Chapter Text
Kimi was bored. Well, bored was an understatement. He was lying on the couch, half-listening to his friends as they argued about how to get him a boyfriend, and honestly, he didn’t care about it much. He was perfectly happy being single, thank you very much, but it did get lonely sometimes, especially since he lived in the same house as two (and a half) couples. Don’t get him wrong, he liked living with them, but he really regretted it sometimes during their mandatory Friday movie night when everyone else was cuddled up, and he sat alone on his beanbag.
"-imi, Kimi?" He blinked and turned his head, realizing Dino had been calling his name.
“Yeah?”
“We’ve got a plan on how to get you a boyfriend!” Dino nearly bounced off the lover’s chair he shared with Paul, his eyes practically sparkling with excitement.
Kimi groaned and flopped back against the cushions, rubbing his face. “Ah, I’ve told you guys already, I don’t want a boyfriend!”
Immediately, he was met with judging stares. Isack, sitting cross-legged on the floor, half on top of Liam, raised an eyebrow in what was probably meant to be a serious expression, though it was hard to take him seriously when Liam was casually playing with his hair. Even Gabriel, whose own boyfriend, Nico, was firstly, quite a bit older than him, and secondly, four countries away on a work trip, gave him an equally judgmental stare.
Paul leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his voice gentle. “Kimi, you know we’re your friends, right? You don’t have to lie to us.”
Kimi groaned again, throwing an arm over his face dramatically. “But I’m not lying, though!”
Isack snorted. “Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that.”
Liam, who had been lounging against the couch, propped himself up on one elbow. “Listen, we know you ‘don’t want a boyfriend,’ but we found just the guy for you. Or well, Dino did.”
Dino nodded so enthusiastically that Kimi was momentarily worried his head might detach. “Yes! And he’s totally your type! Plus, he’s one of my closest friends, and it would be great if two of my best friends got together!”
Paul reached out and smacked Dino lightly on the shoulder. “Shush, Dino. Don’t overwhelm him.”
Kimi had subconsciously pulled his knees up to his chest, fingers twisting into the hem of his hoodie as the conversation continued.
Paul gave him a reassuring smile. “Look, how about we show you his photo? If you find him attractive, we can go from there.”
Kimi sighed in defeat. He knew his friends well enough to understand they wouldn’t drop the subject unless he at least humored them. “Fine.”
Dino grinned victoriously and all but dove for his phone, scrolling furiously through his gallery. It took him a minute, but when he finally found the picture, he nearly tripped in his eagerness to shove it in Kimi’s face.
Kimi took the phone carefully, eyes flickering over the screen. And then he froze.
The guy in the picture was beautiful. His eyes rivaled those of an angel, and his fluffy hair stuck out in all directions, framing his face perfectly. It was a simple photo, just him and Dino sitting side by side at what looked like a restaurant. In the corner of the image, Kimi could barely make out a cake, probably for a birthday, but his attention was completely stolen by the soft freckles dusting the guy’s face and the way his teeth showed in his wide, genuine smile.
A throat cleared, breaking him from his trance.
“And Kimi’s in love,” Liam commented smugly, leaning back with his arms crossed.
Kimi nearly dropped the phone. “Wha—no, no, I’m not!” He shot Liam a glare, but the warmth in his cheeks betrayed him.
Isack smirked, shifting to lean into Liam more. “It’s not worth denying it, Kimi. We all saw how you looked at his picture.” Liam chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to Isack’s temple, and Kimi recoiled with an exaggerated groan.
Realizing it was a losing battle, Kimi exhaled sharply and muttered, “What’s his name?”
“Oliver,” Dino answered, grinning. “But he likes to be called Ollie more.”
Kimi repeated the name in his head. Ollie. It suited him.
“And we lost him again,” Gabriel snickered.
Kimi shot him a look before turning back to Dino. “How do you even know him?”
Liam leaned forward, intrigued. “Yeah, I was wondering that too.”
Dino’s face lit up. “Oh! Ollie’s from Britain, and he used to kart when he was younger. We met when I was like ten at a competition. He was amazing—always beat me—but he gave it up to pursue music. Moved here to attend that famous music school.”
Isack’s eyebrows shot up. “He goes to that school? Wow. He must be talented. Are you sure he’s the right fit for Kimi?”
Kimi shot Isack an unimpressed look. “Ha ha. Very funny.”
Dino ignored them and continued excitedly. “He’s actually in the Christmas play they’re doing, and I’m sure he could get us tickets so you can meet him!”
Kimi hesitated. “Are you sure?”
Dino waved him off. “Absolutely. I haven’t seen him in so long—it’ll be fun! And you guys can finally meet him.”
Paul clapped his hands together. “It’s settled then.”
Dino nodded, already grabbing his phone. “I’m calling him right now!”
With that, Dino all but skipped out of the room, pressing his phone to his ear. Just before the door shut behind him, they all heard a cheerful “Hey, Ollie!”
The others didn’t say much after that, each returning to their respective activities, though Gabriel was still giving Kimi knowing smirks.
And Kimi? Well, Kimi just laid there, staring at the ceiling, wondering what the hell he had just gotten himself into.