Junsu sighed to himself contently. The wind, the surf, the sounds; everything was perfect. He looked back down at his book, rereading the same sentence for the fourth time before giving up completely. Instead he lounged back is his beach chair. This was the first vacation he had in a little over three years and damn it, he was going to enjoy it. He scanned the shore looking for Yoochun.

 

It was Yoochun who asked Junsu to go on a trip to California with him. This was the first time Yoochun invited him along.

 

Junsu smiled as he watched Yoochun surfing. He laughed; Yoochun collected hobbies the way some people collected stamps. Junsu had to admit though, Yoochun was good. And he looked hot in the wetsuit. Of course he would never admit it out loud. But in his own mind, he could enjoy the view.

 

“Hey! You’re dripping on my!” Junsu chastised.

 

“Sorry,” Yoochun smiled. “Do you need anything?”

 

“Naw. I’m good.”

 

“Do you want to try my board?”

 

“You know I can’t swim.” Junsu replied.

 

“Yeah. I’ll have to teach you later. I’m gonna catch one more wave, then we can go get some lunch. Okay?”

 

“Sounds like a plan. I want crabs.”

 

Yoochun smirked at his friend, trying to suppress his laughter.

 

“Not like that! You !” Junsu shrieked.

 

Yoochun lost the last bit of self control he had. He was bent in half laughing until he couldn’t breathe. “You are so innocent some times. It’s cute.” He knelt down on the warm sand, leaned in close to Junsu and flicked him on the forehead. “I’ll be back in a few.”

 

“You’re a jerk!” Junsu called after his friend. He was a little disappointed. For a second he thought Yoochun was going to kiss him. He had hoped Yoochun would kiss him. “!” he cursed himself. “I’m such a dumb .”

 

Yoochun was straight. Very straight. Dangerously straight. Junsu never told s about his preference. Even though he hated that there were secrets between them, he knew it was safer that way.

 

He also knew that he had to give up this foolish crush on Yoochun, It would only lead to heartache.

 

“Uhm, Hello? I see Junsu sitting here, but no one seems to be home.” Yoochun waved his hand in front of Junsu’s face.

 

“So… Sorry.” Junsu blushed.

 

“S’okay. Ready for lunch?” Yoochun smiled.

 

“Yeah. I still want… Edible crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura.”

 

“Okay smart-. I happen to know a great place a little father up the beach. Come on.” Yoochun took hold of Junsu’s hand and pulled him to his feet.

 

They packed up the rental car and headed down the beach. They sat down at an old picnic bench that Junsu was sure he was going to get tetanus from.

 

“Relax Su. This place is great! Yoohwan and I come here every time we come to LA.”

 

“Okay. How’s Yoohwan doing?”

 

“Good. He’s filming another drama.”

 

“Oh.” Junsu’s mood fell knowing the reason Yoochun invited him along was because his brother was busy. “That’s cool.”

 

“You okay?”

 

“Yeah,” Junsu lied. “I’m just really hot.”

 

“Oh. Well after lunch let’s go back to the hotel for a nap.”

 

Junsu nodded. The hotel had messed up the reservation, booking them a room with a double bed instead of two singles. Junsu had offered to sleep on the sofa but Yoochun protested saying it was fine to share the bed.

 

Junsu was silently grateful. He loved sleeping with s and Yoochun was cuddly in his sleep. Some part of Junsu’s mind knew it wasn’t fair to either of them, but he loved when they were on tour and the hotels were full and he got to share a bed with one of s. It made him feel like they were a real family; like they were really his brothers.

 

Yoochun ordered for both of them and it wasn’t a long wait before a waitress brought them their food.

 

Junsu was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Everything was cooked perfectly. The crab was salty and buttery. Some of the simplest things made Junsu so happy; good food, spending time with his best friend. And having time off from his hectic schedule!

 

“You like it?” Yoochun asked.

 

“Yeah. I’m surprised; it’s really good.”

 

They finished eating and headed back to the hotel. Junsu flopped down on to the sofa. His skin was tight and hot from the sun and wind. He waited for Yoochun to finish his shower.

 

Yoochun emerged from the bathroom to find his friend snoring on the couch. He was propped up in the most uncomfortable look position. Junsu’s legs were curled under him, but he was leaning back on the arm of the sofa. Yoochun sighed and picked up his friend.

 

“Huh?” Junsu woke up when Yoochun lifted him.

 

“Shh. Just go back to sleep.” Yoochun whispered as he laid his friend on the bed.

 

Junsu nodded. He didn’t realize how tire he was. He smiled slightly when he felt the other side of the bed dip with Yoochun’s weight. Happiness over took him when he felt Yoochun hug him from behind; Yoochun’s arms tightly around Junsu’s waist.

 

They slept soundly until 5 that evening.

 

“Damn.” Junsu stretched as he uncurled himself from Yoochun.

 

“I guess we were more jet lagged than I thought.” Yoochun laughed quietly.

 

“I guess. You hungry?”

 

“A little. Let’s go to Oki Dog.”

 

“What’s that?” Junsu asked. The last time he was in LA was years ago and they didn’t get to see much of the city.

 

“It’s a hotdog place. It’s great.”

 

Yoochun drove to the diviest looking restaurant in LA. The building was squat and painted a weird burnt orange color and the sign on the awning proclaimed “World Famous Oki Oki Dogs”. There were a few plastic tables and chairs in front. Again, Junsu feared disease from an eatery that Yoochun dragged him to.

 

“Sit. I’ll get us dinner.” Yoochun ordered.

 

Junsu picked a table that looked relatively clean and watched as Yoochun place an order. There was something deadly y about Yoochun speaking in English. Maybe it was that his voice became a little lower or it was the he smiled when he mispronounced a word. What ever. Junsu had to get the thoughts of Yoochun out of his head.

 

Fat chance of that happening. Yoochun sat across from him and set some kind of monstrosity, loosely called food, in front of him.

 

“What is this?” Junsu looked at the burrito type thing in horror. It was the size of his face.

 

“An Oki Dog. It’s got pastrami and cheddar in it.” Yoochun smiled.

 

“How do you eat it?”

 

“Normal people eat it with their hands. But, would you like me to get you a fork, Princess?”

 

Junsu sneered. “Don’t be an hat.” Junsu picked up his hotdog burrito, struggling to find a place to bite into it. “Oh God!”

 

“What? Are you alright?” Yoochun stared wide-eyed at his friend.

 

“Yeah. This is really good. How do you find these places?”

 

“Yoohwan does, mostly. He likes finding off the tourist path stuff, so ever time we go on vacation he researches the city for like a month.” Yoochun laughed.

 

“I’m full,” Junsu moaned a few minutes later with about half his burrito remaining.

 

“Let’s go for a walk.” Yoochun wrapped up Junsu’s food and slid it into a paper bag.

 

The beach was one of Junsu’s favorite places to be. The wind always smelled so fresh and the water felt nice as he walked along the shore. And being there with Yoochun made him all the more happy. Sure, he knew there could never be anything more between them, but Yoochun was still his best friend. Junsu was a little jealous that Yoochun and Jaejoong seemed to be closer, but Junsu was the one Yoochun went to with his problems. Junsu was the first one Yoochun called when he wanted to celebrate. Junsu was the one Yoochun invited to LA when his brother was busy.

 

“Can I ask you a question?” Junsu broke the silence.

 

“Sure,” Yoochun smiled.

 

“Why did you invite me?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Well, you normally go on vacations with Yoohwan and I understand that he’s filming. But why didn’t you ask Jaejoong?”

 

“I’ve been planning this for a while now and I wanted to come with some one I really cared about.” Yoochun tried to sound coy.

 

“What does that mean?”

 

Yoochun stopped walking and silently watched the setting sun dip further beneath the horizon. He reached for Junsu’s hand. “It means, you are really special to me. And I want to share things with you. I want to love you.”

 

Junsu closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around Yoochun’s neck. Yoochun moved first, capturing Junsu’s lips in a tender kiss.

 

It was a perfect first kiss; slow and gentle. Junsu pulled away first and rested his head on Yoochun’s shoulder. Yes, California had become his new favorite place.