How Jaehwan has managed to convince him to go to the cinema with him and Wonshik is still beyond Hakyeon when he stops next to one of the huge posters just by the entrance of the buffet. He takes out his phone nevertheless, texting Jaehwan to hurry up, and looks up at the menu to see how much Jaehwan is going to pay for his popcorn.

There’s someone stopping next to him, and when Hakyeon looks up, he sees Sanghyuk with his head lowered, fingers working on the screen of his phone as he wiggles his chin lower into his coat, the red tips of his ears making a stark contrast with his navy blue scarf. He blinks at his phone and then up, shock visible on his face for only a few moments before it gives room to an uncomfortable smile.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Hakyeon blurts out, blushing like he has a reason to.

“Watching something?” Sanghyuk asks, nodding towards the programme above their heads.

Hakyeon knits his brows, a small laugh escaping him. Sanghyuk looks distantly surprised, and a moment later, his eyes turn round as he starts chuckling, cheeks turning pink.

“What else would I do at the cinema?” Hakyeon asks.

“Okay, I know that was stupid, I was trying to maintain small talk,” Sanghyuk laughs, nudging Hakyeon’s shoulder with his own. “Stop laughing.”

Hakyeon giggles some more, and when the urge dies down, he asks, "Are you waiting for someone?”

“Yeah, I actually am,” Sanghyuk replies, elbow brushing with Hakyeon’s arm as he pockets his hands. “Jaehwan invited me to come and–”

“Wait, Jaehwan?” Hakyeon frowns. “He invited me too; he and Wonshik, actually. But they never said you’d be here, too, I mean, it’s not a problem, but–”

“Smells like a trick,” Sanghyuk mutters, taking out his phone once again. “I’m going to call Wonshik.”

Hakyeon quickly types in Jaehwan’s number, only to pull the phone away from his ear after two seconds when the call gets declined.

“He didn’t pick it up,” Sanghyuk says, turning to Hakyeon.

“Jaehwan declined it,” he grumbles. “Nine out of ten times he declines my call and it’s–”

Hakyeon’s phone pings in his hand, a message from Jaehwan lighting up the screen.

‘have fun~ ❤,’ the message reads, and Hakyeon lets out a hissing noise much like the one Taekwoon’s cat used to make whenever Hakyeon tried to pet it.

“This is definitely a trick,” he says ominously, staring daggers at his phone as if that could hurt Jaehwan.

“So,” Sanghyuk says, clearing his throat, “I guess we can get going then. You don’t want to go along with this whole thing, I assume.”

Hakyeon glances up at him, at the fake happy curl of his mouth, his cupid’s bow flattening out as he presses his lips together and Hakyeon’s heart picks up inside his chest, memories of Sanghyuk kissing and holding him in the cold flooding his mind and practically making him hyperventilate.

“I didn’t come here for nothing,” he says in the end, smiling reassuringly at Sanghyuk and earning a happy grin for it.

They decide on the least mediocre-looking action film, buying a ticket each, and when Hakyeon queues up at the buffet, saying he’d like a medium popcorn menu and trying to pay for it, Sanghyuk places two hands on his shoulder and gently directs Hakyeon to the side so he can ask for the same for himself and pay for both.

“I didn’t want you to pay for it,” Hakyeon mumbles once they’re walking towards the auditorium, popping a popcorn into his mouth.

“It’s okay,” Sanghyuk grins, placing a hand on Hakyeon’s back to shepherd him inside. “I just wanted to thank you for not leaving me alone here.”

Hakyeon climbs the stairs, aiming for the topmost row and in it, the seats in the middle. Five minutes before show time the room is empty save for the two of them and five other people which should be an indicator that the film is going to be awful, but Hakyeon tries to exclude those negative thoughts.

“Well,” Hakyeon says awkwardly, “thank you.”

Sanghyuk smiles, taking off his coat and sitting down next to Hakyeon, eating his popcorn by the handful and drinking huge gulps of his cola, finishing half of both by the time the commercials start. He parodies one of them, distorting his voice and mimicking the actor in it, and Hakyeon snorts as he laughs, half choking on his drink.

The film is loud enough to have Hakyeon’s attention even though it’s more boring than those home shopping channels he sometimes find himself watching for hours on end. Sanghyuk’s comments on the wrong logic of certain things, and the bloopers he notices in it make the film a little more interesting, and definitely a lot funnier, turning Hakyeon into public enemy number one more than once when he laughs out loud.

“Shh,” Sanghyuk says when someone two rows under them turns back and sends Hakyeon a murderous look, possibly saying 'shut the up’, but Hakyeon might just be imagining it. Soon there’s a warm hand on his own, his fingers wrapping around Sanghyuk’s palm on instinct when Sanghyuk leans in close to whisper into his ear, “These people are psychos if they like this , don’t make them mad.” He looks back up at the screen, and then, “Jesus Christ, this is a movie about the Second World War; why is he talking on an iPhone 7?!”

Hakyeon snorts, burying his face into Sanghyuk’s shoulder to muffle his laughter and resting his head there afterwards, beaming at the screen as if they’re watching a fairy tale.

“Did you see the Colonel’s RayBan glasses?” Hakyeon breathes, and Sanghyuk jostles his head as he starts sniggering, reaching for Hakyeon’s neck to place a hand on it in apology. He brushes his thumb over Hakyeon’s jawline and leans in to kiss him shortly on the mouth like it’s the most natural thing on Earth, smiling against Hakyeon’s mouth when Hakyeon pecks his lips again.

They end up kissing for the rest of the film like a couple of teenagers, the intermittent giggles that bubble from their throat making the other members of the audience glance back at them, thus prompting them to act like they’re not doing anything suspicious.

“Please, exit the auditorium.”

Hakyeon pulls back from Sanghyuk like he got electrified, looking up at the cinema employee, a strict looking lady, and flushing to the roots of his hair.

“Sorry,” Sanghyuk splutters and gathers their popcorn boxes and paper cups, bowing in apology to the employee and all but running out of the room with Hakyeon following close on his heels with their coats in his arms.

Sanghyuk dumps the trash into the nearest bin, laughing boisterously afterwards as he puts on his coat, and grabbing Hakyeon’s hand to hide both of them in a nook by the door to a private area, panting as he leans against the wall. He looks down at Hakyeon with his eyes creasing into happy crescent moons, round teeth blinding as he beams, and Hakyeon’s heart feels like it wants to jump out of his chest from a feeling he has never felt before, not even with Taekwoon. And, he thinks, this is probably a sign that he should finally stop thinking of Taekwoon altogether.

“Do you want to grab something to eat?” Sanghyuk asks, gently rubbing Hakyeon’s arm.

“Sure,” Hakyeon says.

Sanghyuk laces their fingers together and steps out of the nook, but before he could start walking towards the door to the entrance hall, Hakyeon yanks him bank, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and kissing him again, deeper and slower than back in the auditorium, smiling at the way Sanghyuk melts against him, holding him close by the waist. Hakyeon pulls back first, swallowing hard at the sight of Sanghyuk blinking up from his lips to his eyes, looking like he might just stay on the corridor forever if he can stay there with Hakyeon. And Hakyeon feels the same way.

“Take me on another date,” he says, grinning.

Sanghyuk laughs and pulls Hakyeon towards the exit, towards what is going to be their first real date of many more to come.