Archive of Our Own

Euijoo stands in front of the mirror, trying to figure out who he’s looking at. The figure in the glass is a foreign concept to him. Other than the fact that he didn’t own the top he was wearing, there was something far more that didn’t sit right with Euijoo. He’d never been one for parties, and yet here he was, about to go to one anyways. He rustles with the top, trying to figure out if making it sit differently on his silhouette would alter his perception of the man in the mirror. The top wasn’t anything too insane – a black, cropped, flowy top made of sheen material that highlighted his honey skin at the right angle. But to the Byun Euijoo who embodies himself in oversized hoodies and baggy jeans, this was far from normal.

“You realize that no matter how much you try to change how that top sits on you, it’ll still look the same right?” Yuma deadpans, tired from the 15 minutes that Euijoo had now spent visibly uncomfortable in front of the mirror.

“That’s your fault for giving me this! What was possibly wrong with the top I was wearing an hour ago?” Euijoo questions, looking back at his friend that had made himself comfortable on Euijoo’s bed. Yuma looked up from whatever game he was playing on his phone just to give Euijoo a look that screamed Seriously? 

“Oh please, for the fact that your campus crush of three years invited YOU to a party, you should at least try to look flattering. That boring t-shirt of yours was doing you no favor further than a simple coffee. If anything, you should be thanking me for lending you my top,” Yuma reasons before going back to his game. 

“Hey! My shirt was perfectly fine before you started taking it too far,” Euijoo says, turning back to the mirror, “What if I don’t go? Why do I even have to force myself into a space that I don’t even want to be in?”

“Juju please, we all know that you say that now, but you’d majorly regret not going after Wang Yixiang himself invited you. You literally couldn’t stop shaking out of excitement for four hours after he texted you hi. He texted you a word. Not even a full word, hi is literally TWO letters. You’re so down bad for him and you know that better than we do. Even without us here, you’d still force yourself to go to that party just to get a glance at him. If you’re going to go anyways, you might as well show that Nicholas guy what he’s been missing out on for so long,” Harua says, finally speaking up from the giant beanbag in the corner of Euijoo’s room. 

“Ugh, I guess you’re right. But only because you guys are also coming with me. After this party, I’m resorting to my regular closet that I find solace in, thank you very much,” Euijoo says with a slight tease in his voice. 

He turns around to look at his friends, who’ve been giving Euijoo company for two hours as he cycled through different outfits and had contemplated not going every 15 minutes. Yuma was now hanging off the side of Euijoo’s bed and still playing his game, an RPG game of some sort, probably Honkai. He wonders how Yuma could even hold his phone at that angle, much less actively game. Harua had practically melted into the beanbag, and Fuma had gone silent about an hour ago and was now buried in his Pokemon cards. He claimed he needed to reorganize them after he spent a week’s paycheck on new packs of cards, and figured right before a party was the perfect time to do this. 

Realizing Euijoo was done staring at himself in the mirror like he’d just discovered his existence, Harua jumps out of his flattening beanbag before grabbing his makeup kit.

“Chop chop ponyohead, I need to doll you up before K gets here to pick us up!” Harua says, dragging Euijoo to the bathroom. He picks up a stool on the way so Euijoo had somewhere to sit while Harua worked his magic on the boy. Euijoo gives up on trying to fight it, knowing he wouldn’t be able to win against the three of them. Part of him felt bad that he’d always been talking to his friends about his not-so-little crush on Nicholas. They’d always listened, but never failed to tease him about it at every possible opportunity.

As Harua set up his makeup station across Euijoo’s bathroom counter, Yuma and Fuma stumbled in, claiming they’d never seen Euijoo pretty and wanted to watch it happen. Yuma had used the phrase “never seen Euijoo look decent”, but Euijoo chose to ignore it. As his friends chatted around him, Euijoo had nothing better to do than “sit there and look pretty” while Harua did his makeup meticulously. Euijoo soon tunes them out, too anxious to process any sort of conversation at the moment. 

Euijoo was never one for parties. He was never one for “looking pretty” or “dressing up”. He knew he wasn’t horrible looking, but he never cared enough about his appearance to put too much effort into it. After all, that would only attract more people, and that was a big no. Euijoo still remembers the time Yuma and Harua had tried to get Euijoo to put effort into looking pretty because Euijoo had class with Nicholas, but it had only led to conversations with everyone except his crush. That was a year and a half ago, and Euijoo had left it there. He didn’t want to change himself just to possibly get Nicholas to notice him. If the famous Wang Yixiang was to notice Byun Euijoo, it would have to be when Euijoo was simply just Euijoo.

That mindset worked well, until the fateful Tuesday night. It was a typical Tuesday for Euijoo. He had classes from 8 am until 4 pm, with a two hour gap in the middle that he spent at the campus library catching up on homework over a coffee and a sandwich from the cafe. As a cognitive science major, Euijoo was using more brain than he was studying. After his extensive day of classes, he clocked into work at the boba cafe just barely off campus until 9 pm. Amidst the rush of students studying or simply just picking up some post meal drinks with a group of friends, Euijoo had no time to check his phone, something he’d come to regret later that night. Not like he could change the flow of customers, though. After getting home, getting some more food in his system, and finally getting a chance to catch up on what he’d missed throughout the long day, his relaxation was short-lived. Ignoring the 158 texts in the group chat with Fuma, Yuma, K, and Harua, he immediately starts panicking.

stupid gay people

10:09 pm

Ponyo: GUYS

Ponyo: GUYS THIS IS IMPORTANT

Cat: so important that you couldnt even respond to my crisis earlier? 😾

Rua: shut up yuma ur so called crisis was over ur stupid game that doesn’t even concern juju

Ponyo: GUSY HE TEXTED EM OHGMYSO

Cat: HEY EXCUSE ME HONKAI IS NOT STUPID

Rua: oh please all u do in that game is just run around

Kow: guys pls shut up for one second i beg

Kow: who texted u juju

Ponyo: NICHOALSOHMYGOSOHDFGYDFOMOHDMGYDOGHDYGOD

Foolma: bruh you made me abandon my pokemon for nothing .

Foolma: now if youll excuse me i have lots to do with eevee in this game

Ponyo: IM NOT JOIKIN HE ACUTLALY TEXCTE DM E OBRO I CANNOT BRESHTE OHMGSOD

Kow: are u ok 😭 ur shift could not have been that bad that ur being so delusional rn

Cat: wait no ill humor him

Cat: so if nicholas texted u what did he even say

Ponyo: HE SAID HI TO MEEENKSBFDKSJD WHAT DO I EVEN SAY TO THAT

Rua: bro are u fr

Rua: thats insane

Ponyo: RIGHT LIKE WHY WOULD HE DO THAT WHY WOULD HE OHMYGOD THIS IS ACTUALLY INSANE IM GOIN FDTO JUMP OFF HTIS BULDING

Cat: u live on the first floor of a two story building 🥱

Rua: i did not mean it was insane in that way sorry for giving u that intention

Rua: i meant its insane what a crush does to the social skills of a thirty year old

Ponyo: i actually hate you. im not even that old thats unc behavior

Ponyo: why dont u guys even believe me

Ponyo: he actually texted me im so fr like i cannot make this shit up

Kow: ok no one is unc here lets not do that rn

Kow: juju if someone texts u hi the most natural response is to text them hi back

Ponyo: ok yeah i can do that . a hi .. yeah i can do that

Ponyo: so like a “hi” or a “hi.” or a “hi!” or a “hi…” or a “hi 😍” or a “hi 😛” or

Ponyo: like what works

Foolma: oh good lord

Foolma: just.. just send him a “hi!” or a “hi :)” 

Ponyo: what if i send that and he hates me and he never texts me again

Cat: he literally texted u first u dont even know what he wants

Cat: also this wouldnt even be the first time hes texted u bc he literally worked on a project w u when u had that class tgt

Ponyo: okokookokok ill go text him

Rua: good luck ponyohead ! 

Euijoo closed the chat before taking a deep breath and opening Nicholas’s text. Why did he even text Euijoo? They hadn’t actually talked in over a year, not since the project for their film history class. The two of them had taken the class since it was famously an “easy A” class, but were not prepared for their professor announcing a new group project. They had to analyze a film and discuss its various elements, including the storyline, the cinematography or animation style, and other aspects. 

Naturally, they hadn’t even considered working on it until they realized they only had two weeks left to work on it. Their group consisted of Euijoo, Nicholas, and these two other boys named Jo and Maki, who had also clearly taken the course for its easy reputation.

Initially, Euijoo was nervous about working on an entire project with his crush, and was hesitant to start conversations. Thankfully, Maki, a linguistics major, was quite good at striking up conversations between the group, and the project worked out well. Jo took it upon himself to do a majority of the editing, citing his architecture major and artistic interests. The boy was quiet and reserved, but Euijoo found him quite sweet once he’d warmed up to the group. The four of them worked well together, and ended up making their presentation about Ponyo, after they’d heard Harua call Euijoo after class one day. While Euijoo knew Nicholas was in a relationship at that point and their friendship hadn’t progressed to one that they could maintain much outside of their class, Euijoo held onto a slight sliver of hope that Nicholas would eventually get close to him. 

Now that it was possibly happening, Euijoo felt every single nerve in his body alert, and his heart raced faster than he could count. He took a few deep breaths to ground himself before typing a reply. 

Nicholas: hi

Euijoo: hi!

Euijoo hits send and feels like launching his phone across the room, and Nicholas’s typing bubbles popping up made it even worse. 

Nicholas: how’ve u been! it’s been a while

Euijoo: good! how are u?

Nicholas: that’s good to hear, i’ve been good too

Nicholas: i see u around campus sometimes but it’s always when i’m running late to class so i never get to say hi lmao

Euijoo freezes. Is he just saying that? Or has Nicholas actually been seeing Euijoo around campus? Maybe it was just once or twice, Euijoo convinces himself. 

Euijoo: omg i never noticed 😭 feel free to say hi next time if ur not running late !

Nicholas: oh i will dw! the same goes to u as well :)

Euijoo: ofc ofc

Euijoo: how are things going for u!

Nicholas: they’re okayyy

Nicholas: typical fashion design stuff tbh

Nicholas: wbu how are things for u!

Euijoo: tbh same, just the typical cog sci stuff lmaoo

Euijoo is surprised he’d even been having this conversation without going back to his group chat and screaming about it. Was this really all Nicholas had texted him for? Just to see how he was doing? 

Nicholas: nice! cogsci is always cool, but it’s too much science for me 😩

Nicholas: hey listen, are u free friday night?

IS EUIJOO WHAT. Euijoo stares at the screen. He’s not even sure if he’s really literate anymore. Maybe he’s hallucinating. Maybe his friends were right. Maybe his shift got to him. Euijoo puts the phone down and rubs his eyes. He picks the phone back up, and the words flash across the screen again. 

Euijoo: i’ll have to check, but i should be, what’s up!

Nicholas: oh perfect! it’s okay if u can’t, but my brothers having a party this friday if you wanna come? u can bring friends!

No fucking way. This HAS to be a joke. Euijoo was one second away from flushing his phone down the toilet. Nicholas Wang. Wang Yixiang. The man himself. He’d just invited Euijoo to a party. Holy fucking shit. Euijoo slaps himself before wincing in pain. This was very real. Realizing it wouldn’t be the best idea to leave his crush on delivered for long, he manages to type out a reply before continuing his crashout. 

Euijoo: oh okay! thank u for the invite, i’ll double check with my friends and lyk if that’s okay?

Nicholas: no worries! i’d love to see u there 😸

Euijoo doesn’t even know how to respond anymore. He actually doesn’t even know what to do anymore. He reacts with a heart before closing the chat and going back to his group chat. Somehow, his friends had managed to continue some conversation about games. Probably Yuma talking about his gay ships on Honkai or something. 

stupid gay people

10:18 pm

Cat: phaidei is real. argue with the wall. 

Rua: dawg no one even said anything abt ur game

Foolma: literally how does me talking abt wooper lead to u trying to convince us for the millionth time that phaidei is real 😭😭😭

Cat: i’m getting the feeling u guys don’t get it. they’re literally real they kiss everyday. trust me. 

Ponyo: so hahaha . 

Kow: oh juju ur back how did ur “hi” go

Rua: yeah was he scared off

Ponyo: well so like

Ponyo: i’m shaking rn but like

Ponyo: like.. haha …

Rua: bro hurry up it cannot be that bad

Ponyo: it’s the opposite of bad i feel like disappearing from the face of the earth

Kow: if it’s not a bad thing why would u disappear ??????

Ponyo: so . what are yall doing friday night ?

Cat: dawg what does this have to do w anything 

Foolma: i should be free ??? but why ?????

Kow: i am so confused rn but like im free after 7

Rua: HANGOUT?? IM DOWN IM DOWN IM DOWN

Ponyo: ok so like

Ponyo: what if we went to a party

Cat: a What

Rua: who are u and what did u do to my ponyo

Foolma: wow i think ive been playing my game for too long i just hallucinated that juju talked abt a party

Kow: what could u possibly mean by party? like a birthday party? where we just watch movies and eat cake?

Ponyo: haha i wish… i mean a Real Party

Rua: WAIT ARE U SAYING THAT HE INVITED YOU TO A PARTY

Cat: WAIT IF HE DID THOUGH WHY DID U ASK US IF WERE BUSY??

Ponyo: right so he technically invited all of us?

Ponyo: he said “my brothers having a party if you wanna come? u can bring friends!”

Foolma: ohmygod he wants u so bad fr trust 😻😻

Kow: babe stop feeding into his delusions 😭😭😭

Cat: ok but we Have to be there when u get ready i don’t trust u to do it on ur own

And that is exactly how Euijoo ended up on a stool in his bathroom being dolled up by his friends. Euijoo had convinced all of them to come with him in case. In case what exactly? Even Euijoo didn’t know. Just, in case. 

“And I’m done!” Harua announced, finally taking a step back from Euijoo’s face like he was admiring his artwork. Euijoo turned to face the mirror, afraid to touch his face and ruin the efforts of his friend. 

“Ohmygod you actually look decent! He’s literally going to fall for you tonight,” Yuma says. 

“Shut up, stop bullying the poor guy,” Fuma says with a chuckle, nudging Yuma, “you look good Juju, if he doesn’t think so, that's just his problem!”

Euijoo gives his friends a slight smile before turning back to the mirror. He had absolutely no idea who he was looking at, but chose to ignore that for the night. As Harua packed up his makeup, Yuma worked on Euijoo’s hair, claiming to “make it look more like Ponyo”, except he was really just playing with it. Fuma was busy in the kitchen making some pre-party ramen for them so they’d get a chance to eat something in case they couldn’t at the party. Euijoo soon joined him after prying Yuma off of himself. 

After a few minutes, the boys were sitting at Euijoo’s table eating ramen and some store-bought kimbap. The four of them continued to chat away, talking about classes, midterms, and even the guy Yuma met a week ago at the cafe near the library. The poor guy was in a rush and slipped on a napkin on the floor before landing on the floor with his coffee, backpack, phone, and glasses all in different places. Yuma, who worked at the cafe, rushed to help the guy pick up his things before making him a new coffee and sending him on his not-so-merry way to class. 

Before they knew it, K had joined their little party, and the five of them continued to eat and talk. Euijoo was grateful for his little family. His freshman year, he was roommates with Harua and they became close. They soon stumbled upon Yuma and Fuma, roommates who also lived in their dorm building, but on a different floor.  As soon as their little group of four was growing stronger, Fuma got together with K, and the group was quick to include him as well. Throughout college, their bond only got stronger, and Euijoo was thankful for his found family. 

“Okay! Everyone ready to go?” K asked after everyone had cleaned up again. Sounds of agreement echoed within the group, and soon enough, the five of them were on their way to whatever party this was. Euijoo wanted to sleep on the way there, but the nerves took over. He felt so perceived by everyone, even if he knew these were only his friends and they weren’t even at the party yet. 

After 10 minutes of Euijoo being lost in his own thoughts, the car started to slow as K found some parking. Euijoo looked out of the window expecting to see a typical houseparty. Maybe Nicholas should’ve emphasized the party aspect slightly more.

As the group got out of the car, Euijoo felt the chatter of the people get ten times louder. Everything was loud, just like he knew it would be. There were a lot of people, just like he thought there would be. (There were definitely more people than he was expecting, but he chose to ignore that for now.) Euijoo shuddered as he processed this environment before turning back to his friends. Yuma and Harua loved parties, but they hadn’t gone to one in a while. K and Fuma on the other hand simply were just too in love with each other to process what was happening around them. 

“Are you ready to face your fate, ponyohead?!” Harua cheered as he grabbed Yuma’s hand with one hand and Euijoo’s with the other before waving them around. He skipped towards the party like a little kid running to a candy store. Oh how Euijoo wished this was a candy store. Euijoo trudged along. The closer and closer he got to the actual party, the more he feared it. So much for facing your fears. 

The group had barely made it two steps into the house before a scream ensued. Euijoo sighs. He takes in the rest of the party, or whatever he could see of it. There are people everywhere. Strobe lights fill every inch of the house, and couples line the walls. The music is so loud that Euijoo can’t even hear his own thoughts. Euijoo barely moves a few feet from the entrance before he hears his name. Not from his friends, they are too close and this voice is too distant. But he’d recognize that voice in a heartbeat. 

“EUIJOOOO!!! YOU CAME!!!” Nicholas’s voice echoes as he shoves his way past the 10 foot crowd separating them. Yuma and Harua chuckle before giving Euijoo a knowing look. When Euijoo looks confused, they nod their heads to K and Fuma, insinuating Euijoo was next soon. Euijoo rolls his eyes and shakes his head in dismissal. There was no way Nicholas even liked Euijoo more than a friend. He’s just overtly friendly. 

“Hi Nicholas!” Euijoo manages to stammer out loud enough for him to hear. 

“Thank you for coming! I honestly have no idea what I’d do here without you,” Nicholas says, a wide smile spreading across his glowing face. 

“Thank you for inviting us! I hope you don’t mind the fact that I brought four people with me,” Euijoo replies with a light laugh. He turns to his friends and positions himself between Nicholas and his friend group.

“No worries at all! I’d say the more the merrier, but I guess that’s quite evident with the huge crowd here,” Nicholas replies before turning towards Euijoo’s friends. “Hey guys, thank you for coming! I’m sure you already know, but I’m Nicholas. Please let me know if I can do anything for you throughout the night!”

“Of course, thank you Nicholas! I’m K, and this is Fuma, Harua, and Yuma,” K says, as he points out each member of the group with a smile. 

They all start chatting as Nicholas leads them towards the kitchen to grab a drink or a bite. It doesn’t take long before Yuma and Harua make their way somewhere into the crowd and K and Fuma find a spot for themselves, leaving Euijoo alone with Nicholas. 

Euijoo leans against the counter, swirling the drink in the red cup in his hands. He’s not sure what it is, but he’s also not in much of a mood to find out. Nicholas is also leaning against the counter a few inches away from Euijoo, taking occasional sips of the same drink. Based on the fruity smell of the translucent liquid, Euijoo assumed it was probably soju. The silence between the two was comfortable, a change from the chaos around them. After a few minutes, Nicholas was the first to break it.

“So! I take it you’re not really big on parties?” Nicholas says, looking at Euijoo’s face. Wow, this guy was good at eye contact.

“I wonder what gave you that idea!” Euijoo replies with a laugh, looking in Nicholas’s general direction, but afraid of meeting his eyes. 

“Come on, let’s go somewhere less…” Nicholas looks around the room, “somewhere less this.” He gestures to the crowded space before holding out his hand for Euijoo to take. 

Euijoo lets a small smile creep onto his face before taking Nicholas’s hand. The two of them walk through the crowd together, with Nicholas maneuvering both of them confidently. They go upstairs and start to make their way to a room. Nicholas’s room, Euijoo assumes. 

The pair is stopped by a man suddenly in their way, beaming at them. 

“Hey, I’m Jackson, nice to meet you!” he introduces himself. 

“Euijoo, this is my brother, Jackson,” Nicholas says.

“Oh! Nice to meet you, thank you for hosting,” Euijoo says with a polite smile. 

“Of course! Nicho here talks so much about you, I figured it was best for me to introduce myself. He mentioned you were coming with friends, though,” Jackson says, before Nicholas nudges him. 

“Ah yeah, they’re here somewhere.. They’re bigger party people than I am, so as long as they’re being safe it’s all good,” Euijoo says as he looks around, trying to spot anyone. With no luck, he turns back to the current conversation. 

Jackson is about to reply further before someone calls out for him. 

“Well! That’s my cue, but I hope you enjoy yourselves! Feel free to stay the night if you need to, Nicho can show you where everything is,” Jackson says with a smile, before walking off. Euijoo doesn’t have time to reply, so he just smiles a thank you. 

“You didn’t tell me your brother was Jackson Wang?” Euijoo says, turning to Nicholas. 

“Juju- wait can I call you that?” Nicholas says, before turning to Euijoo for a response, who just nods. “Juju, we have the same last name, and I’m pretty sure everyone knows this.” Nicholas continues. 

“Okay, well I somehow didn’t get that memo,” Euijoo says, fake pouting. Nicholas laughs before holding Euijoo’s hand again and continuing to guide him to his room. Nicholas knocks before opening the door, making sure no one had drunkenly taken his room even though it was labeled with a big “do not enter!” sign. After making sure there was no one there, Nicholas opens the door and leads Euijoo in. Euijoo feels like a princess being serenaded by a prin- no, he shouldn’t finish that thought. Nicholas swiftly follows Euijoo into the room before closing the door again.

Nicholas’s room was exactly the way Euijoo would’ve expected it to look. There was a bed in the corner covered in thick bedding and a few plushies. Above the bed, Euijoo sees a photo wall of polaroids (with Nicholas’s friends, he presumes), scenic photos, and random items to complete the wall. The rest of Nicholas’s walls are lined with posters of fashion magazines, stars, musicals, movies, and artists. Nicholas also had a shelf full of fabrics, string, yarn, and other materials. He spots the absurd amount of clothes and jewelry sitting in the corner in an organized manner. True to his major, Euijoo thinks. In the middle of the back wall of the room, Euijoo notices Nicholas has a little window nook, decorated perfectly for stargazing and reading. 

Nicholas notices Euijoo taking in his room and smiles. “So, what do you think?” Nicholas asks, looking right into Euijoo’s doe eyes. 

“I love it, it’s so you,” Euijoo says with a smile. He meets Nicholas’s eyes briefly before looking away. He cannot afford to blush right now. 

“Thank you, I’ve spent a lot of time curating it. Come here, the view is really nice!” Nicholas says, dragging Euijoo towards the window nook. Euijoo realizes that Nicholas has now been holding his hand for over 10 minutes. Since they left the kitchen. Including weaving their way through the crowd. Including when they met Jackson. Including walking into Nicholas’s sanctuary. Including the whole minute that Euijoo spent taking it all in. Was it selfish of Euijoo to never want to let go?

Nicholas sits Euijoo down before sitting down next to him. There’s barely enough space for both of them in the window, but neither of them was going to complain about that. As the two of them get comfortable, Euijoo looks out of the window at the night sky. Nicholas was right, the view was amazing. Typically, you couldn’t see much of the stars from the city streets, it was too crowded. This contrast paired with the flower fields behind Nicholas’s house made it absolutely stunning. It looked like the sky never faded away. Euijoo couldn’t even fathom how pretty sunrises and sunsets would be. 

“You were right! This view… it’s so beautiful. I’m so jealous you get to see it all the time,” Euijoo said, his eyes shining in awe. 

“It’s absolutely stunning,” Nicholas agrees. “I wish I could have it forever.” Euijoo hums in agreement as he continues to look outside. Euijoo doesn’t realize Nicholas wasn’t looking outside when he said this.

The two of them continue to stargaze in a comfortable silence. The sounds of the loud party downstairs are muted. The chaos of the people in the backyard is subdued. Between the two of them, the whole world gets a lot quieter. Euijoo wishes he could freeze time. Euijoo doesn’t realize Nicholas feels the same way. 

“Hey look! That’s the Big Dipper, right?” Euijoo asks, pointing to a group of stars on their right.

“Yeah! And if you look over here,” Nicholas says, using his own hand to guide Euijoo’s, “that curvy one is Draco. It’s supposed to be a dragon.”

He leads Euijoo’s arm back to the Big Dipper.

“The Big Dipper is part of a larger constellation called the Ursa Major, the Big Bear. Next to that one is Ursa Minor, the Little Bear. It’s easy to spot because the star at the end of the pothandle is Polaris,” Nicholas explains as Euijoo hums in understanding.

“Polaris is the North Star, right?” Euijoo confirms, and now it’s Nicholas’s turn to hum in agreement. “Is it just me, or does that one over there kind of look like a W?” Euijoo asks as he guides Nicholas’s hand towards the constellation.

“You’d be right,” Nicholas chuckles, “that one is Cassiopeia. It’s named after the queen Cassiopeia from Greek mythology.”

“Oh I think I’ve read about her before! Something about her boasting about her beauty and Poseidon making her sacrifice Princess Andromeda? I don’t really remember much now, it was a while ago,” Euijoo says, trying not to sound like too much of a Greek mythology nerd. He’d simply grown up reading Percy Jackson and took it a step further when he was younger and indulged himself in learning more about the mythology.

“I think that sounds about right, I’m not sure either, though,” Nicholas says, rubbing the nape of his neck. “It seems like your Greek mythology trivia pairs perfectly with my astronomy trivia.” He says with a smile. It seems we could pair perfectly toge- Euijoo stops that thought in its tracks. 

Euijoo suddenly feels the effects of the night’s breeze and shudders. He’d been having such a good time with Nicholas that he forgot that he was wearing Yuma’s top. It was one thing to feel cold when he was all bundled up in his regular sweatshirts and hoodies, but it was another when he could feel the air going through the fabric like it didn’t even exist. 

“Are you cold? As wonderful as that top looks on you, maybe it's time for a hoodie. I don’t want you getting sick,” Nicholas says, as he starts to walk toward his closet to grab something for Euijoo. Has Nicholas always said things like this? Euijoo feels the warmth of Nicholas’s hand slip away as he gets up, and suddenly Euijoo feels much colder than he was a minute ago. 

“Thank you, Nicholas, I appreciate it,” Euijoo says sheepishly as he takes the hoodie from Nicholas’s hand. It was a chocolate brown hoodie with two bears on the front. As Euijoo puts it on over his top, he’s enveloped in Nicholas’s warmth. 

“Oh please, Juju, you can call me Nicho. We’re close enough for that. And don’t even mention it, I think it would hurt me to be a terrible host to my special guest if you were just shivering. Here, let’s move to my bed so we can actually stay warm,” Nicho says, a smile spreading across his face. He walks over to his bed and pats the space next to him, inviting Euijoo to sit with him. Euijoo follows him and sits next to Nicho before Nicho pulls out a blanket to cover their laps.

“Get cozy, it’s okay. Let me know if you need anything, okay? I mean it,” Nicho says as he makes sure the blanket is tucking Euijoo in well. 

“Yes mother Nicho, I will,” Euijoo says with a giggle. Euijoo scoots slightly closer to Nicho. What are we? Euijoo feels like Cinderella. He doesn’t want the clock to strike midnight. He doesn’t want the dream he was living to end. He doesn’t want to wake up. He’s scared that if this day ends, Nicho and Euijoo would go back to being casual acquaintances.

“Do you want to watch something, or would you rather just chill?” Nicho asks. 

“Maybe we can put something in the background? Something we’ve seen already?” Euijoo replies, trying not to be too picky. Nicho grabs his laptop and thinks for a second before opening up Ponyo. 

“We’ve both seen this already, haven’t we?” Nicho says with a smirk. 

“One day I’ll make Harua get his revenge. I can’t believe you remember this!” Euijoo replies, scoffing lightheartedly. Nicholas laughs before pressing play. 

“Do you remember when we were working on this project and Maki was so confident about including clips of the movie and then putting all of them in German?” Euijoo laughs as he recalls the memory. 

“Oh my god, that was so funny. I’m just glad everyone had some idea of what we were saying so we didn’t have to look for clips that everyone understood,” Nicholas replies with a laugh, sharing the memory. 

“I kinda miss that class, it was fun,” Euijoo said, looking at Nicholas. He still failed to make eye contact, but at least looking at him was a step up from before. 

“It was! I honestly think you made it better, though,” Nicholas said, returning Euijoo’s gaze.  

“My name is not Brunhilde. It’s Ponyo.” 

The movie continues to play in front of the two, but they pay no heed to it. Euijoo looks up slightly and locks eyes with Nicholas. Those few seconds feel like a lifetime. Euijoo feels entranced. He feels like he could look at Nicho’s eyes forever. 

“Ponyo? Ponyo! Ponyo loves Sosuke!”

Maybe Nicho is Euijoo’s Sosuke. This time, Euijoo doesn’t stop his thoughts from continuing. Maybe it was silly of Euijoo to continue thinking, but he’s doing it anyway. Maybe Euijoo won’t stop thinking of Nicholas. 

Euijoo realizes he’s held eye contact for too long and feels the blush creeping up his face. He turns away fast to hide it. Nicholas, who’d also been looking deeply into Euijoo’s eyes, finally takes in a breath, as if he’d been holding it in for the past minute. Nicholas clears his throat before speaking. 

“Do you need anything to eat? Drink? Or just anything in general? I don’t mind going and getting that for you while you stay warm, Juju,” Nicholas says, and his hand brushes against Euijoo’s under the blanket. You, I need you. Euijoo wants to say that so badly. But he can’t, not like this. 

“I think I’m oka-” Euijoo begins to speak, but his stomach betrays him. A low grumble makes its presence known, making Nicholas chuckle. 

“You might think you’re okay, but clearly you’re wrong about this one. I’ll be quick,” Nicholas says with a smile as he gets out of the blanket. 

“Okay, get yourself something too, or I’ll feel bad,” Euijoo says as Nicho walks towards the door. 

Nicho gives him a smile and a light nod before opening the door, revealing the loud chaos outside. As Nicho shuts the door again and goes on his little journey for snacks, Euijoo sits there and just thinks. He thinks about how with Nicho, time flies. He thinks about how with Nicho, it feels like they can be in their own world. No matter how chaotic the world around them is, Euijoo thinks- no, Euijoo knows he can find solace in Nicho. He takes it all in again. He’s sitting in Nicho’s bed wrapped in Nicho’s blanket in Nicho’s room, his sanctuary, and he’s spent god-knows-how-long with Nicho and only Nicho. This is Nicho’s world, and Euijoo’s living in it. Euijoo had grown up a selfless person, but for once, he wanted to be selfish. He wanted to continue living in Nicho’s world. He would try to convince himself it was an impossible dream, but spending an hour with Nicho was an impossible dream up until a few days ago. And now? Euijoo had spent more than an hour with him. 

Euijoo decides not to think much further for now. His friends are probably too drunk to try to get him out of his delusions, and it’s up to him to do it for the night. Euijoo picks up his phone to check on his friends, and comes across a few texts in their group chat. 

stupid gay people

10:17 pm

Cat: guyssss gues waht 

Cat: i foudn cofefe guy hehe

Cat: hes so ctueeeeee

Cat: hsi name is takiiuuiuuiii

Rua: hehehehehe

Rua: so cuteeerrrrr

Rua: i aslo fonud a cutr guy hehe

Rua: i forgor hsi name uh oh !!!’

Rua: ohbmygof he ahas a bf 

Rua: oh theyer btih here with me hehe

Rua: jojo anf maji 

Foolma: ohmygod what is wrong w u guys 😭😭

Foolma: we should go home soon if u guys are this drunk

Kow: noooooooooooooo

Kow: fuam let’s stay heer foreveerrrrrrr

Kow: dont leabe meeee plaseeeee

Foolma: where the heck is euijoo when i need him

Cat: i saw himdf wit nochoooooo ehhehhehehe

Foolma: ykw fine at least he’s having a good time

Foolma: juju when u see this lmk if ur gna stay the night or come home w us

Rua: STYA THE NIHTGTTTTTT HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHGEHEHEH

Rua: PNOYOHEDA U GOT GAEMMMMMMEEEEEEE

Foolma: where are u i need to ban u from drinks for the night 

Rua: NOOOOOOOOO YIULL NEVER FINW ME

Rua: I WOBT VE NEAR THE KITVHEN HEHEEHEHHE

Foolma: good lord

12:16 am

Ponyo: hey guys sorry i’ve been off my phone this whole time

Ponyo: i didn’t even realize the time

Ponyo: are you guys still here?

Foolma: AH EUIJOO!

Foolma: i was thinking we should leave soon tbh

Foolma: u are still welcome to stay here ;)

Ponyo: AHHH nothing like that wth is going thru ur head

Ponyo: u guys go ahead tho i’ll see u tmr 😝

Foolma: u sneaky sneaky boy

Foolma: okay have fun and stay safe i better hear alllllll about this when u get back

Ponyo: hehe thank u i will

Ponyo: good luck w them 🤕🤕

Euijoo puts his phone away at the sound of the door opening. Nicho walks in with a lot of snacks. 

“I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I brought a bit of everything,” Nicho says sheepishly, as he sets the snacks on the bedside table near Euijoo. 

Euijoo laughs. He laughs a hearty laugh. He laughs a carefree laugh. He hasn’t laughed like this in so long. He’d laughed all his worries away. Nicho helped him forget his worries. Just by existing. 

Nicho laughs with Euijoo as he jumps back onto the bed. This time, he sits right next to Euijoo. Their warmth is shared through their skin contact. Euijoo feels Nicho, and Nicho feels Euijoo. It all feels right. 

Euijoo reaches over to the table to grab a bag of chips for the both of them. He opens it up and sets it on their laps so it’s easier for them to eat. As they continue to watch Ponyo, time goes by. Euijoo and Nicho are cuddled up against each other. Ponyo turns into a human, and by the time Nicho can turn to Euijoo and say “hey look! it’s you!” to him, he notices something else. 

Euijoo had fallen asleep on Nicho’s shoulder while hugging his arm. Nicho lets a soft smile creep onto his face before checking the time. 2:08 am. He slowly tucks Euijoo into bed before tucking himself in. He’s careful not to let himself sleep too close to Euijoo. He’s not sure if Euijoo would be comfortable with that. He smiles to himself, thinking about how lucky he is to have spent today with Euijoo, before drifting off to sleep. 

Euijoo wakes up to the warmth of the sun gleaming on his face and the comfort in his arms. Wait. What?? He opens his eyes to realize that he had fully latched onto Nicho while sleeping. Their arms and legs are tangled together and- wait. Euijoo’s eyes widen in shock. His arm is up Nicho’s shirt. HE IS HUGGING NICHO’S WAIST. Shit shit shit shit shit. Euijoo wants to take his arm back, but with the way they were entangled, there was no easy way to do it without waking up the boy. Reluctantly, Euijoo leaves his arm there. He chooses to instead pay attention to the man in his arms. He watches as his chest rises and falls with every breath he takes. He watches as his skin glistens in the sunlight. Nicho looks so at peace. Euijoo can’t even move to check the time on his phone, but based on how warm it was, he assumes it was around 10 am. 

As he lays there, Euijoo recollects the previous night. He had felt so safe and comfortable. He hated parties, and yet felt so relaxed at one. Nicho could have easily persuaded Euijoo into staying at the main party, but he sensed Euijoo’s discomfort and made him feel so light. Hell, Nicho could have just left after saying hi to Euijoo. But he didn’t. He stayed with Euijoo. Even though they were in the midst of a party, a Jackson Wang party at that, all they did was find solace in each other’s presence. What more could Euijoo have wanted? Nicho cared, more than he could express in words, and Euijoo loved, more than he could express in words. But no matter how Euijoo felt now, it didn’t resolve his big question— what were they after this? 

Euijoo comes back to his senses as he feels Nicho move. Except, Nicho doesn’t turn away from Euijoo. Instead, Nicho presses himself against Euijoo, using the arm that he has around Euijoo’s waist to pull himself closer. Well fuck. You know what? Maybe he’s just a big snuggler. He just likes to hug things in his sleep. Yup. Has to be all it is. 

Nicho’s face is so close to Euijoo’s that he can practically count how many eyelashes Nicho has. Nicho has a piece of lint stuck to his eyebrow, Euijoo notices, and he’s itching to get it off for Nicho. He would, if only his arm wasn’t now stuck to Nicho’s waist. With the way Nicho had repositioned himself, Euijoo truly couldn’t move an inch without waking up his sleeping beauty. 

Euijoo sighed before closing his eyes again, in hopes of falling back asleep. Maybe this was one of those times where you wake up in your dream and think your dream is the truth. Maybe he was lucid dreaming. Yeah, that had to be it, all his studying lately made him lucid dream. This time when Euijoo wakes up, surely he’d wake up in his own bed, in his own room. With that, Euijoo snuggles himself into the blankets as a reset. Blankets didn’t normally breathe back at you, though. They were also relatively soft, unlike this one. This one was soft, just more… like a wall. A very warm, comfortable wall. 

To Euijoo’s avail, he senses Nicho slowly waking up. He keeps his eyes closed to avoid any awkward eye contact and tries not to move a muscle. He doesn’t want to give Nicho the idea that he had been uncomfortably awake. He was awake, not uncomfortable. Nicho hums before slightly turning away from Euijoo to reach for his phone to check the time. Euijoo feels the weight on his waist disappear, taking the warmth with it. 9:57 am. Euijoo wasn’t too far off. Nicho turns back towards Euijoo only to realize how entangled the two of them were. Now it’s Nicho’s turn to stare at Euijoo. Nicho hesitates for a second before gently tucking Euijoo’s hair behind his ear. Euijoo holds back a smile. He hears Nicho softly mutter something in Chinese to himself.

Euijoo decides it's time to wake up; he’s not sure how much more he could take while pretending to be asleep. He slowly drifts open his eyes, only to be met with Nicho’s deep gaze. The two stare into each other’s eyes with a loving yet intense gaze. Seconds pass, maybe even a minute, without a word or a sense of awkwardness. It feels… natural. Is this what love feels like?

The moment ends with a knock at the door, shaking both of them out of their trance. 

“I’ll go get that,” Nicho manages to stammer out, as he rolls out of bed and stumbles over to the door. He opens the door slightly, trying not to expose whoever was on the other side of it to Euijoo’s frame in his bed. 

“Glad you’re awake! I was going to grab some breakfast if you wanna join?” Jackson says, cheerfully. 

“What a gracious offer, your highness Prince Jackson…” Nicho says, sarcasm oozing through his words. “No thanks, bring me back something good, though,” Nicho replies with a smile. Nicho has other plans in his head for breakfast. Jackson nudges Nicho’s head with a light slap before walking away from his younger brother. 

“No guarantees~” Jackson sings as he skips down the stairs. He turns towards Nicho and sticks his tongue out playfully. Nicho shakes his head with a light smile before closing the door and walking towards Euijoo. 

“Good morning, sleepyhead. Ready to get out of bed yet?” Nicho says as he fixes Euijoo’s hair again. Euijoo wonders how bad his bedhead was that Nicho had now fixed his hair twice over the span of 5 minutes. 

Euijoo smiles, before replying, “It’s so warm, but I think if I don’t get up now, I’ll want to stay here forever.” He stays in bed for a second longer before sitting up. He’s already lost half the warmth between Nicho getting up and now, so it wasn’t much of a change for Euijoo to get out of bed. He slowly pulls the covers off of him and gets himself up, realizing he’s still in last night’s clothes. On one hand, he regrets not being able to clean himself up a little before sleeping, but on the other, he doesn’t regret a second of the previous night. He stands up and stretches a little bit before looking back at Nicho. 

“Let’s go get you a toothbrush so we can grab some food after,” Nicho says as he holds Euijoo’s hand and starts pulling him towards the bathroom. 

Euijoo’s head is empty yet buzzing with a billion thoughts all at once. He pays no heed to them, he can’t right now. Nicho rummages through the bathroom cupboard to find a new toothbrush. He hands it to Euijoo, and the two of them fall into a rhythm of brushing their teeth together. How domestic, Euijoo thinks to himself. He looks at himself in the mirror, then over at Nicho through the mirror. He notices Nicho’s bedhead isn’t fully gone, and there’s a few strands of hair sticking up still. Euijoo is torn between fixing the strands for Nicho and staring at him. He looks like a baby kitten, and Euijoo absolutely adores this idea. 

After a few seconds of enjoying the view, Euijoo slowly reaches for Nicho’s head to fix his hair. He feels Nicho slowing down at the realization that Euijoo is making contact with him. The two of them let it happen anyways, Euijoo mindlessly playing with Nicho’s hair by the end of it. They go on like that for a minute before Euijoo has to spit out his toothpaste. 

They continue freshening up, and Nicho leaves the bathroom briefly to grab Euijoo a change of clothes and a towel, just in case he wants to take a quick shower. Euijoo massages his face with the cleanser as he spaces out. Euijoo has many thoughts. Why was Nicho treating him so kindly? Does Nicho treat all his guests like this? How often does he even have guests anyways? He rinses off the cleanser, and regrets not doing this last night before falling asleep. He’s definitely getting a pimple later. Before he can take his thoughts any further, Nicho comes back to the bathroom with fresh clothes and a towel.

“You don’t have to shower now, but I just wanted to make sure you had everything you needed in case you felt icky. I’ll go shower in my brother’s bathroom, so don’t worry about taking too long. My clothes also might be a little small on you so I tried to get you what I thought would fit you best. There’s a charger in the room near my de-” Nicho rambles. He sounds like he’s trying to talk at the speed of light. It sends Euijoo into a fit of laughter. 

“Nicho, breathe! I’m not going anywhere unless you want me to. I’ll see you after your shower, yeah?” Euijoo says between laughs. He takes the clothes and towel from Nicho’s hand before fluffing up his hair. “Now go, before I want to keep you here and realize you’re stinky.”

“I’m not stinky! But I will go only because you’re saying it…” Nicho says, before reluctantly turning away and leaving the room with a fake pout on his face. 

After a few more giggles and Nicho finally leaving Euijoo in the bathroom, Euijoo looks at himself in the mirror and sighs with a smile. Maybe he and Nicho could really be friends outside of the four walls that surround them. 

Euijoo steps into the shower and lets the warm water hit his skin. He snorts at the thought that a shower here feels different from a shower at his own apartment. They live in the same town, share the same water. Euijoo had showered at all his friends’ places too, but none of them felt this way. There was something just different about showering at Nicho’s place. 

Euijoo lets the shower run for a few more minutes as he continues to ponder. He would normally shower with music to tune out his thoughts, but he finds that music wasn’t as necessary today. He felt like showering with his thoughts. He wants to figure out his developing friendship with Nicho.

Euijoo turns off the shower and gets dressed. In Nicho’s clothes. Nicho was right, the clothes ran a bit on the smaller end, but Euijoo wasn’t worried. He’d spent the past 12 hours with Nicho in Yuma’s cropped top, and Euijoo was just thankful that Nicho had handed Euijoo a loose-fitting shirt. It was much better, much more Euijoo. After fixing his hair up a little bit, Euijoo leaves the bathroom, making sure it was in a better condition than it was before he used it. Not that there was much to fix though, Nicho maintains his space well. 

Euijoo picks up his phone while waiting for Nicho. It was probably a good idea to text his friends and check on them. 

stupid gay people

10:36 am

Ponyo: wellness check

Ponyo: i hope u guys arent too hungover

Foolma: morning juju! theyre.. okay

Foolma: i drove all of us back to our place last night, figured it was easier rather than dropping off yuma and harua lmaoo

Foolma: harua woke up and went back to sleep after eating some bread, yuma and k on the other hand look like death

Ponyo: ohmygod 😭

Ponyo: how are u though

Ponyo: im sure it mustve been hard convincing them to leave last night

Foolma: bruh it was so hard oml

Foolma: every day i deal w u guys i swear yall better be thankful

Foolma: it seems like YOU have more to tell me though

Ponyo: yes papa we are

Ponyo: oh man we are going to have to debrief this when i get back

Foolma: whenever that is

Ponyo: i wish i could tell u

Foolma: no u dont 😭😭

Foolma: u are not fooling me i know u would spend eternity with that boy if u could

Ponyo: ok welllllll

Ponyo: oh wait i gtg hes back ill see u later

The sweet, floral scent of Nicho’s perfume wafts into the room before Nicho opens the door. 

“Juju! Are you ready? Let’s grab some food!” Nicho says excitedly as he skips up to Euijoo.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Euijoo replies with a smile before reaching down to hold Nicho’s hand. Nicho’s eyes widen for a quick second before he smiles back and leads Euijoo out of the room.

“There’s a bakery down the road that I love. They have the best pastries, you have to try them,” Nicho says as he walks downstairs. He doesn’t let go of Euijoo’s hand, just like last night. 

Euijoo doesn’t fail to notice the aftermath of last night’s party scattered throughout the place. Red solo cups, napkins, random disposable utensils, bottle caps, and wrappers litter the floor alongside the confetti and decorations. Euijoo plans on helping them clean up when they get back. His guilty conscience would take over if he stayed for so long without being of any help. But for now, that wasn’t what Euijoo wanted to focus on. 

The two of them make their way out of the house, hand in hand. The light breeze paired with the warmth of the sun shying through the clouds made it such perfect weather. Everything about the last 24 hours was so perfect. As they walk, Nicho points out the bookstore he frequents, and the fabric store he spends so much money at. He brings up the florist on the way to the bakery, and explains how the flower fields visible from his window were the same fields in front of them now. The vastness of color paired with the sweet, fresh scent of florals in the air makes Euijoo smile. It was just like Nicho. Colorful, sweet, and floral. 

As they get closer to the bakery, the warm smell of bread fills the air, paired with the intense aroma of coffee. It’s a quaint cafe, filled with green and brown tones to pair with the small town vibes of Nicho’s neighborhood. As Nicho opens the door, the bells chime, leading to a chorus of “welcome in!” from the staff. Euijoo walks in first, and Nicho follows behind, careful not to let go of his hand. 

“Hey Nicho! What can I get for you both today?” the barista asks. Euijoo wonders how often Nicho comes here for the staff to know his name. 

“Hi Matthew! Give us a sec. Juju, what do you want?” Nicho replies with a smile before turning towards Euijoo. 

“Oh I’m good! I can pay for my own stuff, Nicho, don’t worry,” Euijoo says.

“Oh please, this is the least I can do. What do you like?” Nicho replies, strengthening his grip on Euijoo’s hand as he pleads with him. 

“Okay fine, but I’ll pay next time. You’re the one that said I had to try the pastries here, so I’ll get that. Maybe an iced vanilla latte to pair with it?” Euijoo says. His eyes dart around the menu and the display of pastries.

“Okay! Matthew, could we get an iced americano, an iced vanilla latte, a walnut cinnamon roll, and a strawberry croissant, please?” Nicho says as he opens up his phone’s wallet to pay. 

“Great, I’ll have that right out for you!” Matthew says, as he puts in their order. As Nicho pays, Matthew grabs the pastries from the display case and hands them to the boys.

Euijoo and Nicho take the pastries and find a table to sit at while waiting for their drinks. Nicho pulls the chair out for Euijoo to sit, and Euijoo sits down. Nicho walks over to the other side of the table to sit down at his own chair. Euijoo was not expecting the princess treatment, but he’s not one to complain. Euijoo says a quiet thank you before the two of them make silent but loud eye contact. A silence weighs on them like a veil, but nothing about it is uncomfortable. So much is said, and yet nothing is spoken. 

“Even though you live only 15 minutes away from campus, this neighborhood has such a different vibe to it. It’s so calm and relaxing,” Euijoo says, breaking the silence. He’d love to continue staring into Nicho’s eyes, but figures he should at least contribute to the conversation. He doesn’t want to make Nicho feel like he just wasted all his time for someone that can’t even hold a conversation. 

“Yeah, I honestly love it. It’s so hard to find a sense of quiet in such a big city, but being closer to the outskirts of the city in such a cute area definitely makes it easier. Whenever I tell my friends that I just like to go out for walks sometimes, they say I’m just getting older,” Nicho says with a laugh. His smile reaches his eyes. Euijoo loves that Nicho’s happiness radiates through every fiber of his being. 

“No, I get it. Walks are already nice as they are. I can’t imagine how much better they’d be over here,” Euijoo says, joining in on the laughter. 

“It’s just more of a reason for you to come hang out with me! We can go on nice walks together. I can show you all my favorite spots,” Nicho replies. 

“Nicho! Your drinks are ready,” Matthew calls out from the counter. Nicho gets up to get their drinks. He walks over to the counter, where he exchanges a few words with Matthew before walking back. Euijoo wonders if Nicho is just a regular, or if he’s actually friends with Matthew. Nicho sets down Euijoo’s latte in front of him, before sitting down with his own americano. 

“Wait! I want to get a picture of this, don’t drink it yet,” Nicho says. Euijoo pulls out his own phone too. Nicho’s probably just taking a picture of their food, but Euijoo wants pictures of more than just that. As Euijoo opens his camera app, Nicho calls out to him. 

“Juju, smile!” Nicho smiles as he takes a picture of Euijoo with the food and the cafe setting. Euijoo smiles back. He doesn’t have to fake a smile like he normally does for pictures. This one comes naturally. 

“Okay, your turn, smile!” Euijoo says, taking a picture of Nicho. He takes a few candid pictures of the setting too, wanting to hold onto this moment forever. 

“Okay! Try the food! I want to see your reactions,” Nicho says excitedly. 

Euijoo nods with a smile and looks at the two pastries in front of him. He decides on trying the strawberry croissant first. He picks it up and takes a slow bite, letting all the flavors pass through his mouth. After a few seconds, his eyes light up.

“Nicho! This is so good. It’s so fluffy and buttery, it’s sweet and tangy at the same time. Wow, ohmygod,” Euijoo exclaimed. 

“I knew you’d like it! It’s one of my favorites. I was scared I would be a little biased because I love strawberries so much, but I’m so glad you like it!” Nicho says, happiness glowing on his face. 

As they continue to sip on their drinks and eat their pastries, Euijoo feels himself falling deeper and deeper for Nicho. He shouldn’t feel this way, especially after all the kindness Nicho had shown him. They were merely friends, and Euijoo had no intention of making it known that he felt for something more. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t feel his feelings, though. His crush on Nicho was still very much alive. 

Every time Nicho smiles, Euijoo loves the way his eyes light up. Every time Nicho laughs, Euijoo loves the way it fills the room with warmth. Why would Euijoo let go of a crush if it made him feel this way? 

As the two of them continue to chat, their drinks get emptier, and their pastries are reduced to crumbs. Remnants of what they were. Euijoo knows this is different. He might’ve been anxious earlier about what his relationship with Nicho would look like after today, but now he was sure, more than ever, that they would stay good friends. Or at least, he hopes so. Even if their time together runs out, Euijoo has a lifetime of memories to look back on.

“Let’s go? I want to show you a place,” Nicho says, the excitement written across his face. 

“Yeah, let me go to the bathroom really quick, and then we can go,” Euijoo replies with a smile. Nicho nods excitedly, and it reminds Euijoo of a kid asking his mom for a treat. Cute. Euijoo smiles even wider as he makes his way towards the bathroom. He pulls out his phone to text his friends. He figures he should at least let Fuma know about his whereabouts. 

stupid gay people

12:17 pm

Ponyo: dont wait up on me! ill be home today, just no idea when

Foolma: oh trust me no one was waiting for u to come home

Foolma: the longer u spend with that boy of urs, the more excited yuma and harua get

Foolma: they keep giggling and kicking their feet like little girls

Cat: YOU MAKE IT SOUND WEIRD

Cat: its none of the sort juju dont listen to that hag

Kow: u say that but i just heard u giggle abt juju and nicholas WHILE u texted that

Rua: come on yuma at least embrace ur inner little girl

Cat: rua u are So lucky u are hungover rn

Rua: oh what are u gna do? hiss at me???

Cat: good idea! watch out!!!!

Ponyo: i swear i cant tell if u guys are literal children sometimes

Kow: i birthed them its true

Cat: MPREG REAL I KNEW IT

Rua: oh dear god ur gna make this abt honkai aren’t u

Cat: PHAIDEI REAL THEY ARE ACTUALLY ON A 9 MONTH HIATUS !!!

Ponyo: ok anyways im gna go back now have fun dealing w them fuma

Kow: HEY WHY DID U GROUP ME WITH THE LIKES OF THEM

Rua: DESERVED

Euijoo puts his phone away with a light smile. He fixes his hair and takes a good look at his reflection in the mirror. He was unable to recognize the Euijoo in the mirror yesterday, but somehow the one in this mirror was all too familiar. Even though he wasn’t even wearing his own clothes. He smiles at the thought and heads back to Nicho. 

“You’re back! Let’s go?” Nicho says. He holds out his hand for Euijoo to take, and the taller one takes it gladly. Nicho smiles, before waving to Matthew. He holds the door open for Euijoo, and then follows behind him. Chivalry is never dead. Euijoo was ready to fight whoever said otherwise. 

They walk together, hand in hand, smiles plastered across their faces. As they continue walking, they pass a few stores with the same quaint vibe as the cafe. Nicho points out places with his own notes. The ice cream store where he worked before. The vintage clothing store where his date ghosted him. Euijoo was a little hesitant to react to that one, but Nicho waves it off with laughter. The stationery store where Nicho gets all his room decor, from posters to lights to random items. Eventually, they come across a trail. It’s not a very hidden trail, just a simple walking one next to a small pond. As they walk over to the pond, Nicho points to a fish swimming with its friends. 

“Juju! It’s you!” He laughs. Euijoo laughs with him and playfully hits his arm. “That is so not me as a fish. You can’t just look at every fish you see and say it’s me.” 

“Oh I absolutely can, my little ponyohead. To me, Ponyo is just a fish, and if you’re Ponyo, you’re basically all the fish in the world.” Nicho chuckles teasingly. 

“If you say sooo… Next time we’ll go to an aquarium and we’ll see what you say about that.” Euijoo retorts. Except where he got the courage to suggest that, even Euijoo doesn’t know. 

“Oh trust me, I’ll be the most annoying person ever. I’ll go up to every fish with a picture of you asking if you’re related.” Nicho’s comment sends both of them into a fit of laughter. “I personally think I’d have the best luck with the goldfish. They’re the most similar to you.”

“See as much as I’d love to see that, I doubt they have goldfish at the aquarium. Maybe a pet store would be a better option for that.” Euijoo snorts. 

“Oh please, I’m not backing down. We are going to an aquarium and I will find the most ponyohead Juju fish there is.” Nicho beams. Euijoo giggles, which leads to Nicho laughing too. They continue walking along the pond until they get to a small bench under a tree. The bench overlooked the pond, the fields, the neighborhood, the city, and yet it was so discreet that it was silent. 

“Byun Euijoo, I welcome you to my bench. Bench, this is Euijoo.” Nicho smiles and looks at Euijoo expectantly.

“Nice bench…” Euijoo says, not really getting what else he was supposed to say. 

“Oh so you’re not even going to say hi to the bench…” Nicho scoffed jokingly. 

“Oh! I.. I wasn’t aware that was a thing.. umm.. Hi bench!” Euijoo stammers. In all of his 21 years of living, he had never greeted a bench. Nicho burst out into laughter. He laughs so hard, it makes Euijoo realize he was joking. “Nicho what the heck! That was so embarrassing!” Euijoo laughs with him. 

“You’re so funny Juju, I can’t believe I’ve been missing out for this long,” Nicho says. Euijoo feels something about this, he’s not sure what, but Nicho saying this made his heart race. 

“Your loss, not mine!” Euijoo teases as he sticks his tongue out teasingly. Nicho giggles before sitting down at the bench, leading Euijoo to do the same. 

“I love coming here because it’s so relaxing. I can see the whole world, but they can’t see me. It’s kinda nice being able to just sit here.” Nicho says. 

Euijoo hums in agreement. “Yeah, I can see why you’d come here to decompress. I’d come here all the time if I could.” Nicho smiles. “What’s stopping you? This place is as much yours as it is mine, Juju.” He grips Euijoo’s hand a little tighter as he says this. 

Euijoo gives him a light smile and returns the gesture. He feels like kissin- nope. Not encouraging that thought. 

“You know, you’re the first person I’ve shown this place to. Jackson knows I come by the pond, but he has no idea where.” Nicho looks into Euijoo’s eyes as he talks. “I really wanted to take my ex, but… It just didn’t feel right. I wanted to keep this place to myself, and away from him.”

“But Nicho… why me?” Euijoo is confused on why Nicho would show him his secret spot. They’ve barely been together for a day, and Euijoo’s been to Nicho’s spot. Part of Euijoo felt elated and grateful that Nicho was able to share this with him, but the other part of him felt a gnawing sense of guilt. Did he really deserve to have access to this? It feels overwhelming. No one in Nicho’s life had ever been here before, except for Euijoo. 

“You just… feel right. I don’t know how to explain it. I feel safe with you. Safe enough to bring you here.” Nicho’s smile deepens. 

“You mentioned your ex, and forgive me if I’m overstepping, but… you guys were together for two years. Did you not feel as safe with him?” Euijoo realizes as he finishes his sentence that he probably shouldn’t have asked that. What if Nicho hates him for it? Was that the wrong thing to say? “Actually, it’s okay, sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that. Forget I did that.”

“Juju, it’s okay. I was going to tell you anyway. My ex was a great guy don’t get me wrong. He had a lot going on for him and it was amazing. He tried to be as supportive as he could for me too, but at some point it went south. I didn’t realize he had just seen me as a pastime, but I had seen him as a part of my life. I’m not sure if this is how he really felt, or if it was just a mindset driven into him, but he would treat me as lesser because I had a ‘simpler major’. He was going to med school later, and I was just making clothes. That’s all it was to him. Eventually, I figured I had to stand my ground, even if it took two years.” 

By the time Nicho finishes talking, his eyes well up slightly. Euijoo notices this and pats Nicho’s thigh with his free hand. “I’m proud of you. More than you could ever imagine. It takes a lot of courage to stand your ground, and I think it’s admirable that you did that. He sucks for the way he treated you, I’m so sorry, Nicho. But I hope you know that clothes are very cool and I think that fashion design is even cooler. There’s a slight leverage because you’re the one doing it, but I still think it’s super cool.” Euijoo gives him a genuine smile. 

“Thank you, Juju. It means a lot that you’re saying that, trust me. Anyways! Enough about that guy, he sucked and I’m over him. I have much better things in my life now.” Nicho looks over at Euijoo while saying that last part. Euijoo nods reassuringly. “Right! You’re a new person with new experiences! I’m sure you’ll find someone so much better. You deserve the world!” Euijoo says, his voice full of enthusiasm. 

“I feel like I already have, Juju.” Nicho says, his smile growing as he rests his head on Euijoo’s shoulder. Euijoo’s mind stills. What did he mean by that? Does Nicho have a crush on someone else?  Euijoo’s mind is swimming with questions to the point where he doesn’t even process the fact that Nicho’s head is on his shoulder. Past Euijoo would’ve had a heart attack by now. Present Euijoo feels like he’s having a heart attack thinking about the fact that Nicho has a crush on someone else. Maybe it wasn’t a crush. Maybe Nicho meant that the people in his life were genuinely amazing, which they were. Euijoo didn’t know them personally, but Nicho tends to befriend good people, and Euijoo trusts that. Either way, Euijoo decides it’s best to reel back on his crush. Just like he planned to earlier that day. Nicho is his friend now, and if Nicho has someone in his life that makes him the happiest person ever, what more could Euijoo want? 

Euijoo rests his head on top of Nicho’s. “I’m glad, Nicho. I hope to meet them one day. I want to meet everyone in your life that makes you happy.” 

“Yeah, maybe soon? I think your friends would get along with mine. It won’t be too hard to work things out for them. Speaking of your friends though, did they get home okay last night?”

“Yeah they did, I texted them earlier. Yuma, Harua, and K are all hungover and Fuma’s been taking care of them. From the drunk texts earlier, it looks like Yuma and Harua were very quick to find people last night. I’ll have to talk to them later and see if they even remember it.” Euijoo laughs. The two of them continue to sit in a comfortable silence, observing the ducks in the pond swimming around, the far busyness of the city, the light breeze, the sound of people walking and chatting. The smell of coffee from the cafe nearby stays constant, but is overtaken by the occasional smell of food from the restaurants. As if on cue, Nicho’s stomach grumbles. 

“Looks like it’s time to get food, what do you want to eat?” Euijoo asks him. 

“Hmm… how about some katsudon? I know a really good place nearby.” Nicho’s eyes light up at the thought of food.

“Oooh, I haven’t had katsudon in a while, I’m down!” 

“Perfect! Let’s go!” Nicho beams. He jumps out of his seat and swings Euijoo’s arm as they walk. This was either super good katsudon, or katsudon was one of Nicho’s favorite foods. Maybe both.

“So you mentioned your friends, tell me about them!” Euijoo says as they walk to the restaurant. 

“Ah well, you actually know two of them already!” 

“I do??” Euijoo wracks his brain. He sees Nicho sometimes on campus, and when he does, it’s mostly with other international students. He has no idea when he’s actually met Nicho’s friends to the point where Nicho knows about it. 

“I guess three if you count Matthew, but I’m friends with Jo and Maki from our project! Maki and I ended up bonding over music and fashion. He’s dating Jo, so that’s how I’m friends with Jo too. Other than that, I’m friends with Taki, Ricky, and Keeho. You’ve probably seen them all around campus. I think a lot of us international students tend to know each other, even if we’re not super good friends.”

“Wait, that’s insane! I didn’t know you were friends with Maki and Jo, I haven’t talked to them much since our project. I’m excited to meet everyone else though, whenever that is.” 

The two of them head into the restaurant, and Euijoo lets Nicho order for the two of them. They have a filling and delicious meal, and they don’t have a moment of silence. They tell each other stories about their friends, and Euijoo feels like he knows all his friends, even though he’s never actually talked to them much. Euijoo hopes that one day, he and Nicho have stories like this to tell. The past 24 hours were surely part of that. Euijoo smiles at the thought. 

Nicho gets up to pay, but Euijoo rushes forward. He was not going to let Nicho pay for him again. “Nicho, this one’s on me. Really.” He urges and tries to hold Nicho back from tapping his card on the iPad in front of them. “You let me stay over at your house for so long, and you spent so much time with me, please it's the least I can do.” Euijoo tries again, and this time it seems to work. Euijoo pays for their meal, and then happily skips away as Nicho laughs.

After another hour of walking and talking, Euijoo decides it’s unfortunately time to start wrapping up their time together. As much as he enjoyed his time with Nicho, he wants to be able to decompress before his shift tomorrow. Euijoo’s social battery was already low, and the shift tomorrow would deplete the rest if he didn’t rest up today. Surprisingly, Nicho didn’t drain Euijoo’s social battery. Other than his group of friends, Euijoo finds it hard to socialize for more than a few hours because of how tired he gets. Euijoo mentally adds Nicho to his safe list. 

The drive back is peaceful. Nicho offered to drop Euijoo back home, so after Euijoo had gathered his things and helped Nicho clean up larger trash in the house, they headed over. The sun was slowly beginning to set. The soft pink hues in the sky blending in with the light blues remind Euijoo a lot of himself and Nicho. They were like the evening sky, a harmonious mix of the day and the night settling into a rhythmic sense of calm. The windows are down, and the music is perfect for the vibe. 

Euijoo never really pays attention to who’s driving and often gets lost in his own thoughts, but today is different. Euijoo can’t stop thinking about how pretty Nicho looks. I should really apologize to K when I get back. He’s always gushing about Fuma driving and I really didn’t get it until now. Euijoo can’t stop thinking about it, as much as he wants to, as much as he should. He reminds himself again that Nicho has someone else in his heart. That seems to do the trick, but works a little too well, and Euijoo struggles to keep his face neutral. A sense of panic begins to fill inside him, and he’s glad he’s almost home. We’re friends. He’s not going anywhere. Euijoo reminds himself again and again, like a mantra. Before Euijoo realizes it, they pull into Euijoo’s apartment complex. 

“Thank you for coming, Juju, really. Let me know when you’re free again, and we’ll plan something, yeah?” Nicho says, with a smile spreading across his face.

“Yeah of course, and thank you for inviting me, hosting me, an-” Euijoo is cut off by Nicho, who’s clearly enjoying teasing him. 

“And spending so much time with you, yes I know, I enjoyed it as much as you did. Now, go inside before it gets cold okay?” Nicho teases. 

“I will! Text me when you get back, don’t forget!” Euijoo slowly makes his way toward his apartment building, looking back to wave Nicho bye. Once Nicho leaves, Euijoo is quick to head to his apartment. As he reaches over to the keypad, the smell of food hits him. The boys are definitely here already. They all have the passcode to Euijoo’s door, and he’s learned to not be surprised anymore when he comes home to Yuma in some random corner of his apartment, or Fuma in the kitchen making something for the rest of them. 

The door chimes before unlocking, and Euijoo lets himself in. He’s met with four pairs of shoes that don’t belong to him. 

“Juju! You’re back! How was it! Tell us everything!” Yuma asks in a chipper voice. His hangover was definitely gone. 

“Yuma, let the poor guy put his stuff down. He hasn’t even had time to do that in his own house.” K chides. “Fineee… Juju you have exactly until I find this random NPC to come back.” Yuma pulls his game back up and is quick to continue playing. Euijoo trudges over to his room and puts his small bag down. He looks at himself in the mirror and fixes his hair. Shit. He’s still wearing Nicho’s clothes. He contemplates changing, but he’s positive his friends already noticed it. He’s too comfortable to change anyways. He plugs his phone into its charger and heads back out to the living room, where K and Harua were sprawled out on the couch, likely doomscrolling. Yuma is lying like a starfish on the floor, holding his phone above his face. Fuma, like Euijoo thinks, is in the kitchen organizing their food. He goes over to Fuma and helps him. They had ordered some pizza along with some chicken wings and soda. He brings the pizza and soda over to the coffee table in the living room. Fuma follows him with the wings and plates, before going back for the napkins and cups. 

The five of them sit around the table, slowly eating as Euijoo retells the events of the previous night and that day. There’s occasional commentary from them, especially when Euijoo talks about the fact that he woke up essentially stuck to Nicho. As he finishes telling them, he brings up how he thinks Nicho likes someone else.

“I’m so convinced he likes you, Juju. There’s no way he did all this for someone he just sees as a friend,” Fuma says. 

“Exactly, listen to the one in the relationship, ponyohead,” Harua supports. Yuma is awfully quiet for the whole situation, and Euijoo thought he’d have more to say considering how much he said before Fuma and K got together. 

“As someone else in a relationship, I’m with Fuma on this one. Like sure, we weren’t there, and we don’t know anything about how your time went better than you do, but from what you’re telling us, either he’s extremely friendly with his friends, or he likes you,” K says. Fuma high-fives him, and Yuma snorts. “You guys are so weird… why is that how you support each other’s statements.” Yuma’s comment makes Harua and Euijoo laugh. 

“Anyways, I feel like I sound like a parrot of these three right now, but seriously Juju, you can’t have four people telling you this guy likes you and still stay strong on him not liking you. You don’t even have to do anything right now, but Nicho clearly likes you, at least as a very good friend. Most likely something more, but if you feel like that’s not the case, that’s for you to believe. We’re not Nicho, we can’t convince you he likes you if we don’t know either. Like I can say Phaidei is real because I’m seeing both sides. But I can’t say the same here because like… I literally don’t know the guy. Whatever it is though, it sounds like he’s someone good for you, and that you make him happy too. As long as he doesn’t hurt you, it’s fine for now. Now eat your pizza, it's going cold.” Yuma says, not realizing the stares he was getting from everyone in the room. 

“Wow, they grow up so fast…” K says, wiping a fake tear from his eye. 

“I genuinely didn’t think I’d hear him speak more than two normal sentences in my lifetime. Euijoo, what did you do to Yuma?” Harua teases. 

“Guys calm down, it’s not that insane.” Yuma scoffs. 

“Yuma, as insane as it is, I really do appreciate it. You guys are right. Maybe he likes me, but even if he doesn’t, I think it was clear he likes my presence in his life. Who am I to say no to that?” Euijoo decides. 

And with that, Euijoo and Nicho become closer friends than ever. Euijoo frequents Nicho’s neighborhood, partly for him and partly for the bench, and Nicho comes over to Euijoo’s apartment from time to time. Nicho’s met Euijoo’s friends properly, and he joins their hangouts too. Euijoo has also met Nicho’s friends, and despite the occasional language barrier, he gets along with them perfectly fine. Both of their friend groups have such a family vibe with each other, and it becomes easy for both of them to hang out with the other’s friends. 

A month flies by, and the warmth of April looms in. Euijoo abandons his hoodies and opts for t-shirts. Exams come and go, and Euijoo and Nicho find that studying together isn’t an entirely horrible idea. Nicho swings by Euijoo’s work sometimes to pick up boba (and say hi). Nicho became a part of Euijoo’s life, and he isn’t complaining. In fact, he loves it. Sure he hasn’t exactly gotten over his feelings for Nicho, but he’s not sure he wants to right now. 

One day, Euijoo gets a text from Nicho as he’s leaving class. 

3:17 pm

Neko: juju are u free tmr

Ponyo: after 11 is chill

Ponyo: whats up

Neko: okok ill pick u up at like 12

Neko: look decent

Ponyo: excuse u i always look decent

Ponyo: are u not going to tell me whats up

Neko: ok fine, look cute or whatever

Neko: nope 😋

Ponyo: okayyy see u then 🩵

Neko: see ya 🩷

Euijoo smiles and puts his phone away. It wasn’t unusual for them to randomly plan hangouts, and Euijoo assumes this one is no different. He heads home, awaiting the day ahead.

stupid gay people

5:23 pm

Rua: do u guys wanna hang out tmr? im bored

Cat: hi bored im yuma

Cat: ill put phaidei aside for u

Rua: how romantic thank u

Cat: ew tf stay in ur limits

Kow: fuma and i are down! do u have anything u wanna do?

Rua: not really, i just need a big fat break from studying

Rua: is there anywhere u guys wanna go

Foolma: omg its been a while since we went to an arcade do u guys wanna go to one

Cat: omg im so down

Rua: wait that sounds so fun okay yes lets do that

Kow: babe u are so genius i love u

Cat: ew keep that shit to ur dms

Rua: @ponyo can u make it tmr

Ponyo: hi sorry i was crashing out over neurons let me catch up

Ponyo: unfortunately i have plans tmr but u guys have fun! send pics okay

Kow: one day i will get nicho for always gatekeeping u

Foolma: what are u guys doing that ur ditching us for him 😞

Ponyo: no idea! it’s a surprise apparently

Cat: watch out juju he’s gna kiss u

Cat: u will be phaidei soon trusttttt

Ponyo: go touch grass bruh

The rest of Euijoo’s night goes normally, and so does the next morning. He only has one class, so by the time he gets home and gets ready, Nicho texts him that he’s leaving his house soon. Euijoo feels slightly nervous, but he’s not sure why. He’s hung out with Nicho so often lately. He shouldn’t feel nervous. Maybe it was just the nerves from not knowing what Nicho had planned for them. 

Neko: i’m here!

Euijoo is quick to rush outside at the text. He locks the apartment door after grabbing all his things, and heads out of the building. He waves to Nicho and gets into his car. “Hi!”

“Hi Juju! I hope I didn’t rush you much.”

“No, nothing like that, don’t worry. I kinda got ready before class so it was easier once I got back.”

The drive is nice. Nicho and Euijoo talk about their classes and day-to-day lives as light music plays in the background. It takes Euijoo a few minutes before realizing they’re headed towards Nicho’s house. Instead of stopping at his house, Nicho drives further. Euijoo wonders where he could be taking them. After another minute or so, Nicho parks on the side of the street near the flower fields. Maybe he has a project or something. 

Nicho gets out of the car and tells Euijoo to wait there. Euijoo thinks he’s just going to go in and grab something, but instead, Nicho opens the door for him and holds out his hand. “Your majesty, princess Ponyohead.” Euijoo laughs at the comment. He follows Nicho, holding onto his hand as they walk. 

They walk towards the florist’s shop in front of the flower fields, and Nicho opens the door for Euijoo again. “Welcome in!” The florist greets them before coming over to talk to them. “Nicholas, right? You both will be right this way. Follow me, please!” She walks them over to a back counter that looks like a workstation. Euijoo is thoroughly confused by what’s happening, but he decides to let it happen. Nicho is happily chatting with the florist, while she explains that they are welcome to any of the flowers in the store, and to let her know if they need any help. With that, she leaves the boys alone and heads back to the counter. 

“Nicho, I’m still a little bit confused on what we’re doing here.” Euijoo asks, his brows furrowed. 

“Oh my silly Juju, we are making each other a bouquet! I talked to the florist the other day, and she’s letting us make bouquets. Let’s surprise each other, okay?” Nicho says giddy. Euijoo’s face morphs from the confused expression before to a happy smile. One of Euijoo’s older hyperfixations included flower meanings, and he now has the perfect opportunity to put that to use. 

“Nicho, I have a way to make this even better. Let’s set a timer.” Euijoo smirks. 

“Oh now you’re talking. 30 minutes?” Nicho says. There’s a slight glint in his eye as he smiles. 

Euijoo nods confidently, and then immediately scrambles to check out what flowers he could use. Baby’s breath for everlasting love. A few asters for dainty love. Part of him wanted to add a calla lily to compliment Nicho’s beauty, but decided he’d come back for it. Pink carnations for never wanting to forget Nicho. He picks out two red and two white carnations too, just to symbolize his love for Nicho as if all the other flowers he had weren’t enough. He heads over to the chrysanthemums. Red mums for professing his love, and yellow for slighted love. He opts for the red under the pretense of “color scheme.” He picks out a few daisies for the white filler. It’s not Euijoo’s fault daisies also represent innocent, loyal, untold love. He figures a forget-me-not might be a little too obvious, so he skips those. He goes for the hydrangeas to complement the asters. Hydrangeas symbolized gratitude for being understood, and while Euijoo never told Nicho how he truly felt, Nicho was someone that understood every other aspect of Euijoo. 

Euijoo looks down at his basket of flowers, and decides maybe he’s picked out enough. He walks over to the foliage section and picks out a few that he thinks matches the vibe of the bouquet he was making. He’s not as well versed on foliage types, but he’s not sure it matters much if the flowers were making the statement anyways. He heads back to the workstation and picks out a light pink paper to wrap the bouquet in. He checks the clock. 10 minutes left. He quickly arranges the flowers and tries to wrap the bouquet. After struggling to do it on his own, he decides to call over the florist for help. He walks over to her slowly, and waits until she’s done helping another customer. 

“Hi! I was wondering if you could help me wrap the bouquet?” Euijoo asks, a shy smile spreading across his face. “Absolutely, I’ll be right there!” She replies, and Euijoo replies a quick “Thank you!” before heading back to the flowers. She walks over after a minute, and together they wrap the bouquet perfectly. Euijoo chooses a lilac-colored ribbon to complement the colors. After thanking her again, he admires the bouquet. It was a beautiful assortment of pinks, purples, reds, and whites. It was perfect. 

“Juju, are you done?” Nicho calls out from across the room. “Yeah! Are you?” He calls back. “Yup! Don’t show me yet, though.” Nicho says back, before waving over the florist again. This time, she returns with bouquet bags, and hands them to both Euijoo and Nicho. Euijoo takes it, and puts his bouquet in, and Nicho does the same on the other side of the room. 

Once they’re done, Nicho thanks the florist and motions for Euijoo to follow him, and they go out of the back door, towards all the fields. They keep walking into the fields, and Nicho stops once they get to the middle of the tulips. He turns toward Euijoo and gives him a smile. 

“Okay, we both close our eyes, and then on the count of three, let’s give each other the bouquets.” Euijoo nods, and closes his eyes. Nicho does the same.

“One… two… three.” Euijoo’s eyes flutter open, and he’s presented with the most beautiful bouquet he’s ever seen. He feels his eyes tear up, but he’s quick to not let it show. He looks up at Nicho, who looks like he’s having a similar reaction. 

“It’s so beautiful, thank you, Nicho,” Euijoo stammers out.

Nicho looks up from Euijoo’s bouquet and manages to reply. “Yours is prettier, I love it so much.”

They both actually hand each other the bouquets, and Euijoo takes a moment to analyze the flowers in the assortment. Yellow lilies (happiness), red salvia (forever mine), red tulips (declaration of love), pink tulips (adoration, soft love), yarrow (everlasting love), pink camellias (longing for you). Those are all the flowers Euijoo didn’t use. His smile starts to dwindle as he recognizes the rest. Daisies, red and yellow mums, pink and red carnations, and baby’s breath. Euijoo freezes. There’s no way. It’s either a huge coincidence that Nicho had picked out flowers that confessed his love, or he’s also well-versed in flower meanings. However, neither of those possibilities had ever crossed Euijoo’s mind. Euijoo’s mind races. Does this mean that all this time, Euijoo had been trying to lessen his crush on Nicho for Nicho’s crush on him? 

Euijoo looks back up at Nicho. Nicho looks up at the same time, after clearly making a similar realization about Euijoo’s bouquet. 

“So, flower languag-” Euijoo starts, but the words are lost as Nicho lunges forward. Their bouquets collide between them, a messy, fragrant barrier of tulips and carnations, but Nicho doesn't seem to care. His lips crash against Euijoo’s with a desperation that smells like crushed stems and spring air. Euijoo’s breath hitches. All his previous thoughts are overridden, and everything is frozen in place. The kiss is sudden and grounding, instantly silencing the frantic spiral of Euijoo’s thoughts. It’s the only declaration of love he needs, one that doesn't require a dictionary to understand. Their bodies press together, the stems of their bouquets tangling as Nicho’s free hand slides up to cradle the small of Euijoo’s back, pulling him flush against him as if trying to bridge years of silence. Euijoo responds instinctively, his fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of Nicho’s neck, anchoring himself to the reality that this is actually happening. Past Euijoo would never believe this. In the middle of a field of tulips, under the weight of a thousand unspoken words finally understood, Euijoo finally stops thinking and starts feeling. The sounds of the city, the neighborhood, the people, the animals all go quiet. The smell of the flowers around them mutes, and all Euijoo can smell is Nicho’s perfume. Nicho tastes like strawberries. Nicho tastes like strawberries. Nicho tastes like strawberries. That’s all Euijoo can think of. 

After what feels like eternity, they pull apart and rest their foreheads on each other. They giggle. The giggle turns into a laugh. They both stay there laughing as a tear streams down Euijoo’s face. “You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do that.” Euijoo smiles as he tries to catch his breath. 

“Oh yeah? I guess I’ll have to find out.” Nicho says, pressing a kiss onto Euijoo’s lips again.

“Sorry, I still can’t believe all this but like, you’re sure you like me, right?” Euijoo says. The kiss replays in his head like a record stuck. 

“Juju, even after the past hour, you feel the need to ask me that? I think it’s a little further than just liking you, don’t you think? I mean, red carnations. Need I say more?” Nicho pretends to pout. 

“No, not like that. I mean. It’s so unreal. I don’t know why I forgot the possibility you also understood flower meanings never occurred to me. I mean, wow, I really did not hesitate with some of those.” Euijoo chuckled. 

They walk over to their bench, holding hands, with occasional pecks here and there. They talk about everything. Including Euijoo liking (maybe loving was the better word) Nicho for two and a half years. Including Nicho loving Euijoo for a year. Yes, he’s liked Euijoo for far longer, but hadn’t realized it until he actually thought about it. 

They get katsudon. They feed each other. They laugh. Euijoo feels like he’s on top of the world. He gets deja vu from a month ago. He felt like this then too, like he never wanted this dream to end. Like he wanted this moment to last forever. 

They walk back to Nicho’s car. “I have another thing planned, if you still have a bit of energy left.” He says. Euijoo’s energy isn’t going anywhere. They head back to the city, and Euijoo’s back to trying to figure out where Nicho is taking them. 

After 20 minutes, they park at the aquarium. Euijoo’s mind flashes to a month ago, when Nicho said he’d find the “most ponyohead Juju fish” there. “No way we’re here to find a ponyo fish are we…” Euijoo says. “Oh yes we are, I told you, I’m going up to every single fish and figuring out which one you, my little ponyohead, are most related to. Let’s go!” Nicho says, before jumping out of the car. Euijoo is quick to get himself out of the car before Nicho can pull another chivalrous move again. They spend nearly four hours at the aquarium, watching the different animals swim and drift with the water’s current. Euijoo’s mind feels at ease. He’s always loved watching marine animals swim, there was something so relaxing about it to him. At every exhibit, Nicho scans the entire population to see if there was a fish that reminded him of Euijoo. When he found one, he’d go “Juju! It’s you!” Euijoo was easily endeared by Nicho, and this was just adding onto it. He’d look at Nicho, give him a tiny forehead peck, and say “You found me!” 

As they get to the jellyfish exhibit near the end of the aquarium, Euijoo’s sad to leave this day behind, but he’s grateful for the memories. He’s taken multiple pictures of Nicho, the fish, and with Nicho, courtesy of the other visitors. The jellyfish exhibit is huge. There’s a whole room dedicated to them, with benches in the middle of the room. Euijoo and Nicho sit down, and Nicho watches as Euijoo is mesmerized by the jellyfish drifting around. 

“Juju..” Nicho starts. 

Euijoo hums, still not looking at Nicho. 

Nicho gently turns Euijoo’s head towards him. They look into each other’s eyes.  “Can I have the honor of being your boyfriend?”

Euijoo smiles widely before nodding. “My dearest Nicho, I’d love the honor of being yours.” 

And so they kiss, officially, as boyfriends. In front of all the jellyfish as witnesses. There’s not a lot of visitors at the time, but it doesn’t matter to them right now. They were boyfriends. Euijoo is Nicho’s boyfriend. Nicho is Euijoo’s boyfriend. This day is absolutely perfect. Euijoo can’t wait to tell his friends. 

After the aquarium, the boyfriends pick up some coffee from a cafe before heading home. As much as they’d love to spend longer together, they both had early classes the following day. The drive back home was shorter than they wanted it to be, but it was a perfect ending to the day. After kissing Nicho goodbye and telling him to text when he gets home, Euijoo skips to his apartment, holding the bouquet in one hand, and his bag in the other. The bag’s newest addition, a whale shark pin, shines as bright as Euijoo’s face. He and Nicho had gotten matching pins as they left the aquarium, hand in hand. 

Euijoo puts in his door code. 0709. Nicho’s birthday. The door chimes and unlocks, and Euijoo is quick to scan the place. It’s oddly quiet, a contrast to the times one of his friends would be at his apartment. He assumes they’re all still out at the arcade, and puts the bouquet in a vase. 

He lies down on his bed and just stares at the ceiling. He’s awfully giddy, and all he can think of is Nicho being his boyfriend. Before he knows it, he’s drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face. 

A few weeks pass, and Nicho and Euijoo are practically head over heels for each other. If it wasn’t obvious before, it was painfully obvious now. As they study in the library for their upcoming exams, Nicho breaks the silence.

“Juju, I was thinking.. What if we had a small get-together party at my place? Just your friends and my friends.”

“That sounds perfect. I’ll let my friends know. What day were you thinking?”

“Hmm, maybe Friday night?”

“That works! I can’t wait. Let me text them right now, actually.” Euijoo says, as he pulls out his phone.

stupid gay people

5:18 pm

Ponyo: hear ye hear ye

Ponyo: my boyfriend and i hereby cordially invite all council members of this gc to a hangout friday night

Ponyo: at my boyfriends place

Ponyo: your presence is mandatory

Rua: am i seeing things or did he just say boyfriend

Cat: no bc i think i see it too juju who the fuck is ur bf

Ponyo: haha .

Foolma: NO WAY ITS NICHO????

Ponyo: haha !

Kow: OHMYGODDD JUJU CONGRATS

Rua: THIS IS INSANE FR OML WHAT THE HELL

Cat: thank u juju for giving me hope

Cat: if u and nicho are real, so are phaidei

Foolma: thats his way of approving btw

Foolma: u still have to tell us everything

Ponyo: i know :) thank u guys 

Ponyo: i better see u guys there okay his friends are going to be there too

“They’ll be there!” Euijoo beams, as he puts away his phone. 

Friday night rolls around, and everyone slowly arrives. Keeho, Matthew, and Ricky show up together. Fuma, K, Yuma, and Harua come by a little bit later. They’re all having a great time and slowly getting started on snacks and picking a movie, when Maki, Jo, and Taki show up. Euijoo watches as they make their way into the living room, and Yuma and Harua’s faces morph into those of shock. “YOU!?!?”

“Ohmygod Jo, I told you we’d find him again. We’re fated.” Maki says as he drags Jo to Harua.

On the other hand, Yuma is too flustered to speak properly, and ends up asking Taki if he comes here often. 

Everyone laughs at that comment, and as they all gather up to watch Ponyo (yes, again. Team calling-Euijoo-Ponyo won again), Euijoo looks around at everyone. His boyfriend. His Sosuke. Their friends. His forever family.