Changkyun watches from the doorway to the kitchen, admiring the form of his hyung. The way the slightly ripped jeans hug his legs, but then his torso seemingly getting swallowed entirely by his gray sweater… It’s so cute, it makes Changkyun want to snuggle into him and never let go.

“Changkyunnie,” Kihyun calls, pulling the younger from his thoughts in an instant, “could you go make sure we got everything?”

“S-Sure, hyung,” Changkyun stutters out, turning quickly to make sure his hyung doesn’t notice his growing blush.

I should’ve said no to this, Changkyun thinks as he goes slowly down the stairs. But, how was I supposed to? There’s no way I could’ve said no to that amazing smile… It’s like he knew or something… Changkyun finds himself chuckling and shaking his head. He’s way cleverer than he seems.

Changkyun glances around the basement from the stairs, squinting into the room to make sure nothing’s been forgotten. All the food from before had been cleaned up, the papers, towels and water bottles strewn about the room had been picked up, and no one had forgotten anything when they left.

So, why does he feel like he’s missing something?

As if on cue, his eyes suddenly zero in on the discarded scarf on the back of the couch. Changkyun in a breath, rushing over to grab it. He had taken it off when they were working on choreography, unable to stand the heat any longer. He can’t believe he’d forgotten about it so easily. Clutching it tightly against his chest, he turns to get back to Kihyun, sure now that everything’s been taken care of.

Changkyun presses the scarf against his nose, and breathes in deeply. The scarf still smells like Kihyun, the wonderful aroma of spearmint toothpaste, baking ingredients, and coffee filling his nose and making his heart race. He had never thought such seemingly unrelated smells would be so nice, so fitting, together, but, somehow, they work.

Most likely because it’s Kihyun, but Changkyun decides not to bother thinking about it.

Changkyun returns to the kitchen, and can’t help but smile fondly at the small pout that forms on Kihyun’s lips as he works. It’s such an oddly adorable little detail about the older that Changkyun can’t help but be happy about knowing.

The boy his head to the side thoughtfully, wondering suddenly what it’d be like to kiss the older. Would it be soft, or rough? Would it be awkward and messy, or would it be that amazingly perfect fit that Changkyun has only ever read about? He’s only ever kissed two girls and one boy in his whole life. The two girls had actually been kind of awkward, the girls having just randomly come up to him in the hallway and kissing him out of the blue. Changkyun hadn’t felt anything about those two.

The boy… That had been different. That had been fireworks going off all around them. That had been everything sweet and wonderful in the world wrapped up in one beautiful second. That had been what Changkyun had always assumed to be what a first kiss should feel like.

That’s when he knew for sure he was gay, and when his father was assigned a promotion to Korea.

Oddly, Changkyun feels that kissing that American boy would be nothing like kissing Kihyun. Kissing Kihyun seems like it’d be on a whole other level of kissing.

“Changkyun-ah!” Kihyun shouts, shaking Changkyun out of his silent reverie. Changkyun blinks rapidly in surprise, having forgotten where he is for a moment. He smiles sheepishly at Kihyun, who’s staring questioningly at him. How long had the older been calling him?

“You okay?” Kihyun asks, a concerned light painting his eyes. Changkyun nods so fast it seems as if his head is about to fall off. Kihyun hums thoughtfully, studying the younger for a moment before at last looking away. “I was just wondering if you’d like to help me?”

“Of course, hyung!” Changkyun answers, sounding almost too excited to help the older cook. Kihyun chuckles at the exuberant response, and instructs the younger on what to do. Changkyun hums in acknowledgment, immediately obeying the older’s words.

Cooking seems to go by much faster with Changkyun helping him, Kihyun notes. It's nothing like working with any of the others. Everyone aside from Minhyuk is absolutely hopeless in the kitchen, and honestly the world would implode if he and Minhyuk stayed in the kitchen for too long together. They argue about the simplest of things, and one of them would always end up storming out of the room in frustration. It isn't that they hate each other or anything. On the contrary, it's because they’re so close that they fight so much.

On the other end of things, Changkyun is the perfect kitchen helper. He follows all of Kihyun's instructions exactly, and makes countless puns with the ingredients. Usually Kihyun can't stand endless strings of puns, but Changkyun always seems so proud of himself for coming up with a new one that Kihyun can't help but laugh.

Once their finished cooking, the boys take the food into the living room. Usually, Kihyun would eat dinner in the dining room, but he had promised Changkyun that they could finish Goblin after practice. So, with that in mind, Kihyun turns on the television and sits next to Changkyun at the coffee table. Their knees lightly touch under the table, and Kihyun can't help but look over at the younger with a tentative smile. Changkyun returns the expression, and then turns his attention to the screen. Kihyun chuckles under his breath, loving how the boy doesn't pull away from the touch.

As the food disappears and the boys become more engrossed with the drama, they move to the couch for a more comfortable position. Changkyun doesn't seem to notice the way he presses himself into Kihyun's side, though it isn't as if the older minds. The first-year nuzzles like a puppy against Kihyun, chuckling or humming every so often at a snippet of dialogue. Kihyun wraps an arm around Changkyun's shoulders, his hand resting on the other’s hip. His fingers trace small circles on the boy’s hip, which he either doesn't notice or doesn't mind. Kihyun hopes it's the latter.

“Kihyunnie!” a woman cheerily calls from the entryway. The two boys on the couch jolt and break apart, Kihyun instinctively standing to greet his mother. A middle-aged woman with dimples that match her son’s comes into the living room, a beautiful smile coming to her as she pulls the boy in for a hug.

“Welcome home, Eomma,” Kihyun tells her, praying his ears aren't turning as red as they feel. “How was work?”

“Oh, same as ever,” she answers with a tired sigh. She glances past Kihyun, her eyes landing on the dishes on the coffee table, and then flit over to the other boy on the couch. “I didn't know you had a friend over, Kihyunnie. Introduce us!”

“Eomma,” Kihyun chuckles, stepping away to gesture towards his surprised-looking classmate, “this is Changkyun-ah. He’s—”

“The new student you told me about!” she says, realization brightening her eyes. “Of course, of course. Kihyunnie’s told me so much about you, Changkyun-ah!” Changkyun seems to have come to his senses as the attention is focused on him, the boy having stood from the couch and bowing lowly to the woman.

“It's s-so nice to m-meet you, Ms. Yoo,” Changkyun stutters out, his voice thick with anxiety. Kihyun smiles fondly, thinking the reaction too adorable for words.

“A pleasure to meet you, as well,” she responds, reaching forward to grasp Changkyun's hand tightly and shaking it. She then drops the hold, glancing between the two boys with an almost knowing smile before adding, “Well, I won't keep you two. I'll just head up and go to bed.”

“You don't want dinner?” Kihyun asks concernedly, frowning slightly.

“I already ate, Kihyunnie,” she tells her son with a laugh. “Now, you two have fun.” She then gives them both a nod, and then heads out of the room. They fall silent after she leaves, neither sure what to say, suddenly feeling very awkward about being among together. Kihyun offers Changkyun a small smile, which the younger nervously returns.

A ringtone suddenly shatters through the air, causing them both to jump. Changkyun scrambles around to find his phone, and answers it with an anxious voice. He winces, pulling the phone away from his ear for a moment. He returns it to his ear, nodding adamantly and murmuring single-syllable responses.

“I'm sorry, hyung,” Changkyun begins after ending the call, “but I have to go. I didn't realize how late it was.” Kihyun can't help the pout that comes to him, and he looks down at his watch to realize with a start just how late it's gotten.

“I'll walk you home,” Kihyun says, turning to put on his shoes. Changkyun begins to protest, but Kihyun stops him. “Kyunnie, you don't know this area well enough for me to feel okay about you walking home alone at night. Please, just let me walk you home.”

“Okay, hyung,” Changkyun says after a hesitant moment, trying desperately to keep himself from smiling.

Neither speak much on the walk back, an odd tension taking over the air between them. Kihyun wishes he could turn back the clock to before his mother came home. Things had been perfect then. Just the two of them, eating a home-cooked meal and watching a drama together. It was so easy. It felt so… so oddly right, as if it's something they've done together many times in the past, and is something they should do in the future as often as possible.

Before either know it, they're standing in front of Changkyun's house.

“Thanks for dinner, Kihyun-hyung,” Changkyun says softly, his voice muffled by the scarf Changkyun had thrown on before stepping outside. “It was great, really.”

“I'm glad you enjoyed it, Changkyunnie,” Kihyun chuckles. A chilly wind blows between them, and Changkyun immediately snuggles his face deeper into the scarf, making it impossible for Kihyun to wipe the smile off his face. He guesses he'll just have to get used to that, it seeming to be a side-effect of hanging around Changkyun for so long.

“Well,” Changkyun mumbles, his gaze beginning to flit this way and that, as if nervous about something. Kihyun is filled with the want, the need, to kiss the boy before him. Before he knows it, he's stepping closer to the younger, leaning forward slightly. Changkyun's eyes widen at the movement, but he remains where he is. Kihyun's heart pounds wildly within his chest expectantly, and he already begins to envision what the next moment could possibly hold.

However, Kihyun realizes what's happening before he can do the deed.

“I'll see you Monday!” Kihyun says quickly, reaching up to act like he's straightening Changkyun's scarf before whirling about on his heels and hurrying away. He's vaguely aware of his own lisp having come through as he spoke, but he honestly doesn't care. He just wants to run into his room and scream his frustrations out into his pillow.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, he mentally reprimands. You should've just kissed him. You should've just manned up and kissed him. Now you've ruined everything. You just threw away your one chance to seal the deal, you absolute moron!