Two pitchers of paradise later, both Jang Mi and Hoseok were completely drunk. “One shot!” Hoseok slurred as he finished pouring them their final glasses, completely draining the second pitcher. They both grabbed their glasses and downed them, Jang Mi making a face from the strong taste of the alcohol. “Damn. Remind me to never order this again.” she said as he returned her glass to the table, almost missing it. Hoseok chuckled. “I don’t know, I kinda like it.” He said as he nudged her with his elbow, his face flushed from the alcohol running through his system. Jang Mi stuck her tongue out at him. “Whatever, let’s go dance.” She whined.

Hoseok slid out of his seat, feeling more than buzzed and ready to dance. He grabbed Jang Mi's hand and pulled her out into the crowd of grinding couples. The deep bass made the floor vibrate with the beat as they found a tiny space to cram themselves into. There was no room for them to move freely, there were too many sweaty bodies filling the too small dance floor. Neither of them seemed to mind as they started to move with the beat of the music. Jang Mi giggled as she danced, all of her bad feelings from before completely forgotten as she let loose, letting her body move along with the beat.

She bumped into a guy dancing beside her, he turned around, a sleazy grin appearing on his face the second his eyes landed on her. Before he could fully turn around to face her, Hoseok had slid himself in-between him and Jang Mi, effectively cutting him off from dancing with her. She gave him a thankful smile, one of her hands landing on his shoulder as she continued to dance. They had danced together numerous times. Sometimes in clubs, but mainly at their dance school or at competitions. They had performed a variety of dances together, both of them long past the stage of feeling awkward with each other, they had been friends since high school and had been dancing together for years.

Jang Mi spun around, putting her back to Hoseok and he instinctively wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her against him, alcohol fuelling his courage. He could smell the faint, lingering scent of her perfume. It was the one that she used to use, not the one that she had bought because she knew Do-Jung had liked it. His head tilted forward, almost resting in the crook of her neck as she rocked against him as he inhaled the all too familiar scent, his grip tightening subconsciously around her waist, wanting to have her as close as possible. His breathing hitched when she linked her hand with his, the other lifting up, her fingers carding through the hair at the nape of his neck. He suppressed a groan as she grinded against him in time with the music.

He bit his lip, closing his eyes and pulling his head back a little so that she couldn’t hear him panting from both the dancing, and the effect that she was having on him. He was abruptly pulled away from those thoughts when he felt her go rigid in his embrace. He opened his eyes, his gaze landing on Do-Jung who was staring at the two of them from the other end of the dancefloor. Her grip tightened almost painfully on his hand as Do-Jung made his way over to them through the crowd. “Jang Mi! I didn’t expect to see you here!” he shouted over the music, a grin on his face as he completely ignored Hoseok. She didn’t move out of Hoseok's grasp, something which didn’t go unnoticed by either Hoseok or Do-Jung. Hoseok gripped her hand tighter, letting her know that he was there for her, hoping the simple action would comfort her.

“Why don’t we go get a drink?” he asked, purposely not looking at Hoseok. Jang Mi squared her shoulders and shook her head. “No, thanks. We were actually planning on leaving.” She said, her voice remaining firm. Do-Jung frowned, his gaze once again landing on Hoseok's arm which was still wrapped around her waist. “Just one drink? Come on, it’ll be fun.” He said as he reached out to grab her wrist but she took a step back, Hoseok instinctually moving with her. “I said no.” she said. “Come on.” Do-Jung insisted.

Hoseok pulled Jang Mi behind him, holding himself up to his full height, suddenly feeling completely sober. “She said no. I’m sure you understand what that means.” Hoseok said, his voice low. Do-Jung held Hoseok's gaze for a few, long seconds before laughing, holding his hands up in defeat. “Okay, okay, I get it.” He looked around Hoseok to Jang Mi. “I’ll see you soon.” He said, giving her a wink before disappearing back into the crowd. Hoseok waited until he was completely out of sight before turning back to Jang Mi. “You okay?” he asked worriedly as he gently moved her sweaty hair away from her face. She nodded and gave him a weak smile. “Yeah. I just wish he would stop popping up everywhere.” She said with a sigh.

Hoseok gently took her hand in his. “Come on, let’s go.” He said as he pulled her towards the cloakroom. They collected their jackets and headed outside, the cool night air refreshing them after the hot, stale air inside the club. “Can we walk back?” Jang Mi asked. Hoseok nodded, “Sure. How about we grab something to eat on the way as well? Maybe I can prevent the hangover I know I’m most likely going to wake up with.” He said with a chuckle as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. They slowly walked until they found a food tent that was close to her apartment. They ordered their food and huddled together at a table. Jang Mi rubbed her forehead with a groan. “I’m going to suffer in the morning.” She mumbled. Hoseok laughed and poured her a glass of water.

“Drink.” He said as he put the glass into her hand. She sipped on the cold water and gave him a thankful smile. “You’re the best.” She said as she laid her head on his shoulder. “I know.” He said as he smiled down at her. Their food arrived and they immediately started eating. Hoseok couldn’t keep his eyes off of her as they ate. He couldn’t erase the feeling of her body pressed up against his only twenty minutes ago. It felt like a dream, one that he had had on many occasions.

Jang Mi turned around when she noticed that Hoseok wasn’t eating. “Hey, you okay?” she asked. He laughed, embarrassed at getting caught staring. “Yeah, just spacing out.” He said as he quickly started eating, yelping in pain when he burnt his tongue. She laughed and handed him her glass. “Slow down. No one is gonna take it from you.” She teased. He gave her an embarrassed smile before picking up his chopsticks again, this time eating more slowly. She chuckled at him as she watched him eat.

She watched as he ran his hand through his hair, pushing it away from his face as he ate, the newly dyed strands making him look even more handsome than before, something which she hadn’t believed was impossible until he walked into their dance studio the day after he had dyed his hair. Without thinking, her hand reached out and ran through the strands, similar to how she had when they had been dancing together. Hoseok looked up at her, startled by her sudden action. Her eyes opened wider in shock when she realised what she had done. “Oh my god, sorry! I was just thinking how good your hair looked and I just touched it without realising it!”

She moved to pull her hand away but Hoseok was faster. He grabbed her wrist, preventing her from pulling her hand away. There was a moment, both of them frozen as they stared at each other, waiting for the others reaction before Hoseok gave her a dorky grin, making her hand pet his hair like he was a cat. “I’m handsome, right?” he asked playfully. “You don’t need to pretend that I’m not.” He said as he let go of her wrist. She laughed as she ran her hand through his hair a few more times, enjoying the feeling of the silky strands that were still a little damp from sweat under her fingers. “You're the most handsome guy I know.” She said giving him a thumbs up before they both burst into laughter, the almost awkward moment forgotten as she turned back to her food, Hoseok smiling warmly at her.

I wish you meant that…

“Ugh, my head.” Hoseok pushed himself up, his head pounding from his inevitable hangover. He looked over to the window, the curtains lying open, letting the too bright sunshine stream in. It took him a few minutes to realise that not only was he shirtless, but he was not in his own apartment. He looked around the familiar living room as Jang Mi appeared from her bedroom, her eyes barely open as she made her way to the bathroom, completely oblivious to his presence. Hoseok's jaw dropped as she walked by. She was wearing what looked like one of his t-shirts and her underwear and nothing else.

When the bathroom door closed, he let out a long breath. “Get yourself together.” he mumbled to himself as he pinched the bridge of his nose, hoping that it would help to alleviate his headache. He stayed that way until the bathroom door swung open, revealing Jang Mi who was looking a little more awake, but no more dressed. Her eyes landed on him and images of them dancing the night before flashed in front of her eyes. She felt her face burn with a blush at Hoseok's half form. “H-hey.” She said, suddenly all too aware of their state of undress. “Hey.” He said back. “I’m gonna go get changed.” She said pointing in the direction of her bedroom and rushing in that direction, making sure to close the door behind her.

Hoseok flopped back against the couch, willing his body to calm down. He took a few deep breaths before making his way into the bathroom. Jang Mi quickly pulled on a pair of sweatpants before making her way into the kitchen, determined to act like nothing was wrong. She checked that the living room was clear before she made her way to the kitchen. “We just danced together, it’s not that big a deal. It’s not like it’s the first time we’ve ever danced together. It’s not like it’s a big deal or anything.” She said to herself as she pulled out the things she needed to make them a simple breakfast. She could almost still feel Hoseok strong arm around her waist, his toned body pressed up against her back, the silky soft feeling of his hair through her fingers, the heat of his breath at her neck.

“Stop it!” she half shouted to herself. “Get a grip of yourself!” she mumbled as she started making them breakfast. Hoseok appeared in the kitchen a few minutes later. She thanked whatever god was listening that he had found his shirt. “Morning.” He said with a bright smile. “Need some help?” he asked. She nodded. “Yeah, can you cut those up for me?” she asked. He nodded and stood next to her, trying to not think about their time at the club together the night before. “How are you feeling?” he asked, not wanting there to be an awkward silence between them. “I’ve had worse hangovers, but I’ve had better mornings.” She replied with a chuckle.

He laughed, “Lucky you. I think I might be dying.” He said dramatically making them both laugh. “Better or worse than Halloween?” she asked. He groaned, “Definitely better. I’m going to kill Jimin for Halloween. That kid thinks that just because he can drink whatever he wants and not get a hangover that everyone is the same.” He grumbled. “Kid? You're like a year older than him.” she teased. “I’m still older. I can call him whatever I want.” He said with a grin. They both smiled, the slightly awkward atmosphere melting away as they continued making breakfast.

They quickly ate, Jang Mi cursing herself for drinking the night before when she had a morning class. She glared at Hoseok as he lay on her couch, gloating that he didn’t have a class until after lunch. “You know that I hate you, right?” she said as she stood by the front door, ready to leave. “Hate me? No way. You know you love me.” he teased. She scoffed. “Hate.” She shouted back before waving at him and heading out the door.

Hoseok watched her go, his smile fading after she left. He sighed and flopped back onto the couch, his headache fading slightly after eating. “I wish every morning was like this. Waking up and making breakfast together… I could do without the hangover though.” He said to himself as he set an alarm to wake him up after an hour, praying that a short nap would get rid of his headache.