Jihoon has never liked Seungcheol. Ever.
 

He's never really found an exact reason why he doesn't like Seungcheol, it could be how Seungcheol is almost louder and more annoying than Seungkwan,or it could be the fact that he likes to ruffle Jihoon's hair and comment on his height, or it could be how he always texts Jihoon at every hour of the day even though Jihoon never even gave him his phone number (Damn you Boo Seungkwan, you traitor). Honestly it could be all of those things plus some. No matter the reasoning though, Jihoon knows that he absolutely, 100%, without a doubt does not like Seungcheol.
 

Sadly that doesn't change the fact that everyone else likes Seungcheol. Hansol, Jeonghan, Joshua, Mingyu, even Minghao and Junhui. Every single one of his friends likes Seungcheol and it pisses him off way more than he'd care to admit. But he's learned to deal with it in the year or so since Seungcheol joined their group of friends. He tolerates the elder's obnoxious laugh and ignores him unless directly spoken to and for the most part manages to avoid anything to do with him.
 

Until the night of the Halloween party.
 

Jihoon doesn't even really know why they decided to throw a party considering they had never even thought about it before, but he blames Hansol and Joshua completely considering it's Hansol's family home and his parents only agreed to let them all stay over while they went to visit family was because Joshua promised to watch over everyone as one of the oldest and make sure nothing happened. (Damn you too, Hong Jisoo. This is all your fault. You and TraitorBoo.)
 

But of course they're his best friends so he goes anyway and for the first half of the night it's amazingly fun and he's really glad he came since it's so rare to get all 13 of them together like this between going to different clubs and academies all week. And then Hansol, Chwe Hansol, maknae line of the group, decides it's a good idea to grab two bottles of wine out of the pantry that his parents literally forgot they even owned and for them to all play truth or dare.
 

The first few rounds are completely innocent and silly things like dance to the first girl group song you think of or drink milk hanging upside down off the couch. However, things change around round six when the bottle lands on none other than Seungcheol. And it just has to be Seungkwan spinning. Seungkwan, who is Jihoon's self-proclaimed bestie. Seungkwan, who knows that Jihoon doesn't really like Seungcheol. Seungkwan who watches waaaay too many old American movies and decides to utter the worst words Jihoon has ever heard in his entire life.
 

"Seungcheol hyung, I dare you to do Seven Minutes In Heaven with...Jihoon!"
 

'You've gotta be kidding me.'
 

But of course he’s not and before Jihoon really knows what’s happening Hansol, Chan, and Seungkwan are literally throwing him into Hansol’s closet with Seungcheol.
 

And Hansol’s closet is small. Tiny. Miniscule. No space to breathe at all. And he’s stuck in this closet with someone he really really doesn’t like and Seungcheol’s chest is pressed up against his back and Jihoon knows he’s not very tall but it feels like Seungcheol is towering above him.
 

"Tch. So stupid," he mutters, pushing against the door to find it blocked. His eyes bulge. He feels one of Seungcheol's arms come up beside him, brushing against the entire left side of his body on its way up, to push at the door to no avail.
 

"Looks like we're locked in until the seven minutes are up.” Seungcheol’s voice is deeper than usual and right behind his ear and it’s the most grating sound that sends shivers down Jihoon’s spine.
 

Why did it have to be Seungcheol? Of all people, of all other twelve people sitting in Hansol’s living room, Seungkwan had to lock him in a closet with Seungcheol.
 

Jihoon groans, leaning forward to rest his head against the closet door. “What are you even supposed to do in a closet for seven minutes? This is so stupid. Leave it to Seungkwan to-” Jihoon’s ranting is cut short by Seungcheol’s hands on his shoulders, gently turning him around in the small space.
 

Seungcheol’s bent down so they’re at eye-level, the tips of their noses brushing against each other and Jihoon’s heart stops in his chest because holy why is Hansol’s closet so tiny and why is this even happening. “W-what?”
 

“You asked what people normally do for seven minutes in here...Should I show you?”
 

Jihoon can feel every breath that leaves the elder’s lips against his own and his eyes are drawn to Seungcheol’s lips against his will and he wishes he hadn’t looked because the next second his tongue is darting out to wet them and Jihoon doesn’t even realize he’s nodding.
 

Seungcheol’s hands move from his shoulders, gliding up his neck to rest on his cheeks.
 

And then Seungcheol is kissing him.
 

Jihoon isn’t sure if he kisses back or not because almost as soon as Seungcheol’s lips meet his the door falls out from behind him and he’s laying on his back on Hansol’s bedroom floor while Hansol, Chan, and Seungkwan are laughing around them. Junhui and Minghao look completely scandalized, staring back and forth between Jihoon on the floor and Seungcheol barely supporting himself on the closet’s doorjam. Jihoon doesn’t even know if Mingyu and Wonwoo are there but he really hopes that they’re off somewhere with Joshua and Seokmin and that the entire group wasn’t there to witness him literally falling out of the eldest’s arms and onto the floor.
 

Seungcheol is the one that helps him up, the elder’s hand fitting his way too well as he pulls Jihoon to his feet.
 

Jihoon doesn’t waste a single second once he’s standing, launching himself at Seungkwan who’s smart enough that he’s already running.
 

“Boo Seungkwan you little ! Get your back here!” is the last thing the others hear before they run out of the room.

It’s almost 2:30 in the morning when Jihoon decides he can’t really be in the same apartment as Seungcheol anymore. The game was scrapped after Jihoon spent twenty minutes chasing Seungkwan and beating him with all sorts of random things lying around (One of Hansol’s shoes, a TV remote, he almost got ahold of one of the fireplace pokers but Jeonghan and Joshua had to catch him first and ruin his fun.) and they’re currently just lounging around Hansol’s living room and talking about what they were going to do when school ends in a few weeks.
 

But Jihoon isn’t even paying attention to the conversation. All he can pay attention to is the way Seungcheol and Jeonghan are off to the side, whispering back and forth to each other while Jeonghan laughs and Seungcheol touches his shoulders and arms and hands and even runs his fingers through Jeonghan’s hair at one point. Jihoon hates it. He hates how stupidly angry it makes him. He hates how he can still feel Seungcheol’s hands on his cheeks, thumbs pressing over his cheekbones like he was the most precious thing in the whole world. He hates Seungcheol.
 

Chan and Soonyoung are already asleep in a pile by the TV; Hansol and Joshua are speaking in English to themselves; Wonwoo and Mingyu have disappeared somewhere with Junhui and Minghao; Seungkwan is in the shower and drug Seokmin off to sing with him while he washes his hair; and Samuel is asleep with his head on the couch next to Jihoon’s legs. It’s the perfect time to sneak away, right? Right.

He has one shoe on when Hansol catches him. “Jihoon hyung, where are you going?”

‘Well ,’ he thinks, giving an apologetic smile as he searches for a quick lie. Because how is he supposed to explain that being in the same room with Seungcheol feels suffocating for some reason? That watching him interact with their other friends makes his blood boil? That his heart races and his palms start sweating any time he thinks about what happened earlier? “Ah, my mom just texted me saying she needs me home right away. Normally she’s not up this late so it must be serious, so I should really get home.”

“But it’s so late, hyung. Should you really be walking by yourself?” Hansol says, a light pout on his features.

Jihoon ruffles his hair with a smile and nods. “Yeah, it’s fine. I don’t live far away anyway. I’ll text you when I get there, okay?”

Hansol knocks his hand away with a groan, fixing his hair before nodding and smiling back. “Mkay, hyung. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.”

Jihoon doesn’t feel like he can breathe right until he’s completely out of the building. And even then it’s hard because all he can think about is Seungcheol.

His annoying loud laughter that honestly gives Jihoon butterflies. The way he’s always ruffling Jihoon’s hair and smiling at him and making him feel like they have some secret from the others that’s just for them. The cute texts and Line messages he sends Jihoon that always have hearts and emoticons and make Jihoon smile like an idiot while he’s reading them. How his arms feel when he’ll come up behind him and hug Jihoon for no reason. How soft his lips were against Jihoon’s.

He hates it. Because he’s been trying for so long to say that he doesn’t like Seungcheol when honestly it’s the exact opposite and he likes Seungcheol way too much for his own good. Because yeah, people have gotten better and homophobia isn’t bad at their school and their friends are all really chill about things like that, but the chances that Seungcheol and he would actually last? Or that they would even start? For as long as he’s known him, Seungcheol’s never shown any interest in other guys and Jihoon is certain that if he was going to make an exception for anyone, it would be for someone like Jeonghan or that upperclassman he’s close with, Minki. Not Jihoon.

“Jihoonie!”

Jihoon freezes in his tracks at the voice calling after him, eyes feeling like they’re going to bulge out of his head as Seungcheol runs up to him. The elder’s out of breath and scowls at Jihoon once he catches up to him.

“Are you stupid? Walking home alone at this hour? You should have asked me to go with you, idiot.” Seungcheol ruffles his hair then, and the touch lingers until Jihoon turns away, frowning at the ground in front of him.

“You seemed busy talking with Jeonghan.” Jihoon cringes when he realizes exactly what he just said.

“I’m never too busy for you,” Seungcheol replies, making the younger cringe again at how cheesy the elder can be.

Jihoon shakes his head and starts walking again, Seungcheol walking beside him slowly. It’s silent for most of the walk and Jihoon keeps replaying a list of reasons why he and Seungcheol wouldn’t actually work out in his head, feet dragging more and more the more his thoughts weigh him down.

But it’s Seungcheol who actually stops them, one of his hands coming up to grab at Jihoon’s. then his hands are on Jihoon’s shoulders turning him to face the elder once more and it’s so reminiscent of how Seungcheol had done the exact same thing in the closet that Jihoon’s holding his breath as he looks up to meet Seungcheol’s eyes.

“Jihoon, about what happened earlier…” He starts, and his hands slide from Jihoon’s shoulders to rest back at his sides. “I, uh, I’m really sorry. I honestly don’t have a very good tolerance and I drank too much of that wine and-”

Jihoon’s heart sinks because he already knew that Seungcheol wouldn’t feel the same, and that he was probably just being silly back at Hansol’s for the game, but it hurts to hear him basically say as much himself.

“-and I know that you don’t feel like that for me, but I-I kinda got carried away and I’m really really sorry and it won’t happen again so I hope you aren’t too mad at me?”

It takes all of two seconds for Jihoon’s brain to catch on his words. “Wait, what?”

Seungcheol’s brows furrow in confusion. “I’m really sorry, please don’t be mad at me?”

Jihoon shakes his head, taking a step close so he’s looking up at Seungcheol through his lashes. “No, no, the part about getting carried away.”

Seungcheol looks away and maybe it’s just the dim streetlights or Jihoon’s imagination but it almost looks like the elder is blushing. “Aish...are you gonna make me come out and say it like that? I thought you already knew anyway and that’s why you were always avoiding me…”

Jihoon just shakes his head again and he feels like he’s going to lose his mind because this can’t actually be happening. This can’t be real. This is the kind of stuff that happens in dreams and Jihoon is certain that he must have just fell asleep at Hansol’s because there is no way that he’s standing there with Seungcheol and hearing what he’s hearing.

“Jihoon-ah, I like you.” Jihoon’s heart stops as he gapes up at the elder because he really has to be dreaming. “But I know you don’t like me like that so I’m really really sorry again and it wo-”

“Shut up, Seungcheol,” Jihoon cuts him off, laughing to himself because this is really something out of a bad fanfiction but it’s actually happening. “Idiot. What makes you think I don’t like you?”

And now he knows it’s not just a trick of the lighting when Seungcheol’s cheeks turn pink and Jihoon doesn’t waste any time pushing himself up on tiptoes to press his lips to Seungcheol’s for the second time that night. Except this time he knows what’s going on and he knows that he’s kissing back and Seungcheol’s arms are around his waist and it’s the most wonderful feeling in the world.

He feels woozy and like he can’t breathe when they finally break apart and he knows his face must be cherry red but he can’t really care because how did the night even come to this?

“So…” Seungcheol starts, his arms still around Jihoon’s waist and their noses brushing when Jihoon’s looks up at him. “Does this mean that you’d say yes if I asked you out on a date?”

Jihoon just smiles and kisses him again.