He let out a long exhale.  It was nearing that time of the year, that cusp of melding seasons where winter slowly turned to spring, yet Baekhyun’s breath still lingered in the frost bitten air as a puff of pluming vapour. Honestly, with the temperatures staying below average longer this year than any other he could remember, the small-framed boy was beginning to doubt that spring would ever come at all.

Baekhyun unconsciously pulled his thick, black coat tighter around his shoulders, his slim fingers weary and trembling ever so slightly—maybe it was due to the cold or maybe it was the weight of a thousand internal conflicts finally taking it’s toll on his body. He wasn't sure, and he had no time to care either when his sharp eyes were too occupied scanning frantically over the expanse of the deserted park, looking, searching for just one thing, or rather, person he wanted to see—just one person that he had no idea if he was going to appear anyways.

Perhaps if the weather wasn't so cold… perhaps if spring had only come earlier, the man that he was searching for would already be by his side. For who in their right mind would agree to meet at a park where they could barely feel the tips of their ears anymore with the way the wintry air nipped mercilessly at their skin?

Perhaps if Baekhyun had only known sooner… perhaps if Baekhyun had just realized, he wouldn't be waiting here all alone with his heart in his throat, finding it increasingly more difficult to swallow and breathe as time went on and his desperation only grew.

For who would want someone who threw them away over nothing?

--

“We should date.”

Baekhyun choked on the coke he was drinking at the sudden statement that apparently came from his best friend’s mouth, “e-excuse me!?” And he knew it had to be his best friend because they were the only two currently sitting at the table and HOLD UP—did he really just say what Baekhyun thought he did?! Or maybe he had heard it wrong?!  Actually, please make sure he had heard it wrong…

Wiping his mouth gingerly with the back of his hand, Baekhyun looked up from his unappetizing lunch tray, across the cafeteria table only to see none other than Kim Jongin staring back at him a little shy, a little bashful, but nonetheless unrelentingly. The younger’s usually thick lips were drawn straight in a tense line, and although his long, dark chocolate bangs were partially covering his eyes, Baekhyun could still see the way they were hooded in anxiety. Jongin’s hands were also occupied with twisting an innocent white napkin into shreds as his whole aura seemed to radiate the nerves he was probably trying to bury deep inside (but of course, failing miserably at). After a few more seconds of awkwardly utter silence stretched past, it became increasingly clear that no, Jongin was not going to repeat what he said, which confirmed that yes, he did just suggest they should date (and Baekhyun guessed that meant becoming boyfriends too?!) and just what the was going on here?! “W-wha—?” That was literally the best Baekhyun could do. Literally. The. Best.

At the utterly dumbfounded response of the older, Jongin’s confidence seemed to deflate drastically as he quickly dropped his gaze and went to subtly cover his face (which was evidently growing one darker shade of red per second), with his hands. “Oh my god this was such a bad idea.” The deep alto of the tanner boy’s voice was tinted heavily with desperation and at that moment, Baekhyun was fairly certain he was feeling the exact same way.

“I’m just—I’m just confused,” Baekhyun managed to recover quickly with a proper reply, although his mind was still reeling from what was happening before his eyes. Kim Jongin, the Kim Jongin was asking for a date. The person who had been his best friend since he could remember; the best friend who Baekhyun definitely didn’t even know liked him that way?! “Are you… serious?” The older had to ask because hey, he had to make sure. It could still be a joke or it could just be Jongin trying to pull a prank (a real lousy one, but whatever) and he’d have to make a mental note to beat up the other afterwards. And it wasn't that Baekhyun was particularly disgusted with the prospect of dating Jongin, he supposed, but it’s safe to say the thought never crossed his mind and combined with the sheer randomness of the statement; that threw him way off center.

Probably not trusting his voice, Jongin could only nod as he moved on to lightly fanning himself with his fingers and peeking at his friend from the corner of his eyes. “Y-yeah…”

“Uh—“

“But no! It’s not what you’re thinking!” Jongin snapped up and waved his hands frantically in front of his face. “I don’t really like you! Well, not that way… I think?”

Baekhyun blinked, “Jongin…” The younger perked up from his seat expectantly, waiting for the shorter to continue, “every single word you’re saying, is making less and less sense. If you’re feeling mentally unstable right now you could’ve just told me. I can take you home if you want.” By now, Baekhyun had just gone back to sipping at his coke and staring at Jongin, in an utterly bewildered manner. Seriously, what the was going on here?

The tanned boy seated in front of his let out a long sigh as he ran his fingers through his brown hair. “No. Ok, just—hear me out, alright?” Baekhyun nodded slowly, wincing slightly as the fizz from his drink tickled his tongue. “You know that I know that well, both of us have never been in a relationship before,” Jongin folded his hands together and rested them on the tabletop. And at once his features softened as he gazed across the table with soft, dark eyes, “so it’s safe to say neither of us know anything about the first thing about being in a relationship.” Baekhyun held back the urge to roll his eyes but he knew it was true, so he resumed nodding along. “But,” Jongin emphasized, “if I could guess… I don’t think it’d be much different than what we have right now. Being in a relationship that is.”

That made Baekhyun freeze in his spot, “I—“

“Think about it,” Jongin urged, cutting Baekhyun’s statement off before he could finish. “We know everything about each other, we already spend all of our time together and you practically live at my house on the weekends.”

“I’m only there because Monggu misses me,” Baekhyun pouted quietly, but not quietly enough to be ignored. Jongin bit back a smile as he rolled his eyes.

“For the last time, Monggu likes me better than you.”

“Uh, no.”

“Yes he does.”

“No.”

“See what I mean?!” Jongin suddenly let out a few exasperated hand motions, “we’re already arguing like an old married couple!”

Baekhyun shot back a scandalized look as he folded his arms in front of his chest, “we are definitely not married!”

“Yet.”

“Wait what?”

Jongin just shook his head and leaned back on his chair, folding his arms and placing his hands behind his head in amusement. “How much do you want to bet that the moment we go home and announce we’re in a relationship, our parents would throw a party?”

Baekhyun had to bite back a retort because damn, he was pretty sure his mom had been sailing this ship ever since his birth (what with all the unnecessary amounts of play dates and “my, Jongin grew up so tall and handsome”s and wow Baekhyun really never paid much attention to any of it until now). Nonetheless, Baekhyun felt like he was clutching at straws now as he looked up at his friend with dropping, uncertain eyes. “But—“

“But seriously,” Jongin continued, this time his tone was deep and filled with a certainty that must have come with a lot of thorough thinking. “It just feels right. Don’t you think? I mean I know we don’t like-like each other now but… I think that we could? It could work… it really could.” And there was no escaping the younger’s strong gaze, full of a fire and determination that Baekhyun seldom ever saw in his eyes apart from the moment before he performed on the stage at dance competitions. Those eyes only ever appeared when Jongin wanted something, truly wanted something.

And maybe he was right. Maybe they were too close to be just friends. Maybe their entire lives had been leading up to this one moment—they didn’t have one specific moment their friendship started, so why would they need one for a relationship?

Sometimes some things just happen naturally like a progression, like a rhythm, like the changing of seasons. Not just friends, not quite lovers, the two were stuck in the convoluted phases in-between. But they couldn’t be trapped there forever. The world didn’t work that way. The only option they had was to move forwards or take a step back, and frankly if Jongin was willing to take the risk, then Baekhyun supposes he could too.

So Baekhyun could do nothing more but nod his head back to a Jongin who beamed at his positive reply. “I think it could.”

Spring had already begun some time ago, but that moment right there marked only the beginning of their love story.

-

Jongin was right, much to Baekhyun’s chagrin that when they arrived home hand in hand, their parents did end up throwing a party.

And invited the entire neighbourhood.

Seriously everybody imaginable knew about their change in relationship status by the end of the weekend and nothing was going to prepare Baekhyun for the utter bombardment he was sure he was going to face back at school that Monday.

-

“You owe me twenty bucks.”

“Ugh you, Jongdae.”

“Um—“

“Wait, you guys bet on us?!”

A bored looking Jongdae looked up from counting the new bills in his hand as he raised an eyebrow at the new couple. “Yeah.”

Jongin had to physically hold Baekhyun back from jumping his so-called friend. “How could you?!” He seethed between his teeth as he struggled against Jongin’s strong arms that were wrapped tightly around his waist.

However, a slightly panicked looking, and twenty dollars poorer Yixing was there to quickly intercept the argument. “Hey,” he started but was quickly silenced by Baekhyun’s death glare. “…we all knew you two were going to get together anyways?” He bit his lip and shrugged, hoping that was some sort of consolation for the secret exchange that had taken place regarding them.

“Yeah, exactly. And it’s about time,” Jongdae chuckled from behind as he planted a hand over Yixing’s shoulder and flashed Baekhyun a once over before grinning. “And while we’re at it, can you guys lay of the PDA? Wow it’s been like two days and you guys can’t keep your hands off each other.”

At that statement, both Jongin and Baekhyun simultaneously glanced down to where Jongin had his hold on the older and quickly jumped apart, red faced and steaming. “SCREW YOU, KIM JONGDAE!”

Yixing blinked and held a finger up to his lips as Jongdae cackled in the background. “I thought that was what Jongin was for.”

And this time Jongin wasn’t fast enough to subdue his raging boyfriend.

Huh, boyfriend.

Jongin stopped and smiled to himself at the thought as the three teenage boys throttled each other to the death in front of him.

-

But honestly, despite the status upgrade that had taken place from friends to boyfriends, nothing much changed regarding the dynamic between the two.

Baekhyun had to admit, Jongin was right (again); being in a relationship really didn’t feel much different from what they had before. In fact, if Jongin hadn’t started diligently waiting for Baekhyun after choir practice to take him for some ice cream afterwards and if Jongin hadn’t gotten into the habit of resting his hands on Baekhyun’s waist whenever they were waiting in line together at the cafeteria, Baekhyun probably would’ve forgotten they were even together that way—as in boyfriends.

Of course even before, Jongin had taken Baekhyun out to eat after practice but it was never this often, and it was certainly not under the pretext of a date. Everything felt so foreign to him, yet at the same time it was almost as if nothing had changed. Sure, he still got teased mercilessly at every opportunity by his (ex)friends (aka the devil incarnate and his mystical minion), and sure his mother kept on trying to take stalker photos of them together whenever Jongin came home with him to work on some homework, but it was all bearable. Jongin was always there by his side, offering him a wide smile and an arm around his shoulders that made him realize time and time again that he was not alone. They were in this together.

School eventually came to a peaceful close just as the weather was becoming hot for the summer.