Jongdae hadn’t known how one could fall completely and utterly in love with someone in 3 short years.  However, that had already happened to Jongdae, and this someone was Minseok Kim, a man that he knew he wanted to spend his life with.  His last name was even the same as Minseok, so it was obviously meant to be, right?

It wasn’t the typical high school puppy love either.  Well, it kinda was with the pining and the downright awkward confession, but the acting on physical attraction and emotion simply hadn’t been there.

For one, there was the issue of higher education.  Somehow, someway both couples in love had made it into the same high 2^nd tier university.  Jongdae had hugged and almost crushed both Baekhyun and Chanyeol in smothering hugs when they all simultaneously got their acceptance letters on their phones through their email accounts.  Chanyeol had gotten in for Music Composition while Baekhyun had been accepted on a track in business, more specifically management. 

Jongdae had been hoping for the best but was cautious when Minseok had told Jongdae that he wanted to tell him something back at Minseok’s house.  However, Jongdae shouldn’t have been so worried since Minseok told Jongdae the good news that he had been accepted into the same digital media and marketing program of the business school as he did.  Jongdae had been even more pleased to hear that he had received the same full scholarship as he did for the program.  With this, Jongdae just knew that a lasting relationship was with Minseok was in his future.

It wasn’t super easy, however.  There came the issue of introducing each other to the other’s parents.  Jongdae had come out to his parents in freshman year, but Minseok hadn’t told his parents until sophomore year after he had started dating Luhan.  Consequentially, Jongdae’s parents had all but welcomed Minseok into their son’s life after hearing of his high school achievements in and out of school.  However, Minseok’s parents were (rightfully) cautious of Jongdae, and even hid Minseok’s younger sister away from Jongdae for the first two months that Jongdae had repeatedly visited in the hopes of getting into their good graces.  That point hadn’t been reached until prom day when Jongdae had self-delivered Minseok back in one piece before Minseok’s midnight curfew.

Speaking of prom, it was wild, to say the least.  The Beagle Squad^TM had indeed coordinated along with Minseok their matching black tuxedos with royal blue accents.  The four had looked very much like dapper penguins jamming out to the latest Korean and American pop music in their rented stretch limo (with seatbelts on of course because safety first).  Jongdae had even been sweet enough to gift Minseok with a single blue dyed rose when he had come to pick Minseok up from his house with a faint blush dusting his cheeks. 

Besides the official prom, Minseok and Jongdae relished in simply hanging out and talking while doing homework and getting to know each other.  They also had casual dates everywhere in their town, from coffee shop dates (they both loved a good iced Americano), to mall dates (the pair had similar senses of clothing style), onto planned picnics complete with finger sandwiches and popcorn, and finally movie dates (action films were their mutual favorites!).  And no, they did not engage in any inappropriate touching of any kind (Was Jongdae thinking of it? Well…..).

Even making out had been a new experience for the lovebirds.  Instead of jumping right into , Jongdae and Minseok had abstained until the spring semester of their freshman year in college.  The two shared the belief that was an important act that should be thought about since it could make or break a friendship.  While there were heavy making out sessions, they were few and far in between.  This was especially true since Baekhyun had been Jongdae’s roommate since they arrived at university.

College arrangements had been decided upon between the two couples in love.  Since Chanyeol and Baekhyun had already done the dirty deed while they were sophomores in high school (a decision the two had bragged about to Jongdae several times before he had even started showing interest in anyone in high school), Baekhyun and Jongdae had made the executive decision to have the couples separated, with Baekhyun and Jongdae rooming together in one dorm room, and Minseok and Chanyeol dorming with each other in another room a few doors down.  That way, no inappropriate touching would occur during the majority of the school year.  However, there were still times that (mostly) Chanyeol felt the need to get frisky with his shorter lover (hopefully it remained contained Baekhyun’s side of the room) and a “Do Not Disturb” sign was hung occasionally on each door for this purpose.  Both dorms held toothbrushes, towels, and spare changes of underwear and clothes for all four males to avoid any awkward walking in incidents to grab some needed stuff.

That isn’t to say that Jongdae is so innocent either.  With one smirk and lustful look into Minseok’s eyes, sometimes the couple would have their y times and consequentially spend the night sleeping tangled up on Minseok’s bed while Chanyeol was kept out of the dorm for the night to give the couple some alone time.  Their physical activities were amazing, and Minseok was definitely quite the tiger beneath the sheets (Wink wink).

Speaking of physical activity, it was one day during finals week that Jongdae decided to ask Minseok something during the couple’s daily workout at the fitness center near their dorm building, something that he had never asked Minseok during their three years together but really should have asked a long time ago.

“Minseok, can I ask you something?” asked Jongdae.

“Sure, babe.  Go for it,” Minseok answered, dropping his free weights to give Jongdae his undivided attention.

“Why do you start working out?  This may sound silly, but I would never have imagined a guy with your face to have such perfect and fit body,” Jongdae asked and became a little bashful at his subtle complement to his boyfriend.

“Oh, well, that’s because all throughout my freshman year of high school, I had the unfortunate rhyming nickname of ‘Skinny Minnie’ by some ruthless bullies.   I absolutely loathed it, so I got a gym membership and the rest is history,” Minseok replied.

“Minseokie, that’s terrible.  At least you showed those bullies up though,” Jongdae said.

“Yeah, I sure did,” Minseok chuckled out, remembrance of the event flooding to the forefront of his brain.  “Their jaws fell when I revealed my abs for the first time.”

“What?  Seokie, I thought your luscious body was only for my and your 125 Facebook friends’ eyes only,” said Jongdae, mock anger evident in his voice.

“Oh goodness, Jongdae, it was so long ago.  And it wasn’t like I was completely shirtless.  A quick raise of the shirt was all it took,” Minseok clarified.

“Okay,” Jongdae said, going back to his leg extension exercise.  It was his Wednesday routine after all, a workout regime that had been carried along with Jongdae to college and continued all of these years.

Over the course of their college career, besides securing steady 3.6 GPAs (just slightly ahead of Baekhyun’s respectable 3.4 and Chanyeol’s solid 3.3), the couple had worked out together on a planned schedule.  Minseok actually had adopted a modified version of Jongdae’s 3-day workout schedule, seeing the benefits on how easily it fit into daily life.  Minseok also had nothing to prove to anyone anymore and therefore saw no need to have to be an everyday workout fiend like in high school. 

In fact, this particular Wednesday morning was the last day of final exams.  Both of them had completed their last finance final yesterday at 4 p.m. and promptly went back to their dorm to crash and rest their mentally tired brains and physically tired bodies from having five final exams in as many days.  Baekhyun’s management final would end at 11:30 a.m. that day and Chanyeol just had to hand in his finished extended mini album to his music composition professor at noon before the four of them were headed off to the beach to celebrate the end of another successful college year (It was already the end of their junior year!) before it was back to work and internships later on in the summer.

When the couple had completed their exercise (which Jongdae noted would help get the blood flowing and get the veins on their arms and abs especially defined for today’s trip), they headed back to their respective dorms to shower and pack up for the beach.  Towels, sunscreen, swim trunks, and sandals were packed for all four males along with plenty of icy cold water bottles in a gigantic cooler.  After dropping by the dining hall to pick up an assortment of sandwiches and salads, the two headed off to the performing arts center to pick up the other couple as Baekhyun had decided to meet up with Chanyeol after his last final exam.  Sure enough, as Minseok pulled up in his reliable and roomy new silver Honda CR-V, the other couple was there, grins upon their faces and excitement evident from the bounce in their steps as they hopped into the backseat of the SUV.

“Lets go!  I want to forget that god forsaken final,” Baekhyun cheered.

“I just can’t believe we’ll all be graduating next year you guys.  Times flies so quickly when you really focus on your studies,” Chanyeol reflected as Minseok to the highway.

“Well, at least the time for graded tests will be over and real adult life with a real 9-to-5 job will begin,” mused Minseok.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.  I just can’t wait to begin composing for real artists,” Chanyeol responded.

“My Seokie is always right,” Jongdae said, giving a quick peck to his boyfriend’s cheek.

“Lets not think about the future right now.  Lets instead think of how we’re going to blow up that beach with our shirtless bodies.  I know all of us got a head start on our beach bodies in like, February.  I can’t wait to get there,” Baekhyun said.

“Well, we’re not that far from the beach.  It’s only another fifteen minutes away,” Minseok stated, glancing back at the passing sign that said exactly that.

*****

“What the heck, is the entire college here?” pondered Minseok as he saw a packed parking lot and beach full of college kids like themselves.

Even with the slight traffic congestion, Minseok had soon enough found a corner parking spot, Chanyeol had rented the beach umbrella, and Baekhyun and Jongdae had chosen the perfect spot to lay their beach towels down.  With ripped off and forgotten shirts and slathered sunscreen on their bodies and faces, the couples began their early summer fun, mingling with the rest of the college students they vaguely remembered from their university.

The four ate a late lunch as they reflected on the past semester, the projects, the homework, the papers, the stress acne; every little detail was delved into as the sun slowly set below the horizon.  As the sun turned the sky into brilliant shades of copper, oranges, reds, and burnt yellows, Minseok suddenly asked them to wait there as he got something from the car.  Jongdae wondered it could be, as he had helped pack the car with his boyfriend that morning.

Sure enough, the three were shocked at what Minseok brought back.  Carrying two bags, one in each arm, Minseok made his way back to the group.  In one of the plastic bags were a half watermelon and chopsticks and the other contained glowsticks and sparklers for when it became pitch black later at night.  With an appreciative “Thank you”, the four dug into the sweet ruby red flesh of the watermelon, savoring the cool liquid that chilled them in the fading summer heat.  After about an hour of silly impromptu games, darkness finally was upon them.  While the others methodically began to crack the glow sticks and light up the sparklers, Chanyeol his waterproof  Beats Bluetooth speaker pill and blasted his newest hip hop and trap compositions.  And then, the dance party of the century began.

 Here is where we shall leave the two loving couples.  Yes, they would move in together after college, get married, and adopt kids one day.  But now is not the time to discuss that.   Both Jongdae and Minseok and Baekhyun and Chanyeol surprisingly still had a long way to go in their maturing relationship.  But with a sharp focus for many aspects of their lives and (at this moment unknown) life after college, it wouldn’t be long until the four would be finding success in their respective fields.  What started as bashful, timid, and awkward high school confessions and inexperienced boys kissing will soon be two loving male couples in serious lifelong relationships. 

But remember, eternally having the fun nature of a college student at the beach is not a bad mentally to possess at times.  Especially if you have a relationship as strong as these two couples.  Find someone you can love all of, including but not limited to their interests, strengths, personality, quirks, and shortcomings.  Exploring and acting on your desire to attain something helped Jongdae win over Minseok.  It can help you too.  Use this mentality in your daily life, because life is truly what you make it.  Make it happen.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AN: And with that, "Do You Even Lift?", my second story and first properly chaptered one at that, is now completed.  Again, thank you to all my subscribers, commenters, and silent readers alike.  My writing has a lot to be desired since I'm stil very new at writing fanfics, and knowing that there are even people who wanted to read this story means so much to me.  I am very grateful to all of you.  Seriously, you guys are the reason why I am able to write my stories.  So now, I will be off to summer classes in college for a month (wish me luck!).  Please comment on anything of interest if you like.  If you have any suggestions for a new story and/or couple pairings you would like to see written, do not hesitate to comment or message me.  I do have another story, my first story, which will eventually be a one-shot series with omegaverse baby Sehun.  If you are interested, please do check it out!  See you all in my next story!  Beagles98 here saying good-bye for now!