It had been a snowy night, barely any cars were out and all one could see were last-minute shoppers that were running out of time to buy their loved ones Christmas presents. L.Joe was among them; he’d left his home a few minutes prior and stopped by Starbucks, ordering a hot chocolate and a vanilla coffee for him and his best friend. He wanted to text him and tell him he’d be going over but instead he shrugged away the thought; after all, his hands were occupied.

           That was something L.Joe had always loved about his hyung, he’d never get mad at him for something as petty as showing up unannounced like most people would.  In truth, his hyung was just an amazing person whom he esteemed very much… maybe a bit too much, though it wasn’t in his character to care

             It was a 15 minute walk from Starbucks to his friend’s home, the cold already had the orange-haired boy huffing and puffing by the time he reached the door of the apartment and knocked on it with his foot. L.Joe truly felt as if he had ran a marathon and was about to collapse when Hoya opened the door to his apartment       

“L.Joe! What are you doing here?” His voice masked his surprise poorly as he reached over to bring the younger in, “Have you gone insane? It’s freezing cold outside”

                “No worries, Hyung, I don’t mind the cold—here, hot cocoa to ward off the cold” L.Joe grinned, handing Hoya his purchase then entered the apartment, welcoming the warmth that was his best friend’s home.  Hoya nodded and took the cup carefully; thankful his friend has dressed warm to leave his apartment, though he was still decently upset over his unnecessary journey.

                “Thank you, L.Joe.”

                “You’re welcome.” The younger just grinned again and took a seat where he normally would. He and Hoya shared a couple of laughs and drank their drinks, Hoya brought out cookies he bought earlier that day while L.Joe about being psychic.

                “We’re just too in sync I guess.” Hoya shrugged, still laughing, though his sound died when L.Joe snuck up closer to him, in search for much-needed warmth. L.Joe smiled softly before wrapping his arms around Hoya's neck, and kissed his cheek softly "so, how was your day, Hyung?" It wasn’t anything new to either, since L.Joe’s skinshipness had long ago been established.

                Hoya blushed slightly, grinning at the younger boy. "It was loud, but the good kind. I was at the shelter all day. How was yours?"

                "Shelter?" L.Joe raised an eyebrow, a sign of confusion, before remembering. "Right, the Animals... For a second I had forgotten" He chuckled softly, smiling up at his hyung. "It's was good, I did nothing... I need a job... Now that I'm on break I've got far too much time on my hands... I played Pokémon all day:

                At this, Hoya chuckled quietly. "Don't worry about it. But yeah, I was with the animals." The grin widened. "You could always get a job at the shelter? You're old enough, and we always need help. Then again, why give up Pokémon?”

                “Because I need to do something productive with my time" L.Joe's hand reaches over to push a few stray strands of hair off his friend's eyes, his fingers lingered around, caressing the skin across Hoya's forehead, down his temple and cheek, hesitantly pulling away.

                “Ah, well. That's understandable." The blush grew more pronounced, "Plenty of places are hiring right...now...." He trailed off, biting his lip in surprise as he leaned into L Joe's hand, eyes flickering shut. A quiet sigh came as he pulled back, blinking owlishly at him.

                Cautiously, L.Joe scooted closer to Hoya on the couch to Hoya, leaned forward slightly and pressed his lips to Hoya's softly. L.Joe gripped Hoya's shoulder to maintain his balance. His face was scarlet, his hands shook in fear but his lips held a small smile

                Shocked into immobility, Hoya stood there for a long moment, head swimming, before one hand settled on L Joe's waist, the other on his shoulder. He pulled back after a moment, eyes wide, his voice a whisper, "L Joe...."

                For a second, L.Joe wanted to run. His eyes were wide, and his lips trembled "I like you” he confessed as his heart beat erratically in his ears, “I like you, Hoya..." His voice shook, and L.Joe looked away in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.

                "You... You...what?" Hoya stared at him, confusion written across his face. The thought of anyone liking him, even a friend, in a way that was more than platonic scared him. It was a loss of control, and that scared him even more. "Why would you like me?"

                 "Because I do..." he said, looking straight at Hoya this time "I like you because you're kind, and loving, because you're sweet and have a good sense of humor. Because being near you makes my heart race, I like you because you're you." His words felt clumsy but he had no other way to express it. Tentatively he peaked up to see Hoya’s face, his wide confused eyes making guilt dance in L.Joe’s stomach; it hadn’t been a good reaction at all and that crushed L.Joe's heart, "it’s okay, you don't have to like me back, I'm sorry I kissed you" L.Joe started to his feet, willing himself not to cry.

                “Oh.” Was all Hoya could say as he bit his lip, speechless at the confession. It was surprising to hear, even more so to know the reasoning. He couldn’t remember anyone ever being so....sincere with their words. It was sweet, really. “What? No, why are you sorry? You don’t have any reason to be!” Hoya reached out to grab L.Joe’s wrist, to stop him  somehow and sighed as the younger turned to stare him. Hoya sighed again, head hanging as he struggled to make sense of his words. “I mean, don’t apologize. I was just....surprised. I didn’t anyone would ever....y’know. Like me.” The last words came out in a whisper, as if he were ashamed of the admittance.

                The words had been like a slap to the face… did Hoya not believe him? "Well, I do... I like you a lot" the words caught on his throat due to the embarrassment, wordlessly he  turned to wrap his arms around Hoya's midsection and held him close "You mean so much to me, ever since we met you've meant so much to me, I don't know what I'd without your friendship"

                Hoya smiled, his expression fond. It was a nice feeling, the knowledge that someone liked him, the acceptance that he may very well like them back. “You mean a lot to me, too,” he mumbled, glancing at him. And his friendship meant even more. He bit his lip, raising his hand to cup L Joe’s cheek, thumb brushing tentatively across his cheek bone.

                And really, that was the sort of contact that made them…them. Friendly, loving, and it was just enough to give L.Joe more hope; then his breathing stopped...right before it became erratic, his heart was out of control ad he leaned into the touch, nuzzling Hoya's hand, and planting a soft kiss on palm. "I like y ou" He repeated, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, and a small smile tugged at corner of his lips.

                He watched the younger, swallowing down the nerves that had lumped in his throat. “I.... I like you, too,” he whispered. Screwing up all of his courage, not just to act, but to give it a chance, Hoya leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to L Joe’s lips.

                L.Joe's heart skipped a beat, then another, then another. His breathing hitched and his arms immediately wrapped around Hoya's neck, to pull him closer, a broad smile adorned the younger's lips and he kissed back his eyes closed, breathing erratic and a few stray tears streaking down his cheeks.

                Hoya beamed, leaning in against him, an arm sliding around his waist to hold him in place. He pulled back again when he realized that L Joe was crying. “Are you okay?” Hoya asked quietly in concern, moving to wipe the tears away. “Did I do something?”

                 “You did, you made me happy" L.Joe breathed out, pressing his forehead against Hoya's, smiling broadly

                 "They're happy tears."

                 “Oh.” He kissed L Joe’s forehead, a crooked smile quirking at his lips as he regarded him calmly. “Still, don’t cry cause of me, okay? You look m uch.  when you’re smiling”

          So he did; L.Joe smiled a bright smile just for Hoya "So... Will you be my boyfriend?" his eyes were hopeful, even though he was scared that he might have been pushing his friend too far.

                “Of course,” he answered without hesitation. What would be better than dating someone you liked, someone that you trusted and was already an integral part of your life? It was just the trade of one title for another, a switch on the level of intimacy. And it made perfect sense to Hoya.

                L.Joe beamed, he gave his boyfriend (and his heart swelled at the very thought) another kiss, a confident one this time. It was short and tender and had all the emotion he could muster behind it "I'm glad. I'm so glad" He pecked Hoya repeatedly, unable to hold back, then he pressed their foreheads together and lazed their fingers "Thank you for everything you've ever done for me”

                Hoya squeezed his hand, the previous blush returning and tinting his face with color. “I’m glad, too,” he whispered, voice fond. His free hand found the nape of L Joe’s neck, pulling him in for a slow, lingering kiss. When he pulled away, it was only enough to speak. “Thank you for befriending me and for brightening my life. You’re the best thing I could have ever asked for.”