“I can’t believe Jongdae forced us together,” Yixing scoffed as he stared at Yoon Doojoon with that easygoing smile on his face. Shrugging his shoulders, he picked up his mug and wiped away any of the coffee stain on it. “Isn’t this awkward for you?” he asked. Again, Doojoon shrugged his shoulders.

“I’ve known the guy for seven years. It’s not actually possible for him to stay out of people’s lives,” he explained still smiling.

“Seven years?” he asked.

“Yeah, we went to the same high school after I transferred. And we’ve always been really close. But he kind of disappeared after all our friends moved onto college. He still hosts all the reunions, making sure everyone gets there on time, and really, he’s just amazing at this stuff. But yeah, I can imagine him doing this. Besides, he’s probably going to tease me until it gets old. I can’t believe he didn’t know you and I hooked up at that frat party.”

“I guess it never came up in conversation.”

It was true. The two of them definitely hooked up at some fraternity party. It wasn’t as though he wanted to Doojoon at his first party. It was just that Baekhyun dragged him to his first frat party, Doojoon just happened to be there, and he thought he was incredibly handsome.

The next morning he woke up with a major hangover, fourteen tally marks on his arms, and a man next to him with that same easygoing smile on his face. Number four on that list of theirs was to take his freshman fling out for coffee. Once Jongdae learned that Doojoon, out of all the people he knew was his first freshman fling, (Yixing had a very plentiful freshman year), it was his duty to get the two together.

And there they were, at Doojoon’s coffee shop, drinking coffee that Jeonghan brewed for the two of them. Sitting upstairs, he didn’t think there was ever going to be a day where he could look at Doojoon as someone more than his freshman fling. But just like that night, he didn’t hate it altogether. Hell, every time he saw him afterwards, Doojoon seemed to make it as comfortable and light-hearted as it ever could be. Because that was Doojoon, as his best friend would like to say, he didn’t have time to dwell in the past and care if anyone aired his dirty laundry.

It was something he was jealous of. Because every time his name appeared in conversation, everyone immediately lit up like a flashlight. He was infectious. No one had a terrible opinion about him. As he watched the boy continue to drink out of his cup, Yixing started to think about everything he had to attend to after this ten in the morning coffee date. It would be fine. He could afford two hours, right? Doojoon didn’t even work until twelve, and he didn’t have his meeting with his professor until twelve-thirty.

“Are you still doing a billion different things?” Doojoon asked. His mind was a mess as usual. After a disastrous sophomore year, Yixing pushed himself to do everything and anything to be something like Doojoon. Successful with a positive attitude, that was something he strived for.

“Yeah. I’m sure you heard some of the remnants,” he joked. While his freshman year was high on parties and drinking, and literally, anything about getting laid, it started getting old. There were times when he questioned why he decided to get in a car with some drunk friend. When he looked back, he realized it wasn’t what he wanted. His snapchat stories may have been lit, and he was living any college kid’s dream, but it lost it shine.

What really made it for him was the fact that one bad party led him to a hospital. Alcohol poisoning, his liver couldn’t deal with it, and classes, jobs, and partying led to a breakdown that he couldn’t really figure out. Did he want any of this? Did he need this college experience? It just left his being, and Yixing decided it was time to put his life back together. The engineering students may have had an elevated GPA, but he didn’t want that anymore. So he gave up that for a job, a good club, an internship, and decent grades in his classes. It wrecked his liver, but he wasn’t going to allow it to continue.

“You were a living legend,” Doojoon started. The nostalgia washed over him. In his freshman year, he managed to put his name in the hall of legends. Whether it be from winning tournament after tournament of beer pong, hooking up with so many people from Tinder, taking the most shots, he was the king. And after that, there were rumors he never learned about. Baekhyun didn’t think they were important, and never told him if there were some for him. But sitting there across from Doojoon, he felt the nostalgia.

“Yeah, but you’re the guy I always wanted to be. You manage one of the best coffee shops on campus. You’re everywhere. Whether it be on posters, or being featured online for your incredible story, you’re the one who has it together. Not me,” he sighed. It was one of the few things he wanted in his life. No matter how hard he worked, it always felt like he was lacking in some way.

“We all go at our own pace. If you keep praising me like this, I’m going to have to ban you from the coffee shop,” Doojoon joked. With a sigh, Yixing scratched the back of his head. He forgot how odd it was to compliment someone in jealousy. And with a second look, he realized that Doojoon was fidgeting in his seat as he continued to praise him for being so successful. He couldn’t help it though. Doojoon was just someone he could talk about for hours.

Ever since he knew Doojoon, he was always the type of guy who was okay with anything. When they woke up in his room, he was smiling. And a minute later, he asked him if he wanted anything to drink after seeing all the tally marks on his arm. It wasn’t what he expected from a night like that. But Doojoon seemed so relaxed and so cute when he kissed his forehead. It was as though he did this kind of thing before. When sunlight seeped through those blinds, Yixing was surprised to Doojoon laying next to him.

Later, he randomly blurted out that Yixing was cute. Something in his body churned, and he couldn’t help but feel giddy from his caramel words. The morning after was filled with hangover cures but also make out sessions and teasing under the white comforters. While Yixing always felt like Doojoon was somewhat superior to him, he also loved his company.

“Don’t think too much about this, okay?” Doojoon stated as he buttoned up his shirt. It wasn’t as though Yixing didn’t see this coming though. They weren’t meant to be a couple. As Yixing put his clothes on, he knew that this was never going to progress into anything. It was just Doojoon knew it was one of his first times, and he was always a little more experienced.

“Yeah, got it. But is being friends out of the question?” he asked as Yixing helped him with the rest of his clothes. In most cases, he’d hear a hesitation in their voices, or just nothing at all, but with Doojoon, he just smiled and kissed his forehead.

“Yeah, definitely. You’re a pretty interesting guy, and you’re pretty good at kissing,” he answered. With that, the both of them left his room. Doojoon always made things easy.

However, Doojoon’s phone started to playing to some song he couldn’t recognize. That was the wake up call from his memories. The Doojoon in front of him still had that comforting smile on his face. But there was something else with it. Maybe, it was the wrinkles of all the maturing he had to do, or from the nights he had someone else in his bed, and didn’t have someone so comfortable with being nothing more than just an one night stand. This wasn’t freshman year where they could just wave and be awkward. No, both of them had jobs to do. And this was the reality of life.

With an embarrassed smile, he got up from his spot and said, “Shift starts in five minutes. I’ll see you around.” They both had roles to play. It was a reminder of growing up. And, as much as he’d like to hide under the covers with a boy he admired, they had things to tend to. With a nice hug, Yixing left the coffee shop. Putting in his ear buds, he sighed, staring at the ground. Even if it felt good to reconnect with his freshman fling, it reminded him that he was inadequate. Doojoon moved on with his life and became a prominent face on campus. Why did he have to be so successful? Why did there have to be someone better than him all the time? Jealousy brewed in his stomach, but he had an appointment to get to. There wasn’t time to dwell with these thoughts.

As he approached his professor’s office, someone else beat him to it. Stopped in his tracks, Yixing had to once again, get back to reality, and not about the thoughts bubbling in his mind. Holy . It couldn’t be. Where was his professor? Why was he here? A tall figure in a white v-neck and a shy smirk on his face was standing in front of an office. Like he belonged there. The figure ran a finger through his jet black hair, and Yixing was dumbfounded for words.

“Taewoo, what are you doing here?” Yixing finally questioned. Kim Taewoo was a TA in one of his upper division classes. And if he wasn’t so focused on trying to learn the subject, he would have been flustered by having such an attractive TA. Taewoo barely ever said anything in class, but he had a tendency to email students he thought were in trouble, and ask if they needed help.

Yixing would start failing more often if it meant he could stare at his gorgeous TA. It was one of the rare dreams he had. His TA making out with him in his apartment, or just being able to have a chance to date him. And in other situations, he’d probably fantasizing about that life, but he had things to discuss with his professor. So, fantasizing about how this tall, gorgeous, and intelligent boy, was out of the window.

“Oh yeah, your professor wanted me to take on this appointment because she knows we haven’t worked together yet.”

There was a reason for that. He didn’t want to get distracted. Taewoo was very good at distracting him. It was also because he just never really needed his help with anything. He understood all the concepts. He did pretty well on the tests. Honestly, he didn’t need this appointment. He just wanted to ask the professor if she could write him a letter of recommendation.

“I mean, I just kind of-” Yixing stumbled. If Baekhyun was a mess around any pretty person, Yixing was just as bad when he was around Taewoo. The pretty TA just chuckled before running a finger through his hair again. (Damn, it was too attractive.)

Getting closer to Yixing, he asked, “Okay, how about we go get some lunch, on me, of course, and then we’ll talk about what you need to do.” The sweet smile on his face was enough for Yixing. Trying not to stumble on his words again, he just nodded his head and followed Taewoo out of the professors’ offices. Was this a dream? It had to be a dream. As Taewoo tried to make conversation, he couldn’t get out of his mind that the TA he always dreamed about, was actually going to buy him lunch?

Just ten minutes ago, he was talking to an old flame who he admired. Now, he was ditching his appointment to get sushi with a pretty boy. What a time to be alive.

As they got seated in the crowded restaurant, Yixing watched as Taewoo just continued to smile and act as though this was a daily outing for the two of them. How could he act as though it was as simple as this? They barely ever interacted. The one time Taewoo waved to him, he seriously felt as though the sun decided to warm up his whole body, and he couldn’t help but smile back.

Yet here they were as if they were old friends, just grabbing sushi.

“Pick whatever you want.”

Those were the magic words for a broke college student like him. They ordered, and all Yixing could feel were his nerves acting against his will. He bounced his legs, fidgeted with his fingers, trying to figure out what to say to an acquaintance like Taewoo. Calm down, he could hear his conscious say in Jongdae’s voice. And in most cases, he would be completely calm. Dates didn’t make him a spluttering idiot like Baekhyun, but he was certainly no Jongdae when it came to these things.

“Why were you at her office, anyways?” Taewoo broke the silence. How was it possible that his voice was that pretty in his mind? Ignoring his thoughts, Yixing poured himself a glass of mint and cucumber water before answering. He needed something to ignore.

“I wanted to ask her for a letter of recommendation, but I guess that’s not happening today,” Yixing joked with a grin. And when Taewoo grinned back, he froze on the inside. He wasn’t expecting any of this today. He didn’t even think that he would smile at that lame joke. “What about you?”

Taking a sip from his drink, Taewoo said, “I had to ask her if I could ask some students to help me with this culminating project I have to do in order to graduate.” Nodding, Yixing felt himself relaxed a little. So, he wasn’t really there because he needed to work with him. “And she recommended you,” he added. Yixing’s dark eyes widened. He knew he was a good student in that class, but he never thought that he would be recommended for her TA’s work. “And I can’t say I can argue with that. You’ve been doing really well in her class. You’re kind of perfect for this,” Taewoo explained.

Perfect? That wasn’t something he associated himself with. But hearing it from the TA who everyone loved? That was something else. There were rare times he ever felt perfect. Each thing he turned in always had mistakes, and yet, people thought it was amazing. He would never understand because it never felt as though he could be more than average in a lot of people’s eyes. But here was this beautiful teacher assistant telling him that he was going to be perfect for this job.

After feeling incompetent with Doojoon, hearing such a compliment from Taewoo made him smile. This was also something Taewoo didn’t miss because he looked at him so kindly that Yixing kind of choked. And the pretty boy on the other side, jolted up with a napkin in hand, as if that would really help, to tend to him. Making himself out as an idiot wasn’t something that he wanted to do. But this day was already taking a turn for the worse.

“You alright?” Taewoo asked when Yixing finally regained his composure. And that was where Yixing nodded as their sushi came to the table. Breaking the chopsticks, Taewoo smiled. “Good, I didn’t want my perfect assistant to die on me,” he said with a wink.

He was shook.

Was Kim Taewoo flirting with him? Could it actually be possible? There was that wink. The way he called him perfect. It was just so much. He was even paying for lunch. Was this considered a date? Could it be really possible that he was flirting with him? And before he could ask, Taewoo was onto a new topic. Again, he was just leaving him breathless. He’d have to ask the master of all flirting, Jongdae, for these answers later. “So, could you help me out and join my team?” Taewoo asked.

There was a moment of hesitation. Yixing just finished his internship. This was the first time in years that he had more than the weekends free for adventure, and Jongdae would probably try to murder him if he got so busy again. But it was also Kim Taewoo. A tall, handsome, and incredibly intelligent young man to work with, or even get to know. With that mischievous smile on his face as he stared in his direction, Yixing was stuck. But it wasn’t as if he was going to break any of the no relationship rule by doing this. Also, he just had a really nice smile. And he just called him perfect.

It was a hard thing to go against. But with a smile, Yixing shrugged his shoulders and stated, “I don’t see why not. If you keep paying for these meals, you’ll never lose me.” With a hearty chuckle, Taewoo pulled out his hand for him to shake on it. As their palms met, Yixing felt a strong squeeze and a bright smile on his face.

“Can’t wait.”

And just like that, Yixing was infatuated with Taewoo. As lunch continued, it became easier to talk to him. Whether it be from the fact that they could talk about engineering classes for a while, or to the fact that they were both interested in dancing, it had been a long while that he clicked so easily with someone.

When they left, Taewoo smiled again and Yixing was struck. It was quite a day. Reuniting with his freshman fling to becoming partners with a very attractive student. It was all surreal, and as he stood right outside the sushi restaurant, he couldn’t help but feel content. The sun warmed his insides. The sky was blue. And, he felt at ease for once. It had to be a dream.

to; yixing
from; taewoo
Lunch was fun, let’s do it again.

This really had to be a dream. His smile widened when he saw the text, and began rapidly replying to it. It wasn’t until he got to his car that he realized this was reality.

to; yixing
from; jongdae
yoooo. I see you tryin’ to flirt with that ta, ok boo ok ;)

to; jongdae
from; yixing
you were there too?? oh me.

to; yixing
from; jongdae
YES. I WOULD LOVE TO.

to; jongdae
from; yixing
No.

Well, at least he knew that it was real.