Beneath the inky sky, dotted with the light from thousands of glimmering distant stars, six young men casually lounged around the warmth from their small campfire. Golden grains of sand beneath their towels moulded to accommodate their sprawled bodies and relaxed limbs, as the cool nighttime breeze gently caressed their faces.

With the constant rumbling of waves rushing up the shore and the crackling coming from the flickering flames as nature’s background music, they spent their time making idle chitchat and snacking on delicious sweet treats as they awaited the New Year. And with families out of town or too far to visit, what better way to spend the first minutes of the New Year than with close friends?

“Jongin! How can you possibly eat another one?” exclaimed a wide-eyed Kyungsoo, as he watched the grinning male shovel his sixth – or was it his seventh? – smore into his waiting mouth. “Don’t you feel sick?”

“Nope,” Jongin chuckled in reply, as a trickle of melted chocolate trailed down his chin. “Not at all.”

“It’s called talent, dearest Kyungie,” grinned Chanyeol, as he too, devoured another one of the messy indulgences. “We men of strong stomachs never get sick.”

“Riigghhtt,” snickered Baekhyun, rolling his eyes at his lover’s childish behaviour. “If I remember correctly, you got quite sick after eating some of Suho’s cooking last week.”

“That stuff was poison,” the curly-headed male retorted defensively, folding his arms across his chest as he mock-glared at his smirking boyfriend. “I’m lucky to be alive!”

“Hey! It wasn’t that bad,” Suho retaliated with a frown before looking to Kyungsoo for assistance.

“I wouldn’t have fed it to a dog,” smiled Kyungsoo, gently patting the dejected male on the back. “But it was a good effort though.”

Opting not to listen to the two couples’ petty bickering as Suho fought back in an attempt to defend his non-existent cooking ability and Chanyeol ranted about his iron stomach, Jongin shifted his attention to watching the orange flames, smirking to himself as he compared them to Chanyeol’s hair.

Hearing a quiet giggle from across the campfire, Jongin looked up and felt his heart flutter as he locked gazes with his other companion, Oh Sehun – Jongin’s long-time crush. As the pair smiled at each other from across the blazing heat, Jongin was reminded of why he fell for the soft-spoken boy nearly a year ago.

Sehun’s cheeks were flushed pink from the warmth, and his lips were curved into an amused smile as his slanted brown eyes crinkled at the edges – not quite his lovable eye-smile, but close. Tousled brown locks fell across his face as he looked down at his feet, breaking eye contact with Jongin, before a dainty hand brushed them away.

Before Jongin could open his mouth to say something to the male – perhaps compliment him on…everything? – Sehun’s attention had been stolen away by Kyungsoo, who wanted to talk about the dinner party tomorrow. Sighing as yet another chance slipped through his fingers, Jongin poked his index finger into the sand and started to draw.

“So…the plan? Are you still gonna do it?” asked Chanyeol quietly, catching Jongin’s not-so-subtle wistful gaze in Sehun’s direction.

“Yeah…I think that I will,” he mumbled in reply, looking up at his friend with a crooked smile. “I don’t want to waste another chance to tell him.”

“Plan? What plan?” questioned Baekhyun curiously, as he overheard their conversation and moved his towel closer towards them.

“Well…Jongin’s gonna confess to Sehun tonight,” said Chanyeol, his glee evident in his wide-smile, eye twitches and all.

“Really?!” squealed Baekhyun, clapping his hands in excitement as he drew the rest of the group’s attention to a mortified Jongin.

“Sshh!” scolded Jongin, glaring at the beaming boy. “I don’t want him to find out what I’m doing, dammit!”

“Sorry,” mumbled Baekhyun with an apologetic smile. “I’m just…really happy for you. So…how’re you gonna do it?”

“Well…you know how at midnight you’re supposed to kiss the person closest to you?” began Jongin nervously – he still wasn’t that confident in ‘the plan’. “I’m going to stand next to Sehun and kiss him when the clock ticks over.”

“And if Sehun kisses him back, it means that he obviously feels the same. But if he doesn’t, and says something like ‘dude, what the hell?’ then Jongin can say ‘it wasn’t me, it was New Years’ and they can stay friends,” concluded Chanyeol with a satisfied nod as he looked over to his dumb-founded boyfriend. “So, watcha think? Brilliant, ain’t it?”

“Let me guess…you thought of this plan, Channie,” sighed Baekhyun, as he looked over to his grinning lover. “Dear god…I am actually dating a retard.”

“What?! No! This plan is perfect,” argued Chanyoel, unable to comprehend why Baekhyun was looking at him in disappointment. “It’s practically foolproof! Nothing can go wrong!”

“Umm…except for everything?” replied Baekhyun in exasperation, while Jongin just stared at the squabbling couple. “That excuse…oh my god, it’s the worst excuse ever! Blaming it on the New Year? What are you? An idiot? Who would buy that?”

“Everyone,” snapped Chanyeol, feeling more than a bit insulted at Baekhyun’s lack of faith in his plan. “Who wouldn’t?”

Deciding that listening to the BaekYeol couple disagree over how he should declare his feelings to Sehun wasn’t how he’d like to celebrate the approaching New Year, Jongin slowly rose from his towel – trying not to catch their attention – and made haste towards the water’s edge.

Smiling contentedly as he buried his feet into the sloppy sand, loving the feeling of the grains between his toes, Jongin sighed and continued to walk towards the sea, his feet squelching in the sand with every step that he took. Looking out onto the relatively calm sea, Jongin’s eyes roamed the horizon, as if the answer about what he should do was there, waiting for him to find it.

With the scent of salt invading his nostrils, Jongin exhaled deeply as he realised, with great regret, that he’d have to figure out the answer for himself, for it wouldn’t be easily given to him. Before he turned to re-join the rest of the group, he let his eyes linger on the gorgeous nightfall landscape, taking in every little detail.

Pale beams of moonlight danced across the gentle ocean waves, illuminating the picturesque view in a pleasant glow as the occasional fish leapt out of the water, leaving tiny droplets in its wake.

The beach itself was perhaps more beautiful at night, when the ambiance was more serene and tranquil. Majestic trees lined the boundary between the sand dunes and the park behind them, their curled leaves fluttering as branches swayed in the wind, creating twisted shadows along the seashore.

“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” murmured Sehun, his gaze following Jongin’s as he joined the latter on the shore.

“Yeah…it is,” Jongin replied, wrenching his eyes from the view to instead focus on something much prettier – Sehun.

Bathed in the moonlight’s gentle glow, Sehun looked even more stunning than before when they were seated around the fire. His already creamy complexion was enhanced, giving the male an ethereal sense about him, and as Jongin admired him once more, he knew that tonight was most definitely the night.

“Have you made any New Year’s resolutions?” Sehun asked softly, his eyes tentatively meeting Jongin’s.

“Yeah…I’m going to tell the most perfect boy that I love him,” Jongin replied, his gaze still boring into that of Sehun’s. “And that I have loved him for quite a while.”

“Oh…R-Really?” stammered Sehun, his cheeks tinting pink and his eyes widening to rival Kyungsoo’s. “W-When are you going to t-tell him?”

“Very soon,” Jongin murmured with a smile, feeling his heartbeat quicken as Sehun gasped and took a step backwards.

Perhaps…he likes me too.

“Ten…nine…eight…seven…six…” chanted the rest of the group, their joyful shouts echoing through the night.

Jongin and Sehun simply stared at each other.

“Five…four…three…”

Jongin took a step closer, as Sehun gaped at him.

“Two…one…HAPPY NEW YEAR!” bellowed the jubilant males, as they hugged each other and kissed their respective partners.

“Happy New Year, Sehun-ah,” whispered Jongin, as he took Sehun into his arms, pressing the startled boy against his chest.

Sehun’s eyes fluttered shut as Jongin leaned down and lightly brushed their lips together, just as fireworks went off in the distance.

How appropriate, Jongin thought to himself as he deepened the kiss, loving the feeling of Sehun’s soft lips against his own.

Sighing as he pulled away, Jongin rested their foreheads together, emitting a chuckle as both boys gasped for air.

“I-I love you, Sehun,” Jongin confessed, dropping his arms as he looked into the other’s eyes. “And I just needed you to know that.”

Stiffening as he felt Sehun’s hand on his wrist as he turned to leave, Jongin looked into Sehun’s flushed yet beaming face – his eye-smile finally on display.

“I love you too,” Sehun admitted, his smile widening as Jongin took him in his arms and kissed him breathless once more.

And as they watched the heart-warming take place from the campfire, Chanyeol poked his fanboy-ing lover in the arm and smirked.

“See? I told you that it would work,” he grinned, looking at his lover with a ‘told you so’ expression on his face. “My plans are always foolproof.”

Baekhyun facepalmed. 

Story Prompt: Sekai celebrating New Years