Daehyun is led into his new classroom by a teacher. She stands in front of the class and informs them that starting today, there will be a new student joining them.

Looking around the small classroom, Daehyun takes in his new classmates’ faces. They’re all sitting on a rug in the middle of the floor, cross-legged. There’s a boy whose mouth is shaped in a way that makes Daehyun think of a cat, and a boy who reminds Daehyun of a puppy. There are two very shy-looking boys, one extremely scrawny and the other a little plump. There’s a boy who has hair that looks like a coconut and two little moles on his eyelid, and finally, a boy with big, sparkly eyes and chubby cheeks.

They all introduce themselves one by one, but Daehyun forgets their names almost immediately; his attention span is somewhat short and anyway, it’s too much information for his 5-year-old brain to remember all at once. He’ll learn their names soon enough, once he becomes familiar with them.

“My name is Daehyun,” he announces when it’s his turn to speak. “I lived in Busan before but now I live here.” None of the boys react in any way besides gaping at him with wide eyes, and Daehyun feels a little uncomfortable. He wonders why they’re all looking at him like that.

He sits down between Cat-Lips-Boy and Puppy-Boy like the teacher tells him to, but for the rest of the morning, neither of them talk to him at all. No one else in the class does either. Of course, they don’t really know him yet, but Daehyun still feels a bit lonely, especially when Puppy-Boy and Cat-Lips-Boy start talking and laughing with each other even though Daehyun is between them.

When lunchtime finally arrives, Daehyun doesn’t feel like going outside to eat like the rest of his classmates. While everyone else runs out, chattering excitedly, Daehyun takes out his lunchbox and sits on the rug quietly, tears welling up in his eyes. He wishes Yongguk were with him; his brother always knows how to cheer him up.

“How come you’re sad?” Daehyun looks up through teary eyes to see Sparkly-Eyes-Boy standing in front of him, holding his lunchbox and watching him with a mixture of curiosity and concern.

“I’m not,” Daehyun sniffles, trying to wipe at his eyes. “I’m not sad.”

The boy frowns. “Who made you cry? I’ll tell the teacher on them.”

“N-no! No one made me! And you can’t tell!” Daehyun insists.

“Why?” the boy asks, looking indignant. “They made you sad!”

“They’ll think I’m a crybaby,” Daehyun whispers, looking down again. “I think they hate me, and if I’m a crybaby then they would hate me more.”

“They don’t hate you,” the boy tells him. “How could they hate you if they don’t even know you?” Daehyun shrugs, still a little upset, and the boy continues, “Well, I don’t hate you. I like you. And I don’t think you’re a crybaby.”

Daehyun blinks, staring at the boy in wonder. “But you never met me before and you saw me cry.”

“So? I think you look nice and we should be friends. And it’s okay to cry sometimes. My Umma said so.” The boy sits down next to him and opens his lunchbox. “My name is Youngjae.”

“Youngjae,” Daehyun repeats, already feeling less wary. He offers Youngjae a tiny smile. “Thank you for being nice, Youngjae.”

Youngjae smiles back at him. “They were being meanies, but I’ll make them be nice to you. I pinky promise!”

He holds out his pinky solemnly and Daehyun takes it with his own. “Will you really be my friend?” he asks, just to be sure.

“I’ll be your best friend,” Youngjae declares. “Your bestest friend in the whole world.” He pauses, considering his words. “But only if you let me be your bestest friend too.”

“Yes!” Daehyun agrees immediately, “I never had a best friend before.”

“Me neither. Jaebum is my most close friend, but I know that Mark is his best friend and I’m only his second best friend,” Youngjae explains.

Daehyun doesn’t remember which one of his classmates is Jaebum, but Youngjae looks a little sad and Daehyun doesn’t like it. “Now we can be best friends,” Daehyun reminds him, hoping it’ll cheer Youngjae up. “And then maybe Jaebum can be your second best friend too.”

“Yeah,” Youngjae says, smiling again. “I wanna do that.”

They spend the rest of lunchtime talking to each other. Daehyun learns that Youngjae is seven months younger than him, and that he likes to sing and play with his toy robots. In turn, Daehyun tells Youngjae about how he likes to sing too and what all his favorite foods are and how he lived with his dad (but not his mom because she left) in Busan, but he’s glad he moved here because he got to meet his new mother and his big brother Yongguk.

When Daehyun admits that he doesn’t remember any of their classmates’ names, Youngjae doesn’t make fun of him like Daehyun thought he might. He just giggles at Daehyun’s nicknames for them and then lists their real names one by one: Puppy-Boy is Baekhyun, Cat-Lips-Boy is Jongdae, Coconut-Hair-Boy is Jaebum, Skinny-Shy-Boy is Mark, and Chubby-Shy-Boy is Hyunwoo. Daehyun thinks it’ll be easier to remember their names now that he has Youngjae to help him.

Youngjae doesn’t leave Daehyun’s side for the rest of the day, not even when Jaebum and Mark come over to ask him to nap next to them during naptime, not even when Jongdae and Baekhyun ask him if he wants to learn a new song with them. “You can go play,” Daehyun finally tells Youngjae after he rejects Hyunwoo’s offer to play with Legos together. “I won’t get sad.”

“I don’t wanna,” Youngjae says resolutely. “They never asked if you wanted to do things with them too and that’s mean. So I won’t play with them until they be nice.”

Youngjae’s loyalty to their new friendship makes Daehyun undeniably happy, but he doesn’t want Youngjae to make the rest of the class upset either. “But Youngjae, what if they don’t know that they’re being mean? Because they don’t even know me, so they don’t know if I like to sing or play with Legos.”

Youngjae thinks about it. “Yeah, maybe they don’t know.” His eyes light up as an idea comes to him. “I know! Tomorrow, we can ask them if we can play with them so they know. But if they say no, then we have to tell the teacher on them for being mean, okay? I pinky promised that I would make them be nice, so I have to.”

“Okay,” Daehyun agrees. He’s already looking forward to tomorrow. He really hopes his classmates aren’t actually being mean and just don’t know how to talk to him yet.

(The next day, he and Youngjae will find out that in fact, that’s exactly what the problem was. Once Daehyun properly introduces himself to the rest of the boys, they’ll all end up becoming fast friends. Youngjae will still be his best friend, though, now and for years to come.)

At the end of the day, the class goes outside to wait for their parents to pick them up. Once everyone is outside, Daehyun starts searching for Yongguk, who had told him in the morning that the fourth graders wait outside just like the kindergarteners. Youngjae turns to Daehyun curiously. “What are you looking for?”

“Yonggukkie-hyung,” Daehyun explains, his face breaking into a smile as he spots his brother at last. He gasps delightedly as an idea strikes him. “Do you wanna meet him, Youngjae?” He hopes Youngjae says yes; he thinks Yongguk will like Youngjae a lot.

“Okay!” Youngjae says excitedly. “Where is he?”

“Come with me!” Daehyun offers his hand to Youngjae, who takes it eagerly, and he brings Youngjae over to where Yongguk is waiting for him. “Yonggukkie-hyung!”

Yongguk breaks into a smile upon seeing him. “Daehyunnie!”

Daehyun lets go of Youngjae’s hand so he can hug Yongguk tightly. “Guess what hyung!” He looks up expectantly at Yongguk.

“What is it?” Yongguk asks, smiling indulgently.

“I made a friend!” Daehyun informs him ecstatically. “His name is Youngjae and we’re best friends!” He turns to Youngjae and takes his hand again to pull him closer. “Youngjae, this is Yonggukkie-hyung!”

“Hi Youngjae,” Yongguk greets him with a friendly smile. “I’m Daehyun’s brother, Yongguk.”

To Daehyun’s surprise, Youngjae looks a little shy. “Hello,” Youngjae says, still clinging to Daehyun’s hand. “I made best friends with Daehyun.”

“I see that,” Yongguk replies, eyeing their linked hands amusedly. “Well, since you’re Daehyunnie’s best friend, you should call me hyung. I can be like your brother too! And you’ll look after Daehyunnie when I’m not there, right?”

Youngjae nods, a little smile growing on his face, and it makes Daehyun smile too. He may be in an unfamiliar place and surrounded by unfamiliar people, but he has his big brother and his new best friend, and he thinks that maybe moving to this town is the best thing that’s ever happened to him.

~~~

They’re in Daehyun’s room, Youngjae sitting at Daehyun’s desk and staring intently at his notes, while Daehyun lies across his bed, staring at the ceiling instead of doing the homework that lies untouched at his side.

“I’m going to fail,” Youngjae whines suddenly, hitting his head against the textbook lying open on Daehyun’s desk. “I’m going to fail, and they’ll remove me as student president, and they won’t let me be in the choir anymore, and they’ll kick me off the soccer team, and I’ll never get a job, and everything will be awful.”

He’s talking mostly to himself, but Daehyun looks over anyway to find Youngjae pouting down at his notebook in frustration. Despite his friend’s apparent distress, Daehyun can’t help but smile, because Youngjae looks ridiculously adorable for someone who’s just a couple of months away from turning eighteen. “Youngjae,” Daehyun starts, a mischievous smile spreading across his face as Youngjae’s head snaps up apprehensively. “Aren’t you being too dramatic?” Youngjae glares in response, but unfortunately for him, he’s far from intimidating, and Daehyun just giggles at him. “You’re so cute.”

“You’re so weird,” Youngjae counters immediately, even though his pout has clearly gotten smaller. “Why don’t you focus on something else for once? Your own work, for example?”

“Why would I focus on something else when I could be watching my best friend stress over his homework for no reason at all?” Daehyun reasons, still grinning widely.

“You’re an idiot,” Youngjae replies, shaking his head, but Daehyun catches the hint of a smile on his face as he turns back to his work.

“Maybe,” Daehyun shrugs dismissively. “But you aren’t.” Youngjae looks at him again, this time with a questioning gaze, and Daehyun knocks lightly against Youngjae’s head with his knuckles. “Listen, Mr. I’ve-Gotten-Straight-A’s-Since-We-Were-In-Kindergarten. You say you’re going to fail now, but you’re the smartest person in our class, so if you fail then the rest of us are really doomed.”

“Great,” Youngjae grumbles. His pout has returned, Daehyun notes absentmindedly, but it’s obviously exaggerated now. Daehyun’s mind is suddenly flooded with thoughts of how cute Youngjae looks and how much he’d like to ki- No! Focus, he scolds himself silently, and goes back to listening to Youngjae. “Now the fate of the whole class rests on my shoulders. That sure makes me feel better.”

“I’m always here to help!” Daehyun sings cheerfully, grinning at him.

Youngjae tries to glare back, but he only manages to maintain his annoyed expression for a few moments before having to face the desk again to hide the smile tugging at his lips. “Just do your work, idiot.”

It’s said with so much affection that Daehyun can’t possibly take him seriously. Pleased with himself for having been able to successfully improve Youngjae’s mood, he replies entirely on impulse. “Anything for you, sweetheart.”

“Oh, shut up,” comes Youngjae’s halfhearted retort. Daehyun can hear his eyes rolling, but there’s no heat in Youngjae’s voice, so Daehyun knows he’s not actually upset. He doesn’t look up again, though, which means he misses the pink flush that decorates Youngjae’s cheeks at his words and the pleased little smile that accompanies it.

~~~

Daehyun, doting little brother that he is, still gets excited when Yongguk comes home for the weekend, despite him being used to it by now (it’s Yongguk’s fourth and last year of college) and the campus being located barely half an hour away (Yongguk comes home relatively often). It’s nice to come back from soccer practice on a Friday evening to find Yongguk watching some black-and-white film from 50 years ago in the living room like he never left. (Usually, Youngjae is with Daehyun, and, practically being a member of the family himself, is always equally happy to see Yongguk.)

It’s nearing the end of Yongguk’s fall semester when Daehyun decides he really needs to talk to Yongguk about his increasingly-difficult-to-control feelings for his best friend. He’s always been happiest when he’s with Youngjae, and that hasn’t changed. But now, being with him, even just looking at him, fills Daehyun’s chest with inexplicable warmth and makes his heart race uncontrollably. And Daehyun isn’t stupid: he knows exactly what these things mean, and it kind of scares him. Yongguk is good at giving advice though, so Daehyun is sure he’ll know what to do.

He walks into the kitchen on a Sunday morning to find Yongguk reading the news as he eats breakfast. Figuring this is as good a time as any to bring up what’s been troubling him, Daehyun clears his throat and begins speaking. “Yongguk-hyung,” he starts quietly. “I have something to tell you.”

Yongguk looks up from the newspaper immediately, a concerned expression on his face. “Is everything okay, Daehyunnie?”

“Yeah,” Daehyun assures him hurriedly, not wanting to unnecessarily worry him. “Well, mostly. It’s just, um, I...well, I think I might like Youngjae, hyung. Like, as more than just a friend.”

Yongguk stares at him silently over his bowl of rice for a few moments. “Yeah...” he finally replies slowly. “I know you do.”

Daehyun frowns at him. This is hardly the reaction he had been expecting. He had anticipated at least some display of emotion at this revelation, but Yongguk looks decidedly unimpressed. “What? But I’ve never told you this before.”

Yongguk gives him a look. “I’m pretty sure it’s been kind of blatantly obvious for a long time. You’ve been obsessed with him since you were five. You married him on the playground when you were seven. You’ve been looking at him like he hung every star in the sky for you since you were thirteen. Do you want me to go on?”

“Oh.” Daehyun glances at the floor, scratching the back of his head sheepishly, before meeting Yongguk’s eyes again. “Am I really that obvious?”

“Considering Himchan has asked me about fifteen times whether you two are together yet, I’d say that yeah, you are pretty obvious,” Yongguk tells him, smiling amusedly.

“But he’s only met me and Youngjae like, three times,” Daehyun complains indignantly. (Himchan is a transfer student that Yongguk met at the beginning of the semester. From the limited contact Daehyun has had with him, Himchan seems to be loud and self-confident and outgoing - essentially the complete opposite of Yongguk in almost every way - but somehow, the two have become fast friends.)

Yongguk raises an eyebrow pointedly. “Exactly.”

Daehyun kind of wants to point out that Himchan isn’t exactly subtle about how much he likes Yongguk either, but he would never do anything to ruin his brother’s happiness, and despite their starkly different personalities, Yongguk seems to like Himchan a lot too. So for now at least, while their friendship is still new, he won’t say anything that might make things uncomfortable for them. Instead, he groans dramatically, sinking into the chair across from Yongguk and holding his head in his hands. “What do I do, hyung?”

“Well,” Yongguk begins, his eyes twinkling. “For starters, you could maybe...tell him?”

Daehyun feels a thrill run up his spine at the thought of confessing to Youngjae, but then he remembers all his reservations. “That’s easier said than done, hyung,” Daehyun sighs. “It would just...change everything. And before you say anything, I know Youngjae isn’t the kind of person who would end our friendship over me having feelings for him. But he would definitely act weird around me and that would be even worse.”

“You’re being too dramatic,” Yongguk replies matter-of-factly. “If everyone had a friend who loved them as much as Youngjae loves you, the world would be a much happier place.”

Daehyun stares blankly at him. “What?”

“Daehyunnie,” Yongguk says patiently. “Youngjae is your best friend, and obviously he means a lot to you. And of course you know him better than anyone, but I think sometimes you don’t realize just how much you mean to him.”

“Well, how do you know then?” Daehyun asks curiously.

“Because he’s my friend too, dummy.” Yongguk shakes his head, smiling fondly at his brother. “I know this might sound crazy, but sometimes, when he’s not with you, Youngjae talks to other people, like me.”

“I know he’s your friend too,” Daehyun grumbles indignantly.

“Just making sure,” Yongguk teases, his smile growing.

“Anyway. So you’re saying he talks to you...about me?” Daehyun wonders aloud, suddenly feeling slightly confused. “Why would he do that?”

“Because there are some things that he can’t say to you,” Yongguk says cryptically. “At least, not yet.”

Daehyun pouts. “But we never keep secrets.”

Yongguk stands up with his empty bowl in one hand, stopping to ruffle Daehyun’s hair affectionately with his other on his way to the sink. “If that’s the case, then don’t you think you should tell him your secret first?” Before he leaves the kitchen, he turns back to look at Daehyun again, a knowing gleam in his eyes. “Who knows? He just might have something to tell you too.”

~~~

Yongguk and Daehyun have a tradition of going out for coffee and brunch every year after Yongguk’s finals are finished and Daehyun’s winter break has started. (Youngjae, of course, is always included in the tradition as well, because Yongguk insists - and Daehyun agrees - that they can’t leave Youngjae out when he’s so important to both brothers.)

It’s always just been the three of them every year; even when Yongguk had a girlfriend two years ago and a boyfriend the year before that, he didn’t invite either of them. Despite this, Daehyun finds that he’s hardly surprised when Yongguk bashfully informs him that Himchan will be joining them this year. (Yongguk insists that he and Himchan aren’t dating, but Daehyun thinks it’s just a matter of time. It’s been clear to him from the start that Himchan is just...different somehow.)

Daehyun, Youngjae, and Yongguk are already seated at a table in the little coffee shop they come to every year when Himchan walks in, looking flushed from the cold winter air. “Sorry I’m late,” he apologizes, dropping into the seat next to Yongguk heavily. “I got held up at home.” He shoots Yongguk a meaningful look, which Daehyun assumes means that Yongguk knows why Himchan was held up.

“You don’t have to apologize, Channie,” Yongguk says, shaking his head fondly. “You know I understand, and I’m sure Daehyunnie and Youngjae don’t mind either.”

“No, actually we hate you for making us wait two extra minutes,” Youngjae deadpans. “How could you do that to us, hyung?”

Himchan raises an eyebrow at him for a moment before breaking into a grin. “Good to see you too, you brat.” Daehyun watches Youngjae smile back cheekily, and has to hold in a laugh. Himchan was hard to read when he and Youngjae first met him, but they’ve both gotten a lot more comfortable with him, even in the relatively short amount of time they’ve known him. “And you too Daehyun. At least you didn’t greet me so disrespectfully.”

“Only because Youngjae beat me to it,” Daehyun replies with a mischievous smile. “I was all ready to accuse you of depriving me of food during the five minutes that you weren’t here.”

“Bbang, I just got here and they’re bullying me,” Himchan complains, turning to Yongguk dramatically. “Tell them to stop!”

Yongguk, who’s been watching them banter back and forth with an amused smile on his face, just laughs gently. “I don’t know, I think you can handle them. I have faith in you.” He glances at the door as a few more people enter the shop. “But then again, as much as I hate to cut the teasing session short, maybe we should go stand in line before it gets too crowded.”

“Aw man,” Daehyun sighs, exchanging an exaggeratedly disappointed look with Youngjae. “But we were just getting started!”

“What a shame,” Himchan says, his smile contradicting his words as he shrugs off his coat and stands up. “Here, Yonggukkie, you haven’t even taken off your jacket yet.” He helps Yongguk out of his chair so he can assist in pulling off Yongguk's winter wear before the two of them make their way over to the line.

Youngjae turns to Daehyun as they slowly trail after the other two, his eyebrows raised. “Is it just me or have they like, surpassed the dating stage and already act like they’re married?”

Daehyun hums in agreement as they stand behind them in line, watching Himchan fuss over Yongguk’s collar which is apparently crooked, Yongguk gazing at Himchan in a way that can only be described as adoration. “Yongguk-hyung really likes him,” Daehyun observes, keeping his voice down so that Yongguk and Himchan can’t hear him. “He was never like this with what’s-her-name or that dude.”

Youngjae scowls a little at the mention of Yongguk’s exes, neither of whom they had been particularly fond of when Yongguk’s relationships with them ended. “Well, I like Himchan-hyung more than them anyway. He seems like he matches Yongguk-hyung better. And they clearly like each other a lot.”

“Yeah,” Daehyun agrees, smiling at how invested Youngjae is in Yongguk’s happiness. It serves to remind him of yet another reason why he's so far gone for his best friend. “Well, hopefully they’ll realize that soon.”

They stand in comfortable silence, their shoulders brushing as they listen to the indistinct chatter in the shop. The line slowly inches forward as the customer at the front picks up two drinks and hands one to the girl next to him with a besotted smile and a proud, “For you, princess.”

“Why doesn’t anyone call me princess?” Youngjae asks suddenly. He looks incredibly disgruntled, like this is something that’s been on his mind for a while.

“Uh, well.” Daehyun pauses, taken aback by the sudden change in subject, and considers his next words carefully.

Before he can say anything, though, Himchan smoothly takes over, apparently having overheard Youngjae’s question. “It’s most likely because you’re a boy and ‘princess’ is typically used to refer to female royalty. So when people use it to refer to a boy, it’s usually either weirdly ualized or meant to be demeaning. Stupid, I know, but there you have it.” Next to him, Yongguk stares at Himchan in awe, looking impressed by his answer, and Daehyun thinks he understands a little better why Yongguk is so taken with him.

Youngjae blinks. “Well...as explanations go, it’s not terrible,” he concedes. “But also, screw gender constructs! Why should only girls get to have all the cute nicknames? And who decided it was insulting for boys to be called ‘princess’ anyway? Isn’t it pretty much a compliment to be as pretty and powerful as a princess?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Daehyun can see Yongguk watching Youngjae with something akin to pride, can hear him murmuring something along the lines of “That’s my boy,” and he’s once again reminded that Youngjae isn’t just his best friend; he’s basically Yongguk’s little brother too.

“So if I want to be called princess, then someone, and by someone I mean my boyf-um, best friend, better call me princess,” Youngjae concludes, looking at Daehyun pointedly.

“O...kay?” Daehyun shifts from one foot to the other, feeling a little hesitant. “But isn’t it, um, more of the kind of nickname that couples would use? Are you sure you want, well, me to call you that?” It’s not like he doesn’t want to use the nickname (just thinking about it does weird things to his emotions), but he wants to be sure that Youngjae is okay with everything it could potentially imply first.

“You don’t have to use it if you don’t want to,” Youngjae huffs, pouting, and Daehyun sighs internally, giving up all resistance, because he’s nothing if not absolutely weak for Youngjae’s pout. “I’m just saying-”

“You know what, never mind,” Daehyun interrupts hurriedly. Never mind the possible implications of such a nickname, never mind that Yongguk and Himchan have obviously heard the entire conversation and will undoubtedly tease them endlessly later on. “Anything you want,” he continues, wrapping an arm around Youngjae’s waist and pulling him closer. Suddenly feeling strangely emboldened despite being in a fairly public place, he lowers his voice so only Youngjae can hear him, his lips brushing against Youngjae’s ear. “Princess.”

(And sure, Youngjae had been the one to request it in the first place, but neither of them are quite prepared for how intimate it feels, and the way Youngjae’s eyes flutter shut as he lets out a tiny shiver of pleasure is ingrained in Daehyun’s mind for days afterwards.)

~~~

Youngjae is curled into Daehyun’s side as they watch a rerun of a show they’ve both seen several times before. It’s not an uncommon occurrence - they spend most Friday nights like this, huddled under the covers of Daehyun’s bed while something that neither of them are fully paying attention to plays on the TV.

It’s long become habit for Youngjae to rest his head on Daehyun’s shoulder so Daehyun can more comfortably wrap his arm around Youngjae as they cuddle together on the bed. Recently, though, as Daehyun slowly comes to terms with his blossoming feelings for his best friend, the familiar position is accompanied by new sensations of giddiness and warmth.

Ever since Yongguk advised him to confess (it’s been several weeks now), Daehyun has been trying to find an appropriate time to tell Youngjae how he feels. Suddenly, with the comforting weight of Youngjae pressed into his side, Daehyun feels like this might be the opportunity he’s been waiting for.

“Hey, Youngjae?” Daehyun timidly breaks their comfortable silence.

“Hmm?” Youngjae’s voice is soft and sleepy and content, and it makes Daehyun ache from how much he adores the boy next to him.

Daehyun swallows, his throat suddenly dry as he plays with Youngjae’s hair nervously. He almost goes through with blurting out his confession and being done with it, but at the last second, he panics. Fortunately, Daehyun knows himself well, and he had made sure to come up with a backup plan in anticipation of his inevitable chickening out. “I was just wondering.” He pauses, takes a deep breath. “Would you, um, want to go to prom together?” The question isn’t entirely out of the blue, either - the timing actually worked out well, because it’s nearing the time of year when people start looking for dates for prom anyway.

Youngjae’s reaction is as immediate as it is unexpected. His head snaps up off Daehyun’s shoulder, all traces of drowsiness gone as he turns to stare at Daehyun incredulously. “Excuse me?” The look on Youngjae’s face makes Daehyun worry for a moment that Youngjae is actually offended. He opens his mouth to take it back, but Youngjae doesn’t let him say anything. “You think that just because we’re best friends you can get away with that weak as hell promposal?”

Daehyun blinks at him, completely taken aback. “What?”

Youngjae shakes his head in disbelief. “Unbelievable. I should just say no.”

“Uh,” Daehyun replies eloquently. “I mean, I’m not forcing you to say yes. It’s okay if you don’t want-”

“How dare you!” Youngjae glares at him, and Daehyun shrinks back into the pillows, bewildered. “Of course I want to.”

“But,” Daehyun mumbles, still feeling like he’s missing something, “you just said you should say no.”

“Not because I want to say no,” Youngjae says in a tone that suggests it should have been obvious. “But you know I’ve always wanted to get one of those cute promposals.” He pauses, considering his words. “Although I guess it is better to ask consent first instead of springing a surprise like that on someone and pressuring them into saying yes. Nothing is worse than putting someone in the awkward position of being forced to do something they don’t want to do because of the influence of the public eye.” He’s mostly talking to himself now, as he tends to do when he gets worked up about something (he kind of reminds Daehyun of Yongguk in these moments). Daehyun silently watches him, slightly in awe. “So I’ll just pretend like that’s what you were doing.” He looks at Daehyun sharply. “But now that you know what my answer is, I expect something really good, okay?”

“Um,” Daehyun says as it slowly dawns upon him that technically, Youngjae has already said yes. “Yeah, okay. Of course! Whatever you want, princess.” (It took some time to get used to, but the nickname comes naturally to him now, though by mutual agreement he only uses it when they’re alone or with Yongguk and Himchan; they both know their friends at school would definitely never let them live it down, considering how often they’re teased for acting like a couple anyway.)

“Good.” Youngjae seems satisfied with that, because he promptly puts his head back on Daehyun’s shoulder and burrows into his side as they go back to only partially paying attention to the TV. Automatically, Daehyun wraps his arm around Youngjae’s shoulders to pull him even closer, and in response, Youngjae lets out a tiny, contented sigh as he nuzzles into Daehyun’s neck. Neither of them can quite manage to hide the giddy smiles that remain on their faces until they both fall asleep, still curled up together.

(A few days later, Daehyun shows up at school with a dozen roses, Youngjae’s favorite bubble tea, and a giant poster that reads “Hey cu-tea, go to prom with me?” Youngjae, despite having been the one to request such a display, turns pink and covers his face with his hands when Daehyun finally asks him in the middle of the hallway, but in the end, Daehyun doesn’t mind because he ultimately gets the answer he was looking for.

Once he recovers, Youngjae is more than happy to parade smugly through the halls with his bubble tea in one hand and his roses in the other, Daehyun trailing behind him holding the poster. It’s a little embarrassing, Daehyun thinks as Youngjae tells off some poor underclassman who dared give his bouquet a funny look. But it’s sweet, too, in a weird way, and Daehyun kind of likes knowing that Youngjae is proud enough of having Daehyun as his date to show off to the whole world.)

((“Did you really have to go with a ‘cutie’ pun though?” Youngjae asks later as they’re walking to Daehyun’s house from school. The bubble tea has long been finished, but he’s still carrying the poster and the roses with pride. “I’m not cute.”

It’s something he’s complained about a thousand times before, but they both know he’s not actually bothered by being called cute (in fact, he secretly likes it, but only Daehyun is allowed to know that), so Daehyun continues to . “Have you seen yourself?” he counters, smirking. “If you looked cute up in the dictionary, your picture would be where the definition should be.”

Youngjae hits him lightly on the arm, rolling his eyes playfully. “Shut up.”

“Just saying,” Daehyun shrugs, grinning. “Anyway, just be glad Yongguk-hyung suggested the pun before I went through with my original idea of singing your bubble tea song.”

“Thank god.” Youngjae shudders at the thought of the song he had come up with a few years ago as a joke. “That really would have been too much.” He’s quiet for a moment, before grinning cheekily at Daehyun. “But I knew the poster couldn’t have been your idea. It was too clever.”

“Oh? Then I guess you wouldn’t mind if I just-” Daehyun breaks off with a mischievous smile, stretching out a hand as he pretends to try and take the poster back.

Youngjae jerks it out of Daehyun’s reach indignantly. “Hey, back off! It’s mine now!”

“That’s what I thought!” Daehyun sings, amused.

“You’re way too smug about this,” Youngjae accuses, his eyes narrowing at Daehyun.

“Well, duh,” Daehyun replies matter-of-factly. “I managed to get the best prom date in the school. I think I deserve to be a little smug.”

Youngjae is rendered uncharacteristically speechless, and he spends a few moments gaping at Daehyun in surprise. Daehyun sees the exact moment Youngjae decides to try and cover up the fact that he was caught off guard for once, because he shakes his head quickly and turns away to shield Daehyun’s view of the faint smile that threatens to take over his face. “You’re ridiculous, Daehyunnie,” he says once he’s recovered, his voice full of affection. He doesn’t look at Daehyun, but Daehyun spots the smile Youngjae has been trying to hide anyway. “As if I would’ve said yes to anyone else.”))

~~~

They’re on Youngjae’s bed together, their legs tangled haphazardly as Youngjae reads a book for his language class. The room is quieter than normal. Usually, Daehyun chatters away while Youngjae reads and occasionally interjects a thought or two. Today, though, Daehyun remains silent, electing instead to gaze at Youngjae, taking in the features he knows so well.

Youngjae has always been particularly fascinating to Daehyun when he reads, his eyes flying across the pages as he silently mouths the words to himself. Daehyun knows Youngjae is very handsome, with his pretty eyes and his cute nose and his temptingly pink lips. But looking at his friend now, even in the most mundane of settings, Daehyun can’t think of anything that could rival Youngjae’s beauty.

It’s in this moment that the true weight of his feelings settles over Daehyun: at eighteen years old, he’s fallen irrevocably for his best friend. He’s too young to actually be in love, he thinks, but it would also be pointless to try and deny that he loves Youngjae - he can at least admit that much to himself.

More than anything, he wants to confess, to just come out and tell Youngjae how he feels. But he’s terrified of ruining their friendship, because if Youngjae doesn’t return his feelings, things between them will never be the same. On the other hand, he’s afraid that he might accidentally say something that would make Youngjae feel obligated to try to force himself to feel the same way.

(And to be honest, asking Youngjae to prom was already enough to make Daehyun worried that he was pressuring his friend into doing something he doesn’t want to do, so from that perspective, confessing is out of the question. Really, Daehyun thinks, the ideal situation would be Youngjae himself making the first move; Youngjae has always been the bolder one anyway, and that way, Daehyun wouldn’t have to be so preoccupied with these concerns.)

Daehyun sighs heavily, his mind dizzy with wild fantasies of a world where he doesn’t need to be scared, where Youngjae asks him out and he eagerly agrees and they’re happy together. At Daehyun’s sigh, Youngjae finally puts down his book to look at Daehyun with concern. “Daehyunnie? Is something wrong?”

Daehyun doesn’t answer for a few long moments, his heart racing, startled at being called out. Finally, in a tiny voice, he speaks. “We’re...we’re okay, right?”

Youngjae blinks in confusion, his eyebrows furrowing. “What do you mean? Why wouldn’t we be?”

“I don’t know,” Daehyun mumbles, suddenly unable to meet Youngjae’s eyes. “I just mean, is it like, weird that we’re going to prom together?”

“Who said that?” Youngjae frowns deeply. “Did someone say that to you? Who was it? I’ll show them what’s weird.” His eyes are ablaze with indignance, and Daehyun can’t help but find it utterly endearing that Youngjae, who’s never hurt a soul in his life, looks ready to take on the whole world to defend Daehyun.

“No, no one said anything like that,” Daehyun assures him hurriedly. “I was just...I don’t know. I guess I’m just a little...scared?”

“Of what?” Youngjae asks gently, the fire in his eyes extinguished and replaced with concern. He takes Daehyun’s hand and laces their fingers together comfortingly.

Daehyun’s eyes hesitantly meet Youngjae’s. “I’m scared you’ll realize that you could’ve gotten anyone in the world to go with you, but you’re stuck with me instead,” he admits quietly. “You’re my best friend. I guess I just don’t want you feeling like you have to go with me if you wanted to go with someone else.”

Youngjae stares at him with an indecipherable look on his face. Then suddenly, before Daehyun can react, Youngjae is crawling on top of him, effectively pinning him to the bed. The next thing he knows, Youngjae is leaning in, and a moment later, his lips are on Daehyun’s.

Daehyun knows it’s not Youngjae’s first kiss (in fact, it’s not even Youngjae’s first kiss with Daehyun, because both his and Daehyun’s first and only kisses were with each other, a few years ago when they decided it would be the best way for both of them to practice), but it still feels a little messy and inexperienced. He isn’t about to give up the opportunity to kiss Youngjae after having wished for it for so long though, so he returns the kiss enthusiastically.

When Youngjae finally pulls away, Daehyun can’t do much besides stare at him in a daze, because this is something he’s imagined a thousand times before, but he’s never thought about what he would do if it actually happened. Youngjae’s face is pink and his lips are swollen and he looks even more stunning than he usually does. Daehyun really wants to pull him back down so he can kiss him again, but before he can do it, Youngjae punches his shoulder lightly and glares at him. “You’re an idiot, Daehyunnie.”

Daehyun’s mind is too preoccupied to come up with a more eloquent response than an indignant “Hey!” as he continues to look up at Youngjae, still somewhat flustered.

Youngjae’s expression doesn’t waver. “First of all, prom is in one week. You think I would want to change my date on such an inconveniently short notice?” Daehyun opens his mouth to reply, but Youngjae cuts him off. “And second! Do you really think I would’ve said yes to you if that wasn’t exactly what I wanted in the first place? Have you known me to ever do anything I don’t want to?”

“Um.” Daehyun his lips nervously. It’s a mostly subconscious action, but when he notices the way Youngjae’s eyes flicker to his lips for a second, he kind of wants to do it again to see how Youngjae reacts. “No? I didn’t think of that.”

Youngjae shakes his head. “I know you didn’t. So here I am, telling you that I said yes to you because you are the only person I’ve ever wanted to go to prom with or hold hands with or make out with or go on lovey-dovey cliche dates with in my entire life. And now you want me to give you up as my prom date? No thanks! I’ve spent practically my whole life wishing you would just ask me out so I can kiss your dumb face whenever I want. And you asking me to prom was good enough for now, so you’re not allowed to take it back. So...so there.” He crosses his arms defiantly, as if silently daring Daehyun to argue with him.

“Oh,” Daehyun says. It simultaneously feels like a rather anticlimactic confession and the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to him. His mind is running on autopilot; the fact that Youngjae hasn’t moved from where he’s perched on Daehyun’s lap isn’t helping much. “Me too. I mean, I feel the same way. Except about you. Obviously about you, it would be weird if I felt the same way about myself. But like, I was wishing you would ask me out, so I guess we were both kind of doomed-”

“Daehyun,” Youngjae interrupts, his voice suddenly full of incredulity as he cuts off Daehyun’s impulsive rambling. “Are you seriously telling me that we both liked each other this whole time?”

Daehyun considers it. “Yeah,” he confirms. “It kind of seems like that.”

“Great,” Youngjae groans. “Just great. We’re just another cliche. We’re a joke! This is like every teen romance novel ever! And not even a very good one! We’re one of the mediocre predictable ones! Do you even realize how typical this is? Do you know how many stories have been written about two best friends who think they don’t have a chance with each other when all along-”

Daehyun has always found Youngjae to be particularly adorable when he’s ranting, but this time, now that he knows it’s allowed, Daehyun can’t stop himself from leaning up and cutting Youngjae off with a kiss. Already, Daehyun feels like they’re both getting better at it; this kiss definitely feels less sloppy than the one before.

“So,” Daehyun says when they break apart again. “We’re...boyfriends now, right?” He knows it’s a little silly to ask, but neither of them has actually officially asked the other out, and this is something he wants to be absolutely sure of.

Youngjae rolls his eyes, but Daehyun knows him well enough to be certain that he had been wondering the same thing. “Well, there’s only one way to be sure, right?” He leans down so their foreheads are resting against each other. “Daehyun, do you want to be my boyfriend?”

“Yeah,” Daehyun breathes, gazing up at Youngjae. “Do you want to be my boyfriend, Youngjae?”

“What would you do if I said no?” Youngjae asks, grinning cheekily down at him.

“I guess I’d have to respect your wishes then, right?” Daehyun replies, trying to sound nonchalant as Youngjae leans in closer, their noses brushing.

“So chivalrous,” Youngjae says, amused. “But luckily for you, ‘no’ isn’t even a possibility.”

Instead of replying, Daehyun just smiles, closing the gap between their lips. And it’s extremely gratifying, how eagerly Youngjae kisses him back, how willingly Youngjae lets him flip their positions so Youngjae is the one lying on his back, how unabashedly Youngjae whines in complaint when Daehyun pulls away so they can catch their breaths.

“Someone’s being a needy little princess,” Daehyun murmurs amusedly against Youngjae’s lips, nudging his nose affectionately against Youngjae’s. A rush of excitement floods through him at using Youngjae’s favorite nickname in this new context. “So cute.”

Youngjae scrunches his nose in annoyance. “Even when we’re kissing you can’t stop talking. Can’t you just be quiet for once and kiss me again?” It’s comforting, Daehyun thinks, that even though the nature of their relationship has now undeniably shifted, everything mostly feels the same. It’s the complete opposite of everything he feared before they confessed to each other. Youngjae hasn’t suddenly changed, and he hasn’t changed either. They’re still the best friends they were before, and maybe that’s why even though things are different, everything feels as simple, as natural, as easy as always.

“Wow, so demanding,” Daehyun teases before placing a fleeting kiss on Youngjae’s nose and another on his lips. “There you go. Two kisses instead of just one.”

Never one to let Daehyun get away with teasing him, Youngjae retaliates immediately. “If that’s really the best you can do, I’ll just go find someone else to make out with,” he threatens, pouting deeply and squirming in Daehyun’s arms as if trying to leave his embrace.

Daehyun knows he’s not being serious, knows Youngjae is just baiting him, but regardless, he tightens his hold and kisses Youngjae’s pout away, the way he’s imagined doing so many times before. “Oh, I’ll show you the best I can do,” he promises. (They’re both aware that his best is probably not that good, but since they’re equally inexperienced, they’ll enjoy it anyway.)

“Show me, then,” Youngjae challenges, a satisfied smile tugging at his lips as he brushes them teasingly against Daehyun’s.

And of course, much to Youngjae’s pleasure (and his own), Daehyun is more than happy to comply.