This was supposed to be posted on the 9th but the ao3 tag is so dry and nothing new is being posted so... here! :D 

Recordings wrapped up 15 minutes earlier than expected but Minhyun already went on ahead saying that he wanted to edit it as soon as possible so they could hear it before he submitted his entry. Seongwoo and Daniel were left behind the studio cleaning up the mess of their takeout dinners but no one has spoken a word. Daniel was being hesitant while Seongwoo felt shy after he realized what his unconscious message implied.

Wasn’t that a confession?! It was, wasn’t it?!

, what’s Daniel going to think of me now?

What if he’s not even into guys in the first place?

Great, way to ruin the most beautiful friendship you probably had―

“Hey, Seongwoo..”

Welp, there it is. Way to go champ―

“You did great today!”

What?

“U-um.. thanks..?” Seongwoo replied with much caution but Daniel didn’t seem to notice. “I knew you could do it no problem! Though I’m betting on the last song. Probably because I’ve heard you sing the Galaxy and Last Love before but it’s the third song! I reaaaally loved how you sang it I could cry!” When Daniel showed no signs of being uncomfortable, Seongwoo started to loosen up, shoulders losing tension he didn’t know he had.

“I just.. Picked it out on a whim. I didn’t think I could actually sing it well. Though hearing you say that makes me feel a little reassured.” Daniel smiled and gave his hand a light squeeze which caught Seongwoo off guard. “You’ll be fine, I’m very confident about that.” The bespectacled male blinked in surprise but his expression softened at Daniel’s reassuring squeeze. “Thanks, I really needed it.”

Daniel flashed his thousand watt smile and continued to walk with their hands linked together. “Mind if I come over for a bit? I want to feed Niel and maybe brush him too.” The larger male asked with hints of excitement in his voice. “All of a sudden?” Seongwoo playfully asked while laughing at Daniel’s sudden excitement. “Oh C'mon! You know I love cats! I’ve been cat deprived lately and Niel is the closest cat I can play with!” Seongwoo couldn’t help but laugh at this giant kid.

“Alright, Alright. Whatever you say.” He casually waved off, not once letting go of Daniel’s hand but Daniel didn’t seem to mind either. The freshman duo continued to walk side by side, talking about the most random things until they finally reached Seongwoo and Minhyun’s shared dorm room. Minhyun usually consults Jaehwan for editing since they were both vocal majors.

Probably why Daniel also asked if he could come over.

True enough, when Seongwoo opened the door, Daniel immediately bounced over to where Niel was sleeping on the couch with Seongwoo who followed suit after removing his shoes. “Hey there buddy~” Daniel softly called towards the still drowsy white furball that Seongwoo found the sight endearing. Now that they were alone, Seongwoo suddenly didn’t know how to act around Daniel after discovering his feelings towards the slightly younger male. He couldn’t help but fidget with his fingers, suddenly feeling hyper-aware of Daniel’s presence.

“Seongwoo?” The said male practically jumped in surprise.

“Y-Yeah?” Daniel raised an eyebrow,

“You okay? Did the recording tire you out today?” He said with a worried town as he unconsciously leaned closer while Seongwoo instinctively leaned back at the sudden close proximity. “I-I’m fine! Really!” Seongwoo said with a smile that probably twitched at the corners of his lips for being forced. Daniel had his hand on Seongwoo’s arm with his back against the sofa’s armrest. The bespectacled male suddenly felt trapped, as if any move he made would make contact with Daniel’s body.

“Ah, I get it now.” Daniel suddenly said. Seongwoo looked up, curious by the sudden change of his tone and his eyes instantly landed on Daniel’s. Bad idea! Seongwoo thought as Daniel’s eyes didn’t have the usual innocent glow in them. “I didn’t want to assume or anything but..” Daniel bit his bottom lip, hesitant if he should continue but he already started it anyway. “The last song… It was a confession, wasn’t it?”

Seongwoo froze, eyes slightly widened with mouth hanging open and not knowing how to reply. But Daniel felt his body tense and instead softened his gaze into a reassuring smile. “You don’t have to be scared. Because if it was.. Then I have something to confess too.” If it was possible, Seongwoo looked even more shocked at the sudden turn of events. “... What?” Niel has long since gone down the couch to explore the dorm while the two males remained in their positions (More like Seongwoo remained frozen while Daniel was still holding his arm).

Slowly but with utmost care, Daniel slid his hand on Seongwoo’s arm down to his hand and lovingly intertwined his fingers with Seongwoo’s. “Seongwoo-yah…” Daniel started with the gentlest tone he has ever used and Seongwoo’s heart practically skipped a beat. Just when he thought Daniel can’t possibly affect him this much, the giant puppy gave out an excited smile that Seongwoo felt like his heart could burst.

“I like you a lot, and I meant a lot!” Seongwoo was left speechless but Daniel wasn’t finished.

“I’ve seen you since the first day of school when you almost slipped in the stairs of the dorm building. You just looked so innocent I couldn’t believe you were a freshman~” Daniel teased with a poke to Seongwoo’s cheek only to receive a smack that he laughed off. “I only needed to ask Minhyun once, your name wasn’t easy to forget after all. It was incredibly unique but then I also found out you were a dean’s lister! And I just thought wow, visuals and brains you know? It’s a unique find.”

“You’re embarrassing me..” Seongwoo muttered but Daniel just laughed again, “Hey! Just hear me out!”

“Of course you’d remember how you bumped into me that day. I was in a pretty bad mood and was on the verge of cursing out of frustration. But then I saw you and somehow my frustration just magically dissipated like it wasn’t even there.” Daniel looked at the smaller male who has remained silent throughout this whole confession and Daniel suddenly felt braver with the lack of rejection. “We met from there and now we’re the bestest of friends, I came to know you and the little hobbies you do that you don’t even know about.” Seongwoo pushed back his glasses and Daniel smiled.

“That’s one. You push back your glasses when you’re embarrassed or flustered. Sometimes you blink by squeezing both of your eyes that it makes you look like a cat. You’re probably the smartest among our circle of friends and yet there are times when you’re like a lost child not knowing where to go. Behind those thin wire-framed of glasses of yours, you’re easily one of the most handsome guys on the whole campus. Another thing that’s definitely unique about you is your pretty moles, the summer triangle on your very face. And, of course, your voice.” Daniel’s smile suddenly turned giddy and excited.

“Your voice is what made me fall harder than anything you’ve ever done. You have the best voice that I’ve heard and you delivering emotions with it is second to none. You have little confidence in yourself, and yet, you’re the very person that shines the most in my eyes.” Daniel took a moment to admire the smaller male who remained shocked throughout his confession so he gave his hand another reassuring squeeze. As if he were telling Seongwoo that ‘yes, this confession is a hundred percent real.’

Daniel doesn’t know what made him brave at that very moment. He raised his free hand and pushed back the fringe that fell softly above Seongwoo’s eyes where the comma hairstyle curved inwards, not failing to brush against the bespectacled male’s cheek where his moles were located. “It’s okay if you don’t say anything now or if you don’t feel the same, but I just wanted to let it out before I chicken out in the last minute or I’ll end up bottling this inside me forever.”

Seongwoo suddenly grew nervous. He’s not doing what I think he’s doing, is he?

“Seongwoo-yah…” Daniel started before flashing him his trademark smile that rivals the brightest of stars,

“I love you.”

In that moment, Seongwoo’s vision suddenly blurred as tears instantly pooled in his eyes. He couldn’t speak, he was too overwhelmed but Daniel was worried. He didn’t dare hug him, what if it was his fault that Seongwoo was crying in the first place? It would only make it worse. “Hey hey... Don’t cry. You’re always prettier when you smile.” Daniel said with his usual gentle tone that always pulls at Seongwoo’s heartstrings and yet it just made him cry harder.

Seongwoo clung on to Daniel’s shirt as if he was telling him it was okay so Daniel, after an intense internal debate, wrapped his arms around Seongwoo lithe form and held him close. Seongwoo kept his hold on Daniel as if letting go would make Daniel disappear. “Shh, it’s okay it’s okay. I’m right here, why are you crying?” Daniel whispered into Seongwoo’s ear after putting aside his glasses on the table to make him calm down.

“What’s wrong?” Daniel asked with the most caring tone as he cupped Seongwoo’s cheek in his hand. Seongwoo simply shook his head and tightened his grip on Daniel’s shirt. “I’m just... I... “ He tried to start amidst all the tears that Daniel kept wiping off with his thumb and yet Seongwoo smiled. The smile that he does when he scores the highest in a test, one of relief and excitement when he fixed his gaze on Daniel’s eyes.

“I’m just so happy I can’t help it.”

Daniel’s face broke out into a huge grin and held Seongwoo close into a tight hug while the latter was still covering his face. He couldn’t help it, he was just too happy. No one outside his hometown has paid attention and loved him as much as Daniel admitted at that moment and it just touched his heart. Even now as Daniel held him in his arms, he made him feel like he was the most precious thing in the world to be handled with such care.

They stayed in that position for a while longer until Seongwoo finally calmed down with the help of Daniel whispering sweet nothings into his ear and drawing comforting circles on his back. Eventually, they were wrapped in a comforting silence after Seongwoo eventually stopped crying but he didn’t want to let go just yet. Daniel didn’t seem to plan on letting go either.

It was at that moment when Seongwoo realized how Daniel’s arms felt like home.

Like how he was meant to be there in the first place.

Daniel was the first to break the silence, “This might seem too sudden but..” Seongwoo grew curious as they both leaned back enough to see each other’s faces. Daniel seemed hesitant while he wiped off the tear stains on Seongwoo’s cheeks. “... Can I kiss you?” He finally said with a faint red tint on his cheeks and Seongwoo couldn’t help but chuckle at the cute sight. “Of course you can.” Daniel suddenly became the happiest child but, of course, he didn’t forget about Seongwoo being comfortable.

The brunette carefully held Seongwoo’s face in his hands and looked at him with the most loving smile in the world. Seongwoo looked back with just as much passion and that was what reassured Daniel that this was indeed okay. Slowly but surely, Daniel leaned in and tilted his head, eyes now closed and lips brushing against each other that felt electrifying to the two freshmen.

Daniel suddenly felt braver with the mere brushing of lips until he finally closed the gap, lips slotting perfectly as if they were each other’s missing piece. Seongwoo kissed back with just as much passion as he clung on to Daniel’s shoulders by the base of his neck. For a moment, the whole world was at a standstill with them only focusing on each other as if nothing else mattered. Nothing else but the guy they now held in their arms.

After what seemed like an eternity of pure bliss, Daniel slowly pulled away (not before leaving one last peck on Seongwoo’s lips). Although Seongwoo still had traces of tear stains on his cheeks, Daniel still thought that Seongwoo’s visuals were indeed no joke when paired with a comma hairstyle. Then again, Seongwoo would look beautiful to Daniel regardless of what he looked like. He couldn’t help it, he was finally an item with his best friend and Daniel couldn’t help but giggle.

“What’s with that?” Seongwoo chuckled at the sudden giggle but Daniel only shook his head, “I’m just happy to finally call you my boyfriend.” Tints of red rapidly spread across Seongwoo’s cheeks that he had to hide his face in Daniel’s broad shoulders. “Stooop!” He whined out of pure embarrassment with a mix of delight, ‘boyfriend’ had a nice ring to it after all. “Hey~ Are you being shy now? I know you liked how it sounded though, look at you! All smiles and yet you refuse to show it!”

Daniel would tickle Seongwoo as an attempt to finally get him to show his face but Seongwoo wasn’t backing down without a fight. In the end, their small wrestling session ended up with Daniel back hugging the older male while Seongwoo was still trying to subside his laughter from all the tickling. In the end, they spent the night talking about the most random of things without moving from their position since they both didn’t find it the slightest bit uncomfortable.

~ .oOo. ~

It was already late at night, 12:04 am to be exact when Minhyun finally came back from Jaehwan’s dorm after consulting him about any necessary edits to Seongwoo’s cover. Once he removed his shoes, he was supposed to place his laptop bag on the coffee table when a surprising sight greeted him by the sofa. Minhyun was pretty sure he entered their shared dorm room but this just made him feel like he walked into some Manhwa he didn’t know about.

By the sofa were two males, namely Daniel and Seongwoo, clearly in a deep sleep as both were making soft snoring noises and chests rising and falling at each breath. Seongwoo was practically curled into a ball like how he always does when he sleeps. Meanwhile, Daniel was easily spooning the smaller male with his larger frame. Daniel’s arm was wrapped around Seongwoo’s lithe figure, his hands holding onto the other’s own.

Minhyun shouldn’t be too surprised, he actually thought they were already dating ever since Seongwoo has been visiting Daniel’s dorm lately. Turns out it was just because of a cat (which was slightly disappointing to Minhyun) but Minhyun had no qualms about it. If anything, he’s probably been looking forward to this happening anyway. The vocal major took a quick picture (Hey, you’ll never know when you’re going to need it.) before he took Seongwoo’s blankets from his bed and draped it over the two sleeping males.

After he was sure they were comfortable, Minhyun left them alone and stayed in his room as to not disturb the sleeping duo.

~ .oOo. ~

In the silence of the night, Seongwoo’s phone vibrated as an alert for a new message.

From: Minhyun

Took you long enough.

Gotta admit this was cute though ;)

[ 1 photo attached ]

And so their feelings were finally made known! (ing finally... kidding lol I'm the one writing this ) so... 'til next time I guess? Also, let me know what you think and if I'm pacing this too fast or something. Best to be kept realistic, yes?