Day 4 - On A Date

Rating - PG (Swearing, surprise surprise)

Word Count - 1452

Summary - Seunghyun is terribly nervous about his first date with Daesung. 

Youngbae rolled his eyes for what felt like the hundredth time in the space of an hour, and I pointedly pretended not to have seen it, as I tossed aside the fourth shirt I’d tried on and started rummaging for option number five.

“You're being stupid, you know that, right?” He mused, and I flicked my gaze to him briefly before holding a shirt up as I looked back in the mirror.

“It has to be perfect,” I urged, brows furrowing as number five joined its brethren of discarded shirts on the floor.

“He's not gonna care, man,” Youngbae sighed, flopping back onto my bed and staring at the ceiling, “You think he's spent the better part of a decade analysing your outfits?”

I paused, long enough to mull it over, before deciding that I didn't really care regardless, and Bae flung an arm across his eyes and sighed again.

“You don't have to stay,” I snapped, and he snorted, removing his arm from his face so he could fix me with an incredulous stare.

We both knew I'd probably bail from the nerves alone if he wasn't here, and I was silently grateful for his endless patience when I found myself jammed in diva mode.

“I wonder if Seungri is doing any better…” I mused, and Youngbae laughed.

“They'd have taken two minutes and have probably been on his couch playing FIFA for the past hour while you go through an existential wardrobe crisis.”

He was probably right.

I grabbed another shirt, hoping the sixth time was a charm, and I felt a ripple of panic flutter through my chest because today had been at least four years in the making, and reality was sneaking up far too swiftly for me to wrap my head around it.

“Hey, hyung,” Youngbae’s voice drifted into my ears and I managed to meet his gaze in the mirror, as he frowned in concern, “It's gonna be okay. I know you've wanted this for a long time, but I'm pretty sure he has too.”

I swallowed back on the anxiety bubbling in my chest, fixing my gaze on what I saw in the mirror and feeling the familiar swell of insecurity that came with it.

Sometimes I looked and I could still see the chubby teenager of yesteryear staring back at me, somebody who never would have dreamed of getting a date with someone like Daesung, and I was wondering when the other shoe was going to drop.

“What am I doing? He's gonna realise any minute now that he's made a mistake,” I groaned, and Youngbae was up in a flash, flinging an arm around my shoulder and squeezing me into his side.

“I mean this with as much love as I can muster up, hyung, but shut the hell up,” Youngbae said softly, “Whatever those little voices in your head keep telling you, they're full of . Dae wants this. He wants to give it a chance, but you have to let him, man.”

I sighed, took a deep breath, swallowed back the nerves still clawing at my insides, and pulled on the shirt in my hands, smoothing it down over my stomach.

“Do I look good?” I asked, and he smiled, eyes small and teeth bright, as he playfully punched me in the shoulder.

“When don't you, you bastard?” He teased, “Go and put your damn shoes on.”

I smiled, a small and shaky thing, but it was genuine and I could tell that he knew it, as he squeezed my shoulder and pushed me in the direction of the door.

I checked the time, realised that it was about time to get my sorted and head to Daesung’s, and another flare of panic shot through me.

“Shoes, hyung,” Youngbae nagged, “You can have a freak out later, after you two have been all cute and gross together.”

I flipped him the bird and he laughed, before I began pulling on my shoes and going over a preformed list in my mind.

Leave, drive to Dae’s, pick Dae up, drive to restaurant, food and wine, pay the bill, drive Dae home, try desperately to not tell him I'm in love with him after the first date.

“Alright, go, go,” Youngbae urged as soon as my laces were tied, shoving at me as he handed me my keys, “No more stalling.”

“I'm having second doubts,” I murmured, and he punched me in the shoulder as he continued shoving, closing my door behind us.

“You're not. Get your stupid to Daesung’s,” Youngbae insisted, “Don't be late for once in your life. Hurry up so I can go home and gossip about you with Hyorin.”

“Traitor,” I narrowed my gaze at him, and he snorted, patting my cheek.

“Love you too, hyung. Now go.”

I hesitated for a moment, before leaning in and pulling him into a hug, squeezing a little tighter than I probably should have, as he made a soft sound of surprise before squeezing me back.

“Thank you,” I murmured, and he squeezed again, pressing his head to my shoulder and huffing a laugh.

“Nerd,” he replied softly, before sending me on my way.

The drive itself seemed to go for centuries, and at the same time, wasn’t anywhere near long enough for me to compose my thoughts. When I pulled up outside of Daesung’s apartment building and made my way upstairs with a wave through from the doorman, my heart was thudding uncomfortably in my chest and my throat was drier than the Sahara. When I knocked on the door, I willed myself to breathe like a normal human being, but the oxygen was trapped in my lungs and struggling to clamour free, before the door swung open and I let it out in a rush of air.

“What are you doing here?” I snapped, and Jiyong smirked knowingly, as I heard Daesung and Seungri chattering away further inside Daesung’s residence.

“You look good,” He commented airily, “More effort put in than usual.”

“Please tell me you’re just on your way out,” I huffed, and he playfully shoved at my shoulder.

“As a matter of fact, yes I am, ,” He snorted, before  straightening the collar of my shirt and smiling fondly. “You ready for this?”

“No,” I admitted quietly, and he huffed a laugh, patting me on the cheek in much the same way Youngbae had.

“Nothing’s going to go wrong,” He soothed, “And if it does, we can sort it out together, okay? All of us. Get the world of your shoulders for once.”

I breathed steadily, and Jiyong rolled his eyes, squeezing my shoulder as he passed.

“Seunghyun’s here, by the way!” He called, tossing a grin over his shoulder at me as the maknae line fell quiet from inside. Seungri’s head appeared from around the corner then, a massive grin breaking across his features, and then my heart was snagging in my chest as Daesung stepped around him a moment later, a smile blooming across his face as his eyes settled on me and noticeably softened.

“You’re early,” He remarked, not bothering to hide the teasing note of surprise, and I briefly wondered if I’d come away from this alive.

“Youngbae bullied me,” I admitted, and he laughed, the sound settling in my chest where there was a special hollow made just for it.

“Are you… ready to go?” I asked, and he nodded, before moving to greet me properly, the pair of us hovering awkwardly in the doorway, as Seungri snorted.

“You’ve known each other a decade, just hug,” The maknae teased, and I narrowed my gaze threateningly at him, to no effect.

Still, Daesung stepped closer and rocked up on his heels, pressing a kiss against my cheek and rendering me momentarily incoherent, before pressing himself into my side and squeezing me gently.

He shyly looked away then, before taking my hand in his own and lacing our fingers together, clearing his throat.

“Let’s go?” He suggested softly, and I felt the warmth curling from my fingertips right to my toes, realising that Seungri, for once in his life, had a point. We’d known each other for so long now that it didn’t have to be awkward. Shy, maybe, because this was undoubtedly new, but it was a matter of merely doing everything I’d been telling myself not to, in the transition from friends to… whatever we were now. I squeezed his fingers, stared at him with blatantly open affection just for him, and his smile only grew as his cheeks flushed beautifully.

“Let’s go,” I murmured, taking the first step from his apartment and into the newest stage of our lives together.