“What?” Youngbae gaped at Seungri, a sudden feeling of dread eating away at his insides. He knew he was not exactly the wealthy kids the blond normally hung out with, but such a callous comment was mind-numbingly painful.

“It was a mistake bringing you here, wasn’t it?” But then Seungri’s expression fell into a deep frown. “I was trying so hard to impress you that I brought you to the fanciest place I could get us into on such short notice. I didn’t think about the fact it might make you uncomfortable or overwhelm you. Sorry for being such a loser.”

All of the panic that had been building up in Youngbae’s body melted away as he laughed softly. “Oh, Seungri.” Reaching across the table, he gave the blond’s hand a squeeze. “It was a bit overwhelming, yeah, but…it wasn’t a mistake. A date with you wouldn’t be a mistake as long as we’re both having a good time.” He tipped his head, trying to meet Seungri’s gaze with his. “I’ve been having a lot of fun. Have you?”

It was a bit like watching the sun rise: Seungri’s face blossomed into a smile as he sat up straight in his chair. “So much fun,” he agreed. “You are way better than the other people I’ve dated. I mean, you actually laugh at my jokes.” He winked at Youngbae, who gave an obliging chuckle. “See! You’re perfect.”

“You’re so strange,” Youngbae said with a bit of a smile about the edge of his lips. “I’m not sure why I like you.”

Seungri wiggled his chair over closer to the brunette. “So you admit you like me,” he practically purred, his dark eyes sparkling.

There was that blush again – heating up the tanned skin along the back of Youngbae’s neck. “I might.”

“No, you totally said you like me.” Seungri leaned closer. “Admit it. Or else I will be forced to kiss you until you confess.”

“Yah!” Youngbae punched his arm. “Don’t you dare.”

Seungri – the epitome of ridiculousness – fluttered his eyelashes. “Aw, come on, Bae. Just admit it. You know you like me. You do.”

Youngbae rolled his eyes. “Fine. I like you. Now leave me alone.”

In a swift move, Seungri pecked Youngbae’s cheek before sitting back in his seat. “I like you too.”

He loved him.

Their next date proved that Seungri had learned his lesson from the entertaining (but still rather awkward) meal at N Grill. He had picked Youngbae up in his far less intimidating Hyundai and told the man to wear comfortable clothing – pants he could move in were a must. Youngbae had been amused by those orders, but it was worlds better than having to guess what Seungri would have up his million dollar sleeves.

When Seungri picked him up or their date, the man flashed Youngbae a ridiculously cheesy grin (one intended to make him laugh) before presenting him with a rose. “For the most beautiful server to have walked the earth,” Seungri intoned, trying to be more serious than he had ever been.

“Thanks,” Youngbae drawled, taking the rose. “I didn’t know we were at the point of exchanging gifts. I would’ve crocheted you something, if I had known.” He stepped back into his postage stamp apartment to find some water for the rose.

Seungri trailed along after him – eyes wandering curiously over the bed on one half of the room and the bookcase, which was so broken it leaned at a forty-five degree angle. “I didn’t know you crochet,” Seungri managed after a moment. He thought that commenting on the state of the apartment – even if it was as clean as possible – would probably offend his date. After all, the brunette’s shoulders were drawn into a tight line and he was shifting his weight restlessly from foot to foot as he filled up the cup with water.

“Yeah, well. I had to do something to fill up all the time between customers during my shift.” Youngbae’s shoulder jerked through the parody of a shrug. “Crochet is surprisingly soothing.”

“You never cease to amazing me,” Seungri admitted. “Think you could try to teach me sometime?”

The brunette looked at him over his shoulder. “Ri, you wouldn’t be able to hold still long enough to manage. You’d lose count of the stitches faster than I could make an omelet.” 

Slipping up behind Youngbae, the blond curled his arms around the man’s surprisingly trim waist. “Bae. You have no faith in me.”

“It’s not a matter of faith,” he protested, turning off the water. “It’s a matter of knowing you too well.” He put the rose in the water and tossed the plastic wrap in the garbage bag hanging from the closet handle nearby. Then, slowly, he turned around in Seungri’s arms and leaned back against the lip of the counter. “That’s all.”

Seungri pouted. “I could surprise you, you know. I might secretly be the best crochetter to have ever lived.”

“Is crochetter even a word?” Youngbae just repressed a smile, but it was clear that it was trying its best to curl up the ends of his lips. “Ri, you surprise me every day. You don’t even have to try to leave me breathless.”

For the first time in all the weeks they had known each other, a decidedly pink tinge colored the pale, smooth surface of Seungri’s cheeks. He was blushing. Unable to fathom how he was supposed to respond to such a statement, Seungri began to brush his thumb over the stud in the pocket of Youngbae’s pocket. Then, he shifted closer – allowing their bodies to brush lightly. Youngbae felt his breath catch as Seungri’s gaze caught his: The blond’s eyes were pitch dark and warm, like the perfect summer evening. An answering blush immediately crawled up the back of Youngbae’s neck. Slowly, Seungri leaned forward and pressed his lips against Youngbae’s for a light, simple kiss.

When their lips parted, Youngbae sighed softly. “Wow.”

Seungri laughed. “You are pretty amazing,” he agreed breathlessly. “Can I kiss you again?”

Youngbae smirked a little. “No.” Before Seungri could stutter out an angry reply, Younbae cut him off with a quick, “Because I am going to kiss you!” Curling his hand around Seungri’s nape, he pulled him in for a considerably more enthusiastic kiss.

By the time they made it down to the car, Youngbae’s full lips were red from their kisses. But, oh, Seungri was grinning like a fool. He could not be happier about the almost dazed look on the brunette’s pretty face. It made him feel like an absolute boss to have put that sort of expression on the normally so reserved Youngbae’s face. There was nothing Seungri wouldn’t do to keep that smile on Youngbae’s face; the man looked more at peace than he’d ever seen him. Even Dongwook had noticed the difference and commented on how happy Youngbae was around work. Apparently the brunette had even taken to dancing as he mopped and sang along with his favorite songs as they crackled over the diner’s speakers. It was so awesome.

Dongwook’s comment about Youngbae dancing around the diner had actually served as Seungri’s muse for their date that night. He knew better than to do anything crazy expensive – Youngbae got nervous about those things – so he had instead turned to things that were cheaper, just to keep his date comfortable. Tonight’s event was even free, which Seungri thought was rather impressive; he just hoped free things were fun. When they parked in front of the local community center, Youngbae raised an eyebrow at Seungri. “This is different,” he said simply.

Seungri laughed. “But it’s going to be awesome. You don’t even know.” Slipping out of the car, he snuck around to open Youngbae’s door for him. The older man always laughed when he did it – he said it made him feel like he was royalty or something. And Seungri loved doing it for Youngbae because he wanted the man to feel special (because he was, obviously).

Walking into the wide community room, Youngbae blinked and looked around in obvious confusion. There were chairs along the outside walls, but otherwise the center of the room was empty. He then looked over to the far side and noticed a gathering of older men and women by a stereo. A group of young men and women also stood with them, talking loudly and laughing. Youngbae raised an eyebrow at Seungri, who just grabbed his hand and drug him over to the gaggle of people.

One of the boys – one with eyes the size of large coins – grinned at them. “Are you two here to dance?” he asked with a bright smile.

“We are! If you’re willing to take two extra,” Seungri said easily.

“Excellent!” The boy clapped his hands together. “I’m Jinwoo. We’re always happy to have new faces around here.”

Before long, trot music was blaring through the speakers, and everyone moved out to the center of the room. The teenagers flailed about joyfully while the elders attempted to dance as best they could with their aching joints. Once Youngbae caught on, he laughed brightly and moved out to steady a little grandma who seemed to be tottering a bit more than the others. He held onto her hands as he wriggled along with the trot music – clearly able to dance well by the way he moved. Seungri grinned and snuck a picture of the scene with his phone, setting it as his background. Tucking his phone away, he rushed out to join Youngbae on the dancefloor. He knew it had been a brilliant idea the moment he had seen the event on the community calendar.

He loved him not.

Months bled together as summer melted into fall and gave way to the biting chill of winter. Seungri had surprised all of his friends by staying with the same person for more than a week, let alone several months. They, of course, had no idea who Seungri was dating, but the concept was still very impressive. He had even stopped going out with them every weekend; he preferred to spend his time hanging out with Youngbae, Dongkook, and the diner regulars. Somehow, being able to remember the weekend come Monday was far more enjoyable than dealing with a brutal hangover.

But, winter presented a distinct problem: his family’s Christmas gala.

Normally, Seungri would just take whatever pretty model he was sleeping with at the time, but that was out of the question this time. Appearing with a man on his arm, though, was utterly unthinkable. His parents didn’t care what he did in his private life, but in public it was his job to appear as the perfect son. And, in their society, a gay son was decidedly not a perfect son. The perfect solution struck as it always did: when Seungri was watching a drama at two in the morning.

Getting out of bed, he had immediately begun to set his plan into motion. He even sent a text to Youngbae – knowing the man would be at work – asking if he could drop past the next evening. When his boyfriend (such a great word, Seungri thought) had agreed, Seungri had danced in place before forcing himself to go to bed. He had a long day planned, and he needed to be rested if he was going to get everything together in time. There were only four days to the party!

“Bae, my Bae,” Seungri called, bursting into the diner in a shower of snow and enthusiasm.

Looking up from cutting a piece of pie for a customer, Youngbae raised an eyebrow at the blond. “Yes, Ri?” He pointed to the coat rack with the serving knife, raising an eyebrow.

Taking the hint, Seungri unwound his scarf and hung it up before adding the nearly soaked coat to the rack as well. In his enthusiasm to see Youngbae, he had simply parked in the first spot he could find and then had raced to the dinner, getting soaked in the process. 

“Bae, could you find someone to cover your shift Saturday?” Seungri fluttered his eyelashes. “I need you for something.”

Youngbae hesitated, but Dongwook stuck his head through the window – as always – to say, “We’ll find someone.”

The brunette made a face. “You give into him too easily,” he protested. “He’s going to start thinking he owns the diner or something.”

Seungri hesitated. “Not a bad idea, that. I mean, if I owned the diner, it’d almost be like owning you,” he teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

Snorting, Youngbae moved off to give the slice of pie to the customer. He then returned and began to make Seungri his usual milkshake – a necessity even in winter. “So what is it you need me for?”

“My family gala,” Seungri said easily. Youngbae spilt the ice cream on the counter. “I want you to go with me.”

Youngbae turned and gave his boyfriend a confused look. “Ri, are you sure you want to do that? I mean, is that okay?”

Seungri nodded easily. “Yeah. It’ll be perfect. I can’t wait for you to meet them. And it’s about time you should get a tux anyway – we can get one for you tomorrow or something. Everyone will be completely jealous.”

Youngbae had his doubts about the plan – he could not understand how Seungri’s family would be okay with him bringing a man as a date – but decided to trust the blond. After all, Seungri knew his family and social circle better than Youngbae did. If he didn’t know what they could handle, who would? He even let Seungri buy him a tux, though he honestly had no idea when he would ever use the thing again. But, it felt nice to be dressed up in an outfit that not only felt good but looked amazing. Stealing a glance at himself in the cracked mirror, the brunette smiled a little: He actually looked like he belonged in Seungri’s world. Even the addition of styling his hair into a fauxhawk did not seem remiss; it fit the edgy style of the tux Seungri had picked.

Straightening his cufflinks one last time, Youngbae steadied himself before grabbing his keys and darting out the door.

Seungri had wanted to pick him up, but Youngbae had protested, claiming he was more than capable of getting to the venue. And, he was. The bus was more than able to get Taeyang to the museum where the gala was to be held. When he got off, he took a slow breath before moving towards the imposing building. A goofy little grin tugged his lips at the sight of Seungri waiting for him – leaning easily against a pillar as though he owned the world. He had even chosen a white tux for the evening, which just made him look like the angel Youngbae suspected he was.

When he got closer, Seungri saw him and broke out into his signature million-watt smile. He bounced down the stairs and took a long moment to appreciate the view Youngbae presented. “You look even better than I could have imagined,” Seungri declared. “Skies, you are so gorgeous.”

Ducking his head, Youngbae laughed. “Thanks, Ri. But I don’t think anyone will notice me with you around. It’s like you’re a god or something.”

Reaching over, Seungri pinned a red rose to Youngbae’s lapel. “You say that now, but the moment we get in there you are going to be swarmed. It’ll be up to me, Seul-ki, and Eun-ji to keep the hoards at bay.”

Youngbae hesitated. “Seul-ke and Eun-ji?”

Seungri slipped his hand into Youngbae’s and started for where a pair of admittedly beautiful women were standing. “Yeah. They’re going to be our dates tonight. It’ll be like we’re doubling with them, but not. I thought it’d be the perfect way for you to be able to come without embarrassing my family.”

The brunette stopped short. “What?”

“You know, so we can be together without being too gay. My parents don’t care who I date as long as I upkeep the company image.” Seungri gave Youngbae’s hand a little tug. “Come on. We don’t want to be late for the toast. I can’t wait to show you off.”

Youngbae calmly pulled his hand from Seungri’s grip. “You know what, I think this really was a mistake.” He took a slow step back as the blond attempted to recapture his hand. “I thought maybe that somehow this would be different from what I expected – that you actually cared for me. But you don’t, do you?”

Seungri sputtered in confusion. “Bae, what are you saying? Of course I care about you. You’re practically my whole world!”

“No, I’m not,” the man said, ducking his head. “If I were, you would have asked me if I wanted to do this or you would have been brave enough to have me on your arm instead of some girl. You just assumed that I wouldn’t be completely humiliated by being the other man, didn’t you?” He laughed, but it sounded completely wrong in Seungri’s ears.

“Bae, you’re not the other man. You are literally the only person I’ve so much as ogled in the past couple of months. How could you be the other man?” He tried to close the distance again. “I love you, Bae. I really do.”

“What about when your family expects you to get married and produce an heir? Will she just be a cover for us then too?” Reaching up, Youngbae ripped the rose off his lapel and dropped it on the ground. “I’m sorry, but I can’t live like that. I can’t.” Turning, he ran – disappearing into the snowy night faster than Seungri could process that the man was even leaving.

---

So, here is part two. I figured I would post this so you guys could read it. I'll be off for the rest of the evening - going to watch Tazza 2 with a friend - but I didn't want to leave y'all hanging. The final installment will be up sometime tomorrow~ Sorry if there were any mistakes; I did not get the chance to proofread like I normally do.