im really really into you

 

 

 

 

Doesn’t hurt at all. Just relax and try to think of something else.

 

Haha, yeah—no.

 

I am gonna die in here.

 

He thinks this as soon as the assistant leads him up close and personal to the chair. As if his eyes aren’t already wide from anxiety, he starts to feel the pain of them getting even bigger. That’s once he notices the larger gun-looking instruments hanging from the table. They all look sharp and pointy, adjectives Daehyun doesn’t particularly favor in this case. He swallows hard as the woman asks for him to settle down in the seat and relax.

 

The first action the teen performs quietly, effortlessly in fact; but the relaxing part of the command doesn’t quite reach him. After seeing the instruments that would be used during the operation, Daehyun can do just about anything except relax.

 

And just when the thoughts of requesting for a reschedule cross his mind, Daehyun’s orthodontist strolls through the door and bids him good morning with the perfect smile. A smile that Daehyun wants—will get.

 

At first his happiness was confusing to him – what’s so appealing about having metal clinging to his teeth? That isn’t attractive at all. If anything, it only makes his mouth look bigger.

 

But as the years flew by and he started to worry more about his appearance, Daehyun acknowledged his need to get braces. He’d acquired a particular interest in one of his best friends and began to notice that his looks were a bit…lacking in comparison.

 

Daehyun wants those braces—needs them—if he is to impress his crush of four years.

 

When they were twelve, his friend was cute—maybe even hot, but that was pushing his limits. Fourteen came and he got handsome. Sixteen’s here and now his friend is y in all forms of the word. Maybe not to others, but to Daehyun—his looks are to die for; he defines perfection. Always did, being the kid with the golden face (they even studied this).

 

Speaking of which, he’s supposed to meet said person an hour after the wires and brackets are safely attached to his crooked teeth. He blushes at the idea of smiling in front of Youngjae, who already has perfect, pearly teeth. What will he say when he sees them, the teal color lighting them up? Will he laugh and tell Daehyun he looks stupid (because Youngjae won’t hesitate to make fun of him despite their long friendship)?

 

Or will he smile and ruffle Daehyun’s hair as they travel to their favorite ice cream shop and grab something to kick off their day together? Would he tell Daehyun he can see his striking appearance each time he graces the world with a smile (because everything that Youngjae says is always so sophisticated)?

 

Daehyun grins to himself, watching silently as his orthodontist snaps on a pair of rubber gloves and asks if he was ready.

 

Of course he shakes his head innocently, which in turn earns a laugh from the adults in the room, but he’s getting braces after all. This concept’s scary, thanks to all the fearful thoughts shoved into his mind and all those horror movies involving teeth. People told him before he came into this facility for the first time that getting braces hurts terribly, but it isn’t until now that he starts to let their comments get to his head.

 

Unfortunately it’s too late for the black-haired teenager to back down or at least speak his nervous mind. His descent backwards speaks the words ‘it’s time’ but Daehyun doesn’t want it to be. He doesn’t want to lose his tongue, or much worse – die – because something malfunctions and he loses so much blood and just passes out. And dies.

 

But if his friends were here, they’d tell him – grow up, Jung, be a man.

 

Yeah, well, real men get scared less sometimes.

 

The teen spreads his lips apart, allowing his orthodontist room to slide in an odd plastic contraption. It’s extremely uncomfortable, just holding his lips apart and exposing his ugly teeth. The moment it’s in, Daehyun wants it out – but it’s, again, too late to turn back. So he inhales a deep breath through his nose and closes his eyes.

 

Right now he has a beast to conquer, and it doesn’t matter that it’s metal in his mouth.

 

—

 

“Oh, my baby!” His mother exclaims once she sees him tumble from the back room and groan to the orthodontist about the uncomfortable tightness in his mouth. There’s something foreign on his teeth, and somehow his lips and tongue can’t stay away from the new metal. He finds it annoying—the way his tongue instantly darts for the brackets to coat them in saliva. The tingling feeling in his gums that means the wires are set to working their magic doesn’t exactly help either. Daehyun now understands what Junhong means when he says the first few days would be extremely uncomfortable. “Let me see those teeth!” Once he’s within arms’ reach, she begins pinching at his cheeks and making him smile wide.

 

Secretly Daehyun is thanking the heavens that he’s survived that thirty-minute hell, but as he watches his mother marvel at the new accessory adorning his teeth – he wonders if he’s gonna endure this every day. The teen would have preferred to sit through the procedure all over again rather than suffer his mother’s cooing.

 

Thankfully, however, her cooing is cut short when his orthodontist suddenly pulls her away from his face and drags her into the back where he’d once been. The door shuts quietly and then Daehyun is left on his own.

 

His first thoughts are to sit down, but sitting is boring to him and he wants to see Youngjae now. Sure they scheduled to meet at three and it’s only two o’clock, but they haven’t seen each other in a week—and for the two, that’s quite a long time.

 

Daehyun feels his lips twitching upward when thoughts of seeing his best friend flit across the planes of his mind, but he tries to will the smile away because there are other mothers around. Staring into space and smiling isn’t exactly normal.

 

The boy coughs awkwardly, twitching his head sideways to remove the bangs from his eyes. His lips feel odd, like they’re protruding too far from his face and stretching his lips. And, damn it all, his tongue will not stay away from the stupid brackets!

 

Just when he wants to get up and tell his mother to screw paying for this whole thing and to make the people take them off, he feels his vibrate and jumps. It was his phone, of course. The women in the room look to him with scowls upon their faces, as though silently reprimanding him for even having a phone. He’s sixteen, he’s allowed to socialize during the summer—to hell with what they thought.

 

Daehyun stands quickly and pulls the phone out from his pocket. Message.

 

Pineapple Face:

what do you think we should do today?

2:01pm

 

Daehyun smiles wide, remembering now that they have been talking almost all day. Youngjae texts first – most of the time – but today is different. Today Daehyun greets him with the usually playful insult, thus beginning their long conversations. He enjoys that, receiving good morning texts (even though it’s usually well past noon when he reaches consciousness).

 

But back to the question, what can they do today? Usually their play dates would consist of walking to the nearest wi-fi hotspot and going at Starcraft for hours on end.

 

And quite honestly Daehyun wants to go with this option, but something about this outing isn’t quite the same as the others. He’s the one who shot the idea out there – that he doesn’t want to stay huddled in front of the screen all the time, though being close to Youngjae is really nice.

 

Daehyun’s the one who (kinda) asked him out, saying that’d he really wants to hit downtown Busan and go game shopping, or something to that effect. He doesn’t want to just go play video games with Youngjae all day, but rather take a trip to some food place too and, well, eat something.

 

He isn’t sure whether or not he’s bringing romance into it, but Daehyun kinda wants it to be more romantic than brotherly, if you will. So, as he sits back to think of a reply, the door opens and his mother walks out smiling with a yellow slip in her hand.

 

“Thank you,” she turns back before completely walking away from the orthodontist’s door and signaling that it was time to go. “Ready, son?” She asks when he stands up. She seems to have calmed down since her outburst when he reappeared. The teen nods silently and follows behind his mother as they exit the orthodontist’s office.

 

When they get into the car, his mother makes him look at her and smile again. Quite frankly, it’s annoying that she won’t shut up about the braces, but the woman is his mother. She has the right to be inquisitive and demanding at this point.

 

Thankfully once she’s done a minute later, Daehyun has the opportunity to return the focus to his options concerning Youngjae’s question. He’s torn between wanting it to be a date date and just hanging out with his old pal. He stares down at the white screen, his thumbs hovering over the letter on the keyboard. What can he say?

 

Pineapple Face:

cod co-op? ur place? ;p

2:09pm

 

Daehyun wants to say yes, since Call of Duty is one of his favorite games, but again—he’s torn (and hungry). “That Youngjae?” His mother asks knowingly, her eyes focused on the lane in front of her.

 

He smiles lightly, “How’d you know?”

 

The noise she makes is like a crossover of a snort and a scoff. “I wasn’t born yesterday, hon.” Then she looks out the window to make sure no one’s passing before switching lanes. “Besides, you two have been texting all morning. Eager to go out already?”

 

He isn’t gonna lie, because he’s practically bouncing with giddiness on the inside – ready to see Youngjae again. So he nods, “Yeah,” and then trails off. “Kinda…”

 

“But…?” His mother quirks a brow, completely aware that there was more on the tip of his tongue.

 

Daehyun chuckles softly. “But,” he continues with a sheepish grin, “I’m torn between the options of just going to a café and playing Starcraft for hours or actually going out somewhere.  I mean, we always play video games and—don’t get me wrong, it’s never not been fun…”

 

“But you want to do something more, don’t you?” She finishes for him once again, because she’s a more and it’s apparent she’s gone through this situation before. Daehyun nods, and it turns out that he was right. “I was like that,” she murmured. Her son snorts and rolls his eyes. “After we started dating, your father and I used to go out on little play dates like you and Jae.”

 

“Oh God, Mom, really?” Daehyun cringes inwardly. His mother always tells stories about her youth or when she was “Daehyun’s age.” But he has to admit some of them are kinda interesting when they aren’t so sappy.

 

“Yes, really,” she nods with the tiniest of smiles. “It was always a trip to that old noodle shop downtown and then we’d go back to his apartment and curl up on the couch for hour-long reruns of SNL Korea.”

 

The teen bursts into laughter. “Saturday Night Live?! They still had that in back then?” His mother responds that even Gag Concerts existed in the early nineties

 

“But when it got cold outside, we’d visit the rink mid-city to go ice-skating.” She pauses, smiling dreamily and sighing, “Your dad would always buy the biggest cup of hot chocolate and we’d share it. He would call every day and ask what I wanted to do, and I would always be torn between going ice skating and sharing hot coco or sitting on the couch and laughing till we cried.”

 

“So what’d you do?” He asks after a moment of silence, while the cold air blows into their faces to keep them from dying in the terrible heat. It’s the middle of summer, mind you. His mother is silent momentarily, then with a hint of distance in her voice:

 

“Both.” Daehyun stares at her for God knows how long before asking what she means. “We did both things in one day. Now that I think about it, the activities sort of became our pastime. We started going skating, and then when the sun got lower and we were done being out for the day—we’d eat takeout for dinner and watch comedies until one of us had to leave.” As she explains, Daehyun’s confusion lessens. His mother goes on, “What I’m trying to get at here is that you don’t always have to stay inside and play shooter games. Go out, be a kid—be social with your friends and do something.” Daehyun lets that sink in. Then, like the nagging mother he knows best, she adds, “You could lose a few pounds anyway. Your cheeks are starting to get—”

 

“‘A little fluffy,’ I know, Mom,” Daehyun flares his nostrils, watching the road quietly.

 

She laughs lightly and reaches over to ruffle his hair, “I love you, Dae-baby.” It’s almost instinct to Daehyun to lean against the softness of her palm, because that’s the loving hand he knows best.

 

“Love you, too, Mom.” He gives a light nod before she pulls away, and then they’re pulling into the lot to their apartment complex.

 

They enter quietly, with his mother heading to the kitchen to greet his father and prepare dinner – and him keeping a straight path, setting the course to his room. Of course, his father stops him before he can make it up the five steps that lead to the back, but he honestly the boy doesn’t mind because he knows this is about his braces.

 

Daehyun swivels back, retracing his steps but making a small turn into the kitchen. He greets his father with a small nod and immediately flashes a signature grin. His father approves with a pat on the back and says he likes the color.

 

When he manages to slip past his father’s curious eyes, the teenager immediately retreats to his lair of a bedroom. It usually serves as his haven when he’s had enough of his parents and brother, the one place where he can sit down relax and simply click at the buttons on his old model joystick. Seeing all of his electronics stacked and lined perfectly on his shelf comforts him as he walks in vaguely reminds him of Youngjae—whose room is nearly identical. Shutting the door, Daehyun scratches at his nape tiredly and drags himself across the carpet to his computer desk.

 

His room is actually quite plain; save for the vast amount of video games and books and comics and other cool technology. Take all that out and it’s just a dull bedroom. His stuff adorns the shelves above and around his desk and TV set. The only other pieces of furniture in his room are a double bed as the focal point, two nightstands on both sides, and a dresser. There’s also a window that supplies light in the mornings, placed right above his headboard.

 

The boy’s teeth are still tingling from having the braces on, and they feel as though they’re going to fall out if he dares touch them. So he refrains and simply stares at the picture of him and Junhong and Youngjae with three other really close friends. They’re all standing in front of a soccer field, having just lost their school’s first ever championship game. He smiles something wide, followed by a simple flutter of his heart flutters flesh and bone.

 

Daehyun remembers that day like the back of his hand. It had been scorching hot out—a terrible omen for Kim Himchan’s glorious, pale skin—but the rest of them were too tired to care anymore. The entire team was sweating like pigs, they were all exhausted, and he didn’t know about anyone else—but he was sure as hell hungry. Aside from the hunger and the sweat, images of everyone racing toward Youngjae running across his brain. They run to him excitedly, tossing him up on Jong Up’s shoulders like they had actually won, high-fiving him cheerfully despite their loss.

 

He used to be the team’s worst player, the one screw up they didn’t need for anything else but to supply water. He used to slip on dry grass trying to kick a ball to Daehyun at practice, or accidentally throw the ball in the wrong direction before a play—the worst was that terrible time when he got the ball and ran to the opponent’s goal to score.

 

But then one day Youngjae came to him, sobbing about his skills, or really the lack thereof. In the end the discouraged boy got dragged to an empty field and they practiced for hours. Youngjae got a lot better, to point where he was allowed to play again. The championship was a big disappointment for the team, though. Daehyun kicked the ball to him and he went for the point. He would’ve made it had the opposing team’s goalie not swat the ball away in the last second.

 

Everyone at the game was still proud of him for trying.

 

At that point Daehyun figured out he might’ve fallen in love, because no matter where they were he clung to his buddy like a leech. The best part of the night was after the game—the secret smiles they shared, biting into the same slice of pizza because it was too large for one and laughing at all the memories the team made over the season. Nobody knew it, since they were crouched in a booth in the corner of the tiny pizzeria, but—Daehyun had his arm wrapped around Youngjae’s waist the entire time.

 

He doesn’t even remember how it happened, but it did—his arm coiled its way around the younger’s waist like they were together. And if his memory serves him right, Youngjae scooted closer—like he was okay with it, comfortable with Daehyun’s fingers brushing ever so slightly against his upper thigh.

 

Me:

;] im hungry

2:15pm

 

Me:

lunch first?

2:15pm

 

There’s a knock at his door, then his mom enters quietly. “Did you text Youngjae back yet?”

 

Daehyun smiles and nods, “Y-Yeah—just sent it.” She looks as though she wants to know what he replied. “I asked if he wanted to grab some grub.” His phone rumbles.

 

Pineapple Face:

:P ur always hungry

2:16pm

 

Pineapple Face:

but lunch is fine ;3

i’ve been craving a burger for a while, u?

2:16pm

 

Daehyun smiles, and he can faintly hear Youngjae saying that in the back of his head. Recently the boy’s been infatuated with American burgers and fried chicken from the local American food place down the street. “He says he wants a burger.”

 

“Make sure you have some money,” his mother notes as Daehyun moves closer to his dresser. His wallet’s in his pant pocket, and he’s got enough cash for exactly one meal, so technically he’s ready to go. The question, however, was whether or not he wanted to lug his laptop all over. He isn’t sure if they’ll stop by the game café for a quick round, but it’ll be safe to bring it just in case, right? The boy does a mental shrug before swiveling to face his mother, who’s waiting for him. “Why don’t you ask if he can sleepover tonight? If he just got back from Seoul, he should still have a suitcase full of outfits.”

 

He doesn’t think twice about texting him. They haven’t had a sleepover since…he can’t even remember when but he knows it was over a month ago.

 

Me:

sleepover? bought new games

one has co-op

2:18pm

 

—

 

“Show me the games,” he hears after Youngjae’s opens the door and immediately flops onto his bed. Daehyun chuckles at the sight of the younger oozing with physical exhaustion. He imagines Youngjae’s grandfather making him do thousands of chores during his trip.

 

Jae’s wearing his beanie again today; Daehyun loves it. It’s the thick black one that really accentuates his lighter brown curls. Usually the boy wears them to cover the mess underneath, but the older likes to snag it off his head when he’s distracted. Sometimes if Youngjae’s too focused on the game, Daehyun will absentmindedly run his fingers through the boy’s soft locks.

 

“Nice to see you, too,” he stands and falls onto the bed as well, sprawling across the younger’s back with a loud grunt. Youngjae whines, wiggling underneath him and commenting that Daehyun has gotten heavier.

 

“Who said you could get fat without me, huh?” he muffles into the pillow, though the question comes out slightly different. The older boy squirms from atop his back and shrugs almost innocently.

 

The pair usually meets up at a park halfway to Daehyun’s apartment (or Youngjae’s, however people want to view it) before trekking to a bus stop that takes them to the café. But today is slightly different. Today their first priority is not to play but to eat, so Youngjae bikes to his house instead. He carries with him a pack of clothes fit for an overnight stay.

 

At first Daehyun doesn’t think changing is necessary, but after catching Youngjae’s figure riding down the hill a few hundred feet away—wearing a really nice beige cardigan and some jeans (and those obnoxious yellow shoes)—he rethinks the notion and scrambles to find something better. Casual clothing it was.

 

He’s a bit self-conscious because, hell, everything Youngjae wears seems to fit him. But all Daehyun can forage—that’s clean—is a U-neck with the denim shirt and a pair of jeans. The combat boots kinda help, since Youngjae compliments them with smile of approval. But still, Daehyun has drilled into his head that he’s overdone the outfit. So—he’s highly self-conscious.

 

“I eat when I want,” Daehyun teases lightly, rolling off Youngjae’s back and onto his mattress. The younger’s head lifts so that they’re making eye contact. He smiles lazily.

Daehyun pokes his cheek, earning a threatening nip at his finger. He scrunches his nose before moving over to his television, where the two newest additions to his assortment of games rest. The brunet picks up the both of them, tossing the cases over to his best friend. They land next to his hands, making Youngjae raise up in curiosity.

 

“These it?” He grins, making Daehyun’s heart pick up momentarily. Daehyun loves his smile, especially when it reaches up to his eyes. It makes his lips tingle sometimes, and he doesn’t even know what the feeling is supposed to mean—but he likes it. And he also gets this rush up his spine, but only when there’s skin-on-skin contact. They only really touch each other when they’re playing video games.

 

“Wow, you bought XIII-2?” Daehyun blinks momentarily, realizing he was off in his own world. “I wanted this one so bad. Mom wouldn’t let me get it—too expensive. The first one was amazing.”

 

“We played it together, you dope,” he purses his lips. “Remember,” he continues, “We managed to get it done in three nights, and it took us a whole afternoon to beat the final boss.”

 

“I heard the bosses on this one are harder,” the younger mentions, the spine of the green material. It’s then that he realizes it still has the plastic encasing it. “Have you played it yet?” Daehyun strolls over and sits close, so close that their arms are touching and he can feel Youngjae’s warmth radiating even through his thick V-neck.

 

“N-No,” he stutters with a quick exhale of sorts. “I, um, I wanted to wait to play it…” How is he supposed to say this without coming off wrong…? Youngjae’s gaze is on him, too, so it doesn’t particularly boost his confidence. “I mean—I didn’t want to play it without you. I know how much you’ve talked about it and I figured we could switch turns and, um…” Youngjae grins, nudging him with an elbow. Daehyun chuckles, which turns into full-blown laughter, as he releases a breath he doesn’t even realize he’s holding.

 

“Thanks for keeping me in mind,” it comes out a borderline-whisper, barely audible as they stare down at Lightning Farron, fully suited in her battle armor. The cover glistens in the light as Youngjae shifts in his hand. The laughter fades and thing revert back to a comfortable silence that Daehyun thinks he may like. Suddenly Youngjae scoots back on the bed and grabs for the second game, probably something only he had heard of.

 

“I’ve always wanted to play Portal,” he snorts airily with a faint smile directed at the game cover. “You don’t have the first one…”

 

“I know the basic storyline,” Daehyun taps the case lightly. Before Youngjae can utter a word, his stomach speaks for him—growling the loudest they both’ve ever heard in their lifetimes. The older boy bursts into laughter, falling back onto the mattress as his best friend cringes forward in embarrassment. He can still feel his empty stomach twisting layers down, rumbling in plea for something edible.

 

Daehyun holds his stomach because he’s laughing so hard at a red-faced Youngjae, but the feeling is mutual because whatever hunger the ladder is experiencing is the same thing he faces as well. After another minute of giggles, he finally sits up and readjusts himself. Youngjae is still as silent as ever, so he places a hand on the boy’s shoulder and says, “It’s alright. We can talk about it over food.”

 

Without sparing a second glance the boys eagerly rise from Daehyun’s bed and prepare to head out the door.

 

They travel by means of Youngjae’s rusty old bike, with Daehyun sitting on the handlebar—despite his mother’s constant warnings—and him peddling. The ride is quite comfortable even though the only thing keeping his face away from the concrete is a bar of metal.

 

The boys ride all the way down the road before reaching a main street. Daehyun shifts in front of Youngjae, whose chin is resting on his shoulder so he can see ahead. Their hands are close, but neither has the guts to move them apart—besides, it’s enjoyable.

 

People hustle and bustle by both in their cars and on foot, topped by the busy street’s noise. The older boy feels his friend remove his head from his shoulder to look both ways before pushing off his foot and pushing hard to keep the bicycle upright. Wind rushes through Daehyun’s hair as they pick up a bit of speed; Youngjae puts his head back where it was, and the previously empty feeling on his shoulder is filled once more. “God, you’re heavy!” the younger grunts out, voiced fettered by the force he’s using to get them going.

 

Daehyun merely laughs, “Am not.” He feels Youngjae bite down on his clothed shoulder. “Did you just bite me?”

 

“That I did,” he replied easily, and Daehyun could hear the smirk in his voice.

 

“I’m gonna kill you for that,” he states matter-of-factly, feeling his heart beat a little more clearly now. Youngjae snorts—he can feel this, too—and suddenly the bike is slowing down. McDonalds is at the next right.

 

“Well, do me a favor and do it after we eat,” he chuckles, “I’m starvin’ back here.”

 

“I know—your stomach can’t get any louder.” Youngjae parks the bike right in front of the window, first allowing Daehyun his leave before getting off himself. “So what do you want?” he asks when it’s their turn at the register. His friend hums with concentration, furrowing his brow up at the menus and muttering things in English, stuff. (That’s another thing he decides he wants to rack up on to impress Youngjae—the English.)

 

“Well,” he switches back to native, and Daehyun swears his heart flutters as the syllables roll of his tongue with ease. “You said you wanted a burger. I guess I’ll get one, too.” They end up ordering the same thing as agreed—a double bulgogi burger and a giant side of fries to share. Daehyun reaches behind him to retrieve his wallet. His chest hollows almost immediately afterward, and a mere numbing pain remains when the harsh reality sets in.

 

His wallet isn’t in his back pocket.

 

“Damn,” he curses quietly, biting his lip and shifting forward to check his other pockets.

 

“What’s wrong?” Youngjae’s already digging through his wallet, pulling out his credit card. Daehyun has one, too, but he rarely uses it. Cash proves to be less of a hassle.

 

“My wallet—” He pats his thighs to check the front. “I-I can’t find my wallet.”

 

“Did you check all your pockets?” Youngjae’s hand falls to his side when Daehyun comes up empty in all categories.

 

“Just did,” Daehyun sighs heavily. “I think I may have left them in my old jeans back home.” Youngjae puffs his cheeks lightly, his face stoic in appearance. Daehyun looks to the cashier and tells her to forget about his order and just make one for his friend. She’s off doing her job before Youngjae can protest, leaving him confused.

 

“I could’ve paid for yours,” Youngjae purses his lips.

 

“I’ll just steal some fries, it’ll be fine,” Daehyun waves it off with a wide smile. Right then and there his friend’s annoyed façade fades and he gives in. The older boy chuckles because he loves to watch Youngjae give in and listen to him. Not that Daehyun’s ever been demanding, but their skirmishes usually consist of him rising as the victor.

 

“Wait,” the younger’s eyes narrow and he squints at his friend. Daehyun’s mouth widens upward in amusement, knowing that he’s been caught by the way Youngjae’s staring at his mouth. “Wait a minute.” Youngjae’s eyes widen when he realizes something’s off about Daehyun’s appearance. His outfit’s fine and he looks the same. But that smile…

 

The order comes back hot, with an empty McDonald’s cup and a receipt to accompany the tray. Youngjae doesn’t bother bowing because he’s trailing right behind Daehyun, who’s already stolen his cup and gone to get their drink. “You got braces!” He exclaims in surprise.

 

Daehyun falters momentarily but recovers even faster by closing his mouth. “Y-Yeah…” he mutters after a minute’s pause. As soon as Youngjae’s fully in front of Daehyun, he orders the boy to smile. “Aish, Jae—wait a minute, would ya?”

 

“No, dummy,” he leans forward on his arms, already pulling at his cheeks to get Daehyun to open his mouth more. “I haven’t seen you in a week and you don’t even call to tell me you got braces? Are you crazy?”

 

Daehyun groans. “What are you, my mother? I just got ‘em today, calm your . I wanted it to be a surprise anyway.”

 

“I missed by a long shot then.”

 

“Because you’re so slow sometimes. How could you not see them before?” Youngjae shrugged. “I kept smiling the whole time!” With yet another sigh of defeat, he leans back again. Daehyun snorts and continues down their soda.

 

“Whatever, meanie.” He picks up a fry with a huff, tossing it into his mouth.

 

“Mmh!” Daehyun stretches his hand out to signal something, but by then the fry is in Youngjae’s mouth, invading his senses. He swallows his drink, crying, “That’s—!” But before he says it, Youngjae’s flailing in his seat, cursing and sticking his tongue out. The scorching hot fry falls back onto his tray. “…Hot.”

 

“No , Sherlock!” He spares his best friend a glare as he swipes away his soda and in. The sound of ice resonates with Daehyun’s ears and he laughs again, covering his mouth.

 

Youngjae shakes the drink, only to feel ice rather than liquid. “You drank all my soda!” The older boy laughs even harder, additionally taking notice of Youngjae’s chubby rosy cheeks. “Yah! That’s not funny!” He rises from his seat and scurries to the soda dispenser to refill his drink, grumbling as Daehyun claps. Youngjae flops down in his seat a second later, fixing his beanie and groaning in pleasure once cola splashes at his tongue. When he pulls away from the straw he sighs heavily.

 

“I love you.” Daehyun states, and Youngjae doesn’t know whether his best friend is kidding or serious. The older hides behind his hands, though, squeezing his eyes shut. But he misses the latter faltering and doesn’t get to see the blush on his cheeks get ever darker.

 

“Yeah, sure you do.”

 

“Yah, don’t be such a sour puss.”

 

“Yah,” it’s spoken to imitate that country drawl Daehyun does when he’s feeling lazy. Honestly the older thinks it’s cute, because Youngjae with an accent is absolutely adorable. “What did it feel like?”

 

“Uncomfortable and awkward,” he answers immediately. “I had to keep my mouth open for forty-five minutes just for them to strap a ty piece of wire to my teeth.”

 

“Must ,” Youngjae blows lightly on a fry. Daehyun gives him this look, as though he’s trying to say ‘really? really?’ Of course the one with the food covers his mouth to laugh.

 

“Oh, but it does,” Daehyun quirks his brow, eyeing the burger warming its spot on the tray. “And my teeth keep tingling like they wanna fall out or something.” After a tiny hum from his friend, he adds softly, “Braces are weird.”

 

Youngjae manages to murmur under his breath, “brace face.”

 

“Call me that again and I’ll steal your burger.” Youngjae snorts at this, already going for said food item. He picks up the burger just as Daehyun snatches a few fries. He tugs at the wrapping paper, watching his friend eye hungrily. He catches Daehyun’s eye for a moment, holding the burger mere inches from his lips.

 

Quickly the older averts his gaze, and instead resorts to staring down at the fries he’s holding. Youngjae takes a tiny bite, experimental in nature, and hums. “You can’t steal it anymore.” The look Daehyun gives him implies he wants to laugh, but somehow his pride won’t let him. “braceface.” Then the younger bursts into laughter, while the older merely eyes him and the burger.

 

Youngjae goes for another bite. Just when he expects Daehyun to reply, s raises up and reaches across the table. His teeth, tingling because they’re not used to the pressure, dig firmly into the other side of Youngjae’s bulgogi burger.

 

It hurts like hell, but he keeps a straight face.

 

The younger stares in astonishment, mouth still attached to the very same burger.

 

Daehyun’s eyes are piercing and intense, locked with Youngjae’s while his teeth sink deeper into the meat. Deep inside he’s screaming in pain, because his damned teeth feel like they’ll break off if he even breathes. Luckily his portion of the burger is completely separated from the original, so he pulls away casually. Slowly the brunet chews, keeping his eyes locked on a stunned and confused Youngjae, who’s about ready to let the burger slip through his fingers.

 

“Y-Yah!” He blushes deeply.

 

The edges of his friend’s lips curl upward in amusement. “I told you if you didn’t stop teasing, I’d steal your burger.”

 

Youngjae gasps, “You ate off my burger!”

 

“Yeah, I thought we just established that.”

 

“—And it was a big chunk, too!”

 

“It was not—stop exaggerating.” At the sputtering response he purses his lips and looks down at the gaping hole chomped out of the food. Daehyun holds up a finger, having rethought the notion. “Damn, that really is a big piece.”

 

Youngjae swats at Daehyun’s outstretched hand and quickly pulls the tray of food to himself. “Just for that, you can’t have any more fries!”

 

Daehyun gapes rudely, before scoffing. “That’s not even fair!”

 

“That wasn’t the case to you when you onnom’ed my frickin’ burger!” Youngjae retorts, shoving a fry into his mouth. Daehyun stares for a moment, watching the blush draping across his best friend’s cheeks. He looks too cute for his own good, glaring down at what remained of his meal. The older smiles in amusement, earning a confused glance from his friend. “Shut up.” The smile fades immediately.

 

“I didn’t even say anything!” the older stutters, raising his arms innocently.

 

Youngjae pauses, chewing slowly and rubbing extraneous sauce from his fingers. “You were thinking.”

 

“I can’t do that anymore?” Daehyun snatches a fry and grins mischievously when the other boy’s eyes narrow.

 

“No,” the younger chuckles, “You get all creepy when you think.” He swallows some of his drink. “Now stop eyeing my fries. I’m about to drown in your saliva.”

 

“Hurry up and you won’t have to worry about the fries anymore.”

 

It doesn’t take much longer for him to finish his meal, thanks to Daehyun and his mouth. Since he’s been so greedy, the younger forces him to throw away all the trash while he refills his cup. Daehyun walks out first, having thrown the remainder of Youngjae’s meal in the bin by the door. The latter boy follows right behind, throwing his leg over with they reach the bike.

 

“Where to next?” The older asks and absently takes the drink from Youngjae, who’s occupied with actually moving the bike. He pauses to think, but comes up short because he never thought past getting lunch.

 

“Dunno,” he says as they back away from the bike stand. As he forces the pedal forward, the gears of the bike slowly begin to set in motion. Daehyun’s hands appear atop his seconds later, because this is the tricky part of getting back on the road. They’re soft but cold, by the way.

 

“You know what a joyride is, right?”

 

“Mm.”

 

“We should take one.” The older suggests, turning back slightly to steal a glance at his friend. Youngjae’s focused on the pavement ahead of them. Riding a bike on the main streets proves to be a lot harder than he expects, even though he’s done it plenty of times and he knows these paths. But eventually the question sinks in and he nods against Daehyun’s back.

 

He doesn’t bother asking for directions to their next destination because nothing was set in stone. It’s unlikely Daehyun knows where to go either, so they ride through green lights on the streets like they’ve no place to be and enjoy the moment.

 

---

 

 

i'm gonna make this into a twoshot instead of making you guys wait for the entire thing.