Final

“Daehyun.”

Don't look up. Don't. Daehyun told himself, forcing his eyes to stay focused on the iPad in his hands instead of the man sitting down on the coffee table in front of him. He knew that tone of voice – Youngjae wanted something. He was always like this when he wanted something. That obnoxious, nasally stretched out 'Daehyuuuuuuun' had always annoyed him, especially when it was paired with those pouting lips and – Stop it, Daehyun. Just ignore him.

“Daehyun, I have to ask you a favor.”

Wow, what a surprise. He inwardly groaned. “What?” He murmured without taking his eyes off the iPad. Daehyun watched as the younger man reached forward and gently took the expensive electronic away. He blankly stared down at the space on his lap where the iPad originally was before Youngjae's voice broke him out of his thoughts.

“Are you admiring your crotch or-”

Daehyun finally looked up and met eyes with the man he called the devil and best friend. “What?” He raised an eyebrow and then Youngjae was laughing at him. He felt his lips twitch upwards ever so slightly before turning serious again. “What do you want?” He raised his leg and nudged the younger.

“Aww, don't be so mean.” Youngjae mocked pouted and Daehyun had to force himself to look away. Yep. There it is. He thought as he stared blankly at the TV behind Youngjae. That evil, soul pout. “You're hurting my feelings.”

“Hmm.” Daehyun pursed his lips. “I'm sure you'll survive.”

“You're such an , really.” Youngjae said with no real venom in his words. They'd always been like this. “So, my favor. . .” He trailed off for a moment and Daehyun knew it was either going to be something really serious or something he'd never agree to. That was the only reason Youngjae ever hesitated with him. “You know how my work is having this big New Years party, right?”

“Yes.” Daehyun nodded his head. “You've been talking about it since October, so-”

“I need to ask you a huge favor.” Youngjae shifted ever so slightly before meeting eyes with him. “My date backed out on me.” Oh . Daehyun forced his face to stay blank but he knew where this was going. “I was wondering if you'd be my date-”

“Youngjae, no way-”

“Just hear me out!” Youngjae quickly cut him off and continued. “Just as friends, alright? It's literally in two days and I can't find anyone else to go with.” Daehyun found that kind of hard to believe. Youngjae always had men falling all over him. Why was it just now he couldn't get a date for the party? He wasn't gay and Youngjae knew that. “Please, please, please-” Youngjae clapped his hands together. “I'll do anything you say!”

Daehyun let his head roll back before covering his face with his hands. “Why me?” He really didn't understand why Youngjae would even ask him to go to some kind of high fashion event. The only thing Daehyun knew about fashion was that socks and sandals didn't really go together – at least in Youngjae's opinion. Daehyun thought it was kind of cool.

“Because you're my best friend.”

“I'm not gay.”

“So?” Youngjae didn't bother to hide the irritation in his voice. “Are you afraid of people thinking you are or something? I said just as friends.”

“You know that's not it.” Maybe it was. Kind of. He was okay with Youngjae being gay, he really was. But, he wasn't gay and he didn't want people to think he was.

“Just as friends.” Youngjae repeated and gave him that adorable - no wait, that evil soul pout. And then he was in. There was no way he could deny Youngjae when he gave him that stupid face.

“Fine.” He forced himself not to smile when the younger let out a cheer and started repeatedly thanking him before getting up from the coffee table, holding Daehyun's iPad in his hand. “Can I have that back now?” Daehyun asked, motioning to the electronic.

“Nope.” Youngjae grinned before going towards his own bedroom, shutting the door behind himself, leaving Daehyun wondering why he'd ever allowed his best friend to move into the apartment with him.

Then again, he never really allowed it. Youngjae just showed up one day, threw his bags in and said 'I'm moving in' and who was Daehyun to say no? Especially when the younger shoved the ad he'd posted around in his face; the one asking for a roommate to help with bills. Yeah, that made it a little difficult to say no. The man sighed softly. He liked living with Youngjae. At least he did until the younger started bringing home men to stay the night.

Daehyun wondered how he'd never noticed before – that Youngjae was gay. They'd grown up together, hell, they'd both even had girlfriends and he'd never once thought anything was different about his best friend. It was irritating to know that he was one of the last to find out and the way he'd found out still made him turn red and his stomach do flips.

He covered his face in his hands and let out a soft groan. Daehyun had just gotten off work and all he'd been able to think about was what stupid movie he was going to watch with Youngjae – because Friday nights were always reserved for 'Bad Movie' night. The apartment was totally dark except for Youngjae's room and the door hadn't been shut, at least not all the way. Daehyun mindlessly made his way to Youngjae's room to let the younger know he was home. Needless to say, finding Youngjae with his mouth around some guy's was not what he'd been expecting.

He could still remember the look of surprise on Youngjae's face when he realized Daehyun was standing there.

Staring.

With his jaw hanging open.

And maybe a little bit .

Wait, no – Daehyun reached for the pillow beside himself and covered his face with it. This had happened almost four months ago and he still was constantly bothered by just the thought of it, sometimes leaving him sleepless at night or freezing. . . from the cold shower he'd needed to take to get his thoughts off of weird things.

That was why he didn't like living with Youngjae. Youngjae made him feel weird, he'd always made him feel weird but now it was different. A different kind of weird. Daehyun stood up from the couch and walked around the living room, picking up things as he walked towards the large windows. The city lights looked so bright tonight and he sighed softly. This whole date thing was a bad idea and he knew it.

He was a little interested, though. Youngjae talked so much about it, he'd found himself wondering what it would be like to actually meet these people, to kind of see into Youngjae's world a little bit more. It seemed like a totally different world compared to his own; he was just a simple accountant at a bank while Youngjae was an editor for some popular magazine. He started towards his bedroom before pausing. When was this party again? New Years. Two days. 48 hours.

Great.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Daehyun glanced at the mirror in the elevator, giving himself a quick look over, wondering if his friend would approve or not. It didn't matter, really, because there was no time to change anything now. The party was in less than an hour now.

“There you are!” Youngjae shouted as he opened the door. “Jesus Christ, I called you like five times-” He hurried over towards his best friend, his eyes focused on typing something on his phone. “I thought you had ditched me!”

“Sorry, I was getting ready.”

Youngjae looked up from his phone and finally met eyes with Daehyun, surprise quickly overtaking his face as he looked the older up and down. To say that Daehyun looked good would be an understatement. Youngjae had seen the older in suits before, of course but none of them fit him right. But this one – this one fit his body perfectly.

“Wow, you look hot.” The younger murmured before pursing his lips. “Lose the tie though.” Daehyun felt himself heating up when the younger man reached out and gently undid his tie and a few buttons. He was uncomfortable. Really uncomfortable and Youngjae was too close. So close that Daehyun thought he could count every single one of Youngjae's long eyelashes.

Yeah, this was definitely too close.

Daehyun backed away, clearing his throat and glancing down at the watch on his own wrist. “Isn't it about time for us to go?” He asked, trying to change the subject. He didn't miss the look of amusement that flashed on Youngjae's evil little face.

“Yeah.” Youngjae murmured giving him one quick look over before turning around to get his 'man bag' as Daehyun called it.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Daehyun didn't feel nervous but he thought he should as the taxi pulled up in front of a lush hotel. He glanced over at Youngjae before getting out, the younger following him after a couple of seconds. The two started towards the steps and Daehyun found himself watching Youngjae from the corner of his eyes. He knew Youngjae was nervous, it was written all over his face. He wondered why the younger was so nervous. Shouldn't he be used to things like this by now?

“Hey.” He called out. “Here.” Daehyun held out his arm when the younger looked towards him. Youngjae stared at his arm for a moment and then there was a smile on his lips before he hooked their arms together. It reminded Daehyun of the time when they'd gone to prom. He'd never planned on going to prom – it was overrated and a waste of time in his opinion. Youngjae had thought the total opposite about it. He'd planned and planned for it only to have his date back out on him.

Youngjae hadn't asked him to come but Daehyun couldn't stand the way his best friend had moped around that entire week before prom. The older ended up renting out some oversized tux and taking his friend. Almost like he'd done tonight. . .

Daehyun's steps paused for a moment and he glanced at Youngjae. “What?” Youngjae looked at him in surprise. The older shook his head and then they were walking again. Daehyun couldn't help but wonder if it was just a coincidence that both situations were so similar. He sighed. Of course it was. There was nothing behind this.

Almost as soon as they were inside the hotel, he could feel everyone's eyes on him. It was almost overwhelming to be around so many good looking and well dressed people. Daehyun watched as Youngjae linked their hands and guided him through the crowd, muttering something about finding his boss.

His hands are soft. Daehyun subconsciously noted as he let himself be guided. There were so many good looking people around but all he found himself staring at was Youngjae. He always looked good, of course he did, he was Yoo Youngjae after all – voted twice for best dressed in high school. Daehyun couldn't help but chuckle at that. Of course. But, tonight he looked especially handsome.

His black hair looked so smooth and soft that Daehyun almost found himself reaching out to touch it. Almost. He knew Youngjae would literally hit him upside the face if he actually did. He let himself admire the contrast between Youngjae's porcelain skin and the emerald green sweater he was wearing, only breaking out of his trance when he heard an unfamiliar voice greeting Youngjae.

He let his hand fall to his side as Youngjae moved to give the man a quick hug and then the attention was suddenly on him. “This is Daehyun.” Youngjae walked back towards him and hooked their arms together. “This is my boss, Himchan.”

Daehyun held out his hand and shook the older man's own. “How long have you two been together?” Himchan asked with a small smile on his lips.

Before Daehyun could even react, Youngjae had answered. “Since 9^th grade.” Daehyun furrowed his brows as Himchan congratulated them for being together for so long but he didn't say anything. He didn't really know what to say. Technically, it wasn't a lie. They really had been friends since 9^th grade but Daehyun was certain that wasn't what Himchan meant. Did it even matter?

No. . . not really. It was kind of a nice feeling, actually. He'd always felt somewhat possessive and protective over Youngjae. He had always put those feelings off – telling himself they were wrong and inappropriate to feel, especially about another man. His best friend.

And he wasn't gay.

Right.

Daehyun almost laughed at himself and his own stupidity. He knew very well he was in denial – he was a grown man for 's sake. He let his eyes wander, taking in all the different couples. Straight, gay – everything but no one seemed to care. So, why should he? This wasn't that little bible belt town he and Youngjae had grown up in.

He was okay with being Youngjae's boyfriend, just for tonight.

- - - - - - - - - - -

The night was going okay, in Daehyun's opinion. It was kind of boring, actually. All Youngjae was doing was making connections and small talk with random people who the younger would occasionally whisper was 'super important'. It felt good to be outside and get some fresh air. Every single person Youngjae had introduced to him had automatically assumed they were a couple but neither had corrected them. It was like this silent mutual agreement – tonight they were a couple.

“Here.” Youngjae held out a glass of champagne for him to take.

"Thanks.” Daehyun murmured as he carefully took the glass into his hand, their fingers brushing. “About forty more minutes until new years.” The older man said as he looked down at the watch on his wrist while taking a small sip of the champagne. Youngjae nodded his head and then things were quiet for a while, neither really knowing what to say or do now that they were alone.

“Hey, Youngjae?”

“Hmm?” The younger man leaned against the railing, staring ahead at the city's beautiful skyline.

“It's been kind of fun.”

Youngjae looked towards him and smiled. “I'm glad.”

“Can I ask you something?” Daehyun didn't know why he was bringing this up, at least not right now. He continued when the younger nodded his head. “Why didn't you tell me? You know, about being gay.” It was safe to say, that wasn't what Youngjae was expecting.

Youngjae stared at him for a moment before sighing softly. “I was afraid you'd be mad at me or something.” He bit down onto his lower lip. “I didn't want you to hate me.”

“You're dumb.” Daehyun crossed his arms over his chest. “I could literally never hate you. Like, really, you could murder someone and you know what? I'm gonna help you hide the body. I would never hate you.” He subconsciously moved closer to Youngjae when a cold gust of wind passed by.

“I thought we wouldn't be spending new years together this year.” Youngjae admitted.

“Me too.” He glanced over at his best friend. “I know I joke a lot about you following me up here but I'm glad you did. I'd be really lonely without you.”

“I'm kind of glad you said that because I was considering finding another apartment. . .”

“What?” Daehyun quickly turned so he was fully facing his best friend. “Why?”

Youngjae wrapped his arms around himself and shrugged. “I've been feeling like I've been getting on your nerves lately. I didn't want to be a bother or anything, you know?”

“Sorry.” The older man let out a soft sigh before staring down into the glass of champagne. “It's really just me. Honestly.” Maybe it was finally time to let go of his denial – to just give in and accept things. He'd never realized he was hurting Youngjae with his denial. But, the words still weren't coming out.

Coming out. He snorted at his own thoughts and the younger looked at him in amusement. “What's so funny?”

Daehyun simply shook his head, unable to form any real words. “Come here.” He finally managed and pulled the younger man closer to his own body. “Why didn't you wear something warmer?” He murmured, rolling his eyes when his best friend told him fashion was suffering.

They stayed like that for a long time until Youngjae sighed. “I hate it when you do things like this.” He spun around to look the older in the face. “When you do things like this, holding me and. . . you know, I want you to treat me like .”

“Why?”

“Because then it would be easier to get over you.” Youngjae said the words so quietly that Daehyun almost didn't hear him. “You make me so ing confused.”

“I'm sorry.” Daehyun didn't know what else to say.

“Stop apologizing!” Youngjae didn't try to hide the whine in his voice. “You're making me feel bad for being mad at you.” Daehyun knew what the problem was - It was him and his damn denial. He still didn't know if he was really gay or not but he was certain of one thing, he liked Youngjae. A lot.

A looooot.

Daehyun leaned forward and placed a soft, hesitant kiss against the younger man's lips before quickly pulling away. “Don't be mad at me.” He rested his forehead against Youngjae's, closing his eyes. Why had he fought these feelings for so long? Denying them hadn't gotten him anywhere.

“I love you.” Youngjae whispered, trailing off for a moment. “. . . But get your oily forehead off of me.” And then Daehyun was laughing so hard he nearly dropped the glass of champagne in his hand. He hid his face in the crook of Youngjae's neck, still laughing every so often. The younger always knew how to make a moment special. “The countdown is starting.” Youngjae said as he held his giggling boyfriend.

Daehyun could barely hold back his smile as he moved back, the two staring at each other while people counted down to the new year. This was going to be a good year, he was certain of it. The younger scrunched up his face as everyone cheered and fire works went off. “Daehyun, what do you say we ditch this place and get white girl wasted now?” Youngjae wiggled his eyebrows.

He normally would've said no and that staying out all night getting wasted was a terrible idea but it was impossible to say no to Youngjae, what with his evil puppy dog eyes and his pretty pink lips. Daehyun smiled. He could admire those evil puppy dog eyes and he could kiss those annoying pouting lips now.

Yes, the new year was going to be a good one for sure.