shoulders shaking from how nonsensical all this is.

Once he manages to gather himself, Ricky turns back as if nothing happened, very calmly saying, “Well, there should be because you brought me to a ramen place and didn’t even order me any ramen. I expect better planning next time.”

Gyuvin tries not to roll his eyes. So fussy, this one. “I just had a feeling you’d like the gyudon more,” Gyuvin argues, and he’d be right, but he pushes his bowl towards Ricky anyway. “And you can always try a bit of my ramen, if you want.”

Ricky tsks. “How generous of you.”

Gyuvin grins. “What’s mine is yours.”

Ricky does end up trying Gyuvin’s ramen—which he likes, a lot—so Gyuvin secretly places a piece of shrimp in Ricky’s bowl every few minutes, making a bet with himself on how long it’ll take for Ricky to notice. (He never does. Gyuvin wins either way.) Gyuvin also ends up eating half of Ricky’s gyudon, because Ricky gets distracted by a massive strawberry dessert going to the next table and completely forgets about his own meal until Gyuvin caves in and asks: “Do you wanna get one of those too, Ricky-ya?”

He’d usually insist on making Ricky finish his food first, but when Ricky looks at him with those shiny, 500-won eyes, so eager and so fucking cute, Gyuvin calls the waitress back and orders two at once.

Ricky is happily working his way through the first bowl and Gyuvin is happily watching him enjoy his dessert when a big spoonful of snowy milk and strawberry syrup appears in front of Gyuvin’s face.

“Wanna try?” Ricky asks, then— “Ah, wait.”

He dives in for another spoonful, making sure to scoop up a whole strawberry too, and then Ricky offers it to Gyuvin again, his smile bright and his lips stained a pretty, pretty pink. 

“How generous of you,” Gyuvin teases.

“What’s mine is yours,” Ricky echoes.

Gyuvin chuckles, a gentle sound that tickles Ricky’s ears, and he grasps Ricky’s wrist, guiding the spoon into his mouth, all while keeping his gaze locked firmly on Ricky. He swallows, watching as Ricky’s wide eyes follow the movement of his throat, of his tongue, of the thumb that disappears between his lips for just a second before he says—

“Sweet.”

“The strawberry?”

“No, you,” Gyuvin says, his smile bright and his lips stained a pink as pretty as Ricky’s. “You’re sweet, Ricky.”

Ricky coughs, choking on air as his spoon clatters onto the table so loudly that everyone in this damn restaurant turns to them for the second time today, meals disrupted yet again.

“S-Sorry—! Excuse me!” 

Ricky scrambles to collect himself, one hand picking up his cutlery while the other forces ice cold water down his dry, dry throat, and the entire time he’s shooting what appears to be a very intimidating death glare to Gyuvin. It’s adorable.

“You okay there?” Gyuvin asks with an innocent grin, as if he isn’t the reason Ricky is dying on the other side of the table right now. 

“I’m fine,” Ricky answers once he can finally breathe. He yanks the dessert away, pulling the uneaten one closer to him too, and he tells Gyuvin: “I’m not sharing with you anymore. Stop saying weird things and finish your food, Gyuvin.”

Gyuvin surrenders, satisfied, obediently eating up the rest of both of their meals so Ricky can savour his strawberries in peace.

When they’re finished, bowls empty and stomachs full, Gyuvin swipes up the bill before Ricky can even look at it, telling him, “Dinner’s on me, Ricky-ya.”

Money isn’t something that’s ever been an issue between them. It’s all very if I get this one, you’ll get the next and if you want to treat me, I won’t say no, but they’re on a first date after all, so when Ricky says, “Sure, but the movie’s gonna be on me then,” Gyuvin doesn’t argue with him.

He takes the bill to the counter, handing it to the waitress who served them today, and Gyuvin’s pulling out his wallet when she suddenly says, “First date?”

“Sorry?”

“Were you two on your first date?” she asks, glancing over at their table where Ricky is fixing his hair in his phone camera, then— “Sorry, if I’m assuming. That’s just what it looked like to me.”

“Oh!” Gyuvin laughs, nodding or shrugging or something in between. “No, no, you’re totally fine. Yeah, it is a first date. Sort of. Kind of.” He pauses. “…Wait, you could tell?” 

She nods, but she’s quick to say, “Not in a bad way! You both just seemed a bit nervous, a bit shy, that kind of thing.”

Well, Gyuvin’s definitely feeling shy now, wondering just how much of a loser he probably looked like throughout that entire meal if even their waitress could pick up on it.

“I don’t think you have anything to be nervous about, though,” she says then, smiling up at Gyuvin. “From what I can tell… I think he really likes you.”

The joy that hits Gyuvin is dizzying.

“Really?”

“Really,” she assures him. “You can see it in the way he looks at you. He adores you.”

It gets to his head; dizzy, dizzy, dizzy, the words spinning around his brain like it’s the best thing Gyuvin’s heard in his life. And why wouldn’t it be? Of course he knows Ricky likes him. Of course he knows Ricky loves him, even. But to hear it from someone else, to know that all it takes is one look at Ricky for a stranger to see how much he likes Gyuvin, that he adores Gyuvin—it’s a feeling Gyuvin can’t describe. It’s a feeling Gyuvin doesn’t think he’ll ever forget. 

“I hope things work out for you two,” the waitress tells Gyuvin, pumping a supportive fist that Gyuvin returns with a winning smile. “Oh, and would you like to pay with cash or card?”

Gyuvin is still giddy after they leave the restaurant, smiling to himself like a fucking idiot as they walk along crowded streets towards the cinema. Their shoulders brush against each other’s, too close yet not close enough, and again, Gyuvin is trying hard not to reach for Ricky’s hand, reminding himself that it’s still too early. They still have all night.

Ricky hasn’t said a word since Gyuvin went to pay, just silently walking beside him. And Gyuvin wonders if this is part of Ricky’s act, if he’s playing hard to get now that they’re halfway through their first date. It wouldn’t be a surprise. Ricky has a way of keeping Gyuvin on his toes, of pulling and pushing and pulling him back in, and Gyuvin goes along with him each time, forever caught in Ricky’s orbit.

“Everything alright?” Gyuvin asks, nudging Ricky with his elbow. 

Ricky nudges Gyuvin back, a little rougher than Gyuvin expects. “Yup. You?”

“Uh, I’m good…” Gyuvin answers slowly, but even he’s unsure now. “I think? Why?”

Ricky shrugs. “Nothing. You haven’t stopped smiling since we left the restaurant.”

Ah. He noticed? Gyuvin’s cheeks start to warm, that stupid, stupid smile of his growing even more and—

“Was it that fun to flirt with the waitress?”

Gyuvin: “…”

Gyuvin: “Eh?”

He stops dead in the middle of the sidewalk, caught in a daze until Ricky drags him off to the side before he gets trampled over. Confused, Gyuvin thinks back to the restaurant, to his conversation with the waitress and how that might have looked from Ricky’s side of things, and he smacks a hand to his face, wiping his smile off immediately.

“Ricky-ya.” Gyuvin starts to explain: “I wasn’t— It’s not what you think.”

That just earns him a scowl and a terrible sigh. Ricky is way too into this right now. “Yeah, that’s what they all say…”

Gyuvin groans. “I mean it!”

“You mean it?”

“Yes!”

“Fine.” Ricky crosses his arms, eyes narrowing coldly. “Then tell me, what did she say that had you smiling like that?”

Ricky pushes and pushes and pushes him to his limit, and the thing is, Gyuvin is just as good at pulling him back in.

“Well, if you really want to know…”

With every word, Gyuvin steps closer, voice drops lower, backing Ricky into a corner until there’s nowhere for him to go except into Gyuvin’s arms. 

“She could tell that we were on our first date. She said we looked nervous, but then she told me not to be because it seemed like you really liked me. In fact, she said that it looked like you adore me, Ricky.”

The thing is, Ricky is just as stuck in Gyuvin’s orbit too.

“Oh,” Ricky says quietly. “Oh, I see.”

His defensive stance goes slack, the tension leaving his shoulders, and the telltale sign of Ricky’s blush comes back in full force, two red ears peeking out of soft blond hair. 

…How cute.

Gyuvin decides to spare Ricky this time, muffling his laugh into an endeared smile instead. He sighs, slinging his arm around Ricky’s shoulders as he leads them back towards the main road.

“Pabo-ya. Next time, if you’re worried about something like that, you can just ask me,” Gyuvin says, bumping his head against Ricky’s. “You don’t have to sulk all on your own. Just ask me and I’ll tell you anything you wanna know. Got it?”

“Got it,” Ricky answers begrudgingly, but he doesn’t pull away and Gyuvin thinks, if this weren’t their first date, he’d kiss Ricky silly right here and now. 

Gyuvin thinks, if Ricky asked, he’d tell Ricky he adores him just as much too. 

“By the way, Rick…”

“What?” 

“Getting jealous on the first date, huh?”

“Oh, shut up, Gyuvin.”

The movie they planned to see is sold out.

For a minute there, Gyuvin wonders why he hadn’t just booked the tickets online like they usually do, and then he’s reminded that this was all part of his very elaborate ‘first date experience’ plan—going old school and buying their tickets and popcorn at the counter.

“It’s okay, we can just watch something else,” Ricky says, much less affected. Gyuvin has a feeling he might have secretly been against watching yet another Godzilla film.

Ricky heads straight up to the ticket counter, carefully surveying the other movies on show, and Gyuvin watches him the same way he does when Ricky’s in his element, when he’s so focused on his art that the world around him blurs into the background.

Not Gyuvin, though. Even if the rest of the world bleeds away, Gyuvin is still a focal point in Ricky’s eyes; the one piece of the puzzle that never moves, never changes. 

I’m here, Gyuvin will tell Ricky again and again. I’ll always be here.

Ricky has his head bowed, brows pinched in full concentration. He’s so thoughtful. Unlike Gyuvin who just wanted to see some monsters fight, Ricky is probably seriously considering all their options, weighing each one to find a movie they’ll both enjo—

“Excuse me, which movie would be best for a first date?”

Gyuvin’s smile stiffens. It slowly falls flat.

“Shim Ricky… What are you doing right now?”

Ricky just shushes Gyuvin, patting his chest placatingly. “Don’t worry, Gyuvin-ah, I got this,” he insists. “You already worked hard on dinner. Let hyung take care of the movie.”

Gyuvin’s mouth twitches. Is that how he wants to play it?

“O-kay,” Gyuvin sings, making himself small as he wraps his whole body around Ricky’s arm, head tucked over his shoulder cutely. “Then hyung should pick a movie where we can secretly kiss in the dark…” He bats his eyelashes up at Ricky. “That’s the only reason you brought me here for a first date, right?”

The employee behind the counter stares at them awkwardly, concerned by this line of conversation, and Gyuvin can see how Ricky’s jaw immediately tightens, probably already regretting it.

But Ricky is nothing if not stupidly stubborn, especially when it comes to losing to Gyuvin. “Ha-ha,” he forces out, teeth clenched. “Of course! Our Gyuvinnie really knows me so well.”

“Ah, hyunggg!” Gyuvin smacks Ricky with his sleeves, playing coy. “You shouldn’t be like this in public. I’ll feel embarra—”

A hand slammed onto the counter interrupts Gyuvin’s whining.

“Please stop harassing my coworkers before I call security.”

Gyuvin looks up, eyes going comically wide. “Yah, Han Yujin! Since when do you work here?!”

Yujin answers him with an exhausted stare. “Trust me, right now, I really wish I didn’t.” He looks between the two of them, asking, “What the hell are you guys up to anyway?”

“Language!” Gyuvin scolds, at the same time that Ricky says: “We’re on a first date.”

The Yujin who’s been around since the start knows that that makes absolutely no sense, but well, most things usually don’t when it comes to Gyuvin and Ricky, so he doesn’t even bother trying to understand.

“Whatever, I guess,” Yujin sighs. He taps an impatient finger on his little computer screen, asking, “So? What movie do you wanna watch, hyungs? You’re holding up the queue, you know.”

“Give us something that’d be good for a first date,” Ricky says, happily giving up the burden of choosing one himself. “Your pick, Yujin-ah.”

“And get us the couple seats too!” Gyuvin adds.

“Let me guess.” Yujin deadpans, “You want the couples’ popcorn deal too?”

Ricky nods. Gyuvin nods harder. Yujin shakes his head in that disapproving way that he does, definitely inherited from Hao somehow.

Either way, Yujin does as he’s told. He’s a good kid like that. In exchange for a quick swipe of Ricky’s credit card—(“Thank you, Ricky-hyungie!” “Oh, don’t start, Gyuvin.” “Both of you, enough, please.”)—Yujin prints out two tickets for Ricky and shoves a large popcorn bucket in Gyuvin’s hands, finishing it all off with a milkshake topped with one of those silly heart-shaped straws that they’re both meant to sip out of. It’s perfect.

“Enjoy your movie,” Yujin says with a perfunctory smile. Then, dead serious, he warns: “And I swear to god, if you two make out in there, or worse, I will personally have you banned from here and every other cinema in this country. Forever.”

Yujin’s polite smile returns.

“Understood, hyungs?”

Gyuvin and Ricky exchange a look, gulping.

“Understood, Yujin-ah.”

They’re heading into the hall when Ricky suddenly starts laughing, finally taking a proper look at the tickets Yujin gave them.

“Seems like our Yujinnie still has some growing up to do…” Ricky passes the tickets over. “He chose a horror movie. Kid probably thinks you’ll jump into my arms when a ghost pops out or something.”

“Who’s to say it won’t be you jumping into my arms, Ricky-ya?” Gyuvin counters.

“In your dreams, sweetheart,” Ricky sneers, sticking his tongue out at Gyuvin. “You and I both know I don’t get scared and neither do you.”

Unfortunately, Ricky’s right. Yujin’s ‘horror movie on a first date’ logic would make perfect sense for anyone else, but not for them. Gyuvin almost always predicts the jump scares before they happen, while Ricky only processes them a good thirty seconds after they happen, so in the end, horror movies are really just movies to them.

(Of course, if Ricky happens to ask Gyuvin to walk him to the bathroom in the middle of the night sometimes in case there’s something lurking in the dark, that’s no one’s business. And if Gyuvin gets hit by sleep paralysis every once in a while and makes Ricky stay up with him after because he’s too afraid to go back to sleep, that’s no one’s business too.)

“Aw, man.” Gyuvin pouts, feigning disappointment. “Isn’t that what first dates at the movies are for, though?”

“I thought first dates at the movies are for secretly kissing in the dark,” Ricky reminds him with a sickly sweet tone. “Or has our Gyuvinnie forgotten about that already?”

Like they asked, they’re seated in one of the plush couple couches right at the back of the hall, two spaces left wide open without a useless armrest to separate them. And honestly, aren’t all these cinemas just asking for it when they place couples in the most private area of the room, with absolutely nothing holding them back from each other?

Try putting the couple seats right smack in the middle of the theatre and see if anyone dares to try and get a quickie in then.

Gyuvin wouldn’t. He’d only been teasing Ricky earlier about sneaking kisses in here, just to wind him up and watch him turn that lovely shade of pink again. After all, it’s only their first date. There’s no way he’d try anything with Ricky right now, especially when this date was partly to make up for the fact that they didn’t really do things right the first time around. 

At most, Gyuvin will send Ricky off with a sweet kiss at the end of the night, telling him that he had a wonderful time and that he’d like to see him again sometime. 

And maybe Ricky will kiss him back, maybe Ricky will tell Gyuvin that he enjoyed himself too and that he’d also like to do this again, and again and again. That would be nice. Gyuvin thinks it would be really nice.

Naturally, at the end of all this, they’ll still go home together and go back to being what they were, what they always will be, and Gyuvin thinks that’s really nice too. But there’s just something so… refreshing about the way they are now; a new kind of excitement in rediscovering all these little things about Ricky that he already knows and loves, that he’s willing to learn over and over until they become a part of him as much as they are a part of Ricky.

Gyuvin holds his hands up then, saying, “Hey, you heard Yujin… I don’t know about you, but I’m not gonna be the one to get us banned from every cinema in the country, forever.”

He still has a new Godzilla sequel to see, thank you very much.

But Ricky takes Gyuvin’s words as a challenge. Of course he does. “Okay, well, then neither am I,” he decides. He juts his chin out at Gyuvin, tone provoking. “I guess we’re just gonna watch the movie then.”

“Yeah, I guess we will,” Gyuvin agrees.

“Good.”

“Great.”

Ricky holds Gyuvin’s gaze, a new kind of excitement burning in his eyes—then he laughs.

“We’ll see how that goes, Gyuvin.”

The lights dim, the movie starts, and Gyuvin is about to rediscover just how much of a crazy fucking tease Ricky can be.

It starts out innocent enough.

They’re about twenty minutes into the movie when a blackout on the screen has Ricky scooting closer to Gyuvin, not that they were sitting very far apart in the first place. Gyuvin, naive Gyuvin, lets him, shifting his body so Ricky can lean against his chest. It’s a habit; he can’t help it. 

The protagonist of the film slowly feels her way around the pitch black house, the first-person point of view adding to the eerie atmosphere as they watch her arms blindly creep across peeling walls and dusty lamps in search of an exit.

In the background, a tense tune plays, making the hairs on the back of Gyuvin’s neck stand. The music builds as the woman inches closer and closer to the end of the hallway, and Gyuvin knows something is coming, there has to be, but—

“Whoa!”

Gyuvin startles, more shocked by the Ricky who had suddenly grabbed onto his arm than by the headless body that dropped from the ceiling.

“Sorry,” Ricky whispers, shooting an apologetic look up at Gyuvin as he pinches his sleeve nervously. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting that.”

“It’s okay,” Gyuvin whispers back, rubbing Ricky’s arm as a show of comfort. “Don’t worry about it. Just stay close to me, alright?”

Ricky nods, leaning into Gyuvin even more.

They stay like that for a good while, peacefully watching the movie like they said they would. Gyuvin pinpoints the jumpscares and Ricky blanks out until they’re over and no one makes a move. 

That is until the protagonist finds herself in another unsettling situation, wide awake in her bed as someone, something, watches her from the shadows in the corner of her room. The audience can’t see it, but the terror on her face is enough to bring chills to their bones and Gyuvin feels Ricky’s grip tighten around his arm again.

“Hey, I thought you said you don’t get scared,” Gyuvin muses, teasing, but he slowly presses calming circles into Ricky’s arm again anyway. He thinks this might be a habit too.

Ricky just digs his elbow into Gyuvin’s ribs. “Shut up,” he grumbles. “It’s just creepier than I thought it’d be.”

Gyuvin sneaks a glance at Ricky then, and honestly, he’s never seen him like this. Again, he can’t quite tell if this is just part of today’s character or if Ricky is genuinely scared right now, but somehow, the pale expression on his face and the slight tremor of his voice seems a little too real to be an act.

Either way, Gyuvin is happy to play the hero.

He sits up straighter, shuffling them around until Ricky is safely tucked against his side, one arm draped across Ricky’s shoulders while the other finally reaches for his hand, wrapping Ricky’s cold fingers in the warmth of his own. 

It’s a little bold for a first date, it’s tame compared to the last three years, it’s nothing and it’s everything all at once, but since Ricky is ready to jump into his arms, Gyuvin is more than ready to catch him. 

“Better?” Gyuvin asks, gently squeezing Ricky’s hand.

“Better,” Ricky answers, squeezing Gyuvin back once.

That’s probably where Gyuvin fucked up. 

He should’ve known that letting Ricky get too close would only lead to disaster. He should’ve known that this guy was up to no good because now, at every slightest sign of a scare, Ricky immediately hides his face in Gyuvin’s neck, lashes brushing against Gyuvin’s skin where he presses his eyes shut; lips trembling against Gyuvin’s pulse where his breath shakes with a fear Gyuvin never knew Ricky could possess.

And that’s just it, isn’t it?

Gyuvin has never seen Ricky this scared before because Ricky doesn’t fucking get scared.

He’s doing this on purpose, Gyuvin realises belatedly, once this scheming Ricky has already moved on from simply holing up in Gyuvin’s arms to fully crawling onto his open lap, pulling on Gyuvin’s hands until they’re wrapped around his waist. 

“Ricky, you…”

“Shh,” Ricky hushes, brushing a finger against Gyuvin’s lips before he points at the screen. “Pay attention to the movie, Gyuvin.”

Gyuvin presses his tongue into his cheek. “Right.”

Ricky doesn’t stop there. Gyuvin wishes that he would because it would be really embarrassing to get thrown out of a theatre not even halfway through the movie, but Ricky is on a mission and unfortunately, Gyuvin’s sanity is his target. 

It’s subtle, Gyuvin will give him that. If not for the fact that Gyuvin is hyper-focused on Ricky instead of this damn movie right now, he would’ve hardly noticed the light drag of Ricky’s nails along his bare skin, drawing meaningless patterns just as an excuse to touch Gyuvin. He wouldn’t have blinked at the perfect placement of Ricky’s head against his shoulder, resting just close enough to let Gyuvin breathe in his cologne. He might not have even felt the small shifts moving up his thighs, the familiar weight of Ricky’s body slowly inching closer and closer and closer to Gyuvin’s—

“Oh god.”

“What’s the matter?” Ricky asks, turning back to blink at Gyuvin innocently. This crazy bastard, Gyuvin thinks. Isn’t he too fucking good at this?! “Are you feeling scared too, Gyuvin?”

Obviously not. Gyuvin hasn’t even looked at the screen for the past who knows how long. The lady in the movie could be possessed or dead or eaten by wolves by now, for all Gyuvin cares. He has no time to be scared when the most terrifying thing in this place right now is the person sitting in his lap. 

“No, that’s not it,” Gyuvin manages to churn out, silently conjuring up every single turn-off he can think of before the situation gets any… harder than this. “What about you, hm? I know you said it’s scarier than you expected, but don’t you think this is a little much for a first date, Ricky-ya?”

Gyuvin prays that Ricky gets the hint. He doesn’t. 

“Nah,” Ricky answers, humming contentedly as he lays his head onto Gyuvin again. “We’re just watching the movie, aren’t we?”

I guess we’re just gonna watch the movie then.

Yeah, I guess we will.

We’ll see how that goes, Gyuvin.

Gyuvin wants to laugh. He wants to cry. He wants to drag Ricky out of here and kiss him senseless until he forgets what this movie was even called, but—two can play at this game.

Two can play it even better.

“You’re right,” Gyuvin says as his hands find their way to the two slits in the sides of Ricky’s sweater, held together by nothing more than a flimsy strap. 

It’s one of Gyuvin’s favourites. It looks decent enough on the surface, but when Ricky stretches his arms just right, he gets to show a bit of skin, a bit of flesh, a bit of that tiny little waist Gyuvin loves to hold so much. And so he does, planting his hot palms firmly onto Ricky and feeling him jump.

“Gyuvin! What are you—?!”

Ricky lets out a strangled sound as Gyuvin pulls Ricky into him; his back colliding with Gyuvin’s chest, the air knocked out of his lungs and now, Ricky is fully seated on Gyuvin, just like he wanted. 

It takes every fucking ounce of self-control for Gyuvin not to react.

“What? We’re just watching the movie, aren’t we?” Gyuvin repeats back to him, his mouth stretching into a mean grin where Ricky can’t see it.

He strokes along the smooth curves of Ricky’s waist, one hand moving up to trace the tattoo inked onto his left rib while the other moves south, past his hips, long fingers slowly sliding down Ricky’s thigh. 

Gyuvin squeezes; Ricky whimpers, and ah, Gyuvin gets it now. This is pretty fun. 

He doesn’t stop there. He probably should because this is very quickly moving into dangerous, dangerous territory and again—getting kicked out of a movie theatre? Embarrassing. But it’s hard to take his hands off Ricky when he makes such pretty sounds from the barest of touches, just daring Gyuvin to tease him even more.

Gyuvin’s fingertips dance across Ricky’s tattoo, digging a little harder into the spots where he’s the most sensitive, where Gyuvin knows his soft skin will bloom red and stain blue. His thumb brushes back and forth along the inside of Ricky’s thigh, feeling Ricky tremble on top of him every time Gyuvin gets too close to the place where he’s dying to be touched most.

“Kim Gyuvin.” Ricky’s strained voice rings with a warning, gaze fierce when he pins it on Gyuvin. “Isn’t this too much for a first date?”

Of course Gyuvin knows this is too much. Of course it’s more than he expected when he pictured a simple movie date, but they should both know by now that things are never simple when it comes to them, and if Ricky willingly jumped into his arms, what else was Gyuvin meant to do but catch him? 

“Shh,” Gyuvin hushes, pressing a finger to Ricky’s lips.

He holds it there, meeting Ricky’s eyes in the dark and a spark of electricity goes off between them, sending a shiver up Gyuvin’s spine. Gyuvin drags his finger down, tugging Ricky’s bottom lip open and leaning in the way he would before a kiss, and Ricky lets out a shuddering sigh, hazy eyes falling shut in anticipation; in satisfaction.

Hah…

If Ricky wants to play games, what else is Gyuvin meant to do but play with him?

Gyuvin pulls away. 

Ricky’s eyes blink open in confusion, and just as he starts to ask Gyuvin what’s wrong, Gyuvin takes him by the chin, turns his face back to the screen and tells him—

“Pay attention to the movie, Ricky.”

Ricky goes still. Bitterly, he swallows his own words, he sinks into Gyuvin, and Gyuvin, naive Gyuvin, believes, I win.

They make it through the entire movie, shockingly. 

It was a predictable ending—the protagonist was, in fact, possessed at some point and as these things typically go, she was saved by the power of God and a priest who looked like he’d been eaten by wolves. Gyuvin saw it coming, Ricky gave up on pretending to be scared and nearly dozed off, comfortable in Gyuvin’s lap once he accepted his fate. 

Gyuvin didn’t end up teasing him for too long. There’s only so much he can do to rile Ricky up that wouldn’t somehow rile him up as well. What can Gyuvin say? Ricky’s misery is his joy; Ricky’s suffering is a one-way ticket straight to hornyville with no form of relief that wouldn’t immediately get them arrested for public indecency. Poor Yujin would probably be the one calling the cops on them himself.

So Gyuvin had surrendered too, keeping his hands to himself and pressing a silent apology to Ricky’s shoulder. I’m sorry, it said, ticklish where Gyuvin rubbed his cheek against Ricky like a puppy begging for forgiveness. I won’t do it again.  

Ricky hadn’t said anything then, eyes stubbornly fixed on the screen because, “You told me to pay attention, right?” but he loosened his arms where they’d been crossed tightly and Gyuvin swore he caught a glimpse of a smile when Ricky eventually curled up against Gyuvin’s chest again.

He’s so cute that Gyuvin could die.

Gyuvin makes a pit stop at the bathroom after the movie, just to make sure he doesn’t look too ruffled because he’d rather not have to explain to Yujin that, technically, they did not make out in the cinema and no, whatever the fuck else they had going on in there can’t be considered worse than that. 

Right?

Right.

Unfortunately, the universe seems to have it out for Gyuvin today because as soon as he heads back to get Ricky, he runs into Yujin instead, the younger staring at him with an unreadable expression.

“W-What, Yujin-ah?” Gyuvin asks nervously, “Why are you looking at me like I did something wrong?”

Yujin arches an eyebrow. “Did you do something wrong, hyung?”

Gyuvin gulps, trying hard not to start sweating on the spot. Do they have CCTVs in there? Are the police already on their way? Will he really never get to see Godzilla x Kong on the big screen?

“Kidding,” Yujin says, but it’s so flat that Gyuvin really can’t tell if he’s joking. He points his thumb somewhere behind him, still incredibly monotone as he says: “I just wanted to tell you that some dude has been hitting on Ricky-hyung since you were in the bathroom. You should probably go deal with that.”

“…Excuse me?!”

Yujin shrugs. Gyuvin covers his face and stifles a violent scream in his hands before he shakes it off, ready to go get his Ricky back.

It’s not hard to find Ricky. There aren’t many people in this world who exude the kind of aura that he does; beautiful and elegant and everything you could possibly ever want in a person, so it’s not surprising that a complete stranger would come crawling up to Ricky as soon as he’s alone. It’s not surprising that this guy is practically gushing over him while Ricky just stands there with boredom written all over his face, not entertaining a single word this man is saying to him.

“Ricky-ya,” Gyuvin calls, not holding back this time as he slides his arms around Ricky’s middle, hands splayed out over Ricky’s stomach to show his claim. “Were you waiting long?”

Ricky startles from the sudden contact, but he quickly relaxes into Gyuvin’s embrace, his bored expression replaced with something more sly. “No, not at all, Gyuvin-ah,” he answers, tilting his head towards the person in front of him. “This nice man was keeping me company anyway.”

“Ah, is that so?” Gyuvin puts on a smile. It doesn’t reach his eyes. “I guess I should thank you then…” He sucks in a sharp breath, turning to Ricky. “Sorry, baby, did you get his name?”

“Nope,” Ricky says, unconcerned.

At this point, the man’s features have twisted into something ugly and green-eyed, clearly realising he’s walked into the wrong house tonight. Still, he’s brave enough to force a polite smile of his own, saying, “It’s Jeonghyeon.” 

“Jeonghyeon-ssi…” Gyuvin nods. “Thanks.”

It’s about as insincere of a thank you as it can get, and Gyuvin assumes it’ll end there, but this Jeonghyeon person seems to enjoy making a fool of himself, shifting his attention back to Ricky to ask, “Is this your boyfriend then?”

What a stupid question.

What a stupid, stupid question that Gyuvin has no other choice but to laugh—

“Ah, well…” Ricky sighs, saying, “It’s complicated.”

Gyuvin’s laugh gets caught halfway. 

It turns into an awful scowl and it only worsens when he sees how Jeonghyeon’s eyes widen curiously at Ricky’s ambiguous response.

“Complicated?” Jeonghyeon asks, gaze flitting between the two of them.

Ricky hums, long and low, and Gyuvin can already sense that he’s about to say something ridiculous, so he digs his nails into Ricky in warning. Ricky just laughs, gingerly resting his hand over Gyuvin’s, their matching rings lining up side-by-side.

“You wouldn’t understand,” Ricky whispers. 

Right away, Jeonghyeon’s mouth twitches with a smirk, probably taking that as some kind of invitation, some kind of temptation, but—before he gets any funny fucking ideas, Gyuvin puts a stop to it.

“It’s late,” Gyuvin says curtly, stepping away from Ricky only to circle his wrists like a cuff instead. “We’re going home, Ricky. Now.”

Ricky doesn’t protest as Gyuvin drags him away, that sly, sly smile still playing on his lips as he waves a goodbye to the confused Jeonghyeon. His limbs are limp in Gyuvin’s bruising hold, letting himself be pulled along busy streets and narrow alleyways until they’re all the way back at the car.

He doesn’t even flinch when Gyuvin shoves him up against the car door, one hand pinning him down at the hips; the other balled into a fist by his head. Ricky is surprisingly calm, irritatingly so, while Gyuvin is over here seething and trying not to punch a fucking hole straight through his window. 

It’s stupid, Gyuvin knows. Nothing happened, nothing could happen. Ricky would never try it. Gyuvin would never let him. But even the thought of Ricky talking, standing, breathing next to another man—no, next to anyone other than Gyuvin—is enough to drive him so insane that he wonders if he should just go back to the cinema to teach that sleazy little bastard a lesson. 

Yujin would really have to call the cops on him then and Gyuvin would have to call Hanbin to bail him out and all this is just stupid, stupid, stupid, but the conversation they had didn’t help either because Ricky’s words keep playing in Gyuvin’s head over and over and over like a broken record, distorting even more with every turn. 

It’s complicated. It’s complicated? It’s complicated, it’s complicated, how is it fucking complicated—

“Ricky, what was that?”

Ricky plays dumb. “What was what, Gyuvin?”

“That,” Gyuvin stresses. “Back there. With that… that… Jeonghyeon or whatever his name was. What was that, huh?”

When Ricky doesn’t respond, silently gazing up at him, Gyuvin’s frustration flares, growing antsy as he insists, “Answer.”

“It was nothing,” is all Ricky says, still so unbelievably calm. Gyuvin wants to tear his hair out or bite his nose or something just to get a reaction. “I told you already, he was just keeping me company while I waited for you.”

Keeping you company, my ass!  

Gyuvin tries, he really does, but he can’t stop the sharp sting in his tone when he asks, “Right, so, him flirting with you was all just my fucking imagination then, was it?”

Gyuvin regrets it as soon as he says it. 

If there’s one thing he knows about Ricky, it’s that he doesn’t take well to being spoken to harshly, especially not by Gyuvin. He’s a lot more sensitive than he seems and though he doesn’t like to show it, Ricky is the type to easily get hurt, to take things to heart and wallow in them until they consume him. Either that or he starts to lash out, more so when he feels like he’s being blamed for something he didn’t even do. 

That’s right, Gyuvin has to remind himself. Ricky didn’t do anything. Ricky wouldn’t do anything. It’s not his fault that he’s so perfect and wonderful and gorgeous that no one can resist his charms, even when he’s so clearly taken—

Gyuvin hears Ricky laugh.

He gulps.

That’s… not a good sign.

“Yah, Kim Gyuvin…”

Oh, that is not a good sign at all and Gyuvin really shouldn’t have said anything and could someone tell him what the chances are of being murdered by your boyfriend-best-friend-roommate-soulmate-love-of-your-li—

“Don’t tell me you’re getting jealous on the first date?”

Gyuvin: “…”

Gyuvin: “?!”

“Kim Ricky, you—!” Gyuvin spares his car window and punches Ricky’s shoulder instead, once, twice, coming to the pathetic realisation that he’s been fooled by Ricky’s acting yet again tonight. “Not fucking funny, Rick.”

Ricky rubs his shoulder, still laughing. “It’s kinda funny.”

At Ricky’s obvious amusement, Gyuvin just collapses in relief, his head dropping onto Ricky’s chest as he cries out, “You scared me! I really thought you were being serious back there, saying we’re complicated and all that…”

But Ricky just grins, shameless. “Are we not?”

Gyuvin looks up to glare at him, as if to say, How so?

“I mean…” 

Tugging at Gyuvin’s collar, Ricky pulls him in closer to say, “Think about it, Gyuvin-ah. We’ve been together for so long and yet, we’re here on a first date. You ask me silly questions to get to know me and yet, you already have my favourite order memorised. You won’t hold my hand when we’re walking, you can’t even look me in the eye for too long without getting shy, and yet, you dare put your paws all over me in the middle of a movie when you’re the one who said that you wouldn’t do anything…”

Ricky’s grin turns razor sharp. Gyuvin’s face turns bright fucking red.

“Isn’t that as complicated as it gets?”

Gyuvin’s only response to that is: “You started it.”

How mature.

He’s not wrong, though. Ricky must know it too because he just breathes out a soft chuckle and slips his hands under Gyuvin’s jacket, pressing his palms to the heat of Gyuvin’s back until there isn’t an inch of space between them. 

Ricky wets his lips, plump and glossy and begging to be kissed.

And he asks Gyuvin, “Well, aren’t you gonna finish it?”

That’s all it takes for Gyuvin to cave. 

He’s done being patient, being proper, rushing forward to crash his lips onto Ricky’s own. And Ricky lets him, opening right up when Gyuvin’s tongue pries his mouth apart. 

He’s been waiting for this, he must have been, because Ricky usually likes to be teased, to be slowly coaxed open with small pecks and soft licks, only letting Gyuvin in once his lips taste more like Gyuvin than himself, but right now…

His hazy eyes from the theatre flash in Gyuvin’s mind and Gyuvin realises—Ricky hasn’t been waiting for this. He’s been expecting it. 

It makes sense. Gyuvin had left him hanging; refusing to play his game, naively believing he’d won his game, and so Ricky had to take matters into his own hands to prove him wrong. Of course, Ricky went straight for a trick he was certain would finally push Gyuvin off the edge because if there’s one thing Ricky knows about him, it’s that Gyuvin is the most possessive man in the world.

If there’s one thing anyone should know about Gyuvin, it’s that the only person he’ll ever lose to is Ricky.

“You win,” Gyuvin admits, murmuring the words into Ricky’s skin where he kisses a messy trail along the line of his jaw. Ricky tosses his head back, groaning when Gyuvin buries his nose into the sensitive spot just below his ear and breathes him in. His hands are in Gyuvin’s hair now, thin fingers twisted in the dark strands and when Gyuvin bites—Ricky tugs, an equal exchange of pain and pleasure.

A red blotch appears on Ricky’s neck, sticky with spit and marked by the shape of Gyuvin’s teeth and Gyuvin thinks he doesn’t mind losing to Ricky if it means that he gets to have him like this. So pretty, so desperate, unravelling in Gyuvin’s hands so perfectly like he was made to be touched by Gyuvin, to be loved by Gyuvin and Gyuvin alone.

You win, you win, you win, Gyuvin surrenders to Ricky as he yanks Ricky in for another kiss; deeper, hotter, just as fucking desperate. And it’s impossible not to feel that way, not when a moan spills out of Ricky’s mouth as Gyuvin licks into him, begging for more; not when Ricky’s heart pounds against Gyuvin’s chest, damn near exploding; not when Ricky slides his leg up Gyuvin’s own, hooking it behind his knee to force them even closer to each other. 

Space doesn’t matter when Gyuvin is with Ricky. If he could, he’d meld their bodies together into one, blurring every boundary between them until Gyuvin becomes Ricky and Ricky becomes Gyuvin. There’s no need to separate them. There’s no need to take them apart. After all, Gyuvin is only Gyuvin when he’s with Ricky, so there’s no need for him to exist if Ricky isn’t there. There’s no need for him to exist if Ricky doesn’t love him.

But Ricky loves him. Oh, how Ricky loves him. Ricky loves him enough to go along with Gyuvin’s silly ideas, to play pretend for an entire night just to make Gyuvin happy. Ricky loves him enough to fall for Gyuvin all over again, to be swayed by his charms and to feel jealous over him and to try and win him over in his own silly ways. Ricky loves him enough, Ricky loves him just as much as Gyuvin loves him and that’s all he could ever ask for. 

“Ricky.”

Ricky stares at Gyuvin through his lashes and Gyuvin’s heart seizes in his chest. No matter how many times he looks at Ricky, he’s just as beautiful as the first day they met.

Gyuvin smiles against Ricky’s lips. This time, their kiss is slow, gentle, sweet. There’s no more impatience, no more desperation, only him and Ricky, his lovely Ricky, and Gyuvin tells him—

“I love you.”

Ricky’s eyes widen, his breath catching in his throat.

Gyuvin can see the gears turning in Ricky’s head, as if he’s trying to figure out what Gyuvin is saying, unsure if this is just another practised line in tonight’s script or if Gyuvin really means it. 

But Gyuvin means it. He’s always meant it. Every word he’s spoken, every move he’s made, every feeling he’s given into tonight was just as real as it would be on any other day. 

It doesn’t take long before Ricky understands. It never does when it comes to Gyuvin. The uncertainty in his gaze gives way to warm eyes that curve up at the corners as Ricky matches Gyuvin’s sweet, sweet smile and he’s sure that Ricky means it just as much when he says, “I love you too, Gyuvin.”

The way Gyuvin blushes makes him feel like this really is a first date, like it’s really his first time hearing Ricky say those words to him. He giggles like a lovesick idiot, taking Ricky’s face in his hands and smothering him in a hundred, thousand, million more smooches all over.

Ricky’s whole face scrunches up adorably, flashing his gummy smile and those tiny teeth Gyuvin loves to tease him about, and Gyuvin can’t help but dive in for another kiss.

This comes up every time they do, and Ricky’s probably tired of hearing it by now, but Gyuvin just finds it so incredible how even their mouths seem to be made for each other, his fuller upper lip slotting perfectly against Ricky’s plush bottom lip. It’s just like how his hands seem to have been built for the sole purpose of holding Ricky’s waist and how their heights are just far enough apart that Gyuvin can press a kiss to Ricky’s forehead when they hug.

If Gyuvin is a puzzle piece that doesn’t move, doesn’t change, Ricky is a piece that fits him no matter the shape or size. Ricky is a person that suits him no matter who he wants to become.

Gyuvin’s been there through it all—the neverending dye jobs and the growing collection of tattoos and all the new piercings that appear faster than the old ones can heal. He’s watched as Ricky’s makeup went from the thinnest swipe of eyeliner ‘just to try it out’ to the fully sculpted looks he wears so proudly today. He’s seen the artist Ricky, the musician Ricky, even the athlete Ricky who truly believed he could become a pro basketball player if he just tried. Gyuvin wholeheartedly believed in him too.

Gyuvin’s been right by Ricky’s side as he grows into himself and with every new version of Ricky that he comes to meet, Gyuvin only loves him more. Today too, Gyuvin loves Ricky more than he ever thought he could.

When they finally pull apart, they’re both breathless, foreheads damp with sweat where they’re still stuck together like glue. If it were up to Gyuvin, they’d stay like this forever. If it were up to Gyuvin, he’d never want this night to end.

Ricky reaches out to brush a stray hair out of Gyuvin’s eyes, saying, “I don’t think people normally kiss like this on a first date.”

Gyuvin just laughs, nuzzling his cheek into the warmth of Ricky’s palm. “In case you haven’t noticed, angel,” he hums, “I don’t think there’s anything normal about us.”

The corner of Ricky’s mouth quirks up. “Oh, yeah?” He pinches Gyuvin’s cheek, tugging on the flesh until it turns red, and he asks, “Does that mean I won’t be promoted to boyfriend status after tonight?”

“I dunno…” Gyuvin mirrors his smirk, pulling Ricky’s hand away to lace their fingers together, their matching rings lining up side-by-side. “You’re kinda scary. Not sure if I should risk it.”

Ricky sighs, dragging it out dramatically. “Well, that’s fine. After all…” He grins. “Isn’t it more fun to keep chasing me?”

Ha! So confident? 

But Gyuvin agrees, nodding seriously. “You’re right,” he says. “I could chase you for the rest of my life. So, you can keep running from me, I don’t mind. I’ll catch up to you one way or another, Kim Ricky.”

Ricky’s eyes narrow into a near wink. “Sounds like a threat, Shim Gyuvin.”

“It’s not a threat,” Gyuvin laughs. “It’s just an invitation to a second date.” He brings their joined hands up between them, tilting his head cutely. “If you’ll have me, of course.”

“Ahh… The infamous date two?” 

Ricky considers the offer, humming softly under his breath, taking his sweet time to make up his mind only to say: “I’ll think about it.”

Gyuvin rolls his eyes. “Good enough.”

It doesn’t matter. Gyuvin really would chase Ricky for the rest of his life. He’d chase Ricky for as long as he has to. He won’t get tired and he won’t give up. He’d keep going and going and going, no matter what, because Gyuvin knows in his heart—even if Ricky wasn’t his soulmate, even if Ricky wasn’t made for him and him for Ricky, Ricky would still be waiting for him at the ends of the earth just to tell him: Gyuvin, I’m here.

I’m here and I’m yours too. In whatever way you want me, in whatever way you’ll have me; I’m yours, I’m yours, I’m yours and you’ll always be mine.

What else is there to it? What else does there have to be as long as he’s with Ricky?

“Ricky-ya.”

“Yeah?”

Gyuvin smiles, feeling like the happiest person in the world right now.

“Let’s go home!”

Ricky smiles back; the love of his life, his best friend, his rival, his soulmate—and Gyuvin knows he’s just as happy too.

“Let’s go home, Gyuvin-ah.”