It was shaping up to be a pretty average day for Hakyeon. Having just finished his shift at work, he had decided to take a stroll through the market to pick up some new fragrance oils for his candle making hobby. As he walked through the market, enjoying the warm spring air against his skin, he noticed a tall man with wide shoulders who felt strangely familiar. He paused for a moment, waiting for the man to look up at the shopkeeper serving him so that he could get a better look at the man's face. 

As soon as Hakyeon caught a glimpse of the man's face, his heart began racing. He would recognise those distinctive chubby cheeks anywhere. Hakyeon's face lit up with a smile as he rushed over to the man, throwing his arms around him and hugging him tightly.

"Woonie~!!!"

"...H-Hakyeon...?"

"Woonie~!" Hakyeon grinned. This man was his best friend, Taekwoon, a shy and quiet man who Hakyeon hadn't seen in around about six years. "Woonie... It's..." Hakyeon choked up a little, overwhelmed with happiness. "It's... It's so good to see you."

"Hakyeon..." Taekwoon offered a weak smile in return, noticeably uncomfortable. "It's... Been a long time, huh?" he mumbled, looking down at his shuffling feet with a guilty expression on his face. He bit down on his lip, a nervous habit that he'd always had. 

"Wanna grab a coffee? If you're free, I mean," Hakyeon awkwardly scratched his head, realising he was acting overly enthusiastic. Taekwoon's become so handsome, he thought to himself.

Taekwoon glanced up at Hakyeon, surprised that he was acting so normal. He'd been secretly dreading the day that he would inevitably bump into Hakyeon, as he'd been expecting to be met with anger. But now the day had come, Hakyeon was treating him so normally... it was as if nothing between them had changed. Taekwoon was grateful for that. He took his phone out of the pocket of his long dark coat to check the time, and concluded he had plenty of time until his appointment. "Yeah," he smiled softly as he slipped his phone back into his coat. "I have time for coffee."

"Ah~ Great~!" Hakyeon grinned, clapping with excitement. "I know a quiet place," he smiled, gesturing to Taekwoon to follow him. 

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"One medium vanilla latte and one small hot chocolate, please~"

As Hakyeon paid and waited for their orders to arrive, he looked over his shoulder and watched Taekwoon as he found them a quiet spot to sit at by the window. He's so beautiful, Hakyeon thought, mesmerised by every little thing about Taekwoon. He watched as he slipped his coat off and hung it over the back of his chair before sitting down and letting out a quiet sigh. Taekwoon rested his arms on the table, fiddling with the rings he was wearing as he waited for Hakyeon to join him. As he waited, he turned his attention to the window, watching the people pass by outside. Ah, he got another ear-piercing, Hakyeon noticed. 

It didn't take long for Hakyeon's gaze to become fixated on Taekwoon's plush lips. Woonie... I missed you so much, Hakyeon sighed to himself, his face slowly turning a faint shade of pink as he watched Taekwoon's lips and all of his memories of their friendship came back to him. 

"Sir! Your drinks?"

"Ah-ah, s-sorry~!" Hakyeon laughed nervously, turning to the barista who had been trying to get his attention for a whole minute. Hakyeon was so lost in his memories he hadn't noticed - somewhat embarrassed, he smiled awkwardly, apologising once more as he grabbed the drinks. Muttering an awkward thank you, he picked up the drinks and made his way over to Taekwoon. 

He smiled as he handed Taekwoon his latte, enjoying the brief moment their fingers brushed against each others as Taekwoon took his drink. Hakyeon sat down, resting his elbows on the table as he clutched his hot chocolate, finding the warmth of the cup in his hands comforting.

"T-thank you," Taekwoon mumbled, smiling shyly at Hakyeon.

So cute, Hakyeon grinned to himself. "Hey, it's okay~" he took a sip of his hot chocolate. "Woonie, I'm so happy to see you~"

"I..." Taekwoon frowned, looking down at his feet. "I.. Honestly, I thought you'd be mad at me."

"Woonie..." Hakyeon smiled warmly as he reached over to his friend and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Taekwoon looked up at him, causing Hakyeon to become a little flustered. "Woonie, I..." Hakyeon gulped, finding himself becoming lost in Taekwoon's eyes.

"...Yeah?"

"Oh, uh-" Hakyeon sat back awkwardly, his hands now firmly placed back on his drink. He let out an awkward chuckle before regaining his composure. "Nothing. Woonie, I could never be mad at you - you know that, right? It's just as much my fault as it is yours."

"You... you really mean that?"

"Yeah," he smiled. "I'm just so happy to see you again. How's life been, Woonie?"

"Oh..." Taekwoon sighed, taking a sip of his latte. "You know. The same old. ...What about you?"

"Ah, Woonie~ Not much has happened, really... Oh! I got into university for dance, just like I always dreamed~ I'm in my last year - oh - and I work at a florist, it's so nice working there actually, you should drop by sometime~ Oh, and..."

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After a fairly lengthy 'catch up' - which mostly consisted of Hakyeon rambling on, with the occasional yes or no from Taekwoon - Taekwoon began to shuffle his feet awkwardly again. Noticing how uncomfortable his friend seemed, Hakyeon finally stopped talking. He knew that Taekwoon struggled to say what was on his mind, and that when he became fidgety it always meant he was thinking of how to say what he was thinking. Taekwoon glanced up at Hakyeon, who smiled at him kindly.

"It's okay, Woonie, take your time."

"T-thank you..." Taekwoon mumbled. He eventually came to the conclusion that no matter how he put it, what he wanted to ask his hyung was going to be a bit of weird question regardless. So, he decided to just say it: "Hakyeon... do you have a roommate?"

"Oh," Hakyeon cocked his head in confusion, not expecting that question at all. "I... I do, yeah," he frowned as he watched his friend's face drop in sadness. "...I'm sorry, Woonie. Don't you have anywhere to stay?"

"It's not that," Taekwoon sighed. He nervously fiddled with the hem of his oversized jumper as he continued. "I have a roommate, he's just... too much. He's so loud and..." he sighed again, pulling at his jumper in frustration. "He's just too much for me to live with. I was hoping I could move in with you, but-"

"We can swap~!"

"H-huh?" 

Taekwoon looked up at his overly enthusiastic friend with a look of confusion on his face. Swap? What did he mean by that?

"I mean... My roommate is pretty quiet, I'm sure you'd get along with him well~" Hakyeon explained, placing his now empty drink next to Taekwoon's on the table between them. "I'm sure I could deal with loud, I mean... I'm pretty loud myself, huh~?"

"Wait... so... You mean, you're saying you'd be willing to move in to my place and let me move into yours...?"

"Sure, Woonie~! I mean... If it'd make you happy-"

Hakyeon was interrupted mid-sentence by Taekwoon suddenly jumping up, leaning over the table, and wrapping his arms around him in a grateful hug. Hakyeon's jaw dropped a little as he blushed, but as soon as he began to lift his arms up to hug Taekwoon back, the sudden hug ended as suddenly as it began. Taekwoon sank back into his seat, his pale skin lit up by his embarrassed blushing. Flustered and surprised by his spontaneous show of affection, Taekwoon whispered a shy apology under his breath. 

After regaining his composure, he shot Hakyeon a warm smile. "Yeonie... Thank you."

Hearing that nickname for the first time in six years confirmed something that Hakyeon had suspected since the moment he recognised his friend in the market: he was definitely still in love with Taekwoon.

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"So...  what's he like?" Taekwoon asked hesitantly as he went through all his drawers a second time, making sure he'd packed everything he wanted to keep from them.

Hakyeon, who was helping by folding the last of Taekwoon's clothes and putting them away neatly into his suitcase, sighed before answering. "Well, he's a good kid, but he can be a useless at times. Hold on a second," he paused, picking up his phone from Taekwoon's bed to try to call his roommate for the fifth time now. After his call was ignored again, Hakyeon groaned, sending his roommate an angry text.

To: Wonshikkie~❤

I'm going to kill you T.T 

ANSWER YOUR PHONE!!! Aigoo, srsly... -_-

"Ah, sorry, where was I?"

"You were calling him useless," Taekwoon mumbled sarcastically, still checking through his drawers. 

Hakyeon chuckled, smiling as he got back to folding Taekwoon's clothes. "No, he's a nice person, really. I think you'll get along with him well, Woonie. He loves music just like you do. He's studying composition too, I think. ...Are you okay, Woonie?"

Taekwoon was staring at his phone, with a concerned expression painted on his face. He slipped his phone into the back pocket of his ripped jeans as he turned to face Hakyeon, biting his lip in his usual nervous fashion. "I'm sorry, Yeonie but... I've got to go."

"Go? Where?" Hakyeon tilted his head, somewhat concerned with Taekwoon's sudden nervousness. 

"I... have an appointment," he mumbled, avoiding eye contact as he began to walk towards the bedroom door. "I'll be late if I don't leave now."

"Woonie, you're acting weird. What's this appointment about? Can't it wait?"

Taekwoon sighed, leaving the bedroom and heading towards the door. Hakyeon followed him, watching him as he reluctantly put his coat on and slipped his shoes back on. Reaching into his pocket, he took out his keys, taking the key to the apartment off and handing it to Hakyeon. "Here you go."

"Woonie, don't ignore my questions," Hakyeon pouted as he took his new key. "Tell me what's going on."

"Can I have my key, please?"

"Woonie..."

"Hakyeon."

"Fine," he sighed, defeated. He reached into his jeans and pulled out his keys, taking off his spare key to his apartment and giving it to Taekwoon. 

"...I'm sorry," Taekwoon sighed as he took the key. "...It's counselling. I have therapy."

"Oh..."

"...I didn't want to say in case it'd upset you, but... I realise being off with you doesn't help either."

"Woonie... It doesn't upset me," Hakyeon placed a reassuring hand on his best friend's shoulder. "It's good. I'm glad you're back in therapy."

"...Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Silly," Hakyeon smirked. "You're my best friend. It's what best friends do~"

"Yeonie..." Taekwoon finally cracked a smile again, touched by Hakyeon's warmth and understanding. "...I'm glad we bumped into each other."

"Me too, Woonie," Hakyeon grinned. "Now get going, I don't wanna make you late~"

"Thank you, Yeonie. See you later."

Hakyeon sighed once Taekwoon was out of the door, frowning as he returned to the bedroom to finish up Taekwoon's packing for him. Although he hid it from Taekwoon, hearing that he was still in therapy had made Hakyeon slightly upset. It served as a reminder for the reason they fell out of contact for so long, and after having just met up again, remembering that event made Hakyeon's heart hurt a little.

Shaking his head, he tried to push such thoughts to the back of his mind as he folded up the last jumper and zipped up Taekwoon's suitcase. Taking it off the bed and pulling the handle out, he decided he would take Taekwoon's belongings to his apartment for him. 

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"Yah! Bro, what the ?!"

"I call you FIVE times, Wonshik!" Hakyeon yelled. He had come home to find Wonshik sprawled out on the couch, fast asleep and drooling, with the TV on relatively loud. After picking the remote up off the floor and turning the TV off, Hakyeon had began throwing cushions at Wonshik until he woke up in a state of panic. Hakyeon was stood over him, wielding yet another cushion as he continued his scolding. "Don't you know how to answer your phone?!"

"I'm sorry, okay? I was asleep..." Wonshik whined as he sat up, putting his hands together to beg for mercy. "No more cushions. Please?"

"...Answer your phone in the future, okay?" Hakyeon sighed, placing the cushion back down on the couch. Wonshik looked so tired that Hakyeon couldn't help but feel guilty for waking him up, especially in such a violent fashion. 

"...What's up with those?" Wonshik asked, noticing the suitcase and boxes in front of Hakyeon's room. 

"Well, if you answered your phone, you would know," Hakyeon emphasised, shooting a frustrated glare Wonshik's way. "...It's a long story. Come help me, Shikkie."

"Help you with what?"

"Do you want another cushion in your face?"

"Okay! Okay, I'll help," Wonshik mumbled. After stretching his arms sleepily and ruffling his messy blonde hair, Wonshik stood up and followed Hakyeon into his bedroom. He watched as Hakyeon pulled his suitcase out from under his bed, and began to go through his drawers. "Are you gonna tell me whats going on at any point, hyung?"

"I bumped into Taekwoonie~" Hakyeon sang cheerfully, throwing a pile of his clothes onto his bed. "Put those into my suitcase for me, please Shikkie?"

"Uh... Sure," Wonshik mumbled again, utterly baffled by what was going on. As he began to messily shove clothes into the suitcase, it clicked in his mind why the name 'Taekwoon' sounded so familiar. "Ohhhhhh, he's the guy you're obsessed with, right?"

"Shut up," he whined out of embarrassment. "Woonie's my best friend, Shikkie. I haven't seen him in so long..." he sighed, turning to Wonshik to give him more clothes to pack away. "...You're doing that so messily."

"Hey, at least I'm doing it," Wonshik shrugged, shoving more clothes into the suitcase haphazardly without even attempting to fold them. "So what does this Taekwoon guy have to do with the random suitcase and you suddenly packing?"

"Well, like I said, it's a long story~ ...But basically, I told him he could move in."

"...Excuse me?"

"I know it's a bit spontaneous-"

"'A bit'?"

"Look, you'll get along with him well. I promise," Hakyeon said, trying to reassure his young friend. "He's a really sweet guy deep down."

"...Have you thought this through?"

"Not really," Hakyeon admitted with a laugh. As he finished gathering all of his clothes, he moved to the bed to help Wonshik with the packing. Noticing the concerned expression on Wonshik's face, he placed a hand on Wonshik's shoulder. "Look, Wonshikkie, I promise it'll be fine. I really do think you'll get along with him."

"...If you say so, hyung," Wonshik sighed, deciding it was probably for the best for him to just accept what was going on and go with the flow. "Tell me about this guy, then. What do we have in common?"

"He loves music, just like you, Shikkie," Hakyeon grinned. "I think you're both studying the same thing, too."

"Does he like piano?"

"Yeah~ He's really good at playing it, too~" Hakyeon said dreamily, not even trying to hide how obviously in love he is. Wonshik rolled his eyes a little as he realised that the only reason this was happening was because his hyung had a little crush. 

"Hey, hyung, how about I give him my keyboard?" Wonshik offered. "It's just taking up space in my room, anyways. I don't really use it."

"That would be a really sweet gesture, Shikkie~"

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“Hey! My name is.. uh..” Wonshik hesitated as he realised this mysterious stranger was scanning him up and down. He gulped before continuing, suddenly feeling nervous. ”...Uhm, I’m Kim Wonshik! It’s nice to meet you~” He offered his hand out to greet his new roommate but was met with a blank stare in return. He dropped his hand back down, realising this Taekwoon guy wasn’t the type for handshakes. Wonshik cleared his throat with a deep cough, nervously scratching the back of his neck.

After an awkward silence, the two merely staring at each other, Wonshik decided he needed to make the first move. Hakyeon really wasn’t messing around when he said this guy was different, huh?

”... Let me show you to your room,” Wonshik gestured in the direction, carefully studying his hyung’s face for a sign, any sign, that he was listening to him. He noticed a tiny nod, and so went on to lead Taekwoon to his new room.

Wonshik desperately marched on with whatever small talk came to mind, trying to get some sort of response other than a little nod. He was becoming incredibly curious what this man sounded like, amongst other things. The more he watched this stranger, the more he noticed how... attractive, he was. Much like his personality, his appeal was unique. Wonshik couldn’t help but admire his hyung’s broad shoulders and slender figure, his cute puffy cheeks, his intense cat-like eyes, his plush pink lips that looked so soft-

“Keyboard~”

Wonshik shook his head in disbelief, blushing as he realised he had probably been caught checking Taekwoon out. He took a moment to adjust and realise that Taekwoon had finally said something. His voice was not at all what he was expecting.

“Oh... y-yeah. Hakyeon-hyung mentioned you like music too, so I thought you might want my keyboard. I don’t use it much anyways~”

Taekwoon’s whole demeanor changed. He no longer appeared cold and intimidating. Instead, he appeared childlike - pointing at the keyboard with joy and smiling shyly at the realisation that Wonshik had put this in his new room just for him. He stopped pointing and brought his hands to the hem of his jumper, awkwardly fiddling with it as he bit down on his lip. His shy smile brightened up the room. “T-thank you, Wonshik...” he almost whispered as he looked down at his shuffling feet.

Wonshik was in awe - Taekwoon’s voice was so... soft. So gentle, so quite, so timid, so delicate, so... beautiful? A complete opposite to his own deep and gravely voice. His voice could cause earthquakes, but Taekwoon’s... Taekwoon’s voice sounded like a chorus of angels.

“H-hey, it’s nothing. I just want you to feel welcome, Taekwoon,” Wonshik smiled warmly, not realising that he was blushing after hearing Taekwoon say his name. ”...So, I’ll show you round the rest of the place?”

Their apartment was a decent size, but not anything special really. Taekwoon had lucked out in getting Hakyeon's room, as it was a much bigger bedroom than Wonshik's. Wonshik's room barely fit his small single bed, a tiny bedside table which often housed Wonshik's phone, a desk for him to work at, a very small bin overflowed with scrapped song ideas and a set of drawers for his clothes. Removing the folded up keyboard from the corner of his messy room had cleared a little space, but it was still a relatively cluttered and claustraphobic mess. 

Taekwoon's room was much nicer - neat and clean, reflective of Hakyeon's motherly nature - and big enough to fit a king sized bed. Apart from the big bed, Taekwoon had two bedside tables, a larger set of drawers than Wonshik, a nice shoe rack, a desk and the keyboard Wonshik had kindly gifted him.

Next to Taekwoon's room was their bathroom, which was small - not big enough for a bathtub, so the boys had to settle on only having showers. Other than their bedrooms and the bathroom, they had their living room, which consisted of a flat screen TV and three two seater couches arranged around the TV, with a coffee table in the middle. Their kitchen was also small, right next to the door and only separated from the living room by the counters.

After the short tour of the place, Wonshik offered to help Taekwoon unpack - an offer that Taekwoon politely declined. Wonshik yawned, retrieving his laptop from his room and settling down with it in front of the TV. With the news channel playing vaguely in the background, Wonshik took the opportunity to work on an assignment, but found himself distracted. Every time he tried to focus, he found his mind wandering off to thoughts about Taekwoon. 

Why did his voice sound so beautiful? Why was he becoming so eager to learn more about Taekwoon? And why did he find him so attractive? Wonshik had always been sure he was straight...

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"Wonshik, I'll cook for us," Taekwoon offered as he finally emerged from his room.

"Oh, n-no, let me cook," Wonshik stuttered, surprised by Taekwoon's sudden appearance. He had been day dreaming, and Taekwoon's voice had only just brought him back to reality. He stood up, about to head towards the kitchen when Taekwoon interrupted him.

"Please, let me do it... as a thank you," he asked softly. "I know this is all so sudden, I... I want to thank you for welcoming me so warmly."

"I... Uh... Uh, sure," Wonshik gulped, not understanding why he was so nervous around Taekwoon. Sure, he was practically a stranger - but that wasn't it. It was the kind of nervous he would get around a pretty girl, and it was confusing him to no end. Not trusting his words, he simply forced a smile and sat back down.

"Thank you," Taekwoon smiled, causing Wonshik's heart to race. 

What's wrong with me... Wonshik wondered as his face turned slightly pink. Shaking his head, he turned to the TV and flicked through the channels, trying to avoid watching Taekwoon as he cooked. Regardless of how hard he tried, he couldn't help but steal quick glances towards the kitchen. 

Wonshik eventually zoned out with his day dreaming again, being brought back to reality by the delicious smell coming from the kitchen. As he glanced over he noticed Taekwoon carefully adding the finishing touch of chopped spring onions to the ramyeon he had cooked for them. "Dinner's ready..." Taekwoon shyly announced, bringing the food over and joining Wonshik on the couch. He placed their bowls of food down on the coffee table in front of them and looked down at his feet awkwardly as he sat next to Wonshik. "It's not much but... I hope it's okay..."

"W-wow, Taekwoon," Wonshik's jaw dropped as he admired the delicate presentation of the food. "It looks amazing. It smells so good too..." Wonshik sighed dreamily as he picked up his bowl. "Thank you for the food~" Wonshik sang out, unaware Taekwoon was watching him to see if he enjoyed his food. After just one mouthful, Wonshik's jaw dropped in awe once again, turning to Taekwoon with wide eyes as he announced his satisfaction with the food enthusiastically. "This is incredible! Taekwoon, you're so good at cooking!"

"A-ah... t-thank you~" Taekwoon bit his lip as he smiled shyly, grateful for Wonshik's compliments but not sure how to react to them. Taekwoon had always had what Hakyeon affectionately dubbed 'an allergy to compliments', as he always became extra flustered and shy when he received one. Satisfied that Wonshik was going to enjoy his meal, Taekwoon finally picked up his food and ate with him. 

As they ate, neither of them paid much attention to the TV, instead taking it as an opportunity to learn a little more about each other. They learnt that they were both composition students, but that Taekwoon was on a gap year. They learnt that neither of them had jobs, that Taekwoon met Hakyeon when he was a child and Wonshik met Hakyeon last year when he moved in with him, and that they both dreamed of becoming musicians one day. 

Once they both finished eating, Taekwoon gathered up their bowls and took them to the kitchen, unaware that Wonshik was following him.

"Hey, at least let me help clean up," Wonshik smiled, recieving a shy smile and nod from Taekwoon. Cute, Wonshik thought as he washed up their cutlery and passed it to Taekwoon to dry it and put it away in the cupboards. Once everything was cleared up, Taekwoon let out a quiet little yawn that Wonshik found unbearably adorable.

"I think I'm gonna head to bed," Taekwoon yawned again, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "T-thank you... thank you for everything, Wonshik. I think we're gonna get along just fine." 

"Y-yeah," Wonshik smiled happily, completely enamoured with how cute he was finding Taekwoon. "Good night, Taekwoon."

"Good night~"

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Not too long after Taekwoon went to bed, Wonshik decided to go to bed too, closing his door quietly and flopping down on his bed. Wonshik lived in a state of being perpetually exhausted, his insomnia causing his sleeping pattern to become incredibly messed up. He couldn't remember the last time he had a good night sleep, and often found himself falling asleep and waking up at the most random times of the day. 

He got out of bed for a moment, closing the window to prevent any more of the cold air getting in. He then changed out of his hoodie and sweatpants and into navy pyjama bottoms and an oversized Dragon Ball Z shirt. Wonshik yawned, and then got comfy in bed. He laid on his back, staring at the ceiling for a moment before he rolled over and grabbed his phone from the bedside table. He had a text from Hakyeon.

From: Hakyeon-bro

Hey Wonshikkie~~~ <3

How did things go with Woonie?? He wasn't wrong about his roommate... he's very loud o_o;

But he's a nice boy! I think we're going to get along~ \o/

I hope things went okay xoxo

After taking a moment to cringe at his hyung's overly enthusiastic use of emoticons, he text back.

To: Hakyeon-bro

Everything went well, I think ur right

Me and Taekwoon got along well

See u soon

He sighed. Rolling over in bed once more to try to get more comfortable, he opened up the group chat on his phone that he had with his two best friends, Hongbin and Sanghyuk, and wrote them a message.

From: Wonshik

Hey, u guys have free time tomorrow at 2ish? Lets meet up for lunch