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0 - Younghoon and Eric
“Can I have everyone’s attention please?”
“Shh, quiet.” Chanhee looks around to see if any students or the librarian heard them. It was a miracle that they haven’t been banned yet for always causing a small ruckus inside. “Keep your voice down.”
Uncaring of his older friend’s warnings, Sunwoo scoffs, “What is this, a wedding?” Eric, the very mature and truly wise beyond his years Eric, sticks his tongue out. Sunwoo returns it in glee.
“Without further ado, hyung, please take the stage.” Eric gestures at Younghoon. All eyes turned to said person.
“I have—No, we,” Younghoon glances at Eric. They make eye contact. Eric flashes a reassuring smile to him. “Have an announcement to make.” Without looking at any of his friends, Younghoon envelops his hand around Eric’s. He sends a wink to Eric, making him look away slightly red.
A splutter, “Eric, are you pregnant?”
Eric swivels around to gape at Changmin, looking positively offended by his words. “What? No, how did you assume that—”
“Who is pregnant?” Haknyeon jumps in. Sunwoo didn’t waste any time making a joke.
“Eric is preganate?”
“Eric is a pomegranate?”
Jaehyun-hyung too? Eric can only bury his head into hands in shame. How are these people his friends? And he even turned into a fruit!
“Eric is a…” Juyeon tries, “pomeranian?”
“That last one may be half true…” Younghoon mumbles. Then, he feels Eric lightly kicks his shin. “But that’s not the point!”
This is going nowhere.
“We’re dating.”
Silence.
Sunwoo suddenly burst into giggles. “Yeah dude. Nice one.”
“Good joke though.” Haknyeon snickers into his hoodie. “Though, the execution could be better.” And then as if a spell befell everyone except Eric and Younghoon, everyone resumes their noise as if nothing happened.
Eric tunes them out. Sighing, he turns to Sangyeon. “See, hyung? They don’t believe us.”
Sangyeon merely gives him a smile and pats his back.
1 - Jaehyun
Younghoon comes out of the flower shop armed with a bouquet. Of Roses. The cogs in Jaehyun’s mind cranked and groaned.
“Have a girlfriend I don’t know of?” Younghoon laughs, eyes crinkling into crescents.
Younghoon shakes his head, smiling as if keeping a secret or an inside joke that only he knew, “Not a girlfriend. It’s for Eric.”
Jaehyun frowns, “For Eric?”
“Yeah.”
And Jaehyun stares, mind not thinking of anything.
“Bro that’s so gay.”
“I know.”
A few seconds of silence passed.
Well, they’re not gay gay … right?
Jaehyun scrutinizes Younghoon one last time, eyes turning into mere slits, like how he looks when he couldn't read something at the board when he’s at the far end of the room.
Younghoon wasn’t gay. Certainly not for Eric, no. Hmm, Yeah, it’s definitely a gift for bros.
But it’s Valentines Day .
A platonic gift maybe? Or maybe Younghoon just really has a secret girlfriend that he doesn’t want to reveal to anyone just yet. Maybe that’s the reason. And Eric just happens to be the fallback reason if someone asks.
“Ah, yeah, sure. When will we meet her?”
Younghoon rolls his eyes in response.
2 - Hyunjoon
“You’re looking weird today.”
Eric does a double take, “What happened to good morning?”
“You’re weird. You're smiling so wide at shit o’clock in the morning.”
“What can I say, I’m meeting my boyfriend!” Hyunjoon throws a paper napkin to wipe the stupid grin on his friend’s face. It doesn't work.
“Your imaginary boyfriend that you’re still so delusional that you even buy their breakfast?” Eric never fails to buy food fit for two people every time he arrives at this coffee shop he works part-time at. Does Eric really have someone to call his other half? “And aren’t you a broke college student to keep this up for months? Or did you get a sugar daddy?”
“Hey!” Eric huffs, “Why don’t you believe me?”
“Fine, Fine. I’ll stop.” Hyunjoon looks behind Eric. The line was starting to become long as more students entered the coffee shop to buy their daily caffeine intake. “I take it, it’s the same order as before?”
“Yep!”
It only took a minute for his order to arrive. Hyunjoon was aware that Eric’s order never changed even with how weird it is.
Something was different today though. He’s heading to one of the window seats, opposite to the coffee shop's entrance. But Hyunjoon doesn’t comment on it.
Eric was on his way to his seat when he turned around suddenly, accidentally locking eyes with Hyunjoon.
“Oh by the way hyung—”
“You don’t call me hyung unless you’re plotting something—”
“—are you free on Sunday?” Eric starts to ramble, “You know Jacob hyung, right? He and Kevin hyung are coming back from Canada and I just wanna ask if you want to come—”
“Sure.”
“Because of—wait, really?!”
“Why would I say no?”
Eric beams, “You’re the best, hyung!”
“Stop calling me that,” Hyunjoon grimaces. “Now off you go.”
Now, if only Hyunjoon had a later shift, he would have seen a certain senior take a seat across from Eric.
3 - Chanhee + Changmin
Eric and Younghoon was a weird combination that everyone is used to seeing together everywhere.
At this point, Chanhee was desensitized seeing Younghoon and Eric together acting like a couple. He lets them be for most of the time, only calling them out when in public. Amazingly, nobody bats an eye at the two. Haknyeon and Sunwoo, after countless teasing remarks and knowing innuendos, finally believed that those two are actually strictly platonic.
But Chanhee? He doesn’t believe any of it one bit. The only thing is, no one believes him!
Childhood friends? Best friends forever? You can never fool the great and magnificent Choi Chanhee! As a third person observer, he could see the longing gazes each one casts to each other when the other isn’t looking, or the silent gestures one does going unnoticed.
Like how Eric orders his drink alongside his ‘best friend’s’ at the local coffee shop every Tuesday and Thursday morning when Younghoon’s classes start so early so he’s the one that brings Younghoon his breakfast. Or when Younghoon shares his water bottle to Eric when the latter is thirsty which the former doesn't ever do. Like ever. Said that he doesn’t want any other saliva on the spout other than his. Germs, bacterias or something along those lines. Literally suspicious.
It’s like Younghoon is used to swapping spit with a certain puppy-like junior. It’s definitely that.
But yeah, Chanhee notices all that.
Now if only those two could confess their feelings for each other… Well, that is a problem for another day! They’ve been like that for like the whole time Chanhee has met the two. It’s not like one day more could hurt, right?
Chanhee slowly regains his senses.
Just as Isabela were to grow a cactus, Changmin elbows him from his left. Huffing very quietly, he pointedly looks at his best friend. What?
Changmin jerks his head to the side. Look.
Eric’s previous position on the floor beside the loveseat was empty. Said overgrown puppy was being cuddled by a taller Younghoon. Both were still watching the movie playing on the TV screen and… is Younghoon playing with Eric’s hair? Chanhee could swear he felt his eyes twitch.
Either way, nothing out of the ordinary it seems. Chanhee merely shrugs.
Changmin rolls his eyes before resuming watching Encanto. He shifts a bit more in his place on the sofa, resting his head on Chanhee’s shoulders. Chanhee instinctively adjusts, making himself comfortable with the heavy head (but never tell his best friend that) on his shoulders. He casts one last look at the it-looks-like-it-but-not-really couple on the side.
They really would make a good couple though.
Chanhee should have stared at them a little while longer to see them kiss.
4 - Haknyeon + Sunwoo
“Haknyeon! Haha, Sunwoo! Fancy seeing you here…”
It seemed like eternity before someone chose to speak up. In this case, it was Haknyeon. “What were you two doing in the,” Haknyeon searches for something at the front of the door that reads ‘No authorized entry allowed.’ “in the janitor’s closet…?”
“We’re uh…” Eric elbows a Younghoon with a crumpled up shirt in plain sight. “making plans for something secret haha. Right hyung?”
“Yes, we were planning to, uh, plan a surprise for the welcoming party later this week.” Younghoon flashes the two a charming smile. Maybe if Haknyeon was a little more homosexual and suspicious, he would have thought more about what this is all about.
“What are you gonna do then? Maybe we can help?” Eric shakes his head at the offer.
“We’re good thank you!” His voice was a bit more pitchy than usual. What is wrong with these two?
“Did you two have an accident inside the closet?” Haknyeon examines Eric from head to toe. His hair was messier than their senior and both of their faces were flushed red. The sleeves on his hoodie were pulled back as if it were in a hurry. Meanwhile, their senior had his pants hanging lower than what was appropriate. Haknyeon could even swear that the zipper wasn’t even zipped up properly.
“We’re both fine! I promise! We’ll be both going now. Bye!” Eric tugs on Younghoon with a force that was probably a bit too much for the tall senior judging by how he almost fell over.
Haknyeon closes the janitor’s closet slowly, “Should we also tell them that sunbae’s zipper wasn’t zipped up properly…?”
5 - Juyeon
“Hyung, I have to go to practice—hng…”
“One more minute.”
Juyeon opens the gym locker room only to find two men making out smack dab in the middle. (‘An exhibitionism kink!’, a voice in Juyeon’s head supplies helpfully. It sounded vaguely like a squirrel.)
“H-hyung!” Eric stammers, “It’s not what it looks like!”
“What should it not look like?”
“Uh, I'm kissing my…” Eric hurriedly looks over at a flushed Younghoon who seemed out of it. “Boyfriend?”
“Younghoon?” Younghoon, always-at-the-top, future summa cum laude, part-time model, perfect responsible student is Eric’s boyfriend. Damn, he never knew that his childhood friend could crack a joke like this.
But hmm… Eric has practice later and… Oh right, a mock practice with a neighboring school.
“It isn’t gay to kiss your best friend for good luck.” Juyeon shrugs. These two were acting so weird. What’s up with these two? “By the way, why do you have a bruise on your neck? Should I get a band-aid?”
Eric lets out this certain shriek that was equally horrified and embarrassed. Juyeon knows this certain sound, Eric screamed like this when he stole Juyeon’s first kiss and left the room red. It’s not like this time is embarrassing either. Eric and Younghoon are just really closer friends than average.
Eric stutters, “It’s a mosquito bite!” He nervously laughs, “yeah, yeah, it is. I forgot to close the window last night…” Trailing off, Juyeon sees the way Eric’s shoulders were stiff and his eyes could not stay in one place for a second. So he decides to shut up.
“Alright. I just left something here so I came back to get it.” Juyeon pats Eric on the shoulder, “Good luck with the game!”
6 - Sangyeon, Kevin, Jacob
“A truth or dare!” A tipsy Kevin raises his beer while a worried Jacob tries to manage the both of them. “Anyone who chooses truth will take a shot!”
Jacob pats him the back, “Hey now, let’s give you something to drink—”
“Let’s do it!” Haknyeon cheers. Changmin, Sunwoo and Eric follow suit. Jacob helplessly looks over at Sangyeon who just shrugs. Sometimes, the proper way was to exhaust their energy rather than suppress it. Sangyeon has been on the receiving end for too many times and that made him learn it the hard way.
Everyone gathers around in a loose circle. Younghoon’s condominium floor was a bit rough without the carpet but they made it work. (The carpet that usually adorned the living room was kept in a separate room for fear of alcohol stains. That was what happened when Haknyeon spilled a whole bottle of alcohol when Eric turned 21.)
“Who goes first?”
“Me!” Jaehyun speaks out before anyone can stop him. “Juyeon, drink or dare?”
“Drink.”
“Ugh, lame. Have you ever made out with anyone other than Changmin?”
“No…?”
“As expected.” Jaehyun pours Juyeon a shot. He downs it with the grace of a fumbling kitten. “Choose someone.”
“Chanhee. Drink or dare?”
“Dare.”
“Hmm…” Then Juyeon suddenly thought of something devious. A once in a blue moon occurrence truly. “Chanhee. I dare you to kiss Eric.”
“Huh? Wait, wait, wait.” Kevin pipes up suddenly, eyes suddenly sober. “Didn’t we make a rule not to make someone kiss or do something dirty to someone with a significant other?”
A chorus of whats and huhs erupted.
“But Eric is single?”
“Eric has a girlfriend?”
“Eric is dating Younghoon.” Kevin frowns at the silence that ensued. Only a sipping sound from a drinking Sangyeon was heard. “Wait, did anyone not know that? Oh my god I’m sorry please pretend I didn’t say anything!”
“Nah it’s fine.” Eric shrugs, totally unbothered. “I tried telling them a couple of times so I’m sure it’s the same this time—”
“You were already a couple?” Chanhee frowns at Eric and Younghoon in distaste, “I thought you were pining for each other for years !”
“I… what?” Eric scratches his head in question as Younghoon casually slinks an arm around his shoulder.
“What? I thought you were straight!”
“So your boyfriend isn’t imaginary? Can’t believe you manage to bag Younghoon sunbae of all people.”
“...They’re actually together? So the last time we saw them in the Janitor’s closet—”
“—didn’t really plan some secret for Kevin and Jacob? Oh my god. They’re fucking.”
“So that was a real gay thing in the gym lockers?”
“Juyeon, tell me what did you see—”
“Eric.” Jacob starts, “What am I hearing that you’ve been doing?”
Oh no. Eric laughs albeit shaky, “Nothing you should definitely not worry about haha!”
“Young man. Tomorrow. At my place.”
Eric pouts, “but hyung I…” He pauses before acquiescing. “Fine.”
“But why are you three not surprised?” Chanhee accusingly points at Kevin, Jacob and Sangyeon. “Did you know of this beforehand?”
“Of course. They’ve been dating for 4 years now after all.” Sangyeon smiles like nothing was wrong after he dropped another piece of crucial information.
“What?!”