Work Text:
The design building on campus was quieter than the others.
At least, from the outside.
Glass walls, studio lights that never turned off, students practically living there overnight — the building never really slept. But compared to the chaos of the music department, it still counted as calm.
&TEAM talked about it constantly.
“I still don’t understand,” K said as he dropped into a chair at the corner of the cafeteria. “Why does the music building have a piano on every floor? Do people never want silence?”
“Art feeds on suffering,” Jo replied dramatically, lifting his iced coffee.
“You major in business.”
“My suffering is greater.”
Half the table burst into laughter.
It was lunch break. Campus was crowded, students escaping finals stress and spreading across the grass now that spring was finally settling in.
Taki was showing something on his phone when Harua nudged the empty chair beside him with his foot.
“Euijoo’s coming.”
The entire table reacted immediately.
Half of them looked away.
The other half looked at Nicholas.
Nicholas acted like nothing happened, still focused on the sketch on his tablet, lazily spinning his stylus between his fingers.
But the slight pink tint creeping up the tips of his ears betrayed him instantly.
Yuma grinned.
“You’re making it way too obvious.”
“What?” Nicholas said without looking up.
“Nothing.”
A few seconds later, Euijoo reached the table with a guitar case slung over his shoulder, hair messy in the way that only happened after hours locked inside practice rooms. There was a coffee stain on the sleeve of his grey hoodie.
Nicholas noticed first.
Like always.
“You skipped lunch again, didn’t you?” Euijoo asked as he sat down.
Nicholas finally looked up.
“I ate.”
“Chips don’t count.”
“Who decided that?”
“Humanity.”
Euijoo took the energy drink sitting in front of Nicholas and replaced it with his own coffee.
Nicholas didn’t protest.
That alone nearly killed everyone else at the table.
Because Nicholas hated people touching his things.
Except when it was Euijoo.
Always except Euijoo.
Fuma leaned closer to Taki.
“Look at him,” he whispered. “Look at the way he’s looking at him.”
“I’ve been looking for three months.”
Nicholas took a sip of the coffee and grimaced.
“There’s no sugar in this.”
Euijoo shrugged. “Because you’re not a child.”
“Sometimes I feel like one.”
Euijoo laughed.
Nicholas looked at him immediately.
It lasted less than a second, but everyone caught it.
And honestly?
They were all getting tired of this.
—
This wasn’t new.
The rest of the group figured it out around eight months ago.
Mostly because Nicholas was terrible at hiding it.
He wasn’t usually touchy with people. Friendly, yes. Social, definitely. But he always kept a little distance between himself and everyone else.
Not with Euijoo.
Without realizing it, Nicholas constantly gravitated toward him.
Standing next to him in crowds. Touching his arm while talking. Turning toward him every time he spoke.
The worst part was his eyes.
It was impossible not to notice the way Nicholas looked at Euijoo.
Like the entire room went quieter whenever he did.
And Euijoo wasn’t any better.
He was just subtler about it.
He brought Nicholas coffee during all-nighters. Pretended to understand graphic design presentations just because Nicholas cared about them. Memorized his favorite snacks. Gave him his jacket whenever he looked cold.
Once, Nicholas had fallen asleep in the studio.
Instead of waking him up, Euijoo quietly covered him with the thin blanket from his own bag.
When Nicholas found out later, he couldn’t function properly for three days.
“I can’t keep watching this,” Yuma complained while they walked back to the dorms one night. “This isn’t slow burn anymore. This is psychological torture.”
“If they were an AO3 tag, people would abandon the fic,” Jo said.
“Idiots in love.”
“Mutual pining.”
“700k words no confession.”
K laughed loudly.
Harua looked genuinely serious.
“I don’t think they know the other one likes them back.”
“We know,” Fuma replied. “That’s the problem.”
“No, seriously,” Harua insisted. “Nicholas saw Euijoo talking to someone from the dance department yesterday and got upset. Then he literally said, ‘he probably doesn’t like me like that anyway.’”
Silence.
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah.”
Taki buried his face in his hands.
“These idiots are hopeless.”
—
Nicholas genuinely believed Euijoo didn’t like him back.
He had reasons.
Euijoo was kind to everyone. Warm. Easy to love. Maybe Nicholas was just assigning meaning to things that weren’t actually special.
Maybe Euijoo treated everyone gently.
Maybe Nicholas was imagining things.
One night inside the design studio, Nicholas replayed an old voice message from Euijoo for the third time without realizing it.
“You asleep?”
Euijoo sounded tired.
“If you’re still awake, drink water. Your head hurt yesterday too.”
A short pause.
“And… don’t stress too much about your project. You’re really good, you know?”
Nicholas locked his phone and stared at the desk.
His heart was beating stupidly fast.
Because Euijoo sounded so soft when he talked to him.
Like Nicholas was something fragile.
The studio door opened.
“Nicholas?”
He looked up.
Euijoo stood there wearing a black jacket, hair slightly damp from the rain.
“Of course it’s you,” Nicholas muttered before thinking.
Euijoo raised an eyebrow. “Was that supposed to be a bad thing?”
“No.”
Euijoo sat beside him. The desk was covered in unfinished poster drafts and scattered sketches.
“I brought food.”
Nicholas blinked.
“Marry me.”
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Both of them froze.
Euijoo’s face turned red immediately.
Nicholas looked away just as fast.
“I was joking,” he said too quickly.
“I know.”
But Euijoo’s voice came out quieter than usual.
Nicholas barely slept that night.
—
Euijoo’s problem was worse.
Because Nicholas kept giving him hope.
Then acting normal again.
Last week, for example.
The music department had a small performance night, and Euijoo was stressed out of his mind because it was the first time he’d perform one of his original songs.
His hands were shaking backstage.
Then Nicholas showed up.
Without saying anything, he placed a tiny box in front of him.
Inside were guitar picks.
Custom-made ones.
Each had tiny lines from Euijoo’s lyrics engraved into them.
Euijoo forgot how to breathe.
“When did you make these?”
Nicholas shrugged. “Free time.”
“You don’t have free time.”
“I made some.”
“For me?”
Nicholas looked away.
Euijoo genuinely thought he might collapse right there.
But after the performance, Nicholas congratulated everyone the same way he congratulated Euijoo.
And that ruined him again.
Maybe Nicholas was just thoughtful.
Maybe Euijoo was reading too much into it.
“Thinking about Nicholas again?”
Euijoo looked up from the ramen cup in front of him.
Yuma sat across from him.
“Your face gives it away.”
“I don’t make it obvious.”
“You absolutely do.”
Euijoo groaned.
“Is it bad?”
“It’s tragic.”
Euijoo dropped his forehead onto the table.
“He doesn’t like me.”
Yuma slowly put down his chopsticks.
“Euijoo.”
“Hm?”
“If Nicholas doesn’t like you, I’ll switch majors.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It means it’s impossible.”
But Euijoo still didn’t believe him.
—
As finals got closer, everyone started losing their minds.
Especially Nicholas.
Design students slowly transformed into ghosts living off caffeine and stress.
One night after practice, Euijoo went to pick Nicholas up from the studio and found him asleep over his desk.
The monitor was still on.
Euijoo walked closer carefully.
“Nico?”
Nicholas only mumbled.
Euijoo smiled automatically.
Nicholas looked strangely vulnerable when he slept.
Hair falling into his eyes. Stylus still loosely held in one hand.
Euijoo stared for a few seconds before taking off his jacket and draping it over his shoulders.
Just as he stepped back, Nicholas moved slightly.
Eyes barely opening.
“…Euijoo?”
“Did I wake you?”
Instead of answering, Nicholas reached out and wrapped sleepy fingers around Euijoo’s wrist.
Warm.
Euijoo’s breath caught instantly.
“Don’t go,” Nicholas murmured.
Just two words.
But Euijoo thought about them the entire night.
Because Nicholas sounded completely honest.
Like his subconscious had spoken for him.
The next morning, Nicholas acted like nothing happened.
Euijoo was genuinely losing his mind.
—
“Okay,” K finally announced one evening in the dorm lounge. “I’m intervening.”
Harua sat up immediately. “Finally.”
“What’s the plan?”
Fuma thought for a second.
“We leave them alone together.”
“That sounds aggressively romantic,” Jo said.
“Because it’ll work.”
Nicholas’ parents were out of town, which meant his house was empty. They hung out there sometimes because it was nicer than the dorms.
Yuma pulled out his phone.
“We’re planning a movie night.”
“And not showing up,” Taki added.
“And only Euijoo comes,” K finished.
Harua grinned.
“Manipulation.”
“Friendship.”
The plan worked embarrassingly well.
Mostly because Euijoo suspected absolutely nothing.
“Wait, everyone’s really going to Nicholas’ house?” he asked in the group chat.
K answered immediately.
yeah lol we already ordered food hurry up
What they told Nicholas was even simpler.
The guys wanna come over. House free?
Nicholas just reacted with a thumbs up.
Completely unaware.
And somehow that made it funnier.
—
Saturday evening, Nicholas was putting drinks into the fridge when the doorbell rang.
“One of them’s early,” he muttered.
He opened the door.
And froze.
Euijoo stood there wearing a navy hoodie, hair slightly messy from the wind, grocery bags hanging from one arm.
Nicholas stared for a second too long.
“…You’re early.”
Euijoo frowned. “The others aren’t here?”
Silence.
Both of them checked their phones at the exact same time.
Messages.
one by one.
something came up sorry :(
can’t make it bro
emergency lol
Nicholas slowly closed his eyes.
“I’m going to kill them.”
Euijoo laughed under his breath.
And hearing that immediately made Nicholas less annoyed.
“I can just leave if you want,” Euijoo offered.
Nicholas looked up instantly.
“No.”
Too fast.
Both of them noticed.
Nicholas cleared his throat.
“I mean… you’re already here. We can still hang out.”
Euijoo smiled softly.
“Okay.”
The door closed behind him.
And without either of them realizing it, everything started changing after that.
—
Nicholas’ house felt completely different from the dorms.
Quiet.
Actually quiet.
No yelling in the hallways. No random footsteps. No Taki watching shows at three in the morning with the volume way too loud.
Just rain tapping softly against the windows and the low hum of the refrigerator.
Euijoo slipped off his shoes and looked around.
He’d been here before, but never alone.
Now he could actually notice things.
The house felt very Nicholas.
Minimalistic, but warm in a way people didn’t expect from him.
Custom posters hung on the walls. Sketchbooks were stacked beside the couch. Polaroids and half-finished design prototypes cluttered the shelves.
There was even a giant work desk in the corner of the living room covered in organized chaos.
“What’d you bring?” Nicholas asked as Euijoo placed the grocery bags on the kitchen counter.
“Ramen ingredients.”
Nicholas blinked.
“You were planning to cook?”
“I thought there’d be people here. Didn’t want everyone starving.”
Nicholas smiled a little.
“You’re too nice.”
Euijoo’s heartbeat instantly sped up.
Because Nicholas did this sometimes.
He softened out of nowhere.
His voice changed.
His eyes changed.
And suddenly Euijoo couldn’t think straight anymore.
Nicholas pulled cans out of the fridge before pausing.
“We could still do the hangout.”
“Hm?”
“Just us.”
Euijoo looked up.
“You and me?”
Nicholas immediately looked away.
“I mean… yeah. Since you’re here already.”
Euijoo hid a smile by opening a cabinet.
“Okay then.”
—
Cooking together ended up feeling weirdly natural.
Nicholas was terrible at chopping vegetables.
“Those aren’t edible sizes,” Euijoo pointed out.
Nicholas looked offended immediately.
“It’s about the spirit.”
“Who’s eating the spirit?”
“You bully me constantly.”
Euijoo laughed.
Nicholas stopped moving for a second.
Just staring at him again.
Euijoo pushed his hair behind his ear absentmindedly and Nicholas’ brain short-circuited immediately.
Pretty.
That was all his mind supplied.
Just pretty.
And honestly, it was becoming a serious problem.
Because Euijoo distracted him so easily now.
The way he laughed.
The way his fingers tapped against surfaces while thinking.
The way he quietly hummed songs without realizing it.
A person shouldn’t affect someone this much.
“What?”
Nicholas blinked.
“Hm?”
“You were staring.”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“You absolutely were.”
“I was looking at the vegetables.”
“Am I vegetables?”
Nicholas paused.
“Sometimes.”
Euijoo burst into laughter.
“You’re unbelievable.”
Nicholas thought, very sincerely, I’m doomed.
—
Dinner took twice as long as it should have because neither of them could focus properly.
At one point Euijoo put on music from his phone — an old indie playlist.
Nicholas nodded along to one of the songs automatically.
“I like this one.”
“I know.”
Nicholas stopped.
“How?”
Euijoo froze too.
“…What?”
“How do you know?”
Euijoo suddenly felt warm.
Because the real answer was simple.
He remembered everything about Nicholas.
Favorite drinks.
Songs he replayed at 2 a.m.
Which hoodies he wore most often.
Which days he seemed quieter than usual.
All of it stayed in Euijoo’s head without effort.
Because Nicholas stopped being just a friend a long time ago.
“I remember the things people like,” Euijoo said finally.
Nicholas looked at him for a long moment.
Then smiled softly.
“I know you do.”
And Euijoo nearly died on the spot.
—
After dinner they moved to the couch and tried watching a movie.
Tried being the important word.
Neither of them paid attention.
Nicholas sat on one side of the couch.
Euijoo sat on the other.
There was technically space between them, but both of them were painfully aware of it.
Eventually Nicholas spoke without looking away from the screen.
“Sometimes you scare me.”
Euijoo blinked.
“What?”
Nicholas paused the movie.
The room went quiet.
“Because you’re nice to everyone,” he admitted quietly.
Euijoo frowned. “That’s not scary.”
“I know.” Nicholas swallowed. “But sometimes I can’t tell what’s special.”
Euijoo’s heart skipped immediately.
Nicholas kept going.
“Sometimes I think maybe you treat me differently.”
Silence.
“And then I see you being nice to other people too.”
Euijoo stared at him.
Because Nicholas genuinely believed that.
After all this time.
“Nico…”
“Forget it.”
“No.”
Nicholas finally looked at him.
And for the first time, Euijoo saw real insecurity there.
Not the confident version of Nicholas everyone else knew.
Just someone scared of getting hurt.
“I don’t treat everyone the same,” Euijoo said softly.
Something shifted in Nicholas’ expression.
“No?”
“No.”
The rain outside sounded louder somehow.
Euijoo clasped his hands together nervously.
“When something happens, you’re the first person I want to tell.”
Nicholas stopped breathing normally.
“When I write songs, I want you to hear them first.”
Silence.
“When good things happen, I call you.”
Euijoo laughed awkwardly.
“And when bad things happen too.”
Nicholas’ chest tightened painfully.
Because Euijoo sounded so honest.
No games.
No pretending.
Just feelings.
“I think…” Nicholas closed his eyes briefly. “I think I like you.”
Euijoo’s brain completely shut down.
“Think?”
Nicholas laughed nervously.
“Okay. I know I do.”
Euijoo stared at him for several seconds before suddenly laughing in disbelief.
Nicholas panicked immediately.
“Why are you laughing?!”
“Because— god.”
“Nah, don’t react like that, you’re terrifying me.”
Euijoo covered his face.
“Because I like you too, Nicholas.”
Silence.
Total silence.
Nicholas froze.
“…What?”
Euijoo laughed softly again.
“I have for a while.”
“You?”
“Yes.”
“Like… me?”
“Yes, idiot.”
Nicholas looked genuinely dizzy.
“I feel sick.”
Euijoo grinned. “That’s not very romantic.”
“My heart’s beating way too fast.”
“Mine too.”
For a while they just looked at each other.
Then Nicholas leaned back against the couch dramatically.
“The others are going to kill us.”
Euijoo blinked.
“What?”
“They definitely knew.”
Euijoo thought about it.
The fake excuses.
The weird looks.
The forced movie night.
And then both of them groaned at the exact same time.
“I’m killing Harua,” Euijoo muttered.
“K first,” Nicholas replied instantly.
Neither of them were actually mad.
Because nothing else really mattered right now.
Nicholas looked at Euijoo again.
Openly this time.
Like he finally stopped hiding.
“Can I ask something?” he said quietly.
“Okay.”
“If I kissed you right now… would that be too fast?”
Euijoo stopped breathing.
Nicholas sounded calm.
But his eyes absolutely weren’t.
They stayed fixed on Euijoo like he was waiting for permission.
Actually waiting.
Euijoo slowly shook his head.
“No.”
Nicholas kissed him immediately.
His hand touched Euijoo’s cheek first.
Warm.
Careful.
And then suddenly Euijoo couldn’t think anymore because Nicholas was kissing him like he’d been holding himself back for months.
Maybe he had.
The kiss wasn’t rushed, but there was something desperate underneath it anyway — something breathless and overwhelming and painfully honest.
Euijoo’s fingers instinctively curled into the fabric of Nicholas’ hoodie.
Nicholas let out the smallest shaky breath against his mouth.
That alone nearly killed him.
When Nicholas finally pulled back, their foreheads rested together.
Close enough to share air.
Close enough that Euijoo could see the faint blush spreading across Nicholas’ face.
“Is this real?” Nicholas whispered.
Euijoo smiled before kissing him again.
“Yes.”
—
Nicholas’ brain stopped functioning after that.
Completely.
Because Euijoo kissed him back without hesitation, hands gripping softly at his hoodie while Nicholas forgot how thoughts worked entirely.
All he could focus on was Euijoo.
Euijoo’s lips.
Euijoo’s breathing.
Euijoo being here.
Actually here.
Actually liking him back.
When they finally separated again, Nicholas stared at him for several long seconds before abruptly covering his face with both hands.
“I’m losing my mind.”
Euijoo laughed quietly.
“Was it that bad?”
Nicholas looked up immediately.
“No?!”
“You seem panicked.”
“Because…” Nicholas pushed his hair back nervously. “I’ve liked you for so long that this doesn’t feel real.”
Euijoo’s chest tightened painfully.
Because Nicholas sounded completely genuine.
Soft in a way people rarely got to see.
“How long?” Euijoo asked quietly.
Nicholas looked away.
“…Since first year.”
Euijoo froze.
“You’re joking.”
“I’m not.”
“First year first year?”
Nicholas sank deeper into the couch, embarrassed.
“Yes.”
Euijoo genuinely couldn’t process it.
Because he’d fallen for Nicholas around the same time.
During the autumn festival in their first semester.
Nicholas had sat outside the design building with him past midnight drinking hot chocolate. Euijoo hadn’t even mentioned being cold before Nicholas draped his jacket over his shoulders.
Then he listened to Euijoo’s unfinished songs without making fun of them once.
Just listened carefully.
Euijoo had walked back to the dorm that night thinking, oh, I’m in trouble.
“We’re actually stupid,” Euijoo muttered.
Nicholas groaned dramatically.
“So stupid.”
“The others were right.”
“I hate them.”
“Yuma’s never letting this go.”
“Jo’s absolutely making edits.”
Euijoo laughed.
“‘Nicholas and Euijoo finally stop being idiots compilation.’”
Nicholas buried his face in the couch cushion.
“Harua’ll make the thumbnail.”
Both of them dissolved into laughter again.
The tension was gone now.
But something else had taken its place.
Something new.
Dangerously warm.
Because now there was nothing left unsaid between them.
And the moment they realized that, everything changed.
Nicholas stopped looking away.
That was the first thing Euijoo noticed.
Before, Nicholas always glanced at him too long and then quickly looked elsewhere like he’d gotten caught.
Now he just looked.
Openly.
Comfortably.
Like he was finally allowed to.
And honestly?
It made Euijoo nervous.
“Stop looking at me like that.”
Nicholas tilted his head innocently.
“Like what?”
“You know exactly what.”
“That’s not descriptive at all.”
Euijoo grabbed a pillow and shoved it against his face.
“You’re stressing me out.”
Nicholas laughed softly.
“You stressed me out for months. It’s your turn.”
Euijoo peeked at him over the pillow.
Nicholas’ hair was messy now. Sleeves pushed up to his elbows. Eyes still fixed on him with unbearable softness.
Euijoo seriously wondered why they waited this long.
“I need to confess something,” Nicholas said.
“That sounds dangerous.”
“When you brought me coffee during finals, my entire day got better.”
Euijoo felt heat crawl up his neck immediately.
“That was such a small thing.”
Nicholas shook his head slowly.
“Nothing you do feels small.”
Euijoo looked away instantly before he combusted on the spot.
Nicholas kept talking anyway.
“You remember that night I fell asleep in the studio?”
Euijoo smiled a little.
“Yeah.”
“You covered me with your blanket.”
“…You looked cold.”
“When I woke up, it smelled like your cologne.”
Silence.
“And I think that was the moment I fully lost it.”
Euijoo wanted to throw himself directly through the wall.
Nicholas said things too casually sometimes.
Things that hit way too hard.
“Okay,” Euijoo said weakly. “My turn.”
Nicholas grinned. “Go ahead.”
“When you gave me those custom guitar picks before my performance…”
Nicholas blinked.
“What about them?”
“That wasn’t normal behavior.”
Nicholas started laughing.
“They were special.”
“Exactly. That’s the problem.”
Euijoo shook his head helplessly.
“Who engraves someone’s lyrics onto guitar picks?”
Nicholas shrugged.
“Me.”
“Romantic.”
“Shut up.”
Euijoo laughed again.
Nicholas stared for a second before slowly leaning closer.
This time he paused before kissing him.
Actually paused.
Like he was still giving Euijoo the choice to pull away if he wanted.
And somehow that affected Euijoo even more than the kiss itself.
So he closed the distance himself.
Nicholas’ hand immediately settled against his waist.
The second kiss felt slower.
Deeper.
Because neither of them were scared anymore.
Euijoo felt Nicholas breathe shakily against him and smiled instinctively into the kiss.
Nicholas pulled back just enough to stare at him in disbelief.
“Don’t smile while kissing me.”
“Then stop shaking.”
“Oh my god.”
Euijoo burst into laughter.
Nicholas dropped forward dramatically until his forehead hit Euijoo’s shoulder.
“I’m so embarrassed.”
“Now?”
“You don’t understand the emotional consequences of this.”
Euijoo gently reached up and brushed his fingers through Nicholas’ hair.
And both of them went silent immediately.
Because the gesture felt terrifyingly natural.
Nicholas slowly lifted his head.
Euijoo’s hand was still in his hair.
“Can I ask one more thing?” Nicholas said softly.
“You ask a lot of questions.”
“I finally feel like I’m allowed to.”
Euijoo’s heart nearly gave out again.
“Okay,” he whispered.
Nicholas hesitated for a second.
Then:
“Can I hold you?”
Euijoo’s expression softened instantly.
“Nico.”
“Hm?”
“You don’t have to ask every time.”
Nicholas looked down briefly.
“I know. I just… don’t want to mess this up.”
That nearly destroyed Euijoo on the spot.
So instead of answering, he moved closer and wrapped his arms around Nicholas’ neck first.
Nicholas hugged him back immediately.
Tightly.
Like he’d wanted to for a long time.
They stayed like that quietly for a while.
Rain tapping softly against the windows.
The movie still paused halfway through.
Euijoo resting comfortably against Nicholas’ chest.
“Nicholas.”
“Hm?”
“What are we now?”
Nicholas answered without hesitation.
“Whatever you want us to be.”
Euijoo smiled slowly.
“That sounded insanely boyfriend-coded.”
Nicholas immediately covered his face again.
“No it didn’t.”
“Yes it did.”
“Stop bullying me.”
“I’ll stop if you become my boyfriend.”
Silence.
Nicholas looked at him carefully.
“…Can you say that again?”
Euijoo laughed softly despite the blush spreading across his face.
“Will you be my boyfriend?”
Nicholas kissed him for the third time instead of answering with words.
When they finally pulled apart again, Euijoo was breathless.
Nicholas looked equally ruined.
Hair messy. Lips pink. Eyes completely unfocused in the way that only happened when Euijoo was too close to him.
And honestly?
Euijoo thought he looked unfairly beautiful like this.
“So…” Euijoo whispered, trying not to laugh. “I’m assuming that means yes?”
Nicholas rested his forehead against Euijoo’s shoulder dramatically.
“If you think I’m saying no to you, you’ve completely lost your mind.”
Euijoo smiled helplessly.
“Good.”
Nicholas groaned quietly.
“You saying things like that is exactly why I’ve been suffering.”
“You survived.”
“Barely.”
Euijoo laughed softly again, and Nicholas immediately melted a little further into him.
That was another thing Euijoo noticed now.
Nicholas reacted to him constantly.
Every smile.
Every touch.
Every little thing.
And knowing that did dangerous things to Euijoo’s heart.
—
As the night went on, they slowly relaxed into each other’s presence.
Well.
Euijoo relaxed.
Nicholas kept randomly short-circuiting every few minutes.
At one point he went into the kitchen for water and Euijoo followed behind him absentmindedly.
Nicholas opened the cabinet.
Euijoo lightly tugged on the back of his hoodie without thinking.
Nicholas froze instantly.
Then slowly turned around.
“…Do that again.”
Euijoo blinked innocently.
“What?”
“The hoodie thing.”
Euijoo started laughing immediately.
“Seriously?”
Nicholas looked completely serious.
“You have no idea what you do to me.”
Euijoo’s face heated up again.
This boy was going to kill him.
Nicholas leaned against the counter after taking a sip of water.
“Can I ask another question?”
“You really are abusing the boyfriend privilege already.”
“I earned it.”
Euijoo rolled his eyes fondly.
“Fine. Ask.”
Nicholas hesitated.
Then quietly said:
“When did you first realize you liked me?”
Euijoo immediately turned away.
“No.”
Nicholas laughed.
“What do you mean no?”
“I’m not answering that.”
“I answered honestly.”
“That sounds like a you problem.”
Nicholas pushed himself off the counter and started slowly walking closer.
Euijoo backed up until his lower back hit the kitchen counter.
“Nico.”
“Hm?”
“You’re being threatening.”
Nicholas grinned.
“I just want the answer.”
Euijoo sighed dramatically.
“The campus festival.”
Nicholas stopped moving.
“…The autumn one?”
Euijoo nodded.
“You bought me hot chocolate.”
Recognition flashed across Nicholas’ face almost immediately.
Then his expression changed completely.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“That’s when I started liking you too.”
Silence.
They stared at each other.
Then both spoke at once.
“You’re kidding—”
“No because you—”
They stopped again.
Nicholas laughed in disbelief.
“We’re actually idiots.”
“I think the universe was making fun of us personally.”
Nicholas stepped closer again until his hands settled carefully on Euijoo’s waist.
And now that he was allowed to touch him openly, he seemed unwilling to stop.
Euijoo definitely wasn’t complaining.
“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” Nicholas asked quietly.
Euijoo answered honestly.
“Because I didn’t want to lose you.”
Nicholas’ expression softened instantly.
Because he understood that fear perfectly.
He’d spent months convincing himself silence was safer than risking Euijoo leaving.
“Me too,” he admitted.
This time they didn’t kiss.
They just looked at each other quietly.
And for the first time in months, Euijoo felt completely safe.
—
By two in the morning, the living room looked destroyed.
Empty soda cans. Ramen bowls. Blankets everywhere.
The movie was still paused because neither of them had paid attention after the first twenty minutes.
Euijoo was sprawled across the couch while Nicholas sat on the floor beside him with his head resting against Euijoo’s knees.
That had happened accidentally too.
Nicholas slid onto the floor at some point.
Then Euijoo started playing with his hair without realizing it.
And now Nicholas refused to move.
“Are you asleep?” Euijoo asked quietly.
Nicholas kept his eyes closed.
“No.”
“You sound asleep.”
“If you stop touching my hair, I’ll die.”
Euijoo laughed softly.
“You’re dramatic.”
“I’m happy.”
The words came out naturally.
So naturally that both of them went silent afterward.
Nicholas slowly opened his eyes.
“Was that cringe?”
“A little.”
“I take it back.”
“No.”
Euijoo smiled softly.
“I liked it.”
Nicholas looked completely gone after that.
Like Euijoo saying one nice thing physically affected him.
Honestly, it probably did.
Then suddenly both their phones buzzed at the same time.
The group chat.
K:
dead yet?
Jo:
did they kiss
Harua:
they definitely kissed
Taki:
100%
Yuma:
i want wedding photos
Euijoo immediately burst into laughter.
Nicholas grabbed his phone and covered his face with it.
“I hate them.”
Euijoo was still laughing.
“Are you gonna answer?”
Nicholas typed without hesitation.
yeah we kissed now shut up
Sent.
Silence.
Then the group chat exploded.
K:
WHAT
Harua:
OH MY GOD
Jo:
I WON
Taki:
I SCREENSHOTTED IT
Yuma:
FINALLY JESUS CHRIST
Euijoo was laughing so hard his stomach hurt.
Nicholas threw his phone onto the couch dramatically.
“I can never face them again.”
“They’re just excited.”
“Jo’s making edits as we speak.”
Honestly?
Probably true.
Euijoo picked up his own phone a moment later.
A private message from Harua.
Harua:
did it actually happen
Euijoo looked over at Nicholas instinctively.
Nicholas was already looking at him.
Hair messy.
Eyes soft.
Still wearing the expression of someone who couldn’t believe this was real.
Euijoo’s chest tightened immediately.
yeah, he typed back finally.
it actually happened
Harua replied in less than five seconds.
Harua:
finally holy shit
Euijoo laughed under his breath and locked his phone.
“What’d he say?” Nicholas asked suspiciously.
“He experienced emotional closure.”
“That’s fair.”
—
The next morning felt strangely domestic.
Euijoo woke up slowly, confused for a second before recognizing the couch beneath him and the smell of coffee coming from the kitchen.
Nicholas.
Euijoo sat up, fixing his hair sleepily before looking over.
Nicholas stood in the kitchen wearing a black t-shirt and messy hair, making coffee like this happened every day.
The image hit Euijoo way harder than it should have.
Too soft.
Too comfortable.
Too easy to imagine happening again.
Nicholas noticed him and smiled immediately.
“Morning.”
Euijoo’s heartbeat betrayed him instantly.
“Morning.”
Nicholas walked over and handed him a mug.
“I added sugar.”
Euijoo blinked.
“You remembered?”
Nicholas shrugged lightly.
“I remember everything about you, I think.”
Euijoo was genuinely never surviving this relationship.
The doorbell rang.
Both of them jumped.
Then Nicholas’ expression immediately darkened.
“…Them.”
Euijoo burst into laughter.
“Nico.”
“I don’t want to open the door.”
The bell rang again.
Then K started yelling from outside.
“WE KNOW YOU’RE ALIVE.”
Nicholas seriously considered pretending nobody was home.
For an embarrassingly long amount of time.
Euijoo was still half-curled into the couch laughing while Nicholas stood frozen in the middle of the living room like the world’s most distressed man.
“Nico,” Euijoo said between laughs, “you have to open the door eventually.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do.”
“I can move countries.”
Before Euijoo could answer, another loud knock shook the door.
This time it was Jo yelling.
“IF YOU’RE MAKING OUT IN THERE AGAIN WE DESERVE TO SEE IT.”
Nicholas looked physically pained.
“I’m going to kill him first.”
Euijoo nearly fell off the couch laughing.
Finally, with the expression of a man marching toward his execution, Nicholas dragged himself to the door and opened it.
Eight people immediately pushed their way inside.
And then all of them froze.
Because Euijoo was standing behind Nicholas wearing Nicholas’ oversized hoodie, holding a coffee mug with sleep-messed hair.
Silence.
Three full seconds of silence.
Then:
“OH MY GOD.” — Harua.
“I KNEW IT.” — Yuma.
“THE HOODIE?” — Jo.
Taki actually dropped to his knees dramatically.
“Finally…”
Nicholas closed his eyes.
“Please leave my house.”
Nobody listened.
Fuma pointed directly at Euijoo.
“Well?”
Euijoo instantly turned red.
Nicholas sighed before stepping back beside him automatically.
And without thinking, he placed a hand against Euijoo’s waist.
The room exploded.
“AAAAAAAAAA.”
“HE TOUCHED HIM.”
“SOMEONE RECORD THIS.”
“I’M LOSING MY MIND.”
Jo was physically leaning against the wall for support.
“I’ve waited years for this moment.”
Nicholas only realized what he’d done after everyone started screaming.
Touching Euijoo already felt natural now.
Dangerously natural.
Euijoo leaned slightly closer without even thinking about it.
The screaming got louder.
“This can’t be real.”
“I’m actually emotional.”
“K, pay up.”
Harua held out his hand immediately.
“You said April.”
“And you said March,” Yuma pointed out while laughing.
Euijoo blinked.
“…Were you betting on us?”
All eight of them avoided eye contact instantly.
Nicholas looked horrified.
“You people are evil.”
K shrugged unapologetically.
“It was entertaining.”
—
The next hour was complete chaos.
Nobody acted normal.
Absolutely nobody.
Jo kept demanding a “full first kiss POV retelling.”
Taki collapsed dramatically every single time Nicholas and Euijoo made eye contact.
Yuma kept saying things like, “your energy changed,” just to make them suffer.
But Harua was the worst.
Because Harua observed things quietly.
And his observations were terrifyingly accurate.
“Nicholas used to look at Euijoo and immediately look away,” Harua said casually while eating chips. “Now he just stares.”
Nicholas nearly choked.
Euijoo covered his face instantly.
“Harua,” Nicholas said calmly, which somehow made it more threatening, “sometimes I want to throw you out a window.”
“But am I wrong?”
Nicholas couldn’t answer.
Because he wasn’t wrong.
Nicholas really did look at Euijoo differently now.
Like right now.
Euijoo was laughing at something Taki said, eyes crinkling slightly at the corners, and Nicholas couldn’t stop staring at him.
At the small dimple in his cheek.
The way he covered his mouth when he laughed too hard.
The way he unconsciously leaned toward Nicholas while talking.
And for once, Nicholas wasn’t trying to hide it.
Which only made Euijoo blush harder every time he noticed.
Eventually K clapped his hands dramatically.
“Okay. Important question.”
Nicholas narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“What?”
“Who fell first?”
Euijoo immediately looked at Nicholas.
Nicholas looked at Euijoo.
Then both answered at the exact same time.
“Him.”
Silence.
Then absolute chaos.
“OH MY GOD.”
“THEY SAID IT TOGETHER.”
“THIS IS A ROMCOM.”
Nicholas looked seconds away from evaporating from embarrassment.
Euijoo wasn’t doing much better.
But he couldn’t stop smiling.
Because somehow…
This felt good.
The thing he’d hidden for months was finally out in the open.
And nothing terrible happened.
If anything, everything felt lighter now.
—
By the afternoon, everyone finally started leaving.
The house slowly became quiet again.
Nicholas shut the front door behind the last person and leaned against it dramatically.
“Oh my god.”
Euijoo laughed softly.
“I think that went well.”
“Jo is absolutely making edits.”
“Definitely.”
“My academic career is over.”
Euijoo walked over until he stood right in front of him.
“I think you’re exaggerating.”
Nicholas looked down at him.
And there it was again.
That look.
Completely soft.
Completely focused on Euijoo like the rest of the world barely existed.
Euijoo’s stomach flipped immediately.
“You did this to me,” Nicholas murmured.
“To you?”
“You made me soft.”
Euijoo smiled helplessly.
“Nico…”
Nicholas slowly pulled him closer.
None of his movements felt hesitant anymore.
Still careful.
Still gentle.
But no longer afraid.
“I need to tell you something,” Nicholas said quietly.
“Okay.”
“I think this is the first time I’ve actually wanted a relationship.”
Euijoo’s heart nearly stopped.
Because Nicholas sounded so serious when he said it.
No teasing.
No flirting.
Just honesty.
Euijoo lightly curled his fingers into Nicholas’ shirt.
“Me too.”
Silence settled around them comfortably.
Sunlight poured through the living room windows now that the rain from last night was gone.
The house felt warm.
And suddenly Euijoo realized something.
For months, he’d loved Nicholas from a distance.
Analyzed every glance.
Overthought every small interaction.
Memorized every detail.
But the real version of Nicholas was somehow even better.
Because the real Nicholas made him coffee in the morning.
The real Nicholas got embarrassed so easily when feelings were involved.
The real Nicholas asked before touching him.
And held Euijoo like he was something precious.
“What are you looking at?” Nicholas asked softly.
Euijoo smiled a little.
“You.”
Nicholas visibly short-circuited again.
“Stop doing that.”
“Doing what?”
“Saying things that make me want to kiss you again.”
Euijoo laughed quietly.
“That doesn’t sound like a problem.”
Nicholas answered by pulling him closer and kissing him anyway.
This kiss felt slower than the others.
Not rushed anymore.
Because neither of them were going anywhere now.
When they finally separated, Euijoo rested his forehead against Nicholas’ shoulder.
“Nico.”
“Hm?”
“I think the others were right.”
Nicholas sighed dramatically.
“Unfortunately.”
“We really were idiots.”
“Massive ones.”
Euijoo smiled softly before looking up at him again.
“But it worked out.”
Nicholas didn’t even hesitate.
“I’m really glad it did.”
And honestly?
That became one of the many moments Euijoo fell in love with Nicholas all over again.