Get your tissues at the ready. DO IT.

The next few days since the date has been silent in terms of Yixing and Yifan’s encounters.  Yixing wonders if Yifan is having second thoughts about the date, about the relationship that could happen between them.  He would often look at his unicorn plushie doll that has been sitting on his nightstand untouched for some time, thinking back on the date that they had.  It went well, didn’t it?  Then why have I not heard anything from him or even see him around these days?  Yixing has also been distracted with Yifan on his mind at his work that one time, Luhan comes up and talks to him about what is going on with him.  Yixing shrugs him off and resumes back to work. 

Yixing has thought about going upstairs to knock on Yifan’s door, but he feels it would be too creepy or stalkerish even though they’ve exchanged their apartment numbers.

Tuesday night finds Yixing with Jongin, Kyungsoo, Chanyeol and Baekhyun socializing for a dinner night.

Knock knock…

“Oh, that must be Hyunsik-hyung!”  Kyungsoo goes to open the door and there is a mixture of laughter heard.  The quartet looks up at Kyungsoo hugging a man who is about his height.

“Kyungsoo-yah, how have you been?”  When the friends pull apart, Yixing and his friends can see a man with a youthful face but a built body, showing through the tight-fitted long-sleeved shirt, greeting Kyungsoo with an eyesmile. 

Hyunsik comes in, looking very sharply dressed with his casual attire, while Kyungsoo heads into the kitchen to start cooking.  Chanyeol and Baekhyun greet him too, standing up and hugging him.  Yixing notices how Jongin looks a little intimidated by Hyunsik’s build and his eyesmile, that he tenses up and gets really shy when Hyunsik turns to face him, extending his hand warmly.

“Hey there, my name’s Lim Hyunsik.  What’s your name?”

Jongin continues to stare at Hyunsik wordlessly, studying his face and his hand.  Yixing makes his way towards him to place a hand on his shoulder.  He checks on Kyungsoo, to see that Kyungsoo is busy cooking in the kitchen, not even aware of the awkward atmosphere with Hyunsik’s hand in mid-air, Baekhyun and Chanyeol watching with held breaths.  Yixing, feeling sympathetic, places his hand on Jongin’s shoulder, waking Jongin from his daze.  Jongin bows deeply.

“My name is Kim Jongin. I’m 21 years old,” Jongin introduces himself very formally in a stiff manner.

Hyunsik blinks in surprise at the introduction.  “Ah, I’m only 24 years old.  There’s no need to be so formal with me, Jongin-ah, though I do appreciate it.  Here, a handshake will be fine.”  Jongin gently extends his hand, only to be taken into Hyunsik’s hands and shaken warmly.  “Aigoo, Jonginnie-yah, you’re cute.  Kyungsoo told me some great things about you, how you two share a room even though you could have had the room for yourself, and how you’re a sweet kid.  He’s never wrong.”  Hyunsik ruffles Jongin’s hair, surprising Jongin.

“And you must be…Zhang Yixing, correct?”  Hyunsik turns to Yixing, extending his hand as well.  Yixing nods and shakes hands with him.  “Pleasure to meet you, Kyungsoo told me that you welcomed him here, and that you’re quite a wonderful person, though…he says you could be a bit four-dimensional sometimes.” 

Yixing’s eyes twinkle as he chuckles, looking to Kyungsoo.  “Is that so?”  Kyungsoo looks up at him with wide eyes, and nods.

“Well, you are!”

- - -

The six men gather around in the living room as Kyungsoo points out the appetizers and dishes, and then they help themselves to eat.  Everyone, except for Jongin who is still shy with Hyunsik around, begins to talk about their lives and where they have been up to now.  Yixing watches for Jongin, petting his hair soothingly, to try warm him up to the company.  Yixing’s mind starts to wander a bit outside of the topic discussions, on thoughts of Yifan.

Kyungsoo glances at Jongin, knowing that he gets shy, but since he is hosting the party, he has to put it aside for the time being as he joins in the discussion with his old time friends.  Chanyeol and Baekhyun announce their jobs as masseuse and bartender respectively, and Hyunsik announces that he is a part-time barista at a coffee place and works as a graphic designer at some company near the Brooklyn area.

Chanyeol, Baekhyun, Kyungsoo and Hyunsik starts to reminisce on their high school memories, laughing about how Baekhyun and Chanyeol were being oblivious to each other’s feelings before they made it official, and how Hyunsik and Kyungsoo would often be mistaken for a couple by the teachers, due to their non-existent boundaries of comfortableness. 

A quiet Jongin and an amused Yixing watch from another couch as the friends bring up secret jokes that only these four understood, and secret gestures that must have been genius back then but are now hilariously ridiculous.  There is a slight awkward moment when Kyungsoo and Hyunsik find themselves in each other’s arms after laughing so hard at Chanyeol’s gestures when they look at each other and realize how close their faces are. 

Jongin casts his eyes downward and shifts under Yixing’s arm, as Yixing has his arm around Jongin’s shoulders.  Yixing looks at Jongin and notices him fiddling with Yixing’s free hand and the hem of Yixing’s shirt.  All eyes, except for Jongin’s, are on Kyungsoo as they wait to see what happens next.  Yixing notices how Kyungsoo glances their way and catches Jongin’s behavior, and then looking back at Hyunsik.

Kyungsoo decides to place his forehead on Hyunsik’s lips and pulls back, smiling at Hyunsik.  “We seemed to make a good couple to everyone’s eyes, even though we were close friends back then, right, hyung?”

Hyunsik lets out a breathy chuckle and gives Kyungsoo the eyesmile that melts his heart every time.  “Yeah, Kyungsoo-yah.  You were actually more like a little brother to me than