Chapter Text
When he stepped into the apartment, the distinctive college-party-smell of sweat, cheap alcohol and cheap perfume pervaded his nose, replacing the fresh evening air of late autumn in his lungs and almost making him dizzy as he struggled to keep up with the host's long strides towards the other side of the large living room.
He looked around, scanning the sweaty bodies, dancing skin-to-skin in the neon lights - that nearly blinded him every time they flashed in his direction - almost forgetting to keep following the host, to a large kitchen island seperating living space and kitchen.
"So, this is the bar," the guy explained, gesturing to the array of stacked cups and bottles of alcohol on the island. "Feel free to just mix yourself whatever. And if something you want is empty, just come find me and I'll stock up, yeah?"
He nodded and looked around again. Wooyoung said he'd already be there when he arrived, but so far he hadn't been able to spot him. He was getting antsy.
"Hey, uh, Yeosang, right? You good?" The host tapped him on the shoulder, apparently having noticed his slight distress.
"Huh?" His head whipped around, cheeks heating up from embarrassment. "Yeah. Sorry." He swallowed. "It's just.. I've never been to one of these and my friend, uh, Wooyoung, said he'd wait for me here, but.. I can't find him and it's making me a little nervous." He explained, probably using way more words than he'd needed to.
"Oh, Wooyoungie brought you? Why didn't you say so?" The guy laughed, putting an arm around his shoulders. Yeosang flinched, but he didn't seem to notice. "I would've treated you a lot better if I knew."
Yeosang cocked his head to the side. "But.. You've been really nice to me." He objected, confused. Of course, Wooyoung was really popular, and a lot of people thought highly of him - how could they not - but he didn't think that warranted any kind of special treatment towards himself. He wasn't Wooyoung after all. Just his best friend.
"I didn't even introduce myself," The host moved to stand in front of Yeosang again. "Park Serim." He shot Yeosang a charming smile and bowed to him. "Wooyoung and I have a few classes together."
"Ahh," Yeosang responded, nodding slowly, "I'm Kang Yeosang," he then said, returning the bow. "Wooyoung and I have been friends since we were kids." For some reason he'd felt the need to clarify.
Serim looked actually amazed by that. "Damn... You're basically royalty then!"
Yeosang gave an unsure chuckle. "Is that so...?" He started playing with his hands again. "I didn't know Wooyoung was this popular..."
Serim shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's just me who thinks he's super cool. But when I said he was coming, a bunch of people suddenly invited themselves. I think he might be responsible for at least half the people that showed up today."
Yeosang's eyes went wide. "Wow. Guess he is that popular.." He cracked a smile. "Woo and I don't have any classes together, since we've got different majors," he explained.
Serim hummed as confirmation that he'd heard him, then he turned to the makeshift bar and grabbed a cup. "Come on, I'll mix you something in the meantime. You like anything in particular?"
Yeosang shook his head. "No, I, uh, I don't really drink, so... I don't know, anything where I can't taste the alcohol is fine." He gave a sheepish grin and played with the drawstrings of his hoodie while he watched the host reach for a bottle of vodka, which he filled into the cup until it was about a quarter full. Yeosang was about to protest at the amount of alcohol, but Serim was quick to shut him up.
"Don't worry," he smiled at Yeosang, before grabbing a can of Red Bull and cracking it open, "You won't be able to taste anything, trust me." He filled the cup and then handed it to Yeosang, who was still a little skeptical, but thanked him for it nonetheless. "Try it!" Serim urged.
Yeosang looked into the bubbling liquid in the cup and sighed, before lifting it up to his lips and carefully taking a sip. He already braced himself for the burning sensation that he knew came with drinking high percentage alcohol, but when he swallowed, there was nothing; just the overwhelming sweetness of the energy drink.
His eyebrows shot up, and he looked at Serim in disbelief, who just laughed. "See, I told you, you wouldn't be able to taste it!"
"That's amazing," he said, immediately taking another big sip.
"And dangerous." He heard a lighthearted voice behind him, right before a hand was put on his shoulder, making him flinch.
"Wooyoung!" Serim exclaimed. "I'm so glad you could make it. Yeosang here was getting worried you'd left him all to himself." He grinned and pointed towards Yeosang, who's shoulders had relaxed again and who's cheeks were turning red.
"Aww, I'm sorry, Yeo," Wooyoung cooed, putting an arm around his best friend's shoulder and grinning at him. He smelled like weed. Yeosang scrunched up his nose. "I got caught up on the way, but I'm here now! You were in good company at least." He remarked.
Yeosang smiled, if a little awkward. "Yeah. Serim's really nice." He glanced over at Serim who was just pouring a drink to hand over to Wooyoung.
"I better look after my guests again, now that you're here." He said, after Wooyoung had taken the drink from him. Wooyoung snorted. "Were you really just waiting for me to arrive 'cause you didn't wanna leave Yeosang alone?"
"Of course!" Serim puffed out his chest. "Poor thing's never been to a party. He looked so awkward and scared, I couldn't leave him alone."
Yeosang clicked his tongue, annoyed at being talked about like he wasn't there. "I would've been fine by myself," he muttered, but no one heard him above the thumping bass coming from the speakers. Wooyoung noticed his annoyance though and nudged him with his elbow. "Come on, let's go see if we can find somewhere to sit down." They both waved at Serim before disappearing into the crowd.
At Yeosang's request to move somewhere a little quieter and not as full, Wooyoung had dragged him into one of the bedrooms. "This place is huge." Yeosang remarked, earning a chuckle from Wooyoung. "Yeah, Serim likes to go all out when he throws parties. He always rents the biggest Airbnb he can find."
They moved to sit on one of the big couches in the corner of the room, where a few people were already sitting and chatting. "I thought he lived here... I guess it makes sense, if he needs to accomodate this many people." Yeosang set his cup down on the big glass coffee table and looked around. Some girl was being pressed against the wall by a guy as they aggressively made out, a group of people were sitting on the fluffy carpet in the middle of the room, playing spin the bottle, others were standing around with their drinks in hand, conversing.
Even though it all looked so chaotic, he found it had something comforting to it. So many people, all here for the same reason, everyone talking to everyone, regardless of if they knew eachother and an exuberant energy radiating from all of them.
"How you liking your first party?" Wooyoung ripped him out of his thoughts.
"Ah, well," he raised his cup to his lips, "I haven't really gotten to experience much of it yet." He grinned, taking a sip and let his gaze wander around the room again. "But I like the energy so far."
"You still seem so stiff," Wooyoung pouted from where he'd slumped down into the big fluffy pillows along the backrest of the couch, "Want you to be comfortable."
Yeosang turned to look at him and couldn't help but chuckle at how Wooyoung's small frame was almost completely engulfed by the pillows. "You definitely look comfortable."
He took another big gulp and set his cup down, before letting himself fall back into the pillows next to Wooyoung. "I think I might just need a little more alcohol," he admitted and turned his head to look at his best friend.
"That you do." Wooyoung agreed with a strong nod. "Finish your drink yet?"
Yeosang shook his head. "No. Serim said be careful, so I'm being careful."
"Yeah, vodka can be a real bitch," Wooyoung grinned, "Remember when you had to drag me out of that ditch that one time?"
He giggled. "You were so fucked. The way your mom scolded you for getting your clothes all dirty while you were just swaying in the living room," another laugh escaped Yeosang's plush lips. "I'll never get tired of that story."
"Yeah, well, that's vodka for you."
Yeosang nodded. "Understood. What do you suggest I drink instead, Mr. I've-gotten-royally-fucked-too-many-times-to-count?" He grinned.
Wooyoung rolled his eyes and casually put his hand on Yeosang's as he spoke. "How about wine? No one said you gotta start out with something heavy," he reasoned, "Plus, while it takes ages to feel the effects of vodka, wine hits pretty much instantly. Less potential to accidentally end up in a ditch."
Yeosang considered it for a bit. He thought he might feel a little out of place drinking wine while everyone else was downing shots or mixing hard liquor, but then he remembered how many girls he'd seen enjoying bottles of champagne or white wine and the idea didn't seem so bad anymore.
Wooyoung sighed. "There's one downside though. Potentially." Yeosang cocked an eyebrow, silently urging Wooyoung to continue. "You might start crying."
Before Yeosang could respond, Wooyoung already started explaining. "Some-" he thought for a second and corrected himself, "a lot of people get really emotional when they're wine-drunk. Not angry, just like... sensitive. Especially girls. It's annoying."
He looked into Yeosang's eyes, making sure the blonde would catch the warning he was giving him with that look. "If you promise to keep your shit together, I'll get you some wine."
Yeosang lifted his pinky, and linked it with Wooyoung's after he'd done the same. "Promise, I won't piss you off."
"Deal." Wooyoung nodded and slowly sat up, with Yeosang following suit. He got up and looked back at the blonde. "You just stay here, so we don't lose our spot, and I'll be right back with your wine, alright?"
"Alright," Yeosang smiled up at him, "Don't leave me alone for too long!" He managed to call after him before Wooyoung slipped through the door.
Pretty much immediately after he was gone, one of the girls, that had been sitting on the couch when they arrived, turned to him. "Your boyfriend?" She asked, cocking her head towards the door. Yeosang felt his cheeks heating up as he lifted his hands in defense. "No, no, just best friends!" He corrected awkwardly.
"Oh," she giggled, "you guys just looked so comfortable with eachother. We kept debating wether you were actually boyfriends." She gestured to her friend next to her, who smiled and waved at him.
"Well, we're just friends," he felt the need to clarify once more, "I'm not- not into men like that..." He mumbled. "Not that there's anything wrong with it though! I just-"
His attempt at defending himself got cut short when the second girl laughed. "It's okay, you're fine," she lifted her cup towards him, "Cheers!"
He gave an awkward chuckle before hitting his cup against hers and throwing his head back to finish the small rest that was left in it.
"Damn, you're a good drinker," The first girl remarked, "I'm Jimin, but you can just call me Karina."
Yeosang tilted his head to the side in confusion. "It's short for Katarina, my baptismal name," she explained, clearly having had this exact exchange before, "too many Jimins out there already. It's annoying." She grinned.
"And the beauty next to me is Minjeong."
They looked at eachother and giggled, before turning back to him. "We're girlfriends." They said at the same time, giggling once more.
Yeosang's lips formed an "O" shape as he nodded and leaned forward a little to show interest. "So, how did you meet?"
"Oh, I hated her guts." Jimin immediately answered with a smile.
"We were in the same dance class back in high school and she just couldn't handle the fact that I was better than her." Minjeong continued.
Jimin pouted. "That's not true! It's just that the teacher kept praising you even though you already knew how to dance and just applied to the beginner level to show off."
"I wasn't showing off!"
They kept bickering like that, not even noticing Wooyoung coming back and putting a bottle of red wine along with a liter bottle of coke on the table.
"Made some friends?" He chuckled while filling up Yeosang's cup to about half with red wine and mixing it with the cola. Yeosang nodded with a smile.
"Feel anything yet?" Wooyoung asked him and he shook his head. "Good. You're not terribly lightweight."
The girls had finished their not-argument and had turned their attention back to Wooyoung and Yeosang. "Hi, I'm Wooyoung." He gave a charming smile.
Yeosang couldn't help but envy his best friend for the natural charisma he possessed. While he was usually standing around looking awkward, Wooyoung had always done all the talking. There was a reason he was popular, after all.
"We know!" They laughed in synchronicity. "You're, like, basically famous," Karina added, Minjeong nodding in fierce agreement.
They introduced themselves to Wooyoung as well, not forgetting to mention the fact they were girlfriends, of course. "They thought we were boyfriends." Yeosang snickered, cup in hand.
Wooyoung laughed at that. "Oh, it's really that bad, huh?" He looked at Yeosang, "but I can't help it!" He whined and slung his arms around him. "I just love you so much."
He kept Yeosang in an iron grip and grinned at his best friend squirming to get away from the approaching kiss he was gonna press to his cheek.
Yeosang was sure his face was bright red as he was released. "I love you too, Young-ah." He mumbled, smiling.
Although he always acted like he hated it when Wooyoung was touchy, he secretly enjoyed the skinship he was offering.
"Hey, wanna join them?" Minjeong interrupted, tilting her head towards the group on the floor playing spin the bottle. "Could be fun." She shrugged, looking at the other three expectantly. Karina almost immediately agreed.
Wooyoung and Yeosang shared a look. After all those years of friendship, those few seconds were enough to decide on their answer.
They turned back to the girls and nodded.
Wooyoung got up. "Let's go. Maybe we'll make some more friends, hm?" He smiled at Yeosang and held out his hand for the blonde to take and pull himself off of the couch.
They settled between the group on the floor, with Wooyoung and Yeosang opposite from eachother and Karina and Minjeong next to eachother, a few spaces away from Wooyoung.
"Alright, we're not just doing kiss whoever the bottle lands on, 'cause that's boring as fuck," one of the guys explained, earning nods from the rest of the group, "we'll do the truth or dare variant.
The person the bottle neck points to has to either perform a dare or answer a truth the opposite person chooses for them." He looked around at everyone. "If you can't perform the dare or don't answer the truth, you have to drink. Everyone got that?"
Without waiting for answers, he leaned forward to spin the bottle. It landed on Karina and another girl, with the neck pointing to the girl.
"Truth," she said, a little timidly, as she pushed a strand of long black hair out of her face.
Karina thought for a second and grinned. "Who'd you wanna fuck most in this room?"
The poor girl went bright red as she looked around, until her eyes settled on Yeosang. "I think he's cute..." She mumbled.
Everyone cheered as Yeosang's cheeks started flushing as well. Everyone, except for Wooyoung, who stayed completely still, gripping the carpet tightly. No one noticed though, despite him being horrible at keeping a poker face. The girl and Yeosang exchanged a few shy glances before she spun the bottle again.
The round kept going like that, one guy getting dared to take off his shirt - obviously earning cheers from the girls in the group - another having to tell the story of his first time and a girl being dared to kiss Karina, which Minjeong had watched in awe.
When the bottle landed on Wooyoung and Yeosang, Wooyoung didn't have to think long after Yeosang spat out 'dare' almost immediately.
"Dare you to kiss me." He grinned.
Yeosang didn't know what to say, he just stuttered something indiscernible as the group erupted in sympathetic laughter.
"You don't have to do it, you know." Wooyoung quipped, rolling his eyes.
Yeosang just shook his head in disapproval and made his way over to Wooyoung through the middle of the circle.
"I'm not a pussy, Woo." He smiled and nudged him playfully.
Karina cheered loudly and started clapping as Yeosang carefully put a hand on Wooyoung's chest, fingertips just barely hovering over the thin fabric of his shirt, and slowly leaned in until he could feel the other's breath on his lips.
"Your heart," he mouthed, half-surprised, half-amused. Wooyoung just huffed in reply and connected their lips, probably a lot quicker than would be appropriate, making the group clap in excitement.
Yeosang pulled away hastily, cheeks tinted red, heart beating unbearably fast.
Wooyoung frowned, only for a second, and stayed quiet.
Yeosang stumbled back to his feet with a satisfied smile and went back to his spot in the circle.