Archive of Our Own

Sanghyuk meets Woonhak for the first time in the summertime.

It's one of those sweltering, humid afternoons where his clothing sticks grossly to his body and sweat collects imminently around his temples, making his recently washed hair appear greasy.

It's almost comical, the way today has fallen apart. See, Sanghyuk left his place this morning with the intention of enjoying his day off— instead of sleeping in til noon and playing games on his computer until his ass goes numb, he decided to go out, shop for some things he needs, maybe pick up some good food. He also decided to walk, get some sun, even left his damn train card at home.

After all, it's summer, he thought, surely it would be fine.

The sky began to darken around an hour after leaving. After a mediocre coffee at an over crowded breakfast place, Sanghyuk is only halfway to the furniture store to try and pick out new knobs for his kitchen cabinets when he sees the horizon flash with lightning. There's no time to panic, because it starts to rain in seconds. "Oh fuck— why?" he huffs, quickly ducking under the closest corner stores seablue overhang. He misses getting drenched by a thin margin.

Thunder rumbles and Sanghyuk groans, tilting his head back until it dully thunks against the window behind him, his eyes shut tight. One day. He wanted one, easy, idyllic day. Humid summer rain is not what he was hoping for.

A bell rings to his left, a door swinging open. Sanghyuk keeps his eyes closed and hopes whoever it is just spares him the embarrassment and pretends like they don't see him on their way out. It's not a crazy thing to hope for, most humans are selfish enough to move on with their day when they see a stranger in the midst of a moment.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Dammit.

Sanghyuk sighs and lifts his head— standing next to him is a boy quite a bit taller than himself, hands stuffed in his jeans pockets, a little name tag pinned to his t-shirt that reads 'Kim Woonhak' in that same seablue color. He's cute; his hair is dark brown and silky, and his teeth peek out between his lips when he shoots Sanghyuk an expectant smile.

"Yeah, fine," he quickly answers, "Just…y'know…the rain.."

Woonhak looks out with a nod like it's the first time he's noticed the downpour. "Ah, yeah. At least it's warm?"

Sanghyuk huffs. "I had plans today."

Woonhak's head tilts to the side. "Date?"

He blinks. "You think I'd dress like this on a date?" Sanghyuk motions to the very obvious bleach stain on his shirt from lightening his hair on his own a few months ago. Woonhak laughs,

"I mean, you could! You have a good face, doesn't really matter what you wear," he says it so casually, with a dismissive shrug, and then he looks back out to the rain. "I actually like this kind of weather. If my dad wouldn't kill me for tracking water back in, I'd probably go out and run in it."

Sanghyuk chuckles and shakes his head, "Yeah well, I just wanted new knobs for my cabinets."

Woonhak frowns. "Man, I can't help with that unfortunately," he nods towards the door, "I don't think that's something we carry."

"It's okay," Sanghyuk says with a soft sigh. "I'll just…stand here.. and hope the rain stops so i don't have to walk in it."

Woonhak pulls a phone out of one of his pants pockets and taps on it a few times, wincing to himself. "Storm is supposed to pass in about an hour— that's kinda a long time to stand out here, isn't it?"

Sanghyuk deflates. "Eugh.."

There's quiet for a moment, and then Woonhak scratches behind his neck, his smile turning a bit shy. "Listen, we have a break room.. technically, that's why I'm here, it's my lunch break, and I was just gonna stand and listen to the rain for a bit and go back inside, but… if you wan't, you can come sit back there? It's nothing special, but it's got a comfy couch, and I could grab you a snack from the—"

He's rambling, and while Sanghyuk finds it endearing, he also really doesn't wanna be outside in this weather anymore. "Sure!" He agrees with a loose shrug. "Why not.."

Woonhak grins and motions for him to follow. The bell dings again, and Sanghyuk ducks into the store right beside Woonhak. There's a kind looking man behind the counter, Woonhak's dad, he's assuming, who gives them a small wave but doesn't ask any questions, which Sanghyuk appreciates. The break room is very small, but the space is used well. There's a loveseat, and a little table, and one of those old boxy t.v's with antennae sticking out out of the top.

Sanghyuk sits while Woonhak gives him a tour of the room, (which is unessecary because of the afformentioned size, but still cute nontheless.)

"What kind of snacks do you like?" Woonhak asks, and he motions wildly with his hands while he talks, "Salty, sweet, savory, we have basically everything you can get in a regular corner store— well, that kinda makes it sound like we're not a regular corner store. We are! Just, I've only ever worked at this one."

Sanghyuk swallows down a laugh. "Um, I like sweets? Not picky, really."

Woonhak nods quickly, "Great, awesome, hang on one second— uh, feel free to look at my DVD collection if you wanna watch something, there's a case under the couch."

And then he's gone. Sanghyuk blinks and lets out a disbelieving laugh. Wow, he's weird.

He reaches blindly under the couch and brings up the first thing he feels, luckily it happens to be what he was searching for. Sure enough, it's a DVD case, colored fabric peeling off he front and the zipper worn down from use. He unzips it and flips through the collection— it's a fun mix of childhood classics and romantic dramas, Sanghyuk settles on one of the former just as Woonhak is reentering the room with a heap of snacks filling his arms.

"Don't feel like you need to eat all of this, I just wanted to cover all the bases I could.." he trails off, dumping the armful down onto the table. Sanghyuk giggles and reaches forward to grab a small pack of powdered donuts.

"Thanks, Woonhak."

He makes a funny face. "Wait, how—" Woonhak starts, and then he blanches, looking down right at his own name tag. "Right, yeah, of course you know my name. Um, I never asked yours…"

Another laugh— (there's a small but loud part of Sanghyuk's brain that wonders why he's laughing so much. Is Woonhak actually funny, or has it just been a while since a cute boy has seemed this pathetically taken with him? Is it both? It would be really inconvenient for him if it was both.)

"I'm Sanghyuk."

Woonhak doesn't grab candy for himself, instead he fishes a pack of beef jerky out of his pocket and flops over onto the couch. "And how old are you, Sanghyuk?"

Sanghyuk's eyebrows quirk up. "Almost twenty-three."

Woonhak's smile turns cheeky. "Ahh, you're older than me. Can I call you hyung, then?"

A surprised laugh stumbles out of his throat. "Oh wow, you're pretty forward, aren't you?"

Woonhak manages to smirk despite his chewing. "So, that's a yes?"

"It's a sure," Sanghyuk rolls his eyes, but he's still smiling, so he doubts it's convincing. "I picked a movie.."

Woonhak shoots upright again and plucks the C.D from Sanghyuks grasp when he offers it. "I love this one," he says excitedly, which Sanghyuk thinks is kind of an obvious thing to say about 'Nemo'. Who doesn't love 'Nemo'?

They chat during the movie. Woonhak is nineteen, Sanghyuk learns, twenty this year. He isn't in school anymore, he's been working with his dad at the corner store since he graduated highschool. He has a little sister, and his mom isn't around as much lately, but he says he adores her. He asks Sanghyuk questions about himself too, and his family, and it blows Sanghyuk's mind that he actually seems to care about the answers.

The storm stops, but Sanghyuk ends up staying a little later than necessary to finish the movie. He feels a bit silly for it, like he's taking advantage of Woonhak's kindness and the warmth in his eyes when he grins.

Still, when he finally excuses himself to go and do the things he'd planned to do, Woonhak almost seems dissapointed. "Can I have your number?" he asks, holding open the door for him to step outside. It's not raining anymore, but the humidity still hits him like a wave.

"I'll take yours instead," Sanghyuk says simply. "That way I can choose when to text you."

Woonhak huffs out a soft laugh and takes Sanghyuk's phone. "Sure thing— I hope finding your new knobs goes well."

"You and me both," he takes his phone back when Woonhak is done— the contact is just his name with a little smiley face, and Sanghyuk slips it back in his pocket as he starts walking down the sidewalk. He turns around to say, "Thanks again for the snacks, Woonhak, are you sure you don't want me to pay for them?"

"Very sure," Woonhak calls after him. "My treat, hyung," he stresses the last word, drags it out a little more than necessary. Sanghyuk loathes how fast heat pools in his cheeks.

𓂃 ོ ☼ 𓂃

Sanghyuk doesn't see Woonhak again until well into autumn.

He never texted. Did he think about it? Yes. Often. There were several times he opened up 'Woonhak •ᴗ•'s contact but Sanghyuk ended up just panic-swiping out of the app before he can actually draft a message. He doesn't know what's wrong with him, boys are usually so easy that Sanghyuk never feels this nervous to make any moves.

Everytime he thought about texting Woonhak, he was thrown back to the childlike giddiness he felt on that old couch in his stores breakroom, and for some reason, that feeling terrifies him to the point of hiding.

It'll die, he tells himself. He'll get over it, and never see Woonhak again, so it's done— but then he does, and it's not.

Truthfully, it's the perfect autumn day. The air is slightly brisk but there's no harsh winds making it unbearable. It's the weekend of the annual fall festival in their city, shopping stalls up and down the streets, everything from food, to imported goods, to every medium of art one could imagine.

Sanghyuk came with friends, but Sungho and Donghyun are allergic to not being obnoxious in a way only two people in love can be, so he ducked away a while ago to explore more by himsef. He's trying samples of different overseas cheeses at a booth when Woonhak finds him.

"Oh wow, is that you, Sanghyuk-hyung?"

He freezes, nearly dropping the toothpick that used to hold the cheese block he's now swallowing before chewing. "Woah, hey!" He greets, coughing into his fist and clearing his throat. Then, despite his best efforts, something in his chest drops.

Woonhak looks good, but he's not alone. There's a boy at his side— tall like him, darker hair, lighter eyes. His arm is draped around Woonhak's shoulders, some of his weight slumped into him, fingers playing idly with the collar of Woonhak's brown flannel. The mystery boy gives Sanghyuk a little wave, and while he doesn't smile, it doesn't necessarily feel rude. It's almost as if he's nervous.

"It's nice to see you," Woonhak says, and then he perks up. "This is Dongmin! He's the guitarist in my band."

Sanghyuk's eyes widen, "You're in a band?"

Woonhak's smile is proud, and his chest puffs out a bit. "As of two months ago, yeah. I'm the drummer."

"Of course, that makes so much sense. Nice to meet you, Dongmin."

"Nice to meet you too," Dongmin says. His voice is softer than Sanghyuk expected, it makes him a bit less intimidating. Unfortunately, the arm around Woonhak's shoulders is still taunting him.

Sanghyuk gives him a nod and a smile, and then that same awkwardness of the moment sets in. "So, are you guys here alone, or..?"

Woonhak sighs and vaguely gestures towards the rest of the festival. "Now we are, I guess. We came with another friend but I have literally no idea where he went."

Sanghyuk almost laughs. Maybe their friend ditched them because they were flirting, like he ditched Donghyun and Sungho. He hates the fact that he has the audacity to be jealous when he's essentially been ghosting Woonhak after the one time they met, but hating it doesn't make him feel it any less.

"I came with friends too," Sanghyuk says. "Except I'm kinda the one who fucked off. Anyway, I should get back to them, probably—"

Woonhak holds up his pointer finger, "Uh, maybe we can help—? Or just, y'know, keep you company until we find them?"

It's a terrible idea logically. For several, glaring reasons, and yet Sanghyuk is nodding before he can even truly think about it. "Sure. I'm in the mood for some window shopping."

Surprisingly, Sanghyuk doesn't really feel like he's third wheeling. Sure Dongmin stays with his arm wrapped around Woonhak's shoulders, and they make a few references to inside jokes that he doesn't understand, but it seems like Woonhak is making a genuine effort to include Sanghyuk in spite of that.

Sanghyuk is sifting through these necklaces on a little hanging display tucked inside a stall. All the pendants are intricately twisted wire plants; one in particular draws his attention, yellow wire shaped into delicate looking flower. It's pretty.

He feels Woonhak's presence behind him, peering over his shoulder. His breath is warm against Sanghyuk's neck when he speaks. "I actually know what that is."

Sanghyuk swallows, leaning back just enough to pretend he's only doing it to look at him, but the hidden advantage is that it allows his arm to brush against Woonhak's chest. "You know flowers?"

Woonhak chuckles, and Sanghyuk shivers. "I know some. That's a Forsythia," he reaches towards it, arm curling around Sanghyuk's body, his thumb brushing over the metalic petals. "It's a spring flower. They bloom super early in the season, I love the color."

Sanghyuk can hardly focus. Why does he feel insane—? Is it the proximity, the atmosphere of the moment, or does Woonhak just make him a bit crazy? He feels like a kid again. He doesn't like how powerless he feels in the face of it.

"Yeah, it's pretty," Sanghyuk clears his throat, "Um, where's Dongmin?"

"He went to go find Jaehyun," Woonhak says simply. Jaehyun is the frontman in their three person band— (they're hunting for a bassist, Sanghyuk learned all of this a few stalls ago.) Woonhak is still too close for him to think straight.

"Oh, so it's just us?" He pretends to be interested in another piece of jewelry a few steps to his right, just to put a little distanced between them physically. Sanghyuk knows himself, and if he indulges too much in the things Woonhak makes him feel, he'll get too used to it.

"Just us," Woonhak confirms. "Hey, I'm kinda hungry— did you get full off those cheese samples?"

Sanghyuk laughs and rolls his eyes. "No, no I didn't. What do you wanna eat?"

Woonhak steps closer to him again. This damned cramped booth. "I think there's a place selling meat skewers a few stalls down," he walks around Sanghyuk, but his hand very lightly slips along the small of his back to do so, and Sanghyuk's breath hitches in his throat.

"Sure, yeah, meat skewers."

Woonhak is cute when he eats. Sanghyuk has caught a glimpse of every bite he's taken; his nose wrinkles when his teeth sink into the meat, and his eyes close when he has to tear it off the wooden skewer. He also makes a lot of giddy noises when he gets a particularly good bite.

Sanghyuk is eating his own, but he keeps watching Woonhak, and Woonhak keeps watching him, so they're just… watching each other while they eat, and it somehow feels so incredibly intimate. It's getting dark, evening creeping into night, the chill in the air settling in deeper.

They're sat at a picnic table nestled between two food stalls; they're wrapped up in the bustle of either walkway, laughter and the distant live music playing further down the street. It's a good place to people watch, which Sanghyuk would be doing, if he could look at anything besides Woonhak.

Whatever is going on, it's a physical thing between them. It's heavy, and sweet, and warm. Sanghyuk is haunted by it after just one meeting, and he worries that after today, it will only get worse. Woonhak finishes his skewer first, but he waits until Sanghyuk is done so he can take his trash too, and he waves him off when Sanghyuk thanks him, says it's nothing.

When he's back, he sits down again right across from Sanghyuk. "Are you cold? You look cold."

Sanghyuk blinks— he was actually trying to hide that, but yes, he is cold. Curling in on himself only worked so much.

"I'm fine," Sanghyuk assures, but Woonhak doesn't seem convinced.

Elbows resting on the picnic table, Woonhak holds both of his hands out with an expectant smile. Sanghyuk stares, but he quickly realizes Woonhak won't give up. He sighs and rests his own hands on Woonhak's, palm to palm. When fingers shift and curl around his hands, Sanghyuk prays for a second in his own head.

His hands are soft. And warm. And his thumb lightly brushes along Sanghyuk's knuckles in a way that makes his heart do an embarrassing swoop between his ribs. Woonhak's face is illuminated only by the yellowish lantern lights of the place they got their food, and it makes his cheeks seem rounder and his smile look softer. Sanghyuk finds him beautiful. It's killing him.

"I'm sorry."

Woonhak's head cocks to the side and it's oddly puppy-like. "Sorry? For what?"

Sanghyuk sighs. He tugs on his hands just slightly, but Woonhak just holds them a little firmer. If Sanghyuk wanted to, he could break away, but he admittedly likes the warmth. "For never texting," he shrugs. "It was rude of me."

Woonhak shakes his head, "I don't want you to apologize for that. You don't owe me anything, hyung, we only met once, just because I gave you free snacks and shelter for an hour as a shitty way of flirting with you doesn't mean you're obligated to actually talk to me again."

Sanghyuk frowns. "I told you I would, though."

And Woonhak just shrugs, and he looks down at their intertwined hands, gently caressing Sanghyuk's knuckles. "When I put my number in your phone, I wasn't expecting anything. Did I hope you would text? Sure, but I wouldn't want you to have to. If you don't wanna talk to me, then I don't want you too. I'm happy I ran into you again, though."

"Jesus," Sanghyuk shakes his head in disbelief. "You're really sweet."

Woonhak's eyes sparkle and his lips curl in the corners. "You like sweets. I remember that about you."

Sanghyuk huffs, "I do," he glances down. Squeezes Woonhak's hands. "Listen, I'm… kind of bad at relationships. Do you think we could just start as friends for right now?"

"Of course," Woonhak says without a moment of hesitation. "I like you, Sanghyuk. I'd be thrilled to be friends with you."

Finally, he drops his hold on Sanghyuk's hands, but something deep in Sanghyuk's bones misses his touch the moment he's without it. He crosses his arms to hold in some of the warmth and then narrows his eyes.

"So, you're really not dating Dongmin?"

Woonhak laughs out loud. "Oh, no. Definitely not. Maybe in another life, but in this one he's fucking our frontman, and I happen to be quite infatuated with a new friend of mine."

Sanghyuk rolls his eyes and kicks Woonhak's shoe under the table. He's sure, if Woonhak looked, his ears would be pink.

｡༄˖°*

Sanghyuk falls in love with Woonhak in the middle of winter.

Perhaps that's too simplistic of a way to describe it, but Sanghyuk is the type to fall slowly, and then all at once, so it still feels fitting for him regardless.

They've been hanging out pretty often since the fall festival. Starting as friends was smart for them, and it felt natural— they play games online, hang out when they're not busy, and text so much during the day that Sanghyuk's screen time has gone up signifcantly.

A lot of the time, the last thing Sanghyuk does before he falls asleep is to text Woonhak, or and that fact alone is pretty humiliating when he thinks about it too hard. So he doesn't— at least intentionally.

Today, they're side by side on the train. It's snowing out pretty badly, enough that Woonhak had shielded Sanghyuk with his own jacket as they rushed to platform.

Now, Iheir original plan was to walk to Sanghyuk's place after they wrapped up at the new arcade that just opened up about twenty-five minutes away. Usually, they enjoy a long walk after they hang out, because it gives them enough time to talk and enjoy each other for a while. (Sanghyuk knows how this sounds, which is exactly why he'll never say it that way.)

The original plan had to be scrapped when the snow started and it got way colder way quicker than Sanghyuk could process. Luckily, what would be a twenty-five minute walk turns into a ten minute train ride, but Sanghyuk is still cold.

Woonhak's arm wraps around Sanghyuk's body around three minutes in. He tugs until Sanghyuk is tucked into his side, enveloped in him, and his warmth, and his scent. He smells like good soap and generic conditioner and Sanghyuk melts into it immediately.

"Just to keep you from freezing," Woonhak explains, like he's made a habit of doing everytime he flirts with the line of friends and more. "You're no good to me if your fingers fall off from frostbite. Who would grill me the pork belly in your fridge?"

Sanghyuk snorts and pinches Woonhak in the thigh. "I'm gonna start making you do it yourself," he lies.

Woonhak squeezes him closer and his nose scrunches with his laugh. "But you're so good at it, though! It's always the perfect texture when you make it, hyung, you have to."

An eye roll and a groan, but Sanghyuk doesn't argue. It would be hopeless to, because as much as he pretends like it's not the case, he's at Woonhak's mercy more often than not. The rest of the train ride is fairly quiet, and the walk from the station is short, so they're in Sanghyuk's apartment in no time.

"Would you grab some blankets from the hall closet and throw them on the couch?" Sanghyuk asks while he kicks off his shoes. "When our foods done I wanna eat it over there because it's fucking cold."

Woonhak's laugh bounces off Sanghyuk's walls in a familiar way. "Sure. I can grab the pillows off your bed too, if you want? Make it extra comfy?"

Sanghyuk hums as he marches right over to the fridge. "Yeah actually, that's a good idea."

Woonhak has slept over a few times, but usually it's not planned. Most of the time it's because Woonhak is too tired, or they stay up until the public transportation stops running, or he just happens to fall asleep on Sanghyuk's couch.

This time, they both know he's staying. It's a whole thing. Part of their plans.

Sanghyuk grills the pork the way Woonhak likes, and Woonhak is next to him making ramen. Usually, when Dongmin comes over too, he'll handle that part, but it's just the two of them today. With their plates filled, they settle onto the couch and turn on a movie. They don't talk much while they eat, but Sanghyuk can tell he's enjoying it; he's doing that thing Sanghyuk loves where his nose wrinkles after every bite.

Beneath the blankets, Sanghyuk's feet sneak under Woonhak's legs. When they finish their food, Woonhak's hand finds the curve of Sanghyuk's knee, and he doesn't make an exuse for it. He just lets it be.

They finish the movie, and then watch another one, and that's when Sanghyuk decides to call it a night. They brush their teeth side by side, and it's a bit too easy for him to imagine this being a regular thing. Woonhak next to him, giving him toothy grin in the mirror, resting his hand on Sanghyuk's back when he leans over to spit in the sink.

Sanghyuk stares when Woonhak cups his hand under the faucet, bringing it to his mouth to rinse out the toothpaste. He has pretty hands, he notices. His own grip tightens on his toothbrush.

"Goodnight," Woonhak says softly as he flicks off the bathroom light. He heads towards Sanghyuk's living room, but Sanghyuk doesn't move to his own room. He waits, hesitating in the doorway of his bathroom like he's a skipping record.

He shuts his eyes, takes a deep breath, and walks.

Woonhak is setting his pillows up on the couch. Most of them were already delivered back to Sanhyuk's room, because Woonhak insisted that he didn't need much to be comfortable. Framed like this, Sanghyuk feels things shift so deeply it makes him dizzy.

Out the window, he can see the snow is still going. The T.V is still on, making the whole room a dim, glowy blue. Woonhak is dressed for bed, a t-shirt and shorts, all long legs and long arms. He doesn't seem to notice Sanghyuk watching; he collects the plates and cups on his coffee table, which Sanghyuk was gonna save for the morning, but Woonhak gathers them all up and takes them right to the sink.

When he returns to the living room, he's singing quietly under his breath, just a random song that played on the radio at the arcade hours prior. Sanghyuk's chest twists and swells and he falls, all at once.

"Woonhak."

The boy in question jumps, hand clasped dramatically over his chest. "Woah, hey! Are you okay? Was I too loud putting the dishes in the sink?"

"No, no you're fine," Sanghyuk gives him a tight smile. "Do you…"

Woonhak is patient for a moment, but he raises his eyebrows when the silence stretches. "Do I..?"

Sanghyuk groans, "Do you want to come sleep with me?"

Woonhak blinks, just once, and then laughs softly. "Seriously?"

Sanghyuk takes a step forward, and then another, until he's close enough to smell the mint on Woonhak's breath. He has to look up at him this close, tilt his whole face towards him. "Seriously."

He watches Woonhak's throat bob when he swallows, his eyes filled with something sweeter than honey. "Hyung…you really don't have to offer. The couch is just fine, you know."

Sanghyuk scoffs. "Kim Woonhak, are you really gonna make me yank you down here myself?"

Still, Woonhak seems a bit confused, eyes darting around Sanghyuk's face like he's trying to be sure he doesn't misread a signal. Sanghyuk rolls his eyes and reaches up to curl his fingers around the back of Woonhak's neck.

He pulls, and Woonhak goes, gasping softly against his mouth when their lips finally meet. It doesn't take long for Woonhak to grab him back, both of his hands snaking around Sanghyuk's back and lifting him closer, closer, until their fronts are fully pressed together.

Sanghyuk feels a tension melt from his muscles that's been steadily building for months. His arms loop to hang around Woonhak's shoulders, fingers threading into his hair. Kissing Woonhak is everything he didn't let himself dream it would be. He's warm and eager and he lets Sanghyuk set the pace.

Sanghyuk could get used to it. The idea doesn't make him as seasick as it used to.

"Woonhak," Sanghyuk mutters, "Bed?"

"Yes," he's quick to respond, "God yes, come on."

Woonhak lifts him, which makes Sanghyuk yelp and then laugh loud enough to echo, legs wrapping around the taller boys waist. "Oh my god— be careful, don't hit me into the wall please—"

"I would never, hyung," Woonhak squeezes his hip, pressing a loud, dramatic kiss to his cheek. "You're precious cargo."

Sanghyuk is in love. Despite his better efforts to keep his heart locked down, despite his urges to self sabotage and make Woonhak run away, Sanghyuk is in love.

He can't help but giggle between kisses— partially because Woonhak is a bit too gentle and his wandering hands end up tickling a bit around his waist, but mostly because he just cannot believe it. The threads of chance that brought him here. A bit of rain led him to falling in love.

He doesn't want to say it yet. Truly, he can't. He's bad at relationships, bad at love, if he messes it up now… well, Sanghyuk is sure he'd regret it for the rest of his life. He's never felt the desire to keep someone close to him like this before. To him, boys and relationships have always somewhat been interchangeable; when he lost a boyfriend, he just went and found himself another one.

This, with Woonhak— it's different in every possible way. It's bright, and it's real, and that's what terrifies him the most. He's in it now though, the point of no return, and Sanghyuk will be damned if he tries to step into the shade now.

˖⚘‎ ݁:࿔*.

It's the beginning of spring.

Sanghyuk reaches a hand out, catches a cherry blossom petal midair; he smooths it down on his palm and admires it, smiling to himself when he feels a familiar presence come from behind him.

"Pretty," Woonhak says, and his hand settles on Sanghyuk's hip. (Hip is generous, it's more like his lower stomach, but Sanghyuk prefers to at least pretend like it's not as purposeful as it is.)

"Very," Sanghyuk agrees. "I'm just happy it's warming up again."

He feels Woonhak hum, and then he's shifting around to Sanghyuk's front— he smiles, and steal the petal out of Sanghyuk's hand to instead rest it on the crown of his head. "There. Cute."

Sanghyuk rolls his eyes, shoving Woonhak in the chest. "You're annoying."

Woonhak only grins, "You like it."

Sanghyuk bites his tongue. He really can't argue with that, so he changes the subject, "Where are we going, anyway?"

Woonhak's hand drops to Sanghyuk's own, lacing their fingers together. "It's just a bit further, come on."

He has no idea where they're going. This morning, he was woken up by rapid kisses pressed to his cheeks and being told to get up and get ready because Woonhak had "big plans" for them today.

Woonhak took him to breakfast, and now they've been walking at an easy pace for about an hour. It's the perfect day for this, Sanghyuk thinks, from the sun peeking out between the clouds to the light breeze. Woonhak is excited, almost giddy, leading him through the park trails.

And then Woonhak looks at him, a wide smile on his face, and says "This way."

Sanghyuk is a little confused as they dip under a branch and head deeper into the forest, where the trees grow denser, no longer a defined path under their feet. "Woonhak-ah," Sanghyuk sing-songs. "Why didn't you warn me we were going on a hike? I would've worn different shoes."

"Not a hike," Woonhak chuckles, "It's only a few more minutes, promise."

Sanghyuk sighs, but he doesn't argue. He's forever hopeless when it comes to Woonhak, and whatever he has planned, he seems really excited for.

Thankfully he's right, it only takes them a few more minutes. It does get a bit steeper, but Woonhak never drops his hand, keeps their fingers laced tightly so he can help Sanghyuk up when he needs to. Truly a gentleman.

"This is it!" Woonhak is nearly bouncing on the balls of his feet, squeezing Sanhgyuk's hand while the older takes a look around.

The view is incredible. The park they'd started at is already halfway up a large hill, so Woonhak's little short cut took them to a small clearing where they can see down onto the city. Framed by trees, the grass beneath their shoes a healthy green, Sanghyuk takes a moment to just drink it in.

"Wow," he whispers, shielding his eyes from the sun as he looks out towards the horizon. From here, the city is quiet, the only sound around them being the breeze wisping through the leaves and the distant songbirds.

Woonhak walks forward, his fingers staying loosely curled around Sanghyuk's. "I found this place a few years ago when I was still in school. People rarely come here— it's not like it's unknown, or secret, but it always felt somewhat private and safe."

Sanghyuk nods and Woonhak turns to face him, a somewhat apprehensive expression on his face. Sanghyuk drops his hand so he can cup both sides of Woonhak's face, squishing his cheeks together. "Why do you look terrified?"

"I have something for you," he answers, visibly swallowing as he reaches into his jean pocket.

"For me?"

Woonhak takes one of Sanghyuk's hands off his face and flips it over, palm to the sky. With his other, he carefully delivers the gift. It's a familiar necklace, wire wrapped yellow pendant in the center of the delicate chain. Woonhak clears his throat, "It's—"

"Forsythia," Sanghyuk interrupts. His heart is beating so fast it feels like his pulse is stuttering. He looks up at Woonhak, "How did you..? That was so long ago, Woonhak-ah, is this the same one?"

Woonhak nods. "I um…I actually bought it that day at the festival."

Sanghyuk's thumb traces the edge of the pendant, "Seriously?"

Another nod, even more shy, and a soft laugh. "Yeah, um.. when I went to the bathroom after we looked around that stained glass stall, I went back and bought it. I figured there was a chance I could give it you one day, either as a friend, or…more."

Sanghyuk's eyes flutter and his chest twists and his fingertips buzz. "Woonhak, you… you're.."

"Hopeless? Ridiculous? Pathetic?" Woonhak's hands settle on Sanghyuk's waist, pulling him a bit closer. "I thought you knew all of this already."

"Well," Sanghyuk chuckles, "I was gonna say romantic. But yeah, all of those work too. Help me put it on?"

Woonhak nods, taking the necklace in his hand. Sanghyuk spins around, lifting up the longer grown out strands of hair that lay over his neck. Woonhak clasps it, and then presses a gentle kiss to his nape. Sanghyuk turns to face him again so he can kiss him for real, leaning up fully on his toes. Most of the time, Sanghyuk makes him come down— it's just a pride thing. When he gets desperate though, or just wants it enough, Sanghyuk will lean up.

"Thank you," he mumbles when he breaks away. "I love the necklace. Can I ask what the occasion is? Considering you've had it for so long..?"

Woonhak hesitates. He brushes a strand of hair away from Sanghyuk's face, cradling his jaw with his hand. "Sanghyuk, I love you."

His eyes widen. They haven't said that yet, even if Sanghyuk has felt it since the night they first kissed. Sanghyuk was too nervous to say it first because historically, being led by his own feelings has caused more problems for him than solved. When he hesitates, Woonhak's face falls, but Sanghyuk can see him try to mask it with a smile that doesn't shine nearly as bright as the one that finds his face when Sanghyuk teases him.

"You don't have to say it back hyung, I understand we've only been technically seeing each other for a few months and maybe that's too fast to say something like that but—"

"Woonhak you seriously talk too much," Sanghyuk cuts him off, covering his mouth with his palm and grinning. He shakes his head, chewing on his bottom lip before he just lets himself be fully honest. "I love you too."

Woonhak's brows curl up, his eyes softening. Sanghyuk drops his hand, slipping it down Woonhak's clavicle and stopping right over his heart.

"You're not just saying that because I sprung it on you, right?"

"Woonhak," Sanghyuk says again, louder, a giggle escaping his chest. "I'm saying it because I feel it. Do you think I'd lie to you?"

"Maybe," Woonhak teases. "About this though, probably not."

"Exactly. Listen, I know I'm kinda hard to be with— and no, don't make that face, you know it's true," Sanghyuk holds up a finger to stop him from objecting. "I know I can be hard, and you're nothing but patient. You're kind to me, and you make me feel like I deserve it, and I haven't always felt that way. I love you, Woonhak, and I have since I jumped your bones in my living room."

Woonhak laughs, his eyes a little watery, "Really? That long ago?" Sanghyuk gives him a wry look and Woonhak's laughter doubles. "Sorry. You know I've loved you for longer, yeah? Probably since I met you?"

Sanghyuk winces, "I was irritable and wearing my worst shirt when we met.."

"Yeah," Woonhak agrees. "And I had never been so into someone before."

Sanghyuk's eyes roll. "You're stupid."

Woonhak kisses him again, just a gentle peck on the corner of his mouth. "For you? Easily."

And when Sanghyuk tells him to shut up, like he has a million times before, Woonhak lets out the same giddy laugh as he always does. After a moment, Woonhak's face shifts, gets a bit more serious, but no less warm. "For the record, Sanghyuk, I don't think you're hard to be with. Even if you were, it would be worth it. I think you're worth a lot of hard things."

Sanghyuk's face warms so much he goes to inwardly curse the sun before realizing that doing so means cursing Woonhak as well. "I hate you," he says weakly, "You're the worst."

To prevent Woonhak from saying anything true (like 'no you don't', or 'but you just said you love me') and embarrassing him, he kisses him this time, deeply, hard enough that it hurts a bit in the way he likes.

Truthfully, Woonhak doesn't have to say the things he's trying to stop him from uttering, because they both know. Sanghyuk loves him, and has for a while, and now Woonhak knows it too, so there's nothing to be afraid of anymore. It doesn't mean the fear is gone entirely, but if Woonhak thinks that he's easy to love, then Sanghyuk refuses to be plagued by his own brain anymore.

This time, when Woonhak breaks away, he has a cherry blossom stuck in his own hair. Sanghyuk giggles and picks it out, letting the wind pluck it from his fingertips and take it wherever it pleases. Woonhak has a vaguely serious expression on his face again, his fingers twisting nevously in the fabric of Sanghyuk's shirt.

"What now?"

Woonhak exhales. "Will you be my boyfriend?"

Sanghyuk scoffs, "What was I to you these last few months if not your boyfriend?"

"Well, it's just—" Woonhak sputters, "We never put a label on it, y'know? We were friends, and then we hooked up, and then we were kinda together but we never agreed to call it anything. You know that I'm committed to you, don't you?"

"I'm your boyfriend," Sanghyuk says bluntly. He doesn't leave room for disagreement. "And you're mine."

A somewhat coy smile forms on Woonhak's face. "Your boyfriend, or just yours?"

With a scoff, Sanghyuk reaches up and splays a hand over the top of Woonhak's head, ruffling his hair and pushing him back in one swift movement. "You know what I mean."

They get dinner that night. They change into slightly nicer clothes, and Sanghyuk keeps the necklace on, nestled in the opened 'v' of his button up so anyone can see.

☀︎༄·❅☘︎

It's a late summer evening when Sanghyuk finishes unpacking the last box.

The apartment is lovely. Size wise, it's only a little bigger than the one Sanghyuk lived in previously, but it's better in every way. Natural light, a wide balcony, a fully updated kitchen. It's the perfect place for him and Woonhak to share.

In a way, they've been living together for a while, even if this is the day they're actually officially moving into their own place. When they finally stopped dancing around it and actually became official, Woonhak was basically at Sanghyuk's place more often than not anyway. They went on for two years like that, Woonhak just slowly integrating into Sanghyuk's space, but eventually, Sanghyuk decided it wasn't enough.

Instead of giving Woonhak half the drawers in his dresser, he wanted a whole closet they could split halfway. He wanted a place that they can grow into side by side, not just one of his own that he pulled Woonhak into. He wanted a home, for the two of them, that they can both love and choose together.

They picked this apartment after touring many. Woonhak liked its proximity to his dads store and just about everything about the inside. Sanghyuk couldn't find a whole lot wrong with it, and he fell in love with the acoustics when Woonhak laughed in the dining room.

They have a whole lot of furniture to buy having donated a lot when they were preparing to move into their own. Sanghyuk insisted on as much of a blank slate as they could with the big things, so they could pick stuff out together that they both like. It'll be a lot of money, and a lot of time, but it feels worth it. With this though, there just isn't a whole lot that they need to unpack beyond their essentials and finding a place for everything they did want to keep.

Still, when the final box is empty, and Sanghyuk places the last knick-knack in its place, Sanghyuk is hit with an overwhelming feeling of accomlishment. Woonhak wraps an arm around his waist and presses a kiss to his temple. "It's gonna come together. I can see it now, can't you?"

Sanghyuk can.

He imagines decorative pillows on their couch, a record player on their coffee table. String lights framing their collection of candid Polaroids they've taken of one another through the years. Two tooth brushes in the bathroom. A colorful rug next to their bed.

Most of all, he imagines them. Sanghyuk and Woonhak, laughing in every room of the house, every day, every month, four seasons a year, and a bundle of yellow forsythia's in their kitchen window.