Archive of Our Own

It really was unfortunate that Seungmin had decided to treat himself to a cup of iced coffee that day as a reward for pulling an all-nighter to finish a presentation. His fault for wanting to stay awake or whatever. 

He couldn’t be too mad that most of his coffee ended up on his favorite sweatshirt though, not when the guy he ran into was gorgeous and beautiful and had dimples and was so so kind.

“Ah!”

“Holy shit, are you okay? Oh my God, I’m so so so sorry. I should’ve been looking where I was going. You’re not hurt are y–” Seungmin’s rambling was cut off by the hot guy letting out a light laugh.

“Don’t worry about it, I should’ve been paying attention too. I’m perfectly okay, but you seem to have a bit of coffee on your sweatshirt though.” The hot guy gestured towards the front of Seungmin’s hoodie, an apologetic expression on his face. “I can get that cleaned for you. You wouldn’t have a coffee stain if I wasn’t in your way.”

“No, no, it’s okay! Really, I can get this out myself.”

“Are you sure? You know what, take my sweatshirt. You don’t have to give it back, I have tons at home.” The hot guy suddenly took off his hoodie, the tank top he had on under riding up with the motion. Seungmin’s eyes drifted down slightly and he vaguely thought God, this guy’s jac—focus. Now is not the time to be thinking about jacked hot guys.

“What, no I couldn’t. Please, don’t worry about it.” 

“No, I insist. Take it.” The hot guy shoved the hoodie into Seungmin’s hands and gave it a light pat before continuing to walk wherever he was going before this nightmare of a meeting happened.

“Wait, can I get your number? So I can give this back to you?” Seungmin called out.

The hot guy turned around with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Keep it. I mean it. I’d rather you get my number for a different reason.” He winked at him and kept walking away.

Seungmin was about to call out to him again, but in the span of a blink, the hot guy had managed to disappear into the crowd and Seungmin was a little too fried to think of a logical course of action.

He looked down at the coffee stain, which had seemed to double in size and sighed. Maybe wearing a stranger’s hoodie wouldn’t be so terrible after all? He quickly vowed to himself that he will absolutely find the hot guy someday and return his hoodie before changing into it. The hoodie smelled like fresh detergent and clean soap, nice and pleasant. Seungmin involuntarily took a deep inhale.

I’ll have to find a dry cleaner nearby and drop this off after my next lectu—shit, I am so late to my lecture, fuck.

Long story short, he arrived late and got a raised eyebrow from his dear friends who also happened to be taking the course with him. It only got worse after the lecture ended, and Seungmin looked up to the sky, praying for any god out there to assist him.

“So, Seungminnie,” Hyunjin started conspiratorially. Seungmin groaned. “Why were you, our dear, darling, ever-punctual friend, late to class today?”

“And what’s with the new hoodie?” Felix chimed in. “Surely you didn’t take an impromptu shopping trip right before the lecture?”

“I bumped into a guy in the quad on my way here.” The answer explained nothing but Seungmin was too embarrassed to say anything else.

“Minnie,” Hyunjin whined. “That explains literally nothing. There is no reason for you to be showing up late with a new hoodie if you just bumped into a guy in the quad on your way over here. Elaborate Minnie, elaborate. How are you going to be a creative writing major and not have any meat on your sentences?”

“I spilled coffee on myself?”

“And?”

“And there may be a chance that the guy gave me his hoodie?”

Felix gasped. “Who was it? Was it anyone we know? Was he hot? Was he a cutie? Tell me more, Minnie, you have to tell me more.”

“I’ve never seen him before, but our campus is also pretty big. I don’t know if you guys know him.”

Hyunjin sighed impatiently. “Well, how are we supposed to know if we know him if you don’t describe what he looks like? You of all people should know how to add details. Imagery or whatever.”

“He’s hot. And he has nice muscles. His shoulders are so sharp they could cut me in half. Also he’s, like, really hot. Like, he’s the hottest guy I’ve ever seen.”

Felix let out a low whistle. “He must be mindblowingly hot then. I haven’t heard you say that about anyone ever.”

“Okay wait, before we keep going on about how allegedly hot this guy is, is there any other description you can give me?” Hyunjin asked.

“He’s like maybe an inch or two shorter than me?”

“Seungmin, you’re awful at this.”

“He looks foxish?”

“I give up. Did you get his number or anything? How are you going to get the hoodie back to him? And how are you gonna hook up with him if you can’t get into contact with him?”

Seungmin flushed a bright red. “Who said anything about hooking up with him? And he ran away before I could get his number. Told me to keep the hoodie because he had a ton at home and that he’d rather me get his number for a different reason. Oh, and he winked at me too.”

“He what?!” Felix got a quick smattering of dirty looks for the sudden yell and reeled it back. “He what?” he whispered. 

“How long were you going to wait to drop that bomb on us? You’re such a fake friend.” Hyunjin sniffed, dramatically turning his nose up to the sky.

“You have to find him and get his number—he obviously wants you as bad as you want him. Maybe you’ll bump into each other again and it’ll be fate. You have to get his number, Minnie!” Felix exclaimed.

“But if I’ve never seen him before today, how do we know I’m ever going to see him again?”

“Well, either way, I know you well enough to know that you want to get this hoodie back to him at some point. The universe will let you win and find him again at some point, if not for the hotness factor, then for the politeness of your character.” Felix said.

“Believe in fate, Seungminnie, everything will work out and you will get laid.” Hyunjin said, Felix nodding as if the wisest statement in the world had just been spoken.

“Who said anything about getting laid?”

✧

That was what happened on a random Tuesday three years ago at 2:46pm. In the last three years, Seungmin had learned many things. One, the hot guy’s name was Yang Jeongin. Two, Hyunjin and Felix did not know Jeongin personally back then, but he was a mutual friend of theirs through their boyfriends, Jisung and Changbin respectively. 

Seungmin was a bit ashamed to admit that he was two people away from the hot guy in two different ways and still hadn’t made a real move in the last three years.

Three, Jeongin was extremely stubborn. It had taken several tries for Jeongin to accept his hoodie back. Seungmin had passed it through Hyunjin and Jisung to get it back to Jeongin, and when that failed, he tried going through Felix and Changbin. It failed again. 

Jeongin just refused to accept it back! He only (reluctantly) took it when Seungmin brought it to a big group hangout that he knew Jeongin would be at because of their mutual connections.

Four, Seungmin was a coward to an extreme degree. Despite hanging out in a big group that included Jeongin multiple times, he had never had the balls to ask him for his number. He tried to hang back and be the last to leave—maybe get them alone together?—but he always chickened out at the last second.

Yeah sure, Jeongin could’ve been interested when they bumped into each other three years ago, but who’s to say he’s interested now? He didn’t treat Seungmin any more specially than he treated everyone else during the hangouts (except for lingering looks? But maybe Seungmin was just projecting. He was most definitely giving Jeongin lingering looks.).

Five, Jeongin was only getting hotter by the day. He had apparently become a gym rat and how he was even more muscular and angular and hot and Seungmin needed to shut up before he lost his mind. 

✧

“Seungmin, I refuse to believe that you’re so pathetic that you practically fell in love with a guy after you bumped into him three years ago and haven’t done anything about it. Surely my best friend isn’t this stupid, right? Felix, surely our best friend isn’t this stupid, right?” Hyunjin was practically rolling in circles on the floor of their shared apartment.

“Hyunjinnie, we’ve been witnessing this for the past three years. I really am starting to think our Minnie is hopeless.” Felix sighed.

“Guys, I’m not that bad. I’ve talked to him at least..?” Even Seungmin could tell that his defense was weak.

“But have you gotten his number? No. Have you had an actual prolonged, intellectual conversation with him? No. Seungminnie, do something please. I can’t bear this any longer.” Hyunjin was now face down on the floor wondering if any of his words were being heard.

“I’ll ask for his number next time I see him, I swear.”

“Are you sure?”

“...Yeah.”

“Be a bit more confident and maybe I’ll believe you.”

“At this point, I’m going to ask Changbin to pass me his number so I can pass it to you if you don’t make a move.” Felix said, sitting up and staring Seungmin in the eye.

“Okay, okay! Fine. I’ll do it. Like, for real.”

“Wait, shit, really? I was joking. You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“We’re almost out of university, I think it’s time for me to do something. I don’t think I’m so lame that I’d graduate without making any move at all. Probab–” Seungmin was cut off by Hyunjin leaping onto him, springing from the floor to the couch in a fluid motion.

“Seungminnie, I’m so proud of you that I could sob!” Hyunjin cried. “My baby’s all grown up now, he’s ready to stand on his own two legs and make moves!”

“Keep talking like that and I’ll pretend he’s not even there the next time I see him.”

“Minnie, don’t you dare.”

✧

It was purely the work of fate that Seungmin saw Jeongin again so soon after that conversation he had with Hyunjin and Felix. Everyone in the big group that had slowly started forming over the past few years was currently busy, whether it be midterms or jobs suddenly picking up in pressure.

They’d tried and failed multiple times to get the whole group together, and came to the conclusion that there wouldn’t be a proper get-together for at least a month or two. Seungmin was disappointed—he’d psyched himself up to ask for Jeongin’s number and now, he had nowhere to put the restless energy.

It was another random Tuesday, this time at 11:54am. Seungmin had heard that a new café had opened near campus and decided to go check it out. He almost felt bad betraying the café that he was a regular at (the café that served him the iced coffee that ended up on his sweatshirt rather than in his stomach), but he was a bit curious.

The new café was cute—it was small and cozy with a nice, neutral color palette and an adorable little fox mascot. Seungmin hoped that the coffee would live up to the visuals.

“Hello! Welcome to the Clé Café! How can I help you today?” Seungmin looked up at the familiarly cheerful voice, surprised to see Yang Jeongin of all people behind the counter.

“Yang Jeongin! I didn’t think I’d see you here.” Seungmin exclaimed.

“How’ve you been? All of you, actually. I haven’t seen any of you guys in forever.”

Seungmin wanted to hope that Jeongin had thought of him a little more in comparison to everyone else in their half-group, but logically, who would care the way he did after three years?

“I can’t speak too much for everyone else, but Hyunjin, Felix, and I are swamped in exams and studying. I think I’m going to die soon, Jeongin, I really do.” 

Jeongin gave a little laugh like that, which brought Seungmin back to the Tuesday all those years ago when he heard it for the first time.

“I’m assuming you’re here for a pick-me-up then? What would you like today?”

“A medium iced americano with two shots of espresso please.” Seungmin paused, remembering what he had promised Hyunjin and Felix the last time he’d brought up Jeongin. “And perhaps the barista’s number too?”

Jeongin’s ears turned red almost instantly and he looked down at the screen bashfully. “One medium iced americano with two shots of espresso coming right up. We’ll see about the barista’s number.”

Seungmin felt his heart drop at the last sentence, but a voice that sounded suspiciously like Hyunjin was whispering in his head and telling him that Jeongin’s bright red ears were a good sign and he had nothing to worry about.

“Your total will be 4000 won.” Jeongin smiled at him as he paid and he went off to the side while Jeongin made his drink.

Watching Jeongin move was mesmerizing. His apron fit him snugly and he had his shirt sleeves rolled up to right under his elbow, exposing muscular forearms. The shirt stretched around his shoulders, shifting as the muscles flowed beneath. 

His hands were swift, steady as he made the drink without a single stutter in his movements. Seungmin was entranced by the way he moved. He was sure that Jeongin could’ve functioned in the space even if he was blindfolded or completely asleep.

“Here is your iced americano with two shots of espresso. Enjoy!” Jeongin smiled softly at him as he slid him his drink and a little box. Inside the box was a little slice of cake and a cute little fork with the fox mascot.

“Thank you! I didn’t order the cake, though.”

“I know! It’s on the house. An extra pick-me-up for you.” Jeongin smiled at him again, this time with his eyes scrunching and dimples on full display. Seungmin felt his heart clench.

“Really? Thank you, Jeongin, I really appreciate it. I’ll see you around, then!” Seungmin picked up the cup and box of cake and started for the door.

“Bye! I hope you have a nice day. Also, look at the cup. I think you’ll like what you see.” With one last smile, Seungmin shut the door of the café behind him and looked at the cup.

There was a number scribbled on the cup, alongside a message saying, “Took you long enough! I’ve waited three years for this to happen :)”.

Seungmin flushed and looked back into the café through the window. He couldn’t tell if he was imagining things, but he swore Jeongin looked at him through the window too and smiled at him. I’m going insane.

He snapped a picture of the side of the cup and sent it to Hyunjin and Felix.

Minnie [12:02PM]

[SENT ONE PHOTO]

sooooooo

i may have saw jeongin at a café

and this may have happened

Jinnie [12:02PM]

WHAT THE FUCK

R U SRS

IS THIS REAL

Lixie [12:02PM]

OH MY GOD

we’re debriefing later

HOLY SHIT???

ALSO WHAT DOES HE MEAN THREE YEARS

Jinnie [12:03PM]

SAVE IT FOR THE DEBRIEF

DON’T SAY ANYTHING

minnie have u texted him yet

anything at all

Minnie [12:03PM]

NO???

it’s been like two seconds since i left

he’s going to think i’m desperate

Lixie [12:03PM]

you literally are

Minnie [12:03PM]

ok we are done here bye

i hate u both

Lixie [12:03PM]

NO WAIT PLEASE

I’M SORRY

MINNIE

SEUNGMINNIE

COME BACK PLEASE

✧

So theoretically, if you have someone’s number and you’ve pined for them for three years and they’ve also pined for you for three years, everything should be smooth sailing after that, right? Right. So why is Seungmin still fighting for his life?

“Minnie, you should just ask him out on a date.” Felix said. They were once again scattered around the couch in their apartment with Hyunjin on the floor and Felix and Seungmin tucked into opposite corners of the couch with a blanket thrown over them both. 

There was a random movie serving as background noise, cups of hot chocolate and snacks on the coffee table, and lots of exasperation to pass around.

“We’ve only been talking for barely a week. Isn’t it too early?” Every movement felt like a potential landmine, not because he was scared of Jeongin, but because he had waited so long for this and didn’t want to screw anything up.

“You both have been in love with each other for three years now. It’s too late, if anything.” Hyunjin said, leaning his head back onto the couch.

“But how do we know he’s actually been waiting for this for three years, like what if he’s just saying stuff?” Seungmin knew that it likely wasn’t the case, but he couldn’t help saying it anyway.

“Kim Seungmin, I’m going to kill you.” Felix lobbed a throw pillow at him and leaped across the couch in an attempt to smother him. 

“Spare me! Lixie, please, how am I going to ask him out if I die now?” Seungmin pleaded.

“I don’t care anymore. You’re getting too annoying, Minnie, I think it’s time for you to go.” They continued grappling with each other, nearly falling off the couch several times.

Ding!

Hyunjin gasped and practically threw Seungmin’s phone at his face. Felix immediately crowded over Seungmin’s shoulder and read the notification that just came in before letting out a gasp himself.

Jeongin :) [7:38PM]

would u wanna see a movie w me this weekend?

we could walk around town or go to the park after too

“Holy fucking shit. What do I even say?” Seungmin was practically shaking. He’d waited for this for so long and it was finally happening.

Felix threw another pillow at him. “Yes? Obviously? What kind of question is that?!”

“Obviously, yes, but how do I phrase it? This is going to, like, change my life. What if I respond weirdly and then he blocks me forever and never speaks to me again?”

“Seungminnie, we need to get you some professional help. You need to stop worrying. He’s been hung up on you for three years and he just asked you out on a date.” Hyunjin looked like he was about to toss a pillow at Seungmin’s head. A faint shiver went down his spine.

Minnie [7:39PM]

yes ofc :)

when?

Jeongin :) [7:39PM]

this weekend? saturday

noonish maybe, if that’s good w you

Minnie [7:39PM]

that’s good w me ^^

Jeongin :) [7:39PM]

where’s your apartment?

i’ll pick you up

as in we can walk together

Minnie [7:40PM]

[SENT A LOCATION]

Jeongin :) [7:40PM]

it’s a date?

:)

Minnie [7:40PM]

it’s a date

<3

Jeongin :) [7:40PM]

<3

“Guys, I think I have a date this weekend.” Seungmin couldn’t contain his smile. Hyunjin and Felix were jumping around, rejoicing as if they were the ones who had just been asked out.

“We need to figure out what you’re going to wear.”

“We need to have a game plan for you.”

“Oh my God, what if you guys kiss?”

“Oh my God, what if you finally get laid?”

“Shut up!”

✧

Saturday had come a little too quickly and Seungmin was standing in his room with clothes strewn all over the floor. “Why do I actually have nothing to wear?” Seungmin groaned as he took off another potential shirt. “Everything looks terrible on me.”

“What about this?” Hyunjin held up a blue and white striped button-up.

“He’s seen it too many times.” 

“This?” A white tee and a denim jacket.

“It looks too plain. I’m gonna look stupid next to him.”

“You could never look stupid. How about this?” Felix held up a brown zip-up.

“Too casual looking.”

“Isn’t this a casual date?” 

“Yeah? I don’t know. I just don’t want to wear it.”

“Understandable. This?” Hyunjin held up a patterned black button up and a pair of worn out jeans. “You’ve put these jeans through the wringer, but like, in a cool way. No reason for you to not put them through your first date with the love of your life too.”

“Wait, maybe? Let me try it on.” Seungmin shimmied into the shirt and pants and squinted into the mirror. “Maybe I can layer the shirt with something underneath.” He put on a white t-shirt and oohed. “Okay, perhaps my closet isn’t going to fail me today after all. How should I accessorize?”

Felix took a step back and tilted his head. “Tie, necklaces, a thick pant chain and a thin pant chain, and a studded belt.” He paused. “Add some bracelets and rings too.”

Seungmin obeyed, digging in multiple corners of his room for the accessories, and doing a twirl for his friends when he was done. They whistled and nodded their approval. “Lixie, we should be personal stylists.”

“We already are? What else have we been doing for this loser all morning?”

“Hey!” Seungmin chased them out of his room with his pillow before throwing it at Felix. “Should I do some makeup?”

Hyunjin jumped up. “Let me do it. I’ll do something simple, I promise. Just the way you like it.”

Seungmin was led to Hyunjin’s room and was plopped down into the chair at the little vanity Hyunjin had. He closed his eyes and put all of his trust out into the world.

When he opened his eyes and looked in the mirror, he was met with a slight lip tint, mild eyeliner, and subtle highlighting and contour. He let out a low whistle and smiled, looking up at Hyunjin. “You did your number on this one, Jinnie. You just might be a lifesaver after all.” He reached over to give him a little hug..

“Aww, look at you being all cute and affectionate.”

“I’ll take it back if you don’t shut up.”

Ding!

Jeongin :) [11:53AM]

i’m omw!! i’ll be there soon :)

Minnie [11:53AM]

[HEARTED A MESSAGE]

“Shit, he’s going to be here soon.” Seungmin raced out to their shared shoe rack. “What shoes do I wear?”

“The chunky sneakers you bought a while back. The black and white ones?” Hyunjin said, stepping back to observe when Seungmin put them on. “Yeah, those are the right choice.”

“Are you ready to seduce the fuck out of Jeongin?” Felix asked, earning him a smack on his shoulder.

“Why are you guys so obsessed with me getting laid?” Seungmin groaned.

“Because you’re horrifically pathetic and have been pining over this guy for God-knows-how-long! It’s embarrassing to witness, really.”

“Should I remind you of how you and Jisung mutually pretended to hate each other for years even after you started liking each other?” Seungmin raised an eyebrow.

“Seungminnie, what are you even talking about? That never even happened.”

“Liar.”

“I never lie.”

“You’re insane, I think you need to get your brain checked out.”

“You want to talk insani–”

Ding!

“Fuck,” Seungmin scrambled for his phone, seeing a notification waiting for him.

Jeongin :) [12:01PM]

i’m outside ^^

“Go go go, if you guys are gonna fuck, go back to his place because he lives alone and we don’t want to hear you through our walls. Also, make sure to use protection and be safe.”

“We’re not going to fuck!”

“Whatever, whatever. Have fun Minnie! We love you very much and we want to hear all the details when you get back tonight. Now go! He’s waiting for you.”

Seungmin was pushed out of the door and he turned back to wave at his friends before he scrambled down to the building’s entrance. He was greeted with a bouquet of flowers and a bright smile aimed right for his heart. 

Jeongin gave him a small wave. “Hi, Seungminnie,” he said, almost shyly. “You look nice.” Seungmin’s stomach squeezed at the nickname and the compliment.

“Speak for yourself, Jeonginnie. You clean up nicely too.” Jeongin was wearing a striped cream and black collared shirt with flared black jorts and chunky shoes. He’d swapped out his usual contacts for black wireframe glasses and Seungmin could feel himself melting at the sight. Jeongin should really wear his glasses more often.

Jeongin handed him the bouquet of flowers. “I didn’t know what your favorite flowers were, so I tried to make a bouquet myself to make up for it. Something about how it’s the thought that counts or whatever they say.”

“It’s beautiful, Jeongin. I love it, thank you.” The bouquet was mostly made up of pink apple blossoms, white camellias, and gardenias with baby’s breath scattered throughout. It had been arranged to have the colors and types of flowers evenly dispersed in the bouquet and Seungmin was more than a little awestruck as he stared down at it.

“I’m glad you like it,” Jeongin let out a little laugh. “Maybe I should add floristry to my resume.”

“I wholeheartedly support your idea.” Seungmin nodded, mock-serious, before the both of them burst into giggles.

Jeongin checked his watch and cringed a little. “We should probably get going before we accidentally miss the showtime.” Seungmin nodded, and they started heading toward the movie theater, their hands almost touching but not quite.

It was exhilarating, as if all of Seungmin’s prayers from the past three years had finally been answered. Conversation flowed so easily with Jeongin, as if they had been friends for the longest time before deciding to add romantic intentions to the relationship.

Seungmin felt a pleasant warmth in his chest growing the more he talked to Jeongin. He was so sweet and so beautiful and they clicked so well, and it was like Seungmin had found someone who completed him. Was that a little dramatic? Maybe, but so was the whole love-in-first-sight situation that brought him here in the first place.

Seungmin insisted on paying for their tickets and the popcorn, much to Jeongin’s protest. Jeongin tried to pay him back numerous times once they had settled down in their seats, but Seungmin was nothing if not stubborn, and Jeongin had no choice but to give in.

The movie itself was cute—it was a romcom that Seungmin typically wouldn’t go for, but maybe he should revise his taste in movies, because this one was a lot more enjoyable than he thought it’d be. Perhaps the fact that his and Jeongin’s hands brushed in the popcorn bucket multiple times contributed to his newfound love of romcoms. It could also be the fact that by the end of the movie, Seungmin’s head was on Jeongin’s shoulder (very comfortable, by the way. 10/10 experience, heavily recommend it to all. Jeongin smelled a bit like baby powder, and it was quite pleasant.) and Jeongin’s head was resting on top of his. 

Seungmin was sad when the movie ended, partially because he didn't want the movie to end yet, but also because he didn’t want to detach from Jeongin either. 

“That movie was really sweet.” It was almost as if Jeongin had read his mind.

“I liked it a lot. Maybe I should start getting into romcoms. Perhaps Hyunjinnie was right about romcoms after all.”

“Perhaps he was.” Jeongin said, a smile on his face once again. “Where do you want to go next, Seungminnie? Wandering around town or going to the park?”

“Wandering around town first and then going to the park to end the day off?” Seungmin grinned at him. “If you think about it, the park is technically part of the town.”

“You enjoy my company so much you’re trying to convince me to keep the date going? How flattering.” Jeongin teased, nudging Seungmin with his elbow.

Seungmin flushed a little and elbowed Jeongin back. “I could always go home now and tell Hyunjin and Felix you were being mean. They’d tear you to pieces.”

Jeongin paled almost instantly and shook his head aggressively. “No no no, I don’t think that’s necessary Seungminnie! I think extending our date no matter what the reason is is a good idea and I would never tease you about it.” 

Seungmin laughed and reached out to lightly pinch Jeongin’s cheek. “You’re so cute, Jeonginnie.”

“Hush.” The tips of Jeongin’s ears were red and Seungmin laughed again.

“Let’s go wander around town now, shall we?” Seungmin grabbed Jeongin’s hand and started to direct them to a busier road in town with lots of cute shops. The action was a mindless habit he’d picked up from hanging out with Hyunjin and Felix so much, and he didn’t even realize he had done it until he felt Jeongin lightly squeeze his hand. 

He felt his cheeks get warm at the realization and he peeked over at Jeongin and saw that his cheeks were pink too. Pink was a cute color on him. 

Jeongin’s hands were strong, but they were also surprisingly soft. Seungmin was expecting rougher, calloused hands from hitting the gym so much, but Jeongin had maintained his hands well. 

They spent hours walking around the area of town with shops of all kinds, with Seungmin ending the day in possession of a new shirt and Jeongin ending the day with new rings to add to his collection.

The sun was slowly making its way toward the horizon and both of them were more than content in each other’s company.

“Do you want to go to the park now, Seungminnie?” Some time during the day, Jeongin had picked up the habit of twirling Seungmin’s rings around his fingers when they were holding hands. It was almost sickening how sweet and intimate and gentle the action was.

“Can we go to a café first? I’m getting a little hungry.” Seungmin said sheepishly.

“Yeah, of course. I know a good spot by the park around here.” Jeongin steered them over to a cute little café and insisted on paying for both of their drinks and sandwiches. Seungmin was reluctant, but let him have it.

They were quiet on the way to the park, but it was comfortable. Seungmin felt so warm that he could’ve fallen asleep on the spot if he wasn’t actively walking.

The park had a swing set, and the two of them instantly made a beeline toward it. The sun was starting to set and the park was empty, which was a surprise since it was the weekend and it wasn’t too dark yet, but Seungmin appreciated it nonetheless.

“Is it time for the deep, dark questions that tend to be reserved for when everyone is content and at peace at a childhood park?” Jeongin asked, their hands still intertwined as they sat down on the swing set.

“I think that’s third date behavior at least.” Seungmin joked, smiling as he took a sip of his drink. 

Jeongin perked up at the words. “There’s going to be a third date?”

Seungmin giggled. “A second date first, of course. Then there’ll be a third date, and a fourth date, and many more dates after that too.”

Jeongin flushed and knocked his knee against Seungmin’s as a way of silently responding. 

They stayed at the park, lightly swinging and talking about everything, nothing, and all that was in between. It was so easy to talk to Jeongin. The thought had crossed Seungmin’s mind more than once that day, and it was only reinforced the more they spoke. 

It wasn’t until Felix sent him a quick text asking him if his location being stuck at the park for several hours meant that he had been murdered that they decided to start heading back to Seungmin’s apartment.

They were still holding hands by the time they’d reached the entrance of Seungmin’s building, and it was honestly the nicest reprieve from the rapidly cooling air that Seungmin could’ve ever asked for. Jeongin’s hand was warm and perfect, and Seungmin was a weak man.

“I had so much fun today, Innie,” Seungmin said, turning around with a soft smile on his face. “Let’s do this again soon. Thank you again for the bouquet and for paying for the food. The bouquet is gorgeous.”

“I had a lot of fun too, Seungminnie,” Jeongin replied, also with a soft smile on his face. “I’ll really add floristry to my resume if you keep complimenting my bouquet like that.”

Seungmin laughed, abruptly stopping when his breath hitched as Jeongin placed a light kiss on the hand he was holding. Jeongin grinned at his reaction and kissed his hand again.

“Let me know when you’re home, Innie. We can’t go on another date if you end up getting kidnapped on the way back to your place.” 

“I’ll text you the moment I step into my apartment, pinky promise.” Jeongin held out his pinky and Seungmin linked it with his before letting go.

“Good night, Jeonginnie, have a safe trip home.” Seungmin said before turning around to enter his building.

“Nighty night, Seungminnie. Don’t trip and eat shit on the way up.” Jeongin waved at him and waited for the door of the building to shut before heading back to his place. If anyone asked, there was definitely not an uncontrollable smile on his face, nor did he have the urge to jump up and down in a circle. Why would that even be a possibility?

Also, for the record, Seungmin most definitely did not have an uncontrollable grin on his face either. He most definitely didn’t wait until he was in the elevator before letting out a little squeak of excitement, and he absolutely did not do a little shimmy of celebration for bagging a date with The Hot Guy he’d been pining over for three years.

The door to his apartment opened before he even got a chance to fumble in his pockets for his keys, and Hyunjin and Felix dragged him into their living room.

“Oh my God, he gave you flowers!” Hyunjin peered at the bouquet in Seungmin’s hand. “It’s so pretty. I can’t believe you didn’t cry on the spot when you got them.”

“He has good taste in flowers and he isn’t basic with his choices.” Felix nodded his approval. “They deserve to be put in a vase.”

“Okay, wait, spill the details right now. We have snacks and everything as debrief fuel, plus face masks and everything wonderful in the world.” Hyunjin plopped down on their couch, almost as excited as he was when he was the one giving the debrief after his first date with Jisung. 

“Can I go wash my face first? I can’t put on a face mask on a dirty face.”

“Wait, you’re right. Go shower too,” Hyunjin said. “This is full relaxation time, you need to be squeaky clean and ready to talk. If you take longer than 20 minutes in there, I’m going to break the door down and bother you while you’re in the shower.”

“Okay, okay! I’m going, I’m going.”

He exited the bathroom exactly 20 minutes later, decked out in his favorite t-shirt and sweatpants and smelling like fresh vanilla. His flowers were sitting on the table in the vase that the three of them had bought specifically for special romantic occasions, like flowers from a first date or from an anniversary. 

They’d started the tradition back when they first moved in together a couple years back and Hyunjin had come back from his first real date with Jisung. The tradition had stayed strong with Felix and Hyunjin, but now it was finally time for a significant contribution from Seungmin. 

He’d put in flowers from first dates before, but they had only stayed as first dates and never progressed further. He had a feeling that it’d be different this time. He had a feeling that Jeongin was different.

Ding!

Jeonginnie :) [9:43PM]

i got home safe ^^

Minnie [9:43PM]

yay!!

i didn’t trip on the way upstairs either :)

Jeonginnie :) [9:43PM]

good good

we can’t go on another date if you hurt urself

can’t have u being injured and pushing yourself

Minnie [9:43PM]

i would never

i’m very balanced at all times

Jeonginnie :) [9:43PM]

lol sure u are

Minnie [9:43PM]

[DISLIKED A MESSAGE]

Felix sat up from where he was slumped on the couch when he saw Seungmin starting towards the couch. “Start from the beginning and don’t you dare leave out a single detail.”

Hyunjin tossed a face mask in his direction the moment he reached the couch and leaned forward excitedly, with his chin in his hands like a little kid. “I’ll kill you if you leave out anything.”

“Even if I was trying to spare you the details of us fucking?” Seungmin teased.

“You fucked?!” Felix shrieked.

“Shut up before you get us a noise complaint!” Seungmin hissed. “And no, you idiot, that was a hypothetical question!”

“I’d still want to hear something about how he is in bed. What if he’s hot but unable to get it up? We gotta know that kind of stuff, Minnie.” Hyunjin said, only half jokingly. “But anyway, just get on with it already.”

Seungmin went through their date moment by moment, pausing for Felix’s whispered shrieks and Hyunjin’s dramatic gasps.

“He made that bouquet for you himself? God, he’s such a keeper. Tell me you’re keeping him Minnie, please, for all of our sakes.”

“He mostly definitely looks hot in glasses. All men look hot in glasses, actually. Did I tell you about the first time I saw Jisung in glasses? Mesmerizing.”

“Shut up Hyunjinnie, we need to talk about how Seungminnie had his head on Jeongin’s shoulder for the whole movie.”

“You’re right, wait, and they were holding hands for basically the entire day too!”

“Jeongin paid for his food at the café and walked him home!”

“He kissed his hand twice!”

Hyunjin suddenly leaped across the couch to envelope Seungmin in a hug. “I’m so happy for you, Minnie. I’m so so so glad that the date went so well.”

Felix suddenly appeared on the other side of Seungmin and wrapped his arms around Seungmin too. “If he ever screws up, tell us immediately. I’ll kill him without any hesitation. He seems as sweet as he always is though. I’m so excited for you, Minnie.”

Seungmin leaned into both of his friends and grinned. “Please don’t kill my number one prospect for love. Oh my God, did I tell you about how he’s kind of terrified of you? He was teasing me earlier and I joked about telling you guys and he took it back with a petrified look on his face.”

Hyunjin giggled. “There’s no way.”

“We’ve done our job properly, Jinnie.” Felix held his hand up for a high-five and Seungmin shook his head in exasperation. 

The date debrief quickly spiraled into a late night talk, and maybe, just maybe, it ended with the three of them falling asleep cuddled up on the couch.

✧

“Guys, I think I’m going to ask him to be my boyfriend on our next date.”

Seungmin, Felix, and Hyunjin were sprawled on the couch once again. Finals were creeping up, and the three of them were so collectively tired of studying that they all happened to trickle out onto the couch at the same time.

“Do I get to shovel-talk him after you make it official?” Felix asked with a grin.

“I don’t even think it’s necessary. He’s mildly terrified of the both of you.” Seungmin giggled.

“I still think that’s my greatest accomplishment in life. Finding out that I’m able to scare a potential boyfriend without the shovel talk has inflated my ego to a concerning degree.” Hyunjin said, smiling.

“My biggest accomplishment is still bagging the Seo Changbin, but I think this is a close second.” Felix said before turning over to Seungmin. “Anyway, how are you planning to make it official, Minnie?”

“Well, finals need to be over first. I look and feel like shit at any given moment right now, and I refuse to ask my three-year-long crush to be my boyfriend like that.”

Hyunjin nodded in agreement. “It’ll also be less stressful to go out after finals are over too. I can barely get myself over to Jisung’s place right now because of how busy studying is. I can’t imagine trying to plan something as big as this.”

“Right? I think I’m going to ask him out on a picnic date. I’ll ask him as the sun is setting, maybe? Or maybe I’ll just ask him whenever I feel it’s right.” Seungmin said, tucking his knees up to his chest.

“Wait, that’s so cute. Do you know what his favorite dessert is?” Felix asked.

“He loves strawberry cake. I think I’m going to bake one and bring it out right before I ask. I was thinking of asking him on the cake and having little checkboxes for yes or no, and bringing along a tiny piping bag of frosting for him to check off his answer.” Seungmin said, grinning a little. “I’ll need you guys to taste test for me, though. I haven’t tried to make a proper strawberry cake in ages and last that I checked, it didn't taste too great.”

“Free cake will always be a yes from me.” Felix cheered. “I think it’d be cute if you had a little speech leading into the cake. The cake itself can be the question, or you could ask it yourself and the cake is additional confirmation.” 

“I think the cake confirmation is the best way to go about this.” Hyunjin chimed in. “It’s more personal to ask the question yourself, but the cake idea is too cute to pass up. I’ll gladly taste test everything for you. Are you sure you’ll have enough time these next two weeks to test run recipes?”

“...Good point. I could always wait until a week or two after midterms to ask him out on the date and test run recipes nonstop before between finals and the date? We’d have a horrendous amount of strawberry cake in our fridge but that’s not the worst thing in the world.” Seungmin said.

“It can always be thrown in the freezer if needed. Honestly, if we end up with that much cake, Changbin and Jisung can always get them. Knowing them, they’d inhale it within minutes.” Felix said.

“Duly noted.” Seungmin said, nodding solemnly. “Hyunjinnie, how much do you know about flower language? I know you’ve always had a thing for it. I’d rather fact check my research with you than a random website when I’m choosing which flowers to include in the bouquet I’m making.”

“Oh my God, you’re making him a bouquet!” Hyunjin squealed. “I definitely know enough to help you out. Random websites have nothing on me.” 

Seungmin suddenly felt his heart squeeze and he looked at his friends. “Thank you for helping me with this, guys. I know I don’t say it a lot, but I really love you guys. Thank you for always being here for me.”

“Awwww,” Hyunjin cooed. “We love you too, Seungminnie.”

Felix pulled him in for a hug. “We’d do anything for you the way you would do anything for us. I hope you’ll always remember that.”

Seungmin loved his friends. Being with them was healing, and after the long group hug they shared, he was almost energized enough to go back to studying. Just almost though.

✧

The first order of business after finals ended was getting the entire sorta-group together. The way that they had formed in the first place was almost movie-like. Hyunjin and Felix met their respective boyfriends (who also knew each other? Perhaps it was fate.), and their group of three became a tentative group of five on certain occasions.

Changbin became friends with a coworker of his, a fellow producer named Chan, and Chan eventually brought his boyfriend Minho around to meet them after he learned that Minho and Changbin had worked on songs together as choreographer and producer. Over time, they found out that Jisung and Changbin were both friends with Jeongin and he was brought into the group too. 

Their group wasn’t exactly tight-knit, but they seemed to be getting there, just extremely slowly. It was more of a series of coincidences than anything, and some of the relationships within the group were so much closer to an acquaintanceship to the point where numbers hadn’t even been properly exchanged between all eight of them.

The casual, occasional hangouts were fun, though, even if Seungmin wasn’t fully familiar with everyone. It was relaxing, and no one was too overbearing, especially since these hangouts tended to occur when everyone was exhausted and needed a pick-me-up. 

They’d decided to gather at Chan and Minho’s place, because they made the most money out of everyone in the group and therefore had the nicest apartment to spend time at. Jeongin had shown up a bit later than everyone else, as he had to go in for a shift at the café.

He was wearing the hoodie that he’d given Seungmin when they had bumped into each other in the middle of the quad three years ago along with a pair of ripped jeans and some chunky jewelry to pull everything together. Maybe Seungmin was biased, but he thought that Jeongin looked good. Like, really good. Who even looks that good in just a hoodie and jeans?

“You’re staring, Minnie.” 

The whisper in Seungmin’s ear made him jump. He turned to the right to see that it was Hyunjin and he shot him a glare. Hyunjin just laughed at him and poked him in the ribs. Seungmin sighed exasperatedly and turned to his left to complain to Felix about Hyunjin’s antics, when he was greeted with Jeongin’s wide smile instead.

“Hi, Seungminnie,” Jeongin knocked their knees together. “Did I miss much?”

Seungmin felt a rush of warmth and leaned his head on Jeongin’s shoulder. “Not really. We’ve just been sitting in this circle talking. You weren’t that late, either.”

Jeongin grabbed Seungmin’s hands and started playing with the rings adorning his fingers. “Good to know, then.” Jeongin said, a soft smile on his face at the sight of Seungmin leaning against him.

They were inseparable the entire time the eight of them were gathered around in the circle, which earned them a raised eyebrow from Changbin and waggly eyebrows from Jisung. It only got worse when they all decided that a movie night was in order and everyone piled onto the sectional.

Seungmin was now fully cuddled up with Jeongin, and Chan had tossed them a blanket at some point. They had cranked up the AC at some point because the amount of people in the apartment was causing it to be slightly stuffy, but with everyone calmed down and cuddled up where they wanted to be, it was starting to get a little cooler than expected.

They were about halfway through the movie when Seungmin really started getting cold. It was honestly unreasonable. He was pressed up against Jeongin’s body heat, covered with a blanket, and it was already summer. It should’ve been unbearably hot more than anything.

“Innie, I’m cold.” Seungmin whispered, tilting his head back to look at Jeongin. He didn’t really know what his purpose of vocalizing this was (yes he did. He wanted Jeongin’s hoodie. He would rather eat sand than admit that, though.), but he said it anyway.

“Do you want my hoodie? I’m not really cold.” Jeongin whispered back, already taking off his sweatshirt before Seungmin could even reply. 

Seungmin nodded. “Thanks, Innie, you’re the best.”

The hoodie smelled just like it did three years ago—fresh detergent and clean soap. Between the sudden warmth of the hoodie and its pleasing smell and Jeongin smelling sweet, like baby powder, Seungmin was starting to get sleepy. 

To make matters worse, Jeongin decided to start stroking his hair, carding his fingers through it. It felt so nice that he let out a soft hum, almost involuntarily, before yawning.

“Are you sleepy, baby?” 

Seungmin felt his stomach flutter at the pet name, and he nodded lightly. He’d never heard that from Jeongin before, but he didn’t want him to stop anytime soon either. Maybe it just slipped out since Jeongin seemed a little sleepy too. Maybe it’ll keep slipping out regardless of whether or not he was tired. One could only hope. 

Seungmin felt himself getting lulled to sleep by Jeongin and the movie playing in the background. He tried to stay awake, he really did, but at some point he told himself he was going to close his eyes for five minutes and he may or may not have ended up falling asleep. Oops?

The rest of the group started to fall asleep too, as they always did. It was far from the first time that a group get-together had turned into a sleepover. As mildly acquainted as some of them were, they were at least familiar enough with each other to fall asleep together unplanned. 

The sectional was big and comfortable, making it a prime sleeping spot, and the fact that all eight of them managed to fit on it without problems just added to its appeal.

Most of the group was awake in the morning by the time Seungmin opened his eyes. He could hear Minho bustling around the kitchen, no doubt making breakfast for all of them, and Chan was probably with him. Jisung and Changbin were making faces at each other from their respective ends of the sectional, while Hyunjin was still asleep and Felix watched with an amused look on his face.

Jeongin was still asleep too—the steady rise and fall of his chest under Seungmin’s head paired with the even breathing being a dead giveaway.

Seungmin looked up at Jeongin and felt his breath get taken away. Jeongin was equally as mesmerizing when he was asleep as when he was awake, maybe even more mesmerizing. Seeing his smooth skin so close almost made Seungmin dizzy, and he looked so at peace that Seungmin felt his heart clench.

Jeongin still had an arm slung around Seungmin’s shoulder, and the other one was hanging off the edge of the couch. Their legs were tangled together under the blanket and Seungmin was so comfortable that he could’ve honestly fallen asleep again if it wasn’t for the volume in the room steadily increasing as the result of Hyunjin waking up.

Seungmin felt Jeongin stirring and looked at him, a smile already halfway on his face. “Morning, Innie. Did you sleep well?”

Jeongin groaned and mumbled something inaudible, making Seungmin let out a little laugh. Jeongin responded to that by wrapping his other arm around Seungmin and squeezing him as tightly as possible in an attempt to suffocate him.

It only made Seungmin giggle more until he just resigned to his fate of being crushed into Jeongin. He’d been ogling those muscles for years for a reason, after all. 

Eventually, Minho made them all get up and clean themselves up before grabbing food. They all trickled back to the living room because of the lack of dining space, and Seungmin opted to sit on the floor between Jeongin’s legs.

Felix was the one waggling eyebrows at him this time, and he just stuck out his tongue in response. 

They were all smart enough to try to land the original hangout on a Saturday so that they’d be able to spend all Sunday together too after the inevitable sleepover, so they wasted away most of the day together playing games (UNO was brutal. Do not ever play UNO with this particular group of people, you absolutely will be losing your life at one point or another) and watching more movies together. 

They reluctantly ended their get-together around 10:00pm. It was unfortunate, but most of them had to get up for work the next day. It was honestly a miracle that no one was scheduled to come in on that weekend at all, with the exception of Jeongin.

Jisung and Hyunjin were the first to go, although Seungmin highly doubted that Hyunjin was going to make it back to their apartment before he did. That is, if Hyunjin made it back tonight at all. He wouldn’t be surprised if he opted to spend the night at Jisung’s place.

Changbin and Felix were the next to leave. Seungmin knew for sure that Felix would be getting home that night, even if he didn’t know exactly when. Changbin was one of the three in their group who were truly employed in their target career, and he mentioned having to arrive early the next morning. Seungmin doubted Felix was going to be willing to stay over, plus Felix didn’t like leaving Seungmin home all alone. 

Seungmin and Jeongin hung back a little longer, mostly because it was nearly impossible to stop a conversation between Chan and Jeongin. It was like trying to say goodbye to your auntie at a family party. Seungmin did use that time to talk to Minho a bit more, though. 

Out of everyone there, he was definitely least familiar with Minho, but he liked to think that the slight bonding time they had during this hangout made up for it. He had everyone’s number now, at least! The friend group was progressing, or something like that.

Eventually, they were playfully shoved out the door by Minho, with a promise of another group get-together hopefully coming a lot sooner than this one had. Seungmin, Felix, Hyunjin, and Jisung had finally finished their final semester, after all, so that was one thing barring them from hangouts gone.

Seungmin hoped that they could all meet up again soon. He was feeling the kind of happiness that only comes around when you’re surrounded by good people and having a good time. That paired with the warmth that Jeongin had been making him feel for the past day made him feel more at peace than he had in a long time.

They had barely made it two steps before Seungmin interlinked their hands together and Jeongin smiled. “Aww, you just can’t get enough of me, can you?” He placed a kiss on Seungmin’s knuckles before letting their hands drop down and swing between them.

“Oh shut up, Yang Jeongin.” There was no real bite in his voice, and they both knew it.

Jeongin insisted on walking Seungmin home (“It’s past 10:00pm! I can protect myself much better than you can. I can protect us both!”). It was a peaceful night, surprising for a Sunday night in the city, but Seungmin certainly didn’t mind. It was the perfect atmosphere for a late night date.

“Seungminnie, do you have anything to do early tomorrow?” Jeongin asked. It was almost as if he had read Seungmin’s mind. Maybe he thought it was the perfect atmosphere for a late night date too.

“No, I’m working closing shift tomorrow, so I was planning to sleep in.” Seungmin said, raising an eyebrow. “Why? Are you planning to whisk me away somewhere?”

“Perhaps,” Jeongin grinned. “The wind is telling me to take you on an impromptu date, so on an impromptu date we shall go.”

Seungmin pulled out his phone to shoot Felix a quick text saying that he’ll be home later than expected and to not worry about him, then allowed Jeongin to drag him away. 

They ended up at the park they went to on their first date, but this time, instead of settling onto the swings, they went to the playground instead and laid down on one of the platforms.

“Now, theoretically, if we weren’t in the middle of a busy city, light pollution wouldn’t exist and we’d be able to see the stars right now.” Jeongin said, sighing.

“At least we can still look at the moon?” Seungmin asked, barely having any faith in the words himself.

“At least I get to be here with you.” Jeongin gave him a cheeky little grin as Seungmin smacked him in the arm. 

Seungmin turned onto his stomach and buried his face in the sleeves of the hoodie. All that did was give him a whiff of clean soap and fresh detergent, which was so distinctly Jeongin that it didn’t help the flush on his face at all. “You exhaust me, Innie.”

“You enjoy it.” Jeongin poked Seungmin in the ribs, shrieking when Seungmin tried to do it back. They grappled with each other, Seungmin trying to jab at him and Jeongin trying to prevent Seungmin from doing so, and it only ended when Jeongin shoved hard enough to get Seungmin pinned down on his back. He had his hand under Seungmin’s head of course—he would never let Seungmin potentially get hurt. What kind of asshole would do that?

Seungmin was all but winded when he looked up at Jeongin, and his breath was only continually stolen away as he took in all of the details of Jeongin’s face with barely any distance separating them.

From the slope of his nose to the angle of his cheekbones, and from his rosy lips to the shine in his eyes as he looked down at Seungmin, Seungmin was mesmerized, and he knew he was totally, utterly, absolutely fucked.

The smell of baby powder, detergent, and soap only got clearer, and Seungmin was overly aware of all the places they were making contact with each other. He saw Jeongin’s throat bob as he swallowed and he gulped himself.

Somehow managing to wrench a hand free from where Jeongin had pinned it under his knee, Seungmin reached up and cupped Jeongin’s cheek, pulling him closer. They were barely a hair’s breadth apart and Seungmin felt a shiver go down his spine.

“Can I?” Seungmin whispered, barely audible.

Jeongin responded in turn by pulling Seungmin in from the base of his head, his hand settled just beneath Seungmin’s ear. When their lips finally met, the only word to describe how Seungmin felt was exhilarated.

Maybe literal fireworks didn’t go off, but his heart was pounding so quickly and so loudly that his ears were ringing and that made up for it by a long shot. Jeongin’s lip balm smelled and tasted like strawberries and Seungmin was going to have a heart attack.

Jeongin was a good kisser too. He was a lot handsier than Seungmin expected, but who was Seungmin to complain? There was something about having one of Jeongin’s hands roaming his torso while his other hand was settled at the base of his head and tangled in his hair that made Seungmin’s knees feel weak, even while laying down.. 

The real experience was so much better than whatever Seungmin had managed to concoct in his secret fantasies and hopes and dreams. He was mildly jealous of everyone Jeongin had to kiss in order to get this good but his mind was quickly wiped blank when Jeongin started biting and tugging at his lower lip.

He let out an involuntary whine when Jeongin eventually pulled away, chasing him like he needed him to survive. It was horrifically embarrassing, really, but Seungmin didn’t have the space of mind to process that at the moment. The only thing running through his head was Jeongin Jeongin Jeongin and he vaguely wondered if he was going insane. 

Jeongin tucked a piece of hair behind Seungmin’s ear and smiled. “You’re so cute, Minnie.”

Seungmin’s only response to that was nuzzling his cheek in the palm of Jeongin’s hand and letting out a pleased little hum. Jeongin cooed at him and leaned down to drop a kiss on Seungmin’s forehead. “I should get you home now. Felix might murder me otherwise.”

Seungmin sighed and pulled himself up, only to let himself collapse onto Jeongin’s shoulder. “Felix can wait.” Seungmin grabbed Jeongin’s hand and started playing with his rings.

Jeongin laughed. “If you say so, Minnie. You better hold him back when he tries to blow my head off for keeping you out so late.”

“He would never do such a thi–”

Ding!

Lixie [11:34PM]

kim seungmin

if you don’t get home soon i’m reporting you missing

and i’m going to blow jeongin’s head off for keeping you out this late

yang jeongin i know you’re reading this

consider yourself warned

“Well would you look at that?” Jeongin said, sitting up with a vague look of fear on his face.

Seungmin sighed. “I told him not to worry.”

Minnie [11:35PM]

i’ll get home eventually i promise

let me have like 10 more minutes w him

i’ll be home before 12

i swear

i’m perfectly safe and ok

Lixie [11:35PM]

if ur even a second late i’m killing you on the spot

both of u actually

Minnie [11:35PM]

yes mom

Lixie [11:35PM]

nvm ur just dying regardless

Minnie [11:36PM]

NO

NOT BEFORE I MAKE HIM MY BF

Lixie [11:36PM]

WHATEVER

Minnie [11:36PM]

[DISLIKED A MESSAGE]

Lixie [11:36PM]

..

i hope u die

Minnie [11:36PM]

[LIKED A MESSAGE]

Seungmin grabbed Jeongin by the back of his shirt, lightly tugging to get him to flop back down on the playground platform. “I convinced Lixie that another 10 minutes here would be a good idea. He won’t murder you, I promise. He loves me too much to kill you,” Seungmin paused. “Probably.”

Jeongin snorts. “Well, that sounds promising.” He still laid down though, pressing their arms together and shooting a sweet smile at Seungmin. “What do you suggest that we do for the next ten minutes?”

It was Seungmin’s turn to bring Jeongin’s hand up to his lips, pressing a soft kiss on his knuckles. “We could just lay here and talk,” Seungmin pressed another kiss on Jeongin’s knuckles. “Or we could do something else.”

Jeongin raised an eyebrow. “What could you possibly mean by that?”

“You know exactly what I mean, Jeonginnie.”

“You wanna fuck on a playground?” Jeongin asked, grinning slyly.

Seungmin gasped, scandalized as he smacked Jeongin’s arm. “You’re disgusting, get away from me. Has anyone told you you’re a freak?” 

Jeongin laughed, and rolled over to capture Seungmin in his grasp. “You’re still hanging around, aren’t you? That’s all that matters to me.” Jeongin flashed a cheeky little grin at him before tucking his head into the crook of Seungmin’s neck.

Seungmin kissed the top of his head, before dragging him up to kiss him properly. It was just as exhilarating as the first time, if not more. Seungmin was practically melting both into Jeongin and into the playground itself, and he found himself not particularly minding.

Ding!

Seungmin groaned, reluctantly checking his phone for the notification that he knew would be waiting for him.

Lixie [11:46PM]

your 10 mins r up

chop chop 

Minnie [11:46PM]

[DISLIKED A MESSAGE]

[DISLIKED A MESSAGE]

At some point, he and Jeongin had shifted from laying on their sides to sitting up with Seungmin in Jeongin’s lap straddling him. It took a great amount of effort to peel himself off of Jeongin and even more effort to stand up fully. “Lixie’s sending out a curfew call.”

Jeongin laughed, although he was also quite sad about being forcefully detached from Seungmin (kissing Seungmin was possibly the best thing he had ever experienced). “I should’ve known he would watch the time and text you as soon as ten minutes passed.” 

Jeongin offered his hand up to Seungmin, who gladly took it. Seungmin was quite happy on their walk home. There was a nice breeze picking up, the streets were virtually empty, and exchanging quiet giggles with Jeongin only made everything sweeter.

When they arrived at the entrance of Seungmin’s building, he remembered that he still had to carry out his little plan to ask Jeongin to be his boyfriend. How in the world did he forget in the first place? (Well… Jeongin did have a way of being awfully distracting, but that’s besides the point.)

“Innie, are you free this weekend?”

“I’m always free for you.” Jeongin said cheekily before yelping and dodging an aggressive jab in his ribs from Seungmin. “No, but seriously, I should be free unless there’s suddenly an emergency.”

“Can we go on a date then? A proper planned date where Lixie won’t hold us at gunpoint trying to get me home?”

“Of course we can. When and where?”

“Saturday around three? It’ll be a surprise.” Seungmin’s smile was so sweet that Jeongin couldn’t resist kissing his cheek before responding.

“It’s a date.” Somehow, Seungmin’s smile grew even wider and Jeongin felt himself go weak in the knees. He was down so bad for this man that it wasn’t funny anymore.

“Oh, I should probably give this back to you.” Seungmin moved to take off the hoodie that Jeongin had lent him, but he was stopped before he could.

“Keep it. For real this time. I’ll steal it back from you eventually if I really want it back that badly.” Jeongin paused. “You look much cuter in it than I do anyway.”

Seungmin flushed red and swatted a hand at Jeongin. “Whatever, just go home already.” Jeongin let out a little laugh and placed another kiss on his cheek before stepping back and waving at him. 

“Good night, Seungminnie. Sleep well and have sweet dreams about me and whatnot.” Jeongin grinned as Seungmin’s ears began to turn red too.

“Good night, Innie. Let me know when you get home?” Jeongin nodded and began shuffling backwards as Seungmin disappeared into the building.

It was 12:01 when he finally fumbled the door open, and he was greeted with a half-jokingly displeased Felix leaning against the wall. “You’re late.”

Seungmin held up his hands with a small smile on his face. “Okay, wait, before you kill me, can I say something?”

Felix paused, eyeing him suspiciously. “Perhaps.”

“What if I told you that we may or may not have made out on a playground?”

“You what?”

✧

It was Friday night and Seungmin was ready to go insane. He had been pricked by thorns one time too many, he had consumed too much strawberry flavoring the past week, and the nerves were starting to get to him. 

He was slumped over on their kitchen counter when Felix came out to check on him. “Minnie, you okay?”

Seungmin grunted out a noncommittal sound, and Felix patted him on the back and laughed. “You’ll be okay. Jeongin’s going to love everything you’ve prepared for him. You wanna come hang out with me on the couch for a few minutes?”

Seungmin reluctantly nodded and trudged over to the living room and flopped into Felix’s open arms. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

“I’m just nervous, I think. I don’t think I’ve put in this much effort for anyone before, and the nerves are starting to get to me.” Seungmin said softly, closing his eyes as Felix started rocking him back and forth. 

“Nerves are part of the process. I promise you the effort will be worth it and Jeongin is going to love it all. He already adores you, and you adore him. Everything will be okay.” Felix said. “The food you’ve made for the picnic tastes great, the cake looks and tastes amazing, and the bouquet is beautiful. He’d be a fool to reject any of it and I’ll murder him myself if he does.”

“Please don’t murder him.”

“I will if I have to.”

Seungmin giggled and looked up at Felix. “Thank you for helping me with so much of it. I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without your and Jinnie’s help. Thank Changbin for me for taking so many of the failed cakes too, please. I don’t think I could deal with opening the fridge and seeing fifteen thousand strawberry cakes looking back at me.”

Felix patted him on the head. “When Jinnie and I told you we’d do anything for you, we meant it. Are you feeling better now?”

Seungmin nodded.

“Go get some sleep then. You can keep worrying about this in the morning, even though there’s nothing to worry about. I have to go take care of some things in the morning, but I’ll definitely be back to help you get ready before you have to leave.” Felix plopped a kiss in Seungmin’s hair and shoved him in the direction of his room. “You got this.”

Seungmin shook out his shoulders and nodded. “I got this.”

✧

Seungmin, in fact, did not “got this”. The mix of nervousness and excitement in his gut meant he couldn’t get much sleep and he woke up frazzled. Hyunjin seemed to anticipate this and was already sitting on the kitchen counter by the time Seungmin had woken up. It was surprising, considering Seungmin was up hours earlier than usual and Hyunjin was a late waker himself. 

“How are you feeling?” Hyunjin pretended to not know about the internal breakdown Seungmin was having and feigned ignorance as he looked at him up and down.

“I’m simultaneously so tired and ready to burst out of my own skin. Is it even possible to be so excited and so nervous at the same time?”

Hyunjin sighed, pressing his hands to his heart. “Ah, to be young and in love.”

Seungmin gave him an unimpressed look and trailed into the bathroom without a word to get ready for the day. He would love to say that he was currently having a great, normal time, but he was honestly prepared to puke halfway through his shower from the sheer nervousness running through his body. That’s nobody’s business but his, though.

Hyunjin was still sitting on the counter when Seungmin walked back in and he wordlessly handed him a cup of yogurt. “I know you’re not going to be able to stomach much, but you should eat something before you get a headache.”

Seungmin felt his heart warm at Hyunjin’s words and took the yogurt gratefully. “Thanks, Jinnie. You know me a little too well.”

“What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t? We’ve been friends since high school, Minnie. I know you inside and out.”

Seungmin stuck his tongue out at him playfully and hopped onto the counter to join him. “Jinnie, I feel like I’m going to puke.”

“I felt like that with Jisung too. The nerves will be more than worth it, trust me. Don’t act like I didn’t see you two all cuddled up with each other last week at Chan and Minho’s place.” Hyunjin paused, pretending to be deep in thought. “Didn’t you two go on to practically fuck at a park too?”

“Excuse me? I would never do such things!” Seungmin scoffs indignantly.

“According to your own words, you guys made out for like half an hour total at that park and were very handsy with each other. That classifies as practically fucking to m–” Hyunjin squealed and hopped off the counter as Seungmin threatened to smack him with the spoon he was holding. “I’m not going to help you with your outfit today if you don’t stop!” Hyunjin shrieked as he was chased around their apartment.

“You love me too much to throw me to the wolves like that and you know it!” Seungmin didn’t relent until he landed a smack on Hyunjin’s forehead, to which Hyunjin whined and pretended to retch.

“You’re disgusting, Minnie, I hope you know that. Your spit’s smeared all over my precious forehead now.” Hyunjin paused, an unsettling smile spreading across his face. “You know who probably wouldn’t mind that, though? Yang Jeo–” He was cut off as Seungmin smacked him again before heading over to the sink to wash off the spoon.

“I regret ever becoming friends with you.” Seungmin said, shaking his head miserably. “What did I do to deserve this?”

“Acting like you didn’t almost cry last week over having me as a friend.” Hyunjin huffed, shoving Seungmin lightly. “You love me and you know it. Now, let’s start planning your outfit. We should’ve done this days ago, really, but your glorious strawberry cakes were taking up all of our time.”

Hyunjin dragged them to Seungmin’s room, where he started rummaging through Seungmin’s closet for something suitable for him to wear. They’d gone through five different outfits before Felix came home and started digging through all three of their closets for more options.

It really, truly shouldn’t have been that hard—Seungmin has spent a lot of time curating his wardrobe and he likes to think his sense of style was at least halfway decent, especially since his best friends were Hwang Hyunjin and Lee Felix of all people. Neither of them seemed to have ever had an awkward phase, and they’d probably die before letting him wear an ugly outfit.

After quite a bit of metaphorically screaming into pillows (and maybe literally screaming into pillows once or twice), the unanimous decision was to put Seungmin in an old baseball jersey over a mildly cropped, tight fitting white t-shirt and a pair of frayed patchwork jeans. It was an outfit so simple that it was genuinely unreasonable for there to have been this much turmoil, but that’s what nerves did to you, he supposed. 

Felix tossed a couple of pant chains in his direction, and a little plushie to clip onto his belt loop. “Seriously?”

“It’s cute, I swear.”

They migrated to Hyunjin’s room to look through his jewelry and settled on a simple dangly necklace, some chain bracelets, and smooth, thick rings. 

Hyunjin let out a low whistle. “You look so hot, Seungminnie. Jeongin would be a fool to say no to all this.”

Felix nodded in agreement. “You are so getting laid tonight.”

“Will you guys ever let that go?”

“No, why would we?”

“I hate you both.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.”

Seungmin swatted a hand at them and went to the kitchen to start packing the picnic basket. 

The best part of the past week was definitely the cooking. It was easy and methodical, and it was the only thing that took his mind off of the steadily building nervousness in his stomach.

The cake had taken up most of his time. He had tested so many recipes that he swore he was tasting powdered freeze-dried strawberries in his sleep. The end result was worth the effort though—the cake was round and pretty, a strawberry flavored cake with whipped cream and strawberries as the filling with pink vanilla frosting and little dollops of whipped cream bordering it all. Strawberry slices were nestled between the dollops, and the cake looked damn good if he did say so himself. He was very proud of it—it was practically his child at this point.

Jisung and Changbin were gracious enough to take several of the trial cakes that Seungmin had concocted in the past two weeks. Seungmin had tried to make them as small as possible, since ingredients were expensive, but a cake was a cake and there was nothing he could do about it.

Hyunjin and Felix kept circling around and around the kitchen, rambling on endlessly as he packed the basket, making sure that the cake would be hidden from sight when it was time to unpack the basket with Jeongin. 

He had almost gotten rid of the nerves by the time the basket was packed, but then he looked at the clock and saw that he had half an hour until he was supposed to be setting everything into motion and immediately wanted to die. 

“Guys, what if I throw up in the middle of the kitchen right now?”

“Make sure to take off your clothes first so the clothes don’t get ruined and you can still look hot on the date.”

“Throwing up naked is a terrible concept.”

“You’re right, it is, but looking ugly when you’re asking your three-year-long crush to be your boyfriend is also a terrible concept. Not that you could ever look ugly, but you get the point.”

“What if I fumble this and have no choice but to die afterwards?”

“There is no possible way for you to fumble this, he’s far too gone for you for you to really fumble. Again, you guys practically fucked in a playgr–”

“We did not practically fuck in a playground!”

“Whatever you say, Seungminnie, whatever you say.” Hyunjin laughed as he watched Seungmin swallow the urge to tackle him to the ground. “Isn’t it about time for you to leave anyway? I’d rather you not have an aneurysm because you’re late. The details that I’m getting in the debrief tonight are necessary to my survival, and you won’t be able to deliver them if you’re dead.”

“I should just get home and go straight to bed tonight and just leave you hanging.”

“Absolutely not! Kim Seungmin, I promise that you will be the last of your bloodline if you do such a thing.”

Seungmin just stuck a tongue at him and went into his room to grab the bouquet. It was a pretty little thing made up of white carnations, pink calla lilies, and lavender roses with honeysuckle dispersed throughout. It was tied off with a baby pink ribbon and he was quite proud of his flower choices (all approved by Hyunjin, of course).

His friends were looking at him like proud parents when he exited his room, bouquet in hand. Seungmin looked at them warily, preparing for the dramatics that were about to ensue. 

“Jinnie, can you believe our Seungminnie is finally venturing out into the world and getting himself a boyfriend?” Felix pretended to wipe a tear away, looking up at the sky. “I’m just so proud.”

“Our baby’s all grown up now.” Hyunjin shook his head, blinking away nonexistent tears. “Soon, he’s going to forget about us and go gallivanting off into the sunset with Jeongin and we’ll be left to rot.”

“What the hell are you guys talking about right now? What are you guys ever talking about?” Seungmin deadpanned, letting out a long, exasperated sigh.

“We always make plenty of sense, thank you very much!” Hyunjin huffed, turning his head to the side, catching sight of the clock in the process and gasping at the time. “Now what really doesn’t make sense is the fact that your shoes are still not on and you’re still inside this apartment! Shoo! Go gallivanting off into the sunset with Jeongin!”

Seungmin glanced at the clock and paled, scrambling to the kitchen to grab the picnic basket. “Can one of you choose a pair of shoes for me to wear? I can’t think straight at the moment.”

“Have you ever thought straight at any moment in your life? Like, ever?” Felix asked, raising an eyebrow and pulling out a pair of chunky white sneakers for Seungmin.

Seungmin flipped him off and slipped the shoes on, quickly patting himself down to double check that he had his keys, wallet, and phone. “I’ll be back eventually.”

“Go back to his place if you’re gonna fuck! Otherwise, we’ll be eagerly waiting for your return with face masks and snacks.” Hyunjin grinned, shoving Seungmin out of the door.

“I hate you guys.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Stay safe and don’t die out there, Minnie.” Felix said, closing the door before Seungmin could respond.

Seungmin shot a quick text to Jeongin telling him that he was on his way, then took a deep breath before he started making his way to Jeongin’s apartment. The weight of the picnic basket in his hand kept him grounded for the most part. Without it, he probably would’ve walked into traffic by the time he arrived at Jeongin’s place.

Jeongin was already waiting for him at the entrance of the building, waving at him the moment he spotted him. Seungmin waved back, feeling his heart squeeze in endearment. “Is that a picnic basket I see in your hand, Seungminnie?” Jeongin smiled, rocking on his feet excitedly.

“You could’ve given me a chance to announce my own surprise, c’mon Innie.” Seungmin teased, pouting playfully at Jeongin.

“...Oops?” Jeongin said, sheepishly looking off to the side. Seungmin cooed and pinched his cheek. 

“You’re so cute, Innie.” Seungmin presented the bouquet of flowers, smiling. “Pretty flowers for a pretty boy?”

Jeongin smiled widely, immediately raising the flowers to his nose. “They’re gorgeous, Minnie, thank you.” Jeongin wrapped him in a hug, then intertwined their fingers together. “Are we going to our park?”

Seungmin’s soul nearly evacuated from his body when Jeongin referred to the park they tended to drift towards as their park. Their park. Perhaps he could die happy now.

“What gave it away?” Seungmin asked as they started walking.

“Just the fact that we always end up there at one point or another, planned or not.” Jeongin paused. “Also the fact that our first date and our first kiss happened there, so maybe the first surprise date would happen there too.”

“Something about that park and our milestones, I suppose.” Seungmin said, giddy with the thought of adding another milestone to the list—becoming official boyfriends.

His nerves melted away as he walked together with Jeongin. Jeongin just had a way of doing that to him. He almost forgot about the cake and the plan by the time they laid out the picnic blanket. Almost. There was no way he could forget about the cake he spent two weeks perfecting.

The park was busier than it usually was, even for a Saturday, but Seungmin was content in the little bubble he and Jeongin had created for themselves. It wasn’t disgustingly hot for once, there was a nice breeze blowing in, and the air around the two was so sugary sweet that Seungming felt like he was floating in cotton candy.

He was once again confronted with the fact that Jeongin was so easy to talk to, and he felt a rush of appreciation go through him. They just sat there on the picnic blanket for a bit, Seungmin’s head on Jeongin’s shoulder and Jeongin’s head resting atop his hair, talking about everything there was to talk about.

It wasn’t until Jeongin’s stomach growled that they decided to unpack the food, and Jeongin’s eyes shined when he saw everything that Seungmin had prepared for them. The portions were small since it was just for the two of them, but he’d tried to include as much variety as possible—there was kimbap, kkanpunggi, and mandu, among several other dishes.

“Minnie, you made all of this?” Jeongin felt touched, jaw dropped as he took in how much food Seungmin had made.

Seungmin smiled shyly. “I did, I hope you like everything.”

Jeongin cupped his face in his hands and started placing little kisses all over his cheeks, forehead, and nose. “I love it all, it’s perfect, Minnie.”

Seungmin flushed and looked off to the side, embarrassed at the attention (but not really). They ate, with Jeongin pausing every other bite to tell Seungmin how good the food was, and Seungmin was so happy that he wanted to abandon his plan and confess to Jeongin on the spot. 

When they’d finished most of the food, Jeongin suggested taking pictures, which led to Seungmin lamenting the fact that they forgot to take a photo of the spread of food. Pictures were a common occurrence between the two of them now.

It had started when they had stopped by a vending machine on one of their dates and Seungmin snapped a candid of Jeongin debating on what drink to get. From there, it had spiraled into more random candids before Seungmin asked Jeongin to take pictures of him when they were at a pretty intersection, and it only got worse from there. 

Their Instagram feeds were now matching every time they went out on a date, which earned Seungmin quite a bit of teasing from his friends. It was more than worth it though—Jeongin took the best pictures, and something about the matching feed made Seungmin’s stomach squirm with excitement. Just a tiny bit.

After taking a handful of pictures of Jeongin and having a handful of pictures taken of him, Seungmin slumped over and plopped his head into Jeongin’s lap. Jeongin’s hand instantly flew to his hair, brushing it away from his face and stroking it gently. 

“You tired, baby?” Jeongin asked softly, looking at him with the fondest look in his eyes.

“No, you’re just comfortable,” Seungmin murmured, snuggling closer to Jeongin and throwing an arm across his legs. He’d be tired tonight, with the adrenaline crash and all, but he was jittery at the moment, too full of energy. 

Jeongin laughed, grabbing his hand and rubbing little circles into it. Seungmin distantly wondered if Jeongin would be even more affectionate once they were official, and felt himself smiling at the thought.

The sun had steadily made its way across the sky, and while it wasn’t quite sunset yet, Seungmin found himself sitting up and taking both of Jeongin’s hands, looking into his eyes intently. He could feel his heart thumping at the side of his neck, excited and nervous all at once.

“Jeonginnie, can I say something?” Seungmin felt his heart beating out of his chest in anticipation. He barely remembered that he had a whole confession-at-sunset plan, too overwhelmed by Jeongin’s presence to stay silent, even if it was just for another hour or two.

“Of course,” Jeongin said. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah– yeah, um, so y’know how we’ve been going out on dates and, like, getting to know each other more and stuff? And how we’re like being very obviously romantic and we have very obviously romantic intentions with each other? I kinda, um, wanted to ask you if, uh,” Seungmin paused, taking a deep breath as Jeongin squeezed his hands. “I– Can I be your boyfriend?”

Seungmin was taken aback by his own words. He was planning to ask the question a whole lot more eloquently, and now that it was in the open, he felt his stomach drop. “I planned this whole surprise to properly ask you if we can be official. Um, it’s– it’s okay if you say no?” It came out as more a question than it should’ve, fuck. “I don’t want to, like, pressure you into getting into a relationship or anything, and I really appreciate you and I don’t want to lose that and–”

Jeongin cut him off with a light laugh, pressing a kiss to both of his hands. “Seungminnie, slow down,” Jeongin beamed at him before continuing. “I’d love to be your boyfriend.”

“Really?” Seungmin breathed, stunned by Jeongin’s words.

“Really,” Jeongin said. “If you hadn’t asked today, I would’ve asked you on our next date. I’ve wanted to ask for the past few dates now, but it never seemed like the right time.”

Seungmin felt like he was going to burst. If you had asked him three years ago if he thought this would ever be happening, he’d call you insane and leave you to die.

“Jeonginnie, how do you feel about another surprise?”

“Another one?”

Seungmin nodded, reaching into the picnic basket and pulling out the carefully boxed strawberry cake. Jeongin’s eyes lit up.

“You remembered?” 

“Of course I remembered,” Seungmin said softly, leaning over to place a kiss on Jeongin’s cheek. 

Jeongin looked at the cake in awe, reading what Seungmin had written on it as neatly as he could’ve: Can I be your boyfriend? <3  ☐ Yes ☐ No. He reached back into the picnic basket to get the little bag of frosting for Jeongin to pipe his answer onto the cake.

Jeongin checks off ☐ Yes with no hesitation and pulls Seungmin in for a kiss immediately. They’re both giggling and it’s soft and sweet, and Seungmin definitely feels like he’s floating in cotton candy now. 

They don’t bother with plates, choosing to eat the cake straight from the box. “Minnie, this is good.” Jeongin’s eyes were bright and happy, and in return, that made Seungmin feel very bright and happy too. 

“Thanks, Innie,” Seungmin said bashfully, bringing his shoulders up to his ears in embarrassment.

“How long have you been baking? You never told me you were this good!”

“I’ve been baking with Felix since high school. Learned from the best and all that. I remember taste-testing his brownie recipe for months until he was satisfied with it, and we all know how good they are.”

“Did you pick up this strawberry cake recipe from Felix too?”

“Sort of? I stole bits and pieces of his recipe and mixed it with bits and pieces from several other recipes. I guess it’s more of my own recipe now?” Seungmin paused, a little shy. “I’ve been baking trial cakes for the past two weeks to prepare for this. I’m pretty satisfied with it now, but I wouldn’t mind perfecting it a little more with you as my taste tester.”

“Free strawberry cake from my boyfriend? That sounds like a dream come true.” Jeongin giggled. Seungmin felt a little lightheaded. Boyfriend. Jeongin called him his boyfriend. Seriously, if you told Seungmin this three years ago, he’d check you into a mental hospital himself. 

Present day Seungmin was having the time of his life though. He decided to smear some frosting onto Jeongin’s nose, immediately snapping a photo of Jeongin lunging at him with some frosting of his own. 

Seungmin would love to say that he tried to resist, but he really didn’t. Jeongin admired his handiwork once there was icing on Seungmin’s cheeks, nose, and forehead, nodding in approval. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re the cutest?” Jeongin took a picture of Seungmin grinning up at him with his nose scrunched before he started kissing the icing off Seungmin’s face.

The sticky residue was kind of gross, but it wasn’t everyday you had a happy Yang Jeongin peppering your face with kisses, so Seungmin just let it happen. Although maybe this would be his everyday now that he and Jeongin were dating. Like actually-in-a-relationship dating. He tried and failed to suppress a smile at the thought.

“Is that smile for me?” Jeongin asked, coy with a little grin.

“Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. Why?”

“Because I hope it’s for me, and if it isn’t, then I’ll make sure that the next one is for me.”

Seungmin’s heart squeezed with all the affection in the world, and he decided that it was now his turn to pepper kisses all over Jeongin’s face. It ended with him half-sprawled over Jeongin and the two of them closing their eyes, content with the possibility of staying like that forever.

“Innie, I’m glad we bumped into each other three years ago.”

“I’m glad you asked for my number at the café.after three years. I was starting to think that I’d have to get off my ass and ask you myself.” Jeongin said, poking Seungmin in the ribs. “All those group hangouts and you never asked for my number once?”

“To be fair, I didn’t even get Minho’s number until, like, two weeks ago?”

Jeongin snorted. “Seriously? The eight of us should’ve just made a groupchat when we first started hanging out. We’d all be a whole lot closer by now if we did.”

“We’re getting there, though! It’ll probably be easier to arrange things when there’s only one student left in the group and the rest of us are working somewhat consistent schedules with somewhat consistent workloads.”

“I wonder who this leftover student in question is.” Jeongin said, looking forlorn at the thought of his remaining year of university.

“You’ll survive, probably,” Seungmin paused. “You better survive, actually. Can’t be losing my boyfriend to school of all things. Can’t be losing my boyfriend at all.” 

Jeongin grinned and kissed the top of Seungmin’s head. “I’ll survive just for you.”

They laid there, once again talking about everything and nothing all at once. They stayed like that until the sun started to set and Seungmin insisted that pictures were in order. It was very much worth it—he got a shot of Jeongin smiling against the sunset and he looked so pretty that Seungmin immediately made it into his lockscreen.

“You’re such a sap, Minnie.”

“You’re enjoying it.”

Jeongin stuck his tongue out at him and flopped back onto the picnic blanket. “Do you want to go get ice cream? My treat, of course.”

Seungmin perked up, and Jeongin took that as his cue to start packing up before Seungmin could even word a proper response.

There was a little ice cream shop near the park that they’d passed by several times now with the promise of visiting it “next time”. It was a cute place, brightly colored with eye-catching decor. Jeongin got a strawberry cone and Seungmin got mint chip. He tried his very best to pay, however, Jeongin all but shoved him in the opposite direction of the register so he didn’t exactly get the chance. The girl ringing them up giggled at their antics and wished them a good night. 

They ended up eating more of the other person’s ice cream than they ate their own, but sharing is caring or whatever they say. They took the long way around to Seungmin’s place, neither of them wanting the date to end just yet. 

Jeongin was once again playing with Seungmin’s rings, humming to himself as they walked.

“So, Innie, how was my little surprise?” Seungmin asked cheekily, blinking at Jeongin as if he didn’t know exactly what the answer would be.

“Best surprise I’ve ever gotten in my whole life.” Jeongin smiled. “I got a strawberry cake and a boyfriend out of it. Nothing could ever top that.”

Seungmin felt drunk on happiness the rest of the way back. This was definitely the best day of his life, no questions asked. 

When they got to his apartment building, he let out a little sigh, making Jeongin laugh. “I think Felix and Hyunjin will beat me if you don’t get back home now.”

“We could always run away together and hide from them.”

“I think it’s a bit early for that, Minnie. We haven’t even separated yet and miss me that much already?” Jeongin teased. “I’m not working Monday, so we could always go out again tomorrow and you could stay at my place if you’d like?”

Seungmin’s eyes lit up. “Really? I’m working tomorrow but I can come over after.”

“It’s a date?”

“It’s a date.” Seungmin smiled. “Let me know when you get home, Innie.”

Jeongin nodded, pulling Seungmin in for a kiss before he stepped back. “Don’t eat shit on the way up. Your face is too pretty to get busted like that.”

Seungmin scrunched his nose in protest, but before he could say anything, Jeongin pulled him in again for another kiss, waving at him cutely as if he didn’t just stun him into silence. “Good night, Minnie. I adore you very much.”

“Good night, Innie,” Seungmin smiled at him fondly. “I adore you very much too.” 

He slipped into the building, the full weight of what had happened that day finally hitting him. He had a boyfriend . The boyfriend in question was Yang Jeongin, the hot guy that he bumped into three years ago on a random Tuesday at 2:46pm. What the fuck?

He was practically vibrating out of his skin by the time he reached his door, and when he fumbled at the lock for a little too long, the door opened itself to reveal Felix and Hyunjin looking at him excitedly.

“So..?” 

Seungmin could barely contain his smile. “Guess who bagged a boyfriend?”

“Oh my God!”