It’s too chilly to sit outside, now.

The colder months have always been harder for Jongup; he hates the frigid air more than anything.

He’s sitting on a bench next to the building he and Junhong live in, fumbling to slide his phone into his pocket after texting his roommate.

He had forgotten his keys.

Only mid-November and it was snowing already, cold clumps of the stuff tangled his hair, dampening it, and he pulled the hood of his sweater up with numb, cracking fingers, sniffling.

His nose dripped annoyingly, totally clogged by the dry air, and his ears felt like they had been stuffed with cotton. He bit his lip and tapped his foot on the ground impatiently, growing nervous as the weather tried to take away his senses of touch, smell, and sound.

He’s been sitting here for at least thirty minutes, he thinks, when he finally makes out the telltale crunch of shoes on sidewalk salt and snow approaching him.

“Jongup?”

That isn’t Junhong.

Jongup frowned. “Daehyun?” He didn’t mean to sound distasteful, but the words came out sounding so, as it was difficult to even out his frozen vocal chords.

He heard Daehyun laugh and come closer, then weight dropped onto the bench beside him.

“Don’t look so excited to see me,” he teased.

Jongup could hear Daehyun’s hand connect with his face, presumably when he realized that what he said couldn’t really apply to him.

“I mean–– um, to… um––”

“Hey,” Jongup interrupts quietly, with a bit more of a handle on his voice. It’s nothing he hasn’t heard before. “Don’t worry about it.”

There’s an awkward pause before Daehyun clears his throat and speaks again: “you’re Junhong’s roommate, right? I didn’t really get to properly apologize for what happened a few weeks ago, and I really am sorry, I was just in such a rush…”

He trails off and Jongup doesn’t respond, too busy listening to the near-silent wind.

“It’s okay,” he says a few beats too late, but he can still feel the relief in Daehyun when he lays a hand on his shoulder with a kind of sigh of a laugh.

“Wait, but–– how did you know it was me? I mean–– it’s just that we haven’t really talked that much, or, like, at all––”

“You have a very distinctive voice,” Jongup cuts him off again.

“It that a good thing or should I feel insulted?”

Jongup shrugs. “That’s up in the air.” He can feel his mouth crack a small smile when Daehyun huffs and lets his hand slide off Jongup’s shoulder.

Jongup imagines he folds his arms over his chest, like a little kid.

“What are you doing just sitting out here, anyway?” Daehyun asks. “Don’t you live here? Lock yourself out?”

Jongup sighs, shifting where he sits. He can’t feel his anymore.

“I forgot my keys. I texted Junhong, but––”

“How long have you been sitting out here?” Daehyun speaks almost accusatively, and Jongup feels almost like he’s being scolded by his mother.

“Um,” he thinks for a second, tilting his head up and immediately regretting the movement when a large, wet clump of snowflakes hits his cheek. He grimaces and wipes it off with the back of his hand, sniffling again. “Maybe a half hour?”

“What–– Jongup, it’s, like, twenty degrees out here!”

“It’s not that cold,” Jongup defends.

“You’re gonna freeze! Come on.”

He’s not prepared for Daehyun to grab his hand and pull him up and away from the bench, but he decides there’s really no point in arguing. He might not know Daehyun well, but he doesn’t not like him. His knees crack loudly when he stands.

“Wait, where are we going?” Jongup is immediately jealous when he feels that Daehyun is wearing gloves, and he finds himself moving closer to the source of warmth without meaning to. He tries to ignore the thrill of being so physically close to someone (excluding Junhong) for the first time in a long time that makes his breath catch.

“The library. Just until Junhong finishes… whatever it is he’s doing with Youngjae.”

“What?”

“He’s in my room, actually, which is why I’m not,” Daehyun laughs.

“Oh, you’re Youngjae’s roommate.”

Daehyun hums a confirmation. “Decided to take a walk while they hang out.’”

Jongup laughs lightly at that. “You mean you got iled.”

Daehyun snorts. “Please, they’ve only been together a couple weeks. Youngjae won’t let him do anything until he’s sure they’re in love or whatever. I don’t know, he’s romantic and thinks his body is precious.”

Jongup laughs a little at that,  and they fall quiet again. He realizes that Daehyun is still holding his hand when he lifts it up, slowing down.

“Do you, uh…” Daehyun trails off awkwardly and moves their hands back and forth a little.

“No,” Jongup says, knowing full well what it is he means, and he pulls his fingers from Daehyun’s grip, tucking them into his pocket instead.

Daehyun clears his throat awkwardly, putting a cup of tea on the table in front of where Jongup is sitting, placing his own down as he sits across from him.

“Thank you.”

Jongup’s voice is so quiet, Daehyun thinks, and he can’t help but find himself intrigued, watching as he leans forward in the lounge chair and lifts the cup, just holding it in his hands for a moment.

Daehyun can tell he’s still freezing cold, if the way he’s seemed to unconsciously curl in on himself has anything to say about it. He notices that Jongup is also only wearing a light jacket, which he frowns upon. He takes a sip from his cup before returning it to the table and sits back, turning to face Jongup. He watches him while he brings the cup to his lips, rotating it until the little slit in the lid is facing him, darting his tongue out to feel for it.

He thinks it’s cute.

Jongup visibly begins to relax, the combined warmth from the heated building and the hot drink creeping through his body. Daehyun watches his shoulders grow less tense, and he sinks into the seat before turning to face Daehyun, crossing one leg over the opposite knee and resting his drink on it.

“Stop staring at me.”

Daehyun jumps and splutters. “What–– no, I wasn’t staring!” The denial is out of his mouth before he gives it permission to leave.

Jongup’s lips quirk at the corners. “Somebody who hadn’t been wouldn’t need to say that,” he says.

Daehyu has half a mind to ask Jongup how he knew that he was staring, but he also knows that it would mean pleading guilty.

“So, what’s your major?” He decides to change the subject immediately, and Jongup sighs.

“Man, ever since my junior year in high school, that question has been the only ice-breaker I’ve heard.”

Daehyun grimaces. “Sorry, I just––”

“Stop apologizing,” Jongup laughs. “I’m a triple major, actually.”

“In…” Daehyun closes his mouth, which had dropped at the statement, and gulps.. “In what?”

“Vocal performance, music production, and dance.”

“You dance?” Daehyun’s eyebrows jump in surprise. How could…

“Yes.” Jongup nods, frowning again and scrunching his nose up a bit. “Though it has been… more difficult… the past couple years.”

Daehyun doesn’t like the way Jongup’s face turned down into a sour expression.

“I major in vocal performance too,” he says brightly. “I also have a minor in theatre, but…”

“But what?”

Daehyun shrugs. “I don’t know. A lot of people criticize me for wanting to go into theatre.”

“How so?” Jongup looks confused, and Daehyun has to tell himself repeatedly that, no, Jongup is not cute, and, calm down, Daehyun, you’ve barely even met the guy.

“W-well,” he clears his throat. “They tell me there’s no future in it.”

“Oh.” Jongup looks dissatisfied. “Yeah, I’ve been told that too.”

“For all of your majors? That’s a lot of no-future,” he jokes, but Jongup’s face doesn’t lift.

“Just dance.”

And then Daehyun connects the dots. He should change the subject again. For some reason, seeing Jongup sad makes him feel sad, and he wants nothing more than to evoke a laugh.

“You don’t seem like the artsy type,” he says, hoping to get another smile. He decides he likes those.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jongup feigns being offended with a hand pressed over his heart, and then he snorts. “Not like you do, either,” he adds.

“Hey!”

“Shh,” Jongup shushes him. “We’re in a library, Daehyun.”

“What do you mean I’m not artsy!” Daehyun shout-whispers around another sip of tea.

Jongup shrugs. “I mean, I don’t know what you actually look like, and the image in my head is probably all sorts of wrong, but, either way, you’re very outgoing. Doesn’t fit the stereotype.”

“Hm,” Daehyun considers this. “Wait, you have an image of me?”

Jongup looks surprised at the question. “Well, yeah. It’s sort of a reflex. I try to put some physicality to voices. Makes me feel less like I’m talking to myself all the time.”

“Oh.” Daehyun sets his cup back down on the table, half empty now. “Um, if you… don’t mind me asking… and you don’t have to answer if you don’t want me to, and please feel free to ignore me forever–– actually, nevermind, pretend I didn’t say any of what I just said,” he rushes, cringing hard at himself and his lack of charisma. He’s usually such a smooth talker. Why does that go away when he’s with this kid?

Jongup smiles, but it looks a bit sad. Accepting, but sad, and Daehyun mentally smacks himself for making him sad again. “I don’t mind. Were you going to ask me if I’ve always been blind?”

“Um, no…” Daehyun lies.

Jongup raises an eyebrow.

“I… I was just gonna ask if you, uh,” he scrambles for words, and he can tell that Jongup knows he’s full of .

“I wasn’t,” Jongup says, cutting off Daehyun’s mindless, embarrassing stutters. “It’s weird, y’know?” He reaches over to put his cup down, not noticing Daehyun moving his own out of the way, and reclines back in the chair with his arms folded behind his head, looking thoughtful.

“Just, one day everything’s full of color, and then the next…”

Daehyun remembers the scars he had seen on Jongup’s face. It had been so dark out when he did, and he was in such a rush that he had forgotten.

“How old were you?” He asks quietly.

“Seventeen.”

“I’m––”

“If you tell me you’re sorry again, I’m going to shun you,” Jongup threatens, sitting up suddenly with a playful smile on his face, making to stand up.

“Wait!” Daehyun squeaks, grabbing Jongup’s wrist.

“Hm?” Jongup turns around, but doesn’t sit, still smiling.

“I’m––”

Jongup’s smile widens.

“Junhong hasn’t texted you back yet.” It’s a dumb, lame save, but at least he caught himself. He tugs Jongup back into his chair. “You’ll freeze again. And I… I like talking to you,” he finds himself saying. “You’re nice.”

“I’m nice?” Jongup’s tone is joking, but he’s got that soft smile on his face again.

Wow, Daehyun loves that smile. He wishes he could see Jongup’s entire face, but he knows that he wears the sunglasses for a reason, and of course he wants nothing less than to make him uncomfortable.

“Yeah!” Daehyun responds too loudly, and his voice cracks, which makes Jongup laugh again. Worth it.

“Wow, a compliment of the highest degree.”

“Of course.”

They sit in silence for another few minutes, until Daehyun’s phone beeps from within his pocket, and he fishes it out, unlocking the screen to see a text message from Youngjae.

“Good news,” he says, leaning towards Jongup. He jumps, obviously not expecting the voice to ring so close to him.

“Youngjae just texted me. Says Junhong took off after seeing your message,” Daehyun says.

Just then Jongup’s phone buzzes, and they laugh as he pulls it out and taps a button to answer the incoming call.

“Hi, Junhong.”

Jongup immediately pulls the phone away from his face, wincing, and Daehyun can hear the loud apologies spilling from the other end of the line from where he sits.

“Hey, shush. Calm down, it’s okay. Yeah, I’ll meet you there.”

Jongup slips his phone back into his pocket and stands up, Daehyun rising as well.

“It was nice talking to you, Daehyun.”

“Thanks,” Daehyun replies, flushing when he realizes that his response doesn’t make sense.

“I mean, you too.” He coughs. “Do you want me to…” he trails off, gesturing uselessly.

“It is still snowing?” Jongup seems to understand what he was going to ask, yet again. He must get questions like these a lot, Daehyun thinks. He looks outside, and his eyes widen comically. Billows of snow are blowing around, and there are small dunes collected at the corners of the buildings. How long have they been in the library for?

“Oh damn, yes. Yes, it’s still snowing,” he answers.

Jongup raises an eyebrow. “You sound surprised.”

“The snow has increased in terms of both volume and velocity,” Daehyun says with a laugh. “I can’t really see the sidewalk, actually.”

“Big words,” Jongup comments with a grin, shoving his hands into his pockets. He sticks his elbow out in Daehyun’s direction.

“Lead the way.”

Okay, Daehyun thinks, staring at that dazzling smile. He just might have a small crush.

let me know if you guys want to see more of this story! your responses will probably dictate whether i update again or not, haha. what can i say ya boi is in need of feedback lmao