Archive of Our Own

The class finally came to an end. Euijoo didn't understand a word the professor had been yapping for half an hour but he's glad at least it's over.

He packs his stuff, almost in a hurry to get out when he’s met with his only friend in this course, Taki. Euijoo blinks, staring at him in confusion as Taki stops him from leaving his seat. 

“What now?” Euijoo asks.

Taki out of nowhere, shoves two tickets for some festival(?) into Euijoo’s hands. 

“Tickets to a couple’s festival” Taki answers.

Euijoo blinks, before looking at the tickets again. Indeed they are tickets to a special event made just for couples. But why the fuck is Taki giving this to him? 

“Okay, what do I do with this?” Euijoo asks, more than confused as to why he’s receiving this. He’s not interested in whatever Taki is offering, and most of all he wants to fucking leave right now because this lecture had him drained. 

“Me and Yuma aren’t going anymore. We had a fight” Taki mutters, now sitting down beside Euijoo. 

Euijoo sighs, patting Taki’s shoulder. So that’s the issue.  “Do you want me to talk to him?”

“No” Taki answers almost instantly. “I also don’t want to go with him, it’s best if we give each other some space”

Taki’s relationship with Yuma wasn’t one of the healthiest ones. They often had phases like these where they would demand space or take a break from each other. But perhaps the timing for their break is terrible, because they seem to be missing out on this festival, and offering the tickets to Euijoo instead.

Who by the way is single as hell, and doesn’t have a partner to attend this with. So why on earth did Taki offer these tickets to him? 

“Okay” Euijoo says, glancing at the tickets in his hand before offering them back to Taki. “That’s up to you but I don’t need this”

“Please don’t waste my money” Taki begs. “I will regret it so much if these tickets go to waste”

“Go and find some couple, sell it to them” Euijoo suggests. Because that’s the only solution Euijoo can think of right now. He’s not interested at all in whatever the hell this is.

“Why would I go and find some couple when you and Nicholas can attend this too” Taki says, making Euijoo’s eyes go comically wide at the sudden, absurd suggestion. Where the fuck did Nicholas come from in this conversation? 

“What the fuck?” Euijoo says, already shaking his head in disapproval. “Why would Nico and I attend? We’re just friends, that's so weird!” 

“It doesn’t matter,” Taki groans, rolling his eyes. “You guys can get free food and play a lot of games, and go on all those rides! Everything is included in this package! It’s a proper date!” 

Euijoo stares at him in pure disbelief. Surely Taki has a habit of uttering nonsense 24/7. But this seems to be some next level shit. 

“Exactly it’s a date! For couples!” Euijoo points out. “It doesn’t make sense why two best friends would attend it together” 

“What is wrong with you?” Taki complains. “I am offering you this for free! Anyone would take up this offer, you’re stupid!” 

“Go and offer it to someone else who would actually take it” Euijoo rolls his eyes, attempting to shove Taki away, who doesn’t let him leave, but instead reaches for his arm and drags him out of the classroom. 

There’s no way Taki is wasting his time right now over this. All he wants to do is head home and take a long ass nap to recover from the day’s dreadful classes, but he’s being dragged to god knows where by this menace. 

Taki drags Euijoo all the way to the ground, where Nicholas is talking with the sports team. Euijoo’s eyes go wide in horror, realising where Taki is taking him. He attempts to free himself, but Taki is on a fucking mission today.

“Dude, leave me please” Euijoo whines all the way to where Nicholas is. Whatever the hell Taki seems to be planning in his head surely won’t end up pleasant for Euijoo. That’s just the way that guy’s track record is. Always stirring up some shit. Taki finally frees his arm, once Nicholas turns around to stare at the two in confusion.

“Hey nico” Taki waves.

Nicholas, still confused with whatever is happening, gives a small wave in response. 

“If you were given free tickets to a festival where you could have free food, free rides and lots of games, plus take your best friend too, would you go for it?” Taki asks, with a wide grin as Euijoo attempts to strangle him. 

“All for free?” Nicholas asks, surprised. “That’s a great offer” 

“Nicholas no!” Euijoo cuts in. “He’s not telling you the real thing!” 

“Shut up” Taki covers Euijoo’s mouth with his hand. “So you’re down to going right? Preferably with Euijoo?” 

“Yeah why not” Nicholas answers. “I am down for it”

“Well I am not!” Euijoo interrupts, face turning red out of frustration. 

Taki sighs, shoving Euijoo away for a moment. He clears his throat, moving over to Nicholas.

“Nico, please convince him. It’s a good opportunity to have fun, all for free!” Taki forces.

“I don’t understand” Nicholas looks at Euijoo, and then back at Taki. “Why is Euijoo against it?”

“Because it’s a festival for couples!!” Euijoo finally breaks the news, making Taki facepalm loudly.

Nicholas pauses for a moment, heat rushing to his face as he breaks eye contact with Euijoo to look at Taki. 

“Oh is that so” Nicholas says, looking away. 

“Look!” Taki starts again. “You guys don’t have to be a couple to enjoy all that! You can go as best friends too, no one is forcing you guys to be a couple!”

“But that’s weird” Euijoo says, looking at Nicholas who stands frozen at his place. “Why would Nicholas and I go on a fake date just for some free benefits”

“More like why not!” Taki rolls his eyes. “Are you guys gonna catch feelings by going on this one date?”

“No!” Both of them say at the same time, meeting each other's eyes, before looking down, cheeks turning bright red.  

Euijoo thinks Taki is fucking ridiculous for pushing this on them right now. It’s clearly making things a bit.. awkward for them.

Nicholas clears his throat. “Of course not, that’s stupid. We’re just friends and I would just have fun on the event”

Euijoo’s heart beats loudly against his chest. “Same for me. I won’t either”

“Then just fucking go and don’t waste my money!” Taki says, shoving the tickets in their hands. “Good bye! Have fun!” 

Taki turns around, skipping all the way back to the building leaving Nicholas and Euijoo there, standing alone in awkward silence which Nicholas breaks first. 

“It’s on Saturday” Nicholas says. “Fine with you?” 

“Do you really want to go?” Euijoo asks, with a sigh. “Don’t you think.. it will be.. I don’t know.. weird?” 

“Euijoo” Nicholas faces him. “It won’t be unless you keep making it weird. We’re just gonna hang out like usual. We’re not even labelling this as a date!” 

“But it’s a couples event” Euijoo reminds. “Everyone over there is going to be a couple, and everyone will also assume we are one” 

Nicholas rolls his eyes, crossing his arms to stare at Euijoo in annoyance. “You’re thinking too much! It’s not that serious Euijoo. As long as we know we’re friends and not a couple, it doesn’t matter. Also do you really think one instance where people assume we’re a couple and are on a date is going to ruin our friendship?” 

“I-“ Euijoo hesitates, not understanding why Nicholas suddenly seems so mad about this entire discussion. “I didn’t say that it will ruin anything”

“It’s not even a date” Nicholas continues expressing his annoyance. “Do you really hate the idea of being my fake partner even if it’s for free food-“

“Okay okay” Euijoo stops him, letting out a sigh. Nicholas is even worse than Taki when it comes to emotional blackmailing. “Fine, let’s go” 

“You don’t have to force yourself” Nicholas scoffs. “I will go with someone else then, If you really hate my company-“

Euijoo doesn’t like the idea of this date, but Nicholas possibly going with someone else doesn’t sound good to him either. 

“Stop” Euijoo slaps Nicholas’ arm. “I’ll go okay!”

“Well, thank you for doing me this favour!” Nicholas says, tone full of sarcasm. 

“Shut up, it’s not like this one fake date is going to make me fall for you!” Euijoo says, full of confidence. Nicholas lets out a smile at him, nodding in agreement.

“Yeah sure, that’s not even possible” 

Euijoo hates arguing, especially with Nicholas. So at times like these he just ends up giving in. 

He sighs, it clearly can’t be that bad. It’s not like he and Nicholas are actually a couple. All they have to do is make sure that money is not gone to waste, and that they avail some benefits from this ticket. 

“Did we coincidentally match?” Euijoo gasps. 

Nicholas stares back at Euijoo, in equal surprise. Both of them had worn similar black inner shirts with denim jackets, without even planning it prior to the event. 

The ‘fake’ date hasn’t even started, and Euijoo thinks they are already looking like a real couple with their matching outfits. 

He tries to ignore the sudden uneasy feeling which starts pooling in his gut. The purpose of this outing is to make sure Taki’s money is not wasted, and that they get to eat a lot of free food. It’s definitely not to accidentally end up looking like a couple. 

“That’s crazy,” Nicholas finally replies, laughing. “We will convince everyone that we’re a couple”

“Shut up” Euijoo mutters. “We’re not!” 

“Right right, of course we’re not. My standards aren’t so low-“

“Excuse me?!” Euijoo elbows his best friend hard in his stomach, making the other stumble backwards in pain. 

Nicholas ends up laughing hard, clutching his stomach where he got hit. “I will settle for you, just for today”

“Fuck off please” Euijoo shoves him away, his entire face heating up as he heads over to the car first, settling down in the passenger seat as Nicholas follows after, grinning like an idiot. 

They finally arrive at the amusement park which is holding this couple’s one day festival. There’s a huge line at the entrance, with the place full of couples sticking to each other. 

Euijoo awkwardly fidgets with his hands, keeping some distance from Nicholas as they stand in the line. Nicholas sighs, before gripping Euijoo’s forearm tightly, pulling him towards himself. The action causes Euijoo to stumble and lose his balance for a moment. 

“What are you doing?!” Euijoo asks.

“Why are you social-distancing with me?” Nicholas frowns. “This is a couples event” 

“Well” Euijoo leans in a bit closer to Nicholas’ ear. “It’s because we’re not a couple?”

“At least pretend like we’re one. It looks weird with you standing so far away” Nicholas tries making a point. 

Euijoo looks around, glancing at the other couples. People around them are being annoying as hell, clinging to each other like crazy. And then there is him and Nicholas, standing like normal people. 

“So do you want us to have our arms around each other or something?” Euijoo says, narrowing his eyes. 

“If your pride allows that!” Nicholas says, sarcastically.

“You’re really making it seem like I hate you” Euijoo replies. 

“Well don’t you?”

“I wouldn’t be here if i hated you-“

“Excuse me” the lady in front of them, calls them out, giving a polite yet forceful smile. “If you’re done arguing, mind showing me your tickets?” 

Both of them turn around suddenly, and Nicholas immediately throws his arm around Euijoo’s shoulders pulling him closer while giving a little smile to the counter lady. He then pulls out the tickets from his pocket, handing them over. 

The lady squints her eyes at the tickets, before looking up at them. “The tickets are registered for Taki and Yuma, but your ID’s don’t match with the names in here” 

“We actually got these from Taki” Nicholas tells the lady. 

The lady eyes them both suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. “Are you two a couple?” 

Nicholas immediately nods, while Euijoo just stares blankly into space, since Nicholas is way too close to him right now. 

It’s weirdly suffocating to have Nicholas this close into his personal space. Euijoo can’t describe it but it clearly makes him uneasy. He tries to ignore the feeling, and focuses on whatever the lady is saying. 

“Let me tell you both something” the lady says, clearing her throat. “If you two aren’t a couple and just got these tickets from your friend to enjoy the event then you might get kicked out. This is exclusively a couple’s festival and anyone found violating the rules will be asked to leave-“

“Hey wait!” Nicholas cuts in. “He’s obviously my boyfriend,” he says while pointing towards Euijoo. “Why would I come here with someone who’s not my boyfriend. I am not that stupid now!” 

Euijoo stands still there, blinking furiously as Nicholas nudges his left foot, begging for Euijoo to play along. Did he just casually call Euijoo his boyfriend? Without even giving him a heads up? Nevertheless, Euijoo decides to play along. 

“Yes yes” Euijoo nods, looking at the lady. “We know about everything! Taki told us”

The lady sighs, before nodding. “Fine, you guys can go in”

Nicholas sighs in relief, tugging Euijoo along with them as they head inside. Euijoo exhales a deep breath once they are past the entrance.

“Damn” Euijoo says. “That lady got suspicious of us”

“It’s because you were social distancing!” Nicholas complains, rolling his eyes once again. “Even now you’re standing so far away”

“It doesn’t matter, we are past the entrance” Euijoo says. “We don’t need to stick together”

“Well” Nicholas steps forward, getting closer to Euijoo who panics taking a step back. “Do you want us to get kicked out before we can even do anything?” 

“I mean-“

Before Euijoo can respond, Nicholas yanks him towards himself, circling his hand around his waist. Euijoo loses his train of thought immediately, slowly blinking at Nicholas.

“Come on, let’s check this place out” Nicholas says, with a smirk as he tightens his grip around Euijoo, directing him towards the first ride. 

Euijoo feels his heart palpitating all of a sudden, but he chooses to ignore it. 

“Okay, I am scared of rollercoasters” Nicholas says, once they are standing right next to it. 

Euijoo muffles his laugh with his hand. “Seriously? Are you a kid?”

“I am afraid of heights” Nicholas narrows his eyes, glaring at Euijoo who seems to be making fun of his fear. 

“You were the one hell bent on coming” Euijoo reminds. “And now you’re refusing to sit on the ride”

“We can do something else-“

“No” Euijoo insists. “I wanna go on this”

“Then go yourself”

“It’s a couple’s event” Euijoo reminds. “They’re gonna kick us out if we’re separated remember”

“Oh wow” Nicholas raises his eyebrow, laughing in amusement. “Now you remember that it’s a couples thing?” 

“Are you coming or not?” Euijoo glares, ignoring his comment. 

Nicholas releases a shaky breath, his hands already sweating. He hates rollercoasters, but Euijoo wants to go on one so badly right now. 

“Okay, on one condition” Nicholas says.

“And that would be?”

“You’ll hold my hand” Nicholas requests and Euijoo stares at him with eyes wide in horror.

“The fuck?!” Euijoo lets out a gasp, staring in disbelief. 

“Otherwise I am not going” Nicholas says, crossing his arms. “And i swear to god if you complain about holding hands being a romantic thing then i will punch you in the face” 

Euijoo chokes out a laugh. “It literally is a romantic thing!” 

“I don’t care” Nicholas shrugs. “If you don’t agree to hold my hand throughout the ride then forget about it” 

Euijoo takes a deep breath in, facepalming as he shuts his eyes close for a moment. Holding hands with Nicholas? He saw this coming. Of course something like this was bound to happen. After all they are at a fucking couple’s festival. 

Holding hands is fine. It definitely won’t get awkward between them both if they do hold hands. They often hold hands while walking through crowds, or when they are taking the subway. It’s definitely not a new thing.

But holding it for the whole ride? Euijoo feels a weird unsettling feeling spread throughout his body. He doesn’t know why his heart is racing with the thought of holding Nicholas’s hand for so long. 

“Okay fine!” Euijoo gives in. Nicholas gives him the widest smile in return, pulling his arm to take him towards the ride. 

“Euijoo i think this was a terrible idea” Nicholas gulps, exhaling shaky breaths once they are seated. 

Without wasting another second Euijoo reaches for Nicholas’ hand, interlocking their fingers together, taking Nicholas by complete surprise. 

Their hands fit together so perfectly that Nicholas is shamelessly staring at them, forgetting that this nightmare of a ride is about to begin. 

Euijoo gently caresses Nicholas’ hand with his thumb, which somehow makes it even worse for Nicholas to stay seated calmly in his place. 

“Please just don’t throw up” Euijoo says, looking at him. 

Nicholas glares in return, as his face heats up in embarrassment. His mind feels so buzzy right now, holding hands with Euijoo, that he cannot formulate a single coherent thought. 

He holds Euijoo’s hand tighter, shutting his eyes close. 

“Fuckkk!!” Nicholas screams at the top of his lungs, once the ride starts. 

His hand is gripping onto Euijoo’s for dear life, as he screams into his ears, heart leaping out of his chest. The ride picks up its speed, causing Nicholas to panic. 

“Ahhhh! Euijoo I am gonna die!” Nicholas screams, almost bruising Euijoo’s hand with his deathly grip. 

“Relax” Euijoo shouts back. “This is so fun!”

“I am about to shed real tears” Nicholas says, his voice cracking. 

“I am holding your hand” Euijoo reminds him. “Stop crying” 

“I hate you” Nicholas mutters, shutting his eyes close, praying for the ride to end soon because his heart cannot take it anymore. He needs to get off this thing before he throws up. 

After several minutes of shouting, and losing his voice, Nicholas finally releases his breath, as the ride comes to a halt. 

Euijoo looks over at him, reaching over to fix Nicholas’ hair, which is sticking in all directions, while still holding onto his hand. 

Nicholas gulps, flustered by the sudden action. He slowly releases his hand out of Euijoo’s grip, standing up to leave. 

“That was fun” Euijoo says, exploding with happiness. 

“I almost died” Nicholas says, breathlessly.

Euijoo chuckles, leaning in close to gently pat Nicholas’ back assuringly. “Don’t worry, you’re alive. Let’s go do something else now” 

Nicholas immediately grabs Euijoo’s wrist, stopping him in his tracks. Euijoo meets his eyes cluelessly, blinking. 

“I feel a bit dizzy. Is it okay if we still hold hands?” Nicholas asks, nervously. “After all.. we are supposed to pretend to be a couple. Can’t risk being kicked out now.. you know?” 

Euijoo’s cheeks heat up almost instantly at the sudden request. He believes Nicholas has completely lost it after the rollercoaster ride. 

But he still doesn’t refuse his request. 

“Yeah sure” Euijoo answers, as non-chalantly as possible. “We can it’s fine” 

Nicholas sighs in relief before smiling and reaches for Euijoo’s hand, enveloping it in his own as they walk towards their next destination. 

“Those headbands are cute,” Euijoo says, pointing towards a little shop which had all sorts of wearable accessories. They have been touring the amusement park for a while after the ride, so Nicholas can get over the traumatic rollercoaster venture.

“Do you want to get them?” Nicholas asks, turning to look at Euijoo, whose eyes lit up immediately. 

“Yeah, but i guess they are not included in the ticket’s package” Euijoo says, as he drags Nicholas towards the shop, still walking with intertwined hands. Nicholas for some reason cannot stop smiling every time his gaze falls over their hands. Euijoo is holding onto his hand so casually, as if it’s the most normal thing ever. 

Once they arrive at the shop, Euijoo releases Nicholas’s hand, which for obvious reasons causes Nicholas to sulk, ignoring the way his chest hurt a bit since Euijoo didn’t seem to notice his expression anyway. 

“Can we match?” Euijoo asks, excitedly. He picks up a Plusle headband, and shows a Minun one to Nicholas. 

“Why am I getting Minun?” Nicholas complains, a huge frown forming across his face. Pink is his favourite color, and something about being given the Minun headband seemed like he’s a negative person. 

“Because that’s so you” Euijoo replies, before trying out his own. He smiles in the mirror, setting the headband on his head, looking over at Nicholas to try his own.

“I am not wearing it” Nicholas whines. “And why are we matching? Are we really a couple?” 

Euijoo’s smile falls almost immediately. He rolls his eyes, taking the headband off and walks past Nicholas almost hitting his shoulder muttering a ‘go to hell’. 

Nicholas sighs loudly, seeing that Euijoo is already at the cash counter, paying for his own headband. Of course, Euijoo is going to behave this way because his best friend, not boyfriend, refused to match a couple's headband with him. 

“Wait” Nicholas calls out, grabbing the Minun headband in his hand, to rush over beside Euijoo. “I will pay for both”

“Forget it” Euijoo scoffs. 

“No, I will pay. We can match. I will wear the Minun one” Nicholas says, trying to convince Euijoo. He didn’t want Euijoo to be upset for the rest of their outing just because he didn’t want to wear that damn blue headband. 

Euijoo stays silent for a while, as Nicholas pays for the headbands. The lady at the cash counter smiles to herself seeing both of them.

While Nicholas is still paying, Euijoo steps out of the shop, leaving him inside.

“Oh god” Nicholas sighs, before thanking the lady and picks up both the headbands. He wears his own, before grabbing Euijoo’s and heads out the door. 

Once he’s out he spots Euijoo outside, leaning against a wall with crossed arms, refusing to meet Nicholas’ eyes. 

“Hey” Nicholas nudges his shoulder. “Look, I am Minun”

Euijoo looks over, and tries to hide his smile which automatically spreads seeing the way Nicholas is trying to act cute for him, while wearing that headband. 

“Okay” Euijoo finally gives in, smiling. “It suits you”

Nicholas sighs in relief once Euijoo eventually smiles. He then, without a word, reaches for Euijoo’s hand and drags him towards a Photo Booth. 

“Photos?” 

Euijoo smiles wide, nodding. “Sure” 

Once they get inside, they strike some cute poses, with Nicholas leaning his head against Euijoo’s, or throwing his arm around his. 

“Happy now? Seeing me as minun?” Nicholas says, laughing as he looks at Euijoo. 

“Of course. You’re the most minun person to ever exist!” 

“So now what is this” Euijoo mutters. 

They both are standing in front of a game, which is to be played by couples (of course). But what has them standing there with their jaws dropped is the prize for the game. 

“Chrome hearts rings for the couple” Nicholas says, looking over at the prize. “Oh my god, Euijoo we have to play this”

Euijoo makes a slightly confused face, eyebrows knitting close together while he stares at Nicholas. “You have enough chrome heart rings”

“But we’re getting them for free!” Nicholas says, nudging on Euijoo’s arm slightly. 

“We don’t even know what the game is” Euijoo says, and rightfully his concern makes sense. It’s a game for couples. Nicholas and him are not a real couple. Whatever they could have in that game could really make things awkward between them. 

But clearly that didn’t seem like an issue to Nicholas. Because all this guy wanted was those damn rings for free. Even if that meant to do shit that could possibly affect their very platonic friendship. 

“Any game is worth the chrome hearts rings juju” Nicholas insists, now grabbing Euijoo by his wrist to pull him towards the booth. Euijoo meanwhile tries to resist moving but his best friend is too strong and stubborn. 

“I swear if they make us do anything weird-“

“Shhh” Nicholas claps a hand over Euijoo’s mouth. “Stop complaining”

Euijoo rolls his eyes, sighing loud enough for the couple next to them to notice. 

“Hello!” The lady on the booth welcomes them. “Are you willing to play?”

“Yes we are” Nicholas answers for both of them, hugging one of Euijoo’s arms tightly in front of the lady before Euijoo could even protest, or find a way out of this.

“There’s 3 rounds to this game” The lady explains the rules to them. The first one is a three legged race, which both of them think is a completely normal game for anyone to play. So they aren’t worried about the first round.

“See that’s not weird at all” Nicholas shrugs, tapping Euijoo’s arm. “We were gonna miss this golden opportunity” 

Euijoo rolls his eyes, as the lady tells them the second game. Which is the couples limbo game. Either of them have to pick the other up and move from under the limbo stick without knocking it off. 

“That’s hard,” Euijoo says, leaning against Nicholas. “Who is carrying who?”

“Duh,” Nicholas laughs. “Of course I will carry you. I don’t think you can handle my weight” 

“Bitch” Euijoo elbows him. “That means you’re fat”

“No you’re just weak” Nicholas teases back. 

To prove that he’s not weak, Euijoo once again elbows Nicholas hard in the stomach, causing him to groan loudly in pain. 

“Oh dear, you’re my boyfriend for today, can you stop abusing me in front of everyone like this?” Nicholas says, with a gentle chuckle. 

“I am not your boyfriend” Euijoo hisses, the blush being so visible across his cheeks. 

Before they can continue their banter, the lady starts talking again. “As for the last game, it won’t be revealed right now. So stay tuned!”

Euijoo gulps, turning to Nicholas. “It’s not some weird shit right” 

Nicholas turns to face Euijoo, heart by default beating so loud as he makes eye contact. “It won’t be that weird, chill” 

The first round of the game begins. Both Nicholas and Euijoo are asked to tie their legs together before the race is to start. Their little height difference is very obvious as they stand glued next to each other for the game. 

“Hey” Nicholas whispers, leaning closer to Euijoo. “Juju put your arm around me”

“Huh” Euijoo turns around and his heart almost leaps out of his chest seeing how close Nicholas is to his face. 

“You won’t lose balance that way” Nicholas says, as he puts his own arm around Euijoo’s waist firmly.

The sudden touch makes Euijoo freeze for a moment. Everything about this whole game is making Euijoo feel extremely sick in the stomach. He really shouldn’t have signed up for this. 

It’s making everything..weird. 

“Fine” Euijoo whispers back, putting his arm around Nicholas’ shoulder.

The race begins, and Nicholas being the crazy athletic person, is extremely good at leading both of them in the race. Which ultimately leads to both of them easily winning the first round. 

The top three teams of the race are moved to the next round, which is the limbo game. 

“See, I told you we shouldn’t let this opportunity go” Nicholas says, with a smirk as he unties their legs. 

Euijoo scoffs loudly, giving a sarcastic clap in return. Nicholas is always full of pride, especially when he ends up winning. 

“Right, we still have 2 more rounds, control yourself” Euijoo says, with a gentle pat on Nicholas’ shoulder.

“We are so winning this” Nicholas says, with extreme determination that it kind of surprises Euijoo. Nicholas after all is the most competitive person when it comes to games. 

The next game begins. Nicholas effortlessly carries Euijoo in his arms, as if he weighs nothing. Despite Euijoo being a bit taller than him, Nicholas is easily able to hold him up in his arms. 

The grip Nicholas has around Euijoo’s lower back is so tight that it’s making a weird sensation emerge in Euijoo’s gut. He tries to ignore it, but it’s technically impossible to, with Nicholas almost breathing on his neck. 

“You’re literally a princess,” Nicholas says, laughing at a flustered Euijoo in his arms.

Euijoo glares, ears turning red as he slaps a hand on Nicholas’ shoulder. “Shut the fuck up” 

“I think I should have the flirting pass for today” Nicholas says with a wink. “We’re even matching with the headbands” 

Euijoo hates how Nicholas can shamelessly flirt like that. And he hates that it’s making his stomach feel weird things. He feels like strangling this man who’s holding him up right now. 

“We are matching because Plusle and Minun come as a set. Not because we’re a couple” Euijoo defends and Nicholas can’t help but laugh at his logic. “Speaking of headbands, I think we should take them off for this round” 

“You’re right” Nicholas agrees. “My hands are busy holding you up, so you gotta remove mine too”

Euijoo sighs, before leaning forward to remove Nicholas’ headband and then his own, throwing them down beside their phones. 

“Hey” Nicholas calls out. “Fix my hair”

“Am I your stylist now?” Euijoo rolls his eyes.

“No idiot, you’re my boyfriend” Nicholas comments, earning another hit from Euijoo, who turns red at the comment. 

“Stop saying weird shit” Euijoo comments, looking away for a moment as if that will help in keeping his heart rate somewhat normal. 

Nevertheless Euijoo runs his hands through Nicholas’ hair very gently, when suddenly the host of the game squeals loudly.

“Oh my god” the lady says, smiling. “You two are the cutest couple I have seen all day” 

Euijoo’s entire body flinches at the comment, heart stopping for a moment as Nicholas just laughs in response, thanking her for the compliment. 

Soon the game starts, and Nicholas is gripping onto Euijoo’s lower back and waist, digging his fingers into the fabric of his shirt. Euijoo feels dizzy from the hold, but still tries his best to stay still so Nicholas doesn’t lose balance while carrying him. 

During the rounds their faces get extremely close, and whenever that happens Euijoo feels suffocated. He doesn’t understand why it’s happening. Why he feels like he can’t breathe having Nicholas so close into his personal space. 

The couple which loses automatically gets eliminated, leaving only two teams remaining in the game. Nicholas finally puts Euijoo down, his arms aching from holding him up for so long. 

“You good?” Euijoo asks, looking at Nicholas to find him catching his breath. Euijoo also doesn’t fail to notice the pink flush across Nicholas’ face after this round. Perhaps he is heavy and Nicholas had just been pretending that he’s not. 

“Yeah” Nicholas smiles. “I am glad it’s over” 

Their attention is diverted once the host starts speaking again, explaining the final round. The game which decides who are the owners of the chrome heart rings. 

Nicholas moves closer to Euijoo, naturally putting his arm around him till they are practically glued together. The closeness is making Euijoo feel sick. 

“For the final round, it’s the one big test..which will test the couples chemistry!”

Euijoo’s heart is already racing. He thinks he will throw up from anxiety. Nicholas notices him being all fidgety so he gently starts rubbing his shoulder. However Nicholas isn’t aware that he’s the cause for everything that Euijoo is feeling at this moment. 

“It’s the classic pepero! Whichever couple ends up with the least candy wins!” The host announces. 

Euijoo feels his legs go numb hearing the last game. Nicholas turns to him excitedly, shaking his shoulder while Euijoo just stands there blinking at him. 

There’s no way they can do this. It’s too much.

Friends don’t do this, and this will clearly make things awkward. 

“Nico” Euijoo immediately calls out, panicking. “Let’s not do this”

Nicholas’ smile immediately falters as he frowns in confusion. “What?! We’re so close to winning. You can’t do this, Euijoo!” 

“I am not kissing you!” Euijoo protests. 

Nicholas rolls his eyes, trying to mask his annoyance. “We’re not supposed to kiss in this game. Why the fuck are you overreacting!”

“It’s almost a kiss” Euijoo says. “It’s really weird, Nico I don’t want to do this” 

“Oh my god” Nicholas groans loudly, facepalming. “You want us to back out right now?! What will we tell the host? That we aren’t a couple? And we can’t do this?” 

Euijoo pauses for a moment, staring at Nicholas. “Yeah we can say that. This game can’t be that important to you” 

“You want us to get kicked out?!” Nicholas asks, in disbelief. “All because you can’t handle me getting that close to you? You’re unbelievable, Euijoo!” 

“We’re just friends Nico for fucks sake!” Euijoo argues back. His heart is beating so fast right now, he thinks he will die. 

“It doesn’t matter, Euijoo! It’s a damn game! We played so well in the first two rounds and now just because your ass is so weird about our friendship we cannot play and win the game!” 

Before Euijoo can argue back, he’s interrupted.

“Umm hello?” The lady walks over to them, with a smile. “Had a little argument? Maybe shouldn’t have complimented you both”

Nicholas puts up a smile immediately shaking his head. “No, it’s nothing we were just having a personal discussion” 

“We don’t have time” the lady says, “Please come, right now” 

This time Euijoo doesn’t get time to protest as the lady grabs both of them by their arms to drag them to the front. Euijoo sighs loudly, dreading everything. He cannot escape this anymore. 

Nicholas stands in front of him as the lady hands them over the pepero stick. Euijoo looks anywhere but at Nicholas. Even after expressing that he doesn’t want to do it, here he is, in front of Nicholas, about to almost kiss him in front of so many people. 

The reality of almost kissing Nicholas right now is making Euijoo’s mind run in spirals. His breaths are coming out uneven, entire body trembling so bad. He doesn’t wanna do this. He does not want to come to terms with whatever this entire fake date has him feeling. Because everything comes down to this. 

Nicholas moves closer, putting the stick in his mouth while staring at Euijoo. He moves his hands to place on Euijoo’s shoulder who just stiffens, still not looking in his eyes. 

“I’ll do everything,” Nicholas whispers. “You can just stand still for the next minute, that’s all I am asking” 

Euijoo doesn’t respond to him, keeping his eyes away from making eye contact. He slowly takes the other end of the stick in his mouth, shutting his eyes close. 

“Start!” The lady calls.

Nicholas grips both of Euijoo’s shoulders, steadying himself as he starts inches closer. He slowly bites off the stick very carefully keeping his eyes on Euijoo who had them shut very tight, with a frown visible on his face. 

Euijoo meanwhile can feel Nicholas inching closer, feeling his breath across his lips. He assumes Nicholas is probably in his face right now, because he feels suffocated. The people around them are squealing and making way too much noise, that Euijoo believes he will go deaf. 

Nicholas is so close to kissing him right now. There’s hardly 0.5 cm of candy left. The only way to win is to make sure the distance is 0.1, and that can only be achieved if their lips meet. 

Euijoo can hear his heart beating in almost every part of his body. His face feels like it’s been set on fire.

He wants this to end, but it’s taking forever. 

Euijoo makes the mistake of opening his eyes for a split second, only for his heart to drop seeing that Nicholas is almost kissing him. 

Nicholas meanwhile, takes a shaky breath in and inches forward, gently pressing their lips together as there’s barely 0.1 cm of pepero left which falls to the ground. Even after the candy falls, Nicholas doesn’t pull away from the kiss, but only presses harder, earning a tiny gasp from Euijoo who immediately opens his eyes, shoving Nicholas away in panic. 

“Woah!” The lady calls out, clapping her hands. “No way there’s barely anything left” 

Euijoo’s entire face is so visibly red that he wants to hide somewhere. He can feel his skin burning, heart exploding. 

Nicholas smiles back at the lady, who excitedly walks up to the two of them. 

“You guys are clearly the winners! Come up to claim your prize!” 

Nicholas smiles, forcefully dragging Euijoo by his arm to receive the prize. Euijoo tries putting up a convincing smile as the lady hands them over the gift bags for the game. 

“Thank you so much for playing! Wishing you both a happy life ahead!” The lady wishes.

Nicholas smiles back politely, holding onto Euijoo’s arm so they can head out of there. Euijoo meanwhile goes completely non-verbal as they step out which somehow starts scaring Nicholas. 

Euijoo cannot be..that mad right?

The day is almost coming to an end. They both are at some food stall as Nicholas orders for the two of them. Since the past half an hour Euijoo has not uttered a word besides Yes, No, Okay, and that too were answers he gave related to the food they wanted to eat. 

Nicholas sighs, standing beside Euijoo who looked everywhere but in his eyes. Euijoo seemed to be mad at the game they played back there earlier, completely forgetting and not acknowledging the fact that they fucking won chrome hearts rings. 

“Hey juju” Nicholas nudges his shoulder. “Can you maybe smile?”

Euijoo exhales loudly, looking at Nicholas with a sharp gaze. Nicholas gulps, seeing the look in his eyes. 

“Oh..okay then..I guess don’t smile” 

Euijoo scoffs, looking down at his phone to check the time, sighing in annoyance. 

Once they get their food, they both settle down opposite each other. Euijoo still does not utter a single word, and just shoves food down his throat. 

Nicholas shifts uncomfortably, seeing the way Euijoo is behaving. 

“Hey juju” Nicholas calls out again. “Thanks for getting us chrome heart rings”

Euijoo ignores him, continuing to eat his food. The silence from Euijoo only causes more anxiety for Nicholas. 

“Why are you ignoring me?” Nicholas asks, with hurt in his voice. Euijoo is completely ruining their fun and outing by behaving this way. 

Euijoo puts his utensils down, glaring up at Nicholas. “Because you didn’t listen to me”

Nicholas widens his eyes. “Sorry?”

“And who allowed you to kiss me during that game?” Euijoo confronts, anger taking over him suddenly. 

“I-i” Nicholas’s breath hitches, seeing the look in Euijoo’s eyes. “Did you really hate it?” 

“I didn’t even want to come here. I came for Taki’s sake” Euijoo says, exhaling a breath. “I clearly told you I didn’t want to play that game” 

“It was just for fun juju!” Nicholas defends. “You can’t be ignoring me for it when we even won-“

“Is winning that important to you?” Euijoo asks, in disbelief. 

“Juju” Nicholas sighs. “We just came here to have a little fun. And come on, you think that kiss ruined our friendsh-“

“Yes” Euijoo answers, cutting him off. 

Nicholas blinks, once twice. His mouth opens and closes, no words coming out as he stares at Euijoo, taking in whatever he just said. 

“It did ruin our friendship,” Euijoo says, looking away. 

Nicholas feels his heart drop to his stomach, tightness forming in his throat. He doesn’t want to cry, but he can feel his eyes burning already. 

“I am sorry” Nicholas says, because he really doesn’t know what else to say. He crossed boundaries with his best friend. The boundaries which his best friend clearly didn’t want to be crossed. 

He ruined everything. 

“Forget it” Euijoo says, eating his food. “Everything is a game to you anyway” 

“I didn’t realise you would be this uncomfortable-“

“I clearly voiced out my feelings Nico” Euijoo cuts in once again. “You just don’t care” 

“It won’t happen again” Nicholas says, looking down to avoid Euijoo’s gaze. He hates himself right now. He let his selfishness ruin whatever he had with Euijoo, his best friend. 

And now his best friend hates him, which is all his fault. 

“Forget it” Euijoo says, standing up. He shoves the gift bag which they received towards Nicholas. “Take mine too, I don’t want it” 

Nicholas stares at the bag, as Euijoo turns around to leave. The moment Euijoo vanishes from his sight, Nicholas blinks the wetness forming in his eyes, slowly standing up to leave as well. 

Today is suddenly the worst day of his life. 

“Did you guys have fun?” Taki asks, on Monday morning, sitting right beside Euijoo. 

Euijoo goes still for a moment. Since that evening he and Nicholas haven't talked. That entire night Euijoo had been thinking about that kiss, and how it was extremely unnecessary for Nicholas to kiss him after the game had ended. 

The entire fake date felt way too real for Euijoo, and he knows for a fact that Nicholas was only having fun. He clearly wasn’t going through a mental battle of fighting away the emerging feelings for his best friend like Euijoo. 

He hates Nicholas for using that opportunity to kiss him. Hates it because he knows it means nothing but a game for Nicholas. 

He feels a shudder down his body at the reminder as Taki waits for his response. 

“It was boring,” Euijoo answers. 

Taki sighs, patting his shoulder in response. “I thought you two would come back as a real couple”

Euijoo whips his head towards Taki. “Huh, why?” 

“What do you mean why? Don’t you two like each other and have been secretly pining for one another since I don’t know.. years?” 

“No!” Euijoo panics, face turning red. Can Taki see through him? 

Taki pinches the bridge of his nose, letting out a sigh. “I fucking gave up my ticket to you two idiots so yall could figure your shit out. Now why the fuck are you two avoiding each other instead?!” 

“Taki, it’s all your fault that our friendship is ruined!” Euijoo says.

“Of course the friendship had to be ruined. Because yall clearly like each other-“

“We don’t!” Euijoo cuts in. “You made things really awkward between us Taki” 

“Euijoo” Taki sighs. “Who are you lying to”

“I am not!” 

“Well fine, suit yourself then!” 

Taki leaves him to settle down next to Yuma. 

Wait, Taki is sitting next to Yuma? So they made up already? Euijoo stares at the two, before looking across the classroom to find Nicholas almost dozing off. 

He tries to ignore that uneasy, tightness in his chest as the professor walks in to start the class. 

If Euijoo thinks he is the only one avoiding Nicholas, then he’s clearly mistaken. Because Nicholas has also been ignoring him since that evening. 

It’s been a few days now, Nicholas doesn’t sit next to him in classes, or meets up with him during break. 

Euijoo knows it’s because he said that their friendship got ruined that night, but seeing that Nicholas seemed to be completely fine, and even happy without him was killing him inside. 

He is half hoping that Nicholas comes up to him someday, and gets normal with him again. Because he clearly misses him. 

Although he should be the one going after him, since he walked away first that night, showing his dislike for the kiss.

Now Nicholas must think that Euijoo hates him which is why he’s avoiding him. 

But what he doesn’t know is that Euijoo has been in denial about his feelings for way too long. And that kiss at the festival made everything snap for him. 

Nicholas isn’t the type to be serious about feelings or love in general. Euijoo knows him, because they’re best friends. 

He also knows that whatever happened at the festival meant nothing to Nicholas. He was just having fun playing all those games and winning prizes. Even if it meant to test Euijoo’s sanity through the pepero game. 

Euijoo cannot get that memory out of his head. The gentle press of lips against his own. The heavy breathing, seeing Nicholas up close. 

Even remembering it right now is making him feel extremely dizzy. 

His classes are finally over for the day. He decides to pass by the basketball court, hoping to get a glimpse of Nicholas, since he’s missing him way too much. 

But he cannot spot him. He stops in his tracks, scanning the entire area for him. But he only spots Maki instead. 

Euijoo walks up to him instead. “Hey, any idea where’s Nico?”

Maki turns to him with a smile. “Hey, EJ! I thought you’d know where he is”

Euijoo frowns. “What why?”

“Aren’t you two best friends?” Maki continues. “Didn’t he tell you he had a blind date today?” 

“Blind date?” Euijoo freezes in his place. His feet are unable to move. He blinks in confusion at Maki, who seems even more surprised at the fact that Euijoo is unaware. 

“Oh, I am guessing he didn’t tell you..” Maki says, nervously laughing. “He must have forgotten” 

“Yeah, right” Euijoo nods, his face falling. “Thanks Maki” 

Euijoo walks off, feeling like his entire body will collapse. Not only does Nicholas not have feelings for Euijoo, he has a fucking date today as well. 

Of course, Euijoo is the only stupid one. Why would Nicholas be serious about him? Everything is fun and games to him. Even his own best friend Euijoo. 

By the evening, Euijoo feels sick. Sick with the thought of Nicholas out with his blind date. 

He thinks back on everything they both did together on the fake date. The matching accessories, taking photos, rides and just roaming around with their arms around each other. 

The feeling was..good. It felt nice. Euijoo felt comfortable and at ease. Perhaps that’s what scared him the most. 

Because it was only a temporary thing. Both of them were there because of Taki. And because the entire thing was for free, and Nicholas likes playing games and winning things. 

He wonders what Nicholas is doing with his real date this time. If he’s holding hands with them as carefully and gently as he held Euijoo’s. 

If he’s cracking jokes or teasing them like he does with Euijoo. As more scenarios bleed in his conscious mind, his stomach feels sick. 

He likes Nicholas way too much, and cannot see him with someone else that isn’t him. The realisation had been there all along, pouring down at him like ice cold water. But Euijoo always let himself get drowned and drenched in that cold water, rather than doing something about it. 

Being Nicholas’ best friend is easy, because he has been that since day 1. Being something other than Nicholas’ best friend, Euijoo believes it is out of his hands. 

He walks around his own apartment complex, refusing to go inside because he felt suffocated.

His thoughts are completely taking over him. Thoughts of Nicholas slipping away from him, all because of his own stupidity. 

He stares at the night sky, exhaling short breaths. 

“Hey Nico” 

Nicholas picks up his phone while he’s still on the blind date. 

“What’s up Maki, anything important?” Nicholas asks, flipping through the menu. 

“You didn’t tell Euijoo you had a blind date today?”

At Euijoo’s mention, Nicholas’ entire body freezes. He gulps, slowly standing up. He gestures to his date that he’s going out to attend the call, and then shuffles out of his seat. 

“What are you saying, Maki?” Nicholas says, taking in a deep breath. 

“Euijoo came to the court today, looking for you. He even asked me. I thought you’d tell him-“

“Hold on” Nicholas says, heart leaping out of his chest. “Euijoo was looking for me?” 

Maki goes silent for a moment. “Is everything okay with you two? Why are you both behaving weird”

“Did he leave campus?” Nicholas asks, his voice shaking. After days of pretending like they don’t exist in each other’s world, Euijoo came looking for him? 

And he had to come today out of all days? When he’s not available? When he finally gave a chance to this blind date, Euijoo suddenly decided to come back?

“Yeah, he probably went home-“ Maki is unable to finish his sentence as Nicholas cuts him off. 

“Thank you Maki, goodbye” Nicholas hangs up, running a hand though his hair, exhaling a long sigh. 

He walks back inside, giving a polite excuse to his date that he needs to be somewhere important, and cannot carry on with this date. 

He feels bad for ditching his blind date. But then again, he cannot ignore the way his chest feels congested. He can feel his heart pound as a sinking feeling envelops him. 

Nicholas grabs his stuff, rushing out of the door to Euijoo’s place. He needs answers as to why Euijoo is looking for him now. After setting boundaries and saying that their friendship is ruined. Why is he looking for him after avoiding him for days? 

Most of all, why is he playing with Nicholas’ feelings?

After an hour of roaming around in his apartment complex, Euijoo finally decides to go inside since it’s dark now. 

His head still isn’t clear, but he can’t drain all his energy like this when he has work to do as well. 

When he’s about to turn around to head in, he hears someone call his name from a distance. 

“Euijoo!!”

Euijoo slowly turns around, eyes going wide seeing the man in front. Nicholas is practically running towards him, his bangs swept sideways, breathing heavily. 

He stops once he’s in front of Euijoo, who is frozen at his place, still blinking in disbelief. Why is Nicholas here and not at his blind date as Maki told? 

And why isn’t Nicholas ignoring his existence like usual but is here in front of his eyes? Euijoo feels his heart swell. Everything hurts in his chest right now. 

“Euij-juju” Nicholas calls him, by his nickname, taking him by surprise. He steps forward, still catching his breath as he looks into Euijoo’s eyes. 

Euijoo meanwhile blankly stares at him, trying to capture the sight of Nicholas in front of him. He wants to make sure he isn’t hallucinating all this. 

“Juju, Maki said you were looking for me?” Nicholas finally manages to ask. 

Euijoo feels his heart drop into a pit. So Nicholas is here because.. Maki ratted on him? 

He didn’t want Nicholas to know that he was looking for him. He just wanted to get a glimpse of him, playing in the court perhaps. 

Whatever is happening now, is not something he expected to occur. 

“Juju” Nicholas calls again, softly.

Euijoo inhales a sharp breath in, feeling his insides go all jittery. He feels like he will throw up because the feelings he has for this man in front are suffocating him. 

“I thought you were on a date” Euijoo answers instead, taking Nicholas by surprise. “Why are you here?” 

Nicholas sighs loudly, staring in disappointment. “Because I found out you came looking for me”

“Does that mean you will run away from your date?” Euijoo asks. 

“Why wouldn’t I?” Nicholas answers, like it’s the only right answer in the world. Euijoo stands there, stunned. 

“Nicholas” Euijoo inhales another breath in. “Go back to your date” 

Nicholas scoffs loudly, grabbing Euijoo’s arm to yank him closer, earning a tiny gasp from Euijoo. “Why are you doing this to me? What’s your problem?” 

Euijoo frowns, releasing his arm from Nicholas’ grip, who holds it once again, tighter. 

“I didn’t do anything!” Euijoo says. “I was just passing by the court, couldn’t find you so I asked Maki where were you!” 

“Why were you looking for me!” Nicholas asks, raising his voice slightly. “I thought everything was over between us! I clearly ruined our friendship didn’t I?”

Euijoo doesn’t fail to notice the immense hurt in Nicholas’s voice as he rants out his feelings. He feels horrible, for being the cause of everything. 

“I just wanted to see you!” Euijoo finally says, breaths coming out uneven. “But I didn’t know you already found another date-“

“Why did you want to see me! Can you answer that!” Nicholas asks, with tear filled eyes. 

“Do I need a reason to?”

“Yes?-“

“It’s because I missed you!”

There is silence for a few seconds between them both. Euijoo blinks away the tears forming in his eyes. He doesn’t want to cry right now, but he feels pathetic. He feels like shit right now. He has no right to feel hurt over Nicholas avoiding him or going on a blind date after he said everything to him. 

“Euijoo-“ Nicholas’ voice cracks. “You cannot just say that. You clearly made it clear that you’re uncomfortable with me ruining our friendship. I apologised too! Said it would never happen again but you were just so upset! What should I have done then? You cannot come back and just say that you missed me” 

“Nicholas” Euijoo cries, his chest hurting. “I am the one at fault” 

Nicholas looks down, avoiding his gaze. 

“The reason I overreacted at that festival..” Euijoo exhales slowly, preparing himself. “It was because I was scared..”

“Scared?” Nicholas frowns. 

“I was scared from the start,” Euijoo admits. “I knew it. That the date would get to my head, and it did. I knew I would start feeling awkward around you-“

“I am sorry Euijoo-“

“No wait, listen” Euijoo stops him. “This isn’t your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong. Everything was all in my head. Since the start”

Nicholas blinks away his tears. “Huh” 

“It’s because..I liked you for quite a long time” Euijoo finally confesses, letting everything off his chest, exhaling loudly after saying it. “And I was trying to get over those feelings when Taki pushed us to attend that festival. Everything we did together just made me feel sick and worse about everything. I realised I like it so much. I like being your date so much but to you it was all fun and games. I was holding it in, but then you just.. kissed me. My entire self collapsed after that..”

Nicholas’ breath hitches. “Euijoo..”

“I didn’t know what to do. So I pushed you away, said mean things and ignored you, but it hurts,” Euijoo sniffs, wiping his tears. “It hurt so much knowing you’re on a date today” 

“Euijoo” Nicholas calls his name, almost in a breathless whisper, before Euijoo can respond, Nicholas holds his face in both of his hands, pulling him in for a kiss. 

Everything stops for a good ten seconds. Euijoo feels like the world has stopped spinning, the moment Nicholas pulled him in. 

His mind cannot handle this moment. It’s too much for him, and he feels suffocated by the kiss. Yet still does nothing to pull away. 

Instead, Euijoo shuts his eyes close, to kiss him back. Now that he has poured out all his feelings to the man in front, there is no point in holding back.

Holding back only hurt him. So now he has to give in. Finally feel what he has been trying to ignore since so long.

Finally come to terms with the fact that.. he does like Nicholas a lot. And his heart beats unusually fast around him. And that his presence easily gets him flustered. 

That’s enough evidence to pull him out of his episode of denial. He is crazy in love with the man who’s still attached to his lips. 

This kiss is different from the one they shared at that stupid game. That one was extremely rushed, full of panic.

However this time, neither of them are willing to pull away. Euijoo parts for a couple seconds to catch his breath, and that’s when their eyes finally meet, still brimming with tears. Nicholas runs a gentle hand across Euijoo’s cheek, before tucking a few strands of hair back which were falling in his face. 

Euijoo slowly blinks while sniffing. He almost can’t believe this moment right now. It’s too unreal. 

While he’s still breathing hard to recover from the sudden kiss, Nicholas pulls him in again, this time with a bit more force. His fingers land at the back of Euijoo’s neck, gently caressing him as their lips slot against each other’s, exhaling soft breaths into the kiss. 

The cold wind blows past them, forcing them to get closer to each other for warmth. Euijoo kisses him back with so much desperation, as if Nicholas will slip away from his fingers if he’s not giving himself enough into it. 

Meanwhile Nicholas isn’t any less. In fact, he’s completely devouring his best friend, breathing heavily into the kiss whenever they separated in between, only to pull back in once again. 

“Nico” Euijoo pants into the kiss, slowly turning his head sideways. Nicholas parts, taking in the sight of a flushed red Euijoo, gasping for air inches away from him. 

“Juju” Nicholas responds, still out of breath. “I love you”

Euijoo’s eyes go wide. As if hearing this is something he wasn’t expecting. Even after being kissed like that. 

“You what?”

“Idiot, I love you” Nicholas repeats, leaning back in to steal another kiss, gentler this time. Euijoo ends up smiling in the kiss, as he shoves Nicholas away. 

“Why the fuck were you on a date if you love me?!” Euijoo asks, slapping Nicholas’ arm hard. 

Nicholas holds his own arm where he got hit, rubbing it while groaning. “Well, because you said everything is ruined between us-“

“So you thought let’s date someone new-“

“Calm down for a moment there” Nicholas interrupts, laughing. For some reason, he finds Euijoo’s stupid possessive side extremely cute. Although the glare Euijoo is giving him right could get him strangled to death. “It was to distract myself”

“Distract?” Euijoo furrows his eyebrows. 

“I was going crazy” Nicholas says. “I was regretting everything I did back on the date because you ended up hating me because of it. Well, now that you know, I did all that flirting and weird shit because I like you” 

Euijoo stares, as a visible blush spreads across his entire face. 

“And I really thought I fucked up my chance for life. And even lost you as my best friend” Nicholas sighs. “This date was nothing serious but just a way to distract myself from everything going on right now” 

“I hate you for this” Euijoo says, shoving him away once again. “Like, if I didn’t show up in front of Maki, and he didn’t tell you..you would have progressed with your date.. and eventually forgotten about me”

Nicholas snorts. “You’re getting way ahead of yourself. Get back”

“No, I see I am replaceable” Euijoo huffs. 

“Shut up please” Nicholas says, stepping forward to envelop Euijoo in a suffocating hold, throwing his arms around his waist. Euijoo stumbles back a bit, hands landing on Nicholas’ shoulder to steady himself. 

After a few seconds, Euijoo speaks up again. “Who was your date?”

“Oh my god” Nicholas groans, rolling his eyes. “Can we move past that?”

“Is that person better than me?” Euijoo asks, jealousy so evident in his tone. He doesn’t even try to mask it at this point. “Is that why you aren’t telling me?”

“Euijoo, I didn’t even get to ask his name,” Nicholas says. “The moment I sat down, I received Maki’s call and then I excused myself” 

“Hmm” Euijoo presses his lips together, exhaling. “Was he good looking?” 

“Euijoo” Nicholas sighs, shaking his head. “No”

“So you looked at him enough to decide if he’s good looking or not-“

Nicholas doesn’t let him finish his sentence, but grabs his neck and shuts him up by pressing his lips against Euijoo’s. 

“Is this going to be your solution for everything!” Euijoo says, breaking away from the kiss. 

“Well, what can I do? You’re the most jealous man I know, Byun Euijoo” Nicholas laughs, but Euijoo only glares at him. 

“You know other men too?” Euijoo raises an eyebrow only to earn another snort from Nicholas. 

“Alright stop it” Nicholas says, wrapping his arm around Euijoo’s shoulder. “Let’s get you inside your damn apartment”

“You’re staying,” Euijoo demands. “Please” 

“On one condition” Nicholas says, as they walk towards the elevator. 

“What”

“You need to stop interrogating me like a wife–OW”

Euijoo had stepped with full force onto Nicholas’ left foot before he could even finish the sentence. 

“What’s your condition again?” Euijoo asks.

Nicholas smiles. “Nothing, let’s go up” 

“Congrats!” Taki says, the moment he spots both Nicholas and Euijoo together in class, sitting beside each other. 

Euijoo rolls his eyes, looking up at Taki. “Be honest, you lied about your fight with Yuma right?” 

Taki laughs nervously, looking around before groaning. “Okay I might have”

“Did you seriously give us your festival tickets for free?!” Nicholas gasps. “Do you love us that much?” 

“I don’t love yall” Taki snorts. “I was tired of seeing you two steal secret glances at each other, flinching at the slightest touch and Euijoo sulking whenever another person stood close to Nicholas-“

“Shut up” Euijoo nudges Taki before he could continue. “No one asked for details” 

“And all along I thought Euijoo just hates me” Nicholas says. “I didn’t know he did that because he was jealous”

“I wasn’t jealous!” Euijoo defends. “I genuinely didn’t care-“

“Liar” 

“Shut the fuck up”

“I am your boyfriend, be nice” Nicholas demands. 

“I don’t care,” Euijoo responds, shoving him away. “You’re even more annoying now”

“Oh, should I consider another blind date-“

Nicholas is smacked across his arm by Euijoo once again for even bringing up the idea. 

“Don’t you dare” Euijoo glares. 

Nicholas leans in to kiss Euijoo’s cheeks, when he realises the other is perhaps getting a little too mad.

Taki meanwhile sighs, watching a whole ass drama unfold in front of his eyes. 

Did he really make the right choice by sacrificing his date tickets for these losers?