“He is so beautiful,” Kyungsoo whimpers for the hundredth time as he stares forlornly at the barista of the campus cafe. The slightly older man has just finished wiping down the counters and organizing the vast array of styrofoam cups and is now trying to discreetly play with his phone. "How is he so beautiful?” He asks dreamily as his head falls forward to plop down into the cup of his hand.

Baekhyun, who is sitting across from his besotted friend, has an expression of thorough disgust plastered on his face. Chanyeol looks offended. “I’m better, right Kyungsoo?” Chanyeol asks, nudging the smaller’s elbow anxiously. “I’m more beautiful.”

“Touch me one more time, and you lose that hand,” Kyungsoo says flatly, jerking his arm away from his friend. A pout juts out Chanyeol’s lip and his eyes widen endearingly, but the other misses the blatant display of aegyo in favor of gazing at the attractive boy. “Junmyeon sunbaenim,” His shoulders rise and fall with the sigh that fills out the end of his name. He seems to sink into himself with the rush of pure adoration that flows out of him.

“If you like him so much,” Baekhyun says lightly, his voice tight from the amount of control he is exerting to be patient. “Why don’t you ask him out?”

Kyungsoo’s head snaps up. “Are you an idiot? I can’t do that!” He snarls.

“And why is that?”

“Because, you know,” A deep blush spreads over Kyungsoo’s face. “I’m me.” He gestures over his body dismissively with the hand that’s not holding his vanilla latte. “And he’s… him.”

Baekhyun shrugs. “I think you have a shot.” He then glances at Kyungsoo once, who has reverted back to hugging himself and mumbling into the curve of his arm. “... You just need help. A lot of help.”

This seems to grab Kyungsoo’s attention again. “What kind of help?”

“Like a coach!” Chanyeol supplies helpfully, beaming.

“Yeah, like a love coach….” Baekhyun says thoughtfully. “Or I guess, more accurately, a dating guru?”

“MAKING LOVE!” Chanyeol bellows excitedly, effectively making everyone in the vicinity (including Junmyeon) turn and stare at them. “I CAN TEACH KYUNGSOO HOW TO MAKE LOVE!” 

Baekhyun and Kyungsoo leap up, seize their backpacks, coats, and drinks, and make a beeline for the door, dragging Chanyeol behind them. “Well,” Baekhyun claps a hand to Kyungsoo’s shoulder, panting. “He definitely noticed your existence that time.”

Kyungsoo groans and shoves Baekhyun away from him. 






The next day, a little after Kyungsoo had returned to his apartment after his biochem lab, there is a tentative knock on his front door.

Kyungsoo, who had been lounging around in the living room, immediately leaps to his feet. Baekhyun had texted him only a few hours ago with a long-winded paragraph about his general “awesomeness” and how “lucky you are to be my friend kyungsoo you ”, and then the concise announcement that his new dating guru would come meet him after his 5pm lecture.

Unsure what to expect, Kyungsoo pauses in his path to the entry door to smooth down his messy hair in the reflection of the microwave. How had Baekhyun found this person? Is Kyungsoo expected to pay for his services? What is the socially acceptable way to introduce yourself to someone who will be teaching you the art of seduction?

But when he opens the door, all nerves instantly fly out of him to be replaced with pure confusion. Jongin is standing in front of him, smiling nervously at him with a backpack slung over his shoulder and a red beanie on his head. “Hey,” Kyungsoo greets him, tilting his head to the side. “Do you need something?” His roommate comes into mind. “Tao’s not here right now, if you were looking for him.” 

“Oh, I know.” Jongin shifts his weight from one leg to the other. He looks slightly uncomfortable, and Kyungsoo can’t possibly imagine why, until he opens his mouth— “Baekhyun hyung says you need help with your crush?”

Kyungsoo’s mouth falls open. Words fail him for a full thirty seconds, during which Jongin stares at him with an increasing amount of concern. Finally, he asks, “You’re my dating guru?”

Jongin ducks his head bashfully. The action in itself is enough to answer the question.

“Nice,” Kyungsoo deadpans, moving to shut the door.

Jongin blocks him from fully closing it by forcefully shoving his body through the entryway. “Got anything to eat? I’m starving,” He asks cheerfully, attempting to pry Kyungsoo’s iron grip off of the wood and let himself in. 

Reluctantly, Kyungsoo lets go of the door and leads Jongin into his apartment. The younger ditches his bag and thick winter jacket on the couch and then plops on to the kitchen island, playing with his fingers. The other opens his pantry and takes out two packages of instant ramen. “You’re my dating guru? Baekhyun sent you?” Kyungsoo asks, almost livid with disbelief. “This is Baekhyun’s grand solution?”

“Is it that surprising?” Jongin asks in a small voice, with all the hurt of a kicked puppy. Kyungsoo looks up from the stove to scan over him from head to toe. This is the boy who he met last year in their Art History 101 class. Sweet, darling Jongin, who sometimes joins him, Baekhyun, and Chanyeol for their Friday movie nights. Jongin, who likes to cuddle under the blanket with each of his hyungs, who falls asleep if you his hair. This is the person whom Baekhyun has sent to help him win over the heart of Kim Junmyeon.

So Kyungsoo answers honestly. “Yeah, it’s surprising.”

Jongin puffs out his chest. “I helped Luhan hyung ask out Minseok hyung when I was still a high schooler.”

Damn, that’s a pretty convincing argument. Kyungsoo’s resolve to not accept help from his dongsaeng caves, and he hides his face by busying himself with the noodles. “Okay then,” He eventually responds. “What is our first order of business?”

Jongin grins.






“I still don’t understand why this is necessary,” Kyungsoo complains. Jongin just ignores his whining and pulls him along, humming softly. “It’s not like I’m going on a date with him!”

“The first impression is very important,” Jongin states wisely. 

It’s the following Friday since the first time they met for Operation: Seduce Unsuspecting Hyung Overwhelmingly (also known as Operation: S.U.H.O., as Baekhyun had excitedly told Kyungsoo over the phone at 3am, to the younger’s displeasure). Since neither of them had classes that day, Jongin had insisted on taking him to the mall for a full makeover. Though Kyungsoo had protested that his wallet couldn’t handle it, he ultimately (grudgingly) listened. After all, Jongin is his dating guru.

“I’ve always wanted to have pink hair,” Jongin says dreamily. He is sitting in front of Kyungsoo on a stool, perched precariously on it with both legs crossed over each other. It makes the smaller nervous just looking at him, but his concerns had been brushed away with an easygoing shrug. 

“I think red is bold enough for me,” Kyungsoo says timidly. He absentmindedly fingers the plastic of the shower cap. “Are you sure this going to look okay?” He asks for the umpteenth time.

There is a flash of teeth as Jongin smiles brilliantly. Kyungsoo finds all his worries fading away. “Trust me, Kyungsoo hyung. You’re going to look great.”

“I trust you.” There is a short lapse in the conversation, and then Kyungsoo hurriedly adds, “But say on the off chance that I look terrible—”

“Then I’ll take responsibility,” Jongin promises easily. 

Kyungsoo catches sight of two girls seated in the waiting area of the hair salon, swooning at the younger’s charismatic words. They had been unabashedly staring at Jongin from their initial entrance into the store, and Kyungsoo could have sworn that he had even seen them take a couple pictures. Like something out of a Korean drama, Kyungsoo notes to himself with a smirk. So our little Jonginnie is more popular than he seems.

Jongin, of course, is right: Kyungsoo’s burgundy hair is flawless to a fault. With the flattering way in which the new cut frames his face, he isn’t sure why he ever doubted his dongsaeng in the first place. “So… you like it?” Jongin asks smugly when he catches Kyungsoo staring at his reflection in the store window for a split second longer than normal. 

The latter turns crimson at being caught and walks faster.

The rest of their time at the mall is spent on clothes shopping. Kyungsoo has never noticed before, but Jongin is very fashionable. He already has a good idea of how he wants Kyungsoo to look. They try on clothing article after clothing article, during which the younger tries to coax his hyung away from solid black items, and by mid-afternoon, they have wrapped up this phase of Operation: S.U.H.O.

“I’m hungry,” Jongin mumbles sleepily on the shuttle ride back to their university campus. His head is pressed into the curve of Kyungsoo’s neck, though the latter is significantly shorter. The edges of Jongin’s hair tickle him slightly, but he just clenches his fists and stays as still as possible. He doesn’t want him to move away. 

“I can make you pasta at my place,” Kyungsoo offers. 

Jongin doesn’t say anything, but Kyungsoo can feel the shoulder that’s pressed against his body stiffen slightly. “Is Tao there?” He finally asks, a note of reluctance steady in his voice.

Completely thrown off, Kyungsoo answers slowly, “No…?” And then for extra reassurance, he adds, “He’s staying at his cousin’s place for the weekend.”

“Okay. I’ll come.” Jongin relaxes again and nuzzles further into Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo is confused to say the least, but he has never been one to pry. He lets Jongin doze off while he counts the stations they have left before their stop and wonders if he has enough ingredients to make Jongin the tiramisu that he loves so much.






It’s the next day, Saturday night, and as soon as he is done placing the delivery order, Kyungsoo realizes that he has ordered way too many hot wings for one sole person to safely consume. He groans, internally debates with himself whether or not it would be too awkward to call the restaurant and ask them to cut out half the order, and then subconsciously finds himself picking up his cellphone once again and calling Jongin.

He picks up after three rings. “Hyung? What’s up?”

“Have you eaten yet?”

“No.” There is a faint shuffling noise from the other side of the line. Jongin seems to be on his bed. “I don’t feel like getting up,” The younger whines, confirming his suspicions.

Kyungsoo grins to himself. “Oh. Well that’s a pity, because I ordered way too many chicken wings—”

“Be there in five minutes!” Jongin disconnects the call.

It actually takes him seven minutes, and Kyungsoo makes sure to about it while they clear the living room coffee table of its various magazines and textbooks. Jongin’s bottom lip juts out after a couple mock-disappointed remarks from his hyung. “It’s hard to run with a laptop in your backpack,” He says defensively, ping said bag and pulling out the evidence. “I thought it would be a good idea to do some research on the target,” He further explains.

“You mean stalk him on Facebook, don’t you?” Kyungsoo asks bluntly, sliding on the floor to sit next to Jongin. The latter wiggles his index finger on the trackpad of his Macbook Air to wake it from sleep mode.

“And Twitter, Cyworld, and even his Tumblr if we can find it.” Jongin turns his face to show his beautiful crescent-eyed smile to Kyungsoo.

The smaller excuses himself for a few minutes to wait by the apartment entrance for the delivery guy. By the time he is done picking up the food, Jongin is already deep into Junmyeon’s Facebook timeline. “Well... he’s not a relationship ,” He calls over to the boy in the kitchen, who is emptying the contents of the ranch bottle onto a paper plate. 

Kyungsoo abandons dinner preparations and zooms over, nearly crashing into Jongin in his haste. The picture on Jongin’s laptop screen is of a version of Junmyeon with slightly longer hair and a small, pretty girl pressing their faces together, flashing their matching couple rings up at the camera. When he slides to view the next picture, he sees Junmyeon piggybacking the same girl. Both of their faces are lit up with happiness. Kyungsoo looks away. A little disappointment has settled into the bottom of his stomach, but the only person he has to blame is himself. He already knew that it was very likely that Junmyeon is straight. 

Kyungsoo can feel Jongin’s eyes boring into the side of his head, anxious but not impatient, and he lets out a comically loud sigh for his benefit. “Are there any single, good-looking gay guys left in this world?” He asks lightly, feeling a twinge of success when he sees a bit of the worry drain from Jongin’s face.

“Of course there are, hyung,” Jongin says brightly. He jabs a thumb at his own body. “This guy right here!”

Laughing, Kyungsoo scoots his closer to Jongin and lays his head on the younger’s shoulder. “Then pretend to be my boyfriend for the rest of the night,” He says in an obnoxiously sultry voice. He elbows Jongin’s stomach when the latter stifles a laugh. “Put me out of my misery.”

“Yes, babe,” Jongin says, equally playful. 

Kyungsoo finally brings over the food, and the two devour the wings. True to his newly-appointed position as boyfriend, Jongin makes sure to feed his hyung strips of tender, white chicken dipped in ranch dressing sauce. He even presses a slightly greasy kiss against Kyungsoo’s cheek, to which both start blushing. It’s over the top for just pretending, but the smaller finds himself glowing under all the attention. 

After they’ve finished eating and cleaning up, Jongin half-heartedly asks if Kyungsoo wants to continue their “research”. But he has had enough letdowns for one day, so after a single shake of his head, the younger pulls his laptop forward and announces that they are going to watch Jurassic World.

They drape a blanket over their bodies. Kyungsoo’s back leans into the curve of Jongin’s chest comfortably, and the latter’s arms wrap around his middle. This is no longer a part of the act. This is Kyungsoo and Jongin finding contentment in the simplicity of each other’s presence, ease in the touch of body against body; there is too much warmth inside of Kyungsoo. He mindlessly blames the wool quilt before he slips off into a dream that is filled with the radiance of Jongin’s smile.






A couple days later at one in the morning, Jongin sends Kyungsoo a single picture and then the message “feel better, hyung”. The photo is of a screencap from Junmyeon’s Instagram. A tell-tale “106 weeks” in the corner, the caption reads “Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Take the moment and make it perfect. @kimmjongdaee21”. Above is a picture of Junmyeon and a boy (presumably @kimmjongdaee21) with their lips locked together in a sweet kiss.

So he still has a chance with his beautiful coffee shop hyung. He texts a short “thank you” to Jongin, who replies a heartbeat afterwards with an assortment of colorful heart emoticons and a few choice KakaoTalk stickers of sleepy animal characters. Kyungsoo laughs, heart melting a little; suddenly, he feels very awake.

Rolling over on to his other side, Kyungsoo dials Jongin’s number and puts the phone up to his ear.

“Hello?” The familiar (albeit slightly deeper with fatigue) voice breathes across the line after a few seconds of ringing.

“Why are you still awake?” Kyungsoo asks, amused.

There is a soft sound as Jongin puffs out his cheeks. “I’ve had a lot on my mind lately,” He finally responds. “Been doing a lot of thinking.”

“Look at our mature Jonginnie,” Kyungsoo croons, a hand going up to cover his snickers when Jongin starts to whine in protest. “A lot to think about, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“No,” Jongin replies a little too quickly. It would be enough to raise suspicion under normal circumstances, but Kyungsoo is tired and barely functioning, so his only reaction is to feel slightly hurt. The younger continues after a brief pause, his tone normal again and absent of the sudden urgency. “It’s nothing, really.”

Kyungsoo hums under his breath. “Okay. But I’m always here for you. You know that, right?”

There is a slight lift of air from the other side, as if Jongin’s breath has caught. “Yes. Thank you, hyung,” He whispers, and Kyungsoo’s chest squeezes inside of itself for seemingly no reason at all.

“You should go to sleep,” Kyungsoo mumbles, stifling a yawn. “Don’t you have 8am lecture tomorrow? Biochem?”

Jongin groans. “Organic chemistry,” He bites out, poison dripping from his words.

“Hey, you know what they say. ‘Orgo’ is one letter away from ‘’.”

“I’ve never heard that before.”

“Oh.”

“You made that up just now, didn’t you?”

“... Yeah.”

Jongin chuckles. “You must be really tired, hyung.” He yawns loudly. “Well, I have to sleep if I don’t want to be late for the tomorrow.”

Kyungsoo makes a face. “I deeply regret those words having come out of my mouth.”

Without even looking at his face, Kyungsoo knows that Jongin is grinning widely at his hyung’s chagrin. “Goodnight, Kyungsoo hyung.”

“Goodnight, Jongin.”

Jongin pauses slightly. His voice takes on a mischievous edge. “You hang up first,” He singsongs. The older can almost hear the smirk underlying the remark.

“Okay,” Kyungsoo deadpans and immediately disconnects the call.

It doesn’t take long until Jongin’s whiny text messages appear on his phone screen, complaining that he was supposed to play along. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes at his dongsaeng’s dramatic antics, but affectionately texts back, “love you lots <3333”.

His reply comes after a few minutes, and it’s enough of a wait that Kyungsoo has already fallen asleep. His phone lights up, and the message appears silently on the lock screen, waiting until the recipient realizes it is there and lets the words and their meaning into his life.

“i love you too”






The warm air of the restaurant rushes into Kyungsoo’s face the moment he steps inside of the building, stomping snow off his boots and pressing cold fingers under his scarf and to the warm skin of his neck. It doesn’t take long for him to spot the rest of his friends; they are all huddled together around a table, laughing at a joke that someone has just said (that someone likely being Baekhyun, judging from the smug look on his face). Jongin is the first to catch sight of him; he waves his hands into the air. “Over here, hyung!”

Kyungsoo slides in next to Chanyeol, who throws an arm around his smaller friend’s slim shoulders. “We were about to send out a search party for you,” Minseok says, only half joking. “What took you so long?”

“Taozi needed help with his Calculus homework,” Kyungsoo explains distractedly, his eyes on the laminated menus laid out in front of them. Korean barbecue is always the priority of his attention. “Have you guys ordered yet?”

Jongin shakes his head. “We told the waitress we would order after you come.”

As if summoned by those words, a willowy thin girl clad in black clothes and a red apron materializes next to their table. Kyungsoo looks up at her, slightly startled, but she doesn’t even notice; she seems to only be able to see Jongin, who shifts uncomfortably under her steady gaze. She is very pretty, Kyungsoo notes. The apron tied around her waist accentuates her skinny figure, but her hips and s fill out flatteringly against her tight uniform. “Can I get you anything to drink?” She asks Kyungsoo without looking at him.

“Water is fine?” It sounds more like a question than a request.

“I’ll be right back with that.” Again, only to Jongin.

She leaves, and Luhan stirs the straw in his Coke with a single finger. “Yura, Yura,” He says softly, looking at Jongin tauntingly from underneath long eyelashes. “Our beautiful waitress who only has eyes for our beautiful maknae.”

“We should play a drinking game!” Chanyeol exclaims, bouncing in his seat. “Every time Yura flirts with Jongin, we each take a shot!”

This seems to pique everyone’s interest— all except Jongin, who starts protesting loudly over his hyungs’ excitement. “It’s a shot per each flirting tactic she uses,” Luhan establishes, angling his head closer to the center of the table in secrecy. “So if she stares at him the whole time, that counts as one.”

“I can’t drink since I’m driving us all back to campus,” Minseok adds. “And Jonginnie can’t either, since he’s still under 21... and we’re in public.”

Yura is back before Jongin can wail at them to stop. After Kyungsoo takes the cup handed to him, she places both of her palms on their table and subtly leans forward, offering them a clear view of her assets. “Are we ready to order?” She purrs.

Baekhyun orders two platters of meat and four bottles of soju for the six of them, and Yura flounces off, her curly ponytail nearly smacking Kyungsoo in the face as she turns. Her expression is of dissatisfaction, and he is both curious and apprehensive to see how she will up her antics. 

“Three shots so far,” Minseok announces.

“Three?” Jongin looks taken back.

“The cleavage move. The y voice. The hair flip.” Baekhyun counts off on his fingers. “So yeah. Three.”

Yura is back with the bottles and the shot glasses. She sets them carefully down on the table, shoots a flirtatious, welcoming smile in Jongin’s direction, and then leaves once more.

“Four shots,” Minseok crows, pouring the drinks into the glasses. “Lightweight Kyungsoo better watch out.”

Offended, Kyungsoo downs the shot as soon as it is passed to him and then snaps it down in front of Minseok, lifting an eyebrow in challenge. “Three more.” Smirking, Minseok obligingly refills his cup.

“So, how’s senior year?” Baekhyun asks the two sunbaes of the group, Luhan and Minseok, as Chanyeol and Kyungsoo drink their last shot. He his lips for the lingering taste of the soju. “Is it as terrible as everyone says it is?”

“I don’t think I’m going to graduate in time,” Luhan moans, his head coming down to wilt over his plate. He had drunk the soju with little difficulty at all, but his voice is now a little louder than usual.

“What are you talking about, Lu,” Minseok snorts. “Last time I heard, you were doing fine credit-wise.”

Luhan tosses his arms into the air dramatically. “Yeah, but I’m literally going to fail every single subject I’m taking this semester. Especially Medieval French Literature.”

“Why did you decide to minor in French again?” Jongin asks curiously.

Minseok snickers while Luhan groans again, his face smacking down on the wooden table. “Freshman Luhan decided French got girls into his bed, but then Sophomore Luhan found out he was gay for yours truly. And by then, he had too many credits that it would be a waste not to continue.” He rubs his boyfriend’s shoulder comfortingly. “It’s okay, babe. I like it when you to me in French.”

Baekhyun and Jongin clap their hands over their ears, and Chanyeol throws a balled up napkin at Minseok’s face. “Remember when you guys promised you would stop doing the ‘reveal too much information in public’ thing?” Baekhyun grumbled.

“You guys make me feel lonely!” Kyungsoo suddenly wails, startling everyone else. He throws his arms around Chanyeol’s neck and presses himself as far into the other boy as he can. “I love you, Chanyeollie,” He mumbles, rubbing his cheek against the taller one’s arm.

Baekhyun bursts out laughing. “Our sweet baby Kyungsoo has arrived late to the party.”

Kyungsoo giggles, climbing over Chanyeol’s to reach for Baekhyun. “Do you want a hug too?” 

Jongin looks distressed, torn between taking Kyungsoo home immediately and keeping him by his side for the rest of the night. Minseok just shakes his head. “He is so drunk.” 

Yura comes back out, balancing a large tray of food in both hands. “Here are your orders.” She sets two large plates of raw meat on either side of the table’s built-in stovetop. She also places an array of side dishes across the table, including kimchi, fried tofu, and spicy onion salad. The six boys are salivating just looking at it; even Kyungsoo pauses in his cuddling quest to ogle at the vast amount of food. “And this,” Yura gives Jongin both a dazzling smile and a small plate filled with thick slabs of red meat. “Is on the house.” She then struts away, her hips swinging tantalizingly through the air for the whole restaurant to see.

“Holy , is that hanwoo?” Luhan asks demandingly, his eyes nearly falling out of their sockets.

Baekhyun is craning his neck to examine the plate that a dumbstruck Jongin is still holding. “It’s hanwoo,” He declares. “You can tell by the marbling of the fat.”

“No ing way,” Luhan breathes, jealousy thick in his voice. “Dude, that girl gave you like $70 worth of meat just to get into your pants. You should marry her.”

“Or at least tell her your phone number,” Chanyeol says with a shrug, his chopsticks poised over the galbi to start cooking. “It wouldn’t be a bad idea to give her a chance.”

Jongin looks uncomfortable. He won’t meet anyone’s eyes, and the little frown on his face seems to be permanently etched in. “I don’t like her though,” He finally tells them, still looking fixedly at the table. “I don’t like her because I like someone else.”

The whole table nearly erupts. “Who?” Baekhyun asks, eyes round and begging Jongin to tell him. “Who who who who who who who—”

Chanyeol cups his hands under his chin. “You’ll tell Chanyeol hyung-ah, right?” He asks, tilting his head to the side. “You’ll tell him everything?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Jongin says, his face coloring.

Kyungsoo remains silent. The alcohol had pulsed pleasantly through his body for the most part, making him feel lighter and less responsible than usual, all his worries carried away for the time being. But now, something is stuck in the middle of his chest, heavy and dark and writhing. It makes it harder for him to breathe, harder for him to pay attention to what anyone is saying. Except Jongin. For some reason, Jongin’s words are clear. 

Kyungsoo’s heartbeat picks up. He doesn’t like this. He also doesn’t know what made his mood shift so quickly. Sober Kyungsoo may have had a better idea of what it was, but drunk Kyungsoo just feels confused and upset. All he knows for sure is that he wants to cry.

“Kyungsoo hyung?” Jongin calls his name quietly. The rest of the table turns to Kyungsoo, who is holding his breath. Jongin’s face is full of concern; Kyungsoo starts to tear up when he sees the other’s uneasiness. He is so good to him. “Are you okay? Is something wrong?”

“Do you want to eat hanwoo?” Luhan asks, pointing at the meat.

Minseok sends his boyfriend an annoyed look, and Luhan says defensively, “What? I like food a lot.”

Kyungsoo sniffs once and wipes the wetness away from his eyes with the ends of his sleeves. Chanyeol cooes at his cuteness and hugs him once more, his hair softly and mumbling nonsense about how adorable he is when he is drunk. “Yeah. I want to eat,” Kyungsoo ultimately decides.

The atmosphere at the table lightens at once, and Kyungsoo’s mood brightens with it. Jongin hands over the plate of expensive meat to his hyung, and Luhan happily takes over the cooking. “How many shots do we have to take for her giving Jongin the free hanwoo?” He asks while flipping over the samgyupsal, which sizzles pleasantly from the impact.

“I don’t know. Like one hundred, or something,” Baekhyun answers, rolling his eyes. “Let’s just take one for the hanwoo, and another for the hip swaying.”

“Two shots for the four of you it is,” Minseok says cheerfully. Luhan stuffs a piece of meat and a chunk of kkakdugi into his mouth while he reaches for the soju bottles and the participants’ glasses. Baekhyun hums appreciatively at his portion of the alcohol, munching on a slice of fried squash.

However, a hand grabs Minseok’s wrist to stop him from pouring soju for the last person. “No more for Kyungsoo hyung,” Jongin insists. Minseok raises his hands in defeat. He and Luhan exchange knowing looks.

If it had been anyone else, Kyungsoo would have complained. However, this is Jongin, who always has his best interests at heart. So he just beams at him and then continues to happily eat away, the previous weight in his heart forgotten.

But not quite gone.

He is only reminded of it later, when they are all piled in Minseok’s car. Luhan has passed out in the front seat, and Baekhyun and Chanyeol are in similar states right behind him. Jongin and Minseok are likely under the impression that Kyungsoo is also unconscious, with the way his head has fallen into Jongin’s shoulder and his eyes have fluttered shut. But no, he is still clinging to the last tendrils of awareness when the two start talking in low whispers. “I know who you like,” Minseok says quietly in a neutral tone, as if he doesn’t expect a reply.

“Am I that obvious?”

“Just a little.”

Jongin’s arm comes up to curl securely around Kyungsoo’s waist. He shifts so his hyung’s head doesn’t rest at an awkward angle. “I like him a lot,” He mumbles.

“Why don’t you tell him?” Minseok asks, confused. “Aren’t you the one who told Luhan that he should confess to me so he never has to worry about the ‘what if’s?”

“He likes someone else.” Jongin’s voice sounds so broken that Kyungsoo wants to get up, kiss him everywhere, and promise him that everything will be alright. But the alcohol in his system presses his entire body down, so he just stays still and listens. “He likes someone else, and I’m supposed to help him with their happily ever after.”

Minseok makes a sympathetic noise in the back of his throat. “Be selfish for once.”

Jongin must have done something with his body, because nothing comes out of his mouth yet Minseok sighs. “Okay then. But just know that I’m cheering for you, okay?”

When they arrive at the apartment building, the four drunks are unceremoniously shaken awake and then herded up to Minseok and Luhan’s apartment. Baekhyun and Chanyeol in particular are faring badly, unable to stop giggling and falling over each other. Jongin is half-carrying the two of them by himself, his face pained.

Luhan makes a beeline for the kitchen, scrambling his hands messily around the inside of the refrigerator before triumphantly pulling out a bottle of water. He drinks from it, then throws it at Kyungsoo without closing the lid. Its contents sop down the front of his shirt, and he fumbles a little before dropping the bottle entirely.

Jongin sighs. “Come on, hyung,” He coaxes the older over to his side. “Let’s get all of you cleaned up.”

It’s hard to take care of all three of his intoxicated hyungs at once, but Jongin somehow manages to get them out of their clothes and into the extras that Minseok has laid out in the bedroom. He sets Baekhyun and Chanyeol to brushing their teeth — all four of them have taken to leaving extra toothbrushes at Minseok and Luhan’s place — while he dries Kyungsoo’s wet hair with a blow dryer. The smaller leans into Jongin’s touch, making happy noises when he combs through the black strands.

By the time Kyungsoo is changed, dry, and clean, Baekhyun and Chanyeol have already wandered out of the bathroom and are now lying down on the blankets spread out on the living room floor. Luhan and Minseok are curled up together on the futon. The Chinese boy is practically in his boyfriend’s lap, but the latter doesn’t seem to mind at all, and instead holds him steadily against his body.

“What do you think it would be like,” Chanyeol slurs, reaching over to hold Baekhyun’s hand. “If Baek and I were dating?”

Luhan cackles at the question. Baekhyun rolls his eyes. “Well, everyone knows you’ve been in love with me since the day we met. So you would be my slave.”

“He would bully you,” Minseok agrees dryly. Jongin laughs as he seats Kyungsoo on the floor next to said bully. He is instantly pulled down by the clingy drunk.

Chanyeol tugs at his bottom lip with his index finger and thumb, deep in thought. “What if Minseok hyung and Jongin were dating?” 

“Luhan would probably die of sadness,” Baekhyun answers, blunt as ever.

Kyungsoo lets out a little whimper. “I don’t want Luhan hyung to die.”

“Just last week you threatened to pull out my intestines if I didn’t help you with your Korean History homework,” Luhan points out. He paws at his pockets. “I can even show you the text messages.”

“Luhan hyung pulling out the receipts,” Chanyeol crows, rolling over on to his stomach and nearly flattening Baekhyun in the process.

They’ve all calmed down a little, and most are right on the verge of sleep once again when Minseok opens his mouth and speaks up. “What do you think it would be like,” He starts off softly. “If Kyungsoo and Jongin were dating?”

Chanyeol snores right at that moment, and Baekhyun and Luhan are knocked out cold, but the question makes Kyungsoo think. His first instinct is to say that it would be very strange, since Jongin is like a brother to him… but then he remembers the way Jongin’s lips feel against his cheek, the way he holds their bodies together, the way his voice sounds over the phone. He thinks of Jongin and of warmth, sunshine, happiness. He folds the words over and over in his head: Do Kyungsoo, Kim Jongin, Kyungsoo, Jongin, Kyungsoo and Jongin. “It would be perfect,” He says, half surprising himself with the words. “It would be absolutely perfect.”

He exhales and turns to snuggle his head into Jongin’s lap. “Too bad we don’t think of each other in that way,” He mumbles.

“Yeah,” Jongin whispers, right before Kyungsoo falls asleep. “Too bad.”





Kyungsoo can’t stop fidgeting. His leg bounces anxiously under the table, rapid and unstoppable. But then, Jongin’s hand slips on top of his knee; his thumb fingers the denim of his jeans comfortingly. “Relax,” He murmurs. A little bit of the tension leaks out of Kyungsoo. He stops shaking his leg.

The door to the cafe opens, and a good-looking boy with wavy black hair and an attractive, angular face comes in. When he spots them at their table, he beams and waves. Kyungsoo almost dies at the adorable dimple that appears on his cheek.

“Jongin! Kyungsoo!” He greets them enthusiastically. He plops down onto a chair. 

“What took you so long, Yixing hyung?” Jongin asks, swirling the straw in his smoothie.

Yixing bites his bottom lip; his forehead scrunches up. Kyungsoo feels like he is being attacked. “A freshman twisted his ankle during practice, so I helped him walk to the nurse’s office. Sorry if you guys were waiting long.” His gaze drops to the ground, and his eyelashes brush against high cheekbones. 

Kyungsoo needs to punch something. Now. He socks Jongin in the thigh, who yelps and rubs the spot.

This plan has been in the making for a couple days now. Jongin had found out that Yixing, one of his dance team captains, is one of Junmyeon’s closest friends. When the situation had been explained, Yixing had become “almost too eager to help,” as Jongin had put it over another phone call he had with Kyungsoo one night. “Like, he doesn’t even know who you are, but I had to stop him from ditching his lecture so he could go help you right then and there.”

And so here they are, with Yixing acting like he is hanging out with his best friends in the whole wide world and Kyungsoo focusing on not suffocating to death from the cute while they wait for Junmyeon to show up for his work shift.

“What’s your major, Kyungsoo?” Yixing asks curiously, cocking his head to the side.

“I’m on the Pre-Med track.”

Yixing nods. “So like Jongin!”

Kyungsoo looks briefly at said boy, who has a mouthful of the strawberry cheesecake that they bought for the table, and corrects Yixing for him. “Actually, Jongin switched over to Pre-Veterinary Studies this year.”

“I like animals more than people,” Jongin says cheerfully.

“That’s cool! You both seem really smart. I’m majoring in Education,” Yixing plops his head on his hands dreamily. “I want to become a kindergarten teacher.”

Kyungsoo is about to leave and just give up on life when the tell-tale ring of the entryway bell sounds. Junmyeon steps inside in all his scarf-wearing perfection; Kyungsoo’s breath catches at the sight. From the corner of his eye, he can see Jongin staring fixedly at the barista, his expression unreadable.

“Yixing!” Junmyeon says in surprise, his eyes lighting up with familiarity. He starts to walk over to the table, and Kyungsoo’s eyes widen dramatically. Oh my god oh my GOD oh my god holy crap he is coming what should I do should I bow should I curtsy— 

“Who are your friends?” Junmyeon asks in a friendly manner, grinning at the two of them.

Yixing gestures at each of them in turn. “This is Kim Jongin. He does dance with me. And this is Do Kyungsoo.”

“Hello,” Kyungsoo squeaks out.

“Hi, Junmyeon sunbaenim.” Jongin says politely.

Junmyeon grins widely. “It’s always nice to meet more hoobaes. Why didn’t you bring them before, Xing?”

“I’m selfish like that,” Yixing teases back. Kyungsoo is momentarily pulled out of his Junmyeon-induced stupor to make a face at that blasphemous lie.

Junmyeon laughs. It’s a pleasant sound that rings through Kyungsoo in the best kind of way. “Well, I have to go now. Have to start working.” He puts a hand on Kyungsoo’s shoulder, who freezes up. “Nice meeting you two, Kyungsoo, Jongin.”

Jongin pushes a hand through his bangs and stretches backwards on the chair, raising his elbows above his head; his shirt rides up a little to expose his taut stomach. To Kyungsoo’s utter surprise, Junmyeon’s eyes lock on to Jongin’s body. The latter seems completely unaware, and just says to Kyungsoo, “We should get going too, hyung.”

Junmyeon’s gaze flickers over to Kyungsoo and then back to Jongin. A strange half-smile slides on to his face: the kind that says “I know something you don’t”. However, before Kyungsoo can figure out what exactly caused it, the conversation is already moving along. “Come back soon. I’ll give you something on the house next time.”

“Will do.” Jongin drawls, a lazy smirk gracing his mouth. Once again, Junmyeon’s stare is yanked and then glued solely on the youngest.

With a degree of unwillingness, Junmyeon tears his eyes away from Jongin and heads over to the bathroom to change into his uniform. Kyungsoo whispers thanks to Yixing profusely before following Jongin out of the coffee shop. Once outside, Kyungsoo turns to Jongin and asks accusingly, “How did you do that?”

Jongin stares at him. “What are you talking about?”

Kyungsoo stomps his foot on to the ground. “The thing! You know. The flirting thing!”

“What?” Jongin turns pink. “I didn’t flirt with you!”

“Not with me, obviously. Why would you flirt with me? You were flirting with Junmyeon sunbaenim!”

Jongin’s expression turns from embarrassment to confusion... and then to something Kyungsoo can’t read. “Oh.”

“You did the thing—” Kyungsoo imitates the way Jongin pushed his arms above his head. “And then he wouldn’t stop looking at you!” He jabs the younger one in the head with his finger. “Teach me how to do it too!”

“Okay, okay.” Jongin rubs his head. “But let’s at least go inside. It’s freezing out here.”

Without further discussion, they head over to the east side of the campus that holds all of the university’s apartments. The walk is silent for the most part, with Jongin strangely quiet for some reason (had the poke really been that hard?) and with Kyungsoo stealing glances at the other every few seconds. He never really noticed before, but Jongin is actually very good-looking. Strong jaw, dark eyes, full lips, nice body….

Jongin’s eyes flicker over to Kyungsoo’s. The smaller flushes pink and looks away.

They don’t talk until they are inside Kyungsoo’s apartment, and even then it takes a couple more minutes until they say a word to each other. Kyungsoo moves around the kitchen until he has retrieved a tub of gelato and two spoons; he hands one of the utensils to Jongin, and the two of them wordlessly dig in.

Kyungsoo considers trying to ease them back into the topic, but then decides they would save time if he just jumps right in. “So, how do you flirt?”

Jongin chokes on the ice cream, and Kyungsoo has to thump on his back until he swallows the mouthful. The younger massages at his throat, eyes watering. After a short pause, he admits, “It’s something that just happens. Naturally.” 

Kyungsoo’s eyes narrow. There is something that Jongin is hiding from him. He can tell, in the way that he avoids looking at the other and instead just focuses intently on the cookie dough gelato. “Do you like Junmyeon sunbaenim?” Kyungsoo asks, settling on what he thinks to be the most apparent answer.

“What? No!” Jongin exclaims, a look of repulsion flashing across his face.

Kyungsoo stares at Jongin, long and hard. The younger boy is pink, a little embarrassed but finally looking straight at Kyungsoo after that shocking question. “Flirt with me,” He demands, putting down his spoon.

“What.”

“Come on,” Kyungsoo closes the gelato, sticks it into the freezer, and then whirls around, hands on his hips. “Pick me up like I’m a y girl at the club.”

Jongin laughs at that, but Kyungsoo is dead serious. “Hyung, I’ve never picked up a girl before. You know I’m not like that.”

“I’m never going to learn how to flirt if you don’t help me!” Kyungsoo crosses his arms. “You’re my dating guru, aren’t you? You’re supposed to show me these things.”

But Jongin just continues to smile at him. Kyungsoo can almost hear the cooing noises that the other is definitely making inside of his head. Fed up with everything, he storms over to the sophomore and grabs his shoulders. His forehead lands against Jongin’s, and their lips are just millimeters apart from touching. 

Jongin has stopped laughing.

“Flirt with me.” Kyungsoo’s mouth curves upwards: a pretty challenge. “Naturally.”

At that moment, the turning of the lock on the front door sounds through the room; the two of them jump away from each other, startled. Jongin pales noticeably and immediately starts to gather his things.

The door swings open, and Tao steps inside. He double takes upon seeing Jongin next to Kyungsoo, his lips pressing together and his eyes widening. “Jongin?” He asks, with a degree of uncertainty.

“Yeah. It’s me.” Jongin says rather stiffly. 

“How have you been?” Tao asks, his Korean clipped even more than usual from the thick politeness that runs through his voice.

“Busy,” Jongin replies. He is so tense that he is almost rude; in the two years during which they have known each other, Kyungsoo has never seen him like this before. Jongin picks up his jacket off of the back of his chair, turning his face down to the ground. “I should get going.”

Baffled, Kyungsoo follows Jongin to the door to see him out. The younger is almost out of the apartment when Tao quietly speaks again. “Sehun’s exchange program is over.”

“Oh really?” Jongin asks lightly. “Did he like Dartmouth?” 

“He loved it.” This time, when the silence falls again, Jongin doesn’t try to escape. Instead, he slumps against the frame of the doorway, waiting for the inevitable. “He missed you a lot.”

Jongin’s jaw clenches.

Tao watches him carefully at this next part; his words come out slowly. “He wants to meet up with you.” 

“Tell him that I’ll think about it.” 

Jongin pulls Kyungsoo out of the apartment and shuts the door. As soon as Tao is no longer there, he crouches down against the concrete wall, covering his face with his forearms. Completely bewildered, Kyungsoo awkwardly kneels down next to him, resting a hand on his back. “What’s wrong, Jongin?” He asks, not wanting to seem pushy but anxious to comfort the other. “Who is Sehun?”

Jongin barks out a laugh, bitter and short. “He’s my ex-boyfriend.” 

Something flares up inside Kyungsoo, a bright blaze that burns down his throat and settles into the bottom of his stomach, ripping and clawing at his entire body. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

They sit there for a minute. 

“Why did you never introduce him to us?”

“It ended… quickly,” Jongin explains in a flat voice. “I’m surprised he even wants to talk to me.”

“Are you going to meet him?”

Jongin’s forehead wrinkles. “Yeah. I should.” Another lull in the conversation. “I missed him too.”

Kyungsoo’s windpipe is constricting on itself. This is too much. “I have to go.”

The other nods. “I do too.”

And when Kyungsoo is inside of his apartment, back pressed to the door and palms against his face, he shakes and shakes and shakes out of fear and confusion of the ugliness curled up inside of him.






Jongin texts him a couple of times over the next four days, casual “how are you?”s and little “hyung can i come over?”s. But Kyungsoo rejects him each time; he has a huge test coming up in that one class, he really needs to catch up on the readings for this other subject, no sorry, Jongin, he is too tired, later. Give him a little time.

Kyungsoo has always known what is what. This is black. This is white. But the shades of gray have slipped over each other, and Jongin is now silver and ash and charcoal and platinum and— 

Lately, Jongin’s presence has become too much. He has suddenly become too attractive, too desirable. 

Kyungsoo needs to think about what Jongin means to him.

Later, Jongin. Give me a little time.






When Kyungsoo finally realizes everything, he instantly grabs his phone— but then hesitates on who exactly he should call. Chanyeol is an idiot and would probably let his secret out to the world before the call is even over. Baekhyun is a . Luhan is sensitive and will most likely cry of happiness, but will spend the entire call trying to convince Kyungsoo that he isn’t. Minseok is always with Luhan. Tao is best friends with Sehun, Kyungsoo’s rival. And now Kyungsoo has run out of friends to talk to.

He sighs and resigns himself to calling Baekhyun.

“Hello?” 

Kyungsoo takes a deep breath. “I think I’m in love with Jongin.”

Baekhyun shrieks. “I knew it, Kyungsoo you ing moron. I knew you wanted to Jongin’s .”

“Kyungsoo wants to Jongin’s ?” Chanyeol’s muffled voice sounds from the background.

That . “Bye.”

“No! Wait!” Baekhyun shouts. Kyungsoo winces; this call is going to make his eardrums burst. “You must have called for some reason other than that, right?”

He got him there. “I guess… I just don’t know what to do now?” Kyungsoo lets out a frustrated noise. “I mean, I like him, yeah. I get that now. So what’s the next step?”

Baekhyun laughs. “The next step, Kyungsoo, is to confess.”

All the blood seems to drain from Kyungsoo’s body. “Confess?” He repeats, horrified.

“Confess!” Baekhyun sings. 

“Can I do it over text?” Kyungsoo begs.

Kyungsoo can almost hear Baekhyun roll his eyes. “Grow a pair of balls.”

“Bite me.”

“Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun’s voice softens, and this is when Kyungsoo knows that his friend is serious. “This is something that you have to do. For yourself.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t reply, but Baekhyun knows him well enough to understand that he has taken the advice to heart. “Just be honest with Jongin about your feelings.”

“I still can’t believe Kyungsoo wants to Jongin’s ,” Kyungsoo hears Chanyeol’s voice saying with astonishment.

Baekhyun laughs breathily. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure Chanyeol keeps his mouth shut.”






The university has always generously funded its Fine Arts department; their performance theater is a testimony to that. It is only Kyungsoo’s second time inside of this particular room (the first being when they had all come to support Baekhyun and his acapella group), and he is once more taken away by its finery. Twisting gold ornamentations shine dully against the walls, the color strongly complimenting the deep purple of the stage curtains. The lavishly adorned room is softly lit with dim chandeliers that hang above the people who move leisurely down the aisles to claim their seats. Kyungsoo waddles slowly behind the rest of the crowd. He still hasn’t fully prepared himself for what he has come to do tonight, and the nerves are causing him to quite literally drag his feet.

Kyungsoo is right about to slide into a row when a hand suddenly lands on his shoulder. He turns— and is met with the familiar sight of his handsome barista. Junmyeon looks even more heartbreakingly beautiful out of the usual coffee shop uniform; his dark olive chinos and cream knit sweater would have once been enough to reduce Kyungsoo into a blushing mess. But not anymore, He realizes with both relief and a sense of impending doom. 

“Kyungsoo, right?” Junmyeon asks, recognition flooding his eyes.

“Yeah. And you’re Junmyeon sunbaenim?” Kyungsoo widens his eyes with false innocence, as if he hasn’t spent every waking moment of the last month daydreaming about making out with this man against the cafe counter.

“The one and only,” Junmyeon says cheerfully. “Do you mind if I sit with you? I came by myself.”

“Of course not, sunbaenim. Ummm… there are a couple of empty seats closer up to the stage. Should we go up there…?”

They shuffle past people — “Excuse me, excuse me, pardon me, sorry” — until they finally plop down into two empty seats. Junmyeon turns to face Kyungsoo and launches into friendly conversation. “So, are you here to see Yixing dance?”

That’s right: he, Jongin, and Yixing are supposed to be bosom buddies. Kyungsoo shrugs noncommittally. “I’m mostly here to see someone else.”

Even though he doesn’t say his name, his heart skips a beat in anticipation for what the rest of the night will bring.

Junmyeon nods slowly, his fingers thoughtfully against the smooth skin of his own wrist. “The good-looking boy from the coffee shop?”

Pride warms Kyungsoo’s insides as if the compliment had directed to him, only to be chased swiftly away by the painful burning of possessiveness. It’s ridiculous to claim something that doesn’t belong to him, and he tries to fight his selfishness down with the knowledge that Jongin is not his. 

He must not have done a very good job because the sight of Kyungsoo’s expression makes Junmyeon’s forehead scrunch up in chagrin. “I’m sorry, you probably don’t want to hear some other man talk about your boyfriend in that way,” He apologizes sincerely.

“Jongin isn’t my boyfriend,” Kyungsoo says immediately. The dejecting truth behind those words sends a pang through his chest. “We’re just friends.”

Confusion spreads across Junmyeon’s face; however, it is quickly chased away by pure amusement. “I see. But does he know that?”

At the sight of Kyungsoo’s thoroughly perplexed face, Junmyeon lets out a low chuckle. “You really have no idea, do you?”

“No idea about what?”

“That Jongin looks at you like the whole universe is in your eyes.”

The lights dim. Junmyeon gives a now completely lost Kyungsoo one last warm, sincere smile before he leans back in his chair to enjoy the show.

Kyungsoo is distracted throughout the first couple of performances, Junmyeon’s words swirling through his head. His sunbae is obviously under the impression that Jongin is in love with him. But that can’t be true. Jongin said he missed Sehun. That means he loves Sehun.

But what if?

What if Jongin loves Kyungsoo just as much as Kyungsoo loves him?

“Yixing Fighting!” Junmyeon hollers next to him, and Kyungsoo is jolted back to reality. Jongin, Yixing, and another boy are now on the stage, standing in a straight line with their backs to the audience. The barista isn’t the only one who is cheering for them; several girls have stood up from their seats to shriek love for the three dancers. 

“I LOVE YOU, LEE TAEMIN!” A girl from the far left of the theater screams just as the music turns on.

And then they all turn to face the crowd.

Jongin has disappeared and left behind a version of himself that smirks and smolders for all of the world to see. Kyungsoo can’t tear his eyes away from this creature that locks and rolls his body gracefully to the syncopation of the bass. The pure power behind his movements and the heat simmering underneath his sultry stare heightens the tension in the audience, until the point where almost everyone is screaming for more, more, more.

Kyungsoo has never seen this side of Jongin. As he watches the dancer twist and snap to the beat, he vaguely wonders what parts of Jongin he has yet to discover. 

He wants to know all of them.

I love Jongin, Kyungsoo thinks breathlessly as he watches Jongin dance the whole world away. And I want him to know just how much I do.






Once the whole show is over, and people are slowly making their way out of the performance hall and back to their homes, Junmyeon nudges Kyungsoo’s elbow. “We should go backstage and congratulate them.”

And finally say what he has come to say. Kyungsoo turns pink; he hopes Junmyeon can’t see in the bad lighting. “Yeah. We should go.”

With much difficulty, they make their way out of the theater. Junmyeon takes a quick look around to make sure none of Yixing and Jongin’s groupies are watching before opening the door that leads behind the curtains. Kyungsoo silently follows him through the dark hallway. His heartbeat has become louder. The sound of loud laughter meets their ears, and Kyungsoo can hear Jongin excitedly chattering with a different, unfamiliar voice. Yixing also seems to be with them, his soft Chinese accent easy to pick out from the others.

When Kyungsoo and Junmyeon step out of the shadows, Yixing spots them first. “Junmyeon! Kyungsoo!” He exclaims, darting over to give them each a hug. Kyungsoo puts an arm around his waist in turn, but his eyes are elsewhere. 

Jongin is blatantly staring at him. His gaze darts quickly between Kyungsoo and Junmyeon, and then his eyes glass over. Without a word, he leaves the group and walks briskly down a different hall.

“Jongin!” Kyungsoo calls after him, but the younger refuses to turn around. Before he can lose his nerve, he whirls around to Junmyeon. “Thank you for keeping me company, Junmyeon sunbaenim. But I’m going to go to Jongin now.”

Junmyeon smiles and opens his mouth to say a pleasant “you’re welcome”, but Kyungsoo has already gone after Jongin.

Kyungsoo runs after Jongin, the sight of the boy getting further and further away causing desperation to sink into him. “Jongin! Jongin, please stop, please—” 

Jongin abruptly stops. Kyungsoo crashes straight into the younger, knocking them both to the ground. Their heads bang together, and the smaller swears he can see stars— but that’s not enough to erase the butterflies in his stomach at the sensation of Jongin’s arm wrapped securely around his body. But the dancer soon pulls away, wincing and standing up off the ground. Kyungsoo scrambles to his feet as well, bright red.

It’s more than a little awkward between them. Jongin watches Kyungsoo with a stony expression while the other, panicked, tries to think of a way to start off his confession. “I really liked your dance performance,” He finally says, then cringes at how lame he is.

“Thanks.” More awkward silence. Kyungsoo has decided that the best way to approach this is to plunge right in, but then Jongin cuts through. “So… you ended up not needing my help with Junmyeon.”

“What.”

“He was your date tonight, wasn’t he?” Jongin asks, voice thick. He is still staring at the ground. Stage Jongin is gone and Kyungsoo’s Jongin is back, his emotions bright on his face. And now that he is finally paying attention, he can read them all so easily: misery, jealousy, self-hatred.

Longing.

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo steps closer to the other boy. “Jongin, can you please look at me?”

Reluctantly, Jongin drags his eyes away from his feet and straight into his hyung’s. Kyungsoo’s breath catches; behind the sadness and envy, Jongin’s face is filled with so much adoration and devotion that the smaller feels his knees weaken. Jongin looks at Kyungsoo as if there is nothing else that he would rather see, like he is his sun and moon and all of his stars, and Kyungsoo doesn’t know how he has never noticed before.

“What are you going to do about Sehun?” Kyungsoo asks abruptly. Jongin looks taken back by the sudden question, so he elaborates. “You said you missed him? And that you were going to talk to him?”

Jongin snorts. “I missed him in the same way I would have missed a brother. I only see him as a friend.”

“But doesn’t Sehun still like you?”

“Not according to his long distance relationship with his hot American boytoy.”

So it was never like that.

They lapse into silence once again. Kyungsoo knows that now is the time.

“I wasn’t on a date with Junmyeon sunbaenim,” Kyungsoo says. “Because I don’t like him.”

Jongin looks terribly confused.

“I don’t like him,” One step closer. “Because I like someone else.” Another step.

And now they’re almost touching.

“I like you, Jongin,” Kyungsoo murmurs. “More than that, actually. I’m a little in love with you.”

Jongin looks like he is about to cry. “It took you long enough to realize, you jerk.” He laughs weakly. “I’m a little in love with you too.”

“So Operation: S.U.H.O. is cancelled,” Kyungsoo says cheerfully, moving forward to link his fingers with Jongin’s. They fit together naturally, and it sends a thrill through the smaller boy. “And you are fired as my dating guru.”

“And hired as your boyfriend?” Jongin asks hopefully.

Kyungsoo pretends to think about it. “I would have to think about that.” He answers with a playful shrug. “‘Boyfriend’ is a big title. Not everyone is worthy of it.”

“Are you hungry? If you were my boyfriend, I would buy you hanwoo,” Jongin offers slyly.

Kyungsoo feels his resolve waver. “. Okay, you’re my boyfriend.”

Jongin laughs and pulls at Kyungsoo’s arm for them to walk over to the exit door. Then, he stops and faces his hyung. Hesitation spreads across his face for a moment; then, he tilts his head down and innocently presses his lips against Kyungsoo’s for a single second.

When he pulls back, Kyungsoo’s face is so red that Jongin can’t help but giggle.

“Shut up, you dork,” Kyungsoo grumbles. “You’re not going to have any role in my life if you keep acting like that.”

“Too late!” Jongin sings. “You’re already stuck with me!”

And honestly, that’s all right with Kyungsoo.
 

A/N: if you made it down here, thank you very much for reading!
i hope i didn’t disappoint the prompters with this fic ;;;; it’s a bit everywhere, but i don’t claim to be the best writer, and i’m still learning a lot as i go along!
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