Chapter Text
1.
Donghyun had been the one to approach him first.
That’s the thing that Dongmin keeps thinking of later, that Donghyun had come to him first, and that it had to have meant something. He turns the memory over and over in his head, and he knows he’s probably coping as he comes to a new, pathetic conclusion each time.
Here is what Dongmin remembers.
He’s at a party at Jaehyun’s place, in the corner of the living room, nursing a drink, when he sees Kim Donghyun for the first time. Or rather, he sees a stranger, the most angelic and perfect stranger he’s ever laid eyes on. Backlit by the warm glow of the apartment's lights, long brown hair falling in waves around the softest features. Pretty. Unfairly handsome. With the brightest, starriest eyes he had ever seen, looking directly at him.
Dongmin had blinked. Had looked away and back. Felt a flush creep up his neck. But the other man had maintained perfect eye contact and stepped closer, and Dongmin felt like he was under his spell, being compelled to say something.
He manages an awkward, “Um, uh- sorry,” fighting back a wince, offering a red solo cup, trying to get his voice marginally steadier. “Did you want a drink?”
“No.” Even his voice is perfect, smooth, deep, and melodic. Dongmin feels the urge to grab a pen and paper, to compose lyrics, to write something worthy of a voice like that to sing.
“Oh, um- then?”
“I’m Kim Donghyun.” He says, and the name manages to cut through his haze. Kim Donghyun, Jaehyun’s boyfriend’s roommate. A sort of distant connection, but apparently, Jaehyun and Woonhak had liked him enough from their very first meeting, already completely charmed by him. They had mentioned he’d be at the party.
Dongmin had thought it was stupid. That he was stupid. Specifically, how he had induced dramatics in Jaehyun, who constantly raved about how cute he was, how Woonhak said he was his favorite hyung already, how Jaehyun complained about Woonhak liking him more than him. They had only met him, what, a few weeks ago? Dongmin had tuned most of it out, written it off as more theatrics from them.
He really, really shouldn’t have. If anything, they severely downplayed it.
The angel, Kim Donghyun, continues. “You’re Dongmin, right? Woonhak talked about you. I thought you sounded really cool and chic. Let’s be friends?”
Dongmin thinks he would have agreed to anything Donghyun said at that moment, especially a request as sweet as that. His heart was skipping dangerously, limbs gone to jelly in a way he hadn't felt since he was a teenager, maybe not even then. He barely remembers what came out of his own mouth. Something coherent, he hopes. Something that didn't immediately give away the fact that he was so awestruck that his brain had more or less stopped functioning.
Dongmin mentally thanks Woonhak for painting an apparently interesting enough picture of him to Donghyun, and tries finding it in him to forgive him and Jaehyun for not introducing him to the most gorgeous human alive sooner. The second thing might have been his own fault, so he’s not about to waste this opportunity.
Dongmin is normally good at flirting, or so he thinks. Donghyun makes him nervous, tripping over his words, but he tries to reassure himself. Jaehyun does this sort of thing shamelessly, openly, constantly, with the kind of confidence that Dongmin has always respected. And Dongmin has a drink in him, a little courage borrowed from that, and Donghyun had seemed genuinely interested, hadn't he? The prolonged eye contact. The way he'd smiled, the way he approached him first. He said he was cool. Let's be friends could mean a lot of things.
Donghyun had wandered off at some point, while Dongmin was still busy with his thoughts, and Dongmin finally locates him in the kitchen, digging through Jaehyun’s pantry. He emerges with a triumphant smile and a bag of chewy candy clutched in his hand.
“Sanghyeokkie hyung is basically my dealer for this stuff,” Donghyun says cheerfully to Dongmin, who’s trying to artfully lean against the doorway. “He’s got Jaehyun on duty now, too. To keep me supplied.”
“That’s good. He’s trained Jaehyun well.” Dongmin’s joke is rewarded with a smile, and he tries not to avert his eyes from the full force of the brightness of it. He powers through, trying to stay charismatic and nonchalant.
“Like a puppy!”
“That’s what I always say.” Dongmin finds himself smiling too, naturally. Some of his initial nervousness starts fading away. “Puppy Jaehyun.”
"He listens really well."
“Of course he does. He has the important task of fetching your candy, doesn’t he?”
“Exactly,” Donghyun says sagely, and Dongmin pushes himself off the doorway, wandering closer.
“So that’s the arrangement, then? Just those two on candy duty?”
“Yep.”
“No boyfriend running around raiding grocery stores for you?”
Donghyun blinks. “Oh, no.”
Dongmin hums, stepping slightly into his space, enough to make it obvious. “So you’re not seeing anyone right now?”
“Nope.” Donghyun keeps his eyes on Dongmin.
Dongmin lets his gaze drop over him, slow and deliberate, then brings it back up. Donghyun hasn’t looked away once, which does nothing good for Dongmin’s heart. He doesn’t try hiding the tone of his voice when he asks, low enough to be intentional, “Are you interested in anyone right now?”
There’s a pause. Donghyun seems to think it over, his head tilting slightly, and for a suspended moment, Dongmin thinks, this is it, this is when it happens.
Then Donghyun smiles, breaking the moment, giving a small shrug. “Not really.”
Dongmin stops. Takes a small step back.
“Oh, okay. That’s nice.”
“Why?”
Why? Donghyun actually cocks his head, like he can't quite figure out why Dongmin would ask. Dongmin just stares at him. For one reckless, terrifying second, he's tempted to say it anyway. Because I like you. I’ve known you for maybe five minutes, and I already like you a scary amount. The confession sits on the tip of his tongue, but he takes another look at Donghyun’s open expression, and his mouth dries up. He looks like someone who honestly hasn’t thought of Dongmin in a romantic light even once, never even considered that he could be getting hit on by him. Fuck, does Donghyun even like guys?
He hopes Donghyun is just truly, hopelessly oblivious, but it’s more likely that he isn't interested at all, and pressing any further would only put him on the spot. Either way, Dongmin isn't going to risk making Donghyun uncomfortable just because he'd gotten carried away by a hopeless crush.
"It's nothing," Dongmin says, waving it off with what he hopes passes for an easy smile. "I was just curious."
“Want some?” Donghyun is still smiling, shaking the bag of candy at him.
“Sure.” He’s not sure why he takes it. He’s not sure of anything at all, right now. Donghyun drops a handful of candy in his palm and heads towards the living room, not looking back, and Dongmin stands there for several long seconds holding the small pile in his palm and feeling stupid.
The feeling continues the rest of the night. He spends the rest of the party watching Donghyun from a careful distance. It only gets worse. It should have been a passing, fleeting crush, but the more he looks at Donghyun, the more he feels. He already found him ridiculously handsome from the first moment they met, but there’s so much more to Donghyun. He’s genuinely sweet, and laughs too loudly, and his eyes are apparently always that weirdly sparkly and beautiful. He’s gentle, too, which Dongmin already knows, because he had basically rejected him gently already. He sinks further into the couch, stewing in his own misery. He's still debating whether he should try again, not wanting to make him uncomfortable, but unable to move on, when Woonhak flops next to him. He follows his line of sight and smiles.
"Ah," Woonhak says. “Told you he was cute.”
“That was an understatement.”
“So why are you moping here instead of doing something about it?”
"He’s not interested." His voice sounds so utterly dejected, but he's given up on trying to rein it in.
“He's just dense." Woonhak pops a gummy into his mouth, unbothered. "Don't take it personally. Just keep at it."
Dongmin looks at him. "Did you know he was going to do this to me?"
Woonhak smiles and says nothing, which is answer enough.
2.
Woonhak had said Donghyun was dense, but how dense could he even be?
Truthfully, Dongmin discovers, very dense.
Dongmin is both grateful for and faintly tortured by it, because his feelings only get stronger by the day. It doesn't take long before they're inseparable. It happens so naturally that, looking back, Dongmin can't pinpoint when exactly it all happened, with it all feeling inevitable. Their lecture halls are close enough that meeting between classes becomes effortless. They have the same taste in food, so choosing somewhere to eat is never a discussion. Their hobbies overlap just enough that Dongmin can convince himself he's branching out, that the jump from liking swimming to liking fish was logical, when in reality, he's simply developed an intense interest in whatever Donghyun likes. Dongmin from a month ago would have laughed in someone’s face if they asked him if he knew what a corydoras was, but now he was slowly being convinced to get a fish of his own.
Donghyun also meets him halfway. He sits with him while he works, content to exist in the same space without filling every silence. He lets Dongmin share earbuds with him on the walk back from campus, listening through entire albums and asking questions about lyrics and telling him his favorites.
Dongmin treasures those moments far more than what’s reasonable. He likes to think he hides it well, but apparently, he's extremely obvious.
Dongmin loves to tease. Donghyun is good at taking it in stride, so Dongmin finds himself disagreeing and bickering just to see Donghyun’s unshakable calmness get disturbed.
It's a problem, is what it is. Jaehyun tells him to stop flirting by teasing likes he’s in elementary school and pulling Donghyun’s pigtails. Dongmin knows he’s right and hates it.
So when Donghyun mentions the new aquarium exhibit, tilting his phone toward Dongmin to show him a picture of some iridescent jellyfish installation, Dongmin says "we should go together" before he's finished thinking the sentence through. It comes out clean, natural. A much more mature way of treating Donghyun than his usual style of teasing until he got a reaction. We should go together. No hesitation. He’s impressed by himself.
Donghyun lights up. "I'm so glad we're going out!" he says, already typing something, presumably to tell Sanghyeok or Woonhak, clueless to the bomb that’s been set off in Dongmin’s head.
He overthinks everything after that.
Dongmin realizes he wasn’t ready for the mature approach. I’m so glad we’re going out. The words are not inherently date-like. Donghyun had certainly meant them going out as friends. It doesn’t stop him from spiralling. Is it a date? What makes something a date?
Should he bring flowers? Is what he considers, hysterically, for about four minutes before putting a hard stop to the idea. He knows deep down that Donghyun didn’t mean it as a date, but he still feels like he’s losing his mind. He lands, eventually, on a compromise: everything date-like, short of the flowers. That feels doable. It feels like the sort of mature flirting Jaehyun tells him to do.
He picks Donghyun up. He would’ve gone straight to the dorm to get him, but Donghyun is already waiting outside his building in a soft cream colored sweater and oversized glasses. He waves the moment he sees the car, and smiles when Dongmin says he looks good, and keeps smiling all the way to the aquarium. Donghyun asks questions about the Smiths album that Dongmin puts on. They walk through the exhibits shoulder to shoulder, with their hands brushing now and then, and Dongmin asks the right questions and half-listens to the answers, half-watches Donghyun's face shine ethereally from the blue light from the fish tanks.
He buys him a keychain at the gift shop. A small blue octopus, with dangling little tentacles, because Donghyun had stopped in front of it and shook it to make a jingling noise, then kept walking. He hands it over right after paying, and Donghyun smiles, saying they should get matching ones. Dongmin has never bought something faster, picking a red counterpart to Donghyun’s blue. Donghyun’s eyes curve into crescents with a smile, clipping his own onto his jeans right away, while Dongmin carefully tucks his octopus into his bag. Donghyun makes little tinkling noises every time he walks.
They go to a ramen place after, tucked away on a side street. He'd spent an embarrassing amount of time looking it up. He watches Donghyun study the menu with total concentration, having already gone through it about twenty times since last night. When the food comes, he offers him a taste of his, spooning it directly, and Donghyun leans forward and takes it without a second thought. At the end of their meal, Donghyun says he still prefers Dongmin’s instant ramen over everything he ate, and Dongmin’s face colors pink, and his smile is so wide his cheeks hurt.
At the end of the night, when Dongmin drops him off, Donghyun reaches over and takes his hand.
Just like that. Fingers curling around his own, palm to palm, easy and warm, as Dongmin parks outside his building. Dongmin's pulse spikes. He tries his best not to react, keeping his expression neutral, staring at the windshield. It’s a date, he thinks. It had to be. They did everything romantic. They held hands.
Donghyun turns to him, face open and warm. "Thank you so much, Dongmin." He squeezes his hand once, then lets go to reach for his bag. "We should come here with Woonhak too! Could you imagine him feeding the fish? He'd hate it, it'd be so funny."
Fuck. Dongmin doesn't want to imagine it.
He doesn't remember what he says. He watches Donghyun disappear inside and then sits in the parked car for a while, letting his head rest on the steering wheel. Then he picks up his phone.
i hate you so much woonhak, he texts on their group chat.
The group chat had come into existence shortly after Woonhak had seen through Dongmin’s crush from day one, which was a moment of weakness he regretted daily. Woonhak had told Jaehyun. Jaehyun had told Sanghyeok, predictably, then apparently all of them had felt it was unfair to leave Sungho out, so Sungho knew too, which was fine by Dongmin, as he at least attempted to give decent advice at times, instead of flaming Dongmin constantly like the others.
Woonhak replies with ???
Sanghyeok says bad date huh
yes, Dongmin types, then backspaces and retypes, it wasn't a date. He thinks for a moment, then adds on, but we held hands
he holds hands with ppl all the time, Sanghyeok helpfully reminds him, like jaehyun
i hate you so much jaehyun hyung
A pause, and then Sungho, i told you, let’s go out means as friends and you should've asked for clarification
Dongmin stares at this. Then he locks his phone and drives home. He's not going to ask for clarification. That's the most embarrassing thing he's ever heard.
3.
Unfortunately, his actions only get more embarrassing from there.
The hint strategy is what he arrives at eventually. Romance, as a concept, floated casually, to get Donghyun thinking about it. Plant the idea. Let it grow, so the next time Dongmin flirts with him, he knows exactly what he’s doing.
The topic comes up naturally enough; it's easy when they talk about everything and nothing the way they do, sprawled across Donghyun's living room floor with the television on and neither of them watching it. Donghyun is telling a story about Jaehyun and Sanghyeok, wiping each other's lips after eating or something gross like that. Dongmin barely listens to the details, and while he normally thinks their PDA is excessive at best, he watches the ceiling and says, carefully, "It must be nice. To have someone like that."
Donghyun pauses. "Aw." His voice is fond. "You sound so wistful."
"Shut up," Dongmin says, without heat.
He brings his knees up and drops his chin to them, facing Donghyun. "I've been thinking about it, I guess. Dating. I think I like someone."
The reaction is exactly what he expected, which is to say it's Donghyun sitting up excitedly, suddenly very interested, eyes wide. "Who?"
It stings a little. A part of him, or, well, all of him, wished Donghyun had gone quiet and sulky. Hadn’t asked excitedly about who he liked.
"It's a secret."
"It's absolutely not a secret to me, tell me." Donghyun shifts to face him fully, crossing his legs. "You have to. That's the rule."
"That's not a rule."
"It is now. Tell me. Please." A pause. "At least give me a hint. Do I know them?"
Dongmin feels extraordinarily pathetic. "You know him."
Donghyun's expression sharpens with focus. "Like from class, or from our friends, or-”
"You know him really well."
“Really well?”
“Mm.”
Donghyun thinks about this. His face does something complicated that Dongmin can't interpret, a subtle shift, and then he says, slower and quieter, "Woonhak?"
"Absolutely not."
"Okay, okay." He chews his lip. "Sungho hyung."
The word comes out flat and certain, and this time Dongmin can tell he’s displeased, which is a tone Donghyun almost never uses, and Dongmin's entire emotional state lurches in a way that makes him feel faintly sick. He's on a rollercoaster, and everything depends on the geography of Donghyun's expressions, which never quite add up consistently to anything legible. He feels like a little kid, plucking petals, constantly teetering between he loves me, he loves me not.
"Obviously not," Dongmin says.
"Okay." The displeasure dims, but Donghyun’s voice is still low, eyebrows slightly furrowed. "Jaehyunnie hyung?"
"He's with Sanghyeok hyung."
"Crushes happen."
"Nope. And it’s not Sanghyeok either, before you ask."
"Then-" Donghyun slumps slightly, running through people in his head, visibly frustrated instead of outright upset like before. "Someone from your class. That one, um- Dohoon?"
"It's not someone I know from class."
"Then-” More names, more attempts, growing increasingly nonsensical. Dongmin keeps shaking his head. It’s only when Donghyun suggests his older sister that Dongmin laughs at him, and he finally gives up. Donghyun flops onto the carpeted ground with an exasperated exhale, staring at the ceiling. "Your hints suck. I don't know."
"Think it over," Dongmin says, simple and flat.
Donghyun looks at him, pouting. "You're insufferable."
"Think it over. It’s right in front of you. " Dongmin repeats, softer this time, and that’s the end of it.
4.
Donghyun does not arrive at an answer.
The one good thing about being in love with someone so deeply oblivious, Dongmin realizes, is that he can do whatever he wants. Donghyun absorbs all of his affection as simple friendship, never questioning his intentions, which is almost as soothing as it is devastating at this point, and Dongmin has stopped being embarrassed about most of it by now. He keeps Donghyun close when they walk, a hand on his arm to keep him from his tendency to wander into traffic, or an arm around his waist, because Donghyun gets swept up into crowds easily. He brushes leaves out of his hair, adjusts his collar when it sticks up, and clings to him because Donghyun lets him. He gives him his jacket without him asking, because Donghyun is always cold, shivering even with three layers, always needing to be tucked into Dongmin’s jacket. Hell, he even coparents his beloved betta fish, Yongyongie, with him.
Donghyun responds just how a best friend should, with a sweet smile and a thank you, Dongmin. It should be enough. It isn't, but it almost is, on good days.
He tries to escalate on their trip.
It's autumn, with the six of them at a rented place outside the city for a long weekend. Donghyun has built a bonfire for them, with all his usual dedication to tending and playing around with open flames, coaxing it up from nothing until it's properly crackling and cooking their food. They're all gathered around it now, where Dongmin has a clear sightline to Jaehyun and Sanghyeok across the fire.
They're embarrassing, as usual. Completely tangled together, with Dongmin unable to pick out where one stops and the other begins, Jaehyun's hand moves slowly through his hair. Normally, Dongmin ignores it, but tonight it sparks an idea in him as he glances at Donghyun sitting next to him.
Truth be told, he’s not cold at all. He doesn’t get cold easily, regardless, and he’s already wearing a long-sleeve shirt. All the barbequed food and beer they ate also left him warm and comfortable. Regardless, he makes a show of deliberately stretching out his long limbs, arms overhead, before swaying and cozying up into Donghyun’s space.
“It’s cold, isn’t it?” He asks, perfectly shameless, before dropping his head to rest on Donghyun’s shoulder. He hears Sungho’s surprised laughter that immediately gets muffled as he covers his mouth, but Dongmin bravely tunes it out. He’s sure Jaehyun is making a face right now, too, exchanging eye contact with the others.
Donghyun, ever unfazed, nods. A small movement, so as not to jostle Dongmin, and Dongmin takes that as a small victory. He nuzzles into him a bit more.
“Even those two are cold.” Dongmin looks at Jaehyun, pleading, and Jaehyun picks up the cue immediately, following it by squeezing Sanghyeok tighter, wrapping both arms around him, rubbing warmth into him. “Exactly! I have to cuddle him to preserve warmth.” He kisses Sanghyeok’s cheek, and Dongmin suppresses his eye roll, keeping his expression serene. The whole thing is very over the top and obvious, but that’s probably exactly what Donghyun needs.
Only Donghyun does the exact opposite.
He stands up, and Dongmin has to actively steady himself as he loses the shoulder he was leaning all his weight on. Donghyun just silently walks away, and Dongmin’s face crumples, and he slides down his seat. He knows he's probably actively pouting, sees Sungho and Woonhak laugh, with Sungho at least having the decency to muffle his laughter again.
Donghyun’s not gone long at all. He returns instantly, with a bag of firewood.
Of course. Of course Donghyun had thought of a practical solution to the problem instead of picking up on Dongmin’s pathetic attempt to cuddle him. Donghyun starts carefully adding more wood to the bonfire, and Dongmin only wishes he didn’t look so cute while doing it, diligently stoking the flames with a pout of concentration on his face. After he’s satisfied with how bright it is, he stands, dusting his jeans.
“Is that better?” Donghyun asks, Jaehyun smiles, unrelated to the fire and completely related to how much he’s enjoying Dongmin’s misery.
“It’s much warmer now. Thank you, baby.” Donghyun beams at him before returning to his seat.
Dongmin tries to look less mopey and sit up straighter after he slumped down when Donghyun left. Donghyun makes it easy for him, especially when his hand lands on Dongmin’s knee, squeezing gently as he quietly leans in and asks just for him, “Are you still cold, Dongmin?”
Dongmin turns his head just a fraction, catching Donghyun’s expression, all bright-eyed and softened with worry. He thaws instantly, averting his eyes, hoping the orange glow from the firelight can’t catch the pink flush rising on his cheeks. “Not anymore. Thank you, Donghyun.”
Dongmin risks a glance back, in time to see Donghyun’s face break into his million-watt smile, eyes curving and whole face radiant. The sight makes warmth spread inside him, a slow unfurling of heat that has nothing to do with the bonfire. Sometimes, Donghyun’s love for him as a friend feels like it could almost be enough.
5.
It was never enough. Dongmin had always known that.
Dongmin makes up his mind one last time, and swallows his pride and goes to his friends for proper advice. Woonhak, surprisingly, gives him the logistical and probably correct advice, which is to just confess to Donghyun. Dongmin ignores this. His hyungs give entertaining, yet far worse advice, starting from more flirting, until the three of them are feeding off each other’s laughter, crafting the most over-the-top, elaborate confession, complete with a bed of roses, a rented lightshow, and a string quartet. He ignores them, too.
Mostly. What Dongmin gets from their conversation is that he needs to just be more overtly romantic. Set a scene that would be impossible to misread. So he kicks Woonhak out of their apartment, who goes without complaint, somewhat expecting this. He switches on lamps instead of the harsh overhead lights to create a soft glow, and lights a scented candle, letting the warm and woody scent spread through their house. He tries cooking, and fails, almost calling Sanghyeok over to help in a panic. In the end, he caves and just orders sushi, and sets aside Donghyun’s favorite packs of gummies and jellies. He even arranges the pillows on the couch artfully.
Donghyun arrives dressed casually in a comfortable oversized hoodie with fraying edges, and Dongmin puts on a romantic movie, climbing onto the couch right next to Donghyun. Dongmin doesn’t watch a single frame of the movie, too hyper-focused on the boy next to him.
He waits a while before purposefully bringing his hand to rest on Donghyun’s thigh. His thumb strokes gently and carefully, pretending to be absent-minded. Donghyun doesn’t react, so he rests his head on Donghyun’s shoulder too.
There. There’s nothing more blatantly obvious than this, being cuddled together with his hand on his thigh and head on his shoulder.
And finally, after a pause, Donghyun moves his arm, slowly coming around Dongmin’s shoulders. Dongmin’s heart skips dangerously. His arm is warm, and Dongmin’s breath catches as he adjusts it until he’s comfortable, until Donghyun’s hand can find its way to his hair, stroking unhurriedly.
Dongmin’s mind races. This is intimate, isn’t it? This has to be. It’s Donghyun finally making a move, his fingers carding through his hair, scratching gently at his scalp. It’s all terrifyingly gentle and sweet. Finally. Finally. Donghyun has gotten the hint.
His hand trails from the hair at the very crown of his head, fingers threading through the strands, going lower and lower, until Donghyun is playing with and stroking the hair behind his ear, every accidental brush of fingers against skin making Dongmin suppress a shudder. His own hand is frozen where he placed it on Donghyun’s thigh, and as Donghyun traces the shell of his ear, Dongmin concentrates all his energy into making sure he doesn’t squirm. From there, his fingers mindlessly ghost lower, over his jaw to his chin. Dongmin’s heart hammers painfully. This is it. This is when Donghyun tilts his chin up to kiss. His fingers press slightly firmer, and Dongmin parts his lips involuntarily, about to tip his head up, ready to look at Donghyun, to close the distance between them.
That’s when Donghyun playfully scratches under his chin.
Dongmin freezes, his entire train of thought derailing. He suddenly has a moment of ice-cold clarity wash all over him.
He swallows hard, clears his throat, closes his eyes painfully, prays it’s not what he thinks. “Donghyun.”
“Mm?”
“What are you doing?”
“Petting my cat.” He says, simply, as if Dongmin’s world isn’t coming crashing down around him. He giggles, then adds, “Meow.”
The hair stroking and scratching persist, gentle and rhythmic, as if petting behind a kitten’s ears. Dongmin sinks further into despair, realizing Donghyun has classified and categorized him the same way he does all his friends, thinking of them as cute little animals. He doesn’t want to be cute to Donghyun; he wants to be more, to be desirable and hot and everything that isn’t cute. However, Dongmin can realize when it’s hopeless for him; he’s the same as Jaehyun, the puppy, and Woonhak, the baby bear, and so on. In fact, he’s even worse off than that, because he has to share the cat position with Sungho, so it’s not even unique.
“I’m not a cat,” Dongmin manages to say. He tries not to sound petulant, but it comes out as pathetic as possible. Donghyun laughs, annoying and bright and airy all at once, and that’s all Dongmin needs to hear to sigh and remain tucked in by his side, with Donghyun’s playful hands continuing their gentle petting. If this was all Donghyun was willing to give him, he was helpless enough to take it.