They meet, unsurprisingly, at a bar when all the freshman were frequenting night outs to get away from school and responsibilities and parents. The first year of college is when everyone simultaneously freaks out about anything and everything and opts to not give a rat's about aforementioned 'anything and everything'. It was dimly lit and loud and Jonghyun's best friend was trying to set him up with all the guys and girls they see. It was, quite frankly, awful as he was forced to not only sit through hours of his friend awkwardly explaining to people that he's a "good catch" but also hours of him practically devouring his boyfriend in front of him.

He lets a sigh escape his lips as he takes another drink, letting his friend wander off claiming to bring him his ideal person--his relationship status has only become an excuse to make a quest of the entire night, really--and come back with an admittedly 'made 100% out of boyfriend material' looking man. "Kim Jonghyun," Minki starts, gesturing to his spectacularly singly bff, "Hwang Minhyun. Hwang Minhyun," he hums, gesturing to Mr. Boyfriend Material, "Kim Jonghyun. Now you've met, date!"

--

Oddly enough, they start to develop a routine between the two of them. They meet up at the station, grab breakfast before their TTH class and brunch before their MWF at a local bakery near campus, split up for class then meet up for linner--they flip a coin to see if they'd have take-out or dine-in; for take-out they play rock, paper, scissors to see whose house--and either play games, drink and dance, or spill secrets (and sometimes, tea).

It's only two years later that Jonghyun realises that every year, no matter what their schedule was, they made it a requirement for the two of them to see each other at least once every week. It's an odd thing to "require" of a friendship, but he doesn't mind, he likes Minhyun's company anyway. Minhyun, on the other hand, had constantly asked Jonghyun to time their classes together every year--it's hard being in different majors with the campus so big and their buildings so far apart--just to make sure they'd have some time together. Minhyun says it's because his classes are a bore and his classmates are even worse but again, Jonghyun doesn't mind in the slightest.

The only reason he notices this is because Minhyun had texted him so many times one Sunday, whining because they didn't see each other last week. He had a project to do with Youngmin and it took the entire week (and then some, he was still in Youngmin's house cramming, and had to cancel their plans.

"Boyfriend?" Youngmin hums, peering over his shoulder with a raised brow. Jonghyun shakes his head in response, pocketing his phone as his other hand moves to pat the other's cheek. "Friend."

"So you're telling me you're single?"

"Is that such a surprising thing?" Jonghyun huffs, lips pursed.

"Not re--yes, actually? I thought all this while you had a special someone 'cause you always have plans whenever I invite you out." Youngmin replies, mirroring his huff and pursed lips, except this time he added some furrowed brows.

"It's cause you always invite me a few hours before you want to leave!!" He whines, nose scrunching as he moves to turn back to the table, reaching for his backpack and taking out a small notebook and pencil case.

"Alright, fine." Youngmin huffs, waving his hand dismissively. "When are you free next week? Let's make a date out of it."

Jonghyun opens up his notebook and checks his agenda list and schedule, telling the other he was free this Wednesday and then moving to write their plan to meet down, his planner colour-coded and hand-ruled.

This is so cute-- The other boy thinks, watching him so meticulously write down his plan, his back arched down to write in the small notebook (it was Moomin, he notes), the other explaining that it was a gift from his sister because he was quite the scatterbrain.

--

"So Wednesday?" Minhyun hummed, placing the phone between his cheek and shoulder as he moved to grab some snacks from the cupboard.

"I can't. I have a date with Youngmin."

A pause. "Date?"

"Yes?"

"With Youngmin?"

"Yes????" He sighed, brows furrowed as he looked down at the phone on speaker. "Why?"

"Nothing. So when're we meeting next week?"

Jonghyun hummed and moved to grab his planner, the sound of him flipping through the pages echoing as Minhyun placed the phone on speaker as well, putting it down on the coffee table in his living room.

A long hum was his reply, Minhyun sighing as he shook his head. He knew what that meant, and it was never good. "Next, next week then?"

"Oh! Then Tuesday. That okay?"

"Alright, see you then. Enjoy your week, Jonghyun-ah. Make sure to sleep properly."

"You too!!"

It wasn't until the phone call ended that Minhyun had the chance to think to himself why he was so put off by the idea that 1) Jonghyun couldn't see him again this week 2) He was practically ditched for Youngmin and 3) It was a date????

Maybe he was being too territorial with friends, he reasons, he doesn't have much of them anyway.

--

"Wait," Minki hums, cutting him off. "So you're telling me you're okay with Jonghyun going on dates with other people?"

"Why wouldn't I be? They're probably just hanging out and calling it a date."

"Hanging out is, technically, a date." Aron chimes in, shrugging.

"You two make an odd couple." Minki comments, shaking his head. "I mean he actually called 'hanging out' a date. That's like a red flag right there."

"First of all," Minhyun sighs, leaning back as he shifts positions in his seat, legs crossed. "We're not even dating. And even if I were, who am I to regulate who he sees and has fun with?"

"Wait--" the both of them gasped in shock, Minki looking to Aron wide-eyed before he turned back to Minhyun. "You're not dating?!"

--

News of the two of them not dating spread like wildfire and it was treated as a bigger deal that he thought, sighing as the nth person that day had asked if it was true that they weren't. He couldn't say anything else to them besides 'I don't think so? I mean???' coupled with a confused look on his face and a hand gesture that looked eerily familiar to a meme. He can't say they were just because they hang out a lot--heck, the most he thought they were was best friends (or at least best friends in college, he was quite sure Jonghyun's best friend since birth goes by the name of Dongho and he didn't want to compete--in fact, he probably can't).

A part of him was worried if Jonghyun was being bothered just as much by this entire news outbreak as he, shooting him a text if he was okay and if people were being invasive. A reply stating that he's fine and far too busy with work and school, buzzing around the campus and the town, to be caught up in any gossip made Minhyun breathe easier the rest of the day. Again, he thought, why was he so invested in the other's well-being? Not that it wasn't being reciprocated--Jonghyun constantly checks up on him as well and makes sure to always be there no matter what. It's normal for friends, why do they have to be something more?

"So you're sure you're not dating." A course mate--Seongwoo--asks while walking to their accounting class.

"Yes?

"So never kissed or anything?"

"No!!"

"Too bad." A pause. Minhyun stops dead in his tracks to look at the boy with furrowed brows and a look of concern. Did he...? "I didn't." He replies, shaking his head. "Just saying cause his lips look soft. He looks soft in general--like...how do you put it...someone you have to protect?"

"I mean...okay....."

"Well, if you aren't dating, maybe I should--"

Another pause, another concerned look, but this time coupled with a smack to the back of the other's head. "Don't touch him you ert."

"Hey! I prefer the term unique lover." He groans, smacking Minhyun's arm in retaliation.

"Alright Mr. Unique Lover, whatever. I just hope you have your homework done and ready to be passed."

"!!"

--

The entire week was chocked full of people pestering him about his relationship status and if they could either date him or Jonghyun if this means they aren't together and honestly it was so tiring he didn't know what to do. Add that to the fact that Jonghyun posted about his little date with Youngmin on instagram and now its like the Management and Fine Arts departments' worlds have gone to ruin. He didn't know whatever they were meant something to other people--heck the only 'other people' he knows consists of around five people--but he should've known better. His instagram following had risen by 300 thousand throughout the three years they've known each other but he had other things to worry about besides his following.

It was thesis year, they'd be graduating soon, they needed to find jobs and think of the F word more often now. His relationship status was maybe something others found an escape as he posts about their (mis)adventures a lot, but they were seniors and he couldn't be bothered.

Or, well, he can.

With all the pestering and F-word thinking, his mood had been erratic the entire week, sighs escaping his lips so often one would think he'd be a mouth breather. It wasn't until a new week rolled in did he calm down, after all he was going to see Jonghyun.

--

He wasn't quite sure what happened, but there were so many comments under his most recent instagram post asking about Minhyun that he didn't know if something bad had happened to the boy or if everyone was making a big deal out of nothing. He shot Minhyun a text and he was fine, they talked about useless things (as usual) and made plans for this Tuesday. He was still with Youngmin when the influx of comments occurred and the boy didn't know if he should feel sorry or what.

"Should we not have called it a date?" He chuckles, half-heartedly as he wasn't sure if he made a mistake of inviting the boy out. He was cute, they had fun, they're friends. But it seemed like the entire populace thought otherwise.

"I mean, Minhyun and I call some of our hang-outs dates too? I don't see the problem?" He hums, pocketing the phone with pursed lips and furrowed brows. They resume working on their thesis and before long, the two of them are asleep on the couch, sprawled atop each other just to fit.

Tuesday comes by fast as he was far too busy with work and thesis to even check the time and be aware of whether it was AM or PM most days. He's with Youngmin still when Minhyun joins them, Jonghyun having a mini mental breakdown over the workload. He brought this upon himself, he mused, he signed up for this himself.

His forehead was on the table as he whined to the both of them, the two of them chuckling and making small conversation amongst themselves. He falls asleep before he knows it and the next thing he knows he's in Minhyun's bed.

--

"Sleep well?" Minhyun hummed, rubbing his eyes as Jonghyun's sudden awakening woke him up too (who wouldn't wake up to someone screaming 'MY TOAST' beside them, really?).

"How did I--damn it." He groaned, knowing just what happened. Minhyun had most likely brought him home with him when he fell asleep, his exhaustion catching up to him. "Sorry, must've been heavy."

"Not at all." He replies, moving to get up and stretch. "Helped me exercise and gave me a reason to nap. S'all good."

Jonghyun did the same, joints cracking as he stretched, cracking his knuckles afterwards. "Okay well anyway--what were we supposed to do today?"

"Well, it's now seven in the evening so we could just watch a movie?" He hummed in reply after checking the clock by his bedside, moving to get up. "How've you been? Let's catch up."

--

"They all thought we were dating?!"

"Well, we did post a lot on instagram about our 'dates', so I'm not surprised. What I'm more surprised about is that people other than our friends circle knew about us and had their own inputs??"

It was rare for them to talk to people outside of their friend circle, the two of them banking on their small circle of friends whenever there was a group project or if they needed some connections. It's a good thing Choi Minki practically has the entire campus in the palm of his hands--wait. "It was Minki." They said in unison, groaning at it all. They did meet through the boy, for that they were both thankful, but really why did he have to make their business everyone else's?

"What do couples even do, no, what do we even do that we get mistaken for a couple?" Jonghyun asks, leaning back on the sofa arm rest, stretching his legs and putting them over Minhyun's lap.

"I don't know," the other answers, shrugging. "Meet up, hang out a lot, spend more time with each other than their other friends, kiss and have ?"

"Well--" Jonghyun starts, moving to sit up. "We pretty much do all of that except the last two."

A soft 'oh' escapes Minhyun's lips as he nods, humming. "Right. So....are we dating then?"

"Well we don't kiss?"

Minhyun, surprisingly, moves in to give his lips a soft peck--and Seongwoo was right, they were soft. Jonghyun, surprisngly, didn't mind it in the slightest, a soft chuckle escaping his lips before he moved to do the same to Minhyun. "So now?"

"Our checklist isn't complete but I don't think we should completely check all of them off before deciding."

It's Minhyun's turn to laugh as he nods, moving to bring Jonghyun closer, practically placing him on his lap as he did so. It was odd--everything just fell into place. There was no hesitation in their actions, as if they were given both no time to think and all the time in the world to decide. Everything felt like it escalated too quickly, but at the same time it felt like everything had started too slow. It was a tough decision for anyone, it should be, at least, but for some reason the idea of them being together, the prospect of them staying in each other's lives (especially given how they were both exhausted from thinking about the F-word since the school year started), it all just brought smiles to their faces as the two of them realised just how important they were to each other and it wasn't long till they found themselves making out on Minhyun's sofa on a random Tuesday.

This was nice, Minhyun thought, sudden happenings on random days--good or bad--all just needed a little Jonghyun to make him happy. "Your lips taste like a night of champagne." He comments, stifling a chuckle as he stared back at Jonghyun.

"That's from a Beyoncé song and you know it."

"So will you put my love on top?"

Jonghyun groans, rolling his eyes. "For Beyoncé."

--

A/N: 

hello i'm back with another 2hyun but this time it's soft because i've been releasing sad for a while and i need to balance everything out. be sure to check out the fic on aff with the amazing poster!! 10/10 will probs busy myself with other happenings after this so i can't really say much for updates regarding my two other fics bUT REST ASSURED AT LEAST THIS ONE WILL LEAVE YOU FEELIN' SOFT

title from this song!

if anyone hasn't noticed i'm a er for routines and if anyone doesn't get it the F word stands for future ( ghost voice: oooOOooOOooooOoooOOOo )

this was little abrupt on my part because honestly i kinda wanted to write something that wasn't too deeply thought out and just kinda worked out in the end without too much drama and happenings. i feel like that's what they (or rather, I deserve, after all that sad i wrote yesterday hAHA I'M SORRY ILU ALL)