Their first date was at a coffee shop. Except it wasn’t really an official date. Kyungsoo invited Jongin out for coffee just to talk, but Jongin, being Jongin, decided to turn their friendly outing into something else entirely when he scribbled you’re cute onto Kyungsoo’s napkin when he left to get sugar.

“What is this?” Kyungsoo asked, bewildered. Jongin smiled, but there was a nervous look in his eyes that was uncharacteristic of him at the time. Kyungsoo was used to a confident, borderline arrogant Jongin who never faltered.

“You’re cute,” Jongin repeated aloud, and Kyungsoo surprised himself when he flushed at his words, blunt yet unsure. There’s a difference between reading something messily scrawled onto a napkin in permanent marker and actually hearing it said aloud by someone who’s been slowly creeping his way into your dreams and heart.

“W-What’s that supposed to mean?” Kyungsoo asked, cursing himself for stammering in front of Jongin. Jongin noticed, his smile widening and eyes brightening. Both of them know that Kyungsoo only stammered when he was nervous or excited, or both.

Jongin leaned in, their faces leveled and gazes met. Kyungsoo wanted to fall back, tells himself that it’s too hot and he should probably wait until the coffee has cooled down. But he couldn’t. He was stuck.

“I like you,” Jongin murmured. The sound of Jongin’s low voice, ringing with those words in his mind, mixed with the scent of coffee and the sight of Jongin’s lips, close and taunting, was too much for Kyungsoo’s mind to handle. He blanked, mouth dry and words stuck in his throat.

“From that shocked expression, I can’t tell if you’re happy or horrified. Or if you realized you left the stove on at home,” Jongin added in that last part to tease Kyungsoo, but the nervousness has ebbed its way back into his voice again. Jongin played with the fork, twirling it in his hand, waiting for Kyungsoo to reply.

“I don’t know what to say,” Kyungsoo finally whispered.

“At this point, anything works for me,” Jongin said, smiling weakly. “Anything’s better than you gaping at me like that. I was starting to feel uncomfortable.”

Kyungsoo didn’t laugh. There wasn’t anything funny about this situation. It never crossed Kyungsoo’s mind that Jongin could ever like him in that way, as more than a friend, because Jongin’s only ever been friendly. Kyungsoo couldn’t lie and say he didn’t feel something for Jongin – he found himself staring at the boy too often for things to be strictly platonic – but to actually act on this urge was something new for Kyungsoo.

But with Jongin staring at him up from his eyelashes, shy and nervous like a school boy, Kyungsoo decided Jongin was a risk he could take. He took in a deep breath and reached for Jongin’s hand across the table. Jongin almost jumped when their fingers touched, but as Kyungsoo let their fingers intertwine, Jongin smiled.

“I like you, too,” Kyungsoo finally said, squeezing Jongin’s hand. Jongin let out a laugh, a breath of relief and something more. Kyungsoo thought he could get used to the sound of Jongin.

Their second date was at a restaurant. It was just a week after their first date, and Jongin wanted to prove himself to Kyungsoo. He thought the best way would be through a fancy dinner at Kyungsoo’s favorite restaurant downtown. Kyungsoo couldn’t argue with a free dinner, although he did worry if Jongin had the money to pay for this. After all, they were both measly college students barely getting by on instant ramen and sneaked sweets.

“Get anything you want,” Jongin said when they were seated. He peeked over the menu to Kyungsoo, who was reading the menu attentively.

“Ah, are you sure you can afford this?” Kyungsoo asked, eyeing the prices and scrunching his nose at the high numbers.

“Of course!” Jongin assured him.

Kyungsoo sent him a skeptical look, but didn’t say anything about it. When the waiter came, Kyungsoo ordered a relatively cheap – compared to the other dishes at least – pasta, while Jongin ordered a steak.

“This is nice,” Kyungsoo commented absentmindedly. Jongin looked at him and smiled, pleased. He leaned over, feeling daring, and grabbed Kyungsoo’s hand. That caught Kyungsoo’s attention. He jumped a little, but he didn’t pull away. He just smiled back.

“I didn’t mention this early, but you look great tonight,” Jongin said, glancing at his outfit. Kyungsoo was just in a sweater vest and slacks, which wasn’t that out-of-the-ordinary for him.

“Thanks,” Kyungsoo replied dryly, not impressed. “You look good too,” he finally said, and that wasn’t a lie. Jongin had surprisingly dressed up tonight, with an expensive-looking coat on and dark jeans. Usually Jongin looked like a messy teenager when he dressed... not that Kyungsoo would ever tell him that.

“Only good?” Jongin asked, mock-offended.

Kyungsoo laughed, shaking his head. “You look stunning, how about that?”

Jongin chuckled, hanging his head. “A bit over the top now, but I’ll take it.”

Kyungsoo smiled. They talked about a variety of topics while waiting for the entrées to come out, from school to movies. Kyungsoo had always liked how easy it was to talk to Jongin as a friend, and was pleased that it was just as comforting conversing with him as a date.

But there was something different from dating Jongin and just being his friend. Jongin would smile wider, laugh louder, eat slower, and listen more. It wasn’t a big change, but it was big enough for Kyungsoo to notice.

As Kyungsoo caught Jongin peeking up at him for the third time as they ate, he thought it was a nice change – a change he could learn to love.

Their third date was at the movies. Kyungsoo had insisted they do something cheaper than last time – Jongin couldn’t even afford to take the bus all week after their date at the restaurant had him dry – and that he pay for it this time. Jongin tried arguing, but Kyungsoo was firm.

“I’m paying for everything, including the snacks,” he warned. “Don’t even bring your wallet.”

Jongin had always liked Kyungsoo’s assertiveness up until that date. He really wanted to treat Kyungsoo for their third date. However, he did leave his wallet at home, just to appease Kyungsoo.

“I’m paying next time though,” Jongin mumbled as Kyungsoo handed him their movie tickets. Kyungsoo just snorted, knocking their shoulders together.

“You can pay once you get a real job,” Kyungsoo said as they looked at the candy. Kyungsoo frowned at the expensive prices, cursing himself for not buying something outside the theater before. Nonetheless, he still turned to Jongin and told him, "Pick anything."

Jongin just frowned and crossed his arms. "No. I don't want anything."

Kyungsoo stared at him, seeing through the lie already. As friends, they had gone to the movies countless times before, and Jongin would always get M&M's while Kyungsoo got gummy worms. Ignoring Jongin, he proceeded to pay for the candy, as well as a medium soda and a medium popcorn.

"Hey, I said I didn't want anything!" Jongin protested as Kyungsoo handed over the money.

"Who said I was getting the candy for you?" Kyungsoo asked, although he knew he was.

Jongin rolled his eyes. "You don't even like chocolate," Jongin pointed out, and Kyungsoo smiled at that. He had to admit that Jongin was right.

"Oh well. Guess you're going to have to eat it for me then," he said, smirking as Jongin glared at me.

"I'm paying next time," Jongin repeated, and Kyungsoo just ignored him and asked him to put butter on their popcorn as he grabbed straws and napkins.

They watched an action comedy together. As it was only their third date, Jongin was at first nervous to make any moves. While he had taken plenty of dates to the movies before, it was somehow different with Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo didn't cuddle up to him, or make any hints at anything. He just focused on watching the movie.

It was around halfway past the movie when Kyungsoo actually started doing something. He shifted in his seat so that their arms were now touching, and Jongin glanced over at him. Still, Kyungsoo didn't look at him. Jongin wondered if this was a sign, or it was just Kyungsoo being careless.

And so another twenty minutes or so passed without Jongin doing anything. He was starting to get into the action of the movie, an intense chase scene on screen right now. When things started to slow down again, however, Jongin finally took his chance. He slowly leaned over and put an arm around Kyungsoo. He let out a breath he was unconsciously holding in when Kyungsoo leaned into his touch.

"Took you long enough," Kyungsoo mumbled under his breath, and Jongin actually laughed a little. Kyungsoo just elbowed him, and they finished the movie like that.

When they exited the theater, Kyungsoo noticed Jongin had barely touched his M&M's. "Hey, I bought that for you and you didn't even finish it," Kyungsoo said, frowning.

"I told you I didn't want it," Jongin laughed, but he pocketed the M&M's to eat later. "Besides, I was busy thinking about something else."

"Like what?" Kyungsoo asked, crossing his arms.

"You," Jongin said, grinning when a flush fell over Kyungsoo's cheek. He expected Kyungsoo to bite back, but instead he just turned around and walked away. Jongin laughed and ran after him, lacing their fingers together as he fell into step beside Kyungsoo. He smiled triumphantly when Kyungsoo didn't pull away, instead opting to squeeze Jongin's hand back. They walked for a while like that, not talking, just enjoying each others' presence.

Their fourth date was at their school’s fair. Every year their school held a little carnival to raise money in the spring, and Jongin dragged Kyungsoo along to spend the afternoon playing games and go on mini-rides together.

“I’ll win you that teddy bear,” Jongin said haughtily, handing over the money to the stall owner. Kyungsoo looked at him, unimpressed.

“You’re just wasting your money,” Kyungsoo pointed out. “Nobody wins these things.”

“I’ll win it just to show you,” Jongin replied, shoulders squared. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, but smiled anyway. Jongin was naive, but sweet.

Kyungsoo wasn’t surprised when Jongin failed the first time, failing to get a single ring around the can. “See,” he sighed. “Now let’s go–”

“No,” Jongin said stubbornly. Kyungsoo stared at him and sighed when he saw the determination setting in Jongin’s eyes. “I am going to win that bear for you.” He handed over more money, and Kyungsoo shook his head.

A couple of rounds later and ₩35,000 later, Jongin finally managed to get two out of three rings onto the can, winning him a smaller prize – in this case, a tiny stuffed elephant. Kyungsoo was leaning against the booth, tired.

“Are you done yet?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at his boyfriend.

“Yes,” Jongin grumbled, and Kyungsoo let out a breath of relief. They walked away together, and Kyungsoo smacked Jongin’s arm every time he looked back at the booth. They sat down in front of the food stalls, and Jongin handed him the elephant.

“Do you really want to give this to me?” Kyungsoo asked, frowning as he took it gingerly. “I mean, you just spent ₩35,000 on this. I feel kind of bad now.”

Jongin snorted. “I didn’t go through all of that to get a stuffed elephant for myself,” he said, staring at Kyungsoo. “I did it for you.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t help but smile, looking down at the elephant and then back at Jongin. “Well, thank you, then.”

“I’m sorry it’s not a bear,” Jongin sighed, folding his arms onto the table and laying his head on top in defeat.

Kyungsoo was torn between rolling his eyes in exasperation or smiling in adoration. Jongin, as sweet as he was, was still a child at heart sometimes. Kyungsoo looked down at the elephant, and ended up smiling. Childish tactics aside, Jongin was still charmingly nice.

Kyungsoo got up and walked around so he stood behind Jongin. He wrapped his arms around Jongin’s neck, ignoring the burning in his cheeks, and murmured, “I love it,” before pressing a chaste kiss on Jongin’s cheek and pulling away quickly. He took his seat back in front of Jongin, flushed red.

Jongin didn’t sit up, but he was peeking at Kyungsoo up through the bangs of his hair. Kyungsoo noticed his red ears but didn’t mention anything. They just sat there in a comfortable silence, Kyungsoo playing with the stuffed elephant and Jongin watching him. It wasn’t until Jongin’s stomach growled that they decided to move.

Kyungsoo, of course, paid for lunch.

Their fifth date was at the amusement park. Once Jongin learned that Kyungsoo enjoyed roller coasters, even the tiny ones at the school fair, he figured an amusement park would be perfect. They could go on rides together, and Kyungsoo could hold onto Jongin’s hand as they went on scary ones. But boy was Jongin wrong.

Apparently Kyungsoo was a dare-devil. He chose all of the scariest rides even Jongin gulped at, and had his hands up the entire ride, screaming. Jongin almost went deaf.

“ISN’T THIS GREAT, JONGIN?!” Kyungsoo asked him on one of the roller coasters – their fifth in two hours, actually. Jongin couldn’t even manage a reply; he felt nauseous.

After Jongin threw up his lunch and self-esteem – Kyungsoo had warned him not to have those chili fries – Kyungsoo nudged him and said, “You can choose the rest of the rides.” He smiled, and Jongin smiled back weakly.

Jongin chose the ferris wheel. He remembered seeing Kyungsoo eye it at the school fair, but due to the long lines, they opted out of riding it.

“Ferris wheels are so boring,” Kyungsoo said once they were seated, waiting for the other riders to get on. Jongin laughed, throwing an arm around Kyungsoo.

“But they’re romantic,” he pointed out. He didn’t even flinch when Kyungsoo elbowed him.

“I guess,” Kyungsoo grudgingly agreed, glancing over the side. "Hey, look, you can see everyone from up here," he laughed, pointing down at the people. "There's a kid throwing a tantrum over cotton candy. And there's a group eating funnel cake." Kyungsoo continued pointing out people, and Jongin watched him, amused.

Kyungsoo was always used to acting as the responsible adult in their group of friends, taking care of everyone, that sometimes Jongin forgot Kyungsoo was only a year older than him. He was still young and sometimes even childish. It was cute.

"And there's a guy totally head over heels for his date," Jongin adds in, smiling. Kyungsoo looks around curiously.

"Who?" he asked, unable to find anyone.

"Right here," Jongin said, tilting Kyungsoo's face towards him. He smirked when Kyungsoo flushed, scrunching up his nose at Jongin's cheesiness.

"You're too much," he mumbled, but there was a smile on his lips. What happened next was inevitable, considering the tight space and little distance between them, but that didn't stop Jongin from clenching his sweaty palms nervously and his lips in anticipation

Kyungsoo knew too, leaning in and looking down at Jongin's lips. He glanced up at Jongin through his lashed, and Jongin knew for the first time what it felt like to be breathless

Their lips met, and it was too short and too chaste but at the same time just enough. Kyungsoo's lips were both sweet and salty, and Jongin spent the rest of the ride trying to figure out how that was possible.

It was their first kiss. It was on a ferris wheel with kids screaming in the background and Jongin sweating buckets under the afternoon sun and Kyungsoo flushed pink with matching full lips. To sum it up, it was perfect.

Their sixth date was at the airport. Jongin had come back from a showcase in China with his dancing group, and Kyungsoo drove to the airport at five in the morning to pick him up. He was tired from late practices, ready to pass out and surviving solely on the cup of coffee in front of him, when a warm body pressed into back and strong arms circled around his neck.

“I missed you,” Jongin breathed, sending shivers down Kyungsoo’s back that woke him up.

“I missed you, too,” Kyungsoo murmured, spraining to turn his neck enough for their lips to meet. Jongin laughed into the kiss, making Kyungsoo pull back with a whine. “Don’t laugh,” he mumbled. “It’s been a while since I last kissed you.”

“Two weeks is too long,” Jongin sighed, still smiling. “And I wasn’t laughing at you.”

“Then why were you laughing?”

Jongin rests his chin on Kyungsoo’s shoulder. “Because I’m just so happy to be back,” he murmured, voice low. “And with you.”

Kyungsoo chuckled at his answer. “You’re so cheesy,” he sighed, pushing Jongin away. Jongin obliged, opting to take the seat in front of Kyungsoo. He leaned over and took a sip of Kyungsoo’s coffee.

“You look tired,” Jongin noted, eyeing Kyungsoo. Even in his sleepy state, Kyungsoo could see the concern in Jongin’s eyes. Some things never change.

“I did wake up early to pick you up,” Kyungsoo pointed out, smacking away Jongin’s hand as it reached out to poke his cheeks.

Jongin chuckled. “Well we should go back then.”

“Mhm,” Kyungsoo sighed, standing up and throwing his coffee away. He was too tired to even savor it anyway. “Let’s go back and sleep.”

Jongin grabbed his hand as they walked, swinging them playfully. “Sleep?” he asked, voice suggestive. “Just sleep?”

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, pulling one of his hands away to grab Jongin’s suitcase. “Just sleep, Jongin. You and I both need it.” Jongin chuckled, allowing himself to be dragged by a tired Kyungsoo all the way home. It’d been a while since they had a good night’s rest.

Their seventh date was at a furniture store. They had just rented a dorm downtown, but it was new and empty. Kyungsoo didn't want to spend too long shopping, so he told Jongin, "We're going to go to the furniture store Friday and pick out everything." If only it was that easy.

"Why are there so many choices?" Jongin groaned as they looked at the tenth bed in a row. "Let's just choose something and go."

"But it needs to be sturdy," Kyungsoo protested.

Jongin smirked at him. "Sturdy, eh?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

Kyungsoo didn't even spare him a glance though. "Yes, so it lasts us a long time and we don't have to come back," Kyungsoo replied seriously, and Jongin sighed, knowing his joke was lost due to Kyungsoo's acute attention on picking beds.

"Well, I'm tired of looking at these," Jongin sighed. "Let's go look at the couches." Kyungsoo frowned at him, but didn't argue as Jongin dragged him over to the couches.

Kyungsoo waited as Jongin sat down on every couch in plain sight. Jongin would call him over a couple of times to have him sit down next to him to try out the couch.

"Hmm, how about this one?" Jongin asked, dragging Kyungsoo down beside him. "It's soft and spacious, perfect for cuddling."

Kyungsoo snorted. "Cuddling?"

Jongin smiled. "Yeah, you know, like couples do."

"Mhm, sure," Kyungsoo said, standing up. "You keep looking for the cuddling couch while I go look at the tables." Jongin whined as Kyungsoo left, but continued to look through the couches.

After two and a half hours, they had almost all the furniture picked out. It took some negotiating on both sides to get relatively matching furniture, but it was still considered a success. The only thing left to choose was the bed.

"Maybe we should just go somewhere else," Kyungsoo sighed, shaking his head. "I haven't seen anything I like yet."

Jongin frowned, knowing Kyungsoo wanted to get everything done now. He looked around for something that would fit Kyungsoo and his taste, and one of the simpler bed frames towards the back caught his eye.

"Hey, how about that one?" he asked, pulling Kyungsoo behind him as they walked over.

Kyungsoo looked at it skeptically. "I don't know..." he hesitated.

Jongin sat on the bed, testing it out. It felt pretty good. "Here, come sit down and feel it," he said, patting the spot beside him. Kyungsoo plopped down, causing Jongin to jump up a bit and fall back, pulling Kyungsoo down with him.

"What are you doing?" Kyungsoo asked, but he was laughing now.

"Testing out the bed," Jongin replied, chuckling as well. They looked over, eyes meeting, and Jongin placed a hand over Kyungsoo's waist. "How does it feel?" he asked, smiling.

"Good," Kyungsoo murmurred, eyes never leaving Jongin. They laid there for a moment before the salesman showed up.

"How do you like it?" he asked anxiously, ready to ring them up.

Jongin just smiled and said, "We'll take it."

Their eighth, ninth, and tenth dates were in their brand new, shared dorm. They opted for staying home and enjoying each others’ company. Kyungsoo would cook while Jongin watched, and they would talk about their day over the soft music playing in the background.

Sometimes Jongin would talk about dance practice. "Sehun tripped and almost pulled down Yixing's pants today at practice," Jongin recounted one night, causing both of them to laugh.

Other times, Kyungsoo would talk about work. "My boss made me file a day's worth of work in two hours," Kyungsoo complained another time as Jongin massaged his back. Jongin would listen sympathetically, providing a word or two of comfort in the pauses.

Their conversations weren't really the focus though. It was just the comfort of spending an evening together, alone without the worries of the world weighing them down, that made these nights special. After dinner, they would wash the dishes together. Kyungsoo sang under his breath, Jongin humming along to the words.

When they were done cleaning up, they sat together on the couch. "Aren't you glad I chose a cuddling couch?" Jongin teased as Kyungsoo rested his head on Jongin's chest.

"Whatever," Kyungsoo mumbles, but there's a smile in his voice.

Some nights they watched TV together, other times they just sat there and talked more. It wasn't much, but it was enough. It wasn't long before their dorm felt like home.

Their eleventh date was at the zoo. Jongin had casually mentioned never having gone to a zoo before during one of their conversations, and Kyungsoo was intent on making sure Jongin experienced what he believed to be an "essential part of any childhood."

"I haven't been here in such a long time," Kyungsoo breathed, smiling as they entered the zoo. Jongin frowned, following him. He could see why – it smelled like animal feces and greasy food. He failed to see the appeal, but apparently Kyungsoo loved it.

They spent the entire day going from exhibit to exhibit, trying to find a variety of animals, from lions to zebras. Some were asleep, which disappointed Kyungsoo more than it did Jongin.

"Did you really want to see the panthers that badly?" Jongin asked, looking down at his frowning boyfriend who eyed the empty exhibit dejectedly.

"Yeah," Kyungsoo mumbled, crossing his arms. "But whatever. Let's go get something to eat then." He sighed, walking away. Jongin frowned, watching as his boyfriend made his way over to the food court. He looked around, trying to think of something, when he came up with an idea.

While Kyungsoo got his food, Jongin found a souvenir shop. Jongin made his way past whiny kids and tired parents looking through keychains, until he found what he was looking for.

When he returned, Kyungsoo had already bought their food and was sitting at the table, face downcast. Jongin approached him quietly, grinning with his gift in hand.

"Smells good," Jongin lied, eyeing the food Kyungsoo bought. In all honesty, it looked disgusting, but he knew Kyungsoo was probably in no mood to argue with him over that right now.

"Where'd you go?" Kyungsoo asked, frowning as he turned to look at Jongin.

"I went to get you this," Jongin said, holding up the stuffed panther. Kyungsoo stared at it for a long moment, and Jongin could tell he was trying not to smile.

"Why'd you waste your money?" Kyungsoo asked softly, but a smile was slowly making its way onto his lips. Jongin smiled and took the seat beside Kyungsoo.

"To see you smile," Jongin replied matter-of-factly.

Kyungsoo shook his head, smile growing wider by the second. "You're... something," he sighed, holding the panther in his arms.

"So are you going to tell my why you like panthers so much?" Jongin asked, leaning into Kyungsoo's arm.

"I don't like them," Kyungsoo replied honestly. "But I wanted to see them because they were the first animals I saw the first time I went to the zoo when I was a kid." He smiled a little, sighing. "It's kind of stupid, I know."

Jongin shook his head, taking Kyungsoo's head. "It's sweet," Jongin assured him.

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. "Sure," he said sarcastically. "I know it's childish, you don't have to lie to me." Still, he smiled as he laid the panther on his lap.

Jongin acquired a newfound respect for zoos that day. If they can bring a smile to Kyungsoo's face, then they must be important after all.

Their twelfth date was at the museum. Jongin really didn’t want to go – he tried every excuse in the book, from “I’m too tired” to “I’m allergic to history” – but Kyungsoo managed to drag him along anyway. Kyungsoo was not-so-secretly a history geek, and there was a new exhibition at the nearby museum, so he couldn’t pass up on this.

During the bus ride there, Jongin napped on Kyungsoo’s shoulder. He wasn’t lying when he said he was tired. When they arrived, Kyungsoo jumped out of the bus so quickly, Jongin almost hit his head on the window.

As Jongin lazily got out of the bus, he groaned. He really didn’t like museums. He looked around for Kyungsoo, to find him standing in an awkward pose, taking a picture of the front of the museum. He watched as Kyungsoo asked someone to take a photo of him in front of a statue, making a peace sign and puffing out his cheeks. Jongin found the scene both embarrassing and endearing, but mostly embarrassing.

When they entered the museum together, Jongin found himself stopping every other second to let Kyungsoo take pictures.

“You know, you don’t have to take a picture of everything,” he sighed, waiting for Kyungsoo to finish snapping photos of the art.

“I do! I have to capture the moment! Now say cheese!” Kyungsoo said quickly, and Jongin opened his mouth to argue when he heard a click.

“I regret buying you that camera now,” Jongin groaned, following his boyfriend down the hall. It was fairly crowded, and it would have been hard to pick out Kyungsoo from everyone else if he weren’t wearing a bright yellow sweater.

Jongin finally convinced Kyungsoo to let him wait in the cafe downstairs as Kyungsoo finished up. Even with the scent of coffee, Jongin was finding it hard to stay awake. He didn’t even realized he dozed off until he felt a tug at his elbow.

“Must you look so good,” Kyungsoo grumbled, shaking him to wake him up.

“Wha–?” Jongin asked drowsily. He wasn’t aware of his surroundings, except that there was a grumpy Kyungsoo manhandling him and– wait, where did these people come from? And why do they all have cameras?

“They’re all taking pictures of you sleeping,” Kyungsoo huffed as he pulled Jongin away from the cafe. “Seriously, who told you to fall asleep?”

“Why are they taking pictures of me?” Jongin asked, confused.

“They thought you were some statue,” Kyungsoo snorted. He glanced over at Jongin, who was smirking now, completely awake. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “Please don’t let this get to your head,” he said, although he knew it was too late.

Needless to say, Kyungsoo no longer asks Jongin to go to the museum with him (although Jongin goes anyway, because he would do anything to spend extra time with Kyungsoo).

Their thirteenth date was at the dance studio. Kyungsoo surprised Jongin with dinner, knowing Jongin had to stay for a late practice. It was their one year anniversary, so Kyungsoo was sure to make their favorites. He even bought cupcakes from the bakery downtown to celebrate.

"This is nice," Jongin commented, smiling at the food laid out in front of him. "You really went all out, huh."

"Yeah, well, a one year anniversary is kind of a big deal," Kyungsoo said, handing Jongin his glass of juice (he didn't want either of them drunk tonight).

"Can you believe it's been a whole year?" Jongin breathed, staring at Kyungsoo.

"It feels like it's been forever," Kyungsoo teased, grinning up at him.

Jongin chuckled. "Is that a good or bad thing?"

"A little of both," Kyungsoo hummed, and Jongin just snorted.

Jongin leaned over to run his finger across the frosting of the cupcake, tasting it. "Mm, that's good frosting," Jongin said, smiling. Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes at Jongin.

"Dessert later," Kyungsoo reminded him, rolling his eyes.

"I know. I'll save you for later," Jongin said, leaning over to press a kiss to Kyungsoo's cheek when he wasn't paying attention.

Kyungsoo scrunched his nose and turned to look at him. "How do I do it?" he asked himself, shaking his head.

"Do what?"

"Put up with you."

"Probably because you love me," Jongin said absentmindedly, and Kyungsoo only laughed in response.

The dinner went well, Jongin attempting to feed Kyungsoo several times, despite the older's protest. When they were done, Jongin dragged Kyungsoo into his arms before he could start packing up.

“I love you,” Jongin said for the first time, lips pressed into Kyungsoo's hair. The words were familiar though, as if they were already kissed into Kyungsoo’s skin so many times that he knew them by heart, even without hearing them.

"I know," Kyungsoo replied softly. "I love you, too." He looked up and they shared a kiss worth a year and many more to come.

Their fourteenth date was at the park. It was a nice day, and both of them had the afternoon off. They were debating over what to do, from laser-tagging to grocery shopping, but in the end, they resorted to something simple: biking.

"I haven't been biking since I was in high school," Jongin sighed, loving the feel of the wind.

"That wasn't that long ago," Kyungsoo reminded him, and Jongin laughed.

"Same goes for you," he snorted. "You're only a year older than me."

Kyungsoo smiled, biking behind him. "Sometimes I feel like I'm ten years older than you though."

Jongin glanced back at him and smirked. "Well it's good you aren't, or that'd be kind of creepy." Kyungsoo stuck a tongue out of him, and Jongin chortled as he biked ahead faster.

They stopped to grab ice cream. Jongin bought chocolate, and Kyungsoo got vanilla. They ate in the park, locking their bikes as they walked around.

"I was thinking we get a dog one day," Jongin thought aloud as he saw joggers and their dogs running, swinging his and Kyungsoo's intertwined hands.

"Why?" Kyungsoo asked, frowning. "We don't have time to take care of a dog."

Jongin sighed, admitting he was right. They were both busy with work, and all the time leftover they spent to themselves, relaxing together. "How about a cat then?" he suggested. "They clean themselves, don't they?"

Kyungsoo smiled a little. "Maybe," he said, although he didn't really mean it. He liked how things were then – just the two of them. Call it childish, but Kyungsoo wanted Jongin all to himself.

Their fifteenth date was at the dance Jongin’s club always held annually. He had never gone to one before, mostly due to conflicting schedule issues, but that year Kyungsoo had convinced him to go. Jongin wanted to say no – he wasn’t one for ballroom dancing – but he couldn’t refuse the pleading look in Kyungsoo’s eyes.

“We’ve never gone to a dance together,” Kyungsoo reasoned as he helped Jongin with his bow-tie.

“But we’ve danced together,” Jongin argued, frowning as he fidgeted with his suit. He hated wearing suits – they felt too stuffy for him.

“Yeah, but this is different. Besides, Sehun told me you guys are getting catering from a really nice restaurant, and I want to try some.” Kyungsoo grinned lopsidedly, and Jongin snorted.

“You’re only going for the food,” he said incredulously.

“As if you aren’t,” Kyungsoo shot back, smacking Jongin’s arm lightly.

“Touché,” Jongin laughed. “Great minds think alike.” Kyungsoo only snorted in response.

Upon arriving, Jongin was immediately swept away by his dance buddies. Kyungsoo didn't seem to mind as he found his way to the food table by himself anyway. Jongin watched him from afar, pretending to be interested in what his friends had to say about the night.

Jongin's eyes narrowed as a man approached Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo looked genuinely surprised and happy to see the stranger, and they even exchanged a hug, talking loudly and laughing. Jongin didn't want to admit it, but he could feel the green monster in him.

Next thing he knew, Jongin had broke off from his friends and was returning to Kyungsoo's side, slipping a protective arm around Kyungsoo's waist as he faced his challenger.

"Oh, Jongin," Kyungsoo said, surprised. "You should try the food, it's great." He offered Jongin some of the food in his hand, but Jongin just shook his head.

The stranger cleared his throat, smiling. "Aren't you going to introduce us, SooSoo?"

Jongin blanched. Did this man just call his Kyungsoo SooSoo? What gave him the right?

"Right, Jongin, this is Hyunsik," Kyungsoo said, motioning in between them. "Hyunsik, this is Jongin."

"His boyfriend," Jongin added in with a nod. Hyunsik only laughed.

"Hyunsik is my childhood best friend," Kyungsoo explained as he and Hyunsik smiled at each other. "I hadn't seen him in so long, so I was surprised to see him here."

Jongin wasn't sure if he felt relieved or not. The way they kept smiling at each other as if they had their own little secret wasn't really reassuring.

"I'm here with my girlfriend," Hyunsik finally said, grinning. Jongin felt his shoulders sag in relief, ignoring Hyunsik's snicker.

"And she's probably looking for you," Kyungsoo said, exchanging a look with Hyunsik. Hyunsik smiled and nodded, leaving to find his girlfriend. Kyungsoo turned to look at Jongin, who was looking at the food now. "Let's dance," he said all of a sudden.

Jongin blinked, focusing back on Jongin. "What?"

"Let's dance," Kyungsoo repeated, setting down his plate and tugging on Jongin's hand. Jongin wanted to protest, argue that he wanted to eat, but one look at Kyungsoo and the words died in his throat. Kyungsoo looked at him with wide, expecting eyes, and Jongin relented as always.

They walked onto the dancefloor. Jongin held up his hand and Kyungsoo took it, smiling. They danced, staring into each others' eyes. "You know, I forgot to mention how good you look in a suit," Kyungsoo said quietly, smiling.

"Same goes for you," Jongin replied, grinning. "We're one good-looking couple, eh?" Kyungsoo only chuckled. They continued dancing, song after song.

"Hmm, we should do this more often," Kyungsoo murmurred as he rested his cheek on Jongin's chest. Jongin didn't respond, allowing the moment to settle in. They swayed to the music together, the crowd around them blurring until all that was left were two souls dancing together to the same beat.

Their sixteenth date was at the arcade. It wasn’t a planned date though. The two were not on speaking terms due to a fight they had gotten into a couple days back. Kyungsoo spent his extra time with Jongdae, who worked at the mall. Jongin had visited to buy new shoes – and secretly see Kyungsoo, as he was beginning to miss his boyfriend, despite seeing him around their dorm.

“Fancy seeing you here,” Jongin said as he approached Kyungsoo from behind. Kyungsoo ignored him though, continuing to jab at the buttons on the game.

Jongin frowned. “I know you’re mad at me, but you can’t ignore me forever.” Kyungsoo still didn’t reply, focused on the game in front of him. Jongin let out an exasperated breath and turned to walk to the front where Jongdae was leaning back in his seat, listening to his music.

“Oh, hey. Did you guys make up yet?” Jongdae asked, sitting up and taking out one of his earphones. “I mean, Kyungsoo’s my bud and all, but it’s really weird having him here all afternoon, muttering to himself as he plays Pacman for the fifteenth time.”

“No, he won’t talk to me,” Jongin grumbles, leaning against the counter.

Jongdae raised an eyebrow. “Did you tell him you’re here?”

“I went over to talk to him, but he ignored me,” Jongin sighed, running a hand through his hair exasperatedly. They had never gotten into a fight like this before. Sure, they had tiny scuffles over things like Jongin forgetting to pick up milk or do the laundry, and there was one time when Kyungsoo got mad at him because his female co-dancer danced a little too close for comfort at one of their parties, but they always got over that in a matter of hours, sometimes even minutes.

But this fight had lasted days, and Jongin was on the verge of cracking. He missed talking to Kyungsoo, laughing about stupid jokes with him, teasing him through text messages, and just holding him in his arms.

“Are you sure he ignored you?” Jongdae asked, glancing over at Kyungsoo.

“Yeah, he didn’t even glance at me,” Jongin huffed.

Jongdae hummed in thought. “I think he didn’t hear you,” he finally said, and Jongin looked at him as if he was crazy. Kyungsoo was mad, not deaf. Jongdae just rolled his eyes at Jongin’s reaction though. “He has his earphones on. You didn’t hear his music?”

Jongin’s eyes widened and he turned to look at Kyungsoo. Sure enough, part of his earphones was visible from the side. “Oh.”

“Yeah, I don’t think he heard you,” Jongdae repeated. “He complained about how you wouldn’t talk to him everyday. I’d think he’d respond if you approached him.”

Jongin’s heart clenched. He felt bad for making Kyungsoo wait so long. Taking in a deep breath, Jongin nodded and walked over to Kyungsoo. He waited until the game was over before tapping Kyungsoo on the shoulder.

“Jongdae, I need more coi– oh.” Kyungsoo’s request died down when he saw Jongin standing in front of him. “What are you doing here?” Kyungsoo sniffled, taking out his earphones now.

Jongin didn’t know how to reply though. He forgot how much he missed hearing Kyungsoo. “I–I was getting shoes,” Jongin replied lamely, holding up his bag.

“Oh.” Kyungsoo was not impressed; he just frowned and eyed the bag. “Well, since you got them, I guess you’re going back now,” he mumbled coldly. Kyungsoo turned to start another game when Jongin reached out and grabbed his hand to stop him.

“Wait,” Jongin said, voice more anxious than he meant. “I’m here for you,” he sighed. “I miss you, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo stood there, eyeing the screen in thought. When he replied, it was short and emotionless. “You saw me this morning.”

Jongin frowned. “Well, yeah. I mean, I see you everyday, but you don’t even spare me a glance. You make me dinner, but you don’t even talk to me,” Jongin said, frowning. “You sleep on the far edge of the bed, and you let me hog the blankets. You never let me hog the blankets.”

“Maybe I’m too tired to try,” Kyungsoo mumbled, and Jongin felt a shiver run down his spine.

“Don’t say that,” he pleaded, clinging onto Kyungsoo’s hand. “Please don’t say that. I’m sorry for-for saying those words back then. I didn’t mean them. I was just tired, and– and I don’t know. But I’ll always love you.” Jongin stared at him with earnest eyes. He couldn’t bear the thought of a life without Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo finally looked at him. His eyes were wide and glistening, and it broke Jongin’s heart to think he caused Kyungsoo this pain.

“I’ll always love you too,” Kyungsoo finally said, giving up. He couldn’t stay mad at Jongin for much longer anyway; it was hurting him just as much.

Jongin let out a breath of relief, wrapping his arms around Kyungsoo. “Thank you,” he whispered into Kyungsoo’s neck. “Thank you for not giving up on me.”

Kyungsoo lets his arms envelop Jongin. “I may get tired sometimes, but I’ll never not love you, Jongin,” he sighed, and Jongin smiled.

“Want to play some Pacman?” Kyungsoo asked, smiling slyly when they pulled apart.

Jongin laughed, still holding onto Kyungsoo’s hands. “Sure, why not?”

Kyungsoo chuckled as he put the coins into the machine. “Let me just warn you that I have become an expert at this game over the last few days. Just ask Jongdae.” Jongin shook his head, smiling.

“I’ll take the risk.” And so, Kyungsoo beat Jongin at Pacman over and over, and Jongin decided it was okay to lose to Kyungsoo if it meant never losing him.

Their seventeenth date was at their friend Baekhyun’s house. It was actually a double-date, as Baekhyun begged them to come so that things wouldn’t be awkward between him and Chanyeol. After all, it was Kyungsoo, with Jongin’s assistance, who set the two up together.

“Do we have to do this?” Jongin complained as Kyungsoo got ready. “We already set them up. Why should we have to do anymore?”

Kyungsoo threw a sock at the back of Jongin’s head. “Because they’re our friends, and they’re both really pathetic with feelings and you know that.”

Jongin snorted, turning around. “Why is that my problem though?”

Kyungsoo just rolled his eyes, buttoning up his shirt. “I told you. They’re our friends, now stop complaining and go pack up the dinner I made.”

Jongin sighed, heading for the door. “We even made their dinner... we’re doing everything,” Jongin grumbled.

“You mean I’m doing everything,” Kyungsoo yelled after him. Jongin ignored him, settling for humming loudly as he put tin foil over the pan.

When they arrived at Baekhyun’s house, Jongin was already beginning to regret letting Kyungsoo drag him into this. The awkwardness in the air was practically tangible. Baekhyun was too polite for comfort, and Chanyeol was uncharacteristically somber.

Baekhyun sat down beside Kyungsoo, which Jongin resented. Chanyeol sat in front of Baekhyun, and Jongin took the last seat in front of Kyungsoo, who shot him a warning look.

"So... the weather is really nice these days," Chanyeol started awkwardly.

"Yeah, it's been raining a lot," Baekhyun replied nervously. Kyungsoo and Jongin sent each other exasperated looks. Maybe this is a lot worse than they expected.

Kyungsoo cleared his throat. "So how's work for you guys?" he asked, trying to start a real conversation.

"Good."

"Great."

Jongin coughed, and Kyungsoo looked at him again. This is hopeless, Jongin mouthed to Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo only kicked him and shook his head. They continued eating in silence.

Somehow, Chanyeol managed to drop a plate – no one knew how though, because the plates were all on the table and no one was really moving – and as he moved to clean it up, sputtering apologies, Baekhyun just shook his head. "I'll clean it up," he offered, smiling.

Still, Chanyeol insisted on helping. After they picked up the shattered glass, they both went into the kitchen to wash up. Kyungsoo and Jongin ate in peace. However, when they realized Chanyeol and Baekhyun had been gone for a while, they decided to check up on them.

What they saw made them lose whatever was left of their appetite.

Baekhyun mouthed them a “thank you” as they hurriedly let themselves out. Kyungsoo smiled weakly, while Jongin gagged. He may have wanted Baekhyun and Chanyeol to be together, but he didn’t need to see them making out on the kitchen floor.

“Thank God our first date wasn’t that awkward,” Jongin said as they left, feeling as if a weight had been taken off his shoulder.

Kyungsoo laughed. “We’re just special,” he said, grinning as Jongin wrapped an arm around his waist.

“Real special,” Jongin agreed, leaning to press a kiss onto Kyungsoo’s temple. Nothing had changed since their first date – the affection was still there, evident in both their eyes as they shared a smile.

Their eighteenth date was at the beach. They were on a well-needed vacation away from the city. Jongin had suggested the beach – Kyungsoo wanted to visit the country side, which was nice and all, but Jongin wasn’t sure what there was to do there accept watch old people play chess – and after weeks of planning, they arrived.

“Doesn’t the sea breeze feel good?” Jongin breathed, tilting his head back to enjoy the sun. Kyungsoo just smiled at him, tugging him along to find a spot to lay their stuff down.

"Hmm, so I was thinking we try out that restaurant we passed by down the street for dinner," Kyungsoo told Jongin as they laid the towel out. "Or we could go to the city. I heard there are a lot of good restaurants there." He set up the umbrella as Jongin collapsed onto the towels.

"How about we just relax?" Jongin suggested, grinning up at Kyungsoo. "Seriously, we just got here, and you're already thinking about dinner when we haven't even had lunch."

Kyungsoo shrugged. "It's never early to start planning."

"This is vacation," Jongin said, tugging Kyungsoo's arm down so he fell beside him. "We don't need to plan anything."

Kyungsoo snorted, pulling away to get the sunscreen lotion out of his bag. "So then what do we do?"

"Relax," Jongin replied simply. "Relax and just go with the flow."

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, opening the cap of sunscreen and squirting out the lotion onto his hand. "Whatever," he said, running the lotion down his arm. "Just put on your sunscreen."

Jongin grinned, leaning over to grab the bottle. "I'd rather just help you put on yours," he said, rubbing the lotion on Kyungsoo's back. Kyungsoo sighed, but didn't argue. After Jongin helped Kyungsoo put on sunscreen, Kyungsoo did the same for Jongin.

"Ugh, I hate sunscreen," Jongin mumbled, pouting as Kyungsoo dabbed some onto his nose and cheeks.

"You won't be saying that after you get burned," Kyungsoo warned, smiling a bit when Jongin scrunched his nose.

After holding Jongin down for ten minutes to let the sunscreen set in, Kyungsoo finally relented and let Jongin drag him out into the water. It was cold, and Kyungsoo jumped as the water touched his feet, but Jongin held him tight.

"Come on, you can't be afraid of water," Jongin teased, pulling him out deeper into the water.

"Of course not," Kyungsoo bit back, rolling his eyes. "It's just cold is all," he huffed. Soon enough, he got used to the water. They spent the afternoon splashing around, Jongin splattering water at Kyungsoo when he was turned around.

When the sun was starting to set and families were either leaving or setting up bonfires, Kyungsoo and Jongin stayed in the water. "We're going to get all wrinkly if we stay in here," Kyungsoo laughed, but truth was he didn't want to leave either.

"We're going to get all wrinkly together anyway," Jongin replied, grinning. Kyungsoo smiled and splashed Jongin again.

Eventually, they did leave the water. Jongin wrapped a towel around Kyungsoo before grabbing one for himself.

"So, where should we get dinner?" Jongin asked, leaning back on the towel. Kyungsoo sat down beside him, resting his head on Jongin's shoulder, despite the fact that they were both wet with sea water.

"Hmm, let's just stay here," Kyungsoo murmurred, looking out at the setting sun.

Jongin wrapped an arm around Kyungsoo and smiled. He couldn't argue with that.

Their nineteenth date was at a karaoke bar. Their friends had decided on a night out together to hang out like old times, and it just so happened that Baekhyun’s uncle owned a karaoke bar downtown. Kyungsoo had been excited for this all week, and admittedly Jongin was anticipating this too. He missed when everyone was together.

"It's good to see you guys," Junmyeon greeted with his signature smile. "I'm glad to see you guys are still together."

Jongin clenched Kyungsoo's hand and smiled back. "Of course," he replied, and Kyungsoo just smiled at the two of them. They went to the back room, where everyone was gathered, and Jongin watched as Kyungsoo's face lit up when he saw his friends he hadn't seen in such a long time.

"We really missed you guys," Minseok said, smiling as he approached Jongin.

"We missed you guys, too," Jongin murmurred, but his eyes were still on Kyungsoo.

Minseok noticed, but he didn't say anything; he just smiled knowingly and nodded. "Well, we're gonna start karaoke soon. Do you and Kyungsoo want to go up together?"

Jongin looked at Minseok, then at Kyungsoo, then back at Minseok. "I don't know," he admitted. "I can't really sing."

Minseok laughed. "I don't think Kyungsoo will mind."

Still, Jongin was hesitant. He never really sang, except maybe in the shower, and compared to Kyungsoo he would sound horrible. He watched as Minseok approached Kyungsoo, giving him a hug, then talking a bit. Kyungsoo turned to Jongin and smiled, waving him over.

"Come on, let's sing together," Kyungsoo said, grinning. Jongin couldn't even protest – he just let Kyungsoo drag him to the front and took the microphone. Their friends chose some cheesy ballad for them to sing, laughing as they did.

Jongin wasn't nervous – these were his friends after all – but he took Kyungsoo's hand, just in case. When Kyungsoo smiled at him, he calmed down a bit and smiled back as the music began.

Singing together, watching Kyungsoo laugh as he sang, as their friends surrounded them, cheering them on, Jongin decided it was time to fulfil his promise of forever with Kyungsoo.

Their last date was at the spot they met in. Jongin had pulled Kyungsoo out of work in the middle of August, blind folded him, and drove him to their old college. He led Kyungsoo all the way over to the spot they met – a not-so-random place by the Performing Arts building, where Jongin ran into Kyungsoo by mistake. Countless apologies and several mutual friends later, the two became closer and closer.

When Jongin took Kyungsoo's blindfold off, Kyungsoo looked around, surprised. "What are we doing here?" he asked, looking at Jongin. But something about the look in his eye told Jongin that Kyungsoo already knew (he always did).

"Something I have been waiting to do since the day we met," Jongin said shakily, getting down on one knee. Kyungsoo's mouth fell open and he gaped at Jongin.

"You're..." he trailed off, speechless.

"Do Kyungsoo, will you marry me?" Jongin asked in one breath as he took out the velvet box to present to Kyungsoo. He looked up at his partner, and in that stare was all the moments, all the memories they shared together. From their first meeting to their first date and everything else, all Kyungsoo saw was Jongin, and all Jongin saw was Kyungsoo.

For them, there was no other way. "Of course," Kyungsoo whispered, falling to his knees and throwing his arms around Jongin.

Jongin felt years of love flood into him all at once as he squeezed Kyungsoo. When they pulled apart, Jongin slid the ring onto Kyungsoo's wedding finger and pressed a kiss to his lips.

“Can a married couple still have dates?” Jongin asked as they stood up together, walking across the campus just for old times' sake.

Kyungsoo chuckled, leaning closer into Jongin. “Hmm, I think so,” he murmured.

“I thought couples were always together though. If they’re never separated, doesn’t that make the entire marriage one big date?” Jongin wondered aloud.

“Are you just trying to make excuses so you don’t have to take me out anymore?” Kyungsoo teased.

Jongin scoffed. “That’s not it. I just want to know.”

“Why?” Kyungsoo asked, curious. He failed to see the significance in this.

“So I can keep count,” Jongin said, grinning as he pressed a kiss to Kyungsoo's temple. He tasted forever in the kiss.

a/n:
- how many dates do you think a couple has before marrying? /hums. i mean, because even though a couple is together for a while, they don’t necessarily have to have a lot of dates. they could just be with each other a lot? hmm. but i’m thinking at least a date every month, right? i don’t know...
- lol idk how this fic came to be but i am suffering from writer's block and so... fluff is my default OTL
- much love to tlist for giving me ideas, special thanks to lynn for the museum part (/still crying) and the zoo idea, and rhea for the furniture store idea (okay technically you said ikea, but apparently korea doesn't have an ikea yet ;A; so i had to change it T.T). and ofc, thank you for supporting me through this hell of a fic ^^
- thank you for reading! feel free to point out any mistakes/typos you may have caught (esp. tense changes, because i kept switching to present by accident and catching myself gah), as i stayed up late writing this and idk where my brain went. hope you enjoyed what might be the fluffiest fic i have written for kaisoo ever u_u