“Just leave it alone and pay attention to me.” Mina’s voice was soft but commanding, as always.

“He is looking at me funny.”

“Im Nayeon, you better concentrate on caressing my hair and do it properly or we’ll head home and have a conversation.”

Nayeon gulps but goes back to paying his full attention to Mina, the two were sitting under the big tree in the schoolyard, the one atop the small hill overlooking the football and the track fields, this school just had a too big grass area for sports, but that’s not what’s important here. Nayeon and Mina hadn’t had too much time together with the first rounds of competition of the year approaching, and the older boy would be too tired after practice to be able to manage much more than homework after. So Mina came up with the demand for them to come earlier and spend time together before class.

That was what they were doing, until a squirrel climbed down the tree and Nayeon swore it was taunting her. It wasn’t the first time the older boy decided to exert revenge on random things and animals because ‘they were looking at him funny’, Mina usually found it incredibly amusing, but it was getting in the way of him receiving cuddles and he had to get Nayeon to pay attention to him only. Plus, Nayeon never won when he decided to go after the animals he decided were taunting him, the decision was completely arbitrary and never predictable, and after the last time he went after a goose, got bitten and had to be rushed to the hospital for stitches, Mina decided it was time to control his man.

“You know, Mina.” Nayeon starts and gets a humm in acknowledgement. “It would make me very happy and honored if you would accept me as your boyfriend.”

Mina’s eyes shoot open and he sits up immediately. Sure, they had talked about it many times, and they loved being together but he could never have guessed Nayeon would pop this question in a situation like this. However, it was exactly something Nayeon would do, and Mina’s heart swelled because he knew the older boy had been trying to create a perfect moment to ask. What would be more perfect than the two boys sitting under a cherry tree in the early hours of the morning, with the sun painting everything soft golden and just the two of them in that place.

“Yes.” Is all Mina says before crashing their lips together.

Nayeon is surprised but is quick to respond, snaking his arms around the other boy’s torso and pulling him closer. Mina was b with happiness and excitement, it felt like a proposal, might just have been, and the boy didn’t care. They stayed like that for who knows how long, but Jeongyeon, in true Jeongyeon’s fashion, had to be running past them and made it a point to go over and break the moment. The track team had their long distances training early mornings as well as after classes, and the tree was at the end of the morning route.

“You know, you two better mind your surroundings for these activities.”

“Keep running, Jeong.” Mina snarls.

The runner just chuckles and leaves, not forgetting the mandatory wolf whistle as he retreats. Nayeon chuckles and Mina sighs, both too happy for words and still basking in each other. The japanese is the first one to move, they had to start heading to classes, or they’d have to walk fast, then get sweaty and Myoui Mina hates getting sweaty in his daily uniform. Yes, the guy was weird, but he smelled great tho. Reluctantly, Nayeon allows himself to be pulled up, placing a humorous peck on Mina’s lips when the younger reminds him to leave the squirrel alone, and pulling him closer by the shoulders.

How did the pair get together? It was rather simple, and weird, it’s Mina and Nayeon we are talking about here. On their last year of middle school, Nayeon’s basketball team had a game against Mina’s school, as the school hosting the game, all students were asked to attend and Mina had absolutely nothing better to do (he totally was not stalling with his homework), so he complied and went to the court. There were quite a few people already, and Mina had zero intentions on staying until the end, so he got a place in the lower bleachers, close to the visiting crowd.

Once the players entered, Mina was drawn to a heart-shaped smile with the cutest bunny teeth, he was following player number nine ‘Im’ the entire game, once it was over and the boy walked over to the bench, in all his sweaty and rugged glory breathing heavily and looking like a five course meal. To one very hormonal Myoui Mina, that is, one who raised from his seat, marched straight to the ‘Im’ boy who was slightly scared and his friends ready to fight for him, stopped exactly the right distance away (it amazes Nayeon to this day) to bow deeply while shoving a piece of paper on the boy’s chest, with a quickly scribbled note and a phone number, before raising and running away with the reddest face Nayeon had seen in his life.

Needless to say, Nayeon had the hardest time from his friends after that, even the coach had thrown a few teasings here and there on the way back. The pretty boy who was shy but brave peaked his interest and he called once he had gotten home and taken a shower. They talked until mrs Im came to yell at her son to hang up and go to sleep. Both boys said their goodbyes reluctantly and agreed to talk again the next day. Neither had left the other’s side after that. The memories of that day never failed to bring a fond smile to the boys faces.

It was P.E., the students in athletic clubs were excused from exercising, but still had to sit in for the class. And here we have Nayeon and Jeongyeon changing to get to the gym, both were excused but both also hated getting their daily uniform dirty, so they put on the P.E. uniform regardless. Both boys and Jihyo were never put on the same classes, an agreement between the teachers, but the older duo’s classes coincided for this one thing, it was the teacher’s fault for not paying attention and he’d have to live with it for the year.

“Why is your back like that?” Jeongyeon asks, seeing his friend's back completely scratched.

Nayeon pauses a little before shoving his shirt in and replying. “I’m having an affair.” Then scuries out of the locker room.

“No you are not.” Jeongyeon slams both lockers shut before dashing out behind his friend. “Im Nayeon, get back here and answer me!”

The gym teacher was already feeling the growing headache when he saw trouble number one hurry out, then there was a scream from trouble number two and now problem child #2 was chasing problem child #1 around the court and he could only blame himself for putting both together. One would think Jeongyeon had the advantage with being in the track team and all, but Nayeon was on the basketball team, they ran just as much, the difference was they ran in a smaller space, so both were pretty matched. Which spurred Jeongyeon to run faster, he couldn’t have his pride as a track racer be wounded like that by a basketball boy.

The teacher just told the class to leave the two alone, they’d stop when they got tired, or when the bell rang, whichever came first. And proceeded with his class. The two were getting exercise anyways, no point adding to his already pounding headache. What does happen first, is that the bell rings first, in this school it rang fifteen minutes before the next class for P.E., so the students had time to change or shower and not be late for the next class. That was when Nayeon and Jeongyeon halted two courts away from where they were supposed to be with their teacher, the girls were having the time of their lives (they had ran straight through their game and didn’t even notice it). Sure enough, the girls’ P.E. teacher would certainly have some choice words with the boys’ teacher soon.

“Are you going to tell me the truth now?” Jeongyeon asks on the way to the cafeteria.

Once P.E. was over, Nayeon took a quick shower, through which he screamed the entire time, and disappeared before Jeongyeon could manage his own washing up and get the older boy to tell him everything. Now, after texting the conveniently created group chat that involved Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Tzuyu, Mina, Jihyo, Dahyun, Seungwan and Joohyun, the taller boy was giving his friend a chance to tell him before they got to the table their group was waiting at. Nayeon, obviously, didn’t and was hoping Mina would spare him this time (Mina didn’t).

“Hey, handsome.” Nayeon greets, sliding next to his boyfriend and kissing his cheek before turning to the others. “Hello, my lovely children.”

“What did he do this time?” Jihyo asked Jeongyeon, who had taken his place beside Tzuyu.

“I asked Mina to be my boyfriend this morning, that’s what I did.” Nayeon answers with a kick to the big eyed boy’s shin.

“Finally!” Dahyun pipes up. “Now pay up, losers.”

Begrudgingly, Jihyo, Tzuyu, Jeongyeon and surprisingly Mina pull their wallets and drop the money on Dahyun’s outstretched hand. Seungwan and Joohyun weren’t there, but the pale boy would make sure to get his payment as soon as possible. 

“Why were you all betting on this?” Nayeon would be mad, but it was his out from talking about his back.

“Nay, we all knew you were the one who wanted to ask, so I let you.” Mina chuckles and kisses his cheek, for good measure. “But I wanted to make things fun and started a bet with Hyo, who told Jeong, who told Tzu, who answered on speaker and Dubs heard and wanted in. The others came later.”

“Hold up, you are telling me that more people bet on this?”

“And I’m very happy you asked, but if you did it last week I would have won and would have enough money to take you to that fancy burger place that just opened up.” Mina soothes his boyfriend with a quick kiss.

Nayeon humms contently and settles with his lunch. Everything seemed to be going well, until Jeongyeon remembered his first question and brought it up again.

“Alright, grandpa. Out with it.” 

“I don’t think it’s coming out anytime soon, sorry.” Nayeon answers, gesturing to his food.

“Ew. Right in front of my salad?!” Dahyun complains.

“You are eating a burger.” Mina says, unamused. “And what are you talking about, Jeong?”

“Your boy’s back is completely scratched. When I asked about it in P.E. he said he was having an affair, so I’m guessing he made a fool of himself again.”

Mina’s eyes light up and his expression darkens at the same time, the mischievous glint everyone who knows the boy fears is there, and the others gulp nervously.

“So you went back there.” The penguin sounds calm and ominous. “We are going to have a nice talk later.”

“I’ll gladly accept my punishment if you don’t tell anyone what this is about.” The eldest begs.

“Anything I come up with?” 

“As long as you don’t reveal the reason behind my scratches.”

“Deal.” Mina brightens instantly and turns to the other two. “Nayeon is having an affair.”

Jeongyeon groans and starts begging to know, Dahyun just looks on in doubt, but the pale boy had his own way of finding out what happened. Nayeon breathes a little more easily, knowing his old friend won’t find out about his lost fight to that disrespectful but incredibly skilled squirrel. And Mina is distractedly finishing his lunch, thinking about all the fun he’s going to have with Nayeon later, and over the weeked, his parents are going out of town on wednesday and not come back until monday.

All the while, Jihyo and Tzuyu had been minding their own business, the big eyed boy had seen the entire battle between his friend and the critter and had already told Tzuyu all about it. The taller one, in turn, had promised Jeongyeon would never know about it unless he got it out of Nayeon or Mina, they all knew Mina was not to be toyed with, and if he said something didn’t happen, it didn’t happen and that was that.