“They're planning you a birthday party.” Minghao said staring at his friend sitting across from him. It was late already and the small restaurant was as good as empty.

Jeonghan chuckled. “I know.”

“Are you okay with that? If you don't want to celebrate this year I can tell everyone to off.”

“Nah, it's fine. Might be nice. As long as all I have to do is show up and be on the receiving end of adoration and presents. Besides, I think it'll make them happy.”

Minghao knew who he meant with them and he saw the softness in Jeonghan's eyes as he mentioned them. “No offense, but I'll be glad when it's over. Wonwoo keeps complaining to me about those two.”

“You mean Seungcheol and Jisoo?”

“Yeah. He says they made him get a Pinterest and he's now stuck in a black hole of pins and boards.”

Jeonghan giggled at the thought of Wonwoo's Pinterest. It was probably filled with cats, books and landscapes.

“Jun told me he's been invited too.”

“Hm? Oh yeah, I just told them to go ahead and invite all the Rubies and Carrots seeing as I can't keep track of all the interpersonal developments anymore anyway.” he eyed Minghao from across the table, “Is that okay?”

He shrugged in response. “Whatever. Why are you asking me? It's your party.”

“I just want to make sure you're okay with Mingyu coming to my birthday party. I know we haven't really talked about...well, we haven't really talked.”

Minghao stared back at him. His stare cold and piercing. But Jeonghan knew it was because he felt uncomfortable about the topic and tried to intimidate the conversation away. Although both of them knew that was quite pointless with Jeonghan as his opponent.

“Hao, I hope you know that my previous...entanglements with him were purely physical and completely a thing of the past. But putting that aside, how are things with the two of you now that you're...dating? Are you dating? You know, you really never tell me this stuff.”

“Whatever.”

Jeonghan sighed. Trying to get Minghao to open up about his love life was harder than opening a can without a can-opener. “Do you want him to come to the party or not?”

Minghao stuck his fork in a piece of food and looked at it. He nodded and that was enough for Jeonghan who took a sip of his drink. He refrained from asking anything else about the relationship. Minghao didn't open up easily, but so far it seemed like he hadn't scared Mingyu away and Jeonghan would like to see where they would be able to go.

Eyes back up a thought crossed Minghao's mind, “You said all the Rubies and Carrots, right? Does that include Hoshi?”

“I think we've sort of let go of pseudonyms, Hao. But, yes. It seems a bit odd to invite everyone but him, don't you think?”

“You could just not invite everyone. Are you even friends with these people?”

“Seokminnie is friends with him. He may have mentioned that he'd like for him to be there and I kind of like the thought of my birthday party being the stage for some important relationship developments. You and Mingyu attending a social event together, or at least at the same time and in the same room; Wonwoo is officially dating Jun now; Seokmin is out to get himself a man. Ah yes, the more I think about it, the more I think this party will be very entertaining indeed.”

Minghao shook his head and continued eating. He loved Jeonghan, but sometimes he wondered if he wasn't spending too much time experiencing other people's relationships instead of his own.

<>

“I still don't really see why we have to go.” Hansol mumbled as he got into the car.

“Because it's a birthday party that we've been invited to. It'd be rude not to go. Besides, Seungcheol and Jisoo organized the thing.”

“So? We're not Jeonghan's friends, are we?”

Seungkwan sighed, “Put your seat belt on.” He started the engine of the car and began to drive. “I guess we're not close friends or anything no. But we've all hung out together before and all three gangs have become so entangled lately that it's not such a stretch for us to be invited. Do you really hate the idea of going to a birthday party so much?”

“But why does it have to be so formal?” he asked. He shifted around in his seat, trying to get comfortable in the borrowed suit he was wearing. “What's wrong with putting up some balloons and and having a few beers at home?”

Seungkwan scoffed, “Not much of a party.”

“Good enough for me.”

“Fine. When it's your birthday we'll just get some balloons and beer. I won't even bother with a cake. But right now it's not your birthday and we're going to this party! It's not even that formal.”

Hansol huffed and stared out the window. Seungkwan sighed and with a bit more sympathy in his voice said, “Try to relax and have fun. It's not like we'll be having a fancy dinner with god knows how many courses and cutlery. It'll probably be more along the lines of expensive drinks and ridiculously small food served by overly courteous waiters.”

Hansol sighed, “I guess any place with free food and booze is a place where I can kill a few hours.”

Seungkwan nodded with a small smile on his face, “See, there you go. And all of our friends will be there.”

“That's another thing though. Didn't you tell me Mingyu used to hook up with Jeonghan? But now he's getting it on with one of Jeonghan's best friends? Isn't that going to be awkward?”

“I don't know if Mingyu is getting it on with anyone. All I know is that he really seems to like Minghao, The8, whatever, and I'm not about to pass on the chance to see those two interact. Both of them are far too mysterious about their relationship.”

“Do I need to remind you about the beginning of our relationship?”

“That was completely different. The dynamic between our different gangs was far more unstable than it is now. If anything all of them should be grateful for us and our illicit affair.”

“For real though. So much has changed since then and especially now, I feel like things are changing at such a rapid pace it's making my head spin. And not in the good way that you make my head spin, Boo Seungkwan.”

“Wha...how did you suddenly manage to start flirting?”

Hansol chuckled and he daringly placed his hand on Seungkwan's thigh, “Because I'm smooth.” he emphasized the word smooth by moving his hand up and down slowly.

“Hansol, I'm driving.”

But Hansol showed no indication that he was going to remove his hand, “So stop driving.”

“We'll be late for the party.”

“So?”

“Hansol...”

He sighed and pulled his hand back, “Fine, fine.”

Seungkwan stopped for a red light and cast a quick glance to the side. Hansol was staring out the window again. “You know...” Seungkwan said as he took a left turn, “Some people say that it's fashionable to be late.”

<>

They pulled up at the party location and Seungkwan hurried out of the car. “Come on! I'm sure everybody is already inside!” He handed the keys to the valet and grabbed Hansol by the wrist to drag him along.

Hansol wiggled free and tangled their fingers together instead. “It's not even that formal. Isn't that what you said? What kind of informal party has valet parking?”

“The kind thrown by Choi Seungcheol.” Seungkwan replied as he opened the door. He had been right. Everybody else was already inside. Scattered across the room.

Seungkwan got startled by a sudden hiss in his ear.“You're late.”

“Have I ever told you that you're turning into your mother more and more each day?” Seungkwan whispered back to Seungcheol. He wasn't really kidding. Planning this party had brought out a side of Seungcheol that was eerily similar to the way his mother got when she was stressed out, but Seungkwan knew it was most likely because Seungcheol was nervous. He wanted Jeonghan to have a nice party. “I'm sorry for being late, alright? I took a wrong turn.”

Jeonghan spotted them from across the room and he made his way over to the table in the middle where a big cake was on display. He picked up one of the champagne glasses and gently hit the side with a knife to get everyone's attention. “Now that everybody is here I suggest it's time we cut this wonderful cake and find out if it tastes as good as it looks. But before we do I would like to thank everyone for coming here today to celebrate my birthday. I never would have thought to be spending this day with this group of people. I'd like to raise my glass to growing friendships and blossoming connections.”

Both Seungkwan and Hansol took a glass of champagne from the waiter who had appeared out of nowhere and joined the others in raising their glass. Seungkwan took a tiny sip and handed it to Hansol, “Here. You take it. I'm driving.”

Jeonghan continued with his little speech, “I would also like to extend a special thanks to the people who took it upon themselves to throw me this party. Seungcheol, Jisoo...” he tilted his glass in their direction, “...thank you. You are more than I deserve.” Next he turned to his Daebak members, “Seokmin, my dear friend, thank you for worrying about me always. Wonwoo, thank you for playing nice with others long enough to organize this party. Hao. I know you didn't do much in regard to the party, but let me take this moment to thank you for always being willing to kick anyone's on my behalf.” He took a sip from his glass and was about to lift up the knife for the cutting of the cake, but he stopped to add, “Oh and I do believe Jun was there for a lot of the planning, but as a gather it he spent most of his time staring at Wonwoo. So I thank you for appreciating his aesthetic so.”

“My pleasure.” Jun said with a big stupid smile. Wonwoo had turned bright red.

<>

Seokmin laughed as he watched Jisoo smear a white line of cream across Jeonghan's cheek. His smile fell from his face when his eyes landed on a lonesome man standing by the bar. He made his way over to Soonyoung and greeted him with a short, “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“Did I do something wrong?” Seokmin ask bluntly. He was happy to see him, but he was also frustrated by the sudden distance between them.

Soonyoung avoided his gaze. “Of course not. Why do you think that?”

“Well, you been blowing me off and avoiding me...”

“Have I?” Such a pointless response. He had and they both knew it. He was doing it even now.

“Can you at least look at me when we're talking?”

Soonyoung sighed and raised his head, “Can we talk somewhere else?”

They stepped outside on the balcony overlooking the city. Soonyoung casually let his arms rest on the railing as he stared at the cars driving down below. “It's quite beautiful, isn't it?”

“Yeah, it is.” Seokmin said as he stood next to him, hands close to his. “Are you going to tell me why you've been avoiding me or not?”

Soonyoung had been thinking about Seokmin. A lot. He had also been thinking about all of his past relationships. Why they had gone wrong. What he had done to make them go wrong. And he had come to a conclusion. “I've been avoiding you because I like you.”

“Oh...I don't understand. If you like me why would you avoid me?”

“Because I always screw everything up. I come on too strong or I pursue relationships with people who don't really care about me, only to have my heart broken.”

Seokmin tried his best to understand how the other was feeling, but he still didn't get it. Avoiding someone because you like them went against everything he felt. He liked Soonyoung too and because of it he wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. Pull him closer, not push him away. “So, what does that mean?” he asked.

Soonyoung sighed and dared to cast a glance in his direction, “It means that I don't know what to do, Seok. We have a great friendship going on right now and I don't want to mess that up, but I-”

“I like you too, you know.” Seokmin interrupted. “I, and I know this probably sounds really lame, but I feel like we have some sort of connection that goes beyond words. You get me in a way that nobody else does. I think it's safe to say that we already can't go back to just being friends. So I guess we can either stop seeing each other all together or we can move forward. Together.”

Seokmin was saying everything that Soonyoung wanted to hear, but something was still holding him back. A small voice in the back of his mind was telling him that it was all empty words, too good to be true. He had never felt this vulnerable in his feelings before. Seeing the doubt behind his eyes Seokmin took Soonyoung's hands.

“I don't know what else I can say to convince you that we should be together. You say your relationships have always ended badly, but this time will be different because it's with me. I'm not some stupid person who doesn't see how awesome you are. I really really like you, I think you're amazing. I don't care about all of your money or whatever. And I highly doubt you could come on too strong. Give it your best shot, Kwon!”

“What if I go out tomorrow and buy us matching outfits? Or what if I send you a hundred messages in an hour? Or what if I suddenly show up at your work with a bouquet of your favorite flowers?”

Seokmin laughed loudly, “Let's go shopping together. Send all the messages you want. I love flowers.” He placed his hands on Soonyoung's hips and looked him in the eye, “If I've learned anything from watching all of our friends and their relationships is that communication is the key. So if I promise to just tell you if I think you're going too far with something or if I need some breathing space, can you promise me that you'll never avoid me again? Because I think that if we can do that, nothing can tear us apart. And I really don't see a reason not to be together.”

“Not even the fact I had with Woozi?” He had meant it as a light joke, something to get the pressure of this conversation, but regretted it the moment the words left his mouth. Seokmin took his hands from his hips and he leaned his back against the balcony. He stared at the party inside. He spotted Seungkwan and Jeonghan sitting close together, staring in his direction. They both quickly looked away when they saw he had noticed them.

“I'm sorry.” Soonyoung stammered, “I shouldn't have brought that up. It didn't mean anything. I don't even really like him. He's kind of an , right?”

“That's my friend you're talking about.”

“, right, I know that. I just...I'm sorry.”

Seokmin, to Soonyoung's surprise, reached out and took one of his hands in his own, “Calm down. Don't you think I'm aware of that fact? It would be nice if we don't have to bring it up though.”

“I'm sorry.” Soonyoung mumbled. “And I'm sorry I called him an ...I sort of forget sometimes that you two are friends.”

“Come here.” Seokmin said, pulled him closer and took his other hand as well, “It just reminded me that he's not here at Jeonghan's birthday party.” His eyes wandered back inside. Seungkwan and Jeonghan hadn't lost interest, but were trying to be more subtle about it. A gentle smile appeared on Seokmin's lips, “So? What can I tell our curious friends over there?”

Soonyoung twisted his body so he could look behind him without letting go of Seokmin's hands.

“Do I tell them that I tried but am sadly still single or do I tell them that you got over your ?”

Soonyoung turned back and stared into the eyes of the man that made his heart skip a beat, “I'd hate to see you sad. Time to update that Facebook status from 'it's complicated' to 'in a relationship'.” Not giving himself time to cringe about his lame reply he closed the distance between them. Maybe this time it really would be different.

<>

Jeonghan grabbed Seungkwan's arm in excitement when Soonyoung leaned in to kiss Seokmin.

“Finally.” Seungkwan said.

“What?” Seungcheol asked from besides Jeonghan. Seungkwan just nudged his head in the direction of the balcony where the kiss was still happening.

“Oh...good for them.”

“My, Cheol, if I didn't know any better I'd say that their little display of affection has got you blushing.” Jeonghan laughed and he placed his head on Seungcheol's shoulder.

“It's just the alcohol!”

“Oh look, they're coming back in.” Seungkwan interrupted and most eyes went in their direction.

Jeonghan smiled a wide smile at his friend and Seokmin gave him a thumbs up. Soonyoung looked a bit confused so Jeonghan elaborated, “Minnie was so worried about how to talk to you, what to say and what not. I'm glad you came to your senses, Soonyoung.”

“Really?” Soonyoung looked to the side, “You didn't come across as worried. You were so...direct.”

“Don't forget I'm still a Daebak. I know how to get tough with people!”

Soonyoung wrapped himself around Seokmin's arm and bit his lip, “Hmm, y.”

Seungkwan rolled his eyes. He should have seen this coming. Now that they were a couple Soonyoung was likely to go through a phase of explosive adoration and inappropriate PDA.

Seokmin chuckled, “That being said I would have probably spent the next few days lying around on my couch eating bad chocolates and crying my eyes out if you would have rejected me.”

Minghao shook his head and turned his attention back to the conversation he had been having with Jisoo. It wasn't that he wasn't happy for Seokmin, he was. He just figured they wouldn't want the whole room focusing on it. He certainly wouldn't want that. He was glad he had found a fellow wine lover in Jisoo so he didn't have to worry the whole evening about how he should interact with Mingyu.

Mingyu, on the other hand, welcomed the distraction of his friend's relationship rather than his own. Minghao was hard to read and he was unsure on how to act around him in a setting such as this. He walked over to the open bar to refresh his drink. Drink in hand he turned around but spilled a large portion of it all over himself as he got startled by Wonwoo, suddenly in very close proximity.

“W-what?”

Wonwoo looked at him with an angry look on his face. Mingyu glanced around but nobody seemed to be paying them any mind.

“I have something to say to you.”

“O-okay.”

“Hao is not Jeonghan. He's not someone you can just hook-up with or something. Don't sleep around on him.” Wonwoo took a step closer, his face now mere inches away from Mingyu's, “I know I'm not as intimidating as Minghao himself or Hoon, but if you hurt him in any way I'll be the one to break some kneecaps around here. Understood?”

Mingyu quickly nodded and Wonwoo backed away.

<>

Jeonghan had cornered Chan and was chatting with him when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and was met with Minghao. He was already wearing his leather jacket.

“Heading out?” Jeonghan asked.

Minghao nodded and Jeonghan smiled in return. He pulled him in for a quick hug and ruffled his hair. He knew these kind of parties weren't his thing and he was already glad he had stuck around as long as he had. Not only that but he had actually talked with people that weren't Daebak.

As he headed for the door Minghao looked around for Mingyu and locked his eyes with his. Mingyu seemed to understand what he wanted and got up to follow him outside.

“Aww, Mingyu is just like a little puppy.” Jun, who witnessed the interaction, said to Wonwoo. Wonwoo just grunted.

Once outside Mingyu and Minghao slowly walked over to where Minghao's motorcycle was parked.

“This place had valet parking, you know.” Mingyu pointed out.

Minghao scoffed. “As if I'd let one of those idiots touch my bike.” He felt his hand accidentally brush against Mingyu's and, suppressing his first instinct to pull away, took it in his own. “I'm sorry I didn't talk much to you tonight.” he said with a soft voice.

Mingyu gently the back of Minghao's hand with his thumb, “That's okay. You seemed to enjoy talking to Jisoo and I even saw you talking with Seungkwan.”

“Yeah, Jisoo knows his stuff when it comes to wine.”

They reached the motorcycle and Minghao let go of Mingyu's hand to get his helmet.

“Should you be driving?” Mingyu asked, worry in his voice.

“I only had one glass. I'm fine. Do you want me to give you a ride home?”

Mingyu shook his head, “That's okay. I'm going back with Seungkwan and the rest later.”

“Okay.”

It was silent for a moment. Mingyu wasn't sure if he should say anything, but he decided to bring up what had happened earlier. “So, ehm...Wonwoo is kind of scary.”

“Wonwoo? Why? Does intelligence scare you?” Minghao said as he swung his leg over the seat.

“Rude. But no, he got up in my face and told me he'd break my kneecaps if I'd ever hurt you. Like I could hurt you...He was all like Minghao isn't like Jeonghan. Don't sleep around on him. Like you'd even care...”

“I'd care.” He looked at Mingyu with a kind of vulnerability in his eyes that he hadn't seen before. “I know I'm not the most openly affectionate person, but I don't sleep around. If you want to be with me you're going to have to be with just me and you'll get the same in return.”

“I-I didn't mean to imply that I think you sleep around. I just didn't think you cared enough about me to care whether or not I slept with anyone else. Not that I have!” Mingyu felt so stupid. He had projected his own insecurities onto Minghao and assumed how he felt about him. In his defense, it was a bit hard to figure out how Minghao did feel. There were moments where he was sweet, but he didn't say much and surrounded by their friends he was always closed off and distant. “But, ehm, just to be clear. I'm not really looking for a friends with benefits type of situation, you know?”

Minghao nodded, “Me neither.”

“Does this mean what I think it means?”

“What do you think it means?”

“That we're like...together?”

A shy smile appeared on Minghao's lips as he leaned in to press them against Mingyu's. “Looks like we're on the same page.” He placed his helmet on his head and drove off into the night. It was a bit chilly out and he wasn't wearing a coat, but Mingyu didn't notice at all. His kneecaps were safe.

<>

Unlike Seungkwan who was a designated driver (despite Seungcheol's offer to just arrange a cab for everyone), Jeonghan was letting loose on account of 'it's my birthday' and he was happily dancing with whoever was willing to dance with him when he got disturbed by a phone call that immediately sobered him up. A woman's voice told him that an inmate was trying to contact him and if he wanted to accept. He walked away from the noise of the party and with his heart in his throat he accepted.

A moment of silence.

“Jeonghan? It's me.”

Jeonghan leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He didn't reply.

“Jeonghan?” Jihoon asked again.

“Yeah, I'm here.” Jeonghan replied with a soft voice, barely able to keep it from cracking.

“I've put you on my visitors list. I understand if you don't want to anymore.”

Jihoon was fumbling with the cord of the old prison phone. It was quiet. It was late. Way beyond the regular hours that they were allowed to use the phones. He glanced over at the guard that had taken sympathy on him and had given him a few minutes to make the call he had been avoiding. He wanted Jeonghan to say something. Anything. He had missed his voice.

“Jeonghan?” He asked again. But there was no reply. He knew Jeonghan was still listening. He could faintly hear his breathing. “I'm going to hang up now.” Still nothing. “Oh and Jeonghan? Happy birthday.”

A broken connection. Jeonghan still had his phone pressed to his ear even-though he knew Jihoon was no longer on the other end.