Based on a prompt from PTG_Prompts on ao3. Do check them out!

“So,” Hongseok trailed off as he spoke, his voice was strangely lower than usual, and Hyunggu raised his brows in suspicion when he regarded the older. It had only been about five seconds since the taller male cornered him in the kitchen of their shared apartment—which their parents rented out for them when Hyunggu went off to university so he could be with Hongseok— and Hyunggu already doesn’t like where the conversation was headed to. They’ve been best friends for a long, long time and knew each other too well, to the point that they could decipher what was going on the other’s mind in most occasions. So the younger was certain to an extent that something was going on. Hongseok used his rare ‘we-need-to-talk-and-you-better-not-run-away-from-me’ tone, slightly urgent yet uneasy, and the younger knew that it could only mean one thing, it was bad.

They were both standing across each other, the kitchen counter stood between them; Hyunggu was busy making himself a cup of coffee to aid his dysfunctional conscious in the endless revisions he had planned on doing later on that night before Hongseok stepped in the area while his boyfriend, Jinho, was lazing around in front of the television, watching some overrated drama series, completely oblivious to the conversation the two were engaged in.

“I don’t like the tone you’re using, hyung,” Hyunggu frowned, scrambled through the crammed cup boards in hopes of finding a mug to use, his back facing the other. “I feel like I’ve done something wrong.”

“Good,” the older replied nonchalantly as he took another step forward, leaned his body against the counter to find a comfortable position as he tried to look intimidating. “We need to talk about something.”

“If this is about what happened the other day at the hallway, I swear I had nothing got do with it. It was Hyojong-hyung’s fault!” he grumbled, trying to coax his way to avoid a scolding from the older. “He dared me into-”

But Hongseok could only stare at him in confusion before his brows knitted together and wrapped his arms in front of his chest, seething. “Wait, what did you do?” his tone was sceptical, almost accusing; he was ready to bombard him with a series more of queries to ease the perturbed feeling he had boiling in the pit of his stomach at Hyunggu’s words, suggesting that the younger had done something terrible again for both of their inconvenience. Sometimes he questions why he agreed to watch over the younger when he entered college. Sure, their parents were well acquainted and Hyunggu was technically the closest friend he had and whatnot, but taking care of the trouble maker was hard work.

Hyunggu blinked once, twice and thrice, tilted his head to the side before he slowly shook his head dismissively and went to pour the hot caffeine into the mug, clearing evading making eye contact with the other. Now’s probably not the perfect time to discuss what he had done the last time he went out with Hyojong to get drunk without Hongseok knowing. “Nevermind ‘bout that,” he said idly, “So, what do you want to talk about? I’m all ears.”

“Well,” Hongseok started, momentarily forgetting about what he was about to nag the younger with, pushed it to the back of his mind, making a mental note to bring it up again later— which he’ll eventually forget cause Hongseok was that forgetful. “Jinho and I have been talking lately, you know, the usual stuff, and then you suddenly came into the conversation.”

“You’ve been talking about me?” he frowned.

“Not in a bad way!” the older defended quickly, assuring the younger he had no ill intentions. “I mean, we’ve known each other for a while and as far as I could remember, it’s been awhile since you last had been on a date, right? We think it’s about time for you to start dating someone again.”

“Yeah, so?” Hyunggu wasn’t getting where this was going. He brought the cup close to his lips after being certain that it was warm enough and took a sip. “What are you trying to say, hyung?”

“We set you up on a blind date.”

Hyunggu would have spat his entire coffee on the older at moment those words slipped pass his lips, showering him with black caffeine, but lucky enough he controlled himself just in time. Damn Hongseok.

“Are you being serious right now, hyung?!”

A freaking blind date? Was this a joke? Was this their idea of a joke? He wanted to punch the older in the face for even suggesting it in the first place. If Hongseok wasn’t taller than him or stronger, he would have done just that. He couldn’t stomach that they were having this sort of discussion, and at the kitchen of all places. Hyunggu started ranting on how this was a bad idea, enumerating the downsides of having a relationship, how absurd the assertion was, exaggerated his point to the older. Hyunggu was fully capable; he was perfectly fine with being single for the rest of his life. He didn’t need anybody to be happy, not when he was already happy with the way things were. He didn’t have time to be in a relationship, not when his academics were already taking its toll on him.

“Stop being such a brat, Hyunggu,” Hongseok rolled his eyes, unpleased with the chain of complaints the younger threw his way. “I absolutely think it’s not a bad idea.”

“I don’t have the time to deal with this,” he replied in staccato. “I really don’t.”

“Look, just give it a shot, okay?” Hongseok proposed, giving him an encouraging pat on the shoulder when he neared him. “He’s a friend of Jinho’s and he could vouch that his friend is very cool. I’ve met him once and he’s pretty nice in the eyes, too. We think he would be perfect for you.”

Hongseok was guilt tripping him, Hyunggu knew he was. The older was so good at it, knowing Hyunggu would agree if he was persuaded like that. But maybe, just maybe, Hongseok was on to something. True, the last time he’d been on a date was on their second year of high school and hadn’t exclusively seen anyone for some time. It’s not like he doesn’t have any interest in dating, none of that. It just never crossed his mind, wasn’t a matter of great importance. But looking back, seeing his best friend and Jinho being happy and sickeningly sweet in front of him, he might have felt a pang of jealously in some instances. He likes Jinho, the older was a sweetheart and undeniably, Jinho was everything that his best friend ever needed in a person. Hongseok wasn’t the easiest to get along with, probably the hardest nut to crack, yet he was lucky to have met a person like Jinho who patches up all his rough edges. Hyunggu felt gloomy at the thought that he doesn’t have someone like that, someone like Jinho.

Hongseok was probably right; maybe he really did need someone.

Hyunggu heaved a deep breath, settled his cup down onto the counter and turned to the older. Hongseok was his best friend, and he hates to let him down, so if he believes that Hyunggu will be able to put up with some poor idiot for a few hours, then so be it.

“Fine.” Whenever Hongseok is concerned, he always gives in a bit too easily, and he always hates himself for it. “Fine. But if he’s some kind of freak, I’m leaving immediately.”

Hongseok grinned in triumph.

-

Hyunggu was having a really, really bad day. He was late for his first class since he over slept. Apparently, Hongseok left early and forgot to wake him up. And to Hyunggu’s luck, it was for a major and his teacher had been ing on him and the entire duration of the lecture when he came in late. He forgot his physics book for his next class and they had a surprise quiz and he hadn’t been able to study at the last minute like his classmates did. He was silently praying to the deity that he hadn’t gotten a zero at least— his GPA was at stake. The assignment he was supposed to turn in got misplaced and he had to rampage through his locker just to find it, leaving said locker in a state akin to the aftermath of a vigorous monsoon.

The very minute he got out of his last class for that morning, he wanted to just lie on the floor and stay there, he was drained and wished nothing more than just to rest and forget how awful the day had been for him. He was an absolutely mess! Hyojong even had the decency to mock him about his messy hair and askew clothes when they met briefly at the corridor before the older male ran down the hall to escape the younger’s hurtful revenge. He groaned in annoyance as he remembered he still had that blind date to go on when he made his way back to his locker to dump his stuff and at least tidy up. He has had enough already, was mentally and physically weary, and wanted to skip the date, predicting that something will go wrong just as everything did.

But he knew that his best friend will throw a fit if he did, especially when Jinho made an effort for the set up as well— Hongseok was very frightening if it involved his boyfriend. So with a heavy heart and a burdened body, he decided to just get this done and over with so he could go home and sleep.

Hyunggu went to the nearby café, just across of the road of their university. The place was a pretty well-known spot for couples and for friends to just hang out— Hyojong and Shinwon had asked him a bunch of times to drop by there in the past— so he hadn’t questioned Jinho when the older told him that he and his blind date would meet there.

Small brass bells attached to the door jiggled when he went in. The aroma of sweets and pastry was enough to chase away the stress he had accumulated, his body went lax and he felt better already. Maybe a cup of coffee and cupcakes will heal his fatigued self.

>> he’s wearing a hoodie, rather tall, black hair. Easy to spot. Goodluck.

Hongseok’s earlier text message read which Hyunggu snickered at. How was this any helpful?

He looked around; head scanning the vicinity for his date, in search for a person that might fill in the qualities his best friend had given him. There were a bunch of people inside the café but there were still some vacant spots, so if wasn’t really much of a chore. The table at the back of the shop caught his attention— the boy occupying it particularly. Like what Hongseok had said, he was wearing black hoodie. Hyunggu watched him from afar; watched the young man stir the straw to his vanilla shake while looking at a distant, the light that shone through the glass window hit the side of his face, sunlight dancing across his features in an enthralling manner, he was tapping his long yet slender fingers impatiently against the wooden table. He appeared to be waiting for someone.

That must be him.

Hyunggu took several hesitant steps forward, but not close enough for the other to notice him, feeling a wave of nervousness wash over him. This boy’s got wild, unruly black hair, brown eyes and fit structure from what he’s seen. Hyunggu thinks he’s pretty attractive, very handsome indeed.