Kibum looked around curiously, eyes taking in every little detail of the wood-panelled walls they were currently surrounded by. He breathed in deeply, nearly drooling at the enticing aroma wafting around the small café they had found themselves situated in. It was a different one from last time, Kibum had noted. Whilst the café Luna worked at focused on coffee and sweets such as cakes, this one was renowned for its delightful meals – especially breakfast, and Kibum was most definitely pleased with Jonghyun’s superior taste.

His gaze dropped back down to the menu before him and he stared at the long list of dishes, torn. Kibum eyes lifted to peer at Jonghyun, who shot him a small, reassuring smile. They had opted to keep their public displays of affection minimal – after all, you never knew who would tell who, and they certainly couldn’t allow specific people finding out about their relationship. “Know what you’re having?” Jonghyun asked softly, and Kibum bit his lip.

“There’s too many choices.” he whinged, and Jonghyun nodded vehemently in agreement.

“Well, any nominees? I can recommend what I think’s the best.”

Kibum looked in thought, and allowed his eyes to run over the extensive menu one last time. “The blueberry pancakes…or hazelnut and banana crepes.”

Jonghyun pondered for a few seconds, and bit his lip softly in thought. “Personally, I like the blueberry pancakes more. But it’s up to you, really.”

Kibum nodded to himself. It wasn’t as though he could choose between the two anyway, so he might as well just go with Jonghyun’s recommendation. “I’ll have those then.”

Jonghyun grinned, almost proudly, and gestured for the waitress to come and serve them. She sauntered over, and Kibum nearly spewed up in his mouth at how hard she appeared to be trying.

“Hi!” she exclaimed brightly, fluttering her eyelashes flirtatiously at the both of them. Yes, that was definitely bile Kibum could taste. “What can I get you two cuties today?”

Jonghyun paid no attention to her flirting attempts, yet Kibum visibly sneered, reaching his foot forward to knock against Jonghyun’s. The singer gave him a questioning look but Kibum simply shrugged his shoulders as though it had been an accident.

“Um…” Jonghyun began, giving Kibum one last curious look before returning his attention to the waitress. “I’ll have a serving of the omelettes, please.” he spoke kindly. The waitress smiled brightly, tucking her hair behind her ear as she wrote their order on a small notepad. Kibum’s nose screwed up in distaste, but quickly returned to being stoic as she adverted her attention to him.

“And how about you, hon?” she asked, looking down at him through her heavily mascaraed lashes. Kibum tried as hard as he possibly could to refrain from sneering at her. “The blueberry pancakes. Please.”

She nodded and hurriedly wrote it down, looking quite affronted at his blunt attitude. “Is that all for today, boys?”

“Yes, thank you.” Jonghyun spoke kindly, smiling at the girl with a slight bow of the head and cutting off any sarcastic remark Kibum might have been about to say.

The girl bowed in response and scurried away to the kitchen, Jonghyun directing a pointed look in Kibum’s direction once she had left. He rose an eyebrow. “What was with that?”

Kibum bit his lip and stared at the paper sugar sachets in the middle of the table fiercely. “Couldn’t you tell she was flirting with you?”

Jonghyun blinked. “Well yes but, I’m your boyfriend now so it doesn’t really matter.” he explained gently, nudging Kibum’s foot with his own as though to further the point.

Kibum’s eyes shot up to Jonghyun’s, surprised. He still wasn’t used to the idea of Jonghyun being his boyfriend, and it left a warm, fuzzy feeling in the pit of his stomach. “I know, I’m sorry. I guess it just bothers me.”

Jonghyun smiled in understanding and reached forward to pat Kibum’s hand gently. “Don’t worry, Kibum. I like you. If I didn’t, I never would have chased you upstairs and kissed you yesterday. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be so disgustingly cheesy around you and try and make some kind of physical contact with you every other minute.”

Kibum’s lips parted revealing the toothy smile that Jonghyun absolutely adored. He breathed, relieved. “You really have a way with words, y’know?”

Jonghyun poked his tongue out. “It’s why I like writing songs so much. So I can get rid of all my pent up cheesiness in a more pleasant sounding way.”

“Thank God,” Kibum joked. “Imagine if you didn’t write songs…all your cheesiness would be converted into disgusting pickup lines.”

Jonghyun laughed out loud, creases appearing around his eyes in happiness. The two males sat and made light conversation, joking about anything and everything that came to their minds, and soon the waitress was making her way back with their plates in hand. Jonghyun shot Kibum a look as if to say ‘behave’, and Kibum merely rolled his eyes.

“Here you are, cuties.” she chirped, placing their plates before them and promptly leaving with a discreet wink in Jonghyun’s direction. Kibum visibly fumed in anger.

“Kibum…” Jonghyun whispered. “Do you see me winking back? Calm down, yeobo.”

Kibum pouted but nonetheless did as Jonghyun said, breathing in deeply. “Ugh, fine. But I swear, if she does so much as to lay a hand on you, I’m going to slap those darn eyelashes right off her face.”

Jonghyun snorted but quickly muffled it by shoving a mouthful of waffle into his gob, not wanting to give Kibum the satisfaction of being rude. Kibum smirked though, and Jonghyun immediately knew he’d been caught.

“Can’t she see we’re on a date, anyway? She has such large eyes, maybe she could use them for something useful instead of the excessive batting she’s opted for.”

Jonghyun sighed. “Kibum, we’re two guys eating breakfast. The first thought that comes to people’s heads isn’t usually, ‘Oh, they must be dating.’” Kibum pouted, but knew that the older boy was right.

“Okay, okay but…” he began, stalling the rest of his sentence by stuffing his face with a mouthful of pancake. He swallowed after a few chews, and continued at Jonghyun’s steady gaze. “Can you at least hold my hand when we go up to pay, or something?”

Jonghyun rolled his eyes fondly. “You really are a sadist. That poor girl. Doesn’t even know what she’s gotten herself into.” He spoke with a mouthful of food. “And no, I will not.”

Kibum grumbled indignantly. “Party pooper.”

But as it seemed, Jonghyun hadn’t finished. “I’ll make out with you outside the window instead.” he said simply, taking another bite as if the words held absolutely no meaning whatsoever.

Kibum’s eyes widened and he nearly choked on his mouthful. “Seriously? So much for keeping our public affection to a minimum.”

Jonghyun shrugged. “I mean, it’s one little kiss. I don’t think it’ll pass on to anyone we know.” Kibum nodded in agreement, and a large smile made its way onto his face.

They finished their food quickly, being two adult men, and when they finally decided they’d enjoyed the warmth of the café quite enough, made their way up the counter. Thankfully, or not so thankfully depending on how you looked at it, the waitress from before was there, batting those oh so obnoxious lashes at them once again. Kibum decided that he’d pay that time despite Jonghyun’s protests, and then they left the café only to hover outside the window.

“Is she looking?” whispered Kibum, staring into Jonghyun’s eyes with a slight smirk lacing his lips. Jonghyun’s eyes dropped down to stare at them, and he subtly flicked his eyes over to peek a look at the waitress.

“Yeah,” he whispered, taking a tentative step forward and gently brushing his hands over Kibum’s waist.

Kibum’s smirk transformed into a beautiful smile, and when his tongue poked out to his chapped lips, Jonghyun wasn’t acting as he leant forward to softly kiss the younger. Kibum smiled against Jonghyun’s lips and kissed back softly, tongue darting forward to brush against Jonghyun’s with tenderness. Jonghyun hummed in pleasure, but pulled back gently to rest his forehead against Kibum’s.

“We’re in public.” he whispered, as though reminding himself as well as the taller boy within his arms.

Kibum nodded and separated himself from Jonghyun reluctantly, joining their hands together with a final, smug glance in the waitress’ direction. It was safe to say she was surprised, jaw dropped so low that, Kibum thought with a grimace, she was probably catching flies. And then, with hands clasped together, the two took off, sliding themselves back into Jonghyun’s car to make their way over to his house.

Kibum sighed happily. He rather liked Jonghyun’s house. It was warm, cosy and comforting, albeit small, but that didn’t bother Kibum. He despised the size of his house. And especially considering the fact that he was there alone half the time, the size of it was not necessary at all. When they arrived at their destination and Jonghyun unlocked the front door, he was quite unprepared for the squeal that immediately met his ears, let alone the pair of arms that engulfed him in a large hug.

“Kibum!” Seodam exclaimed happily, apparently taking no notice of how astonished and stiff the student appeared to be in her grasp.

Jonghyun gently pried his sister off Kibum, shooting the dancer an apologetic glance. “Don’t scare the living daylights out of him, sis.” Seodam blinked, before an expression of realisation dawned on her and she began to apologize profusely.

Kibum laughed, brushing off her apologies lightly. “I was just startled, don’t worry.” he had informed her, feeling immediately better once a look of relief had adorned her features in place of her prior frown.

Jonghyun explained to her that they were going to hang out until they had to leave for the bar, and Seodam had looked positively delighted as the two made their way down the hallway and into Jonghyun’s room.

“I really like your sister.” Kibum spoke once they had plopped themselves on Jonghyun’s bed, eliciting the singer to mischievously narrow his gaze at Kibum.

“Should I be worried?” he questioned jokingly, and Kibum lightly slapped his arm.

“Maybe.” he quipped, poking his tongue out at Jonghyun playfully. Jonghyun grinned.

They’d already come so far from when they met, he noted joyfully. He recalled just last week, where Kibum had been adorably shy when speaking to Jonghyun and lit up like a tomato at every flirty comment he made. Jonghyun loved that side of Kibum. But, he decided, he loved the snarky, mischievous and blunt side of Kibum even more.

Jonghyun moved forward instinctively, brushing his fingers gently over Kibum’s cheekbones before gliding his hand down to hold the dancer’s chin between his forefinger and thumb. Kibum’s breath caught in his throat at the sudden display of affection, yet he didn’t flinch away in the slightest. “I can’t even begin to comprehend how I managed to meet someone as beautiful as you.” Jonghyun remarked quietly, and Kibum’s eyes unconsciously dropped down to the singer’s mouth as he spoke.

Jonghyun ran his thumb over Kibum’s bottom lip delicately and leant in whilst keeping his gaze locked on Kibum’s. Millimetres apart, his eyes dropped to Kibum’s mouth and he lovingly brushed their lips together, eyes fluttering shut as soon as they made contact. Kibum felt his skin explode in gooseflesh and hummed quietly into the placid yet sensual kiss, provoking a small grin from Jonghyun.

Their lips glided over the other’s sloppily for what felt like a year, and it was safe to say that neither male was making any move to stop any time soon. Kibum’s hand clutched the chest of Jonghyun’s sweater tightly and Jonghyun’s hands ran along the skin of Kibum’s waist, spreading shivers and chills wherever they made contact. Nothing about it was heavy or heated – and it was simply perfect.

Seodam walked up the hall, plate of biscuits in hand. She figured the boys must be hungry, it was nearing lunch time and well, boys were always hungry in her opinion. Part of it was probably because of her fondness for Kibum, and the desire for Jonghyun and him to get together, but she brushed off those thoughts and instead blamed it on the nurse in her.

Reaching Jonghyun’s door, she turned the handle softly and pushed it open, poking her head in around the corner. Seodam froze as her eyes landed upon the scene in front of her, and if it wasn’t for her immaculate balance she would have found her plate of cookies crashing upon the floor in no time. Silently, she turned right around and closed the door behind her as quietly as possible, staring at the parallel wall wide eyed.

Almost robotically, Seodam began the trek back to the kitchen, and when she finally began to comprehend the scenario in which she had walked in on, an impish grin spread over her face. “I knew it,” she whispered. “I ing knew it.”

And then she simply burst out into humorous giggles.

Kibum pulled away softly, cheeks flushed an enticing red. He giggled softly, almost shyly, and promptly fell into Jonghyun lap. “I should’ve shoved you against the wall and kissed you the moment we met.” Kibum laughed.

Jonghyun nodded fervently in agreement, and pulled Kibum into his arms, relaxing against the headboard. “Trust me, I was contemplating it.”

Kibum groaned. “You should’ve, damn it. I was pining after you weeks before that.”

Jonghyun ran his fingers through Kibum’s hair, something that already seemed natural. “I can’t kiss my fans immediately after meeting them, Kibum. How would the media perceive me?”

“A y sleaze?” Kibum offered.

Jonghyun poked his tongue out and bopped Kibum’s nose. “Which I’m not. I mean, the y part is true…but I’m more of a charming prince, don’t you think?”

Kibum nodded, all the same rolling his eyes at Jonghyun’s flirtatious antics. He nestled himself deeper into Jonghyun’s embrace and breathed in deeply. “You need to shower, mister.”

Jonghyun laughed. “I do. How about you go talk to Seodam or stay here while I go?”

“All for the greater good, I suppose.” Kibum sighed in reply, planting a chaste peck on Jonghyun’s cheek before wriggling out of his hold. “I’m pretty sure I smelled cookies baking when we arrived, so I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me!”

And with those words of farewell, Kibum had disappeared from the room leaving a sulking Jonghyun on the bed. “Ditching me for cookies…” he grumbled, grudgingly rolling off the bed before heading over to the adjacent bathroom.

Kibum wandered into the kitchen tentatively, eyes searching the room for Seodam. He inhaled deeply, and could instantaneously feel his mouth watering as the scent of freshly baked cookies wafted around the room. “Noona…” he called nervously, not wanting to feel rude or awkward in the presence of his boyfriend’s family.

Kibum heard light footsteps pattering towards the kitchen and he looked at Seodam, relieved, as she stepped onto the smooth, tiled flooring. “Kibum-ah!” she exclaimed, and Kibum felt quite intimidated as she gave him an odd look.

He his lips timidly and kept his gaze locked on the laces of his shoes. “Jjong’s just popped into the shower…” Kibum trailed, causing Seodam’s eyes to light up in understanding.

“Oh, of course! Well, you’re just in time. A new batch of cookies just came out of the oven!” she spoke, gesturing for Kibum to follow her into the lounge. Kibum didn’t miss the odd glint in her eyes as she turned around and stepped through the doorway.

He followed obediently, and although he shouldn’t have been, Kibum was quite surprised as his gaze landed upon Jonghyun’s mother on the couch. “Oh, h-hello!” he stuttered, bowing respectively as her kind eyes met Kibum’s.

“Hello, Kibum! How are you, hon?” she greeted gleefully, and Kibum felt his chest clench in overwhelming warmth at the immediate welcoming.

He smiled brightly and sat on the other sofa, taking a cookie from the plate. “Rather well, Mrs Kim. Yourself?”

“Very good, thank you!” she grinned, taking a bite of her cookie. She looked at Kibum, not quite as oddly as Seodam had, but oddly nonetheless.

“I’m so glad that Jonghyun’s finally making new friends. Jinki is a lovely boy, but Jonghyun really spends too much time cooped up in that room of his.” she spoke, and Kibum felt weirdly relieved as he felt a dip in the couch from Seodam sitting next to him.

“Now he can spend too much time cooped up in his room of his with Kibum.” she voiced innocently, prompting Kibum to choke on the cookie he was currently eating.

Seodam shot him a side glance, laced with the odd look that made Kibum’s skin crawl nervously. The dip in the couch wasn’t such a relieving feeling anymore, and Kibum felt himself fidgeting nervously where he sat. His eyes floated around the warm room desperately, hoping that Jonghyun would appear in the doorway sooner rather than later.

Seodam opened as if to say something else, however closed it instantly as Kibum’s hopes came true. Jonghyun walked into the lounge room with dripping hair and a towel wrapped round his shoulders, raising a brow at his family members surrounding Kibum.

‘Help me,’ Kibum mouthed, and Jonghyun had to bite his lip to prevent an onslaught of chuckles.

“You guys better not be torturing him. I was gone for what, 7 minutes max, and this is what happens.” he spoke with a grin, sitting himself down in the small gap between Seodam and Kibum.

Seodam rolled her eyes and got up, sinking herself into the seat by her mother instead. And whilst Kibum had been silently praying Jonghyun would stay pressed against his side, smelling ever so heavenly, he was still pleasantly astonished when Jonghyun made no motion to move, shoulders and arms touching Kibum’s boldly.

Jonghyun looked across at his mother and sister, and frowned deeply as he noticed the look upon Seodam’s face. He shook his head lightly at her, soundlessly begging her not to say anything embarrassing out loud. She smirked, but nodded nonetheless.

“So…” began Jonghyun’s mother. “What are you boys planning on doing today?”

Jonghyun looked at Kibum. “Well, I was thinking we could head over to the bar a little earlier.” he suggested and Kibum tilted his head in curiosity. Jonghyun continued, “Jinki plays before me every Sunday and I usually go and watch him. We don’t have to though…”

Kibum looked in thought for a few seconds before he grinned widely. “No, let’s go. It’ll be fun!”

Jonghyun eyes brightened. “We still have a lot of time to spare though, so we may as well watch a movie or play video games for a while.”

Kibum suddenly bounced out of his seat at Jonghyun’s words, a glint in his eyes. “I happen to be the king of Mario Kart.” he proclaimed proudly, crossing his arms over his chest. Jonghyun looked amusedly up at Kibum, shaking his head softly out of fondness.

“It’s obvious you’ve never played me, then.” joked Jonghyun, standing up and taking another cookie off the plate. Seodam reached over and slapped his hand.

“Don’t be a pig and leave some for Kibum.” she scolded, picking the tray up and offering it to the 19-year-old.

Kibum poked his tongue out at Jonghyun and plucked a cookie from the tray with a grateful nod. “Yeah, Jonghyun. Don’t be such a pig.”

Jonghyun’s jaw dropped. “Stop plotting my b—friends against me!” he stuttered, eyes widening slightly at his slip up. Seodam’s odd look came back, but his mother didn’t seem to pay any notice, eyes locked on the cheesy drama playing on television.

Kibum bit his lip and diverted his gaze, chewing on his biscuit half-heartedly. Jonghyun shot him a glance from the corner of his eyes, cheeks painted rouge. “C’mon, ‘Bum. Let’s go see who the real king is.” Their eyes met, and Kibum nodded. “You go up to my room first, I have to talk to Seodam about something.”

Kibum faltered, but nevertheless agreed and disappeared into the hallway, eyes filled with curiosity.

“Seodam, come into the kitchen.” demanded Jonghyun once Kibum had left. Seodam got up out of her seat and followed behind Jonghyun with a roll of the eyes, ignoring the tilted head of confusion their mother was directing at them.

Jonghyun crossed his arms and leant against the counter, cocking an eyebrow at Seodam. “What did you say to him?”

Seodam pursed her lips. “Nothing, you idiot!”

“Then why was he so uncomfortable when I walked into the room?”

She sighed. “I just made a little comment as a joke, Jonghyun. He was probably just feeling awkward. I think the real question here is why the heck did I stumble upon you two kissing in your room?”

Jonghyun’s eyes widened and he stiffened, staring at Seodam in disbelief. “I-We…we weren’t.” he stuttered pathetically in defence, causing Seodam to snort.

“I know what I saw, Jonghyun. Look, I have nothing wrong with it, and I’m pretty sure mum wouldn’t either but…You know not everyone in Korea is like us, right? I just want you to be careful.”

The singer exhaled loudly, running his hands through his blonde tufts of hair. “I can’t even manage to keep a secret for a day.” he muttered under his breath wearily. Seodam smiled affectionately, and ruffled his hair.

“Keeping secrets definitely isn’t your forte.”

Jonghyun’s lips tilted slightly at the end before he wrapped Seodam in a hug. “Thanks, Seodam. I’ll be careful, don’t worry.”

Seodam hugged back briefly with a grin before pulling away and shoving Jonghyun off towards the hallway. “Now hurry up, Kibum might fall asleep if you leave him any longer.”

Jonghyun sneered at her playfully but headed down the hallway anyway, entering his room with a loud sigh. Kibum looked up from his phone as he heard Jonghyun’s footsteps, and rose an inquisitive eyebrow. Jonghyun shrugged his shoulders offhandedly and flung himself onto the bed beside Kibum, reaching for his console controllers by the bedside.

Kibum looked doubtful, but nevertheless took a controller from Jonghyun’s hand and reached over to turn the console on. “You’re on, Jjong.”

Jonghyun furrowed his brows with playful competitiveness and the TV, impulsively shuffling closer to Kibum so that their thighs were pressing together. “Prepare to be ruined, Kibum.”

They chose their characters – Jonghyun as Yoshi and Kibum as Toad, and they began to play the grand prix, both of their eyes glaring in concentration. Jonghyun’s tongue poked out the side of his mouth and Kibum bit his lip harshly, neither male willing to give up the glory of winning for the sake of their boyfriend.

“Yes!” exclaimed Jonghyun loudly, eliciting a glare from Kibum. The singer pumped his fist into the air and bounced lightly on the bed, rubbing his inevitable victory in the younger boy’s face. “I told you I’m unbeatable!”

Kibum crossed his arms over his chest, defeated. “Your mum was right…You really do spend too much time cooped up in here.”

Jonghyun’s jaw dropped. “What on earth have you been talking about with my mum?!” he interrogated frantically, pitch heightening considerably at the end of the question.

Kibum poked his tongue out teasingly. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Kibum…”whined Jonghyun, grabbing Kibum’s hand and tugging on it with desperation.

Kibum laughed, merely hugging on Jonghyun’s arm and leaning in to him. “Victory doesn’t taste so sweet now, does it?”

Jonghyun grumbled, however his arms made no hesitation to wrap around Kibum’s shoulders and pull him even closer. Kibum sighed contentedly and rested his head in the crook of Jonghyun’s neck, closing his eyes contentedly and wrapping his arms tightly around Jonghyun’s torso. “Nah,” Jonghyun denied, resting his chin on the crown of Kibum’s head. “I reckon it tastes even sweeter.”

And maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t the winning of Mario Kart but something else entirely that Jonghyun was alluding to. Something much sweeter.

Countless minutes of savouring the feeling their hug produced and three games later, the boys found themselves hovering outside the front door, saying farewell to Seodam and Mrs Kim. Jonghyun adorned a guitar slung over his back and Kibum held his own wallet along with Jonghyun’s small backpack filled with a water bottle, the singer’s notepad and his phone.

“Stay safe, boys!” Jonghyun’s mother called just as they closed the door behind them. They replied with a simultaneous shout and made their way down to Jonghyun’s car – if it could even be called that.

“I don’t understand why you feel the need to insult my car all the time. If it wasn’t for this baby, you’d be in a lot more trouble, mister.” Jonghyun spoke as they hopped inside, however his statement was contradicted considerably as the motor failed to start. With a weary exhale and a hearty thwack of the dashboard, courtesy of Jonghyun, the loud purr could be heard and off they were, clunking down the street together once again.

Kibum, as if suddenly remembering something quite important, suddenly froze and fished his phone out of his pocket, fingers flying across the screen frantically. As they stopped at a traffic light, Jonghyun peeped over and could feel his features contorting into something less than pleased. “Why do you always lie to your parents?”

Kibum’s eyes shot up, shocked, and he tilted his phone away from Jonghyun’s prying eyes. “Why don’t you lie to yours?” he retaliated defensively.

The car began to move again, and Jonghyun replied as though the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. “Because I’m an adult and they trust me to make my own decisions. You’re an adult too, y’know.”

Kibum frowned and looked out the window forlornly. “Yeah well, my parents think it’s better if they make my decisions for me. I only lie so I can do what I want for once. Not what they want.

“And what do they want?” Jonghyun asked quietly, not quite sure he wanted to hear the answer.  

“Who knows? But I can assure you having a gay son who wants to dance for a living isn’t quite what they were hoping for.” he replied harshly, habitually picking at his nails in an act of pretend carelessness.

They pulled up at the carpark of the bar and Jonghyun turned in his seat to face Kibum directly. “Don’t talk like that,” he scolded, grabbing the dancer’s hand lacing his fingers with Kibum’s.

Kibum diverted his eyes from Jonghyun’s stern gaze and kept his eyes locked on the cup tray between them. “I’m just saying the truth.” he defended.

“Listen,” began Jonghyun, using his free hand to tilt Kibum’s head up delicately. “I know it’s tough. And I know that sometimes all you want is for your parents to understand you. Being someone different around them is hard on you – it has to be. But you don’t need to lie, you know.”

Kibum opened his mouth to disagree but Jonghyun shushed him before he could even get a word out. “Hiding things and lying are two completely different things. Maybe you should introduce me to your parents as a friend so you don’t always need to lie about who you’re with and what you’re doing.”

Kibum’s face had transformed from its previous angry look into a sullen one, and he gave Jonghyun’s hand a pathetic squeeze. “I-I’ll try but…you don’t know how hard it is, Jonghyun. At dinner, all they ever talk about is my grades and why I don’t have a girlfriend yet and…it’s not me, you know? All I want to talk about is the new choreography I learnt at lunch, o-or the cute boy who I watch every Sunday night when they think I’m at Amber’s house. I want them to know the real me, but I can’t even work up the guts to give them the chance.”

Jonghyun leant forward and wrapped Kibum in a bone crushing hug. “One step at a time, yeobo.” he whispered gently, rubbing his hands up and down Kibum’s back. “I know the real you, and so do your friends. Right now, that’s all that matters. Eventually, you’ll be able to tell your parents these things but you can’t just dump it on them all at once. One step at a time.”

Kibum sighed deeply and sunk into Jonghyun’s strong embrace, breathing in his beautiful scent of soap, cinnamon and musk. “Do you know how amazing you are?”

Jonghyun smiled and placed a lingering kiss on Kibum’s head. “I have some concept, yes.”

Kibum pulled back slightly and pecked Jonghyun softly on the lips. “C’mon then, let’s head inside.”

The two men got out of the car and closed the doors behind them, heading in through the side entrance of the bar – one that Kibum wasn’t accustomed to. However, he immediately found solace in the dim lighting and the familiar wooden floorboards, the mild chatter in the room surprisingly quite comforting despite his prior sulky mood.

Jonghyun and Kibum manoeuvred their way through the small crowd to the usual bartender , and it was safe to say that the tall man was quite surprised to see the two of them making their way inside together. “Jonghyun. Kibum. How are the two of you?” he greeted politely, however the curiosity blazing within his eyes was difficult to miss.

“Quite well, hyung. Yourself?” replied Jonghyun politely, taking a seat and merely nodding when the bartender held up a bottle of soju. Kibum slid in beside him and placed his chin on the palm of his hand, giving a thumbs up when the tall man soundlessly questioned if Kibum was having some too.

He poured their drinks skilfully and slid them over the chipped counter, wiping his hands casually on his apron whilst answering. “Just the usual, to be honest. This is the highlight of my week, however sad it may sound.”

Jonghyun laughed good-naturedly and Kibum couldn’t help but nod his head vehemently in agreement. The man opened his mouth to say something else, however was interrupted by someone calling for another drink on the other side of the counter. “Sorry, guys.” he apologized genuinely with a frown, before heading off to deal with other matters.

It seemed as though his departure was quite timely, because soon enough the lights were dimming and Jonghyun was hurriedly stuffing cash into the bartender’s unsuspecting hand. Jonghyun grabbed Kibum’s hand and pulled him through the now bustling crowd so that they could stand by the front of the stage, and he shot Kibum a wide smile that Kibum couldn’t help but return just as eagerly.

They watched attentively as a man around the same age as Jonghyun made his way onto the stage, and Kibum didn’t miss the way he stumbled slightly on the way. “Is he drunk?” Kibum whispered with a cocked eyebrow.

Jonghyun laughed loudly, earning himself a few piercing glares, and shook his head. “God, no.” he replied quietly. “Jinki’s just really clumsy.” Kibum giggled into his hand and returned his attention to the stage, studying the man standing there intently.

A large, contagious smile adorned Jinki’s face where he stood, and despite the awkwardness he seemed to behold, he looked considerably elated. Kibum found himself grinning just by looking at the older male, and albeit never having talked to Jinki, Kibum liked him already.

“Ahem…Uh, hello!” Jinki spoke brightly, tapping on the microphone to test it even though he had just spoken into it. His behaviour elicited a tinkle of laughter from the crowd, and Jonghyun and Kibum weren’t to be excluded from everyone else. “I know my accent’s a little off…but I learnt some English songs for you guys today!” he introduced with a broad grin, taking the encouraging claps that followed as an invitation to begin.

Jinki, Kibum discovered, had a voice not unlike melted butter. It was the kind of voice you could listen to all day, and so therefore Kibum was more than disappointed when Jinki’s half hour was up and he left the stage with a wave and yet another stumble. Jonghyun had immediately rushed off to greet his old friend, reluctantly leaving Kibum behind who had insisted he didn’t know Jinki well enough to go greet him.

In reality though, Kibum was quite intimidated, not used to sharing his boyfriend with people who had known him for much longer than Kibum had. And so he headed back to the bar to dwell on his thoughts, and it wasn’t until 7:30 when Kibum finally lifted from his seat and headed back to his watching spot, eyes lighting up as Jonghyun’s boots clicked onto the small stage. Jonghyun carried his small stool in one arm and his guitar in the other, sitting down in the middle of the stage with a bright smile – although not as bright as Jinki’s, for that would be a feat.

“Good evening, everyone.” he greeted softly, giving his guitar a testing strum. “I’ve written another song for today, but it’s pretty sketchy so be nice!”

Kibum’s eyes widened in sheer surprise. Was Jonghyun going to sing Warm Winter? Or had he written another song that Kibum didn’t know about?

“It’s called ‘Orbit’, and I hope you guys enjoy it!” Jonghyun continued, flashing the crowd one last, charming smile before returning his focus to the guitar within his hands. Kibum didn’t miss the subtle wink Jonghyun had directed his way before he began to sing, and he most certainly did not miss the way Jonghyun seemingly stared directly into his soul when he sang the captivating lyrics of his new song, one that Kibum had certainly never heard of before.

Kibum bit his lip to conceal a squeal that was certain to flood out of his mouth when given the chance, and when Jonghyun finished singing the final song of the night, Hallelujah, Kibum made no hesitation in slinking his way through the crowd to where he had seen Jonghyun slip into earlier. His eyes searched the dark expanse for any sign of the singer, and when their eyes finally found each other’s, both of their faces immediately burst out into a wide, ecstatic grin. Jonghyun jogged his way over to Kibum and immediately wrapped him in a warm hug, burying his face into Kibum’s chest and gripping his t-shirt.

Kibum, although quite surprised at Jonghyun’s sudden affection, hugged back just as tightly, running his hands gently down Jonghyun’s spine. The older male pulled away slightly and stared into Kibum’s eyes lovingly, and just when Kibum thought he might lean in and take his lips for his own, they heard a soft ahem from beside them. Both of their faces shot to the side and they pulled apart abruptly, staring at the newcomer, Jinki, in astonishment.

“Ah…” he began awkwardly, the crimson of his cheeks visible even in the dim lighting. “Hello.”

Kibum couldn’t help it – he laughed. The situation in which Jinki had stumbled across along with the inelegance he seemed to possess was all too amusing to the dancer, who deep down felt quite awful for having met Jonghyun’s best friend in such an odd way.

“Hi!” greeted Kibum once his laughter had died down, sticking out a hand in greeting. “I’m Kibum!”

Jinki stared at Kibum’s hand silently for a few seconds, before his face split into a beaming smile and he placed his hand in Kibum’s to give it a shake. “I’m Jinki! Nice to meet you. I’m assuming you’re Jonghyun’s friend…” he trailed, looking between the two as though he was trying to solve a difficult puzzle.

Kibum began to nod, however was interrupted as Jonghyun spoke up, surprising the both of them greatly. “Boyfriend, actually.” he corrected, and Kibum could empathize greatly when Jinki sputtered on nothing but air.

“Eh?!” he exclaimed loudly, but silenced quickly at Jonghyun’s pointed glare. “J-Jonghyun…I didn’t know you liked blokes.” he continued, voice down to a whisper.

Jonghyun grinned, and wrapped his arm around Kibum’s waist. “Well, I like Kibum, and he’s a bloke…so I suppose so!”

Luna seemingly appeared out of the shadows, and when her gaze landed upon the new couple, she stood studying them for a few seconds before she finally comprehended the scene before her and her eyes widened in realisation. “Jonghyun! Kibum! I knew something was up with you two!” she exclaimed brightly, before wrapping all four of them in a bone crushing hug.

And when they were finally released from her strong grasp, Kibum found that Jinki’s face was a lot less shocked and much happier than it had been a few seconds prior. “Well, if you’re happy then I’m happy!” he had said simply, and Kibum found himself liking Jinki considerably more so the more he spoke.

The four of them made their way back into the main room and spent a bit of time merely catching up, or in Kibum’s case – getting to know each other. The minutes flew by quickly, and before they knew it, it was time for Kibum to head home. Jonghyun and Kibum said their farewells to the married couple with a quick hug each, and then headed outside to where Jonghyun’s car was parked. The air was refreshing, and Kibum welcomed it wholeheartedly when leaning against the door whilst Jonghyun struggled to unlock the car.

Kibum closed his eyes, and savoured the feeling of the light wind gently blowing his hair out of his face and flushing his cheeks red with the chill. A warm pair of hands found their way around his waist, and Kibum leant into the touch, opening his eyes slightly and wrapping his arms around Jonghyun’s neck. “I wish I had friends like yours.” Kibum whispered softly, staring into Jonghyun beautiful, chocolate eyes as though they were the earth and he was the creator.

Jonghyun merely smiled and leant forward to capture Kibum’s lips in a tender and lingering kiss. Kibum moved his lips slowly against Jonghyun’s and twisted his fingers through the hair on Jonghyun’s nape. The two of them pulled away gently after a few, blissful seconds, and the words that next spilled out of Jonghyun’s mouth meant more to Kibum than he would ever know.

“They are your friends. And they should be the jealous ones, because I have a boyfriend as beautiful and perfect as you and they don’t.”

Kibum’s lips tilted into an ethereal grin. “Touché.” he whispered softly, and pulled Jonghyun forward for yet another kiss tasting of pure bliss.

Because really, what was more blissful than belonging, love, and more importantly – waffles?