Soonyoung has a sweet tooth, but the amount of icing sugar, chocolate and rainbow sprinkles Kim Mingyu is carrying right now is too much even for him. As is the repetitive bright pink plastic packaging. He almost approves Jeonghan’s pitch black death metal band tee right now. Key word: almost. Even though church boy Joshua somehow approves.

Seriously though, there’s way too much pink atmosphere these days with Valentine’s Day coming up. And just why did he agree to be stuck with these sickeningly sweet couples?

Right, the lure of chocolate, candy and pepero. Soonyoung almost forgot. Mingyu promised that he’ll make enough poorly-decorated pepero to settle all his friends. He’s so grateful that Pledis High has taken to giving pepero as the social norm. It’s cheaper than chocolate and pretty tasty. The perfect gift for the friends who inevitably whine for presents when they’re not dating.  And it’s easy to fulfill the unspoken “handmade sincerity” even for certified klutzes in cooking like himself. Just spread some icing, dip some chocolate, sprinkle some decorations. Done.

Even though he’s only saying this because he’s not making it for anything special. Jeonghan and Jisoo are the exact model of sincerely making pepero, carefully decorating pepero before feeding it to each other. Jisoo makes these white chocolate ones with pale pink candy hearts while Jeonghan dips his in dark chocolate and sprinkes oreo cookies. Despite the pepero being as black as his heart, sweet Joshua eats it regardless. Jeonghan is really going to be the one to blame if Joshua gets dragged to hell.

 And there’s Junhui and Minghao using icing to write “LOVE” over and over again. And screw feeding each other, they’re eating from the same stick. Because why wait for Valentine’s Day to kiss? What happened to the pure Minghao Soonyoung once knew? Got poisoned by Junhui’s pepero, Soonyoung is fairly certain.

Vernon is quietly working at the corner by himself, writing his girlfriend’s name over the pepero sticks. Stupidly diligent because he’s a good boyfriend. Just like Mingyu, who’s just dropped the mini-marshmallows on the floor. And despite the mess he’s making out of his own kitchen, the sweet treats he’s making for Wonwoo are way too cute. Really expensive looking, all the pepero wrapped up in heart-shaped wrapping paper and carefully decorated. Not a single decoration out of place. Mingyu could make tons of cash selling these peperos for Valentine’s Day, but nope, he’s going to give them to his darling boyfriend Wonwoo.

And who had the smart idea to hook these gross people up? Soonyoung could be acting as a middleman and selling Mingyu’s pepero for a tidy profit. Instead all this cute pepero is going into Wonwoo’s stomach. Which is No Good because Soonyoung does not benefit.

Soonyoung carefully nagvigates himself out of the danger zone, away from a stressed Mingyu and Vernon and away from the sickening couples. Texting Seungkwan back as he continues messaging about how he really hates Valentine’s week. All lonely singles should revolt against this season, Seungkwan whines. The chocolate prices go up, it’s hard to find places to eat and you end up feeling lonely.

Hah, as if. The outgoing Seungkwan can never be lonely. All the juniors from Choir Club and Broadcasting Club send him more pepero than Seungkwan can finish and shower him with love. Soonyoung would know, he’s the number one beneficiary of Boo Pepero. Seungkwan’s just grouchy that he doesn’t have an adorable girlfriend. Even though this year he’s protesting more than normal. Maybe it’s because all of his friends are dating this year and they’re all excited for Valentine’s.

“Soonyoung! Can you help me grab the pink and white chocolate! I left it at the door!” Mingyu screams from the kitchen. This normally calm boy is so frantic, trying to time his pepero making perfectly for his darling Wonwoo.

Cute enough to give him cavities, indeed.

----

There’s a papable nervousness in the air this morning. As there is a pink atmosphere amongst the couples. Wonwoo is the first victim, practically drowned in the pepero Mingyu gives him. And even though they come in two shopping bags, Wonwoo is still smiling stupidly before giving a small box of pepero back.

Well, maybe when Wonwoo sees the pile of pepero at his and Mingyu’s lockers he won’t be smiling. The woes of being a handsome guy during Valentine’s Day. That’s still a pleasant problem to encounter. Soonyoung only gets a couple of stray gifts from misled juniors who think he’s cool or something. But not enough to get buried in, like Vernon always does when he opens his locker today. His girlfriend has taken to giving him everything other than pepero.

Hello, Joshua busted out the angel teddy bear this year. He should have given Jeonghan a devil teddy instead, but his opinion doesn’t really matter here. Junhui gave Minghao a marshmallow bouquet. Not such a cool and chic guy after all.

No one’s really focused on class today. Wonwoo and Mingyu are locked in some kind of stupid fight over who’s going to get more pepero, Vernon’s wondering how he’s going to dispose of all his pepero since his girlfriend isn’t going to let them eat them. (Give the white chocolate ones to me, says Soonyoung.) And Seungkwan as per normal has his locker filled with sweet messages of how much of a cool senior Boo is. So much for forever alone, Seungkwan is born to be loved and adored. Even Soonyoung can’t help it. How does he not have cute girlfriend yet?

It’s a good day. His locker is filled with way more letters and pepero than he was expecting, peers apologizing for making his life difficult over the videos and sending apology pepero. Juniors who watched the Orientation dance performance and feels that he’s done well at the festival. (Shock and gratitude, Soonyoung sure as hell wasn’t expecting that.) Seniors sending “hey there cute junior!!” pepero.

And of course the more carefully decorated gifts, like the carefully done ones by Chan. Ahh, their junior is way too cute. The Dance Club was so lucky to recruit him. Lots of leftover decorated pepero from the rest of the Dance Club and strangely enough the Rock Band. Guess these gross couples made way too many. These handsome punks probably got enough pepero to eat a packet a day and last three months, no need for extras.

Strangely there isn’t any from Seungkwan. Guess he forgot, Soonyoung shrugs. He’s gone strangely silent about Valentine’s Day since two days ago. Well, guess that means something to drag Seungkwan on for the next week or two. You’re not a good friend, you don’t love me enough, Soonyoung can already his jesting voice. Even if Seungkwan forgets to give him pepero for the next five years, it's not going to change that they're best friends. If friendships are reliant on giving a more commercial version of sugar cookies, then that's truly how the cookie crumbles. 

Soonyoung is packing his pepero into a paper bag when he hears long sighs coming from a few lockers down. Normally he’ll write it off as some guy who was hoping some girl would give him pepero and only received disappointment, but the sigh sounds familiar. And Soonyoung is exactly the type of guy who goes to find trouble. So he closes his locker and heads to the source of the sighs.

Of course, it just has to be Lee Seokmin. Sighing before an empty locker.

Hang on, empty? 

No way.

The Lee Seokmin, so handsome and talented, the cool Rock Band leader hasn’t received any pepero? Not any decorated pepero from close friends, no generic boxes from starry-eyed juniors or regular acquaintances? Nah, it can’t be. Seokmin surely has mounds of pepero, he’s just great at hiding it. Because Seokmin is so talented, he can ace Physics while sleeping in class, bring the musically-not-inclined Rock Band to amazing heights. So he can hide pepero. Yes. Of course. Definetely. 

“Where you hiding your pepero? I need to learn your skills to steal some from Seungkwan.”

“I don’t have any.”

“Liar. Everyone gets at least one! Even if it’s just from some kind classmates or something.”

“I’m serious. Search me.”

Soonyoung is exactly the type of person to takes things too literally. So he reaches for Seokmin’s bag and empties it. Nope, no pepero. Searches his pockets and in his jacket but it comes out empty.

“You ate it!”

Seokmin opens his mouth. Damn, not a trace of cookie crumbs.

“Well, aren’t your multiple noona girlfriends from university going to give you some later?”

Seokmin lets out a weary sigh. “ I don’t even have pepero. Let’s not talk about having a girlfriend, older or not. Much less bring up multiple girlfriends because despite what everyone thinks I’ve been horrifically single for my entire life.”

“Then why does everyone say you date multiple pretty noonas from various universities?”

“Well, does everyone echoing Lee Jihoon that you plagiarized the dances mean you did it?”

Soonyoung stands there frozen. Damn, he’s guilty as charged. Blindly believeing rumours just because everyone keeps saying that it’s true. Blatantly ignoring Seokmin pleading innocence just because everyone else tells him no. There’s no smoke without fire, but is the fire in Seokmin’s house or is someone fanning the smoke over like Jihoon did to him?

“Sorry. So you really didn’t receive any?” Soonyoung is suddenly concerned. Valentine’s Day is really terrible if you feel like no one cares at all. And it’s definitely not true that no one loves Seokmin. The Rock Band relies on him to survive, the Dance Club is pretty amused by them arguing. And Boo Seungkwan is his best friend.

“Zero. And I’m not dating anybody, okay.” Seokmin’s shoulders fall as the fight seeps out of him. “I got one plain packet for the past few years but I didn’t get any this year. I guess it’s from Seungkwan and he forgot. Trying to make me feel better, this punk. At least do it consistently, I might just have been fooled.”

Soonyoung is pretty sure Seokmin is right. But of course he doesn’t say it. Instead he reaches into his bag and retrieves his extra decorated pepero. He kept a packet of spares just in case he broke some on the way to school and lucklily, they've found another use. They’re dark chocolate ones with strawberry icing and star-shaped sprinkles. Pretty cute, for his standards.

“Here. Now you have pepero!”

Seokmin snorts. “That’s nice, pity pepero. You and Seungkwan are the same type. Oh look, a kicked puppy! We’re sweet guys so we’ll take care of him because no one else wants to!”

“I would have given you pepero, okay. I just thought you wouldn’t need it? I mean you’re handsome and everything so I thought you’d get swamped with gifts.”

“Not a single box. Every year. Except from Seungkwan who’s a nice best friend with lots of pity and now you. Take it back, I don’t need more sympathy.”

Damn, he’s stubborn. And grumpy. Even though he’s holding the decorated pepero tightly like he doesn’t want to give it back. Maybe Seungkwan is right, they’re more similar than Soonyoung first liked to believe.

“It’s not pity pepero. I’m giving this to you because- you’re my friend?”

Something about that statement seems a little wrong. But Soonyoung doesn’t believe it’s because he should have used harsher words like “I don’t hate you.” Are they friends? They must be. That’s the only logical explanation.

“Not because Seungkwan’s my friend and you feel obliged to make me happy?” Seokmin's voice goes a little soft. 

“No. I –like being with you? I guess? You are kind and nice? Spending time with you is nice?”

God, Soonyoung doesn’t quite know. Nothing he’s saying out right now seems qute right. It’s all the truth, but his words don’t express what he wants to say. They’re kind of friends, people who spend time together. Seokmin is someone who comforts him when he feels sad, someone unexpectedly good at giving him strength. Even though he hated Seokmin at first that’s definitely changed and now he’s laughing at Seokmin’s many bad jokes. There’s also the part of him that feels so bad at believing the rumours about Seokmin, upset at himself for not thinking to give Seokmin pepero.

There’s also something he can’t quite understand himself. Like he wants to be really good friends with Seokmin but not best friends like how he’s like with Seungkwan. Like a feeling of wanting to wake Seokmin up and listen to his sleepy aegeyo again, to let Pony-Pony spend more time with Mr. Fluffles. The feeling of wanting to understand him more. But Soonyoung can’t comprehend it.

If he was to put a taste to it, something slightly bittersweet with just enough edge to keep him wanting to try more? 

Thankfully he doesn’t need to. Because Seokmin is blushing a little at his cheesy words, grumbling that it’s still pity pepero as he rips the packaging open. A transparent ziploc, because Soonyoung ran out of cute heart-shaped plastic bags.

“At least it’s cute. Now I have decorated pepero not from Seungkwan. A win?”

“Let’s go to the rooftop shed. You can help me eat my pepero, I don’t want to drag it all home.”

So that’s how they end up in the empty rooftop shed, nibbling away at pepero and leaving crumbs on the floor. Sweeping is going to be such a chore. But it’s worth it. There’s still some of Soonyoung’s poorly-done pepero in Seokmin’s bag left uneaten as they munch their way through the standard boxed pepero.

Now that Seokmin isn’t all sad that he didn’t receive pepero, they’re having a pretty good time. Talking about the exams coming up soon, about the latest anime episodes. At one point Seokmin snaps an expensive pepero from between Soonyoung’s teeth just because he hadn’t tried that flavour. That led to an all-out war which left them giggling tiredly on the floor. Seokmin rants about how Valentine's Day is so terrible as Soonyoung nods along. Just listening, he thinks he can understand a little more. 

It's so comfortable and peaceful, just lounging on the ground eating pepero until they both get fat. Now they’re just waiting for Seungkwan to gather all his pepero so they can go home together, the oddest Valentine’s Day trio. Even though it's so nice that Soonyoung isn't quite sure he wants to move when he's feeling some strange sense of bliss. Maybe they should convince Seungkwan to join in and stay here until the sky gets dark. 

The door is pushed open so suddenly Soonyoung jumps. Seokmin places a reassuring arm behind him. In stumbles a dazed Seungkwan, both hands holding his packet of decorated pepero.

“I got the pepero!”

And with these words he falls to the ground, in some kind of a panic. Soonyoung rushes over. Who wouldn’t, his best friend has clearly gone mad. He’s gripping onto the pepero so tightly, face bright red.

“She gave me special pepero.”

Hold up. Is Boo Seungkwan finally going to get the cute girlfriend he’s always deserved?

a/n: because seokmin receiving no pepero except from soonyoung is a real fact. serious. 

also happy early Valentine's Day!! hope ya'll enjoy this chapter! everyone has been so nice > /// <