In Seunghyun’s mind, The Blue doesn’t quite fit the criteria to be classified as a “seedy little bar” but it’s definitely not one of the classy ones either. It seems to be a secretive, secluded place where a bunch of eclectic people come to gather; one of those bars—along with its patrons—that seem to only exist in movies. There’s a close-knit atmosphere, though it’s not exactly crowded.  The walls are mostly bare, save for a large wall beside the makeshift stage. On this wall, Seunghyun notices a large collage of pictures, some with writing, some without, some yellowed with age, some recent.

He’s embarrassingly early, and he’s silently praying that he doesn’t run into Jiyong so he won’t have to explain himself. He’s changed twelve times before coming—that’s eleven more outfits than he’d like to admit to, and he’d quickly deny it, but the pile of clothes left abandoned on his floor would betray him. He’s not quite sure why he’s so uneasy, or why little things like the way his breath smells or how his clothes fit are so important to him right now. Nor is he entirely sure why he has some sort of unexplained an innate desire to please Jiyong.

 After Seunghyun casts a quick glance around the dimly lit bar, he shuffles to a table in the back and off to the side, as to go unnoticed. He earns a few smiles from, who he assumes to be, some of the regulars, but is left well enough alone. He turns his attention back to the photo collage that is now only a few feet away.  A picture of a young looking Jiyong catches his eye. There’s a sparkle in the boy’s eye and his face is a little more round, but there’s no mistaking that smile. Admittedly, he’s a little jealous of the other boy in the photo, but he’s too caught up in the smile that young Jiyong gives him to care much.

“Wow, you’re early,” a voice cuts into his thoughts, and the photograph of Jiyong’s smile is quickly replaced by a very real, very gummy one.

“I, uh- yeah,” Seunghyun stutters. He can feel heat rushing across his cheeks as Jiyong pushes him over in the booth and sits beside him. “I just always freak out about being late to things, so I accidentally end up being early,” he lied. Seunghyun was actually one of the least punctual people on the face of the planet. Unless, of course, said event was something that he was truly excited for. The problem was, Seunghyun didn’t get excited for much anymore. He’d lost a few chances with dates since he’d been unforgivably late, and his excuses weren’t up to par.

“I’m nervous,” Jiyong sighs, changing the subject. He flashes Seunghyun a shy smile.

“Why? You’ll do fine!” Seunghyun encourages rather lamely. He notices his own palms are sweaty—something that hasn’t happened since he had a high school crush. He wants to run to the bathroom, splash cool water across his face and tell himself he’s being overly ridiculous, of course Jiyong doesn’t like him more than just friends and he’s an idiot for hoping so in the first place.

“I’m just nervous because there’s someone here I’m sorta trying to impress,” Jiyong shrugs, biting his lip, though he’s unable to hold back a sly smile as his eyes flick up to meet Seunghyun’s.

And Seunghyun is done for. He’s lost because there’s the glimmer of hope he’s been looking for. Maybe he’s interpreting things wrong and he’s reading into things too much, but maybe he doesn’t care. He’s here, exactly where he wants to be, his mind racing a million miles an hour and his heartbeat matching in perfect time. Jiyong invited him here. Jiyong wants him here and, what’s more, wants to impress him. Jiyong, the mysterious boy who has Seunghyun tripping over himself and embarrassed at his own thoughts. The boy who always manages to give Seunghyun’s brain the perfect nudge in the right direction. Jiyong. They’ve met twice, but Seunghyun already knows he’d be lost without him. Sure, he’s rushing things, even if it’s just with his thoughts, but it really is true. Jiyong has inspired everything good in his life and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Jiyong’s soft laugh cuts into Seunghyun’s thoughts, making him aware that he’s been sitting with his mouth agape for the past few minutes and looking nothing short of an idiot. But, thankfully, Jiyong only laughs and stands.

“I’d better go warm up,” he says, a smile still decorating his face.

“Be good,” Senghyun replies, attempting a smile. “I mean, you’ll be good… you-you’ll play well.” Jiyong walks away with another laugh, and Seunghyun can’t help but roll his eyes in frustration at himself. He wants to leave in order to spare the pain of embarrassing himself further, but he doesn’t want to owe Jiyong an explanation later. That aside, he’s eager to see Jiyong’s performance and, if he left, there was a good chance he wouldn’t be extended an invitation again.

Instead, he opts to solve the problem by ordering a strong drink and downing it quickly. The strong liquid burns his throat a little, but its effects are less than satisfactory, so he orders another. Time becomes a fluid thing, the minutes leaking into each other and, before long, the lights dim and the stage is lit up. It juts out just barely, allowing the performer to be closer to the patrons. Seunghyun’s mind is a little fuzzy from his rapid alcohol intake, but he straightens his posture and puts his drink aside when he sees Jiyong walk out on the stage. The spotlight casts a slight glow on the slender boy’s features as he busies himself with adjusting the mic to the right height. He smiles shyly out at his audience as he sits and gives his guitar a warm up strum.

“I’m performing an original piece tonight,” he says, speaking into the microphone, still grinning widely. “And I’d like to thank my friend who helped me find the words to write it,” he looks over in Seunghyun’s direction and winks. Seunghyun doesn’t have time to react—alcohol aside—because Jiyong is already sliding his slender fingers down the strings of the guitar.

There’s something about hearing a performance on stage that makes the whole thing sweeter. Seunghyun sits, mouth agape, as each of the soft notes float towards him. Each chord is punctuated with the soft sound of fingers sliding across strings, and Seunghyun notices that Jiyong is swaying softly in time with his music. He tilts his head up closer to the mic, glancing over at Seunghyun once more before opening his mouth to sing.

My heart is the tree on which you chose to carve our names
It’s permanent but it hurts all the same
You’re always there, even when you’re not
And somehow I just can’t bear that thought
Not after what I’ve done to you,
Not after what I’ve done
The dirt on this spade is my last serenade
And it’s dedicated to you
I’ll kiss you goodnight
Goodnight

The applause is scattered, but Seunghyun can’t even seem to move his hands to add to the noise. The sounds of Jiyong’s voice are still echoing in his mind and it’s almost as though if he moves, he loses the music and he’s back into reality. Things seem simpler, more poetic— beautiful, even—in the world Jiyong weaves with his music. It’s a place he regrets leaving.

Chatter starts back up in the bar as Jiyong bows his way off the stage. Seunghyun turns his attention back to his unfinished alcohol, taking a quick shot to ease his transition back into reality.

“What did you think?” Jiyong’s soft voice surprises him enough to make him choke on the stinging liquid that’s halfway down his throat.

“Oh, my God,” he compliments, his words slurred slightly. He uses his wrist to wipe some remnants of alcohol from the corner of his mouth. “You’re like an angel,” he says, grinning dumbly and putting his hand on the side of Jiyong’s face. Something deep in his brain is recoiling in embarrassment, screaming at him to stop, but he’s had too much to drink and there’s no chance in hell he’s going to listen to that nagging voice.

Despite Seunghyun’s stupidity, Jiyong bites his lip and smiles all the same. “You’re referring to my music, right?” he asks with a small laugh. Seunghyun squints his eyes, taking a moment to process Jiyong’s meaning.

“Yeah,” he says slowly, though the intense gaze he’s giving Jiyong is definitely saying otherwise. His hand is resting comfortably on the back of Jiyong’s neck. “You were so good I forgot to clap,” he adds quickly.

“At least you seem to be enjoying yourself,”Jiyong says, glancing at the glasses that litter the table. He takes a small sip from one of the glasses before turning his attention back to Seunghyun. “How’s your book coming?”

“Really tily,” Seunghyun sighs. His filter is gone, and there’s no doubt in that one sane cavern of his mind that he’s going to say something he’ll regret in the morning. “I’m supposed to have a finished draft in a month, but I keep getting stuck. I keep getting stuck until I run into you,” He prods gently at Jiyong’s chest with his index finger. “I can always think clearer around you for some reason.” He gives a dopey smile and Jiyong leans his head back slightly, letting out a light laugh.

“Well, you’re not thinking too clearly right now,” he says. “Come on, let’s get you home. You’ve had enough for one night.” Jiyong helps him stand by slinging one of Seunghyun’s arms over his shoulders.

__

Seunghyun doesn’t remember the taxi ride home. In fact, he only assumes that they’ve taken a taxi home. He’s in bed and his house is dark when he opens his eyes. He lets out a sigh as his feet touch the floor. He’s still slightly inebriated, but not as badly as before, and he stumbles to the bathroom to get some water. As he reaches out to open his bathroom door, the door opens of its own accord, bathing Seunghyun in its soft glow. He squints a little, the light harsh on his tired eyes. When he can finally focus, he sees Jiyong standing there in his bathroom. He’s changed into a pair of Seunghyun’s sweats and one of his shirts. Jiyong is standing there. In his bathroom. In his clothes. Jiyong.

And, damn, he looks good.

“Wh- what?” he manages to stammer.

“I brought you home,” Jiyong says calmly shrugging. “I left my bike at The Blue. You don’t mind if I crash on the couch, do you? I’ll make breakfast and be out of your hair before you get sick of me, I promise.”

“No,” Seunghyun says, taking Jiyong’s wrist and leading him towards his bed. “You can’t sleep on the couch. Sleep on the bed, its comfier.”

Jiyong obediently crawls into the bed. “Where will you sleep?” he asks, pulling the covers up to his chin. He looks up at Seunghyun with big brown eyes.

“I can’t sleep just yet,” Seunghyun says. “But you go ahead and rest. I’ll be alright.” Seunghyun shuffles to his living room, blindly groping around for his notepad and pen in the darkness. He has Jiyong to himself for several hours, and he’s going to take advantage of the situation. Of course, he’s going to make sure he does it in a way that neither of them will regret in the morning. Ideas that pertain to the plot of his book aren’t the things that are flowing easily to his mind, but he has to change that. He has to write. There’s no other way around it.

When he successfully locates his notepad, he shuffles back to the room, returning to his bed, and resting the pad on his knees as he begins to write. He writes and glances over at Jiyong every once and a while, studying his face, the way his eyelashes flutter, and of course wondering if this whole thing is a dream. But he writes. He writes for all he’s worth, and after a few minutes, the words are flowing to his pen with ease.

Jiyong shifts beside him in the bed. The unfamiliar second dip in the mattress is enough to make him cry out with desire. Jiyong scoots a little closer, nuzzling his head onto Seunghyun’s arm, and Seunghyun can barely make out the sentence Jiyong breathes groggily as his lips brush against Seunghyun’s arm.

“Thank you for coming tonight. It meant the world to me.”

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(A/N: Okay, so its been a little more than a week... I'm sorry! Also, I'm sorry chapters have been so short, I'm trying to make them longer. And to those of you who are here for the angst, stick with me, it's coming soon I swear!

Also, shoutout to Seungri for his brilliant new album [i'm just proud of my baby ok]! And to GD for being so humble and respectful even to artists younger than him [i'm talking about how he bowed to exo at kcon... ;u; i have no words] also his new album looks like its going to be bomb???? If you got to go to kcon, you're lucky and I'm a jealous sonofa, but I hope you are having/had a really great time!!

Anyways, thank you so much to everyone for your support so far, and I look forward to hearing more of your feedback!!)