“Hey, Xing, do you wanna go for a walk?” Joonmyeon said to Yixing. He looked up at Joonmyeon from his seat in front of the piano.

“Sure thing,” Yixing said as he got up from his bench. He gave Joonmyeon a bright smile before putting on his jacket. Joonmyeon smiled back and did the same. He opened the door for Yixing and closed it behind himself when they both stepped out.

“You okay, Myeonnie? You seem to have been thinking a lot lately.” Yixing said as they stepped out of his house. He locked the door behind him and stuffed the key into his pocket. Joonmyeon smiled at the concern Yixing showed for him.

“I have been, huh?” Joonmyeon said.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Yixing said. Joonmyeon turned to look at Yixing with a soft smile before reaching up to pat his head.

“I’ll let you hear what’s on my mind in a bit. Right now, let’s just walk.” Joonmyeon said. Yixing found himself missing the warmth of Joonmyeon’s hand as he put his arm back down. He looked at Joonmyeon’s back as Joonmyeon walked ahead. He was beginning to feel anxious and worried. He suddenly felt a grip on his wrist and looked up to find Joonmyeon.

“Hurry up, slowpoke,” Joonmyeon said with a laugh as he tugged on Yixing’s wrist, keeping a firm grip on it. Yixing could not help but smile as he walked alongside Joonmyeon.

The two high school boys were walking to the park closest to Yixing’s house. Yixing felt Joonmyeon’s hand slide down from his wrist and to his hands, their fingers interlaced. He blushed at this. He looked at Joonmyeon to see that he too had a blush on his cheeks, but his face remained thoughtful, eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed. Yixing would have thought that Joonmyeon felt forced to do something, but the warmth of Joonmyeon’s hand and the gentle firmness of the grip led him back to his previous thought of Joonmyeon thinking too much.

“Let’s walk here. Seems like a nice place,” Joonmyeon said. Yixing looked around and was amazed at the sight ahead of him. There was a small field of flowers, with a gazebo in the center, next to a park with playing kids and relaxing parents and elderly to his right. On the left, their autumn glow. The cement trail connected the two different sides, winding around the park and flower field and through the wooded area. Benches and water fountains scattered alongside the trail.

“Yeah, I’d like to walk here,” Yixing said. Joonmyeon smiled at that as he led Yixing to the trail and began walking around the park. The silence between the two was not uncomfortable or unwelcomed. Joonmyeon needed the time to prepare himself for what he was about to do. Yixing needed to calm his anxious and worried heart.

“It seems they do exist. You want something, Xing?” Joonmyeon said. Yixing followed Joonmyeon’s line of sight to see that Joonmyeon was talking about an ice cream truck.

“It’s almost winter, and you’re asking if I want ice cream?” Yixing said with a chuckle. Joonmyeon looked at Yixing and realized how silly that seemed. He found himself laughing.

“Yes? They might have something else if you want,” Joonmyeon said. Yixing smiled as he followed Joonmyeon to the ice cream truck. There were kids, elderly, and even parents lined up in front of the ice cream truck. The woman and man inside were giving what seemed to be warm beverages such as hot chocolate for kids, cappuccinos for parents, and tea for the elderly in exchange for money.

“See? What did I say?” Joonmyeon said as he elbowed Yixing. Yixing rolled his eyes and playfully smacked Joonmyeon’s arm.

“Hello, young men, what can I get you two today?” The man said.

“A cappuccino, please. You can surprise me with whatever flavor,” Joonmyeon said with a polite smile. Joonmyeon nudged Yixing to get him to give his own order.

“Oh, I’ll have a cappuccino as well, sir. I think I’ll go with the Matcha Green Tea flavor, please.” Yixing said as he looked up at the menu. The man smiled before preparing the two drinks for the boys.

“Matcha Green Tea Cappuccino for you,” The man paused to hand the drink to Yixing before continuing and handing the other drink to Joonmyeon, “And a Pumpkin Spice Cappuccino for you. I heard these are in season in America.” Joonmyeon took the drink into his hands as he dug out his wallet from his jacket pocket.

“That’ll be 7,389.28 Won,” The man said. Joonmyeon looked inside his wallet.

“Do you accept cards?” Joonmyeon said, looking up.

“Sorry. Not today. The card reader isn’t working. I had it sent out to get replaced,” The man said. Joonmyeon pouted slightly as he looked into his wallet. He pulled out a 10,000 Won bill and handed it to the man.

“Here you go. Don’t worry about the change, sir. Just put it in your tip jar,” Joonmyeon said before putting his wallet back in his jacket pocket. The man smiled and waved at the two high school boys as they walked off. Yixing felt bad about letting Joonmyeon pay for his drink, but he knew arguing with the boy at the ice cream truck would cause a scene. Joonmyeon held onto Yixing’s hand again as they continued to stroll through the park.

“I’ll pay you back,” Yixing said as they took a seat inside the little gazebo.

“Don’t even worry about it,” Joonmyeon said.

Both males sat side-by-side, their hands preoccupied with their drinks. They chatted about school. They chatted about life outside of school. They chatted about everything and nothing at the same time. Yixing noticed that Joonmyeon seemed to have calmed down a bit and he seemed more relaxed and. . . Confident? He heard Joonmyeon let out a somewhat strangled sigh. Scratch his previous statement. Joonmyeon chugged the rest of his now cooled down drink before tossing it in a nearby trashcan. Yixing was startled when Joonmyeon stood up quickly from his seat. He turned to face Yixing and grabbed one of his hands. Yixing put down his drink and held Joonmyeon’s other hand. He was pulled off of the bench by Joonmyeon. When they were standing in the middle, hand in hand, Joonmyeon kept diverting eye-contact. He gripped onto Yixing’s hands to give himself confidence before looking at him.

“Xing. . . So, I uh. . . Heard you uh. . . Got asked to the Winter Formal by Victoria.” Joonmyeon said. Yixing was slightly taken aback, but he stifled a chuckle that was threatening to leave his lips.

“Yes, Myeonnie, Victoria did ask me,” Yixing said.

“I’m happy for you. I think you two would look good together, and you guys seem pretty clo-”

“I didn’t say yes, Myeon.” Yixing interrupted Joonmyeon’s rambling. Joonmyeon looked up with wide eyes before sighing with what seems to be relief.

“That’s good- I mean, that’s not good. I-It’s not a bad thing, but it’s not. . .” Joonmyeon’s voice trailed off. He took a deep breath to think of what he wanted to say.

“What did you say? Why’d you say no?” Joonmyeon asked, his composure was back. Yixing let out a chuckle.

“I apologized and told her I was waiting for someone else,” Yixing said. Joonmyeon looked down and closed his eyes. He pondered on his decision. He shook his head and looked straight at Yixing.

“Xing, we’ve known each other for quite some time now. We’ve been really good friends since you moved here. . . I just. . . I mean. . . What I’m trying to ask is if you want to go to Winter Formal with me?” Joonmyeon said. Yixing’s usually sleepy eyes seemed more awake. Joonmyeon noticed the change in his eyes before he let go of Yixing’s hands and interlaced his fingers on his nape.

“I-I might not be the one y-you’re waiting for. . . Y-You can completely disregard this question if-” Joonmyeon stopped when he felt hands on his shoulders. He looked at Yixing who was laughing at Joonmyeon’s flustered appearance.

“You’re so slow. You know that?” Yixing said. He shook his head before leaning forward to give Joonmyeon a quick peck on the cheeks.

“I’ve been waiting for you to ask,” Yixing said.

“So, is that a yes?” Joonmyeon asked. Yixing let out a full blown laugh as he pulled Joonmyeon in for a hug and whispered, “yes,” over and over again.

‘This feels like a dream.’ Yixing thought.

“. . . ng. . . Xing. . . Xing!” Yixing heard in his sleep. He quickly sat up, bumping heads with the other occupant of their bed. He heard a groan beside him as he massaged his own temple. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he felt a feather-light touch brush the hair out of his face.

“You okay, Myeonie? I’m sorry.” Yixing said as he looked at his shirtless husband. Joonmyeon nodded his head before leaning forward to kiss Yixing’s forehead.

“It’s okay. No need for apologies.” Joonmyeon said. He moved his lips from Yixing’s forehead to his lips for a chaste kiss.

“What were you dreaming about? You were smiling the whole time.” Joonmyeon said. He smirked when Yixing smacked his arm. He gave Joonmyeon a hug and wrapped his legs around Joonmyeon’s waist. He reveled in the comfortable silence and the light of the morning sun peeking through the curtains. He made circular motions on Joonmyeon’s back with his finger and sighed.

“I dreamt about you last night,” Yixing said. He kept making circular patterns on Joonmyeon’s back. Joonmyeon raised an eyebrow at what Yixing said.

“Good things I hope,” Joonmyeon said. Yixing let out a playful scoff before pulling away slightly and pressing his lips softly against Joonmyeon’s.

“It was. I dreamt about the time you asked me to the Winter Formal back in high school.” Yixing said against his lips. He chuckled when Joonmyeon groaned and shook his head.

“Please don’t remind me. I cringe just thinking about.” Joonmyeon said with another groan. Yixing laughed again at Joonmyeon’s flustered behavior and smiled.

“You could’ve been a bit smoother,” Yixing said with a chuckle. He pulled away and buried his face in Joonmyeon’s shoulder.

“Truth be told, I’m glad you said yes.”

“I’m glad I did too.” Yixing leaned up for a kiss.

AN:

Hello! I'm back! I managed to save my computer, but I could not save all my files, unfortunately. I also was swamped with piles of procrastinated homework, which is something a third year in Uni shouldn't be doing. Anyone got tips on that?

Anyway, the couples for the next ones have already been decided, so please look forward to my stories, if you're interested.