Sanghyuk woke up at five in the morning like clockwork. He pushed himself up, rubbing his eyes sleepily in an attempt to wake up faster. He stood up, stretching as he yawned and made his way to Hakyeon's bedroom. Quietly popping his head in, he noticed how peaceful and angelic Hakyeon looked as he slept. Smiling to himself, he decided against waking him up.

Instead, he fumbled around in the pockets of his coat and jeans, luckily finding a scrap piece of paper to scribble down a note on.

Hyung,

I had work. Sorry. Hope you're feeling better ^^

I'll bring my stuff around later

- Sanghyuk

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After heading to his home to pick up his bicycle, Sanghyuk rode it to work. It was exhausting, getting up so early every day, but it was worth it. It had allowed him to save up enough money to move in with Hakyeon, after all. Once his gruelling morning shift was over, he rode his bicycle to the Subway his best friend worked at for some breakfast and a chat. 

It was always pretty empty when Sanghyuk visited to eat breakfast, which meant he could spend some time with Hongbin. He tied his bicycle up outside the shop, yawning as he walked in. After ordering his usual coffee and sandwich, he sat at the table nearest the counter to talk to Hongbin. 

"Long shift?" Hongbin inquired, noticing his friend drinking his coffee a little faster than usual. He rested his arms against the counter, grateful that there were no other customers to see to yet.

"That's an understatement," Sanghyuk scoffed, taking a bite of his sandwich. "At least it's paid off. I'm gonna pick my stuff up from my parents in a bit," he yawned, wiping his eyes sleepily. "Maybe catch a nap at my new place before class."

"I don't know how you do it, Hyuk," Hongbin smiled, proud of his best friend's hard work ethic. "I'm tired already, and I only just started my shift."

"Well, that's because you're worn out from all the - Ouch!" he whined, not expecting to have his neck chopped. 

"Shut up~" Hongbin chuckled. "Anyways. Shik tells me you have a little crush~"

"I... I guess," he smirked, a little bit embarrassed. "Hakyeon's... he seems pretty cool," he mumbled, focusing on his sandwich to avoid having to talk about it any further. Sensing the fact his friend was uncomfortable, Hongbin changed to subject.

"Jae got the role he auditioned for."

"Hey, that's great news, Bin!" Sanghyuk brightened up, grateful for the change of subject. "You must be really proud of him, huh?"

"I am," Hongbin smirked. "The only problem is, I won't be able to see him for a month. It really . We won't get to spend Christmas together..." he frowned, looking down at his feet. He'd only just realised they'd be spending their first Christmas together apart. It was a realisation that hurt his heart. Not wanting to linger on his sadness, he came up with an idea that would lift his mood. "Hey, maybe I could throw us like... a celebration meal? For Jae?"

"That sounds like a good idea, Bin," Sanghyuk reassured his friend with a warm smile. "Hey, Bin, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"I... Hakyeon and I went out last night, but... I don't think he knew it was supposed to be a date," he admitted, nervously itching his neck. He stood up to throw away his empty coffee cup and the wrapper from his sandwich before sitting back down to finish his conversation. "...How do you make someone know its a date?"

"Well, what did you do?"

"We went to the cinema. Wonshik told me Hakyeon hates horror films, so naturally, we went to see a horror film."

"Hyuk, you're Satan," Hongbin couldn't help but laugh at his friend's evil plans. "I guess he might have been too scared to think straight. Maybe next time pick something nicer to do?"

"Alright. Something nicer. Duly noted~" he smirked, standing up. "Anyways, I best go get my stuff. Thanks for the advice, Bin. Hey, text me when you've sorted out that meal thing - sounds good."

"Alright, see you later."

"Later~"

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As Sanghyuk walked to his new apartment, carrying two bags of his belongings and dragging his bicycle along with him, he couldn't wait to have a nap. Although he was excited about finally moving out of his parent's home, he was exhausted from a long morning and having to carry so much stuff along with him. He dreaded his afternoon classes, and dreaded his night shift even more.

But as he reached his new apartment, and opened the door to his cheerful new roommate, it all seemed worth it.

"Hyukkie~ Welcome- oh, those look heavy. Let me help you~" Hakyeon rushed over to take Sanghyuk's bags off of him, which he couldn't be more grateful for. After taking them to his bedroom for him, Hakyeon joined Sanghyuk on the couch. "Are you okay? You look exhausted."

"I am exhausted," he chuckled, smiling at his sweet roommate. He found it endearing that he was looking out for him already. "And how are you doing? Feeling any better? You seemed pretty shaken up last night."

"Ah~ Y-yeah, I'm fine," Hakyeon smiled, a little bit embarrassed by his overdramatic behaviour. "I guess... I just scare easily~"

"Boo~" Sanghyuk mumbled, causing Hakyeon to giggle. His laughter was the most beautiful sound Sanghyuk had ever heard, and he couldn't help but blush a little. It was mesmerising. "You, uhm... You have a really nice laugh, hyung."

"D-do I?" Hakyeon was surprised by the compliment, but flattered. He'd noticed that Sanghyuk seemed a lot more calm than he was when they first met, and wondered what had brought on that nervousness. Hakyeon had always been unlucky in love - everyone he seemed to fall for always wound up liking someone else more, or not liking him back at all. As a result, he was completely oblivious to the signs that someone might like him. He was incredibly well versed in the language of flirting, but not in the language of genuine compliments. "T-thank you... that's a really kind thing to say."

"It's just the truth," he smirked, looking down at his lap shyly. He was a little bit proud that he'd managed to compliment Hakyeon without stumbling over his words. "Anyways... I should probably get a nap."

"Ah, okay. I was just getting ready for class, anyways," Hakyeon smiled, standing up to fetch his bag from his room. "Sleep well, Hyukkie~"

"Thanks," he smiled, finally heading to his new room. It was the first time he was seeing it, and he was pretty amazed by how spacious it was. He had a king sized bed for the first time in his life, and a wardrobe. A wardrobe. As he walked around his bedroom in awe, he didn't know how he was going to fill all of the space. It was almost overwhelming.

A bit too exhausted to do his unpacking yet, Sanghyuk moved his bags off his bed before jumping into it, stretching his arms and legs out to fully embrace the size of his new bed. He reached into the pocket of his jeans, setting an alarm on his phone before setting it down on the bedside table and falling asleep happily.

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Hongbin was relieved that his shift was finally over. Once Sanghyuk had left, work really picked up. It was a long, busy day that he was glad was over. After changing out of his work shirt into a plain white jumper in the bathroom, he left work, excited to be meeting up with Jaewhan for a date at the arcade. The two met up at the riverbank, sharing a quick kiss and hug before walking, holding hands, to their favourite place to spend their time - apart from their bed.

They enjoyed practically every game there, playing most of them and getting playfully competitive. With the shooting games, they would nudge each other to try and distract one another so that they would win. On the racing games, they would reach over to each other's wheels, trying to steer one another off the track. Whilst playing Dance Dance Revolution, Jaewhan pulled out his dirtiest tricks: tickling Hongbin, and singing to him to make him lose his focus. Much to his surprise, Hongbin used his tricks back on him on their second play on the machines, rendering Jaewhan a giggling mess.

After playing a few claw machines, Jaewhan jumped up and down out of excitement, happy to have won a prize for his boyfriend. It was a plushie of a Boo from Super Mario. As he presented it to Hongbin in his usually goofy fashion, bowing down as if he were greeting royalty, Hongbin couldn't help but laugh.

"You're such an idiot~" he chuckled, taking the plushie and giving it a quick hug. "Thank you, babe. I'll treasure it."

"It's my pleasure, prince Hongbin~" Jaewhan , putting an arm around him and pulling him close. "Anyways. Should we go get something to eat?"

The boys wondered around the local area, looking around for a new place to try for food. After settling on a small seafood restraunt, the two made their way home, Hongbin finally bringing up his idea to Jaewhan.

"Jae, I was thinking we should have a meal with our friends to celebrate your big role."

"That's a really nice idea, Beanie," Jaewhan smiled, squeezing his boyfriend's hand happily as they walked. "Maybe this weekend?"

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"Off to work?" Hakyeon asked as he noticed Sanghyuk emerge from his room wearing his night guard uniform. He noticed that with his manly frame, Sanghyuk looked particularly handsome in uniform.  

“Unfortunately,” Sanghyuk sighed, having only just waken up from a nap after a long day of classes. He yawned, heading towards the kitchen to make a coffee for his thermos flask before leaving. Whilst he leant against the kitchen counter, waiting for the kettle to boil, he was joined by Hakyeon.

“You work really hard, Hyukkie,” Hakyeon smiled, leaning against the counter opposite Sanghyuk. “It’s really amazing. I could never do what you do.”

“I’m sure you could,” he shrugged. “You just have to get used to it, I guess,” he smiled, making his drink and offering to make Hakyeon some tea. Once their drinks were made, and Sanghyuk was about to leave, Hakyeon pulled him into an unexpected hug.

“I’m really glad you moved in with me, Hyukkie,” Hakyeon smiled as he hugged the younger boy, unaware he was making his heart race. He was still clueless about Sanghyuk’s crush on him. “It’s nice to have company.”

“I-I’m glad too,” he smiled, blushing as he returned the hug a little tighter, not wanting it to end. Once it did, he itched his neck awkwardly, looking down at his feet out of embarrassment. “I mean, t-thanks for having me.”

“Have a good shift, Hyukkie-” Hakyeon was about to head to bed when Sanghyuk suddenly grabbed his wrist, preventing him from leaving. After a deep breath, Sanghyuk looked up at his hyung, making sure to make eye contact before asking him out on another date. This time, he wanted to make it clear that it was a date.

“Hakyeon, will you, uhm... Will you go out for dinner with me tomorrow?” he stuttered out, his face bright red.

Surprised by the sudden question and finally picking up on the fact it was supposed to be a date, Hakyeon’s cheeks turned a faint shade of pink. He’d never been asked out on a date before, having always been the one doing the asking. It was flattering, and made his heart flutter a little.

“S-sure... I’d love that,” he smiled warmly, a little dissapointed when Sanghyuk released his wrist. He smiled to himself as Sanghyuk let out a deep sigh of relief, clearly worried that he was going to be turned down. Cute. “Text me the details, okay?”

“A-alright,” he smiled back, picking up his thermos flask and jokingly doing a salute before leaving. “Sleep well, hyung.”

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From: Hongbin

Hey guys

Jae landed a big musical role~!^^

And we wanted to celebrate by throwing a big meal

Sunday at my place, 7pmish?

Hope to see you all there

Looking forward to meeting your Taekwoon, Shik^^

From: Sanghyuk

Yep yep will definitely be there!!

I’ll bring Hakyeon along

Looking forward to it :)

Don’t burn anything like you normally do lol

From: Hongbin:

lol, shut up man T.T

From: Wonshik

oh Bin thats cool^^

tell him well done!!

we’ll be there

Guys, be nice to Taekwoonie okay? he’s shy

not vry good around new people

See u then

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Nervous about having to meet new people, Taekwoon sat on the couch biting the tip of his thumb as he waited for Wonshik to finish his shower. Once he heard the bathroom door open, he started seeking reassurance. "Are your friends nice, Shikkie? Will they like me? I'm... I'm not good in big groups-"

"You'll be fine, baby," Wonshik smiled, walking over to join Taekwoon on the couch. He pulled him into a hug, petting his hair comfortingly. "I'm with you. I'll always be with you. You're okay, you'll be okay, I promise."

Comforted by Wonshik's kind words and reassuring pets, Taekwoon smiled to himself, closing his eyes peacefully to fully enjoy the pets. As he reached an arm up to return Wonshik's hug, he felt his fingers brush against Wonshik's abs and realised he was still shirtless. Taekwoon's eyes shot open as his chubby cheeks flushed red, sitting up right and pulling away from the hug to get a good look at his boyfriend's muscular torso.

"How... uhm... h-how long until this meal...?" Taekwoon asked, biting his lip in lust as his eyes fixated on Wonshik's abs.

"Uhm... half an hour, I think. Why?" Wonshik asked, a little bit confused.

"That's plenty of time~"

"Plenty of time for what- A-ah, Taekwoonie, what are you-" Wonshik was interrupted, his face turning bright red as his cute boyfriend suddenly straddled him and pressed their lips together. Taken off guard by Taekwoon's sudden show of affection, Wonshik wasn't sure how to react. As Taekwoon worked his tongue into Wonshik's mouth, Wonshik wrapped his arms around Taekwoon's waist, pulling him closer.

They couldn't resist each other, their kisses growing more intense as their hands explored each other. Taekwoon's hands running all over Wonshik's delicious abs as he grinded against the growing bulge in Wonshik's jeans, whilst Wonshik's hands made their way to Taekwoon's cute , groping it as he moaned into their kisses.

Wonshik didn't know what had brought this on, but he definitely enjoyed it.

Breaking away from their kiss, both boys panted, gasping for breath before either of them spoke. Once he regained a steady breathing pace, Taekwoon leaned in close, whispering into Wonshik's ear. "Wonshikkie, do you... d-do you want me to... touch you, maybe?"

Taekwoon smiled shyly, biting his lip as he leaned back to see Wonshik's response. Speechless, and tingling all over - shivers running down his spine from Taekwoon's hot breath against his ear - Wonshik simply nodded, gulping as he watched Taekwoon unbuckle his belt and his jeans. As Taekwoon reached into Wonshik's boxers, and his slender fingertips brushed against Wonshik's , he let out the most magical moan.

", Taekwoon," Wonshik moaned, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend's waist and pulling him close to kiss him some more. As they continued to make out, Taekwoon wrapped his hand around Wonshik's throbbing , jerking it off until he came all over his hand, enjoying all of Wonshik's deep moans and grunts. They were music to Taekwoon's ears. "A-ah, s-sorry, I made a mess," Wonshik chuckled shyly, bright red as he noticed how much he'd came all over Taekwoon's hand.

"It's okay," Taekwoon smirked playfully, as he made a point of all of Wonshik's from his hand and swallowing it as Wonshik watched wide eyed in awe. He couldn't help but giggle at Wonshik's reaction, playfully hitting his shoulder out of embarrassment as he blushed. "Stop it~"

"T-Taekwoonie, that was...uhm..." Wonshik gulped, fanning himself a little to try and calm down. "T-that was... really, really y. That was-"

"It felt good, huh~?" Taekwoon asked, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend's broad shoulders to pull him into a kiss. Unable to think straight, Wonshik simply nodded in response. "I guess we should probably get ready, or else we'll be late."

"O-oh, right," Wonshik mumbled, almost forgetting that they had a meal to attend. 

------------------------------------------------------- 

"Gunbae~!"

As the boys clinked their bottles of soju together, Taekwoon couldn't help but smile to himself and squeeze Wonshik's hand lovingly under the table. He'd been surprised by how warm and welcoming Hongbin was, and the way Sanghyuk didn't joke around with him harshly as he did with his other friends. Both of them were being so accommodating, which he was grateful for. It'd really helped calm his nerves and feel more comfortable than he'd been expecting to feel. Wonshik was right - he was okay, he did feel okay. 

He was happy too see Hakyeon in a much better place, as well. He'd noticed Hakyeon subtling flirting with Sanghyuk, which really warmed his heart. One of the main things Taekwoon wanted in life was to see his best friend happy, and watching him laugh and smile made Taekwoon feel a little more complete. 

Hongbin and Jaewhan were both pretty useless at cooking, but combining their strengths, they had managed to put on a decent spread of Korean BBQ foods. Jaewhan had really endeared himself to Taekwoon by the way he'd reacted to the overflow of compliments on his success. He'd expected Jaewhan to joke about it, but he seemed genuinely humble and grateful for the kind words.

Hakyeon was pleased to be around Jaewhan too, having had a quiet word with him away from the group where they'd cleared the air and made friends again. Although Hongbin was initially a little awkward around Hakyeon, the alcohol soon relieved any tension.

Everyone wound up having a great night, having finally all met and made friends with each other. 

------------------------------------------------------- 

After a long but enjoyable night at Hongbin and Jaewhan's apartment, Taekwoon was pretty relieved to be home. Drunk, and a little excitable after recalling their encounter earlier in the day, Taekwoon wasted no time getting Wonshik into bed. As they made out, and lost their clothes until they were wearing nothing but their boxers, Taekwoon was pretty excited to finally have with Wonshik. However, as he slipped his hand into Wonshik's boxers, Wonshik grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"Sorry," Taekwoon apologised, removing his hand and leaning back, allowing Wonshik to sit up a little bit. He'd been straddling Wonshik, and had pinned him down as they were kissing. As Wonshik leant on his elbows, he a lock of Taekwoon's black hair behind his pierced ear with a guilty expression on his face.

"No, I'm sorry, Taekwoonie," he apologised as he sighed, pushing himself up so that he was sitting up straight finally. He cupped his boyfriend's chubby cheeks in his hands, planting a kiss on Taekwoon's cute little nose before apologising once again. "I'm sorry. I'm just not ready yet."

"It's okay, Wonshikkie, really... It's okay," Taekwoon reassured him with a warm smile, his fluffy blonde hair as he furrowed his brow in concern. "I'm just a little worried about you, you know? Is it because of me? Because..." his hand dropped by his side as he sat back a little, looking down at his lap out of embarrassment as he fiddled with his hands. "...Is it because of my scars? Because they're ugly?"

"Oh, baby..." Wonshik frowned, feeling incredibly guilty. He placed a hand on Taekwoon's shoulder to reassure him, using his spare hand to tilt his chin up so that they were making eye contact. "It's not you. Honestly. You're beautiful," he smiled, kissing his boyfriend's soft lips. "...And you're incredibly y," he whispered as he smirked, finding Taekwoon's shy reactions to be adorable. "It's... it's me. I'm... I'm a bit embarrassed, that's all."

"Why, Shikkie?" Taekwoon asked, wrapping his arms around Wonshik's shoulders. "You can tell me. You can tell me anything, and I won't judge you. I promise."

"You're... you're so nice to me, baby," he smiled, wrapping his arms around Taekwoon's waist and kissing him once more. The two smiled at one another, enjoying the quiet and peaceful moment as Wonshik built up the courage to confess his secret. "I'm, uhm... I'm still... you know..." he stumbled over his words, looking away out of embarrassment as his cheeks turned red. "...I'm still a ..." he whispered, glancing back at Taekwoon to see his response. Much to his surprise, Taekwoon wasn't bothered by the revelation at all.

"Wonshikkie, that's nothing to be embarrassed about," he smiled warmly, pulling his boyfriend closer to share a brief hug. "Thank you for telling me."

"Y-you don't mind?" he asked, as their hug ended. 

"Of course I don't mind, silly," Taekwoon smiled warmly, playfuly ruffling Wonshik's fluffy blonde hair. "You know, I'm actually a in some ways, too," he admitted, trying to find some common ground to make Wonshik feel a little less self concious. 

"Really?" Wonshik asked, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. 

"Really. I mean, for one, you're my first boyfriend," he smirked. "And... well, I've been with more girls than I have boys. With every boy, I've been the top, where as..."

"...You've wanted to be the bottom?" Wonshik asked, biting his lip as his mind raced with dirty thoughts.

"Mhm," Taekwoon nodded, a little bit embarrassed. "So... You're not alone, right?"

"Baby, thank you," Wonshik smiled, hugging his boyfriend close. "Thank you for being so understanding, so sweet..." He was feeling a lot less self concious about his ity than he had ever felt, and was slightly relieved to finally get his secret off his chest. Both tired, they decided to sleep, smiling as they fell asleep in one another's arms. 

Wonshik was more excited than ever about losing his ity.

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"Baby, wake up," Wonshik cooed, kneeling down next to the bed and gently his boyfriend's hair. A few weeks had passed, and it was finally Taekwoon's birthday. Wonshik had been especially excited about spending their first birthday together as a couple. "I made you breakfast~"

"Mm?" Taekwoon moaned sleepily, barely awake as he rubbed his eyes. Once he'd woken up a little bit, he smiled, happy to see Wonshik's handsome smile. "Morning, Wonshikkie~" he mumbled as he forced himself to sit up. Still sleepily rubbing his eyes, he yawned. 

"Happy birthday, baby," Wonshik smiled as he watched Taekwoon's surprise. Next to him on the bed was a tray with coffee, slightly burnt toast poorly cut into misshapen hearts, and an envelope. 

"Wonshikkie, thank you..." Taekwoon smiled, turning to his boyfriend and giving him a quick kiss before picking up the tray and placing it on his lap. "What's this?" he asked, picking up the envelope.

"I... I made it myself, so it's not very good," Wonshik chuckled, smiling as he watched Taekwoon open it. Inside was a messy handmade birthday card, with a poorly drawn cat and heart on the front of it. Taekwoon grinned as he opened the card and read the sweet message Wonshik had written for him.

My Taekwoonie ❤

Happy birthday baby boy ❤

Every day I wake up, amazed that I was lucky enough to meet you

I still can't believe you're mine

Thank you for being born  ❤

Love, Wonshikkie ^^ ❤

Overwhelmed with happiness, Taekwoon couldn't help but cry as he turned to his perfect boyfriend and pulled him into a hug. "I love it, Wonshik... t-thank you," he whimpered, unable to control his tears of happiness. He still couldn't believe Wonshik was real - he was just too perfect. "T-thank you so much..."

"Aw, I'm glad you liked it," Wonshik smiled, finding it hard to fight back his own tears of joy as he Taekwoon's hair. Pulling away from their hug, he gently wiped Taekwoon's tears away, kissing him on the forehead before excusing himself momentarily. Whilst Wonshik was out of the room, Taekwoon picked up his phone from the bedside table to take a photo of his breakfast and check his messages.

Much to his surprise, he had texts from everyone - not just his parents and Hakyeon. Jaewhan, Hongbin, and Sanghyuk had also sent him happy birthday messages, all promising to drop by cards and presents later in the day. Taekwoon couldn't believe it - he'd never had so many people care about him before. He'd never been so overwhelmed with love. He'd never felt so happy before.

"Ready for your present, baby?" Wonshik asked as he entered the room with a small, poorly wrapped box. He walked over to the bed, sitting next to Taekwoon with a big dopey grin on his face as he handed him the present.

"Oh, Wonshikkie, you didn't have to get me anything," he smiled softly, looking at his boyfriend lovingly. "You've already done so much for me."

"I wanted to," Wonshik grinned, excited to see Taekwoon open his present. "Open it~"

"O-okay," Taekwoon smirked, amused by his boyfriend's childish excitment. As he delicately tore the paper, he bit his lip in anticipation, his jaw dropping as he opened the box to find Wonshik had brought him a very expensive looking silver necklace. "W-Wonshik..."

"Do you like it~?" Wonshik asked, taking the box from Taekwoon to take out the necklace and put it on for him. "It looks good on you."

Overwhelmed by his happiness once again, Taekwoon threw his arms around Wonshik, pulling him into a tight hug as he began to cry. "I-I love it..." he stuttered, smiling brightly. "I'm never gonna take it off."

I love you, Taekwoon thought as he hugged Wonshik tight.