Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

If there was one word Boo Seungkwan would use to describe his life, it was passionate. 

Whether it was the various sports he put his all into, the heated arguments he would partake in debate club, or simply the amount he would involve himself into all his friends’ problems, Seungkwan rarely found a dull moment.

And if not that, Boo Seungkwan would at least consider himself somewhat of an extraordinaire at quickly figuring people out; that is, until he met Chwe Hansol.

He remembers the first time he saw him- it was during his freshman literature class, while he had been absentmindedly taking notes, when suddenly the school dean had interrupted class to introduce a new transfer student to the class.

“Hello. My name is Hansol Vernon Chwe.”

The new transfer student had dark, brown hair with wispy bangs which were parted slightly to the sides. He wore the same school uniform as the rest of them, except maybe a size or two too big for him. There wasn’t anything else too notable about his appearance at first glance, so being the socialite that he was, Seungkwan made up his mind to speak to him after class.

“We’re glad to have you, Hansol. You can take the empty seat next to Seungkwan over there, by the window,” the teacher said. “Seungkwan, could you please raise your hand?”

“Ah, yes,” Seungkwan replied, straightening his back when he realized he had been called on. He raised his arm to wave at the new student, offering him a welcoming smile as Hansol’s eyes drifted over and focused on his own. 

“Hi there, I’m Boo Seungkwan,” he said, extending a hand to Hansol as he sat down to his right. “It’s nice to meet you!”

Hansol glanced at Seungkwan’s outstretched hand for a heartbeat before moving to shake it with a small nod. “Hey, you too. I’m Hansol.”

After their brief introduction, the two of them didn’t talk for the rest of the class and Seungkwan went back to focusing on his notes. He couldn’t say that literature was his absolute favorite class, though he did like when the teacher asked for volunteers to dramatically read Shakespearean lines out loud. Today, however,  was a rather boring lecture of literary motifs that Seungkwan couldn’t really bother to put his full attention to. Instead, his eyes drifted over to his right to catch a glimpse of Hansol again.

What he didn’t expect was for Hansol to be staring right back at him- rather obviously and unabashedly, in fact. Seungkwan flushed a bit, embarrassed that he had been caught, and went back to focusing on his notes. He ran a hand through his light brown hair, using his propped arm to hide his face.

That was certainly not his finest moment.

Nevertheless, after the class bell rang, Seungkwan turned to his side with a leg propped over his knee and prodded Hansol further. “So, Hansol. Where’d you transfer from?”

Hansol put his pencil case into his backpack, seeming to be deep in thought. “Hmm. I’m not sure.”

Seungkwan frowned in confusion. “What do you mean you’re not sure?”

Hansol tilted his head. “I guess I’ve been moving around so much I lost track. The last place was still in Korea, at least.”

Seungkwan’s mouth morphed into the shape of a small ‘o’. “Oh, do you travel overseas a lot? That’s so cool.”

“Yeah. I got family back in America. I’m glad I was able to settle down somewhere more permanent before high school kicked into gear, though.”

“Mm, I see,” Seungkwan hummed. He checked his watch. “Oh, we’ve gotta get to our next class soon. Wanna walk together? We’ll both be in Class E for the rest of the year.”

“Sure,” Hansol replied with a small nod.

One thing Seungkwan immediately came to notice about Hansol was that he was really quiet. 

Like, really quiet.

They walked almost in complete silence on their way to class, though the cacophonous background chatter of the bustling hallways easily provided background noise. It was no matter to Seungkwan though, because if there was one thing he was good at, it was filling in silence.

“So, were you born in Korea?”

“Nah. I was born in New York, and lived there for a few years before moving to Korea,” Hansol paused. “My mom’s American.”

“You must be great at English, then!” Seungkwan exclaimed.

“Yep. I’m fluent.”

 “Lucky, we’re on our way to English class right now. Mind giving me a few pointers?” Seungkwan asked cheekily.

“Yeah, of course.”

Seungkwan smiled inquisitively, slowly warming up to the blunt responses that Hansol seemed to be accustomed to giving. Surprisingly, he found it quite refreshing.

“Oh, I should introduce you to Shua! He’s from America too. I think he said it was…. LA?” Seungkwan replied, stretching out the English letters in his mouth in as well of an American accent as he could. Hansol gave him a small smile of recognition. “He’s in the junior class, but he’s super chill and I’m sure he’d love to meet you.”

“Sounds good.”

“We can go find him after English, it’ll be the lunch break then.”

***

The second thing Seungkwan noticed about Hansol is that his voice sounded really nice when he talked in English.  

He’d heard others talk in English before of course, namely Shua, but it wasn’t quite the same. 

True to his word, Hansol had indeed given him a few pointers, as the two of them had decided to team up during class when the teacher asked them to practice conversation.

“Your pronunciation is pretty good, but try to enunciate your Vs more.”

“ I habe been enjoying this… conversation…” Seungkwan tried again.

“Close,” Hansol said. “You can practice with my middle name. Vernon. ”

“Bernon…”

“Ver…non”

“ Vernon? ”

“Yep,” Hansol said with a smile. “You’ve got it.”

Seungkwan let his shoulders decompress with a sigh. “And I thought I was good at English.”

“No, you are! I’m actually impressed,” Hansol reassured him.

“No need to lie, I can handle it,” Seungkwan said jokingly.

“I’m not, though,” Hansol said, completely serious.

Seungkwan just blinked at him. Then smiled.

“Um… thanks. If you say so.”

Seungkwan couldn’t help but notice it too, when Hansol talked to Shua.

“Ahh, you’re from New York!”  Seungkwan heard Shua say. Shua’s warm, brown eyes practically glittered, lit up with stars from finding someone to converse with in his native language. “My name’s Joshua.”

“Seungkwan told me you’re from LA?”

“Born and raised,” Shua said. 

“Awesome.”

“It was so hard adjusting cause I came here when I was already a teenager. My English is way better than my Korean, actually.”

“I get that. I travel between the states and Korea a lot.”

“Did you just move here?”

“Nah, I came here when I was pretty young. I’ve just been relocating around Korea a lot recently.”

“Ooh, I see. Oh-” Shua’s eyes suddenly flickered back to Seungkwan, a bit ashamed. “Sorry Seungkwan-ah, I got a little carried away. Didn’t mean to cut you out of the conversation.”

“No worries,” Seungwkan said with a wave of his hand. “I’m just tryna introduce Hansol here around.”

“Shuaa, are you done yet?” A new voice suddenly said. It was Shua’s best friend, Jeonghan. Jeonghan casually laid an elbow on Shua’s shoulder and leaned his weight against him.

Shua rolled his eyes. “Speaking of introductions, this is Jeonghan. He’s a lazy bastard.”

“Okay, rude,”  Jeonghan replied, though he did not sound offended in the slightest.

“Anyways, Hansol- let’s exchange numbers and keep in touch.” Shua took his phone out of his pocket and handed it to Hansol. Hansol quickly typed in his number and handed the phone back. “Sweet. I’ll text you soon!”

Hansol nodded and Shua was soon dragged off into whatever new shenanigan Jeonghan had gotten himself into.

“That’s Yoon Jeonghan, Shua’s best friend. They’re both from Class C,” Seungkwan explained with a hand on his hip. “He is certainly… a character. Oh! There’s some more people from our class over there. I’ll introduce you!” Seungkwan started towards a table to their left.

Hansol nodded silently and followed.

***

“I’m sorry, Hansol. I got so caught up trying to introduce you to everyone in our class that we barely had time to actually eat,” Seungkwan huffed with a pout. They were sitting outside on a bench after school had ended, enjoying the pleasant weather and snacking on the leftover food they had originally packed for lunch. It was surprisingly warm for fall, and Seungkwan could have easily mistaken it for an early spring day if not for the colorful leaves floating down around them.

“It’s okay,” Hansol replied with a shrug.

“No, it's not,” Seungkwan sighed. “I would offer to treat you at one of my favorite cafes, but I’ve got basketball practice right after this.”

“Oh, you play basketball?” Hansol asked, sipping on a carton of chocolate milk.

“Amongst other things,” Seungkwan said with a grin. “I’m pretty good, if I do say so myself. Usually the basketball team is pretty snobby at letting in freshmen, but I was just too damn good I guess.”

“Wow, awesome. What other sports do you play?”

“Tennis, badminton, soccer, to name a few,” Seungkwan listed off. “Though, my favorite has got to be volleyball. Anyways, I better start heading off to practice now.”

“Can I come?”

Seungkwan raised an eyebrow. “You want to watch our practice?”

“Yeah. Don’t have much else to do.”

Seungwkan shrugged. “Suit yourself. Oh, we can get something to eat afterwards then!”

“Sure.”

Seungkwan beamed, head already spinning with ideas on which cafe to take Hansol to. The two of them threw away their trash and began to head over to the gym while Seungkwan gladly pointed out landmarks around the school on their way. Hansol listened attentively.

Soon, they arrived to the recognizable echo of sneakers squeaking against the floor and basketballs hitting the ground. Seungkwan led Hansol to the stands, situating him on the bleachers before waving goodbye and heading towards the locker rooms.

“See you after practice,” Seungkwan said. Hansol looked at him, expression mostly neutral but somehow also perfectly content. 

“See ya.”

Chapter Text

Hansol liked spending time with Seungkwan.

Maybe it was the way he was somehow able to comfortably fill in the silence between them, or the vast amount of captivating  information he was able to spew onto no end, or perhaps it was just the endearing way he reacted to everything. There was just something about him that put Hansol at ease.

Hansol rested a hand on his chin, silently watching Seungkwan run across the court as he skillfully dribbled a basketball and easily avoided the defense of one of his teammates to score a three-pointer.  The net swished satisfyingly as the basketball easily fell through. Seungkwan cheered triumphantly, pumping a fist into the air and sprinting across the court as he rode the high of his success. Hansol smiled at the sight.

Before he knew it, practice was over and the basketball team was soon filing into the locker rooms, baggy jerseys soaked and hanging off their lean frames. Suddenly, his phone buzzed in his pocket, diverting Hansol’s attention away from the court. He took his phone out of his jacket pocket to find the screen glowing with a new notification.

4:49  

Unknown Number:  Hey Hansol! This is Joshua from earlier 

Unknown Number: Btw feel free to save my number, but we can also chat on a different platform if you prefer. All my boomer ass upperclassmen friends use Facebook Messenger lol

Hansol clicked on the unknown number’s profile to create a new contact, setting the contact name to “Josh”.

4:52

Hansol:  nice. i’m good with just using messages for now, but I’ll let u know if that changes

Josh: Sounds good!

Hansol put his phone away as he heard the sound of approaching steps coming closer to him. He spotted Seungkwan walking towards him, hair slightly damp and messily slicked back to reveal his forehead. Seungkwan now donned an oversized, blue button down left open over a plain white shirt and knee-length shorts. He had his gym bag tucked under his arm, slightly out of breath as he hurriedly approached Hansol.

“Hey, wanna head out?” He asked, leaning a hand on his knee.

“Sure…” Hansol couldn’t help his words from drifting off because his eyes traveled to the very obvious-looking bruise beginning to form on Seungkwan’s left leg. Seungkwan followed his gaze, flinching a bit when he realized what he was looking at.

“Ah, don’t worry about that!” He reassured Hansol. “The basketball must’ve accidentally hit me at some point during practice.” 

“Okay, if you say so,” Hansol replied slowly. “So, where are we going?”

Seungkwan grinned. “I know just the place.”

***

The two of them walked into a bustling coffee shop that was furnished with some vintage- looking tables and potted plants hanging from the ceiling which provided a quaint yet aesthetic atmosphere for the cafe. Hansol craned his neck upwards to observe the expanse of the decor, nodding appreciatively at the natural sunlight the sunroof let in to cascade over the deep green plants. 

“What do ya think?” Seungkwan asked, looking pleased with himself. “I always get Americanos from here, but the rest of their menu looks really good too.”

“Do you have any recommendations?” Hansol asked, eyes trailing down the long menu. “I’m not super well versed in what all these drinks are.”

“Ah, well you like chocolate milk, right? You were drinking it earlier. You might like their mochas.”

Hansol nodded. “Sounds good. I’ll get that.”

Seungkwan seemed a bit surprised when Hansol immediately took his recommendation without question, but he smiled nonetheless as the two of them walked up to the cashier.

“Welcome- Oh, Seungkwan! Good to see you again! What can I get started for you?” The cashier asked, notepad in her hand. “Let me guess, iced Americano?”

Seungkwan nodded. “You know me too well. I’ll have one small iced Americano, and he’ll have a small Mocha,” Seungkwan said cheerily, gesturing to Hansol.

“Iced or hot for the Mocha?”

Seungwkan looked up at Hansol, eyes questioning.

“Um, iced,” Hansol said, deciding to match Seungkwan. 

“Will that be all for you today?”

“Ah, actually, could we also get the orange blossom French Toast?” Seungkwan added.

“Of course, let me put that in… could I have a name for the order?”

“Boo,” Seungkwan replied.

The cashier finished writing down their order as Seungkwan handed her a twenty dollar bill before Hansol could even protest. She counted out a couple of coins and dropped them into Seungwkan’s palm, which he pocketed into his button down shirt.

“Great, we’ll have that out shortly!”

Seungwkan paid for their order and the two of them thanked the cashier before wandering around the cafe and taking a seat beside a large, glass window which let in a generous amount of sunlight.

“Thanks,” Hansol said to Seungkwan once they sat down.

“Don’t worry about it, I owe you for robbing you of the first lunch break of your high school career,” Seungwkan said with a laugh. Hansol smiled.

“Not just for that. But also for showing me this cool place, and introducing me to all your friends.”

Seungkwan scrunched up his nose. “I wouldn’t quite consider all of them my friends. I just know most of the people around the school in general.”

Hansol tilted his head in surprise. “Oh really, already? As a freshman? That’s still pretty impressive.”

“What can I say,” Seungkwan replied with a smirk. “I just have a way of knowing my way around.

Soon after, Hansol heard the barista call out ‘ Boo!’ and Seungkwan quickly leaped up to go collect their drinks. Hansol watched Seungkwan thank the barista, casually making a bit of small talk before he forced himself to pull away and return back to their table.

“Here we go,” Seungkwan said, setting the tray down on the table. Their coffees were placed side by side, Seungkwan’s black Americano contrasting against the milky-brown tone of Hansol’s mocha. The tray also held a medium-sized plate of french toast glistening with a drizzle of syrup, dusted with powdered sugar, and adorned with a few orange zest pieces and a flower to top it off.

“Wow, this looks great,” Hansol said, eyes already scanning the plate in excitement.

“If there’s anything I’m good at, it's recommendations,” Seungkwan said with a self-assured smile. “Well, try the mocha! Tell me how it is.”

Hansol unwrapped one of the two straws on their tray and popped it into the drink’s lid before raising it to his lips. He was immediately hit with a combination of flavors- aromatic chocolate, but also the smoothness of the milk combined with rich espresso sweetened just enough to not overpower its flavor.

Seungkwan watched him expectantly. “Well?”

“Whoa. This is really good,” Hansol just said, going to take another sip.

“Another win for me,” Seungkwan said with a grin. He picked up his own drink and took a sip, sighing in satisfaction when the caffeine hit his system. “So, Hansol. Are there any extracurriculars that seem interesting to you so far?”

“Hmm…” Hansol thought as he sipped at his drink. “I was thinking maybe a film club or something. I love learning about movie directing.”

“Ooh, I see. There should definitely be some film clubs around,” Seungkwan replied, seeming deep in thought. His eyes lit up. “Oh! Have you ever thought about theater?”

“Theater? Not really, I’m not much of an actor.”

“There’s a bunch of other stuff involved too- like set designers, lighting directions, and script writers,” Seungkwan explained. “I thought it might kinda be down the alley of movie directing.”

“That makes sense,” Hansol said, raising a hand to his chin. “I’ll think about it.”

“I hang out with the theater department all the time, so just let me know.”

“Oh, are you in theater too?”

Seungkwan rolled his eyes. “Nah, I’m just good friends with some of the people in it so I stay to help out. Everyone seems to think I'm part of it for some reason.”

“Probably because you’re there so much,” Hansol replied with a grin, gesturing towards Seungkwan with this drink.

“Whatever, I guess I can’t expect them to understand. Not everyone is as benevolent as me,” Seungwkan said with a huff. “Anyways, let’s try this French Toast.”

Seungkwan took the knife and cut the stack of toast neatly in half, the glazed syrup sticking to the knife as he pulled it away. The two of them picked up their forks and quickly ate the food, still hungry from their lack of lunch.

“Oh my god. This is really good,” Hansol said, a hand over his mouth. “What was this called again?”

“Orange blossom french toast,” Seungkwan said, shoving a forkful into his mouth. “Another thing you can rely on me for- I’m from Jeju. I know a good orange flavored dish when I see it.”

“Oh, Jeju? I’ve been there at some point…”

“Really?” Seungkwan said, eyes sparkling. “When?”

“Hmm… I dunno,” Hansol replied with a shrug.

Seungkwan sighed, though a fond smile still remained on his face. “Of course you don’t.” After a few more bites, Seungkwan put his fork down and rested a hand on his stomach in discomfort. “I think I ate too fast- I’m so  full now.”

“Must be the Americano. Mind if I have the rest?” Hansol asked between bites.

“Please,” Seungkwan said, leaning back against his chair. 

Hansol quickly finished off the rest of the plate, nodding happily as he enjoyed the food.

Soon after, the two of them found themselves putting away their dishes and walking out of the quaint little cafe. They were greeted with a refreshing burst of air as they stepped outside.

“Well, it was so great to meet you, Hansol!” Seungkwan said with a smile and a tilt of his head. “Guess I’ll see you around school?”

“Yep,” Hansol replied with a small nod of his own. Just as Seungkwan was about to leave, he remembered something and took a step forward. “Oh, wait.”

Seungkwan turned around, puzzled expression on his face.

Hansol took his phone from his back pocket and unlocked it before holding it out to Seungkwan. “Could we exchange numbers?”

Seungkwan seemed momentarily caught off guard for some reason, shaking himself out of his small stupor. “W-what?”

“To keep in touch,” Hansol explained. “I got Josh’s number earlier today thanks to you, so I wanted to get yours too.”

“Oh, yeah, of course,” Seungkwan said with a small smile and shake of his head. “Sorry, zoned out for a second there.” He took Hansol’s phone and quickly entered his number in it. “There you go. See you in class, Hansol.”

“See ya,” Hansol replied, waving back as he watched Seungkwan disappear down the street.

Chapter Text

Seungkwan woke up bleary-eyed, rubbing at his face as he slammed down on the alarm clock that was currently blaring at him to wake up at 7 in the goddamn morning. 

It was mornings like these that made Seungkwan think of his biweekly basketball conditioning sessions- easily his least favorite part of the sport. Why they always had to drag their asses out in the middle of freezing morning January to run around a track he did not know. But today was not a school day but a Sunday, and he was instead picking up Hansol from the airport after he’d spent the winter break visiting his mother and sister in America. 

Though they couldn’t have known each other for more than a couple of months, the two of them had found themselves attached at the hip ever since. Of course they immediately became partners in every class project they had, and it continued onto sitting together at lunch with a couple of Seungkwan’s other friends. And somehow when his other friends had club activities to tend to during lunch, he would still always find Hansol waiting patiently at their usual spot for him. 

Even his volleyball captain, Seungcheol, had noticed Hansol sitting on the bleachers at every volleyball practice and as a result began teasing him, much to Seungkwan’s annoyance. However, Seungkwan couldn’t really take it to heart because he did, in fact, look forward to every moment he spent with Hansol, no matter how often or trivial it would be. 

Seungkwan heaved himself out of bed and quickly brushed his teeth before throwing on an oversized hoodie. He had woken up too late to do his entire five step skincare routine, so he instead opted to only put on a thin layer of moisturizer before grabbing his keys and heading out the door.

Amidst his rambling thoughts, Seungkwan soon found himself pulling up to the arrivals section of the airport entrance and turned on his blinker before going to text Hansol that he was here. Seungkwan was absentmindedly scrolling through his Instagram feed before he felt the passenger door open beside him, causing him to be hit with another blast of cold air.

“Hey,” Hansol greeted, shoving his duffel bag into the backseat. “Thanks for picking me up.”

“No problem,” Seungkwan said with a yawn. “You owe me an Americano, though.”

“Way ahead of you,” Hansol said before procuring an iced Americano out of what seemed like thin air.

“Oh my god, I love you,” Seungkwan said, gaze fixated on the drink in Hansol’s hands. Hansol laughed as he handed it to him. While Seungkwan sipped on his drink, he took the chance to peer at Hansol’s appearance for the first time in weeks.

Not that there was much to observe- he had a black beanie pulled over his head, and a mask covered the rest of his otherwise indiscernible face. Seungkwan scrunched his nose. “You look like an egg.”

“That’s a weird way to say thanks,” Hansol quipped with a raise of his eyebrow.

Seungkwan rolled his eyes. “You’ll be the one saying thanks when I catch you up on everything that’s been going on. I know you’ve only missed the first week of class, but there’s already so much shit that’s gone down. Did you know Soonyoung tried to stage a coup in the school and then told the dean it was just method acting?”

“ WHAT? ” Hansol wheezed, already losing his mind.

“Yeah, he got put in detention for the rest of the week. Oh, let me pull out of the airport. I’ll tell you on our way back.”

As Seungkwan began to drive back to Hansol’s place, he recounted all the tomfoolery that he could remember occurring over the past week- most of it relating to Soonyoung and Seokmin, to neither of their surprise. He also took it upon himself to give Hansol a rundown on the numerous new assignments their teachers had decided to bestow upon them, along with a bit of drama he had run into with the basketball team.

“They’re really starting to get on my nerves,” Seungkwan said, fingers gripping onto the steering wheel tighter than usual. “I mean, I know people always bully freshmen but I made it through tryouts, fair and square.”

“What’d they do?” Hansol asked.

Seungkwan glanced at him uncomfortably before flicking his eyes back to the road. 

“Those bastards somehow managed to lock me in the locker room after practice and make me miss first period,” Seungkwan grumbled unhappily. Luckily the coach came in to set up for second period gym so I got out after an hour.”

“Damn, did they get away with it?” Hansol replied in concern.

Seungkwan shrugged. “I mean, I didn’t really have any definitive proof that they were the ones who did it so I didn’t try and bring it up.”

“Would you?” Hansol asked, then paused. “I mean, if you had proof?”

Seungkwan furrowed his brow, thinking. “I’m not sure, actually. I don’t know if it would be worth it to mess with the dynamic of the group.”

“Well I don’t think the dynamic’s great to begin with if they keep targeting you like this.”

Seungkwan sighed. “Yeah, you’re not wrong. But things are still great on court, I mean, we’ve been flying through preliminaries like crazy.”

“I just hope it doesn’t get worse.”

“Don’t worry, it's nothing serious,” Seungkwan waved off. “It's all worth it for me to be on court.”

Hansol hummed in interest. “Can I ask what you like so much about it? Not just basketball, but all the sports you play.”

Seungkwan felt a fond smile creep up his mouth, heart racing just thinking about the thrill of his next game. “It’s hard to even describe completely. But just the feeling of working and practicing and strategizing paying off at the end- and the pure adrenaline of it all I guess. It’s so easy to let the game consume me in the moment and just play by my instincts.”

“I see,” Hansol said softly.

“And when the team does come together, it's the best feeling to celebrate wins and grieve over losses and cheer ourselves on together. We’re all working together towards a common goal, after all. It’s even better to have someone to experience all those things together with.”

“That makes sense,” Hansol replied. “Though, I hope you’ll have more of those good moments than bad with your basketball team.”

Seungkwan laughed lightly, spirits immediately high after only speaking to Hansol for the short car ride. “Me too.”

*****

The next day, Seungkwan found himself having to wake up early yet again for basketball practice. They were coming up on quarter finals soon, and the coach had begun scheduling extra meetings nearly everyday before school. Thankfully, Seungkwan was spared the usual conditioning sessions as the coach had decided they needed to spend more time practicing on the court. Seungkwan quickly threw on a hoodie and packed his uniform into his school bag before heading out the door.

Upon arriving at the locker room, Seungkwan breathed a small sigh of relief when no one immediately harassed him on his way to his locker. He quickly dialed in the code for his lock and opened the door with a small squeak. He changed into his basketball shorts and jersey, trying to ignore the twinge of self consciousness he felt from undoubtedly being the shortest person in the room. Of course it was something the other members had immediately singled him out for, but Seungkwan knew that he outmatched them in endurance, reflex, and agility over any slam dunks they could make.

The rest of the practice went over without incident, save for the upperclassmen pointedly leaving him out of their conversations as usual. Seungwan had since gotten used to that, however, and instead focused on zoning into the strategies the coach offered to them. 

“Seungkwan, I want you as point guard for the second half,” he heard the coach say.

Seungkwan’s breath stilted.

“ WHAT? ” he heard a voice hiss from his left. Seungkwan turned his head. It was a senior, 5’11” and towering several inches above Seungkwan. “The freshman ? I’ve been acting point guard whenever Min has been out for years, yet you’ve never officially assigned me to it but you trust him ? There’s no way he’s got enough experience to navigate point guard.”

The coach gave an exasperated sigh as he brought a hand to his temple. “Don’t be a stubborn fool. I’ve been watching Seungkwan and he’s more than capable at strategizing to be point guard. He’s arguably the best at reading the court and handling the ball than any of you. Besides, he’s the shortest player on the team and the other positions are better suited for height.”

Another member snorted at the comment. “Yeah, at least that’s for sure.”

Seungkwan could barely hear the snide remarks, because he was currently brimming with excitement from the coach’s acknowledgement of his skills. As he took the ball and took his new position at the head of the court, a new surge of confidence overtook him as they continued their practice.

Eventually, practice was over before he knew it and the coach left to open the locker rooms for them to change. Seungkwan, still in somewhat of a daze, didn’t even realize he had somehow ended up on the floor until his left forearm was throbbing with the pain of a hard blow and his hipbone jutted uncomfortably on the very solid gym floor. From the corner of his eye, he saw a stray basketball lightly bouncing away from his side.

“Oops.”

It was the same guy who had protested before, now glaring down at him from above.

“Must’ve forgotten to put that one away.”

Seungkwan groaned, pushing himself off the floor with some effort. “Why can’t you just lay off?”

“Why can’t you just stay in your lane?” He snapped back.

Seungkwan narrowed his eyes. “It’s not my fault the coach thinks I’m better than you.”

His teammate scowled, not seeming to like that reply. “Watch your back. No one else on the team’s gonna stick up for you either.”

With that, he left Seungkwan with one final kick of the basketball in his direction. Seungkwan narrowly avoided it, swatting it away with his hands at the last minute.

He watched the ball slowly dribble across the room as he sat on the gym floor, alone.

Chapter Text

Hansol really hoped he was hallucinating right now, because the ugly bruise blooming across Seungkwan’s arm right now was inciting some strange emotion within him that he didn’t really know how to explain.

“ What happened? ” Hansol asked, words coming out rushed. Seungkwan set down his lunch tray onto the table before taking a seat.

“Oh,” Seungkwan said, looking down at his arm. He moved to quickly roll down the sleeve of his uniform and cover the unsightly injury. “Just went a little too hard during practice.”

Hansol just flashed him a look of disbelief. “That doesn’t look accidental.”

“Fine,” Seungkwan said, throwing his hands into the air. “The guys on the team were being huge assholes again.”

“I knew it,” Hansol said with a sigh. “What’d they do this time?”

“Coach promoted me to point guard,” Seungkwan began, unable to stop the small smile from creeping into his voice. Hansol clapped silently in the background while Seungkwan continued. “But one of the guys was giving me shit for getting promoted before him I guess. He’s just jealous.”

“That sucks,” Hansol replied with a shake of his head. “Do you think he’ll get over it?”

“Well, he’s got to,” Seungkwan replied with a shrug as he broke open his pair of chopsticks. “Because I ain’t giving up the position.”

Hansol watched him pick at his rice, not missing the way he slightly flinched when something would brush against his arm. They sat in comfortable silence, eating their lunch for a few minutes before Seungkwan broke the silence again.

“Oh, I was meaning to ask yesterday. How was your trip to America?”

“It was good,” Hansol said simply, digging into his own bowl with a pair of chopsticks. “It was great to see my sister again. She’ll be graduating middle school this year- grade 8,” Hansol added, when he saw Seungkwan squint in confusion. 

“Ah, grade eight. That feels like a lifetime ago,” Seungkwan said with a fond smile. “How’s your mother?”

Hansol smiled. “She’s great. She wants to meet you, you know. You should visit America sometime.”

“I’d love to,” Seungkwan said enthusiastically. Then his face dropped by a fraction, leaning back into his chair with a slump. “It’ll be a feat convincing my parents to pay for the plane ticket, though. Maybe I should get a part time job.”

Hansol gave him a look like he had just grown a third eye out of his skull. “With your extracurricular schedule? Are you crazy?”

“Only crazy talented,” Seungkwan said with a smirk, crossing his arms. 

Well, he couldn’t deny that. Hansol shook his head. “I don’t understand how you do so much. I’ve gotten more than enough of my fair share of random side quests when I was a kid to become sick of it.”

Seungkwan raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean? Like after school classes your parents put you in? Or like that one time you made an appearance on that TV show?”

Hansol sighed. “Yeah… something like that. I dunno, I guess I’m still looking for something I genuinely enjoy doing just for myself.”

Seungkwan hummed in understanding. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll find it.”

Hansol leaned a hand on his cheek and watched Seungkwan eat his lunch in content, relishing in every bite and breath and animated new topic he talked about. Then his eyes traveled back to his sleeve, which he knew was hiding a hideous bruise. An aching itch suddenly overtook him, urging him to spew out his next words.

“So… I’ve been thinking of joining a few clubs.”

Seungkwan immediately dropped the piece of food he had been bringing to his mouth, eyes lighting up from his words. “Really! You finally decided what to join?”

Hansol nodded. “Yeah. I wanna join the volleyball team.”

****

In all honesty, Hansol did not really like volleyball.

Or most sports, for that matter. 

Just the monotony of the moves, the singular goal of catching or hitting a ball with no particular end goal besides scoring the same point over and over again, was not something Hansol could ever see the appeal of. Every sport he’d played left him completely uncompelled to continue, with nothing new to take away from each game. However, after seeing Seungkwan describe the sport so passionately, Hansol decided to take another jab at seeing what it was all about.

His first thought had been to join the basketball team, but seeing as how he was a freshman with barely any experience in the sport, he seriously doubted he would make the team considering even Seungkwan had difficulty trying out. 

And so, Hansol went with the next sport that he knew Seungkwan was the most invested in- volleyball. He’d watched enough of his practices to have a vague idea of what the game was like, and was even beginning to recognize some of the other people on the team. And, the volleyball captain seemed to be much more lenient in letting in underclassmen and even those who didn’t have much experience. 

Seungkwan had practically jumped at the opportunity to help Hansol with his tryouts, overjoyed that Hansol was beginning to take an interest in the sport. Despite his schedule becoming ever- consuming with more and more extracurriculars, Seungkwan managed to come over to Hansol’s place everyday afterschool to help him practice his bumps and serves, carefully giving him tips that Hansol would undoubtedly have been useless without. Hansol even found himself slowly starting to enjoy volleyball, though he couldn’t say the sport itself was the only reason he looked forward to every practice session after class.

By some miracle, Seungkwan (and probably some residual coaching from a random sports commercial his parents had made him film as a child) had managed to whip Hansol into shape in time for the semi-quarterly volleyball tryouts in the next few weeks. Hansol had never been bad per say at sports whenever his parents put him in random classes- just never particularly interested or competitive enough to stay invested.

“Don’t worry, I know you’ll do great,” Seungkwan encouraged him as he placed his hands on Hansol’s shoulders before tryouts began. “After all, you’ve got the best trainer in the school.”

Hansol grinned. “Oh believe me, I know.” He paused, raising a thumb to his chin. “On second thought, maybe I should’ve asked Seungcheol if he would coach me.”

Seungkwan only swatted him on the shoulder in response, muttering something about how it wouldn’t be fair anyways since Seungcheol was one of the judges before pushing Hansol through the gym doors. “Good luck, dumbass.”

Hansol stood nervously in a line amongst the other applicants, though his rigid hands at his sides didn’t show it. He quickly ran over all the tips Seungkwan had gone over in his head- keep your arms straight, stand shoulder width apart, and hit above the wrists when you bump. He internally smiled, calmed just by remembering the way Seungkwan had playfully scolded him when he produced his first, utterly pathetic bump. Soon, it was his turn to demonstrate a serve and he found himself slowly stepping up to the gym floor line.

Seungcheol, the team captain, gave him an encouraging smile as he handed Hansol the volleyball. Hansol took the ball and widened his stance, getting into position. 

Before he served the ball, he caught Seungkwan’s eye from the bleachers. He made eye contact with him and smiled, giving Hansol a double thumbs up. Everything went still in that moment, and Hansol’s heartbeat felt slow and heavy in his chest as he prepared to bring his fist to the ball.

Hansol took a deep breath, and hit the ball.

*****

“Are you ready?” Seungkwan asked.

The two of them were walking to school, with Seungkwan practically jumping with excitement at Hansol’s side. Hansol’s expression twisted uncomfortably as he shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. “I dunno. Do I want to know?”

Seungkwan rolled his eyes. “I was watching your entire tryout, dumbass. You did fine, I’m sure you made it.”

“Guess we’ll find out,” Hansol replied before opening the double doors to the school.

Upon entering, they were immediately met with a huge crowd of people bustling around the main bullet board. Hansol was expecting Seungkwan to immediately shove his way in to see the tryout results, but he instead stuck to Hansol’s side as they waited for the crowd to dissipate. When there were only a few straggling people left, the two of them made it to the board and located the newly pinned sheet of paper in the center. Hansol’s eyes quickly scanned it, heart beginning to sink when he didn’t immediately find his name. Then-

“ Hansollll!” He heard Seungkwan holler beside him. He felt an incessant shake on his arm as he spotted it- his name.

#7- Hansol Vernon Chwe

Hansol’s mouth split into a grin as he turned to face Seungkwan. Before he could even say anything, Seungkwan was pulling him into a side hug and slapping him on the back. 

“Welcome to the team, Hansol. It’s gonna be a lot of fun.”

Hansol leaned into Seungkwan’s touch, the weight of his arm draped over Hansol’s shoulders. He noticed Seungkwan was still blatantly avoiding using his left arm, as it hung closely to his side while he instead hung onto Hansol with his right one.

“Aye aye, captain. Or, vice captain I guess,” Hansol corrected as they headed off to class, hoping Seungcheol hadn’t been anywhere nearby to hear that slip up. “Seungkwan?”

“Yeah?”

“Promise me you’ll talk to someone about what’s happening on the basketball team.”

Seungkwan faltered in his steps and his gaze dropped a bit, seeming surprised Hansol had even noticed anything awry. He continued walking, silent for a few moments more as he avoided Hansol’s gaze.

“Okay.” 

For the first time since they met, Hansol wasn’t sure if he should believe him.

Chapter Text

 -9 Months Later -

“Seungkwan-ah, meet the newest member of our esteemed cast!” Soonyoung exclaimed, pushing forward a young boy with his arm. “This here is Lee Chan.”

Seungkwan snorted, crossing his arms as he sized up Soonyoung. “Are you supposed to be part of the esteemed cast in question?” He turned his attention back to the new boy Soonyoung had roped into the club. “Nice to meet you, Chan. I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Um…thank you. I think?” Chan said, tone both confused and slightly worried at the same time. The boy had wispy, black bangs and wore a flannel overshirt over a plain white tee shirt and a pair of jeans. He had a pair of sunglasses tucked into his shirt pocket for some reason, even though they were indoors and it was the middle of September.

“Don’t listen to him, he’s just a hater,” Soonyoung whispered loudly to Chan, as if Seungkwan wasn’t right there to hear him. He turned back to Seungkwan with a glare. “Don’t pollute the minds of the freshman!”

“Aaah, you’re a freshman,” Seungkwan said in sympathy, closing his eyes as he nodded. “I remember those times. Very hard times indeed.”

“Aren’t you literally a sophomore?” Seungkwan heard a new voice say. He snapped his eyes open- it was Seokmin, who had spawned at some point during their conversation.

“Shh,” Seungkwan waved him off. “That doesn’t matter. Anyways, Chan! What brings you here to the drama club?”

“I’m into dance,” Chan explained excitedly. “Really any type, but especially hip hop. I also act on the side.”

“Ooh, that’s perfect,” Seokmin said with a clap. “You’ll fit right into Soonyoung’s sectionals- he’s the dance leader.” 

“He’s damn good too,” Soonyoung said proudly, clapping Chan on the back with a little more force than probably necessary. “He’ll make a great addition.”

Seokmin nodded in agreement, before his eyes widened a bit. “Oh! Forgot to introduce myself. I’m Seokmin, head of the vocal department, but you can call me DK.”

“DK?” Chan asked inquisitively.

“Donkey Kong,” Soonyoung offered.

“Dude Kisser,” Seungkwan added on.

“ Stop! ” Seokmin whined in exasperation. “It’s gonna become a thing, just watch.”

Seungkwan only rolled his eyes in response, having dealt with the same conversation dozens of times before.

“How about you, Seungkwan?” Chan asked with a tilt of his head. “What section are you in?”

“Oh, I’m not in the drama department,” Seungkwan replied casually.

“… But you’re here for rehearsal?” Chan asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.

“He’s just here to harass us,” Soonyoung explained, as if that clarified anything.

“Is that how you thank me for all my free labor?” Seungkwan complained. “I’m just contributing my skillset for my friends out of the goodness of my heart.” He heard DK snort in the background, to which Seungkwan immediately sent a glare in reply.

“You guys are weird,” Chan said with a shake of his head.

“Aww, he’s already gonna fit right in,” Soonyoung said happily, pinching Chan on the cheek.

Seungkwan silently made a small prayer for Chan’s future prospects as the four of them re-dissolved themselves into their individual tasks.

*****

“Guess what! You’re no longer my youngest friend,” Seungkwan announced, plopping down in front of Hansol with his lunch tray.

Hansol, nonplussed, continued chewing on his apple. “I’m literally one month younger than you.” Seokmin, who was currently sitting next to him, burst out laughing.

“There’s a new addition to the drama department, Chan. He’s a freshman,” Seungkwan continued, ignoring the two of them. “I’ll have to introduce you sometime.”

“Hansol, have you thought about joining the drama department?” Seokmin asked as he picked up a piece of kimchi. “I know you don’t really wanna act, but I think you’d make a great director.”

Seungkwan had suggested the same to him just months before, but admittedly both he and Hansol were quite busy with the upcoming volleyball season and barely had time to spare outside the sport. It was the same reason Seungkwan hadn’t been able to devote much time to his other clubs last year either, especially since he had been in the basketball team as well that year. Seungkwan internally winced at the memory.

“I don’t think I can right now,” Hansol replied. “Volleyball season’s been really busy, and I really need to catch up on some work for my classes too.”

“Aah, I understand. The invite’s always open though,” Seokmin replied with a nod. He wagged an eyebrow. “I’m sure Seungkwan would love to have you there too.”

“Yeah, so you can save me from the heathens that are Soonyoung and Seokmin,” Seungkwan retorted, popping a potato chip into his mouth.

“You’re not even obligated to be there!” Seokmin pointed out in mock offense. 

The rest of the lunch break went on as usual, with the three of them bantering (or in the case of Hansol, mostly silently eating while he witnessed the mini Broadway show that was Seungkwan and Seokmin go down), and they were soon back off to class after they had waved goodbye to Seokmin.

“I heard we’re doing MBTI typing in class today,” Seungkwan said on their way down the hall.

Hansol raised an eyebrow. “Really? Why?”

“Some sort of career counseling thing,” Seungkwan said with a shrug. “It’s been forever since I last took the test. I wonder what I’ll get this time.”

Hansol nodded in agreement.

*****

“WHAT?!” Mingyu exclaimed, slamming his hands down on the desk as he shot up in his seat. He raised his hands to his head. “How in the hell are you two the same type???”

“Mr. Kim!” Their teacher scolded from across the room, giving Mingyu the stink eye. “Please contain yourself.”

Mingyu apologized before slowly sitting back down, flushing from embarrassment. He turned back to Seungkwan, eyes wild. “ But how?? ”

The whole class had clamored into small groups and were now talking enamoredly with each other about their MBTI test results. Having known Mingyu from their homeroom for the past year, Seungkwan had invited him to their table to complete the class activity, to which Mingyu had complied enthusiastically.

“I’m surprised too,” Seungkwan uttered in shock, furrowing his brow as he scrolled down the webpage for the ENFP type. He looked to Hansol, who was still sitting to his side completely expressionless as he only blinked up at Mingyu in response.

“You guys aren’t even reacting to this information the same way,” Mingyu said, and Seungkwan thought he might actually be having a mental breakdown. “Hansol??? You’re an extrovert???”

“Guess so,” Hansol said, reading his test results. “That’s interesting.”

“You are pretty quiet,” Seungkwan pointed out.

Hansol thought for a moment. “True, but I still like spending time with people- as much as I like spending time alone.”

“I thought for sure you’d be a T,” Seungkwan muttered in disbelief, questioning his entire existence at that moment. 

“Oh really?” Hansol replied, sounding genuinely fascinated. 

“Did you not?” Seungwkan asked, disbelief getting greater by the second.

“I never really thought about it,” Hansol replied. “I think it could go either way.”

“No offense, but I haven’t seen you react over 25 decibels to a single thing. Except maybe when you’re laughing.”

“Fair point.”

Seungkwan continued reading the webpage. “It says here that Campaigners are enthusiastic, creative, and sociable free spirits, who can always find a reason to smile .”

“That does sound a lot like you,” Mingyu agreed.

“ They’re an interesting blend of carefree sociability, sparkling imagination, and deep, contemplative introspection .”

“I could see that for Hansol,” Mingyu hummed.

“ -known for having a wealth of ideas, interests, and hobbies – to the extent that they may struggle to fit everything that they care about into their life ,” Seungkwan continued.

“That is definitely you,” Hansol insisted.

“ They also stand out as excellent listeners, always eager to consider others’ perspectives .”

“That is so Hansol!” Mingyu said, bringing a hand to his temple again.

“What’d you get, Mingyu?” Seungkwan said, deciding to save Mingyu from his second mental breakdown of the hour. His head still spun as he tried to process his and Hansol’s results. 

“ENFJ,” Mingyu replied. “It’s only one letter off you guys, actually.”

Seungkwan clicked on the profile for ENFJ off the site. “The protagonist?” He said with a smirk. “That sounds about right.”

Mingyu smiled sheepishly, unable to even argue. “Hey guys, apparently we all have pretty good compatibility with each other!” Mingyu pointed out as he read his own screen. Seungkwan leaned over to his computer. 

“Why are you searching for romantic compatibility between your type and INFJs?” Seungkwan said, completely exposing Mingyu. He grinned. “So who’s the INFJ?”

“S-stop it!” Mingyu sputtered, closing out of the tab. “I was just looking in general!”

“Yeah, sure,” Seungkwan replied, unconvinced.

The rest of the class continued on as normal, but Seungkwan couldn't help but remain stuck on the fact that he and Hansol were the same MBTI type. He had never clocked Hansol as being similar to himself, but could they be more similar than Seungkwan initially thought? Considering Hansol was undoubtedly the person he’d spent the most time with over the past year, Seungkwan could’ve swore he knew him relatively well by now. Even people he’d spent far less time with and weren’t as close with were less confusing to him.

Did he really not know Hansol after all?

Seungkwan continued pondering this after class and even through the end of their last period, until he and Hansol were headed to volleyball practice after school. 

“You’ve been pretty quiet,” Hansol noted, jerking Seungkwan out of his train of thought. “What’s up?”

Seungkwan sighed deeply, letting the breath linger longer than usual. “Hansol, would you say we know each other well?”

Hansol remained silent for a moment, thinking. “I’d say so. Though, I’m sure there’s always something more to learn. We’ve only just met last year.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Seungkwan conceded with a pout. “That MBTI test just made me reconsider your entire psyche.”

Hansol laughed, slapping Seungkwan on the shoulder a bit. “Chill, I’m sure those results don’t mean much anyways. People are too complex to be grouped into only sixteen categories.”

“I know, I know,” Seungkwan said, opening the doors to the locker room. “Wanna come over to my place after practice?”

“You know it.”

*****

Seungkwan layed stomach-first on the soft carpet of his bedroom floor, absentmindedly kicking his feet in the air as he worked on another trigonometry problem. Hansol sat across from him, silently flipping through the pages of his own notebook as he munched on some apple slices that Seungkwan’s mom had immediately procured for them as soon as they had walked in the house. Hansol had long become a regular visitor and acquaintance to his parents, greeting them with a familiarity and casualness of a childhood friend rather than someone he had met just last year. 

Hansol’s hair was still wet from showering post-practice, dark strands falling across his face from where they’d fallen out after he pushed it back. He had changed into a plain white tee shirt and sweats, with the hem being just slightly too short around Hansol’s ankles. They had both agreed it was far too cold to be showering in the barely heated locker rooms of the school, so they opted instead to head back to Seungkwan’s house and have Hansol borrow some of his clothes.

“Hey, did you figure out how to do number nine?” Hansol asked, putting down the toothpick he had been using to pick up the apple slices. “I keep getting the wrong number.”

“Let me see…” Seungkwan replied, flipping back through his notebook to check his work. “Agh, yeah. That one tripped me up at first too. You gotta convert the units so they’re all the same before calculating.”

“Oooh, I didn’t even notice that. Thanks.”

Suddenly, a booming crack of thunder rattled the walls, causing the two of them to snap their heads towards the window. 

“Aw man, is it gonna rain?” Seungkwan muttered.

Hansol took out his phone to check the weather app. “Oh…”

“What is it?”

“Apparently there’s a severe thunderstorm warning until like three am.” He put his phone down to glance over at the window again. “Do you think I can make it back in time?”

Seungkwan’s voice caught in his throat for a moment, because logically Hansol would probably be able to get back if he left now, but Seungkwan didn’t actually want him to go.

“No, stay. You can just sleep over.”

“Are you sure?” Hansol asked. “Are your parents cool with it?”

“Of course, they probably like you better than me at this point.”

Hansol laughed, the sound deep and comforting. “No way.”

“Okay, then partially way,” Seungkwan quipped back with a smile. “You can take my sister’s room- she’s already moved out for university so it should be pretty empty.”

By the time that Seungkwan had convinced Hansol to stay over, the rain had already begun to pelt against the house with a brutal strength that dissuaded either of them from wanting to go outside. Hansol texted his dad to let him know that he’d be staying over at a friends, to which he quickly received a thumbs up emoji in confirmation.

After working on problems for another hour, the two of them quickly got bored and soon Seungkwan gave a loud sigh as he pushed his schoolwork aside. “I’m bored. Let’s do something.”

“What do you wanna do?” Hansol asked. “Any sports are shot, it's still pouring outside.”

“Hmm…” Seungkwan pondered, rubbing his chin. “Should we watch a movie?”

Hansol’s eyes quickly lit up, attention now captured. “Finding Nemo.”

“Huh?”

“Can we watch Finding Nemo?” Hansol said, tone completely serious.

Seungkwan smiled in amusement. “Umm… sure. Any particular reason why though?”

“It’s one of the best movies in animation,” Hansol said excitedly. “And it’s raining outside. So we’re like, kind of underwater.”

Seungkwan just stared back at him. 

“Your mind sure works in interesting ways, Hansol.”

*****

Seungkwan sighed in content as he buried himself deeper in the mountains of fuzzy blankets he had layered atop himself and Hansol. They sat on the living room couch, the lights dimmed around them and the noise of heavy rain in the background with only the bright screen of the TV to illuminate them. Seungkwan nuzzled his head into Hansol’s shoulder and played with his earlobe as he watched the movie, eyes already tearing up from the first scene.

“No wonder his dad is so protective,” Seungkwan said between sniffles. “Nemo’s all he has left.”

“Nemo’s still his own person though,” Hansol said quietly, voice almost lost in the sound of the rain. “He has to explore the world for himself, too.”

“You mean his own fish, ” Seungkwan said, still crying. He wiped a tear from his eye.

Hansol laughed, the sound coming out in a wheeze. He leaned closer into Seungkwan’s side. “Damn, you’re right. How did I miss that?”

They continued watching the rest of the movie, and Seungkwan ended up jumping and clinging onto Hansol’s (well, his) shirt whenever Dory and Marlin had an intense chase scene. Seungkwan watched the movie, completely captivated by every turn of events and suspenseful plotpoint. Evidently, he tired himself out from shouting and crying so much, because he soon found the weight of his eyelids drooping down over his sight.

The last thing Seungkwan remembered before drifting off to sleep was the image of a small clownfish, alone in the vast sea, and the feeling of soothing fingers moving through his hair.

Chapter Text

Hansol heard Seungkwan fall asleep far before he even looked over to check. He could feel slow, deep breaths moving against his arm- a stark contrast to Seungkwan’s usual outbursts when they had been watching. Suddenly, Seungkwan’s head slid off his shoulder and instead landed in his lap, much to Hansol’s distress. He nudged at him lightly, trying to get him to move, but Seungkwan instead groaned unhappily and refused to remove himself from their tangle of blankets. Hansol let out a breath, resigned to his fate, before returning his eyes back to the screen.

The movie was almost done- not that Hansol really needed to look back to tell; he had seen Finding Nemo enough times to have practically memorized the script. Instead, he looked back down to observe a now fast asleep Seungkwan.

He traced the silhouette of Seungkwan’s face with his eyes, gaze dragging down his slender nose, down to his soft-looking lips, before flickering back up to his delicate eyelashes. Hansol hesitantly brought a hand to his honey- blond strands of hair strewn across the blankets. It had long dried since he had washed it after volleyball practice, Hansol noticed as he slowly ran his fingertips across their lengths. He thought back to how Seungkwan had shown up to his door one day the past summer, begging him to help him bleach it when his parents had refused to pay for him to get it dyed again after his roots were grown out. He’d been hesitant at first, not trusting himself to not completely butcher the job, but by some stroke of luck not only had the two of them managed to dye his roots but they had also somehow made his entire head a whole shade lighter (not without having to go back and touch up a few glaringing dark spots, he would admit). Hansol smiled at the memory.

If Hansol couldn’t get Seungkwan off of himself before, there was no way he was gonna do it now- Seungkwan had huddled his way into the blankets in a way that Hansol couldn’t even fathom how to begin to unravel. Seungkwan slept haphazardly, arm sticking out strangely to the side and his leg balanced half off the couch. Hansol’s gaze slowly crawled up the length of his arm. The awful bruise he remembered seeing months ago was now gone, healed over as if it had never happened. He carefully brought a hand to the area, fingertips lightly brushing the surface of his skin as if to make sure it was really gone and that he wasn’t just imagining it.

Eventually, Hansol decided to shift himself a bit to the right so he could lean his head against the arm of the couch and be more comfortable. Seungkwan’s body tumbled down with him with a soft thump.

Hansol’s hands lingered awkwardly around Seungkwan’s head, which now lay against his chest. Eventually, he settled on placing one against his side on the couch and one across Seungkwan’s back to avoid having it crushed against the cushions. Seungkwan’s body was warm against his own, and he could feel the steady rhythm of his breathing on his chest. Hansol couldn’t decide how to feel about it all- the sensations were strange, uncomfortable, but also felt undeniably nice at the same time.

He closed his eyes, lulled in by the warmth and fatigue slowly overtaking him. Hansol could hear the credits beginning to roll in the background, and the remaining light from the TV dimmed as the screen slowly faded to black. 

*****

“Oh, fuck. ”

Hansol was immediately assaulted with a bright light in his face. He squinted his eyes in discomfort as he tried to pull the blankets over them.

It didn’t help, however, because they were immediately pulled back off of him. He felt something smack against his shoulder.

“HANSOL! We’re gonna be late for school!”

“Mm…” Hansol groaned, brain still not comprehending what was going on. He slowly sat up, desperately trying to see through his bleary eyesight. His hair fell awkwardly across his face at strange angles.

He saw Seungkwan, leaning above him from in front of the couch, hair also in a similar mess and a stressed expression on his face. “It’s almost 9, hurry!”

Hansol wordlessly stood up from the couch, taking a moment to balance himself on the floor before making his way to Seungkwan’s room to find where he had left his school uniform the day before. He spotted it splayed out across his bed, and quickly snatched it up before changing into the clothes as fast as he could. He left Seungkwan’s borrowed clothes behind in the same spot his uniform had been.

When he re-emerged from the bedroom, he found Seungkwan also dressed in uniform and having already packed both their bags. 

“Do you have a spare toothbrush?” Hansol asked.

“No time,” Seungkwan replied, zipping up the oversized jacket he had thrown over himself. 

“I can’t go to school without brushing my teeth,” Hansol said in disgust. Seungkwan rolled his eyes.

“Fine. Then do it on the way.”

Seungkwan ran to his hallway closet before procuring two unopened toothbrushes and throwing one to Hansol. He stuffed a tube of toothpaste from the bathroom into his jacket pocket and grabbed a water bottle before rushing them both out the door.

The two of them haphazardly speed walked to school, tearing open the packaging of their toothbrushes and squeezing a generous amount of the toothpaste Seungkwan had brought along on them. Hansol opened the water bottle and poured it over their toothbrushes, almost drenching their clothes in the process.

“Agh, Hansol! ” Seungkwan complained as he jumped out of the water’s path at the last second. 

“Sorry.”

They brushed their teeth as they continued walking to school, speeding up their pace now that their hands were mostly free. Seungkwan checked his watch. “Four minutes. I think we can make it,” he mumbled through the toothbrush in his mouth. His expression looked almost pained. “I can’t believe we’re doing this. Gimme that water.”

Seungkwan grabbed the water bottle from Hansol before spitting out his toothpaste somewhere into the grass and taking in a mouthful of water. He spit it out and rinsed his mouth once again before handing the bottle back to Hansol. “Here.”

Hansol had just spit out his own toothpaste when they approached the school grounds. He balanced the toothbrush in his mouth while he opened the lid to the water bottle.

“Er… hey guys. What’s going on?”

Hansol looked up. It was a boy with black hair that he didn’t recognize, dressed in the same uniform as them and holding a file folder in his hand. He looked to Hansol, who still had the toothbrush hanging in his mouth, then to Seungkwan, who held his own pointed up in the air like a pitchfork. Hansol, not knowing how to react, looked to Seungkwan.

Seungkwan was flushing red and dragging a hand over his face. “Ah, Chan! Um, why are you here?”

“My homeroom teacher asked me to take this to the front office.”

The three of them just continued to stare at each other, unsure how to proceed.

Chan shook his head. “Never mind. I don’t wanna know.”  

Suddenly, the three of them heard the warning bell go off from inside the building. 

“Sorry Chan, gotta go. I’ll talk to you later!” Seungkwan said as Hansol quickly finished rinsing his mouth with the rest of the water. He chucked the empty bottle into a nearby recycling bin and the two of them booked it to class, leaving behind a very perplexed Chan in their wake.

They made it to their seats just as the bell rang, the shrill sound blaring in their ears as they sat down. They were both heaving, out of breath, and Seungkwan’s head practically collapsed onto his desk as he recovered from their mad rush to the school. Hansol caught Mingyu’s eye from across the room, who gave him a very strange look upon seeing the toothbrush still in his hand.

“Well, that was Chan,” Hansol heard Seungkwan say breathily from beside him. “Not exactly how I was planning to introduce you two, but I guess it works.”

Hansol continued staring at the toothbrush in his hand for a moment before clumsily trying to put it back in the packaging he had saved in his jacket pocket. He slipped it into the outer sleeve of his backpack.

“Ugh, your hair looks terrible,” Seungkwan muttered before reaching over to try and tame Hansol’s hair. Somehow, Seungkwan had already made his own look somewhat presentable at some point before arriving at school. After a minute of fussing around, he finally leaned back with a satisfactory smile. “There, that’s better.”

The teacher called their attention to the front of the class, forcing them to draw their attention away from each other. Hansol forced himself to push away the events of the night before to the back of his mind.

*****

“Hey guys, mind if I sit here?”

Hansol blinked up at the new voice. It was Mingyu, holding a lunch tray loaded with an extra portion of the chicken dish from today’s menu.

Seungkwan raised an eyebrow. “Uh, sure. But don’t you usually sit with the guys from the basketball team?”

Mingyu gave a noncommittal shrug. “They’ll be fine without me. I wanted to ask you guys something.”

Seokmin, who was sitting across from him and Seungkwan, moved over to the right a bit and patted the space next to him for Mingyu to sit. Mingyu thanked him with a smile and set his tray down on the table before taking a seat. He rested his chin on the backs of his hands, looking Hansol and Seungkwan straight in the eyes.

“So… what was up with all that this morning?”

“What do you mean?” Hansol asked.

Mingyu sighed, as if expecting he would respond like this. “I ran into Chan in the halls earlier today-”

“You know Chan?” Seungkwan said, immediately cutting him off.

“I- yes,” Mingyu said, pausing from his train of thought. “I was in that guide program that showed all the freshmen around- but anyways, not the point. He told me you guys showed up to school with toothpaste all over your mouths and looking like you had tumbled out of a nearby tree.”

“He said all that, huh?” Seungkwan said, tone slightly sulky as he took a bite of rice. From experience Hansol knew that he was probably saving that morsel of information to chew out Chan later with.

“Well, not exactly in that wording,” Mingyu admitted sheepishly. “But pretty much. But what even happened? Did you guys get in an accident on the way here or something?”

Hansol side eyed Seungkwan, meeting his gaze.

“No, no,” Seungkwan reassured him, waving a hand. “We just overslept.”

“What’s with the toothbrushes?”

“Um… we brushed our teeth… on the way to school?”

Seokmin clapped his hands, immediately bursting out into buoyant laughter. “HELP AHAHA NO WAY! Really?  I wish I could have witnessed that.”

“I think Chan would disagree,” Mingyu replied. “He seemed kind of disturbed for some reason.”

“It was not that big of a deal,” Seungkwan insisted. “I don’t even know why you guys are asking so much about it.”

“We need something to entertain us during the long school day,” Seokmin said with a shrug.

Mingyu only sighed in response. “Things have been so slow lately. I swear, all the basketball teams have been actual ass this year.”

“You and Seungkwan should face off against each other,” Seokmin said, grinning from ear to ear. Mingyu's eyes widened.

“Oh no way! You play, Seungkwan?”

“He was on the team last year,” Hansol said.

Mingyu’s eyes got even bigger, as if they weren’t wide enough before. “Holy shit. You got in as a freshman??”

“You better believe it. He’s damn good,” Seokmin said proudly. 

Hansol nodded silently in agreement.

Mingyu stared at Seungkwan, eyes glittering with a newfound respect. Then, he furrowed his brow. “Wait… why aren’t you still on the team then? I’m sure you’d be one of the top players.”

Seungkwan shifted uncomfortably in his seat beside Hansol, suddenly very interested in a spare grain of rice on his tray. “Oh… no big reason. I just wanted to dedicate more time to volleyball.”

“Oh…” Mingyu said, almost a bit disappointed. “That’s too bad. I can’t even imagine what kind of legend you’d be on the team now.” Seungkwan just bit his lip in response.

“Mingyu, what position do you play on the team?” Hansol asked, changing the topic. 

“Center,” Mingyu said proudly. “I had to fight a bunch of the other guys for the position.”

“Awesome,” Hansol replied, nodding. “Seungkwan was Point Guard.”

“Oh, sick,” Mingyu said with a gasp. “We’ve gotta play sometime, Seungkwan.”

“You’re on,” Seungkwan said, a competitive edge in his voice. The invite seemed to upturn his mood to his usual temperament.

“Oh, we’ve gotta invite Soonyoung to this,” Seokmin said, already taking out his phone to text him.

The rest of lunch break consisted of Mingyu and Seungkwan exchanging numbers and the four of them creating a group chat which Seokmin promptly added Soonyoung to, even though Hansol was pretty sure Mingyu had no idea who he was. Seungkwan had since seemed to have returned back to his normal self, but Hansol couldn’t stop himself from glancing over at him every so often. 

Soon the four of them found themselves departing as the lunch period ended, and they waved goodbye to Seokmin as he returned to his class. Mingyu broke apart from them as well when one of the members on the basketball team called out to him from across the hall.

Hansol and Seungkwan continued walking back to class, their footsteps padding softly in the dissipating crowd of the hallway. 

“Thanks.”

Hansol turned his head to Seungkwan, who was very pointedly staring at the glossy floor.

“Hm? For what?” Hansol said innocently.

Seungkwan only smiled fondly in response, nudging his shoulder into Hansol’s side. “You’re so clueless sometimes.”

*****

“So, did you do it?”

“...No.”

Hansol frowned, a heavy sigh weighing down his shoulders. “Why not?”

Seungkwan remained silent, picking at the dead skin around his fingernails. “I really don’t think it's that big of a deal. No one’s going to take me seriously.”

“I’m taking it seriously,” Hansol said, voice almost cracking. “You can’t just let it go on.”

“I’m strong enough to endure it!” Seungkwan cried, voice wobbly. Hansol’s hands lay uselessly in his lap, and he wished he had the nerve to reach over, to do something to comfort him , but he remained motionless, rooted in spot instead.

“I know you are,” Hansol replied quietly. “That’s exactly why you owe it to yourself to try.” The air went still around them again. “Is basketball really worth all this?”

“I love it,” Seungkwan said in distress. “I can’t let others stop me from what I love doing. If I let that happen, it means I’ve lost.”

Hansol tilted his head, observing him. “Did you try talking to the coach? Do you want me to come with you?”

“No,” Seungkwan said immediately, voice firm. After a tense moment of deliberation, he spoke again. “I’ll talk to the coach.”

Hansol let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. “Good.”

Chapter Text

“This water tastes weird.”

“What are you talking about?” Seungkwan said, pushing Hansol aside to get to the water fountain on the wall of the school gym. The two of them were taking a much-needed break from volleyball practice, having just spent the past hour drilling their sets and spikes.

“It’s like… soft.” 

Seungkwan eyed the water fountain suspiciously before leaning over to taste it himself. It tasted like… water.

“ What are you talking about??” Seungkwan asked, thoroughly confused. 

“How do you not taste it?” Hansol reiterated.

“Hansol! Seungkwan!” A voice interrupted their conversion.

Seungkwan turned his head to find Seungcheol approaching, waving his hand to them. Seungkwan made his way towards him with a small smile of amusement.

“Hey, Seungcheol!” Seungkwan greeted him, tossing him a volleyball that he had propped under his arm. Seungcheol caught it with ease. “I didn’t know if you were going to show up today. Don’t you have that tutoring thing going on?”

“I wouldn’t miss practice.” 

“...But you did. It’s practically over,” Seungkwan pointed out, raising an eyebrow. Seungcheol blinked once, as if he just realized what happened, before continuing.

“Anyway, it seems like my student doesn’t want to show up for the tutoring sessions either. Actually, I was wondering if you two could help me with that.” 

“Sure, what do you need?” Hansol asked with a tilt of his head. 

“You guys know like everyone in the school. I need to know about someone named Yoon Jeonghan, would you guys happen to know him?” 

“Ahhh, Yoon Jeonghan,” Seungkwan said, reminiscing as he rubbed his chin. Out of everyone he met, Yoon Jeonghan was definitely someone Seungkwan had no trouble remembering. Mostly for his delinquency and occasional shenanigans and inability to stay awake during class, that is. “From Class B, yeah. Of course I know him. We’ve even had a couple of classes together over the years.” 

“What kind of person is he like?” 

Seungkwan thought back to the few instances he had with Jeonghan, though he couldn’t recall seeing him around too much due to him being in the senior class. “Pretty reserved, sticks around his own friend group, but when he does talk, he’s pretty funny. Kinda like you, actually,” Seungkwan said, turning to Hansol. It was an interesting comparison, now that he thought about it.

Hansol nodded, his deep brown locks of hair bouncing cutely against his forehead.

“He likes cute stuff, snacks,” Seungkwan continued, listing off facts on his fingers. “And oh! He’s best friends with Hansol’s friend too.”

Hansol furrowed his brow in confusion, before a moment of realization hit him. “Ohh, you mean Josh. How come you didn’t just say that? You guys also know each other.” 

“Cheol doesn’t know Shua, so I’m just explaining our relationship to him,” Seungkwan explained, gesticulating with his arms to explain his point. Hansol nodded along in understanding.

“Best friends with a guy named Shua. Hm. I’ll keep that in mind.” Seungcheol muttered. “Thanks you guys, that's great information.” 

“Oh, his parents also own some kinda restaurant.” Hansol added with a raise of his finger.

Seungkwan glanced at him in confusion. “How do you even know that?”

“I remember doing a commercial for them as a kid.” 

“Of course you did,” Seungkwan said, sighing dramatically. It was the MBTI test all over again. When was he ever going to figure out the enigma that was Hansol Vernon Chwe?  “How is it that we’ve been friends for this long and I still keep finding out random insane facts about you?!” Seungkwan asked him in exasperation, placing his hands on his hips.

Hansol just shrugged, nonchalant as ever.  

“Do you know which restaurant?” Seungcheol asked.

“Unfortunately not. I’ve done a lot of restaurant commercials as a kid and they all just get mixed together in my memory.”  

At least that was something Seungkwan could’ve predicted he would say. Despite Hansol’s various escapees, he never seemed to have the storage space to remember all of them. 

Seungcheol thanked the two of them before heading off to enact his latest plan, which likely involved harassing Joshua.

“What was that all about?” Hansol asked as they watched Seungcheol leave. “I swear, his mind is more and more distant these days.”

“He’s been assigned one of the most notorious students in school to tutor,” Seungkwan said with a laugh. “Sometimes I think he’s a little too ambitious for his own good.”

“You’re one to talk.”

“Hey!” Seungkwan protested with a pout. “I am not as bad as that!”

“If you say so…” Hansol trailed off, never being one to argue. 

“Let’s get outta here, I’m hungry,” Seungkwan said, skillfully throwing the volleyball into the storage container. Hansol quickly followed suit and the two of them made their way to the locker rooms.

*****

“So… exactly how many commercials and TV shows have you starred in?” Seungkwan asked over a steaming, hot bowl of ramen.

“Umm… fifty? Maybe a hundred? I’m not really sure…” Hansol replied, furrowing his brow as he thought. 

“Are they online?” Seungkwan said, wondering if he could find a bunch of videos of a fetus Hansol floating around for his viewing pleasure.

Hansol shrugged in reply. “Probably. I haven’t kept tabs on any of them though.”

Seungkwan tilted his head. “It seems like you aren’t very invested in any of them.” Before, Seungkwan had chalked  it up to the fact that Hansol was just very passive about a lot of things, but he had since been unable to elaborate on a single commercial appearance besides a vague one for Jeonghan’s restaurant.

“Well, I didn’t really have a say in doing them,” Hansol replied, scratching his head. “I honestly blocked most of it out. Some of them were fun, though.”

“Which ones?”

“I… don’t remember,” Hansol said, seeming deep in thought.

Seungkwan only sighed in response before going back to his ramen. The soup was a comforting welcome to his stomach, replenishing the energy he had burned through during their strenuous practice session. Hansol had opted for a bowl of spicy- looking Buldak noodles, which he slurped up happily across from him. “Hey, do you want to try some of my ramen?”

Hansol looked up over his bowl upon Seungkwan’s offer, eyes round. “Oh sure, thanks.”

Seungkwan quickly scooted one of the spare bowls at their table over to pour a bit of his dish into it for Hansol before giving it to him. Hansol took it gratefully and tasted it, lips immediately forming into a small “o”.

“Yo, this is really good,” he said, going back for another bite. Seungkwan smiled, satisfied with his choice of dish.

“Do you wanna try some of mine?” Hansol asked, after a few more moments of him just eating Seungkwan’s.

“Obviously,” Seungkwan said in reply, immediately reaching over to Hansol’s bowl with his chopsticks, forgoing the act of getting another bowl. Seungkwan immediately hacked up a cough upon eating it, placing a hand over his mouth to prevent himself from spitting something out. “Holy fuck, that is so spicy!” Seungkwan exclaimed, feeling his eyes starting to tear up. 

“It’s so good though.”

“... Yeah, you're right,” Seungkwan muttered, going back for seconds.

Eventually, Seungkwan found himself ultimately being unable to finish his own dish (probably due to the fact that he painfully ate so many bites of Hansol’s), and wordlessly pushed the remainder of the bowl over to Hansol. He leaned back into his seat and stretched his arms over his head.

The two of them still hadn’t acknowledged their disaster of a morning that had occurred earlier that week- not that Seungkwan thought there was anything really to discuss. He had half a mind to apologize to Hansol about accidentally falling asleep on the couch and trapping him in the living room with him, but Hansol didn’t seem bothered in the slightest either way. Maybe Seungkwan would’ve been more freaked out about the fact that he was pressed so closely against Hansol, that he’d unconsciously cuddled up to his sleeping body, if he weren’t in such a state of tunnel vision rushing to get to school. But that was all pointless to deliberate about, Seungkwan decided, because he and Hansol were too good of friends to even consider fretting about a single chaotic morning.

Seungkwan shrugged off the rest of his thoughts from that night and returned to his usual conversation with Hansol.

*****

Seungkwan nervously stood in front of his basketball coach’s office, fist lingering hesitantly over the door. Despite never having trouble creating conversation, this was one that Seungkwan still wasn’t sure how to approach. He wasn’t sure if he should be thanking or cursing Hansol for making him do this.

He quickly knocked against the door twice before he lost his resolve and let his hand fall to his side. After a few moments, Seungkwan heard shuffling coming from inside the room and the door swung open with a small creak to reveal his basketball coach standing in front of the entrance.

“Hello, Mr. Park, I hope you’re doing well. Do you mind if I talk to you about something?”

Mr. Park was a slightly disgruntled looking man who looked to be in his mid 40s, with slightly thinning gray hair and just enough wrinkles under his eyes for Seungkwan to know that he’d dealt with his fair share of meddlesome students throughout his career. He offered Seungkwan a polite smile before stepping aside to hold the door open for him.

“Ah, Seungkwan. Come in.”

Seungkwan thanked him and made his way inside, taking a seat in the dusty armchair that was placed before the cluttered desk.

“So, what’s going on?”

Seungkwan fiddled with his fingers in his lap, unsure of how to begin. “I’ve been having some… problems with the rest of the team,” he admitted.

The coach looked at him knowingly, a resigned expression on his face. “I’m sure you have. Upperclassmen can be real pieces of work sometimes.” He paused, looking Seungkwan up and down, making Seungkwan flush under his scrutiny. “Especially when the youngers are more skilled than them.”

Seungkwan bit his lip. “I think it’s just been getting out of hand lately. And I don’t want it to affect the group performance,” he said, adding the last bit in an effort to seem objective.

The coach looked at him thoughtfully.  “How so? Has it escalated physically? Because then I hope you know that I’d have to report this.”

Seungkwan began to internally panic a bit, not expecting things to escalate this far.  He knew that without any solid proof, there was no way he could make any accusations like that. After all, no one on the team had physically laid a hand on him. “No, please don’t worry. It’s nothing like that. I just don’t think it's fair of them to be targeting me this way, when I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“So, would you like me to talk to them for you?”

Seungkwan sighed in frustration, lowering his head to run his hands through his hair. “Honestly… I’m not sure. I just don’t know who else to go to.”

Mr. Park remained silent again, likely thinking about where to go from there, before taking a deep sigh. “I don’t want you to have this pressure on you, Seungkwan,” he began. “You’re a very talented player, and I’d hate for this useless tension to affect your performance.  I’ll see what I can do.”

Seungkwan smiled at him gratefully, before standing up and bowing. “Thank you so much, sir.”

He left the coach’s office not really knowing how to feel. He had no idea what Mr. Park was planning to do, but he somehow doubted his teammates would be very receptive to anything he had to say.  He aimlessly wandered around the halls for a while, until he bumped into someone vaguely familiar on his way back to the homeroom.

“Hey…” Seungkwan started, stopping the other boy in his tracks. He had black, fluffy hair which was styled neatly across his forehead and wore his uniform ironed and fitted to perfection. “Aren’t you the student body president?”

“Yeah! Um, Seungkwan right? I’ve seen you on the volleyball team.”

“That’s right,” Seungkwan replied, proud that he’d made enough of an impression to be remembered.

“I never introduced myself properly- I’m Seungcheol, from Class C.”

Seungkwan whistled. “You’re in Class C and you’re already student president? Impressive.”

“What can I say, I’m just a natural born leader,” Seungcheol replied with a grin. “In fact, I’m applying to be the volleyball captain next year.”

“Oh no way, really?” Seungkwan said animatedly. “Sweet, you definitely have my vote already.”

Seungcheol laughed in response. “Thanks, I appreciate it. I’ve gotta run, but I’ll see you later at practice?”

“Sounds good,” Seungkwan replied, waving happily as he watched Seungcheol disappear down the hallway. 

Well, it was nice to know that at least some upperclassmen weren’t so bad.

*****

Seungkwan rushed over to the center line, fingertips catching on the edge of the ball as he managed to just spike it over the net with a satisfying smack .

The coach blew the whistle, signaling that practice was over, and Seungkwan was actually glad for once because trying to catch Seungcheol’s sets seemed to be taking the wind out of him today. He leaned his hands onto his knees, just regaining his breath.

Once he had recovered, he straightened and looked around to find Seungcheol angrily throwing the volleyball into the storage basket. 

“He’s pouting,” Seungkwan commented, walking over to Seungcheol with Hansol trailing right behind him. Seungcheol had his hands gripped against the rim of the container, taking in heaving breaths as he hung his head over it. “Your sets weren’t THAT bad!” Seungkwan said in an attempt to reassure his captain. He patted Seungcheol on the back when he didn’t respond immediately.

“They were pretty bad,” Hansol countered, crossing his arms. 

Seungkwan turned to silently glare at him.“You’re totally a T, aren't you,” he muttered disapprovingly under his breath.

“We’re the same MBTI.” Hansol countered again, reminding him of their epiphany- rendering class.

Seungcheol furrowed his brow, finally seeming to break himself out of his fit of frustration, or whatever was going on in that head of his. “That can’t be true.” 

That makes two of us, Seungkwan thought mirthfully.

“Trust me, we’re just as confused about it as you are,” Seungkwan replied with a flippant shrug, already having had enough existential crises over the topic to last a lifetime. “Anyway, you good? You seemed a bit distracted during practice.” He grabbed a couple of water bottles from the ground and passed them to Seungcheol and Hansol. 

Seungcheol sighed, shoulders slumping as he accepted the drink. “I know my sets weren’t great – I’ll be hitter next round. I need to blow off some steam.” He popped off the cap of the water bottle and drank it thirstily. 

Seungkwan shrugged. “Fine with me, our game’s not till a couple weeks out, I’m sure the coach wouldn’t mind since your hits are pretty strong.” 

“There’s not gonna be a next round though, practice is over,” Hansol pointed out bluntly.

Seungcheol wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “The three of us can just practice. Seungkwan can set for me, I’ll hit and you can practice diving for the ball… and everything else.” 

“That sounds fun, but the basketball team reserved the gym after us, remember?” Seungkwan reminded him. “They’re gonna come in a few minutes, we gotta get the nets cleared out by then.” Seungkwan said as he looked over at their team members struggling to take down the nets. “Wait up!” He called out, running after them and leaving Hansol behind with Seungcheol.

He could see Hansol and Seungcheol saying something from the corner of his eye, but he was too far away to catch what they were saying. Hopefully Hansol could lend Seungcheol some words of reassurance to make him feel better. Though, knowing Hansol, he’d probably say some borderline offensive truth instead of anything comforting. After a few more minutes of chatting with Seungcheol, Hansol made his way to join Seungkwan in taking down the nets as well. 

“What’d you say to him?” Seungkwan asked curiously as Hansol leaned down to help him untie one of the poles.

“Just told him I hoped he could sort out whatever he was dealing with,” Hansol said. “Hopefully it doesn’t affect the team performance.”

“I doubt it will,” Seungkwan replied lightly. “When it comes to performance, he’s one of the hugest hardasses I know. He’ll go to hell and back to make sure we win.”

“Hm,” Hansol commented, successfully undoing another knot. “I never realized how similar you two really are.”

Seungkwan scowled playfully at him. “Ah, again with that?” He tutted. “I mean, I guess we’re both pretty competitive. But he’s not the one with the same MBTI as me.”

“Further evidence that that test is fake,” Hansol simply said.

The two of them and the rest of the team finished putting away the volleyball nets and Seungkwan dusted off his hands as Hansol left to store the last of them in the supply room. Suddenly, the door to the locker room swung open and a stream of people dressed in jerseys which Seungkwan recognized as the basketball team filed into the gym. The crowd chattered noisily as they dispersed across the court, and Seungkwan spotted a distinctive, tall figure among them- Mingyu.

Seungkwan briefly considered calling out to him, but Mingyu had quickly latched his attention onto Seungcheol and the two of them cheerfully greeted each other and began dabbing each other up, much to Seungkwan’s distaste. Maybe he should just leave them alone after all.

Seungkwan felt the eyes of some of the senior members of the basketball team on him- members he had been on the same team with last year. They never actually talked directly to him, but Seungkwan could almost hear the whispering thoughts and judgemental comments that must have been lingering amongst them. He shifted uncomfortably in his spot on the court, wishing Hansol would come back from the storage room already.

Another guy with round glasses emerged from what seemed like the shadows of the court and came up to Seungcheol’s side- Wonwoo, Seungkwan remembered after briefly going through a mental checklist of all Seungcheol’s known friends. What was he doing here? Seungkwan swore he’d never seen Wonwoo even in the vicinity of anything sports-related before, as he instead chose to stay cooped up in the computer lab at all times. The three of them were chatting for no more than a minute when suddenly a basketball was flying towards Wonwoo’s face.

Seungkwan jolted from his spot, instinctively taking a step towards the disaster waiting to happen, but he was too far away. Mingyu beat him to it, reflexively swatting the ball away from Wonwoo’s face before turning around to chew out whoever had thrown it. Strangely, Wonwoo seemed unperturbed.

“Guys, watch where you’re throwing!” He heard Mingyu yell sternly before turning back to continue his conversation with Seungcheol and Wonwoo.

Seungkwan looked over to find the guilty members of the basketball team snickering amongst themselves, obviously completely unapologetic to the fact that they had nearly broken someone’s nose. Seungkwan couldn’t help but be unsurprised, having suffered the full brunt of that same mistreatment just one year ago.

“Sorry about that. Uh… want to shoot some hoops with us? You’re pretty tall,” he heard Mingyu offer, probably as some sort of apologetic gesture on behalf of his teammates. 

One of them barked out a laugh, the noise obnoxious and grating to Seungkwan’s ears. “Are you kidding?? The nerd from the computer lab??” 

“I doubt he could even hold a basketball since the most active he’s ever been has been typing on a keyboard,” another added. 

Oh shit, Seungkwan thought. Seungcheol was already in a shitty mood, and there was no way in hell he’d be able to hold himself back from messing them up either. Thankfully but also to all of their surprise, Wonwoo swiftly snatched the ball from Mingyu’s hand, dribbled it once, and casually shot the basketball from far beyond the three-point line. 

Everyone including Seungkwan himself watched in awe as the ball went through the net. Seungkwan felt his mouth fall open. The team went silent immediately. 

So Wonwoo was secretly a sports god? Seungkwan mused in interest, storing the piece of information away for later in his mental database of biographies. Maybe he should invite him along to his basketball match with Mingyu.

At that moment, he felt a warm hand on his shoulder that he immediately recognized as Hansol. Seungkwan visibly decompressed from the touch.

“Hey, are you ready to head out?” Hansol asked.

“Yeah,” Seungkwan slowly replied with a nod, turning around to give Hansol a small smile. Hansol took one look at him, and then at the basketball team behind him, before ushering themselves out of the gym.

“You good?” He asked.

Seungkwan scoffed. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Just asking,” Hansol said with a shrug as they left the gym.

Chapter Text

Hansol roamed around his house, pacing around as he scrolled aimlessly on his phone. It was a weekend so they didn’t have school, and Seungkwan was off with Soonyoung, Seokmin, and Chan doing some drama club event which he was under no obligation to take part in. So, Hansol naturally found himself bored at home, unsure what to do with the rest of his day. Just as he made up his mind to force himself to go out for a walk, he received a text notification that popped up onto his phone with a ding.

4:35

Josh: Hey, what are you up to right now?

Hansol opened up the message and typed out his reply.

4:36

Hansol: nothin much. what’s up?

Josh: I was gonna go see a movie at the cinema today. It’s only screening in English, so you’re the only one I can ask. Wanna come with?

Hansol: yeah sure, sounds fun

Hansol: what time?

Josh: 5:30 PM. I can pick you up, my uncle isn’t using the car today

Hansol: sweet. c u then

5:30 came soon enough, and Hansol found himself throwing on his shoes and a gray hoodie before heading out the door to meet Joshua outside. 

“ Hey man! ” Joshua greeted in English, raising a hand to wave to him. He was leaning against a blue sedan which was parked on the driveway, wearing an oversized cream cardigan with a white tee shirt underneath to match.

Hansol waved back. “ Hey, good to see you .”

“Thanks for meeting on such short notice,” Joshua said as he unlocked his car door. “Jeonghan canceled on me last minute cause of some tutoring thing so I figured I’d use the time to see this movie- I think this is the last week it's airing.”

“How’s that going for him?” Hansol asked in interest. “Seungcheol seems a little strange these days too.”

Joshua raised his eyebrows suggestively. “You want to know what I really think? I think they actually like spending time together. They get a kick out of it.”

“I thought Jeonghan was still avoiding him?” Hansol asked, remembering the long-winded rant Seungcheol had randomly went on during practice one day. 

“Not for long,” Joshua replied gleefully. “Seungcheol approached me the other day, practically interrogating me for information on him. Apparently Jeonghan’s been avoiding the dean too, so we’re trying to find a way to get him to go to the next meeting.”

“And? Is it working?”

“I know it will,” Joshua said confidently. “We’ve got him hooked on a mystery meetup that me and Seungcheol have planned, and the only way he’s getting in on it is if he meets with Seungcheol during the dean’s next check-in. Little does he know, it's just a library study session.”

Hansol laughed in amusement, smacking Joshua on the shoulder as he took in his friends’ antics. “You’ll have to update me on how that goes.”

Joshua grinned. “I’m sure you’ll hear about it from Seungcheol before I can even get to it.”

The two of them then began to head towards the theater, with Joshua smoothly bringing them through the traffic- probably due to his experience navigating the congested streets of LA.  Hansol bought the two of them a large bowl of buttery popcorn since Joshua had paid for their tickets, and they soon found themselves seated in the dimming lights of the movie theater.

Hansol watched the movie excitedly, absorbing all the small cinematic effects and directing choices that peaked his interest. He quietly pointed them out to Joshua, who responded in open-mouthed admiration.

“Wah, you really know a lot about cinema, Hansol,” Joshua commented as they emerged from the theater room. “Are you in any of the photo or film classes here?”

“Oh, they have those?” Hansol asked in surprise.

“Yeah, I took an introductory photo class for my elective in junior year! It was super cool, I can recommend some of the classes that they were offering the last time I was enrolled.”

“Thanks man, that would be awesome,” Hansol replied, eyes wide.

“Though, I know the drama club also does directing-esque stuff if you wanna do something before next year comes around,” Joshua mused.

Hansol shook his head. “Volleyball’s too busy right now.”

Joshua nodded in understanding. “Yeah, I heard as much from Seungcheol. How are the games going? The preliminaries are coming up, right?”

Hansol nodded. “Yeah, Seungkwan’s been working himself to death practicing.”

“Well, good luck. I know you guys will kill it.”

“Yeah, if Seungkwan doesn’t kill himself first,” Hansol groaned, running a hand over his face. Joshua smiled.

“Well, he’s lucky to have you to keep him in check then.”

*****

Hansol fixed the collar of his light blue dress shirt, making sure the buttons were on right as he brushed himself off in the mirror. He tucked the shirt into a matching pair of dark gray dress pants which were in mint condition from how rarely he wore them. He forgoed the usual beanie in place of letting his hair down, parted slightly to the sides. Seungkwan would undoubtedly have flamed him if he had shown up to the play wearing a beanie along with his formal dress attire. He ran a hand through his hair, tousling it a bit before deciding it was good enough and grabbing a coat and heading out the door.

The drama department’s play had long been marked on Seungkwan’s schedule, and thus in effect on Hansol’s as well. Seungkwan had spent the last week splitting his time between practicing his volleyball sets in the morning, going to help his friends work on props, and then returning again in the evening to drill his spikes. Much to Hansol’s disappointment, Seungkwan had been so consumed in everything going on that Hansol had barely even caught sight of him outside their usual volleyball practices. And, the most perplexing fact of it all to Hansol, was that he wasn’t even in the drama club. At least now that the play was finally happening, he’d be able to enjoy it together with Seungkwan in the audience, Hansol thought.

Hansol arrived at the school and immediately spotted Seungkwan bustling around the backrooms of the stage, fussing over the stage costumes that his friends were now wearing. Seokmin spotted him before Seungkwan did, waving at him as Hansol approached the four of them.

“Hansol! Thanks for coming!” Seokmin greeted, grinning widely. He was wearing a white robe and a pair of medieval-looking boots, with a glimmering crown placed upon his head which made his blond, now curled hair look like spun gold. A fake sword was strapped to his side, shining under the dimmed stage lights peeking out from behind the curtains.

“Of course, I wouldn’t miss this after how much you guys all worked on it.” Seungkwan finally looked up from the zipper he was fixing on Chan’s outfit upon hearing Hansol’s voice. He gave Hansol a grateful, yet slightly spazzed out smile. Hansol looked over to Soonyoung, who was dressed in an orange, white, and black suit along with cat ears. “What are you supposed to be?”

“A tiger!” Soonyoung exclaimed, bringing his hand up into a claw shape.

“There’s a tiger in King Arthur?” Hansol asked in confusion, furrowing his brow.

“Don’t ask,” Chan just said in reply. Chan was now sporting a fake beard plastered over his face, which Hansol thought was weirdly fitting for some reason. 

“He’s here for comedic relief,” Seungkwan said offhandedly.

“Yeah, that’s why he has an entire dance break prepared for the role of the tiger,” Seokmin said with a laugh, looking like he was about to keel over from the absurdity of it all.

They soon finished making the final adjustments to the costumes, and Seungkwan and Hansol were sending off Seokmin, Soonyoung, and Chan with cheers of good luck. Now alone with Hansol, Seungkwan let out a long breath next to him as they walked down the emptying hallway. 

“You look nice,” Seungkwan noted under his breath. “Thank god you didn’t wear that stupid beanie.” 

Hansol frowned. “I still don’t understand why you hate it so much.” He looked over to Seungkwan, who was dressed in a similarly fancy outfit. He wore an oversized, silky peach-colored dress shirt with black slacks and a thin, crystal bracelet which dangled from his right wrist.

“It’s because you could so easily look good but you just choose not to!”

“Rude, are you saying I normally look ugly?” Hansol teased.

“No…” Seungkwan said, a subtle flush beginning to spread across his cheeks. 

“Well to be honest, I just don’t think it matters what people think I look like,” Hansol said with a shrug.

Before Seungkwan could reply, Mingyu suddenly bounded up to the two of them, excitement radiating off his body. He was dressed smartly in a deep, navy dress shirt and slacks that were perfectly tailored to his figure, causing some of the nearby students to eye him in interest. 

“Hey guys! I’m glad I found you.”

Seungkwan greeted him with a wide smile. “Hey Mingyu! Did you come here with anyone?”

Mingyu gave a sheepish shrug in response, putting his hands into his pockets. “Nah. The guys on the basketball team aren’t really into theater- can’t say I’m surprised, though.”

Seungkwan shot Mingyu with a bemused, knowing look. “Tell me about it. Anyways, we’re meeting up with some of our other friends to watch the play with. You’re welcome to join, if you want. Ah, speak of the devils-” Seungkwan said, turning his head to look down the hall.

Hansol spotted Joshua waving to them from a distance away, followed by Jeonghan behind him. The two walked up to greet them. Seungkwan introduced Mingyu as their friend from class. 

Jeonghan smiled, devious glint in his eye as he shook Mingyu’s hand. “So nice to meet you. You’re a sophomore, right?” 

“Yeah, I’m in Seungkwan and Hansol’s class.” 

“He really does not need more underclassmen to indoctrinate into his possé. You really ought to run,” Joshua warned, putting a hand on an oblivious Mingyu’s arm. He then spotted Hansol and the two made eye contact. 

“ Yo ,” Shua said to Hansol in English, raising a hand in the air.

“ Hey, what's up ?” Hansol responded back, high-fiving Shua and grabbing his hand to shake it. 

“ You excited for the play?”

“For sure. Hey, quick question. Did you know there was a tiger in King Arthur?”

“Um, no??” Joshua replied, thoroughly confused.

Seungkwan had gone uncharacteristically silent beside him, but by the time Hansol had turned to see what was going on, Seungkwan had already shifted his attention to say something to Mingyu. He glanced at his phone. “Ooh, Cheol is already sitting down inside. We should all go and meet up with him,” he said. 

The theater was partially lit as they made their way down the stairs, half filled with people that were still streaming in for the show. Hansol observed the lighting equipment in interest, spotting the main stage light which illuminated small particles of dust in its path. Down the rows of seats a bit closer to the stage, the group spotted Seungcheol and his friends. They started walking down to join them.

Next to Seungcheol sat two other people that Hansol weren’t very familiar with- Jihoon and Wonwoo. Hansol remembered Seungcheol mentioning them in passing, but he hadn’t actually gotten the opportunity to properly meet them. Wonwoo had dark hair parted in the middle and black-rimmed glasses, and Jihoon was currently smiling at his phone, his long black hair falling loosely over his face as he tucked it behind his ear again. 

“Are you texting Soonyoung again?” Wonwoo asked. “You better not distract him or he’s going to forget his lines.” 

“He’s playing a tiger, all he has to do is roar anyway,” Jihoon said idly, before pocketing his phone.  

Seungcheol stood up to greet them and gave Joshua and Seungkwan a friendly hug, before seemingly buffering when Jeonghan came up to him. The pair of them shifted around awkwardly before Wonwoo decided to break the silence.

“Are you going to introduce us after you’ve finished staring?” He said, clearly nonplussed by Seungcheol’s antics.

Seungcheol briefly glanced back to glare at him before introducing Wonwoo and Jihoon to the rest of their group. Hansol watched as they both teased Seungcheol some more, inciting Seungcheol to bestow a rather violent pinch to Jihoon, who yelped in pain.

Finally, the group all took their seats, sitting from left to right in the order of Jihoon, Wonwoo, Seungcheol, Mingyu, Seungkwan, Hansol, Shua and Jeonghan. 

Joshua turned to Hansol, who was seated next to him. “Hansol, mind if we switch seats?” He asked. Hansol shrugged and the two swapped seats. He gave a small robotic wave to Jeonghan, as he was now sitting next to him. Seungkwan, noticing this, caught Jeonghan’s attention. 

“Hyung, can we also switch seats? You can sit next to Shua and I can access the aisle to get up and down,” he suggested, standing up. 

One of their classmates noticed Seungkwan as he was moving and called out to him. “Seungkwan, you’re not on stage??” 

“I am not in the theater class!” Seungkwan shouted to them, exasperated. “Why does everyone think that?” 

“Probably because you’re always hanging out with Seoksoon,” Hansol commented. 

Seungkwan only pouted in response, unable to argue with that point. Jeonghan and him quickly swapped seats as well, and Hansol and Seungkwan found themselves sitting next to each other once more. Hansol watched Jeonghan sit down between Joshua and Seungcheol, a resigned look on his face.

“What parts of the stage did you work on?” Hansol asked Seungkwan as the rest of the group chattered amongst themselves.

“Ah, my proudest contribution is probably the lake. You’ll see it when the curtains open; it's in the first scene.”

They didn’t get the chance to say much else before the lights suddenly dimmed, plunging the entire audience into darkness. Hansol blinked a bit, adjusting his eyes to the darkness as the crowd quieted in anticipation. The illuminating stage lights flicked on, and moved to meet at center stage. Seokmin emerged from behind the curtain, dressed in the same outfit he had seen him in earlier when they had been backstage. Without a doubt, Seokmin embodied the presence and charisma needed for Arthur perfectly as he made his way across the stage and commanded everyone’s attention. The chorus started singing as the curtains drew back to reveal the scene of a wide lake with a rocky path descending to the shore. The water glimmered under the stage lights, making Hansol do a double take on if it were actually real. Seungkwan had really outdone himself, he thought. His eyes widened as he took in the entire stage, thoroughly captivated by how magnificent everything looked. Once the introductory chorus was done, an old man walked up on stage, dressed in robes of muted colors. Hansol easily recognized him as Chan, recalling the image of him sporting a beard from earlier. The two began conversing. Hansol quietly leaned over to Seungkwan’s side, placing a hand over his mouth as he did so.

“Holy shit, it looks amazing,” Hansol whispered against his ear. “Your hard work really paid off.”

Seungkwan stiffened for a fraction of a moment, the action so transient that Hansol wondered if he imagined it. Then, he felt Seungkwan bury his hand into Hansol’s hair to tousle it affectionately. He couldn’t see it very well in the darkness of the theater, but Hansol could practically imagine the satisfied expression Seungkwan was likely sporting right now, the image imprinted into his memory like a cherished polaroid after all their time spent together. 

“Told you so.”

The play continued on, and Hansol found himself admiring the skillful organization of all the scenes and the way they had condensed the storyline into something easily digestible for the general audience, yet also thought-provoking and captivating. By the time they had gotten to the part where Guinevere was singing a tragic ballad about her forbidden love with Lancelot, Hansol belatedly noticed that Seungkwan’s hand had somehow made its way into his own. He looked over to Seungkwan, who’s eyes were watery and shining in the residual lighting coming from the stage, likely with a pride and sense of accomplishment for his friends. Hansol observed him silently, long since knowing Seungkwan to be physically affectionate especially when his emotions were running high. Hansol laced their fingers closer together and pulled them into his lap, dragging Seungkwan closer to lean his head onto his shoulder.

Suddenly, a large roar emerged from somewhere on stage, making Seungkwan jerk violently against him. Seungkwan cursed under his breath, muttering in displeasure.

“Didn’t you know he was going to do that?” Hansol asked in amusement, now that the rest of the audience was creating noise by talking amongst themselves to recover from their shock as well. “You must’ve looked at the script.” 

“I didn’t know he was gonna do it like that !” Seungkwan complained grumpily, making himself comfortable against Hansol’s side again as the play resumed to its normal rhythm. Well, as normal as it could be with Soonyoung on stage.

“What, are you afraid?!” Soonyoung boomed. Apparently the tigers talked as well in their edition of the play.  

“It is not you who I fear. After all, he is a King and I am a cheater. What would they all say?” Guinievere put a hand to her forehead and swayed dramatically. “Woe is me. When will I be able to live as myself and not as who they want me to be?!” 

“You won’t. You have accepted this fate for yourself…I will devour you.” The tiger said, trailing around her in circles. 

“Halt, foul beast!” Seokmin entered the stage, wearing armor and wielding a comically large sword. “I shall save you from this fate Guinevere, and though I wish I could change you, I love you still.” 

Seokmin proceeded to showcase an impressive series of combat moves he had prepared for the scene, and Soonyoung feigned a dramatic death scene in response, sputtering and screaming onstage as Seokmin smacked him with his plastic sword. The scene went on for so long that Hansol found himself wondering if they were really acting.

Eventually, the two of them stopped attacking each other as the actors for the next scene began filing in. They all watched the play run to completion, with Seokmin delivering an impressive and grand performance until the very end. Before they knew it, the cast were lining up across the stage to bow before the standing ovation from the audience. The curtains closed, and the last thing Hansol saw was their friends’ gleaming smiles, elated from the high of the moment. 

Hansol spotted a blur of movement from the corner of his eye- Jihoon had made a dash for the exit amidst all the clamor in the audience. He looked to Seungkwan, wondering if he would know what was going on, but Seungkwan didn’t seem to have noticed, still completely consumed in clapping and cheering and whistling after the performance. Hansol watched him fondly. Seungkwan’s passion was infectious, Hansol realized, because it was in moments like these where he couldn’t fathom where he’d be today if they hadn’t met on his first day of school transferring in.

Everyone convened outside the school, chatting in awe of the play they had just watched. They spotted Jihoon and Soonyoung approaching them, Soonyoung in full tiger-makeup and carrying a flower bouquet. Seokmin and Chan were right behind him, being bombarded by flowers and congratulations from their classmates on a stellar performance. The group joined in, each giving their hugs and congrats to the three. A couple of random students also thanked Seungkwan, who had to again explain that he had no part in this. 

“Well, you made the props for the lake, right?” Hansol asked, pulling him aside after the students had left. 

“You did give us some inspiration for some of the lines,” Seokmin commented, jutting into the conversation. 

“And you helped us make the sets after your practices,” Chan added. 

“Are we really sure he isn’t part of your guys’ class?” Jihoon asked. 

“Very sure,” Seungkwan said, crossing his arms. “I just help out when I can but that just means I’ve bared witness to how hard you guys actually worked to make the play a huge success.” 

“Why don’t you just join, Seungkwan?” Wonwoo suggested.  

“We’ve been saying that this entire time,” Soonyoung complained. “He always refuses, saying he isn’t made for the stage.” 

“I'm fine with helping out but being on stage is totally different!” Seungkwan whined. “That’s your guys’ thing.” 

“Aren’t you always drawing a crowd?” Seungcheol asked him, one eyebrow raised. Hansol just silently watched as everyone brought up point after point, and he couldn’t help but fully agree with all of them. 

“I just know a couple of people,” Seungkwan muttered, crossing his arms with a pout. 

“I think you’d be a great fit on stage,” Mingyu noted. 

“Something about you screams entertainer,” Jeonghan said in agreement. 

“He has a great singing voice too,” Hansol added, nodding. Seungkwan elbowed him, face now flushing from the attention the new piece of information brought him. Hansol barely reacted, instead stepping aside to escape being in the range of another possible jab.

“Oh, you sing?” Jihoon asked in surprise.

“Why am I being ganged up on right now?!” Seungkwan exclaimed in mock disbelief.

“He’s definitely on par with Seokmin,” Soonyoung continued, ignoring Seungkwan’s complaints. Seungkwan side eyed him. Hansol may have incited the new chain of events, but he could always count on Soonyoung and Seokmin to carry it to its full potential. 

“What?” Seungcheol said in disbelief. “If that’s true, I don’t see why you shouldn’t be in the drama department considering the performance we all just witnessed from Seokmin.” Seokmin grinned happily from the praise.

“He’s exaggerating,” Seungkwan scoffed in disgust. 

“I don’t think so,” Hansol butted in, refusing to let the topic go over something so glaringly false. “I’ve seen you sing, and you’re insanely good.” 

Seungkwan scoffed again, but didn’t say anything else to argue with Hansol, instead choosing to pointedly look away. That’s how Hansol knew that Seungkwan had internally conceded, but just didn’t want to admit it out loud. Hansol had no idea why Seungkwan was putting up so much resistance, when he usually gladly took any praise that came his way. 

“Anyway, great performance, guys. If you need us, we’re going to be in the props room  backstage taking off these costumes,” Chan said, pulling down his fake beard. “....After I get pictures for the family,” he amended, eyeing his relatives all eagerly waiting with their cell phones and flowers on the side. “Oh, but I have an idea! We should all make a groupchat,” he suggested, and they all readily agreed, exchanging their information. Upon getting everyone’s contacts, they all dispersed into their respective subgroups as Chan, Soonyoung, and Seokmin left to celebrate with their families.

Hansol and Seungkwan meandered down the street, beginning to head back home after their long night. The air was chilly and cool against their skin, a stark contrast from the fervent energy that had filled the theater room just minutes before. Seungkwan bumped against Hansol as they walked, movements languid and tired after having used up the brunt of his energy.

“Yah, Hansol. Why’d you have to tell them about my singing?” He whined, though Hansol could tell that Seungkwan wasn’t seriously upset at him. 

“I just spoke the truth,” Hansol said casually. “You’re a super good singer.”

“You haven’t even heard me sing that much,” Seungkwan replied in amusement, tone contemplative.

“Yeah, cause you never actually sing for me. But I don’t need to listen to an entire performance to tell that you’re amazing.”

Seungkwan was silent again, and Hansol absentmindedly wondered if he was blushing again. He couldn’t quite tell in the low moonlight of the night.

“Do you… want me to sing for you?” Seungkwan said, voice hesitant. Hansol’s breath caught in his throat, not being used to hearing him speak in that way. It sounded so… small, yet hopeful at the same time. The question lingered in the air between them, intentions feeling indiscernible with their other senses shrouded in the darkness.

“I’d like it,” Hansol finally said, after a moment of deliberation. He thought he heard Seungkwan exhale heavily, but he could’ve been wrong.

“I’ll make sure to sing for you then,” Seungkwan replied softly, and Hansol could practically hear the smile in his voice. 

“Ok. I’m listening.”

Seungkwan blanched, words coming out in sputters. “What, now?”

“Why not?” Hansol asked, slightly confused.

“Um… well I haven’t even decided what song to sing yet!” Seungkwan rushed to explain.

“Ok, then after you’ve decided.”

“It might take me a while.”

“Alright.”

“It might take a day,” Seungkwan amended.

“That’s fine.”

“It might take me longer than that… much longer…”

Hansol turned to him in amusement. “It’s no problem. I’ll be here waiting when you’re ready.”

*****

Hansol arrived home, closing the door behind him carefully so as to not disturb his dad in case he was asleep. He shrugged off his coat and hung it on the coat rack, and had just finished taking off his shoes when he received a text notification on his phone.

Lee Chan created a groupchat with - Choi Seungcheol, Yoon Jeonghan, Joshua Hong, Kwon Soonyoung, Lee Seokmin, Jeon Wonwoo, Lee Jihoon, Kim Mingyu, Boo Seungkwan, and you

Chan named the group chat ‘SVT : Seoksoon Victim Therapy’ 

Hansol opened the chat only to already be greeted with a ginormous horde of messages and notifications from it, despite it having been created only minutes ago. Most of it seemed to be from Joshua and Jeonghan, who had already been defiling it with targeted insults.

He scrolled through the messages, mostly just skimming them until he noticed the most recent one that Joshua had sent.

annoyingflyonmyshoe: so when are the weddings guys

Seungkwan: what

Wonwoo: what

Mingyu: what

loser101: depends when r u proposing 

Seokmin: what

deans#1fanboy: what

Hansol furrowed his brow, perplexed at what Joshua could possibly be asking about. Had he mentioned something in passing to him that he had forgotten about it? Maybe it was the wedding he was scheduled to go to in a couple months?

Vernon: December 23rd  

Seungkwan: ?????

Vernon: that's my cousins wedding

Seungkwan: WHY would he be asking about your COUSIN’S wedding????????

Vernon: 🤷

Seungkwan set the user for Vernon to 👽

Hansol smiled at the nickname, remembering how Seungkwan had compared him to an alien in their freshman year. Evidently, it had stuck. 

He closed out of the chat and put it on do not disturb , as the new group chat would undoubtedly be blowing up with all sorts of commotion throughout the night. He quickly showered and threw on a pair of pajamas before falling into bed, exhausted. As he went to put his phone on the charger, he noticed one more notification, not from the group chat but from his private chat with Seungkwan.

Seungkwan: Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about picking that song

Seungkwan: I’m going through my options right now

Hansol: every song is an option for you

Seungkwan: No, it needs to be the perfect one! Just you wait

Hansol laugh reacted the message before putting his phone down, drifting off to sleep with thoughts of what Seungkwan would end up singing for him.

Chapter Text

Seungkwan rushed around the drama rooms, hurriedly looking for the loose accessory that was supposed to be on Chan’s outfit. They’d be calling for the cast to get their makeup done any minute now, and he’d still yet to locate it.

Despite the play not starting until 7PM, Seungkwan had arrived at the school at nearly the same time as the rest of the cast. He’d been there since 4 in the afternoon, helping out in whatever way he could to make sure that everything would run smoothly. As such, he’d also dressed up before coming, because he knew the chances of him having time to change before his other friends would arrive was slim.

He’d felt a bit bad that he wouldn’t be able to walk with Hansol to the school in the evening, but Hansol had reassured him that it would be fine and he’d catch up to him later. And so, Seungkwan now found himself wandering into the next room over because he still couldn’t find the damn accessory.

Eventually, Seungkwan begrudgingly trudged back to the main drama room only to find Seokmin with said accessory, belt in his hand. 

“Hey, I found it!” Seokmin said in triumph, informing him. 

“Goddamn, I’ve been searching everywhere. Where was it?” Seungkwan said as he took the belt from Seokmin.

“Literally right on the piano stand. You need to chill out, you’re not even performing,” Seokmin replied with a snort.

“I can’t help it, we’ve been working at this for months,” Seungkwan whined as he combed a tense hand through his bangs.

“And trust, we couldn’t be happier about everything you’ve done, but today’s a day of celebration! Everything’s gonna pay off,” Seokmin reassured him as he placed a reassuring hand on his arm. Seungkwan let out a sigh.

“Yeah, you’re right. I think I’ve just been so pent up lately cause of volleyball and midterms,” Seungkwan admitted. Seokmin smiled in understanding, and threw an arm across his shoulders as they headed off to find Soonyoung and Chan.

They spotted them in the practice room, doing some warm-up stretches for the dance routines they had planned for the play. Both of them were still in their tracksuits, likely trying to squeeze one last run through of the choreography before they changed into their stage outfits.

“Hey guys, we found Chan’s belt!” Seokmin announced loudly as he barricaded into the room. Chan startled a bit from the sound, but Soonyoung only snapped his head up in excitement when he heard Seokmin approaching.

“Thanks guys, you’re a lifesaver,” Chan said in relief. He unfolded himself from the knee stretches he was doing on the floor and stood up to collect the accessory. “I swear, I have no idea when this got out of my sight.”

“I think at this point it’s tradition that something goes missing right on the day of the show,” Soonyoung said nostalgically. “I remember during Seokmin’s first year in drama, he accidently lost an entire crate of microphones and we had to yell the first quarter of the performance.”

“Hey!” Seokmin protested, defending himself from being exposed. He paused, bringing a hand to his chin to think. “We still sounded kinda good though…  but anyways! Don’t taint my image in front of young Chan!”

“I think it's too late for that,” Seungkwan pointed out with a snicker.

“What do you mean?” Seokmin said innocently, inciting a whole new wave of incriminating stories from Soonyoung and Seungkwan. Chan just observed in slight horror, watching as the exchange of roasts eventually moved to Seungkwan to Soonyoung to Seokmin again before all three of their eyes landed on himself. 

“Should we run through the choreo one more time, Soonyoung!” Chan said insistently, likely in a desperate attempt to avoid being the next target of their teasing.

“Ah, eager, aren’t we?” Soonyoung said dramatically, clapping Chan on the back. “Very well. From the top!”

Seokmin went to turn on the music for them and Soonyoung and Chan got into position, checking their posture in the wall-sized mirrors surrounding them. They theatrically made their way towards each other as the music started, skillfully carrying out the dance in a way that captured the viewer’s attention for every second of it. The music soon came to a grand close, replaced with the sound of Soonyoung and Chan’s heavy breathing echoing against the walls of the practice room.

“WOO!” Seokmin yelled while he and Seungkwan clapped in awe of their performance. “Guys, this show is gonna be epic!”

“Thanks guys,” Soonyoung said, eyes folding into small crescents as he grinned toothily.

“We’d better start getting changed, I think the makeup team’s here,” Chan said, also elated from the drill.

Seungkwan waved the three of them off as they went off to get their outfits and stage makeup done, choosing to make his way to the prop room to check on things while they were busy. He spotted the lake prop right where he’d left it last, its blue, holographic foil glimmering from all the layers of resin and glitter Seungkwan had put on it. It was undoubtedly the prop he’d spent the most time on, because he knew how important it was to open up the show with a good first impression. He walked over and ran a careful hand over its surface, checking to make sure all the materials had dried on well overnight.

After making note that everything was properly in stock, Seungkwan began to help the other club members move the props needed for the first scene onto the main stage. He rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt as he began to sweat from running back and forth under the hot stage lights. Finally, they had gotten everything set up and Seungkwan returned to the back rooms to see if his friends were done getting ready.

He spotted them crowded around the door, right by the entrance leading into the main hallway. Seungkwan jogged up to them to inspect their costumes.

“Oh, hey Seungkwan!” Soonyoung said, waving to him. Soonyoung was now in full tiger getup, with orange and white stripes and black whiskers painted on his face. He gestured to his outfit. “What’d ya think?”

“Um… very tiger-like,” Seungkwan said, giving him a thumbs up. Soonyoung smiled in satisfaction. Seungkwan turned to Chan, who now had a gray beard on his chin and was dressed in gray and burgundy robes. They had truly done an impressive job at making him look like an old man. Seokmin stood next to him, who undoubtedly had the most impressive outfit of all. He wore white and gold robes and a shiny crown over his curled hair. The color scheme complemented his sunshine-blond hair, making it appear even more luminous than usual. 

“You guys look great,” Seungkwan said with a satisfied nod. “Except… Chan, I think the zipper on the back of your tunic is coming undone.”

“Oh, really?” Chan said, turning around to try and locate it. 

“Here, let me,” Seungkwan said, moving over to help.

Seungkwan had only been fiddling with the zipper for a minute or so when he heard a new voice approach them. “...Of course, I wouldn’t miss this after how much you guys all worked on it.” 

Seungkwan looked up to find Hansol standing in front of them, seemingly having spawned out of nowhere. He gave him a hurried smile, still trying to fix the zipper on Chan’s outfit.

“There’s a tiger in King Arthur?” He heard Hansol ask in confusion as he continued to work.

“Don’t ask,” Chan just said in reply.

“He’s here for comedic relief,” Seungkwan muttered offhandedly.

“Yeah, that’s why he has an entire dance break prepared for the role of the tiger,” Seokmin said with a laugh.

Finally, Seungkwan gave a cheer of triumph as freed the snag on Chan’s zipper and fixed up the outfit, and Seungkwan and Hansol were soon sending off Seokmin, Soonyoung, and Chan with cheers of good luck. Now alone with Hansol, Seungkwan let out a long breath next to him as they walked down the emptying hallway. He eyed Hansol properly for the first time- he was wearing a neat looking blue dress shirt tucked into a pair of gray pants, and Seungkwan momentarily found himself caught off guard from how different he looked compared to his normal outfit of choice. He liked the new look a lot, he decided.

“You look nice,” Seungkwan noted under his breath, trying his best to sound casual. “Thank god you didn’t wear that stupid beanie.” 

Hansol frowned. “I still don’t understand why you hate it so much.” 

“It’s because you could so easily look good but you just choose not to!”

“Rude, are you saying I normally look ugly?” Hansol teased.

“No…” Seungkwan said, a subtle flush beginning to spread across his cheeks. 

“Well to be honest, I just don’t think it matters what people think I look like,” Hansol said with a shrug. Seungkwan just looked at him knowingly, never failing to be impressed with Hansol’s unconcerned outlook on life.

Before Seungkwan could reply, Mingyu suddenly bounded up to the two of them, excitement radiating off his body. He was dressed smartly in a deep, navy dress shirt and slacks that were perfectly tailored to his figure, causing some of the nearby students to eye him in interest. 

“Hey guys! I’m glad I found you.”

Seungkwan greeted him with a wide smile. “Hey Mingyu! Did you come here with anyone?”

Mingyu gave a sheepish shrug in response, putting his hands into his pockets. “Nah. The guys on the basketball team aren’t really into theater- can’t say I’m surprised, though.”

Seungkwan shot Mingyu with a bemused look. Of course, they aren’t. Despite many of the primary perpetrators on the team having graduated, the basketball team still seemed to carry a sense of judgmentalness about it. Seungkwan couldn’t help but be a little jealous of Mingyu- he was the spitting image of the perfect basketball player that everyone on the team would love, six foot tall and strong enough to fend off any offensive attack. No one on the team would ever even fathom to come after him. Nevertheless, he was glad Mingyu seemed to be one of the players with an actual sense of sportsmanship and humility. “Tell me about it. Anyways, we’re meeting up with some of our other friends to watch the play with. You’re welcome to join, if you want. Ah, speak of the devils-” Seungkwan said, turning his head to look down the hall. He spotted Shua waving to him, followed by Jeonghan trailing behind him.

Jeonghan smiled as he approached, a devious glint in his eye as he shook Mingyu’s hand. “So nice to meet you. You’re a sophomore, right?” 

“Yeah, I’m in Seungkwan and Hansol’s class.” 

“He really does not need more underclassmen to indoctrinate into his possé. You really ought to run,” Joshua warned, putting a hand on an oblivious Mingyu’s arm. He then spotted Hansol, who had been standing silently besides Seungkwan the entire time, and the two made eye contact. 

“Yo,” Shua said to Hansol in English, raising a hand in the air.

Hansol responded back to him in English with something he didn’t understand, high-fiving Shua and grabbing his hand to shake it as he did so. 

The two of them continued conversing in English, and Seungkwan, with his limited English skills, quickly lost track of their conversation. He watched them talk excitedly, suddenly feeling a gripping pang of envy hit him. It was an exceptionally strange sensation, as Seungkwan had never been one to find himself left out of a conversation. He silently balled his hands at his sides, only being able to watch Hansol talk so animatedly for a few more moments before tearing his eyes away. As he hurriedly moved to shift his gaze to Mingyu, he caught Jeonghan’s eye. He was watching him as well, looking at him with a rather quizzical expression. Seungkwan quickly looked away and hoped he hadn’t noticed any of the tumultuous emotions threatening to spill out of him.

“Cheol’s gonna be sitting with us too, you talked to him last practice, right? Wanna come with?” Seungkwan asked Mingyu. Mingyu nodded in response and Seungkwan glanced down at his phone. “Ooh, Cheol is already sitting down inside. We should all go and meet up with him.” 

They all made their way into the theater and Seungkwan pointed out where Seungcheol was sitting, who had texted him that he was near the front. As they approached Seungcheol and his friends, Seungcheol stood up to give them a quick hug before they all took their seats. Seungkwan followed Mingyu into the row with Hansol right behind him, and they all sat down.

Just as he was beginning to get comfortable in his spot, he noticed some shuffling going on to his left- Hansol had evidently switched seats with Joshua, leaving himself sandwiched between Seungcheol and Shua. Seungkwan leaned over to get Jeonghan’s attention.

“Hyung, can we also switch seats? You can sit next to Shua and I can access the aisle to get up and down,” he suggested, standing up. 

One of their classmates noticed Seungkwan as he moved and called out to him. “Seungkwan, you’re not on stage??” 

“I am not in the theater class!” Seungkwan shouted to them, exasperated. He placed his hands on his hips. “Why does everyone think that?” 

“Probably because you’re always hanging out with Seoksoon,” Hansol commented. 

Seungkwan only pouted in response, unable to argue with that point. Jeonghan and him quickly swapped seats as well, and Hansol and Seungkwan found themselves sitting next to each other once more. 

“What parts of the stage did you work on?” Hansol asked him as the rest of the group dissolved into random conversation.

“Ah, my proudest contribution is probably the lake,” Seungkwan said, with a puff of his chest. “You’ll see it when the curtains open; it's in the first scene.”

They didn’t get the chance to say much else before the lights suddenly dimmed, plunging the entire audience into darkness. The performance went perfectly according to script, which Seungkwan could tell because he’d watched his friends rehearse it dozens of times before not only on stage, but also in random fits of passion when they would burst into song in the middle of the lunchroom. It was quite a sight, Seungkwan thought as he leaned a hand against his cheek, being able to see the culmination of their efforts when it had seemed so inconsequential in their daily lives. Suddenly, he felt Hansol shift from beside him.

“Holy shit, it looks amazing,” Hansol whispered against his ear, breath hot against his skin. “Your hard work really paid off.”

Seungkwan froze, shivering from the sensation for some reason. After getting over his brief moment of buffering, he reached over to tousle Hansol’s hair, smiling stupidly in the darkness of the theater.

“Told you so.”

It wasn’t long before Seungkwan could feel himself getting worked over the play, the feeling of seeing everything play out overwhelming. He stole a quick glance at Hansol, who seemed to be completely immersed into the show, unaware of anything going around him as usual. The observation strangely made Seungkwan feel so much more desperate (over what, he still wasn’t sure himself), and he reached over to take Hansol’s hand in his own. Hansol barely even reacted, eyes glued to the performance.

Eventually, Seungkwan’s attention focused back on stage, and he watched pridefully as Seokmin delivered his lines to perfection. Even later, to his surprise but certainly not disappointment, Hansol moved to intertwine their fingers closer together and pulled them into his lap, dragging Seungkwan closer so that he could lean his head onto his shoulder. Seungkwan relished in how warm Hansol’s body felt against his, sighing happily as he melted into his touch.

Suddenly, a large roar emerged from somewhere on stage, making Seungkwan jerk violently against him. Seungkwan cursed under his breath, muttering in displeasure.

“Didn’t you know he was going to do that?” Hansol asked in amusement, having barely reacted to the outburst. “You must’ve looked at the script.” 

“I didn’t know he was gonna do it like that !” Seungkwan complained grumpily, making himself comfortable against Hansol’s side again as the play continued.

The rest of the play continued according to his expectations, with Seungkwan managing to not get jumpscared by Soonyoung’s roars again after the initial scare. The last scene finished with a magnificent flourish- Seokmin’s last high note ringing brilliantly throughout the room and brought the audience to a standing ovation. Seungkwan forced himself to tear himself away from Hansol as he jumped to his feet himself, clapping and hollering as loud as he could for his friends.

Everyone convened outside the school, chatting in awe of the play they had just watched. They spotted Jihoon and Soonyoung approaching them, with Soonyoung carrying a flower bouquet he had somehow already acquired from somewhere. Seokmin and Chan were right behind him, being bombarded by flowers and congratulations from their classmates on a stellar performance. The group joined in, each giving their hugs and congrats to the three. A couple of random students also thanked Seungkwan, who had to again explain that he had no part in this. 

Of course, everyone took that opportunity to again question Seungkwan why he didn’t just join the drama department, and Seungkwan had almost explained himself out of it as usual until-

“He has a great singing voice too,” Hansol added, causing Seungkwan to whip his head towards him in surprise. Seungkwan elbowed him, face now flushing from the attention of all 12 pairs of eyes on him.

“Oh, you sing?” Jihoon asked in surprise.

“Why am I being ganged up on right now?!” Seungkwan exclaimed in mock disbelief.

Usually Seungkwan would enjoy being gassed up by all his friends, but he truly just didn’t consider himself a performer, yet alone someone who’d be on stage in a theater. Soonyoung only made things worse, latching onto Hansol’s point and comparing him to Seokmin and inciting a clamor throughout their group.

“He’s exaggerating,” Seungkwan scoffed in disgust.  

“I don’t think so,” Hansol butted in, surprising Seungkwan yet again. He’d rarely seen Hansol be so insistent over anything. “I’ve seen you sing, and you’re insanely good.”

Seungkwan pointedly looked away, suddenly finding the floor very fascinating. He thought he was used to getting compliments at this point, but it felt so different coming from Hansol for some reason. Maybe it was because he was so shamelessly blunt in his words, making his praise carry a weight tenfold of what it usually would. Eventually, his friends let up on pestering him and he left the premises with Hansol after the group had exchanged phone numbers.

Hansol and Seungkwan made their way down the street, neither of them saying anything but the space between comfortable nevertheless. Seungkwan felt the wind skim across his bare forearms, and he moved to roll down his sleeves when he shivered against the cold. He lamented the loss of warmth from Hansol's touch more than ever now that they were outside in the middle of the night. Seungkwan playfully bumped against Hansol as they walked, movements slow as he felt fatigue beginning to tug at his shoulders.

“Yah, Hansol. Why’d you have to tell them about my singing?” He complained jokingly.

“I just spoke the truth,” Hansol said simply, still looking forward. “You’re a super good singer.”

“You haven’t even heard me sing that much,” Seungkwan replied in amusement, tone contemplative. He could only think of a few times Hansol could’ve heard him sing- the absentminded humming whenever they did their homework together, maybe the few times he joined Seokmin and Soonyoung when they started caroling at lunch, or when he’d start narrating something in song form when he found it funny.

“Yeah, cause you never actually sing for me. But I don’t need to listen to an entire performance to tell that you’re amazing.”

Seungkwan felt his cheeks burn up, glad that the darkness was covering up his furious blush. His mind was running into overdrive, too fast for him to keep up with. Suddenly, the night didn’t feel quite so cold anymore.

“Do you… want me to sing for you?” Seungkwan said, voice coming out more feeble and hesitant than he intended. He swallowed nervously when Hansol didn’t reply immediately.

“I’d like it,” Hansol finally said, after a moment of deliberation. 

Seungkwan let out a heavy breath, heart hammering dangerously in his chest.

“I’ll make sure to sing for you then,” Seungkwan replied softly.

“Ok. I’m listening.”

Seungkwan blanched, words coming out in sputters as he gaped at him. “What, now?”

“Why not?” Hansol asked, sounding genuinely confused.

Chwe Hansol was quite possibly the most confusing, unfathomable person Seungkwan had ever come to know in his 16 years of living.

“Um… well I haven’t even decided what song to sing yet!” Seungkwan rushed to explain.

“Ok, then after you’ve decided.”

“It might take me a while.”

“Alright.”

“It might take a day,” Seungkwan amended, bringing his pointer fingers together.

“That’s fine.”

“It might take me longer than that… much longer…” He rubbed at his elbow.

Finally, Hansol turned to look at him. Seungkwan could just barely make out his features in the moonlight, but it was enough to tell that he was amused by Seungkwan’s ramblings. “It’s no problem. I’ll be here waiting when you’re ready.”

Seungkwan thought he could melt on the spot, and even though it made absolutely no sense he could feel himself getting giddy. It was strange though, that the pressure in his chest was enough to make his head spin. 

He reached for Hansol’s hand and swung it as they walked home, already thinking of what song he would pick.

*****

Seungkwan awoke in a daze the next day, limbs tired and heavy from pushing himself so hard the day before. When he tried to pull himself out of bed, he resisted the urge to immediately plop back down after getting a pounding headache. Of course after having one of the best nights of his lives, he would subjected to this bodily torture. Seungkwan was truly in a disgruntled mood from it all, and maybe that was why things would end up going so horribly wrong later that day.

The first thing that immediately ticked him off upon entering the school was the fact that there seemed to be a power outage. Which meant it was absolutely freezing inside, which did nothing to help his aching limbs.

Seungkwan spotted Soonyoung and Seokmin chatting around their lockers, and waved to them as he approached. “Hey guys, what’s going on?” He asked. “Why’s the power out? It’s not even storming.”

“Umm.. maybe we blew out a fuse last night with all the equipment…?” Seokmin suggested, scratching the back of his neck.

“Are you serious?” Seungkwan said in annoyance. “This school doesn’t even fund its own building maintenance.”

Soonyoung nodded. “You can say that again.”

Seungkwan, now wishing he had brought a spare jacket with him, shivered as he made his way to meet Hansol in class. Hansol hadn’t walked to school with Seungkwan today, as he apparently needed to meet with the teacher beforehand to discuss an assignment, and Seungkwan simply could not get himself out of bed early enough this morning to come along with him.

He spotted Hansol sitting in their usual spot, hands clasped together as he leaned them on the table while he waited for class to start. Seungkwan walked up behind his chair and sluggishly threw his arms around Hansol’s shoulders, letting his head rest in the crook of his neck.

“Hansolllll~ I’m cold,” he complained, trying to leech off the warmth of Hansol’s body.

“It’s cause the power’s out. There’s no heating,” Hansol offered rather unhelpfully, not moving an inch. Seungkwan frowned.

“Wow, thanks. I didn’t notice.”

“I think the teacher said it was gonna be fixed by next period though.”

That made Seungkwan feel a bit better at least, and he forcibly removed himself from Hansol’s shoulders as the teacher walked in to begin class. Seungkwan set his backpack down and sat in his seat with an unceremonious plop.

Seungkwan sat through the entirety of first period uncomfortably, wanting to sleep but also being way too cold to actually pass out. He couldn’t wait until he could practice some sets during their free activities period after this, he thought wistfully, so that at least he could warm himself up by moving around. 

Fortunately, Hansol turned out to be right and the dean made a rather unconcerned sounding announcement near the end of class informing everyone that the heating had been fixed and that the power should be back to normal. The entire class started cheering in celebration, effectively derailing the rest of class much to their teacher’s annoyance. Usually, Seungkwan would’ve relished in the chaos of everyone bustling around, but he only clutched at his head as the noise worsened his headache.

Finally, the class bell rang and Seungkwan sluggishly stood up from his seat, ready to book it out of there. He turned to Hansol. 

“You ready? The team’s probably waiting for us,” he said, already leading the two of them out the door and towards the gym. Hansol's steps paused, but he eventually slowly followed after him with a frown.

“What?” He said, obviously confused.

Seungkwan furrowed his brow, not understanding why Hansol was acting like this. “Um, to practice during the activities period? Come on Hansol, we’re nearing preliminaries so we need to be doing all we can.”

Hansol didn’t say anything in response, but that was fairly customary for him so Seungkwan brushed it off as they continued walking to the gym. He opened the doors of the locker room to find most of the rest of the team, minus Seungcheol- who was probably off doing some student council thing- loitering around and chatting. He momentarily lost his balance and bumped into a locker, still a bit lightheaded from his fatigue, which seemed to make Hansol finally snap.

“Why are you doing this? You’re pushing yourself too hard with all these practices,” Hansol said, clearly annoyed. “It’s overkill.”

Seungkwan looked at him in disbelief, hand having gone still over his locker handle,  irked that Hansol would even insinuate that he wasn’t strong enough to handle all the practices that were quite literally necessary for their team to secure a winning game. 

“What the hell are you talking about? I’m fine, I’m just doing what we need to win.”

“You just spent hours practicing before the play yesterday, when it wasn’t even scheduled with the rest of the team.”

“I needed to work on my sets,” Seungkwan scoffed.

“No, Seungkwan! Even I’m tired from regular practices, but you barely have time to rest for a minute with all the commitments you have going on. I never even see you outside of school or volleyball practices anymore!”

“What is wrong with you today?” Seungkwan said, voice raising. “I’m willing to do this- we’re all willing to do anything to win the preliminaries!”

“Well I’m not!”

Seungkwan froze, blood running cold, and he momentarily thought the heating must’ve stopped working again. But no, everything was real- too real, he realized as everything he’d come to know came crashing down. He just stared back at Hansol, unblinking. The rest of the team had also gone silent around them from their outburst. Hansol, seeming to have realized what he just said, recoiled a bit, eyes softening.

“I didn’t mean it like that… of course I want us to win. But not to the point where it's the only thing that matters.”

Seungkwan and Hansol continued to just stare at each other, until someone else from the team broke the silence.

“Yeah I mean….to be honest I care more about having fun playing than winning in the end.”

Seungkwan snapped his head towards him, glaring. “We aren’t even going to have a CHANCE to play if we don’t get through the preliminaries.”

“There’s no way we’re going to lose preliminaries, though,” another one of their teammates argued.

“Well if we think like that we sure are,” someone else jutted in. 

“No but Hansol’s right- Seungkwan, you’re coming in outside our usual practice schedule and outside school? Are you insane? You’re gonna get sick at this point.”

Seungkwan pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling his nerves flare up at his team trying to tell him what he could do. And most of all, he would never have expected it to come from Hansol.

The rest of the team were still arguing as Seungkwan just stood there, hand over his mouth and thoughts going haywire as he pointedly averted his eyes from Hansol’s. He was shaking a bit, but he couldn’t tell if it was from anger or something else entirely.

Now that he thought back, Hansol had never been nearly as enthusiastic as himself when it came to their practices. Seungkwan thought it was just due to his subdued temperament, but had he just been deliberately choosing to ignore all signs that pointed otherwise? Seungkwan grit his teeth, gut wrenching as he willed himself to do anything but start tearing up. Finally, he slowly raised his head back up to look at Hansol, who was still just looking at him. His expression was flat save for his eyes, which were tinged with a subtle regret that only Seungkwan could’ve recognized.

“Hansol… do you even like volleyball?” Seungkwan said, voice shaking. He bit his lip, not even knowing if he wanted to find out.

Hansol pursed his lips, deliberating what to say. Seungkwan flinched just from seeing the hesitation written over his face, having a sinking feeling what his answer would be. Seungkwan had never seen Hansol look quite so conflicted. Finally, he sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat.

“Not like you do.” 

*****

Seungkwan lazily threw a volleyball in the air as he laid against the cold, gym floor, setting it over and over again and losing himself in the monotony of the action. It was a miracle he hadn’t lost his grip on it and let it smack into his face yet. On second thought, maybe he should just let it fall-it would feel less painful than the huge slap in the face he’d gotten that morning. 

The gym door creaked open, and Seungkwan spotted Seungcheol make his way over to Hansol on the other side of the court, who was currently throwing a volleyball aimlessly against the wall much like he was right now. 

Seungkwan looked away and went back to throwing his own volleyball, trying not to think about whatever Hansol could be telling Seungcheol right now. He latched his eyes onto the ball, glaring at it as if demolishing it would solve all his problems. Suddenly, the ball disappeared and didn’t fall back into his hands again like he expected, making Seungkwan break out of his trance.

Seungcheol was now looming over him, said volleyball in hand and looking at him with an inquisitive expression.

“Are you planning on actually setting the ball up for someone?” Seungcheol asked, placing the ball under his arm and looking down at his face. 

Seungkwan rolled to the side, depression now overtaking him that he couldn’t keep his hands busy. “What’s the point? Half the team doesn’t even care if I set properly or not.” 

“That’s not true.” Seungcheol lent him a hand to bring him up, basically having to drag him to sit upright. “What happened?” 

“I saw you talking to Hansol. Don’t you already know?” Seungkwan replied, unable to stop the bitterness from seeping into his voice.

“He barely told me anything. You guys seemed fine last night, why are you so mad at him now?”  

Seungkwan sighed and scooted himself over to lean against the bleachers. “I’m not mad. I’m just upset that he lied to me. And I’m upset at myself too. He’s always supporting me in whatever I do and- I only convinced him to join volleyball because I thought he was as passionate about it as I was. But he’s not. He knows everything about me but what do I really know about him?” He rambled, bottom lip slightly quivering despite his best efforts to stay stoic. Hansol was good at that. He probably told Seungcheol what happened, not a hint of distress on his face. The thought just made Seungkwan feel even worse, and he folded knees to his chest and wrapped his hands around them.

“Okay, well…do you think you could maybe reconcile? Soon?” Seungcheol asked nervously. 

“I know I know - don’t worry, I’ll be fine for the game. I swear,” Seungkwan reassured him, feeling bad for stressing out Seungcheol when he already had so much going on as well.

Seungcheol frowned, obviously not believing him. “Can you set properly?”

“Yeah, yeah. I just need to get focused.” Seungkwan got up, stretched, and grabbed the Iced Americano he had left over from lunch and took a sip. 

Seungkwan could not, in fact, get focused. He overthought every throw that came his way, barely even making it to the ball in time to set it up like he usually would. Each failed return just made Seungkwan more frustrated, making him miss and miss the ball again until he was failing to even track it across the court properly. He cursed as the ball landed just inches away from him again with a harsh smack, making Seungkwan run a ragged hand through his hair.

“I’m going to have to bench all of you at this rate!” She yelled in frustration. “Choi, get over here.” She said, staring daggers at Seungcheol. Seungkwan winced as Seungcheol went off with a tired sigh.

The two of them talked for a couple minutes, and though Seungkwan couldn’t tell what they were saying, he saw the Coach’s very obviously pissed off demeanor, which Seungcheol just stood and took in as professionally as ever. The Coach’s phone suddenly rang, and she dismissed Seungcheol with a wave of her hand as she went off to take it. Seungcheol let out a heavy breath, before making his way back towards Seungkwan.

“Do you want to be hitter?” He asked. Seungkwan looked at him in surprise, before turning away and grabbing a towel from the ground. 

“Come on. We can’t switch positions now. You’re a better hitter than I am, and–” 

“You’re a better setter than I am, I know. But you’re all over the place. We can’t play like this, much less win.” Seungcheol said. He sighed. “You should talk to Hansol.” 

“I know you have good intentions, but that’ll just make things worse.” Seungkwan said, already mentally and physically exhausted from dealing with the topic at hand. 

“Just trust my leadership. You two need to sort out whatever is going on. In the meanwhile I’m going to ask the coach to sub you two out.” 

Seungkwan’s jaw dropped, a burning panic starting to overtake him. “Are you serious?! It’s not that bad, I swear. You can’t just bench me, the other players, as good as they are, have no idea what they’re doing,” he rushed to explain, not even trying to hide the desperation in his voice now.

“Having no team dynamic is better than having a tense one. Come back to me WITH Hansol,” Seungcheol said with a tone of finality, patting Seungkwan on the back and before walking off the court to get some water. Seungkwan just watched him walk away, shell-shocked.

How did the day just keep getting worse?

Seungkwan’s mind spun violently. He didn’t even know how to begin talking to Hansol, let alone fix things. They had both already been avoiding each other during the lunch break and class, and Seungkwan didn’t see that tension dissipating anytime soon. He stole a glance at Hansol, who was still exactly where he was before, dissociating as he stared into the wall. Even now, Seungkwan couldn’t help but find it a little endearing.

Seungcheol came back after another chat with the coach, forcing Seungkwan out of his third mental breakdown of the day. He hoped that he was returning with some morsel of good news, but judging from the look on Seungcheol’s face, Seungkwan could tell that they were about to be hit with yet another wave of disappointment.

“Bad news guys…” Seungcheol began as he gathered up the group, and things were not looking good because even he didn’t seem to have the strength to pretend that their current predicament could be salvaged. Seungcheol looked even more stressed out than he usually was, which was already a high baseline considering all his student council duties. “I’ll just be blunt. The game’s been moved to this Saturday.”

Seungkwan blanched, dread creeping up on him in awful, heavy tendrils. Out of all the news Seungcheol could’ve delivered, this was undoubtedly one of the worst ones.

They were absolutely, utterly, and unconditionally fucked.

Chapter Text

He might’ve just done something very, very bad, Hansol thought.

He had truly never meant to blow up on Seungkwan like that, let alone in front of practically the entire team. Hansol banged his head against the gym wall, internally berating himself but also admittedly not totally regretting everything he had said. It had all been true, after all. Deep down, Hansol knew that this was a problem just waiting to happen, because he would never be able to dedicate himself as much to volleyball as Seungkwan did. Seungkwan would always love volleyball, and all he could do was simply try and be a part of that happiness. Was he in the wrong for joining in the first place, then? 

Hansol sighed tiredly as he closed his locker after school was done, unable to remember the last time he’d ever quite been so alone. He was beginning to realize how many connections he had made thanks to Seungkwan, who was now nowhere to be seen.

He was completely justified to be upset with him, Hansol thought, so he just decided to give him some space for now.

Hansol began the silent trek home, hands buried in his pockets and hair slicked back in that beanie Seungkwan hated so much. Everything was starting to remind Hansol of him now- the plaid scarf he was wearing that Seungkwan had gifted him for his sixteenth birthday, the small drawings doodled all over his notes from class in colorful pens, and now even a pleasant breeze that reminded him of the walk home after the play. Hansol couldn’t stop thinking about him, so much so that it was beginning to get a little unnerving.

Eventually, he returned home, collapsing on the couch from the exhausting day he had. He pulled out his phone to check his messages, the notifications tab now cut down by half. The only new texts he had were from the big group chat, which to his amusement contained a mixture of photos from the play last night and tiger memes sent into the chat from Soonyoung. Hansol opened the spam of photos he had sent, casually scrolling through them in interest. He stopped upon one particular picture- Seungkwan was in the foreground, eyes bright and gleaming as he slung an arm around a flower-carrying Seokmin and Soonyoung. He was the spitting image of vicariance, cheeks flushed and face split in a wide smile. Hansol saved the image to his photo album and set it to his wallpaper, wanting to preserve the memory of that bright moment.

As he continued to scroll through the photos, he realized that the only photos with both him and Seungkwan in it were group photos. In fact, Hansol wasn’t even sure how many photos he had alone with him in general. Most of all, he didn’t know why that fact was only standing out to him just now. 

*****

“Is that you, Hansol?”

Hansol turned around in the middle of the hall upon hearing his name, only to find Seungcheol approaching him, two other guys in tow behind him. Hansol blinked back at him blankly. 

“Oh, Seungcheol. What’s up?”

“What’re you doing out here in the middle of class?” 

“I just got back from the bathroom.”

“Ah,” Seungcheol replied in understanding. “Well while I’ve got you, let me introduce you to our new exchange students from China. This is Xu Minghao,” Seungcheol said, gesturing to one of the guys behind him. “...and this is Moon Junhui,” he finished, gesturing to the other.

Hansol could immediately tell they were exchange students, purely from the way they were dressed and the way they carried themselves. Despite donning the same school uniform, Minghao also wore a long, gray overcoat, had his nails done to perfection, and had an expensive-looking Louis Vuitton bag draped over his shoulder. Junhui didn’t sport as many accessories as Minghao, but the uniform fit his body in a way that highlighted his model-esque features and his skin glowed with the sheen of someone featured in hundreds of beauty advertisements. Hansol gave them a wave.

“Hey, I’m Hansol. Nice to meet you guys. Welcome to the school,” he greeted.

“Thanks, great to meet you too!” Junhui replied excitedly. “You can call me Jun.”

“Good to meet you, Hansol,” Minghao greeted back calmly, hands still pocketed in his jacket. 

“Do you want to exchange numbers?” Jun offered. “I’m trying to get to know some people in the school.”

“Sure,” Hansol agreed, before taking out his phone to offer it to Jun. Jun happily typed away at the screen. 

“I’ll add Minghao’s in here too,” Jun said casually, ignoring the look of annoyance that Minghao shot at him.

“Well, I suppose as class president I should tell you to get back to class,” Seungcheol said with a wry grin. “But I’ll see you at the game this weekend?”

“Oh, yeah,” Hansol said, trying to push down the bit of dread that arose within him at the thought. “See ya.”

*****

Maybe he’d messed up even more than he already thought he did, Hansol thought as he ran towards the senior classrooms. During his last class, he’d received a very confusing and unexpected text message from Seungkwan’s relatives in Jeju, asking him to tell Joshua to pack comfortable hiking boots for his trip there. In his quest to figure out what was going on, he’d booked it as soon as he’d gotten out of class, knowing that Class B would likely be starting their lunch period right about now. Luckily, he was able to catch sight of Joshua before he had left class and ran straight up to him, disrupting whatever conversation he was having with Jeonghan.  

“ Hey, can I talk to you about something? It’s kinda urgent ,” Hansol asked him in English, clasping his hands together and hoping Jeonghan wouldn’t mind too much if he stole his friend away momentarily.

Joshua gave him a concerned look, likely caught off guard because Hansol had never approached him like this before. “ Yeah… of course. What’s wrong?”

“It’s about the Jeju trip… I heard Seungkwan invited you?”

“Oh yeah, he did. I thought you already knew that though.”

Hansol let his gaze drop to the floor, eyes downturned. “He hasn’t invited me.”

Joshua’s eyes widened in understanding, and that was all he needed to say to capture his full attention because Joshua quickly turned to bid goodbye to Jeonghan, who had already begun heading out to lunch. He’d have to buy Joshua a meal later to repay him for missing this one, Hansol thought. Joshua turned back to Hansol, leaning back and pushing himself up to sit on a table nearby. “ Tell me what’s happening.”

“I need your advice on something. Seungkwan and I kinda had… an argument the other day over volleyball. I let it slip that I didn’t actually care about volleyball that much, and Seungkwan’s been avoiding me ever since then. I’ve been giving him space, but I’m wondering if that was such a good idea after all. I mean,” Hansol paused, catching his breath. “How upset is he for him to not invite me to Jeju with him? We’ve always talked about going together.”

Joshua nodded along, taking in all the new information. He looked back up to Hansol, finger placed across his mouth. “And how did you find out about the trip?”

“His grandmother texted me, telling me to tell you to bring hiking boots. Oh, by the way, make sure you bring hiking boots,” Hansol said as he raised his pointer finger, remembering the purpose of the actual message.

Joshua laughed, crossing his legs and clasping his hands over a knee. “Will do. But wow, I didn’t realize that even your families were close to each other.”

“I see his parents pretty often when I go over to his place,” Hansol explained with a shrug. “I’ve met some of his relatives whenever they happen to visit, too.”

“Ah, I see. Interesting.” Joshua tilted his head to observe Hansol from his spot atop the table. “So how’d the argument start?”

“Um… that might’ve been partially my fault,” Hansol admitted abashedly. “Seungkwan obviously wasn’t feeling very well that day, but he still kept making us do volleyball drills every free second we could cram it in. It really bothered me, you know. For god’s sake, he just finished preparing for an entire play yesterday and he still won’t give himself a break. So I called him out on it. But that obviously didn’t go very well.”

“You’re worried for him,” Joshua said. It wasn’t a question.

“Isn’t that what I just said?” Hansol said, furrowing his brow.

Joshua rolled his eyes. He leaned forward, hands gripping onto the edge of the table. “No, Hansol. You may have meant that, but I’d be willing to bet that’s not how Seungkwan understood it.”

“What do you think I should do?”

Joshua appeared deep in thought for a minute, gaze trailing across the room before refocusing on Hansol. “Here’s what I think- Seungkwan took what you said more as criticism than an act of concern. Seungkwan’s the type of person to go all out on something he cares about, and you trying to stop him just felt like you were questioning his judgment. And he’s probably under the impression that you’re unhappy with him because he didn't notice that you never really liked volleyball in the first place.”

Hansol frowned. “But I joined the team of my own accord. I brought it up first.”

“If you don't like volleyball, then why’d you even join the team, Hansol? Didn’t you only join one semester after transferring?”

Hansol looked to the side, pondering. “Well… he was having a tough time with the basketball team. I wanted to be there with him during more of his sports so he wouldn’t feel like that again. I just, like being with him.”

Joshua smiled, as if Hansol had just solved all his problems right then.

“Then that’s what you need to tell him.”

Chapter Text

It was the day of their practice game, and Seungkwan had not in fact resolved things with Hansol yet. He knew Seungcheol was probably going to chew him out for it, but Seungkwan was just hoping that his endless practicing would make up for the fact that the entire team seemed to be in disarray right now.

With the play over and Seungkwan now not spending time with Hansol, he’d opened up more space to completely throw himself into practicing. He practically didn’t even think about anything else, the need to practice and do something to salvage the game consuming his every waking moment. It was a welcomed distraction, in fact, as Seungkwan would rather think about anything else than his relationship with Hansol right now.

He’d invited Joshua and Seokmin to come with him to Jeju in an attempt to escape everything (Soonyoung was busy with some dance event, so he couldn’t come), and Seungkwan felt himself looking forward to returning back to his hometown so he could decompress. The trip just happened to fall during their preliminary games, but seeing how things were going so far within the team, maybe that was a good thing. He still needed to tell Seungcheol about it, but he was waiting for his plans to get finalized before subjecting himself to the berating that he would undoubtedly receive in return.

Seungkwan arrived at the gym, anticipation built up in his shoulders as he opened the locker room door. As much as he tried to stop it, his eyes immediately sought out Hansol, who was currently standing across the room with his back to him. Seungkwan shook off the twinge of pain in his chest and continued walking to his locker, which he pulled open probably more forcefully than necessary and changed into their team uniform. Seungcheol arrived just minutes later, looking somewhat distracted, but not enough to immediately single out Seungkwan with a questioning gaze. Seungkwan just shook his head a little in response, to which Seungcheol gave a small sigh of resignation before walking off to change into his own uniform.

Not wanting to spend a second longer in the locker room, Seungkwan rushed out to wait on the court for the game to begin. Escaping had proven to be no better, however, as he was met with the nuisance that was the opposing team making their way towards him, likely en route to taunt him for no good reason. Much to his annoyance, he recognized the leader of the team- one of the obnoxious players from his middle school that he had never quite been able to stand the sight of.

“A little birdie told me that your team’s a little tense,” he said, casually propping a volleyball under his arm as he approached Seungkwan. Seungkwan glared at him.

“And how the hell would you know that?” 

“Oh, so it's true?”

“No,” Seungkwan replied, with a little more force than he meant to say it with.

“Hah, he’s getting defensive!” Another player from their team jeered. Seungkwan made a face of disgust.

“Wow, I didn’t know you left your sense of maturity back in middle school along with your skills!” Seungkwan snapped back. “Oh wait, you never had that to begin with.” The team captain frowned, taken out of his playful mood.

“Look who’s talking. The fact that you’re one of the better players really tells me all I need to know. I mean, just look at the newest guy who joined last year- he’s gotta have some of the worst sets I’ve ever seen.”

Seungkwan bit his tongue to prevent himself from completely cursing them out, because even if Hansol admittedly didn’t love volleyball, he wasn’t about to let these assholes discredit all the work he had done to get here. “He wouldn’t be on the team if he didn’t know what he was doing. People like you who put others down like that should never be playing volleyball.”

“Oh? Let’s make a bet then,” the captain replied, taking out the volleyball from under his arm. “Sure- maybe you’re right, and I shouldn’t be playing volleyball. If we lose this game I’ll quit.”

Seungkwan stayed rooting his spot, shoulders tense as he looked at them with suspicion. “Why would you do that?”

“Because if we win, then you’ll quit the team.”

Seungkwan could feel a sense of alarm flare in the back of his head, but he could barely hear it over the sound of his pounding thoughts and his mouth moved to respond without him realizing it.

“As if we’d lose against you! We’re ranked way higher than your team in every single chart.”

“Alright, deal then?”

“Fine!”

Seungkwan didn’t even truly process what he’d agreed to, until he was storming away from them and going back to regroup with the rest of his team who were now on the court. He didn’t have time to think about how bad of an idea that bet might’ve been, as the referee was telling them to line up and then the game was soon underway.

Things weren’t great on court, to say the least. They had begun the game with a horrible start by practically giving away an easy 10 points to the opposing team only into the first two sets thanks to their lack of communication. As much as Seungkwan prided himself in his skills, he couldn’t deny that volleyball was largely a teamwork- based game. Seungkwan’s sets were only marginally better than they had been since he had his fight with Hansol, which was already a pretty low baseline to begin with. As the game continued, Seungkwan’s fingertips brimmed with more and more irritation, making him stumble and miss the ball various times when he reached for it in a desperate lunge. Each dive clanged and bruised against his knees rather painfully, with his thinning and worn knee pads doing little to cushion the blow of each failure. The sound of their coach yelling rang in his ears with every misplaced set Seungkwan threw into the air. He could tell that even Seungcheol was beginning to feel overwhelmed, as he had to practically run across the court in an attempt to spike any of Seungkwan’s sets.

The shrill sound of a whistle suddenly broke through Seungkwan’s thoughts, and the entire team broke out with a sigh as they began to crowd around the coach for the time out. However, the coach was pointedly looking at him, gesturing to him to come over. Seungkwan made his way towards her nervously.

“I thought you would’ve resolved whatever’s going on within the team by now! It’s seriously affecting your performance,” the couch spat out at him. “You need to get your head in the game.”

Seungkwan sighed in frustration. “I know, I’m sorry. I’m trying my best!”

“Well your best isn’t enough right now. I’m benching you for the rest of the game.”

Seungkwan’s mouth dropped open, and he tried not to let his anger overtake him. “What? For the entire game? We’re behind more than 10 points!”

“Exactly,” she said firmly. “You’re not thinking straight, Seungkwan. You’re going for balls that aren’t even in your zone, and it's disturbing the positioning of the entire team. We can’t afford to deal with this right now. Go take a seat.”

Seungkwan just grit his teeth in response to bite back a snarky reply that he would’ve undoubtedly regretted later. He balled his hands into fists and stormed off from the rest of the team, towards the bleachers. The coach continued saying something to everyone else, but Seungkwan couldn’t make out what she was saying over the noise of all the tumultuous  thoughts clouding his head. He climbed a few stairs up on the bleachers before falling down onto the seat, arms crossed and staring very hard at the floor.

He let head hang down, shoulders shuddering as he took in a deep breath. His hair was stuck against his forehead, sticky with sweat and tears of frustration. Just as he heard the whistle blow again to signal the end of the time out, he felt the bench creak beside him. He looked up.

Seungkwan wanted to jump straight out of his skin, because Hansol had just sat next to him, looking as unbothered as ever. He was watching the game continue to play out in front of him with a passive expression. They were silent for a few more minutes before Seungkwan broke the silence.

“The coach bench you too?” He asked, voice weak.

“Seungcheol wanted me to check on you.”

Seungkwan turned to look at him in a bit of disbelief, scowling. “What, you stepped out just for that? Damnit, we need everyone we can get on court right now!”

Hansol frowned. “Well, we’re kind of screwed either way.”

“What, so you’re not even going to try?” Seungkwan replied in irritation. He shook his head again, looking away. “I’d kill to be on the court right now,” he muttered under his breath. “But I guess you wouldn’t understand.” 

“I am trying,” Hansol gritted out. “I’m trying to fix things right now.”  

Seungkwan regretted the words almost as soon as they had left his mouth, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak again, still reeling over the disappointment of losing something he thought Hansol and him had shared. The air between them fizzled into silence once again, but unlike the usual, comfortable, stretches of silence between them, this one was filled with a building tension that just seemed to get more unbearable as time went on. Seungkwan wrung his hands together in his lap, his fingers cold and clammy now that he wasn’t moving around. Finally, Hansol spoke again.

“Are you… okay?”

Seungkwan eyed him in disbelief, because how could he possibly, ever be okay, when he was on the brink of not only causing their team to lose the entire game but also one of his best friendships slipping through his fingers? But then again, he’d never noticed how much Hansol truly didn’t even like volleyball, so could he really be mad at him? Seungkwan bit the inside of his cheek, guilt eating through him as he searched for a response.

“Yeah… I’m fine.” The reply came out short and clipped. Seungkwan heard Hansol move from beside him, before he was holding out a water bottle and offering it to him.

“Here. You need it, after how hard you were going on the court.”

Seungkwan felt his eyes burn, because even after all their time spent avoiding each other, Hansol was still so damn caring. Had he ever done anything to reciprocate that kind of treatment? Another pang of guilt hit him, because no, he hadn’t even invited Hansol to the Jeju trip he had been planning just in a few weeks. Seungkwan bit down on his lip to stifle any sort of embarrassing reaction he could’ve let out, before gently taking the water bottle from Hansol.

“Thanks.”

The two of them continued to watch the game play out in front of them. Unfortunately, the team was not doing much better without them, and Seungkwan couldn’t really say he was surprised. Their coach was at her wit’s end, only sighing hopelessly whenever the team would yet again give up another point. They watched as their team suffered a crushing defeat, the loss made even worse by the fact that Seungkwan could only sit there and watch uselessly from the sidelines, unable to do anything to stop it. The rounds didn’t max out, making him feel even worse. They weren’t even playing against a particularly strong team, which Seungkwan unfortunately knew from experience.

Eventually, the game was called and Seungkwan and Hansol left the bleachers to reconvene with the rest of the team. Seungkwan watched the opposing team cheer from their poorly-earned victory, feeling very much like he was doing the walk of shame right now. When they approached the rest of the team, their coach didn’t even have the energy to scold them again, instead telling them all to go home and rest to recuperate before the next practice. Defeat weighed heavily on the entire team, making Seungkwan’s stomach twist painfully, as he felt slightly responsible for the entire ordeal. He had tried so, so hard to make up for it by practicing enough to pull them through, but it was fruitless in the end. A sudden sense of bitter irony hit him- would everything have been avoided if he hadn’t pushed everyone to practice so hard in the first place?

The team eventually dispersed, with some of the members walking off dejectedly and some storming off just as Seungkwan had done before. Seungkwan, not wanting to immediately return to the locker rooms and have to face everyone on the team right now, instead made his way towards the bathroom to splash some cold water on his face. Before he could get there, however, a familiar face, which was currently sneering at him with a false confidence, stopped him on the way there.

“Oh Seungkwan!” He called, voice almost in a sing-song tone. Seungkwan froze in his steps, hands clenching as his sides, before forcing himself to turn around. 

“Fuck off,” Seungkwan spat out, feeling himself nearing the end of his nerve.

“So, you lost. You know what that means,” he continued, wearing a smug expression.

“I don’t owe you shit ,” Seungkwan said angrily. 

“You’re backing out now? When you were so filled with confidence earlier?” 

“I’m not jeopardizing our team because of one bad performance,” Seungkwan said, completely out of energy to even keep up the anger. 

“But isn’t that what you just did?” The other guy said, smiling. “Jeopardize your team. If we’re being honest, you’re the one who screwed your team over. I’m stunned your coach didn’t bench you after the first miserable set, but I guess you guys are really desperate, huh?” 

Suddenly, Seungcheol appeared out of nowhere and shoved the guy away from him, catching Seungkwan off guard. “ Shut the fuck up ,” he growled, clenching his teeth. “You get lucky once and think you can talk shit!” 

“Seungcheol –” Seungkwan began, but Seungcheol swiftly closed the distance between him and the other guy, gripping his collar. “Keep my team members’ names out of your filthy , fucking mouth,” he whispered, before forcefully shoving him away. The guy stumbled back and hit the wall hard, who much to Seungkwan’s satisfaction, looked a bit scared from the entire interaction. 

Seungcheol glanced at Seungkwan, gestured for him to follow him, and then stormed off. Seungkwan grimaced, having celebrated too early, seeing that now he would be the subject of Seungcheol’s pissed off mood. Fortunately (or unfortunately, he couldn’t really tell), Seungcheol seemed to be far too exhausted to tell him off, instead dismissing him without another word. Everyone was in such a terrible, strange mood, and Seungkwan couldn’t help but feel that he was the cause of it all. Unfortunately, they were at the opposing team’s school, so Seungkwan was forced to help rally everyone back onto the bus and sit through the unbearably depressing ride home with the entire team still reeling from the utterly pathetic defeat they had experienced at the hands of a team that they had never even considered a challenge. He could only hope that everyone’s disappointment wasn’t pinpointed at him.

Seungkwan shoved himself into the back of the bus, away from the rest of the team and Seungcheol and most certainly of all , Hansol. He slumped in his seat, ashamed and just wanting to hide himself away from everyone while he wallowed in his grief. No one spoke a word for the entire ride back.

*****

Seungkwan stared down at his phone nervously, finger hovering over the call button next to Seungcheol’s name.

He hadn’t actually talked to Seungcheol since the game, and had been avoiding practices ever since then too. As pathetic as it was, he just couldn’t bring himself to face the rest of the team right now. Everytime he even considered it, all he could think of were the disappointed gazes of every player on their team landing on him as he walked into the room.

Seungkwan shook his head, forcefully pushed those thoughts out of his head, and steeled himself before pressing ‘ call’. He brought the phone to his ear. It rang once, twice, before the line connected.

“Hey, Seungcheol… “ he began, letting out a heavy breath. “I just wanted to call to ask if the coach told you about my trip.” 

“Hm? No. Coach didn’t say anything to me.” 

“You weren’t at practice today?” Seungkwan asked, furrowing his brow.

“I had to show Jun and Minghao around today. Why weren’t you at practice?” 

“...Well I’ll just tell you now.” 

“ Seungkwan, why weren’t you at practice? ” he heard Seungcheol ask again, voice more pressed this time. Seungkwan bit his lip.

“I’m taking a trip to Jeju soon.” Seungkwan continued, entirely ignoring Seungcheol’s questions. “In about a week.” 

“You realize that prelims are in a week, right? We lost the practice game, but there is no way we can lose the preliminaries.” 

“I know, I know, It’s not the best timing. But my family is super persistent. They want me to bring some friends too. My mom’s been so excited, and it’s either prelims week or semi-finals week she can get off work, so I thought It’d be fine if I skipped the prelims game. Since we’re just playing against a team that we’ve won against a million times.” 

“Wait, they want you to bring friends too?” 

“Yeah. I invited Joshua and Seokmin already. I figured you’d probably want to be there for all the competition games.” 

“Did you invite Hansol too?”

Seungkwan frowned, heart immediately twisting at even the mention of him. “.... Why is everyone asking me? No.” 

“Then invite him.” 

“But you need all the players you can get -”

“No, I need my best players to stop fucking around! Bring Hansol and fix whatever is going on between you two. That’d be actually more productive than half-assing the prelims.” 

“Nothing’s going on - “ 

“You’re making excuses, Seungkwan. You’re blaming yourself for the practice game and now you’re running from playing in the prelims,” he stated bluntly. Seungkwan went silent, embarrassed at how easily Seungcheol could read him. He opened his mouth only to close it again, at a loss for words. Seungcheol took that as a sign to continue. “Fine, don’t play in the prelims. But if we want even a chance of making it to the semi-finals, we have to resolve the deeper issues within the team right now.” 

Seungkwan humphed, finally giving in. “I was going to invite him eventually anyway, if my family didn’t already.” 

Seungcheol let out a breath, satisfied. “Okay. Enjoy your trip.” 

“Yeah…” 

“You know you’ll only enjoy it if you fix the problems with Hansol,” Seungcheol commented, softer this time. Seungkwan’s shoulders slumped, again realizing that Seungcheol was not only an extremely capable captain but also one of his closest friends. 

“I know. And about the practice game…I didn’t mean to make bets with the other team. It’s complicated.”

“It’s okay. I mean - don’t do that again, but I get it. Things have been kind of messed up lately.” 

“Mhm,” Seungkwan hummed, thinking of what Seungcheol could possibly be going through right now as well. The last he had heard, Jeonghan had ended up missing the interview that Seungcheol couldn’t attend due to the practice game. But, that had already been days ago. Had something else happened?  “I hope this isn’t presumptuous of me to say but you’ve been kinda distracted lately too, captain.” 

“You don’t have to worry about that anymore,” Seungcheol just muttered in response. He was clearly avoiding the topic, but they were both already under so much stress that Seungkwan decided not to push it.

“So how did showing Jun and Minghao around today go? Good?” Seungkwan decided to ask instead. 

“It was good. Jun is not like I was expecting.” 

“Oh, Soonyoung told me you guys went to Jeonghan’s family’s restaurant. How was it?” 

“Does everyone know that Jeonghan works there except for me?!?!” 

“Well… we’ve all eaten there before… so yes?” Seungkwan replied, slightly perplexed. It wasn’t like Jeonghan’s restaurant was particularly hidden away and hard to find, either.

“What!? Why did he not tell me?!” 

“He told me he didn’t want you pestering him about studying at the restaurant too,” Seungkwan chuckled, thinking back to how Jeonghan had practically begged him not to tell Seungcheol where he worked. It was rather impressive, in fact, the efforts that Jeonghan made just to undermine Seungcheol’s goals.

He heard Seungcheol sigh over the line, evidently not finding it as funny as he did. “I’ll talk to you later.” Seungcheol hung up, and Seungkwan brought his phone down again, clicking off Seungcheol’s profile and looking through his contacts list. It was nearly 300 people long, but for some reason Seungkwan felt lonelier than ever.

He slowed when he got to the H section , thumb pausing when he spotted Hansol’s name, which Seungkwan had endearingly decorated with a slew of cute emojis trailing after it. He supposed he should tell Hansol that he was invited to the Jeju trip, now that Seungcheol had successfully pressured him to do so. Seungkwan clicked on his profile. He stared at the screen, debating if he should call or text him. Eventually he chickened out and pressed the message button.

Hey, are you free next weekend? 

My family and I are taking a trip to Jeju, I invited Seokmin and Shua too

-He wrote. Seungkwan bit his thumb when Hansol came online immediately, watching as his typing bubble popped onto the screen.

Hansol 🐢 🤡 🐟 🎬 💚:  i’m down

Hansol 🐢 🤡 🐟 🎬 💚:  but wait, isn’t that preliminaries weekend?

Me: Yeah but I already talked to Seungcheol about it, he’s fine with us missing the game

Hansol 🐢 🤡 🐟 🎬 💚:  oh okay. i’ll definitely come then

Seungkwan let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. He’d done it. He’d invited Hansol, and all that was left was to hope that the trip didn’t go down as horribly as the game. Seungkwan glanced back down at his phone, noticing another message pop up.

Hansol 🐢 🤡 🐟 🎬 💚:  by the way, your grandma says to bring hiking boots

Seungkwan ran a hand down his face, not knowing whether to be horribly embarrassed or unsurprised. Of course his grandma had somehow gotten hold of Hansol’s number, and then proceeded to chat with him more about the trip than even himself. Then, Seungkwan was struck with the horrible realization that Hansol had likely known about the trip the whole time, and it seemed like Seungkwan was purposefully leaving him out. A new wave of panic overtook him, making him type out another message.

☠️☠️☠️ She already told you? She hasn’t even said anything to me about the trip yet

I’ve been meaning to invite you, but I had to finalize my plans before I could ask Seungcheol about it

Hansol took a bit longer to reply this time, though the text itself wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.

Hansol 🐢 🤡 🐟 🎬 💚:  np

Chapter Text

Seungkwan wasn’t at today’s practice.

Or the next.

Or the one after that.

If it weren’t for his text inviting him to Jeju, Hansol would’ve thought that he’d run off to disappear off the face of the earth every day after school. Hansol knew he’d messed up, but for Seungkwan to now be missing practices when it was all he’d been doing for the past two years- it struck him with a sick sort of worry and dizzying guilt. He’d made a feeble attempt to comfort Seungkwan during their last game, but that had evidently failed. He was at a loss for what to do. He supposed he should talk to Seungkwan as he had discussed with Joshua, but every time he even built himself up to consider it, Seungkwan had already dashed out of class with an urgency he had never seen before. Though quite frankly, Hansol had no idea how to initiate that conversation, and perhaps that was also part of the problem. Everything was just a bit of a disaster right now, Hansol decided. His hands fidgeted at his sides as his eyes flicked back and forth from the wall clock, counting down the minutes until practice would be over now that Seungkwan wasn’t here to distract him. Even Seungcheol was off doing some student council duties today, so it wasn’t like he could interrogate him on where Seungkwan was. He hadn’t anticipated how unbearable it would be alone on the court.

He numbly went through the motions of setting the ball, bumping the ball, hitting it- just enough so that the coach didn’t dog him for his lack of effort. Everything he was doing right now just felt like one large performance, and he absolutely hated it. It reminded him of acting, of all the things he had to force a smile for just so it could be filmed in front of a camera. Of course it wasn’t like this when Seungkwan was here, because Hansol never had to act when Seungkwan was with him.

After what seemed like forever, practice concluded and Hansol didn’t even bother to go to the locker rooms to change, instead deciding to grab his backpack and head straight home to shower. As he was heading out the door, he spotted someone familiar lingering around the school courtyards- Jun. Hansol hesitated, rooted to the spot for a moment, before deciding to call out to him.

“Jun!”

Jun looked up from his phone at the sound of his voice, giving him a friendly smile and waving him over when he spotted him. Hansol trudged over to him, suddenly wishing very much that he had decided to change before heading home.

“Hansol! I didn’t think I’d see you again this soon.”

Hansol gave a noncommittal shrug. “I just got out of volleyball practice.” He glanced at Jun, noticing his backpack slung over his shoulder and school uniform still very much present. “Why’re you still out here?”

Jun gave a heavy sigh, adjusting his grip on his backpack strap. “My ride’s not here yet. They got into some problem with the chauffeur system, so I’m just stranded here for now.”

Hansol raised an eyebrow. “Chauffeur system?”

“Ah, yeah,” Jun said abashedly, letting his head hang down with a laugh. “My agency has a pretty strict policy for their actors’ transportation system.”

Hansol’s eyes widened, mouth falling open a bit. “You’re an actor?”

Jun looked at him a little peculiarly, momentarily lost for words as if he had never had to respond to that question before. Then, slowly, he grinned. “Hey Hansol, are you free right now?”

*****

For some strange reason, Jun had decided to take a strong liking to Hansol. He’d even waited for Hansol to go back to the locker rooms and change, insisting that he go out to get a meal with him that afternoon. And that’s how Hansol found himself seated across from Jun in a Chinese restaurant, looking down at an expansive list of dishes.

“Oh… these are pretty expensive,” Hansol muttered under his breath as he browsed through the options.

“Don’t worry, it’s on me.”

Hansol’s head snapped up from the menu. “Are you sure?”

Jun nodded, confident. “Of course. I’m the one who invited you out.”

“Thank you, then.”

“Besides, I’ve been craving Chinese food since I got to Korea. You’re just giving me company.”

Hansol nodded thankfully, deciding to just happily take any meal that a broke sophomore could get. The waiter soon came to take their order, with Jun proceeding to talk to the waiter in fluent Chinese while Hansol stumbled over his words just reading off the menu.

“Oh my god, that was so bad,” Hansol said, a bit embarrassed. Jun only smiled, propping his chin on the backs of his hands.

“I’ve heard worse.”

Hansol didn’t know if he should be comforted or offended by that, so he just decided to sip at one of the hot mugs of water the waiter had left with them instead.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, Hansol, but where are you from? You don’t look fully Korean.”

Hansol let out a breath, used to being asked this. “Yeah. I’m half American, on my mom’s side. I was born in New York.”

“Ah, you must speak great English! We’re both bilingual, then.”

Hansol nodded, putting down his cup. “Your Korean is great.”

“Thanks,” Jun said happily. “Hopefully it gets even better after this exchange program.”

“So if you’re an actor, how’d you get time off to come here?” Hansol asked, curious.

Jun gave him a smug look, evidently finding the question rather amusing. “Oh, I really had to campaign the idea to my managers to actually make it happen,” he said. “But it’s my last year in high school- I’ve traveled for filming purposes, but I’ve never actually gotten to go on a trip with people my age. I had to do something before I graduated.”

“Sounds tiring,” Hansol said. “Balancing your acting gigs with your school life.”

“It is,” Jun admitted. “But I love it, and my fans are so great- well, most of the time. I’m just grateful for all the success I’ve gotten, and all the people it let me meet.”

Hansol looked into his mug of water contemplatively, watching his own reflection on its surface. “I guess I’m just curious. I’ve done my fair share of acting when I was a kid, but I could never get into it.”

“Ooh, child acting, huh?” Jun said, sounding sympathetic. “That’s a whole other realm- even I personally wouldn’t do it. The industry’s hard enough on adults.”

Hansol shrugged. “I mean, I don’t really feel like I can complain. It wasn’t horrible. It helped my family with the bills. I’m sure lots of kids would’ve loved to do something fun like that.”

“Doesn’t sound like you loved it though,” Jun pointed out.

“Well-”

At that moment, the waiter came back carrying a tray of steaming food, immediately catching Hansol’s attention and making him forget about whatever he was going to say. Hansol watched, invested as the waiter put down a bowl of lo mein in front of him and a bowl of congee and some sort of fried dough dish in front of Jun.

“ Ah ,” Jun said, eyes bright as he took in the smell of the fresh food. “ Youtiao , how I’ve missed you.”

Both of them dug into their food, eating happily and sampling each other’s dishes as Jun explained what each one was and how to pronounce it.

“What was this called? You… tiao?” Hansol asked hesitantly, bringing his chopsticks to pick up a piece of the fried dough.

“Yes,” Jun replied, a wistful look in his eye. “I’d always go out with my aunt as soon as the sun rose to buy them fresh from the street markets when I was a kid. Nothing quite compares.”

Hansol watched Jun happily eat the dishes, wondering if he’d ever experienced that kind of nostalgia for anything back in America. Of course he liked going there, namely to see his mother and sister, but Hansol couldn’t think of a single memory he would particularly reminisce on. Between moving from America to Korea all the time and having to constantly readjust, he just felt rather… well… detached. 

“This is good,” Hansol noted, munching on his youtiao. “I definitely want to get this again.”

“I’m glad,” Jun replied, a proud look on his face.

“How do you manage it? Living as an actor, having your face plastered all over the place, having to do shoots you don’t want to do?” Hansol asked, now wanting to pick Jun’s brain some more.

Jun hummed, poking at the last bits of his congee as he thought. “Well, it's not like I love every part of it either. You just have to have a passion for the job itself, and have important people around to ground you. Then that’s enough to overcome everything else.” He paused, swallowing another bite before looking like he had just remembered something. “Oh, and know how the industry works, in and out. That’ll prevent you from becoming a pawn.”

Hansol looked down into his now empty bowl, thinking of how everything might’ve been different if he had had more autonomy to choose the things he liked to do as a kid growing up. It was hard to even fathom, and Hansol supposed it was useless to ponder about anyways so he just downed the rest of his drink and wiped his mouth with the fancily folded napkin on the table instead.

“Thanks for the meal,” Hansol said, glad he found someone else he could marginally relate to. “We should do this again.”

Jun put his black card into the check binder, and handed it to the waiter before turning back to Hansol with a smile. “You have my number.”

*****

It was the day of the 3-day Jeju trip, and Hansol found himself lugging a duffel bag over his shoulder as he made his way up the steps to Seungkwan’s house at 7 am. He had convinced his dad to give him a ride there (despite the slight grumbling he’d elicited from him for waking up at 7am), as his bag proved to be too heavy to simply carry all the way to Seungkwan’s place.

“Have fun, Hansol. Travel safely,” his father said, placing a hand on his arm.

“Thanks dad, I will,” Hansol replied easily, used to having to say it to him.

His father waved to him as he drove away, leaving Hansol alone at Seungkwan’s doorstep to ring the bell. He’d made an effort to come a few minutes late- 7:05, to be exact, in case neither Joshua or Seokmin had arrived yet. He had a feeling Seungkwan still wouldn’t be comfortable sitting in the same space with him, alone.

A couple minutes after Hansol rang the doorbell, Seungkwan’s mother answered the door with a warm smile. “Ah, Hansol! Come in,” she said, opening the door for him. He thanked her and picked up his duffel bag to bring it inside.

Thankfully, as soon as Hansol stepped in he spotted Joshua waiting on the living room couch, scrolling through his phone. However, Seungkwan was still nowhere in sight. He’s probably doing some last minute packing, Hansol thought.

“SEUNGKWAN!” His mother yelled, directing it upstairs towards his bedroom. “Are you still packing? Hansol’s here!” She turned back to Hansol, giving him a polite smile- a stark contrast to her yelling. “How are you Hansol? Do you want anything to drink? Maybe a cup of coffee?”

“No, it's okay,” Hansol said with a small wave. “We’re leaving soon for the airport, anyways.”

Joshua looked up from his phone, having heard the commotion, and noticed Hansol near the entrance. “Hey man!” He greeted in English.

“Hey,” Hansol replied, making his way towards him. He plopped his bag onto the ground in front of him before taking a seat on the couch next to Joshua.

“So… I have to ask. Did you talk to Seungkwan?”

Hansol grimaced. “Um, not really. It’s complicated.”

Joshua let out a long sigh, as if that was a premonition for the rest of the trip. 

A few minutes later, Seokmin arrived at the door, impressively only 15 minutes late. Joshua and Hansol got up to greet him. 

“Hey guys,” Seokmin greeted sheepishly. “I’m late, aren’t I? Seungkwan’s gonna absolutely demolish me.”

“Sure, if he could get out of his room,” Seungkwan’s mother said. 

“ Yes,” Seokmin said under his breath, pumping his fist. “He’s not ready yet either!”

At that moment, they heard a tumultuous thudding coming down the stairs- it was Seungkwan, sporting three different bags and a pair of boots in his hand. 

“Seungkwan, all your friends got here before you were ready!” His mother scolded.

“I know, I know- I swear, I was packed but I just couldn’t find my hiking boots! They were behind all my volleyball and basketball stuff in the closet,” Seungkwan complained.

“Well now that you’re down, let’s head out. We’ve got a flight to catch.”

The five of them and Seungkwan’s father, who had agreed to drop them off at the airport, piled into the Boo family van. 

“So what’re you kids gonna be up to in Jeju?” Seungkwan’s father asked from the front seat.

Since Seungkwan’s mother was sitting in the passenger’s seat, Hansol, Joshua, Seokmin, and Seungkwan had shoved into the back row- in that order. The row behind them had been filled to the brim with luggage and miscellaneous items they had never taken out of the trunk.

“Why don’t you ask grandma?” Seungkwan said with a pout. “She apparently already planned everything out.”

His father laughed heartily. “Sounds like her, alright. Don’t worry, there'll be time left over- she tires out easily.”

“Seungkwan, can we go orange picking?” Seokmin said excitedly. “I’ve gotta see what all the hype is about.” 

“That was already on my bucket list,” Seungkwan replied proudly. “I have to uphold the reputation of Jeju oranges.”

Eventually, they arrived at the airport and Seungkwan hugged his father goodbye before they lugged their belongings to the bag-check area. Seungkwan and his mother weighed their bags, being the only ones with checked luggage.

“I’m sorry sir, your bag’s over the weight limit. You’re going to have to take something out,” one of the flight attendants said. Hansol watched Seungkwan groan in annoyance, and he dragged his bag off the platform and laid it on the floor to open it up. Hansol approached him.

“Hey, my bag still has a lot of space, if you wanna put anything in,” he offered.

“Oh… are you sure?” Seungkwan said, hesitant.

“Yeah, of course.”

After the next few minutes of Seungkwan haphazardly shoving some of his stuff into Hansol’s carry-on bag, their bags were soon all checked in and they were making their way through security and then to the flight terminal. Hansol spotted a coffee shop on their way in, eyeing it in interest as they found a row of seats to put their bags down in. 

He excused himself to use the bathroom, but instead went back the way they’d come from to eye the menu of the coffee shop. His eyes skimmed down the menu- sure enough, he spotted Iced Americanos on the menu and went up to the register to order one.

“All right, will that be all for you?” The barista asked cheerfully.

Hansol thought for a moment, eyes flicking up to the menu again. “Also, a small mocha.”

“Will that be iced or hot?”

“Iced.”

Hansol paid for the drinks, and went off to the side while he waited for them to be ready. He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets- they were freezing, actually. It was still a chilly autumn morning, seeing how it was still 8 AM, but for some reason Hansol wanted the comfort an iced mocha always brought him. It just reminded him of, well, being happy.

Soon the drinks were ready and Hansol grabbed them, and made his way back towards where the rest of the group was sitting. 

“Oh, Hansol, you got coffee?” Joshua said as he approached them, noticing the drinks in his hand. 

“Yeah, there was a cafe on the way back,” Hansol replied, sitting down between him and Seungkwan. 

“Hm, maybe I’ll get one too, seeing as we still have half an hour before departure,” Joshua muttered before leaving to get a cup for himself. Hansol turned to his left, to face Seungkwan.

“Got you an Americano.” He held his arm with the Iced Americano out to Seungkwan’s face.

Seungkwan blinked at it, somewhat stunned. Then slowly, he reached to take it, eyes glittering and mouth stretching into a small smile.

“You know me way too well,” he said with a tired sigh. Seungkwan sipped at the Americano, straight-faced, before his expression morphed into one of slight suspicion. “Why’d you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Get me coffee?”

“...Because you like coffee?”

The corners of Seungkwan's eyes drooped, as if he had just tasted something bittersweet. He looked down at his hands, slightly shaking the ice around the cup as he thought. Hansol couldn’t even begin to imagine what was going on in his head.

An announcement suddenly came on, saying that their flight to Jeju was now boarding and that the gates had opened. The five of them collected all their belongings before making their way down the connecting ramp and into the plane.

The plane was laid out with two seats on either side and four in the middle, and they unluckily had gotten 4 in the middle row and one on the side. Seungkwan’s mother immediately offered to sit on the side row, so that Seungkwan could sit with all his friends.

“Where do you want to sit, Shua?” Seungkwan asked, shoving his bags overhead.

Joshua shrugged. “I’m good anywhere. Do you want the aisle seat?”

“Yeah, that’d be great,” Seungkwan replied gratefully. His gaze landed on Hansol, before it immediately drifted away to look at Seokmin. “Seokmin, wanna sit together? I wanted to show you something we could use for the next drama meeting.”

“Oh, ok,” Seokmin said easily, taking his seat next to Seungkwan, who was now seated in the rightmost aisle seat. Joshua turned to Hansol.

“I can sit next to Seokmin, if you’re okay with that?” He offered.

Hansol nodded. “Sure.”

And that’s how Hansol found himself sitting in the farthest seat possible from Seungkwan, with Joshua and Seokmin sandwiched in between them. 

The plane took off, and soon the flight attendants came around to hand everyone out drinks. Hansol and Seungkwan still had their coffees, so they waved the offer off, but Seokmin got an orange juice and Joshua an apple juice. Soon the plane was well into its journey, and Hansol would’ve taken out his headphones to put on and pass out if the flight wasn’t less than 2 hours. He’d probably spend more time getting it out and falling asleep and then making himself sentient again than actually sleeping. Instead, he turned to Joshua to make conversation with him.

“So… how are your parents back in LA?” He said in English.

“They’re good, thanks for asking. But your relationship with Seungkwan sure isn’t.”

Hansol frowned, his attempt to escape that topic of conversation immediately being thwarted. “He invited me to Jeju, didn’t he?”

Joshua gave him an unimpressed look. “Seungcheol told me he had to force him to do that.”

Hansol went silent, turning back to stare at his hands which were resting on his legs. So things were still as bad as before, it seemed.

“He’s crazy,” Hansol muttered under his breath. “Did I say anything that wasn’t true?”

“Now that’s something you should be asking him, not me,” Joshua quipped back, immediately turning to his right to get Seokmin’s attention. Hansol accidentally met eyes with Seungkwan as Joshua moved out of his way. He had a strange expression, as if Hansol was purposefully keeping something from him. Seungkwan immediately averted his gaze.

Hansol’s brow furrowed, frustrated. Had he done something wrong? He’d tried his best to be more caring than usual this morning. He’d even tried to ask Seungkwan how he was feeling during the volleyball game.  His mind was beginning to hurt even thinking about it, so Hansol just tore his gaze away and crossed his arms, staring off into the wall.

Seungkwan was similarly trying to gain the attention of Seokmin in an attempt to make conversation, much to the disdain of Joshua. Seokmin looked puzzled and a bit overwhelmed at suddenly being the center of their attention, trying to balance the two completely different conversations he was having simultaneously. 

After another twenty minutes, Seokmin had emptied his orange juice cup and was tapping Seungkwan on the shoulder to get his attention. 

“Seungkwan, could I get out? I gotta use the bathroom.”

Seungkwan quickly obliged and stood up from his seat, letting Seokmin out of the row. Before he could sit down again, however, Joshua stood up from his seat as well.

“Ah, I gotta go too. That apple juice really went through me quick.”

Joshua didn’t wait for Seungkwan to respond, instead making his way down the aisle and going out the same way as Seokmin, effectively leaving Seungkwan and Hansol alone. Seungkwan avoided looking at him, and awkwardly took his seat again.

Hansol wrung his hands in his lap, trying to keep himself from stealing glances at Seungkwan. He really needed to get his mind off of him.

“How was practice last week?” Seungkwan suddenly asked him.

Hansol flinched, neck twisting to look at Seungkwan with a bit of disbelief. Seungkwan had a mostly neutral expression, though he could tell it was soured with something else. “Fine. You’d know if you actually came, though.”

“Oh, but I thought I was overdoing it,” Seungkwan snapped back bitterly.

Hansol frowned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

“Do I, Hansol? Do I ever know what you mean? Or what you want?”

“Yes??” Hansol exclaimed, wildly confused now. “I’m not trying to hide anything from you!”

Seungkwan only scoffed, crossing his arms as he crossed a leg over his knee. “Okay. Yet you've been lying to me all year.”

“When did I lie to you?” Hansol replied, hands gripping his armrests tighter.

Seungkwan glared at him, looking genuinely annoyed now. “Are you playing dumb on purpose? Or are you that dense?”

"What is your problem with me?"

“Hello, would either of you like some-”

“Yeah, sure,” Seungkwan said, cutting off the flight attendant who was handing out snacks. He didn’t take his glare off Hansol as he accepted 2 packets from her and threw it onto the table between them. Hansol absentmindedly grabbed one of the snacks. “Thank you,” Seungkwan said as he briefly looked at the flight attendant before immediately circling back to Hansol. “And another thing!”

“What?!”

“You… you…” Seungkwan started, voice strained as he forced out the words, before just grabbing his head and groaning in frustration. He slowly brought his head back up, shoulders tense. “I can’t deal with you right now.” Seungkwan shifted his attention to the snack in his hands, about to open it, before his eyes widened comically in alarm. “STOP!” He yelled, leaning over to harshly smack the bag out of Hansol’s hands before Hansol’s mind could even process what was happening.

“What the hell?!” 

Seungkwan sulked back into his seat, seeming embarrassed he had caused a scene. He pointedly stared into the seat in front of him. “Peanuts,” was all he said, pointing to the snack bag which now lay on the floor.

Hansol leaned down to pick up the packet. His eyes widened. It was indeed a bag of peanuts- something which he was deathly allergic to. The two of them went silent, with Hansol’s mind reeling over what had just happened. Before Hansol could think of anything to say in return to Seungkwan for quite literally saving his life, however, Seokmin and Joshua returned from the toilets. 

The four of them just stared at each other, eyes flicking to the smashed bag of peanuts on the table and floor, wondering if they should address any of the commotion which had just occurred. Finally, Seokmin broke the silence.

“Aw man, did we miss the snacks?”

*****

After the plane had landed, Seungkwan’s mother called a taxi to take them to the Boo family residence, which was a short fifteen minute drive away. Jeju island was gorgeous- it had lush, vibrant greenery and deep cerulean waters which Hansol could immediately spot from the airport windows. Hansol opened his bag and dug out a manual camera which he had found last night in the back of his dad’s closet, hanging the strap around his neck and raising the lens to take a picture.

The sound of the camera shutter caught everyone’s attention, and Joshua came over to observe what he was doing. 

“Oh, you brought a camera!” Joshua noted in excitement.

“Yeah, it’s my dad’s. It’s kinda vintage, but still seems to be working fine.”

“Sweet, we can put it to good use.”

“Do you want me to take a pic of you guys?” Hansol offered.

“Yeah, that’d be great!” Joshua replied. He turned to the rest of the group, gesturing them over. “Hey everyone! Hansol has a camera, let’s take a picture!”

Seokmin, Seungkwan, and Mrs. Boo came over and stood against the backdrop of the window along with Joshua, who made a cute peace sign next to his cheek. Hansol focused the camera lens and looked through the viewfinder, and snapped a picture of them.

He removed the camera from his face, looking down at it to check how much film was left. “Cool. I still have half the roll left, so we should have plenty for the trip.”

“Can we see it? Or is it one of those cameras you have to get developed?” Seokmin asked.

“It uses film, so I’ll have to take it to a studio to get developed after the trip,” Hansol explained. 

“I can’t wait to see how they turn out, I bet they’ll be so cute!” Mrs. Boo said in excitement.

They made their way down stairs to the arrivals bay to meet their taxi, and crammed all their bags into the trunk before filing into the backseat of the car in the same order of people again. A quick fifteen minutes later, they were driving up the path of a stone road and approaching a cozy-looking double story house. The building was surrounded by leafy green trees, some of them containing a few bundles of oranges here and there. Mrs. Boo paid the taxi driver while the rest of them took out their bags. The door to the house slammed open just as the car was making its way out of the driveway. 

“Ah, there are my favorite grandsons!” An elderly woman who Hansol recognized as Seungkwan’s grandma strolled out, wearing a light pink dress and purple shoal over her graying hair, as well as a pair of the most cartoonishly cutesy slippers Hansol had ever seen. She approached them and wrapped Seungkwan into her arms, who immediately melted into her embrace.

“You mean your only grandson,” Seungkwan pointed out. “I don’t have any brothers.”

“Ah, yes. If you say so dear.”

She then turned to Hansol to immediately hug him with a crushing strength quite impressive for a 70 year old. “Hansol, it’s good to see you again! How long has it been? It must’ve been almost half a year since the last summer I visited.”

Hansol nodded against her shoulder. “Yes, I think you’re right,” he replied, words coming out muffled against her clothes.

After a few more minutes, she finally released Hansol from her grasp and took a step back to greet everyone else. 

“Grandma, this is my friend Joshua. And you remember Seokmin, right?” Seungkwan said, gesturing to Joshua and Seokmin.

“Ah, yes, I do recall seeing Seokmin loitering around at some point last visit,” she replied smugly, proud she had recognized him. Seokmin gave her a cheerful smile in return. “And Joshua, it’s so nice to meet you. I assure you you’ll be missing Jeju by the time you leave.”

“I look forward to it,” Joshua said cheerfully. 

They all made their way inside to put their bags down, dumping the bags onto the couch while they decided on room distributions. Hansol looked around the living room- it was furnished with lovely, homemade tapestries and bookshelves filled to the brim with miscellaneous items collected over the years. It looked inviting and lived in, which Hansol took a liking to immediately.

“So, boys. We have two guest rooms with two beds each, so you can decide amongst yourselves where you’re sleeping,” Mrs. Boo explained. “The rooms are at the end of the corridor on the second floor, so you can take your bags and settle in once you’re ready.”

Joshua immediately turned to Seokmin with a speed which was mildly jarring, judging from how hard he had to twist his neck to look at him. “Hey Seokmin, wanna room together? We can leave the sophomores to themselves.”

Seungkwan’s eyes immediately bulged out of their sockets, and he looked to Seokmin pleadingly, like a dog begging its owner not to leave it alone.

“Um… that’s fine with me! Sorry Seungkwan, Joshua asked me first,” Seokmin said with a small, slightly apologetic laugh.

“Guess we’re together,” Hansol said to Seungkwan, shrugging his duffel bag over his shoulder. Seungkwan just looked back at him wordlessly, expression unreadable.

With the rooms decided, the four of them grabbed their belongings and made their way up the stairs, the wood panels creaking under their feet as they went up. Joshua and Seokmin decided to take the room on the far left, leaving Hansol and Seungkwan to take the one on the right.

Hansol could hear Joshua and Seokmin chatting excitedly in the background, gasping as they went on about the beautiful view from the room. Hansol went into his own room to check it out, and was met with a similar sentiment when he stepped in front of a set of wide, glass doors which opened up to a small balcony outside. The doors had been left slightly open, leaving a pleasant breeze to float around the room and softly blow at the sea-green curtains lining the windows. Hansol put his bag on the twin bed on the far side of the wall, before making his way to the balcony and pushing open the doors wider to step outside.

It was slightly chilly outside, but Hansol was wearing a bomber jacket so he barely felt it. He pulled his beanie off his head, letting the air thread through his hair satisfyingly. He took in the scenery around him- there were rolling hills and trees surrounding the landscape, and a glimmering body of water was within walking distance of the house. If he squinted, Hansol could just make out little dots of oranges scattered within the leaves. Realizing the camera was still hanging around his neck, Hansol brought it up to his eye to capture the moment in a picture.

Hansol heard some shuffling from behind him- Seungkwan had plopped onto the other bed, arm thrown across his eyes and bag abandoned next to the nightstand. Hansol decided to let him be, instead deciding to take a seat on the balcony and enjoy the view for a little while longer. He folded his hands across his stomach and watched a few migrating birds fly by, watched the slow-drifting clouds move across the sky, watched the leaves blow in the soft wind. It all made him feel rather drowsy, Hansol realized as he let his limbs go slack. Before he knew it, he had passed out on the balcony chair of Seungkwan’s family house in Jeju.

Chapter Text

Seungkwan stared at the ceiling of his old Jeju house, the wall familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. He hadn’t heard any noise from the balcony for a while, so he looked over to see if Hansol was still there. Sure enough, he spotted his form on the balcony chair, though it wasn’t moving an inch. A sudden wave of panic overtook him as he thought back to the events of today. Had Hansol contracted something from the peanuts on the airplane? He’d prevented him from eating them, but could even just smelling or touching them have a delayed effect on his body? Seungkwan knew he was probably being paranoid, but he got off the bed onto his feet nonetheless to quietly creep up to the balcony doors. 

As he approached, he noticed the shallow, but unmistakable steady rhythm of Hansol’s chest rising and falling. He let out a breath. That fool had just fallen asleep again.

His hands were laid almost geometrically across his stomach, with the rest of his body still in a perfect sitting position. Seungkwan just watched him sleep for a while, bewildered that he could pass out so easily in any given environment. Hansol had let his hair loose, and it fell messily across his face in loose, dark waves as it moved gently in the wind. His lips were slightly parted, its cupid’s bow prominent from this angle. Seungkwan’s breath caught from the sight. 

It was also just making him feel more conflicted, however, so Seungkwan forcibly tore himself away and instead made his way downstairs to see what everyone else was up to. However, it seemed that Joshua and Seokmin were both still just in their rooms, because Seungkwan came down to find his grandma and mother sitting at the table with a pot of tea, talking amongst themselves and catching up on everything that had happened since the last time they met. Seungkwan’s steps slowed as he neared the base of the stairs, causing his mom to turn around and notice his presence.

“Seungkwan, sit down,” his mom said invitingly, pulling out a chair for him. His grandmother immediately procured a drink from seemingly thin air- it was an orange flavored yogurt drink he’d been obsessed with growing up. 

“Drink this,” she instructed him, not even giving him a chance to refuse it. He took the drink thankfully and held it between his hands as he sat down and propped his elbows on the table. He hadn’t even finished taking the first sip before he nearly choked on it from what his grandmother said next.

“So, what’s going on between you and Hansol?”

Seungkwan wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand, poorly trying to hide his reaction. He looked back at his grandma unhappily, but she only stared back at him, unaffected by any length of silence he tried to instigate.

“There’s nothing going on.”

“ Hah! ” She laughed, looking to his mother. “My dear, you’ve raised such a humorous young man!”

His mother only smiled sheepishly, unsure whether to take that as a compliment or not. 

Seungkwan let out a deep sigh, not really wanting to talk about this more than he’d already lamented over it in his head. But, he might as well get it over with, considering he knew for a fact that his grandma would not leave him alone for the rest of the trip until he gave her something to work with.

“We had a… fight.”

“Ooh, do tell.”

Seungkwan felt his eyebrow twitch, unfortunately all too familiar with who he got his nosiness from. “Hansol lied to me about liking volleyball. And I don’t know what’s real about him anymore. I don’t know what to believe.”

His grandmother and mother exchanged a look, as if they were silently talking to each other. It only made Seungkwan feel more frustrated. Was no one ever going to tell him anything that was going on?

“Have you talked to him about it?” His mother asked.

“Why bother? It ends in disaster every time.”

“I’m sure Hansol didn’t mean any harm,” his grandmother added.

Seungkwan sighed, running a ragged hand through his bangs. “No, I know that . I guess I can’t help but be disappointed. I thought he was just as passionate as me, that he understood that passion. I completely misjudged him.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t put things aside and get to know him better,” she replied.

“But it's driving me insane that he doesn’t even care! He’s acting completely normal, while I’m over here grieving our problems. He doesn’t care about volleyball, he doesn’t care about our fight, he doesn’t care about anything! It makes me not even want to bother.”

“But is a fight really worth all this?” His mother asked, trying to sound sympathetic. “You two were so close ever since you met.”

Seungkwan slammed his drink on the table. “You know it is. Volleyball is everything to me.”

“Like basketball was everything too, right?” His grandmother shot back flatly.

Seungkwan stood up abruptly, done with the conversation. He could hear his mother quietly scold his grandmother behind him as he walked out of the room. Seungkwan felt a bit bad for leaving like that, but he couldn’t help it- the day had left him in an exceptionally bad mood. He pushed open the front doors, stepping outside to take in a fresh breath of air.

Memories of his time on the basketball team came flooding back to him- memories he had tried so hard to forget. And with those memories came thoughts of Hansol- Hansol, who had tried so hard to get him out of the team, Hansol, who had been so patient with him, Hansol, who had been with him through it all. Seungkwan shook his head, trying to take deep breaths as he kicked at the rocks around him. He wouldn’t let himself start crying over this again.

There was something special about Jeju air, he decided, because he could immediately feel his nerves starting to dissipate after a few minutes. He aimlessly walked around the familiar trails in his hometown, just letting himself cool down as he appreciated the scenery. Eventually, when the sun was beginning to beat down harder on him from above, Seungkwan got a call from his mother. He picked it up, putting the phone to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Seungkwan, we’re going to have lunch with everyone soon. Come back to the house.”

Seungkwan looked at the time- it was nearly 1 in the afternoon; he hadn’t realized how long he had just been walking around. Hopefully Joshua and Seokmin hadn’t wanted to do anything with him in the meantime.

“Okay, I'll be right there.” Seungkwan hung up and pocketed his phone.

*****

Seungkwan arrived back home to find his mother setting up a picnic table in the front lawn, with Seokmin helping her spread a gingham-patterned tablecloth over it. She spotted him as he approached, quickly gesturing him over with a wave of her hand.

“Seungkwan-ah, can you go get some plates from the kitchen?” She asked him as she unfolded a chair.

“Okay,” Seungkwan agreed, numbly making his way up the stairs to the house and towards the kitchen. As he entered the room, he spotted a familiar head of dark brown hair opening the top cabinets. Oh, great. Just what he needed.

“I see you’ve woken up,” Seungkwan grumbled as he opened up the cabinet next to Hansol. He frowned when he didn’t find any plates there. Hansol didn’t reply to him. Well, fine by him.

Seungkwan opened the cabinet above that, and the one to the right of that- none of them had plates. Finally, he looked to the left one, which Hansol had opened and was still standing in front of. Of course, because the universe hated him, that was the only cabinet with plates in them.

“Hey, can you move? I need to get those plates,” Seungkwan told him.

“No.”

“Excuse me?” Seungkwan said, immediately irked.

“I’m getting the water glasses from the top shelf right now,” Hansol said, pointing to them. “Wait until I’m done.”

“How long can that possibly take?” Seungkwan shot back in irritation.

“I’m wiping all of them down,” Hansol said, without a hint of concern on his face. Sure enough, he was holding a damp towel with which he was currently wiping down the glasses with. So far, he had done 2, and judging from how many were still in the cabinet, he still had to do… 13. Seungkwan glared at him.

“Are you trying to piss me off on purpose?”

“No? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Normally, Seungkwan would’ve actually believed him when he said that, but he could tell from the slight notch in his brow that this was not a usual occurrence. Hansol was annoyed.

Which just annoyed Seungkwan even more that he was annoyed. 

Letting his indignation overtake him, Seungkwan stepped forward and pushed Hansol out of the way to reach for the plates. Hansol stumbled against him.

“Hey!” Hansol complained, glass still in hand.

“Are you really trying to walk over me in my own house?” Seungkwan sneered.

“Are you really going to be this bad of a host in your own house?” Hansol replied with a tilt of his head.

“ You -” Seungkwan growled in irritation, shoving Hansol back harder.

It was a bit harder than he had intended to push, because before he knew it both of them had tumbled backwards onto the tile floor, with Hansol hitting the ground first and Seungkwan collapsing on top of him. In the background of the commotion, Seungkwan heard the high-pitched sound of something shattering.

Seungkwan pushed himself off Hansol’s chest with a groan, and suddenly he couldn’t breathe, because Hansol’s face was way too close to his own for his sanity. He stared into Hansol’s light brown, slightly hazel eyes, momentarily frozen in place. Hansol was staring back.

“I heard a crash, is everything al-” the voice cut off. Seungkwan whipped his head around to find Joshua, standing in the entrance of the kitchen, having gone completely silent. Before Seungkwan could even say anything, Joshua turned on his heel and silently backed away, out of the room, out of the hall, and probably out of the house as well.

Seungkwan flinched, jumping away from Hansol’s body when he realized what position he was in. He landed clumsily on the floor behind him, rubbing his back from the impact. It wasn’t until he had peeled himself away that he noticed something horribly red tinging the broken glass on the floor. His face paled. Though he didn’t want to, his eyes slowly trailed up to Hansol’s hand.

There was an ugly, red, cut on his palm, which was currently dripping blood onto his shirt sleeve. The color stood out frightfully against the white fabric. Seungkwan’s mouth went dry. Hansol pushed himself up to lean against the counter. He turned to observe his injured hand with a rather passive expression, seeming more fascinated than anything.

“I-I…” Seungkwan said, mouth opening and closing stupidly as he tried to think of what to say. Hansol just raised a hand towards him, signaling him to stop talking.

“Don’t.” 

Hansol slowly pushed himself off the floor, slightly wincing as he did so. He looked around, taking in the remnants of the broken glass scattered across the floor and the small drops of blood amongst them. “Could you… clean this up. Thanks.”

Without another word, Hansol clutched his left hand and hurried upstairs, leaving Seungkwan in a stupor on the kitchen floor. 

*****

When Hansol arrived at the picnic table for lunch, he had a thick bandage wrapped around his left palm. Seungkwan averted his gaze guiltily as he sat down a few seats across from him. 

“Hansol! What happened to your hand?” His mother asked, worry written all over her features.

Hansol could’ve been looking right at Seungkwan as he replied, but Seungkwan wouldn’t know, because he was still staring very pointedly at the fruit bowl to his right.

“I cut myself when I was helping chop lemons for the lemonade. It's just a small scratch.”

“Are you sure?” His mom asked again. Each new word he heard made Seungkwan wither away more inside. As soon as Hansol had left to go upstairs, Seungkwan had hastily cleaned up every single shard of glass and blood from the floor until there was no trace of the incident left. He supposed his grandma may eventually notice the disappearance of one glass from her cabinet, but that was a problem for later, he decided.

“Yes, please don’t worry,” Hansol reassured her.

His mother decided to let it go after that, and the rest of them dissolved into normal conversation as they ate the delicious food that his grandmother had prepared. As Seungkwan chewed on a piece of corn, his eyes drifted over to meet Joshua’s. He gave him a knowing look, but didn’t say anything else. Seungkwan gulped.

He was probably acting very obviously out of character by not partaking in the conversation, but Seungkwan couldn’t really be bothered to keep up appearances right now. For once, Seungkwan found himself being jealous of Hansol for having a reputation of being quiet. He grumpily poked at his food as the rest of the table engaged in lively conversation.

“So Seungkwan, when are you planning to take all your friends to the orange orchard?” 

Seungkwan looked up. His grandmother had asked the question, and everyone at the table was now looking at him expectantly. He shriveled under their gazes, for the first time not enjoying the attention. Seungkwan shook off the feeling and instead looked back into his bowl to stab at some meat. “I was planning to do it on our last day- the weather’s going to be a bit warmer then.”

“Sounds good,” Seokmin replied, swallowing a piece of grilled beef. 

“It must be pretty close to here; I’ve already seen some oranges in the trees around your house,” Joshua added.

Seungkwan mustered up a small smile. “If you think those are impressive, wait until you’ve seen the orchards. It’s only about a ten minute drive from here, but we’ll have to walk up the trail for the last five to get to the trees.”

“Ooh, that sounds so nice- like a local, hidden away spot,” Joshua replied.

“Yep. The location of the orchard’s been passed down the Boo family for generations,” his grandmother said with a fond smile. “From myself, to my daughter, and now to Seungkwan. And whenever Seungkwan decides to start a family.”

“ Grandma!” Seungkwan whined, cheeks flushing red. She only laughed heartily in response. Despite his best efforts, Seungkwan couldn’t help but let his eyes linger over to Hansol.

He didn’t seem to have reacted to any of the conversation, and was instead looking contemplatively into his own bowl, which Seungkwan’s grandma kept refilling with new food every time Hansol would empty it. Hansol didn’t complain once, just eating whatever she put in, and Seungkwan could tell that she was practically preening in satisfaction from Hansol’s compliance. It was a stark contrast from Seungkwan, who would have insisted that she stop piling food on his plate because he often had to watch his physique for all the sports he competed in. 

“Okay, let me tell you kids about my plan for tomorrow,” his grandma continued as she brought her hands together after sufficiently piling a mountain full of food into Hansol’s bowl. “We’re going hiking!”

“I heard as much from Hansol,” Joshua replied in amusement. “Did you have a specific site in mind?”

“Oh yes,” she replied proudly. “There’s an absolutely gorgeous view on the mountain overlooking the water- but we’re gonna have to work to get to it. So make sure you get plenty of rest tonight.”

“Mom, are you sure you can still climb that high of an elevation?” His mom asked, placing a hand on her mother’s shoulder. She scoffed.

“You insult me, dear. I’m quite fit for my age, you know.”

“ Okay , just checking,” his mother said with a roll of her eyes before returning to her food.

“Besides, it’s my job to introduce all the essential Jeju spots to Seungkwan here- I haven’t taken him to this particular overlook yet.”

“Why not?” Seungkwan asked in confusion.

She grinned deviously in response. “Let’s just say… I was waiting for the right time.”

*****

“...Does it still hurt?”

Hansol looked back at him blankly. “What?”

“Your hand,” Seungkwan forced out with some effort.

They were in the bedroom again, getting ready for bed after their long day. The sun was setting against the sky, bathing the room in a warm, golden hue. Hansol paused what he was digging for in his bag and turned to face Seungkwan. His brows were knitted together, looking more distressed than Seungkwan had ever seen in a while. He looked away, bringing his uninjured hand up to rub at his forearm. “Why’re you asking?”

“What, can I not ask my friend about his injury?”

Hansol’s head snapped back to him, hurt flashing across his eyes. Seungkwan almost fell back upon seeing his expression. “Are we really?”

“What?”

“Are we really still friends?” Hansol said, voice hoarse. “You don’t act like it.”

Seungkwan flinched, alarm rising throughout his body. A small part inside him had yearned to see Hansol like this, seemingly affected by Seungkwan for once instead of Hansol having that effect on him. However, the larger part of him was scared to say anything, for fear that everything might fall apart more than it already had given the smallest push.

“Please, Seungkwan. Just tell me. I can’t understand these mixed signals you’re giving me,” Hansol said tiredly.

Seungkwan stiffened. Mixed signals? He was one to talk. Seungkwan felt annoyance stir up within himself all over again. He was the one who joined volleyball and then said he didn’t like the sport, the one who got so upset over how much he was practicing and then complained when he wasn’t there, the one who seemed so hurt by Seungkwan but then proceeded to treat him nicer than any friend he’d had before. He looked up at Hansol through the bangs falling over his eyes.

“I don’t want to talk about this right now.”

Hansol just looked back at him, almost as if in disbelief. Then he took a slow step back, dropped his gaze, and nodded. He silently took his items out his bag and left to use the bathroom, letting the door shut behind him.

Seungkwan just continued to stand in place, a strange sensation coursing through his veins. 

After they had both gotten ready for bed, Hansol shut off the lights, and neither of them spoke for the rest of the night.

*****

Hansol had refused to talk to Seungkwan all morning.

The two of them got ready in silence, with only the soft chirping of the morning birds in the background as they zipped on their boots and dressed in thick layers. Seungkwan slept quite terribly last night, unable to stop turning over all the events which had happened that day in his head. He could’ve sworn he heard Hansol shift around in his bed from the other side of the room periodically too, but he sure as hell didn’t turn around to check.

After they had packed the supplies they needed for the hike, they made their way downstairs to meet with Seokmin, Joshua, his mother, and his grandmother. His mother was currently filling some canteens with water and handing them out to everyone, and his grandmother was busy stuffing an entire catalog of snacks into her own bag. Seungkwan raised an eyebrow. “Grandma, do we really need all those? Isn’t it supposed to be only an hour hike?”

“One hour there and another back- you’ll thank me later,” she insisted while continuing to shovel food into her bag.

After they had all finished packing for the trip and his grandmother had grabbed a comically large hiking stick from the closet, they were off on their way towards the mountains. Hansol was very obviously keeping himself a distance away from himself, so Seungkwan sped forward to stick to Seokmin’s side instead. Joshua eyed him strangely as he approached the two of them.

“So, Seokmin! Do you guys know what you’re doing for the next play yet?” Seungkwan asked with probably a little more enthusiasm than sounded natural. Seokmin just raised an eyebrow in amusement at him.

“Um… we literally just finished King Arthur last week, so not yet.”

“Oh. right.”

For some reason, all of Seungkwan’s usual stellar conversation starters just kept falling flat, and no matter what he said, the air between all of them eventually drifted into a standstill, causing Seungkwan to feel more and more frustrated as they went deeper into the forest. It was all so awkward, and Seungkwan wasn’t used to that. He was used to being the moodmaker, and he hated that it wasn’t working right now.

Suddenly, Hansol came up to Shua’s side, apparently deciding to end his antisocial streak. He placed a hand on Shua’s shoulder. “Hey dude, did you see that thing on the news about NFTs?”

Seungkwan scowled, annoyed that Hansol was specifically talking in English again so he couldn’t understand him. Well, two could play that game .

Seungkwan laid a friendly arm across Seokmin’s back, resting his chin onto his shoulder as they walked. “Seokmin, do you remember that time Soonyoung horanghaed at the national dance awards ceremony when he was there representing our school?”

Seokmin couldn’t help the laugh that spilled out of him, and Seungkwan grinned in satisfactory victory. Shua and Hansol both looked exceptionally lost beside them, with Shua’s eyes bulging out of its sockets in confusion. Seungkwan felt a bit bad for leaving him out, but he couldn’t see anything else but the goal right in front of him- to piss off Hansol. However, much to Seungkwan’s displeasure, Hansol had reacted far less obviously to the information than Shua had, leaving Seungkwan to come up with his next curated comment.

“Horanghae? Is that some sort of niche Korean word I don’t know?” Seungkwan heard Shua mutter.

“I’ve never heard of it. I wouldn’t worry about it,” Hansol replied.

Seungkwan had no idea what they were saying, but he made it his goal to alienate Hansol more than he was purposefully doing to him right now. 

“Seokmin, wanna have a high note battle!?”

Seokmin looked at Seungkwan in shock. “Seriously? Now? I thought you’d never agree!”

“Yes, now. Why not? Let’s do it.”

Seokmin was still eyeing him a little suspiciously, but Seungkwan knew his excitement would eventually win him over. He couldn’t stop a smug smile from slipping out when he was proven correct.

“Alright then! Shall we start with a third octave A natural?” Seokmin let out a high A, the sound coming out crystal and perfectly pitched. He turned to Seungkwan expectantly. “Your turn!”

Seungkwan cleared his throat and shook off the remnants of his apprehension before singing a note just one half step higher, the sound coming out rich and full as he added a bit of vibrato to the end. He turned back to Seokmin and smirked. “A sharp.”

Shua was looking at him, rather shell-shocked, and Hansol’s eyes were wide, and well, that was it. Seungkwan frowned. He’d have to sing even higher then.

Seokmin sang the next half note up, B, just as impressively as the first.

Seungkwan sang a B sharp, trying to project his voice even more than before, and widening the vibrato in his throat. Seokmin followed with a C, then Seungkwan with a C sharp, then Seokmin with a D, and then Seungkwan effortlessly with a D sharp. They kept exchanging notes, each a half step up, until they had nearly approached the fifth octave and were probably in danger of combusting anyone’s eardrums who came within a two mile radius of them. Adrenaline coursed through Seungkwan’s veins. He was invigorated .

“ BOYS!” Seungkwan heard his mother holler from ahead of them. “That’s enough, some of us are trying to enjoy the peaceful outdoors right now!”

Seokmin immediately shut up, flustered from being chastised. Seungkwan pouted, disappointed they couldn’t keep going, because he could’ve still sung so much higher.

“Wahhhh, Seungkwan, Soonyoung and Hansol were right- you have an insane voice!” Shua immediately complimented him, face still contorted in awe. “I can’t believe you’re not in the drama department!”

“Thank you, Shua,” Seungkwan told him sweetly, but he wasn’t admittedly wasn’t paying very much attention to Shua right now- his traitorous eyes sought out Hansol’s to see how he had reacted. However, Hansol had instead turned his head away so that Seungkwan couldn’t see anything that might’ve been revealed in his expression. Seungkwan scowled under his breath.

Now that the air had gone quiet, Hansol turned back to Shua and started chatting him up in English again. “Anyways, Josh, did you know that that plant over there is called a Japanese ivy? I read that it’s one of the most common plants in Jeju. Its scientific name is Hedera rhombea and it belongs to the class Dicotyledons.”

“How do you even know that??” Joshua replied, sounding wildly confused.

“I was on an educational botany show when I was kid. That or I filmed in Jeju. Or both.”

Joshua was still just staring at Hansol in bewilderment, so Seungkwan took the opportunity to butt in. 

“Seokmin, what do you think about pizza?”

“OKAYYY, you know what guys?” Shua suddenly exclaimed, interrupting all the individual conversations that were going on. “Why don’t we play a fun little roadside game?”

“But we’re not on the roadside,” Hansol pointed out.

“Doesn’t matter!” Shua said curtly. “It’s the same principle. How bout we play… um… I Spy?”

“What the hell is that?” Seungkwan asked.

Shua turned to him in shock. “What? Is that not a thing in Korea?”

“I think it might be called something different,” Hansol followed up.

“Okay… let’s see…” The edge of Shua’s mouth curled up into a sly, scarily sweet grin. Suddenly, Seungkwan felt a lot less safe than he had been a few minutes ago. “I’ve got it. Let’s play truth or dare.”

Seokmin snorted. “What is this, middle school?”

“Just trust me,” Shua said, insistent. “This is what the cool seniors do.”

Seungkwan raised a brow into the stratosphere at that, but he couldn’t say he didn’t find the idea at least somewhat intriguing. 

“I’ll start,” Shua said. He turned to Seokmin. “Seokmin. Truth or dare?”

“Hmm…” Seokmin thought, bringing a finger to his chin. “I’m not a coward. Dare!”

Shua smirked. “Alright. I dare you to go climb that tree.”

“Okay, I take that back, I am a coward,” Seokmin amended. Shua rolled his eyes, though he was smiling in amusement. 

“Fine, I’ll let you change your mind, since I singled you out first. Let’s see…” Shua wiggled his brows. “What do you look for in a partner?”

“I guess… someone I can have fun with, and understands my type of humor. And someone who’ll give me lots of compliments,” he said, grinning sheepishly. “Oh! And I’ve always wanted to date someone shorter than me too.”

“Interesting…” Shua replied, looking like he was thinking very hard. “Anyways, it’s your turn to pick someone, Seokmin.”

“Oh,” Seokmin replied, realizing he had to choose the next player. “Um… Hansol! Truth or dare?”

Hansol kept staring ahead, hands locked behind his back and looking nonplussed. “Truth.”

“Alright, then. How many people have you dated?”

“One,” Hansol replied, without a moment of hesitation.

Immediately, Shua and Seokmin started clamoring around him while Seungkwan’s eyes bulged out of his skull. Hansol had NEVER told him he had an ex.

“ARE YOU SERIOUS!” Seokmin said, gasping dramatically. “Who was it?”

“Yeah, spill!” Shua said, fanning the flames.

Hansol raised a brow and shifted uncomfortably, as if he didn’t understand why they were getting so worked up over it. “You guys wouldn’t know her.”

Seungkwan’s heart dropped to his stomach, and he felt like he might throw up at that very moment, in the middle of the Jeju forest. Shit, was Hansol straight?? Wait, why did he even care???

“Aw man,” Seokmin replied in disappointment. “I’d still love to hear about your lover girl, though,” he continued, making some gross kissy faces. 

Hansol scrunched his face up in disgust. “Um… I’m honestly not sure I even remember much. It was a while ago.”

Seungkwan scoffed, crossing his arms. Of course he didn’t even remember something as important as a relationship.

“Alright Hansol, it’s your turn,” Shua said.

Hansol looked to Seungkwan, before immediately shifting away to focus back on Shua. “Josh, truth or dare?”

Joshua looked a little annoyed that Hansol had chosen him for some reason, but answered nonetheless. “Dare.”

“Ooh~ exciting,” Seokmin said from beside him.

“I dare you to tell us your favorite restaurant in LA.” 

Shua looked at him, exasperated. “That is not what a dare is!”

“Come on man, make up something juicer!” Seokmin egged him on, now fully playing into the juvenile game despite having scoffed at it only a few minutes ago.

“Alright, alright,” Hansol conceded, falling quiet again to think. “Um… I dare you to punch Seokmin.”

“ Dude, what the fuck?”

“Okay, I’m making the executive decision to skip your turn,” Shua said, now turning to Seungkwan. “Seungkwan, truth or dare?”

Seungkwan ran through the options in his head, thinking of what the worst outcome could be from either. Knowing Shua, he’d probably get him to reveal something exceptionally embarrassing about himself if he chose truth, so he instead picked dare . Despite Seungkwan’s best efforts at self preservation, Shua was grinning evilly once again. His eyes traveled off the path and down a shallow dropoff which opened up to a small, running stream of water.

“Oh yes, Seungkwan-ah… I dare you to go down to that stream and take a sip of the water. And take Hansol with you.”

“Why do I have to do it too? It’s not my turn,” Hansol complained.

“It’s punishment for getting your turn skipped and coming up with the worst dares I’ve ever heard of in my life .”

“Shouldn’t we tell my mom-” 

“Don’t worry, Seokmin will run ahead and tell them to wait.”

“I will?”

“Yes, once they start the dare,” Shua said, sending Seokmin a pointed look. He turned back to Seungkwan. “I’ll wait here for you guys. Now get on it!”

Seungkwan grumbled as he made his way towards the creek, knowing that he had no chance of backing out because Shua would never let him live it down. He heard Hansol follow behind, steps crunching against the leaves, just a few moments later. 

“What sick pleasure do you get out of this?!” Seungkwan hollered to Shua as he approached the dropoff, glancing down at the bottom of the pit precariously. 

“You guys can do it!” Shua cheered happily from behind him, completely ignoring Seungkwan’s disgruntled tone.

Eventually, Seungkwan just decided to go for it, and braced himself before jumping off the ledge. He landed mostly on his feet with a thump, sending a bunch of leaves scattering from the impact as he regained his balance. Luckily it had only been about four feet down, though Seungkwan didn’t doubt that Shua would’ve made him go down even if it were ten.

Suddenly a crash appeared beside him in the form of Hansol, who had descended far less gracefully but instead let himself fall to the floor before slowly rolling around to sit up and then calmly stand on his feet.

“Hey, watch it!” Seungkwan muttered when some of the leaves landed in his hair from Hansol’s impact.

“I don’t control the leaves,” Hansol said with a shrug.

Seungkwan glared at him silently. “Let's just get this over with,” he huffed under his breath, trudging through the piles of leaves to get to the small stream of water which was across the grassy field. Hansol trailed behind him, and Seungkwan was suddenly hit with a sickening, longing nostalgia of Hansol doing the same thing so many times at school.

After a few minutes of wordless walking, they finally reached the stream. The water was flowing rapidly, its color clear like crystals and reflecting beautifully in the rays of sunlight streaming through the gaps of the trees. Seungkwan couldn’t help but just admire it in awe for a moment, taking in the pleasant breeze and peaceful quiet around them. Hansol seemed to be doing the same thing, slightly dazed as he took in the view.

Seungkwan broke himself out of his small trance and leaned down to cup his hands in the water. The liquid felt refreshingly cool against his skin after the half hour they had exerted hiking up hills and various different trails. Seungkwan leaned down and took a sip of the water. Some of the droplets escaped and ran down his arms, but he didn’t mind because it was a cool welcome.

“Woah… this tastes… great,” Seungkwan breathed, shocked that he had never realized how different the Jeju water tasted in all his years living there.

“Oh, so you admit it?”

“What?” Seungkwan replied, looking up to Hansol in slight annoyance.

“Water has different tastes.”

“...I still think you’re insane,” Seungkwan only replied in response. Hansol leaned down next to him and placed his own hands in the water. He leaned down and brought it to his lips. He suddenly straightened, eyes wide, before leaning down to take another sip.

“You’re right, this is amazing, ” Hansol said, sounding slightly hypnotized. Seungkwan raised an eyebrow, regarding him strangely from how he seemed to be having a spiritual experience from just drinking stream water.

“Well I’m heading back,” Seungkwan said, putting his hands on his knees and pushing himself up. “You can stay here and drink the water if you want.”

Hansol craned his neck upwards, looking back up at him. “But what if I get lost?”

“It's literally right there, a couple meters away-” Seungkwan said, throwing an arm in the direction of the ledge. “How the hell would you get lost?”

“I have a bad sense of direction.”

Seungkwan crossed his arms. “Okay, then get up. I wanna go back.”

Hansol begrudgingly got up, grumbling slightly as he followed Seungkwan back to where they had jumped off the ledge. With some effort, Seungkwan pushed himself off the floor and hauled himself back up. For a second, he considered giving Hansol a hand up, but decided against it in favor of just letting him struggle.

“Shua! We did it!” Seungkwan announced, hands still on his knees as he caught his breath. No one answered. Seungkwan’s head snapped up. “...Shua?”

He spun around wildly, looking for any trace of Shua or Seokmin or his mother and grandmother, but there wasn’t another person around in sight. Well, besides…  

At that moment, Hansol successfully pulled himself back up the ledge. Seungkwan turned around to face him, very, very slowly, a sense of impending doom settling over him. “They fucking ditched us,” Seungkwan said quietly, almost as if he didn’t quite believe it himself. “We’ve been duped.”

Hansol didn’t say anything. He just stared back, eye slightly twitching. 

“I swear… this is the right place, right?!” Seungkwan exclaimed, throwing his hands onto his head, trying not to let panic overtake him. Was he going insane? “This is where they left us.”

Hansol huffed, making Seungkwan freeze and crane his neck to look back at him. He had his arms crossed, and was currently looking off into the distance in disinterest. “How the hell would you get lost , huh? ” He mocked under his breath.

Seungkwan strode up to him in three swift steps. “Are you making fun of me?” He seethed. 

Hansol just blinked back at him with that infuriatingly apathetic face he always wore. “No? Why would you say that?”

Seungkwan finally felt himself snap.

“Because I can never fucking tell what you’re thinking or feeling!” Seungkwan yelled. He immediately bit his lip so hard he thought it might bleed. He didn’t mean for that to slip out.

Finally, the facade on Hansol’s face fell, but Seungkwan didn’t feel any shred of satisfaction from it, because Hansol was currently looking at Seungkwan like he had shot a bullet straight into his chest. Seungkwan frowned. Why was he so upset?

“You… you…” Hansol stumbled, at a loss for words. He looked away, at the ground. “ You can’t tell?” He said, voice coming out broken. “I don't even know if we’re still friends or not!”

“It’s complicated, ” Seungkwan gritted out, trying to stay firm though he was also on the brink of breaking down.

“Why?” Hansol replied, voice coming out desperate now.

“I don’t know!” Seungkwan ran a shaking hand through his hair. “I can't wrap my head around you!” He channeled his frustration and spun back around to face Hansol, so that they were only inches apart. “ WHY would you join the volleyball team if you didn’t even like it?!” 

“Why does it matter if I like volleyball or not?” Hansol huffed.

“It's not just about volleyball!” He jabbed a finger into Hansol’s chest. “Why did you LIE ? Were you just trying to mess with me the entire time? ”

“NO!” Hansol shouted, eyebrows drawn tightly.

“Then why?”

“I- I-” Hansol stammered, eyes looking pained. “I'm not sure.” 

“Then what DO you know??” Seungkwan’s voice cracked slightly, the raw emotion from his anger spilling over. 

“I just like you, okay?!”

Seungkwan stumbled back.

He took a sharp inhale.

“What?” 

“I think I like you…” Hansol said again, voice lower and softer this time, as if he had just realized something himself. Seungkwan stumbled back another step, his knees suddenly feeling weak. Then, suddenly, the ledge gave out from below him, and Seungkwan’s stomach dropped as the ground below him dissolved into nothingness. 

“Seungkwan!”  He heard Hansol yell, but he was already falling.

Alarm pierced every nerve in his body as he found himself in a freefall. Absent-mindedly, he felt Hansol’s hands wrap around him and tighten. Seungkwan shut his eyes and braced for a painful impact, but it never came. Instead, he landed on the floor with a soft thump.

Hansol lay below him on the floor, arms still clinging around him.

Hansol had broken his fall.

Seungkwan’s breath stilted for a few overwhelmingly tense moments, his shaking hands just clutching against Hansol’s shirt in silence. Then, Seungkwan couldn’t help his tears from spilling out anymore. They came out in ugly, shuddering sobs as they streamed down his cheeks. He brought a weak fist to Hansol’s chest. “You idiot. Why did you do that?!”

Hansol looked into his eyes and smiled softly at him through a small grimace. He seemed somewhat more at ease now despite having practically fallen off a small cliff. “I can’t let you get hurt. You still have to win the volleyball championship this year.” 

The comment only made Seungkwan start crying harder, and he let his head fall against Hansol’s chest in exhaustion. Hansol didn’t say anything else, just running a hand through Seungkwan’s hair as he continued to sob against his body, probably drenching his clothes in the process. Seungkwan lifted his chin by an inch, shaking his head vehemently. “B-but you should be winning it too, alongside me.” 

Hansol shook his head. “Volleyball is your life, not mine.”

“Then why…”

“That’s what you don’t understand, Seungkwan,” Hansol started. “I’m not doing it to win. I’m doing it to be alongside you.”

Hansol sat himself up, grabbing both of Seungkwan’s hands with his own. He leaned his forehead against Seungkwan’s, looking into his eyes, which were glistening with unshed tears. “I’d do anything to be by your side.” 

Seungkwan could feel himself fracturing apart by the second. His chest heaved with another sob, but Hansol didn’t move, just holding him steadily against him, like he always did. Seungkwan sniffled, bottom lip wobbling. “ I missed you.” 

Hansol raised a hand to wipe a tear away, his thumb brushing against Seungkwan’s cheekbone with such delicacy that he couldn’t bear it. He could feel Hansol exhale against him, his breath warm against his skin. “Me too.”

“The past few weeks have been horrible without you,” Seungkwan bawled. He couldn’t stop everything he had suppressed from spilling out now, no matter how hard he tried. “I was just as upset with myself as I was with you, that I didn’t notice you never felt the same-” a hiccup cut off his sentence. “The same about volleyball. I’m such a shitty friend.”

“No, you’re not,” Hansol replied firmly. “It was my own decision. I joined for you. You’re everything to me.”

“Hansol…” Seungkwan let out between sniffles. He rubbed at his eyes.

Hansol just rubbed his fingers comfortingly against Seungkwan’s own in response- a silent understanding. Seungkwan’s chest ached from the familiarity of it all.

Eventually, they noticed the sky starting to dim around them, and Seungkwan knew they needed to try and find their way back soon even though the last thing he wanted to do was let go of Hansol’s hands. Hansol moved first, gingerly unclasping his fingers from Seungkwan’s own, and brought his left palm to push himself off the floor. He winced as he did so, and suddenly Seungkwan’s attention was drawn straight to the bandages wrapped around his hand, white but dirtied from their fall. A sinking guilt suddenly consumed him.

Seungkwan stood up abruptly, before going to grip onto Hansol’s forearm and help him up. He stood up with a grunt, thankfully seeming otherwise unharmed. Seungkwan let his fingers snake down the length of his arm until it made it back down to his left hand. He gently lifted it palmside up, eyes swimming with remorse. Seungkwan’s gaze flicked back up to Hansol’s. “I’m sorry.”

Hansol just shook his head. “Barely felt it.”

Seungkwan brought his free hand up to wipe at his eyes, which were now threatening to overflow with tears again. He let Hansol’s injured hand fall back to his side, instead reaching out to tightly grasp onto the other one. Seungkwan never wanted to let go of it again.

The two of them heaved themselves over the ledge, more easily this time because the broken piece Seungkwan had fallen off on had conveniently created a steep pathway for them to climb up. They attempted to wander in the direction they were headed before, but seeing as how there still wasn’t anyone else in sight, Seungkwan was beginning to lose hope that they would be able to find their way out of the forest any time soon. The sun continued to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in gorgeous hues of pink as they walked amongst the trees. Eventually, after what felt like hours of aimless wandering, Seungkwan sat down on a nearby tree stump to rest. Hansol sat next to him, pressed against his side.

“We might actually be lost…” Seungkwan said, letting out a sigh. “I’m sorry, Hansol. I invited you here on this trip, and now we’re both stranded in the woods.”

Hansol glanced down at him, not looking bothered in the slightest. “It’s not your fault.”

Seungkwan leaned closer against him, relishing in the heat of his body as the air slowly became colder around them. Hansol shifted a bit against him, looking ahead on the path to something which seemed to have caught his attention. 

“It looks like there might be a clearing ahead,” Hansol pointed out. “Should we try and see if there’s anything there?”

Seungkwan nodded. “We might as well.”

The two of them stood up and trudged through a patch of tall grass for a couple minutes before arriving at a small, but flat area of land. Seungkwan’s breath caught in his throat.

The clearing was devoid of any trees in its pathway, exposing a dazzling view of the rolling mountains and rich, vibrant sunset. They were so high up that Seungkwan could almost run his fingertips through the clouds, and the hills spanned across the landscape in staggered layers below them. Seungkwan noticed a small fence made out of wood which had been built right at the edge of the platform, preventing any possible falls from happening. He tilted his head in confusion, before it hit him.

“I think… this is the overlook my grandma was talking about,” Seungkwan told Hansol breathlessly. 

“It looks gorgeous,” Hansol replied, gazing out at the landscape. His eyes widened, suddenly remembering the bag strapped to his side, and opened it to dig out his vintage camera. He removed the lens cover and hung the strap over his neck before turning to Seungkwan. “Stand over there.”

Seungkwan grimaced, covering his face in embarrassment. “Stop, my face probably looks so gross and bloated from crying right now.”

“You look perfect to me,” Hansol replied simply. Seungkwan felt his heartstrings tug in his chest. He couldn’t find it in himself to say no to Hansol’s eager request, so Seungkwan shuffled over to the fence so that Hansol could capture the backdrop of the sinking sunset along with him. He mustered up a smile- a smile that was raw and real for the first time in weeks, brimming with unbridled relief and content.

Hansol looked into the camera and snapped a picture. 

They didn’t know where to go from there, so they decided to just stay at the overlook in hopes that eventually the group would come back and look for them. Hansol had taken the spare jacket out of his bag and laid it out over the grass, allowing him and Seungkwan to lay down and watch the last remnants of color leave the sky. They laid side by side, hands interlocked between them as it faded to black and exposed millions of glittering stars above. Throughout it all, Seungkwan couldn’t stop one nagging question from leaving his mind.

“So… if we’re friends then why have I never heard about this ex of yours?” Seungkwan asked, trying to sound as natural as possible.

Hansol gave a noncommittal shrug. “I didn’t think it was important.”

“Was it a long relationship?” Seungkwan asked, making sure to keep the envy from seeping into his voice.

“It was a few months at most…” Hansol paused. “And I wouldn’t consider her an ex exactly.”

Seungkwan stiffened beside him. So he was still involved in the relationship? He supposed it made sense- Hansol was a pretty good looking guy with a considerate personality,  and any girl would probably jump at the chance to ask him out. Seungkwan couldn’t stop himself from letting out a huff.

“Oh… I see.”

“I haven’t seen her in years, though.”

Seungkwan’s jaw dropped. So it was a long distance relationship? It must’ve been serious, then. 

“What did you like about her?” Seungkwan asked, almost sadly.

Hansol raised a hand to his chin, thinking. “Um… it’s been a while, but I guess… she was cute?”

Seungkwan raised an eyebrow. “That’s it?”

“She’s the one who asked me out. I honestly might’ve just said yes because I felt bad.”

“That’s… nice of you I suppose…” Seungkwan drifted off. “But also kind of cowardly.”

“I was eight, okay! I didn’t know any better.”

A snort fell from Seungkwan’s mouth. Hansol turned to him, confused. “Sorry, sorry, I just- eight?” 

“Yes?”

Another giggle escaped from his mouth, barely concealed by the palm Seungkwan had slapped over it. 

“What’s so funny?!”

Hansol’s complete confusion just sent Seungkwan into more hysterics, and he rolled to his side to face him, and lightly poked a finger to his cheek. “You’re just so… cute.” 

Hansol just pouted, still not understanding. “Okay… Well, do you have any exes?”

Seungkwan let his laughs fade away, instead replaced by a solemn sensation settling into his limbs. He let his hand fall from Hansol’s face, letting it lay in the space between them.

“I don’t have much luck when it comes to dating,” Seungkwan said softly, shutting his eyes, a sad smile still on his face. He heard Hansol shift beside him, so he opened them again. Hansol had also turned to lay on his side, and was looking at him with wide eyes and a perplexed expression.

“But you meet so many people… surely one of them must’ve been a good match for you,”
He replied quietly.

“Well, that’s the thing with meeting so many people- you never truly know any of them.”

“You know me.”

Seungkwan's pulse beat loudly in his ears. The corners of his mouth slowly tugged up into a fond smile. “You’re right, I do.”

The two of them turned back to gaze at the stars. Seungkwan raised an arm to point out a particularly bright one twinkling in the sky. “That one’s so pretty.”

“It’s part of the Big Dipper,” Hansol responded softly.

Seungkwan couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Should I even ask why you know that? Another educational kid’s show?”

“Nah. I just like looking at the stars. No matter where I go, or where I move, they’re always the same.”

Seungkwan hummed in understanding.

“What’s your favorite constellation?” Seungkwan asked him.

Hansol thought for a moment before responding. “The Capricorn.” He grabbed Seungkwan’s hand and raised it to the sky, drawing out the lines connecting each of the stars. “Right there.”

Seungkwan smiled. “Why’s the Capricorn your favorite?”

“It just is.”

“You’re so cryptic sometimes,” Seungkwan muttered in amusement, rubbing at Hansol’s ears affectionately. Hansol frowned.

“Why do you always do that?”

“I like it. It’s cute when you get annoyed.” Seungkwan paused. “Should I stop?”

“...No,” Hansol replied. “It’s fine.” Seungkwan grinned and went back to rubbing at his earlobe. He sighed happily against Hansol’s touch. If there was one moment he could stay in forever, it would be right now.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew across them, making Seungkwan shiver in his far-too-thin coat. He hadn’t packed for the nightime weather, as they had been planning to be back far before sunset. He scooted closer to Hansol, cuddling up to his side for warmth.

“Hansol~ I’m cold,” Seungkwan said into his ear. Hansol was staring back into his eyes, now only a foot away.

“It’s because it's nighttime…” Hansol replied in daze, seeming transfixed.

“Can we hug for warmth?”

Hansol complied immediately, scooping up Seungkwan into his arms. Seungkwan melted into his body heat, and suddenly every sense he was experiencing was magnified tenfold- the steady rise and fall of Hansol’s chest against his own, his soft breaths against his neck, the pressure of his fingers pressing into his back. It was dizzying . “Seungkwan?”

“Yeah?” Seungkwan’s answer came out muffled against the fabric of Hansol’s coat. He pulled back a bit so that he could look at him.

“About what I said earlier…” Hansol mumbled, deep voice reverberating against his neck. Seungkwan shivered.

“You’re going to have to be more specific than that,” Seungkwan replied with a small laugh. However, Hansol just pressed his lips together and averted his gaze in response, cheeks dusted a light pink- though, it was hard to tell in the moonlight, so Seungkwan could've been imagining it. Seungkwan slightly tilted his head to the side, watching him. 

“I meant it,” Hansol said.

Seungkwan furrowed his brow in confusion, before it hit him. Oh.

I think I like you.

Seungkwan’s chest clenched. He wasn’t sure how to interpret the statement- there were so many ways to frame it. He told himself that of course, friends liked each other. However, the small, yet very real possibility of the unknown left Seungkwan’s mind in shambles.

He sat straight up, suddenly not being able to breath, not being able to think. The moonlight was suddenly too bright, exposing the uncontrollable blush now consuming his face. Hansol shifted next to him, brows knitted in slight concern. God, he was sickeningly sweet.

“I… can we go for a walk?”

Hansol didn’t question him, responding easily. “Ok.”

They stood up and Seungkwan reached for Hansol’s hand as they walked through the tall grass again. The moonlight painted the greenery beautifully, its blades of grass dancing when the wind blew through them and tickling against Seungkwan’s arms. Seungkwan couldn’t help the soft giggles that escaped from his mouth from their touch.

In perfect contrast, Hansol didn’t even seem to notice the grass. He instead trudged dutifully forward, guiding Seungkwan through its path as they continued on. Seungkwan inhaled when he suddenly noticed hundreds of glowing fireflies, floating around like little beads above the grass. Just the sight of them made him feel giddy, reminding him of mellow, summer nights spent growing up in Jeju as a kid. Their lights faded in and out like slow heartbeats, dissolving and blending into the backdrop of the twinkling, star- filled sky. He skipped forward a few steps, dragging Hansol along with him. Noticing the camera still hanging across Hansol’s neck, he laid a chin on his shoulder to get his attention.

“Hansol, take a picture of the fireflies!” Seungkwan told him excitedly. “I can’t believe that they’re still here this late in the fall.”

“As long as you pose for it.”

Seungkwan didn’t even want to refuse, because the allure of the firefly-lit field drew him in as he reached out a hand to run his fingers through the thin blades of grass. He stopped when he was a few feet away from Hansol, spinning around and looking up into the sky to take in the expanse of the scenery. 

He heard the sound of a camera shutter going off just as he had spotted Capricorn in the sky again.

Seungkwan turned back to Hansol, who was looking down at his camera with a satisfied expression on his face. He quietly made his way back to him, before sneakily reaching a hand to the camera strap on the back of his neck. “Here, let me take one of you.”

Hansol took a step back, a playful smile on his face. “I’d rather take more of you.”

“Don’t be dumb.” Seungkwan smirked, the competitive edge forever within him coming out. He reached for the camera. “Gimme that!”

“Ah!” Hansol yelped, the sound bordering on a laugh. He stumbled back in an attempt to get away, but Seungkwan only held onto him tighter. Seungkwan pulled at the strap, trying to get it over Hansol’s neck, but the force only sent both of them tumbling backwards into the grass.

Seungkwan was laughing brightly when his back hit the ground. His hands were still holding onto the camera straps on either side of Hansol’s neck, the camera now dangling down against his chest. Hansol had his elbow propped up right beside Seungkwan’s head, his opposite hand balancing against the ground near Seungkwan’s shoulder. Their legs were tangled awkwardly together from the fall. Hansol was leaning over him, bright eyes piercing right into Seungkwan’s own. 

Seungkwan felt his breath catch. The tall grass surrounding them blocked everything else from view, everything besides Hansol, who was staring right back down at him with an intensity he’d never seen before. Seungkwan felt his jaw go slack, lips parting slightly to let out a slow breath. Hansol’s eyes momentarily flickered down to them, before coming back up again.

Seungkwan was frozen, unable to move, undaring to even take another breath. Numbly, he felt Hansol’s hand brush against his skin to gently push his hair out of his face, but Seungkwan couldn’t tear his eyes away from Hansol’s light brown ones. A dizzying heat seeped into his cheek as Hansol’s hand moved again to press a palm against it. 

He had no idea when they had gotten so close, because Hansol’s face was now only inches from his own, so close that he could feel his warm breath on his skin. Seungkwan shivered, every sensation overwhelmingly sensitive as he nearly trembled underneath Hansol’s touch. Hansol’s eyes were lidded, eyelashes tickling his cheek every time he blinked. Seungkwan was all too aware of every single inhale and exhale he took and the narrowing space between their bodies. Hansol had gone still above him, eyes just trailing all over his face as if he were trying to imprint it into his memory over, and over again. Something within Seungkwan’s heart throbbed uncontrollably, making him tug down on the camera strap around Hansol’s neck, hard. 

Hansol’s lips met his, with Seungkwan still clinging onto the camera strap to pull Hansol down against him. Hansol froze for a second, surprised, before pressing back against him. Their lips began to move against each other, tentative but sweet and burning hot against the cold air. Hansol moved the hand which had lingered on his face down by a fraction, so that his thumb was now caressing Seungkwan’s jaw. Suddenly, far too aware of what he was doing, Seungkwan bolted up and pulled away in a panic.

“I-I- sorry, I didn’t ask-”

Hansol didn’t say anything, eyes still lidded as he moved forward again to place a hand behind Seungkwan’s neck and cut him off with another firm kiss. Seungkwan gasped into his mouth, taken aback. Hansol quickly swallowed up the sound. He gently brought Seungkwan’s head back down against the grass, using the hand on his neck to push Seungkwan’s mouth closer against his. This time, Seungkwan had no intention of protesting, so he brought his own hands up over the nape of Hansol’s neck, burying his fingers into his hair as he clung onto him. His eyes fluttered shut, rendering every touch of Hansol pressing against him so much more consuming. Stars blossomed across his eyelids. He couldn’t breathe- Hansol was stealing each new breath he took with another hungry kiss.

Seungkwan pressed back up against him with equal fervor, and Hansol slightly angled his head so that he could kiss him deeper. His body reacted instinctively, reciprocating and molding to every subtle touch as if he had been craving this feeling for as long as he could remember. His insides were burning because god, how had he lived without this for so long? Seungkwan pressed Hansol even closer against him, now kissing him with a desperation he didn’t even know he had. He channeled every longing ache he had been harboring into the kiss, mind spinning as he finally let go of every restraint he had.

Eventually, Seungkwan forcibly detached himself from Hansol’s lips, because he seriously thought he might pass out from the lack of oxygen making it into his lungs. Hansol’s lips still lingered above his own, lightly brushing against them with every warm, heavy breath he inhaled. The space between them was filled with the sound of them both gasping for air. Hansol’s forehead rested against Seungkwan’s, making their noses bump clumsily against each other as they caught their breath. Once Seungkwan’s breathing had returned to a bearable rate, Seungkwan slowly opened his eyes again, hands cradling the sides of Hansol’s face above him.

Hansol was staring into his eyes, pupils blown wide and carefully watching him as if he were the only thing in the world and would disappear in a second’s notice if he looked away. His hair had become horribly messy and tangled from Seungkwan’s fingers raking through them, his bangs falling against Seungkwan’s forehead from how close they were. When Seungkwan brought a hand to his cheek, it was burning hot. His gaze trailed over his face to find his lips pink and swollen. In a daze, he moved a thumb to brush over them. Hansol leaned into his touch, pressing a feather-light kiss against Seungkwan’s thumb.

A slow smile spread across Seungkwan’s face, and he couldn’t help it. In that moment, everything else had disappeared- his troubles with the volleyball team, their upcoming midterms, the stress of every responsibility crushing down upon him- everything except for Hansol, who was above him right now. He gently pulled Hansol’s face back down to his own. Hansol gladly let him, pliant under his guiding touch. Seungkwan threw an arm around his neck, pulling him in close. He felt Hansol return the smile against his mouth as he brought a hand to grip at Seungkwan’s waist. Seungkwan let his hand snake down Hansol’s neck and then press against his chest, hesitant yet wanting to explore more. He craved more. Seungkwan let his inner ambition take over and he pushed against Hansol’s chest with some force to flip them over, so that he straddled him.

Hansol’s eyes widened in slight surprise as he hit the ground, but Seungkwan’s lips were back on his before he could even react, cutting off the sharp sound of Hansol’s inhale. Hansol hummed against his mouth in satisfaction, eliciting a soft gasp from Seungkwan. Every touch exchanged between them felt so electrifyingly novel, yet familiar and comforting at the same time. Seungkwan could taste a subtle hint of the sugary orange yogurt drink they had on the way in Hansol’s mouth, could just make out the faint scent of Hansol’s familiar cologne on his clothes- it was intoxicating. Seungkwan had been kissed before, but never like this.

Eventually, after god knew how long, Seungkwan could feel fatigue beginning to run down his shoulders as they unwittingly gave out. He let himself collapse on top of Hansol. He could tell Hansol felt the same, because he didn’t even try to move him from the uncomfortable position they were now in. Hansol brought a hand to the back of Seungkwan’s head, slightly shifting it to rest against his shoulder so that he could rest his own face in the crook of Seungkwan’s neck. Hansol’s fingers twisted into the fabric of his shirt, clutching onto him like he was a lifeline. Seungkwan flushed as he felt the warmth from Hansol’s eyelids sear into the sensitive skin of his neck. Hansol’s heart hammered into his own chest from below him, making Seungkwan’s own racing pulse even more obviously pronounced. 

Strangely, the simple embrace felt even more intimate than anything else. Now that Seungkwan’s mind had come down from its frenzied high, the constancy of Hansol’s body heat, the sheer vitality of another person holding him against them, was so undeniably raw and overwhelming. He and Hansol had hugged before, but this one felt palpably different from every other one they’d shared.

After a while more, Hansol pulled back by a fraction and turned his head to press a delicate kiss against the small area between Seungkwan’s jaw and neck, the pressure of it so light that Seungkwan almost thought he’d imagined it. 

“I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you,” Hansol whispered against his skin. 

Seungkwan shivered, eyes beginning to tear up. 

“It’s okay. I understand now."

Chapter Text

“Oh, there you guys are!”

Hansol turned his neck to find the source of the voice- it was Joshua, casually strolling through the grassy passageway of the overlook with a cheerful smile on his face, despite having left them in the forest for about five hours now with no service on their phones. 

“We thought we’d never find you,” Joshua continued. 

“Have you guys also been hiking around the forest this entire time?” Hansol asked him.

“Nah, we went back to the house and headed up here again about an hour ago,” Seokmin replied from beside him. “I think Seungkwan’s grandma was starting to get fatigued.”

Seungkwan, who was sitting upright beside Hansol, snorted in response. “Sounds like her alright- she makes a big fuss about us doubting her energy and then gets surprised when she feels tired and quits.”

“So what’ve you guys been up to while stranded?” Joshua asked with a pointedly raised brow.

“Nothing!” Seungkwan replied in a hurry, face immediately turning red. Hansol smiled. Cute.

“Uh huh… sure,” Joshua just replied with a knowing, shit-eating grin. 

“Well, we stargazed,” Hansol offered instead. “You can see all the constellations really well now that we’re not in the city.”

“Oh, you’re right!” Seokmin replied excitedly, plopping down to join Seungkwan and Hansol on the ground. He laid back and propped his hands behind his head. “Ah, they’re so pretty.”

Joshua also sat down and took a seat next to Seokmin, watching him with a sort of endearment in his eyes. 

“I know right,” Hansol said in satisfaction, looking back at the stars himself. 

The four of them soon found themselves all laying back down to stargaze, with Hansol pointing out some constellations he recognized, including the ones he had already shown Seungkwan. Joshua and Seokmin listened attentively, seeming impressed by Hansol’s extensive knowledge.

“Ah, so that’s Capricorn?” Seokmin said, pointing to the Capricorn constellation in the sky. “Can you see any of the other zodiac signs? I’m an Aquarius.”

“Yeah, I know,” Hansol replied. “We have the same birthday.”

“Oh, right,” Seokmin replied, a bit abashedly. 

“I think it’s that one over there,” Hansol replied, pointing to another area of the sky. “It’s not as bright as the Capricorn right now, though.”

“What’s your star sign, Shua?” Seokmin asked, turning his head to the other direction to look at Joshua.

“I’m a Capricorn,” Joshua replied. “It falls within December 22nd and January 19th.”

“Ooh, seriously?” Seokmin replied in fascination. “Seungkwan! You’re also a Capricorn then!” He said excitedly.

“January 16th, right?” Joshua said.

“Oh… yeah. I guess you’re right…” Seungkwan replied quietly from beside Hansol, seeming strangely contemplative for some reason. 

The four of them continued looking up at the sky, until it eventually became too cold for them to bear staying outside for much longer. Joshua and Seokmin had been wearing warmer coats when they found them, but Hansol and Seungkwan were still donning the thin hiking attire from earlier that day. Joshua flicked on the large flashlight he had brought from Seungkwan’s house before attempting to navigate them back.

“Are you sure it was that path??” Seokmin said critically to Joshua as they approached a fork in the path.

“Yes,” Joshua retorted. “I’m pretty sure.”

“Are you fools going to get us lost again?” Seungkwan piped up from beside Hansol. 

“Shouldn’t you know where we are, Seungkwan?” Seokmin whined. “This is your hometown!”

“I don’t know where we are!” Seungkwan shot back. “I’ve never been here.”

“Suspicious…” Seokmin just said, turning back to bother Joshua. Seungkwan grumbled in response. Joshua and Seokmin were leading the group, presumably knowing the way back considering that they had now taken the route twice, back and forth. The forest practically plunged them into pitch darkness, with only the soft moonlight and Joshua’s flashlight providing any sort of light in front of them. Hansol silently reached for Seungkwan’s hand, bumping his pinky finger against his before Seungkwan noticed and took hold of it. Hansol couldn’t quite see Seungkwan’s expression in the dim lighting, but his skin was hot to the touch- more than usual.

“Oh my god, are you serious?” Joshua suddenly said, making Seungkwan jump and let go of Hansol’s hand. Hansol turned to him in confusion, unsure why he seemed so on edge when they were so used to holding hands for their entire time knowing each other.

“You told me you were sure it was the left path!” Joshua continued, turning to Seokmin.

“Why would you trust me?” Seokmin replied in defense. 

“I-” Joshua paused, before taking a deep sigh. “It’s fine, you were just trying to help. I think this path joins into the main one up ahead, actually.”

After a few more minutes of roaming around, they seemed to finally have found the main path and continued on back without much issue. When Hansol finally spotted Seungkwan’s two-story home, he breathed a sigh of relief, looking forward to cleaning all the dirt off of him and climbing into bed after having been in the forest all day. 

The house was silent as they walked in, and Hansol guessed that Seungkwan’s grandmother and mother were probably already asleep. He looked to the clock, having to do a double take as he did so, because it was nearly 11 PM. They all tried their best to walk up the stairs quietly, though it seemed impossible to avoid the slight creaking of the aged floorboard panels.

Hansol headed into the room he shared with Seungkwan and quickly retrieved his pajamas before telling Seungkwan he was going to use the bathroom first. Seungkwan just silently nodded in confirmation as Hansol left the room. He took a quick shower, but as he massaged the shampoo into his hair, the only thing he could think of was the feeling of Seungkwan’s hands in his hair just hours before, and how it felt so much better than his own. He shook off the thought, deciding he shouldn’t dissociate in the bathroom and keep Seungkwan waiting too long. He quickly dried off, brushed his teeth, and changed before slapping on some moisturizer and opening the door to leave. On his way back to the room, he spotted Joshua and Seokmin in their room across from them, the door left slightly ajar. They were both talking animatedly on the bed, with Joshua’s head just slightly laid against Seokmin’s lap as he read a book. Hansol didn’t want to intrude any further, so he instead headed into his own room to tell Seungkwan he was done.

He found Seungkwan half dozing off in the chair beside his bed, holding a change of clothes in his arms as he did so. Hansol couldn’t help a fond smile from spreading on his face at the sight. He set down his used clothes before making his way towards him. 

He approached Seungkwan and bent down to eye level, watching him silently for a moment and admiring how his delicate eyelashes framed his soft expression. Hansol had never quite realized how long they were. Eventually, Hansol shook Seungkwan’s arm to awaken him from his half-conscious state. Seungkwan groaned from the disturbance. Hansol stood up and affectionately pushed his bangs back to press a quick kiss to his forehead. 

“Bathroom’s ready,” he said as Seungkwan’s eyes blinked open. Seungkwan’s cheeks were now painted a dusty rose, but he didn’t lean away from his touch. 

“Thanks,” he said with a yawn before making his way to the bathroom. 

Hansol sat down on his own bed, taking out his camera to check how much film he had left after today. Much to his shock, he had used up more than half the remaining film just today. He’d have to use it sparingly tomorrow. Luckily, it was their last day anyways, so Hansol supposed it shouldn’t be too much of an issue. He capped the lens and was about to put it away, but he found himself running his fingers over its textured strap, remembering how it had rubbed against his neck as Seungkwan pulled on them hard enough for his skin to burn. He reached a hand to the back of his neck, and sure enough, it was tender to the touch. Hansol had just finished packing away his things when he heard Seungkwan re enter the room.

Seungkwan had changed into a pair of striped, teddy-bear printed pajamas- a stark contrast to Hansol who had just thrown on a random oversized T-shirt and flannel pants. It suited him, Hansol thought.

Seungkwan walked over to his side of the room and put away his dirty clothes, before awkwardly turning back to Hansol with a small flush and pausing. “Erm-”

“Do you wanna sleep next to me?” Hansol asked, hopeful.

A wry grin slowly spread across Seungkwan’s face. “Are you sure? The bed’s a twin size.”

Hansol nodded, and Seungkwan didn’t seem to have any reservations in the first place because he quickly crossed the room and slid into Hansol’s bed, next to him. Hansol leaned over to switch off the lights of the lamp on the table beside him, plunging the room into darkness save for the small night light on the wall between the two beds. Seungkwan pulled the covers over both of them, snuggling closer to Hansol as he buried himself in the blankets. The bed was in fact, not made for two people, so the two of them found themselves pressed against each other so that their noses were almost touching. Hansol slid an arm under Seungkwan’s neck, pulling him closer so that Seungkwan’s face was pressed against his shoulder. He could feel Seungkwan’s hair brush against his face as he nestled under his chin.

“I’m sorry too, you know,” Seungkwan mumbled softly into his chest.

Hansol pulled back a bit, so he could meet Seungkwan’s eyes, which were glistening in the dim lighting of the silhouette the night light created behind him.

“What do you mean?”

“I got so caught up in my own schedule I didn’t even realize how it must’ve felt for you to be left behind… and I dealt with the aftermath of it all so badly. It must’ve been so confusing and tough for you too.”

Hansol gave him a small smile, bringing a hand up to tuck a strand of hair behind Seungkwan’s ear. “It’s okay, I forgive you. All I ever wanted to do was spend time with you, anyways.”

Seungkwan smiled back gratefully, hugging him closer as he tightened his grip on Hansol’s shirt. They stared at each other in the darkness with bated breath for another tantalizing second, before Hansol made a decision and leaned in.

He kissed Seungkwan, slowly and tenderly as he let out a content sigh. Seungkwan reciprocated, pressing back against him before he pulled away. Hansol pressed a quick kiss to his forehead.

“Good night, Seungkwan.”

*****

Hansol woke up the next morning to a glaringly bright ray of light washing over his face, seeping through the curtains of their balcony window. He squinted, going to raise a hand to block it, when his knuckles knocked against something warm.

He awkwardly tilted his neck and looked down- Seungkwan had sprawled himself across Hansol’s body throughout the night, arms wrapped around his torso and leg haphazardly thrown over his own. Usually Hansol would've found the position exceptionally uncomfortable, but he couldn’t help but just cradle Seungkwan’s head closer against his chest as he ran a hand through his hair. The movement seemed to raise Seungkwan out of his slumber, as he was soon stirring against him and groaning groggily.

“Mm…” Seungkwan hummed against his neck, eyes still closed. The sound vibrated against Hansol’s skin. “What time is it?”

Hansol turned to look at the wall clock- it was nearly 11 in the morning, and he was surprised they had even woken up that early considering how much they had worn themselves out the day before.

“Eleven,” he replied softly.

Seungkwan groaned again, eyes blinking open this time. “I guess we should get up… it's our last day to do things in Jeju.”

“Okay.” Hansol moved to get out of bed, but Seungkwan pulled him in again. 

“But maybe after a few more minutes…” he said, cheeks turning pink. Hansol laughed lightly against his hair before hugging him back. He let his eyes trail lazily across Seungkwan’s face, his features slightly puffy and red from having just woken up. When he moved, the golden sunlight fell over his face and painted it in dream-like patterns. All Hansol could think of was how beautiful he looked at the moment.

Eventually, Seungkwan begrudgingly excavated himself from Hansol’s hold. Before he could get out, however, Seungkwan placed his hands on either side of Hansol’s head, palms sinking into the bed below. He leaned over him, eyeing him mischievously. “One more thing.”

Seungkwan leaned down and closed the space between them, pressing a slow, deep kiss against Hansol’s lips. Hansol kissed him back, eyes closing gently as he did so. When Seungkwan pulled back, an uncontrollable smile was tugging at his lips. 

Hansol pursed his lips before grimacing. “Your breath tastes gross.”

Seungkwan rolled his eyes and punched him lightly on the chest, though the smile didn’t leave his face. “Let’s get out of here,” he said, rolling off the bed.

The two of them left the room and went to the bathroom to brush their teeth, with Seungkwan squeezing a dab of toothpaste onto both of their toothbrushes. Hansol stared at their sleepy reflections in the bathroom mirror as they brushed their teeth, suddenly struck with a sense of deja vu from their chaotic toothbrushing fiasco on the way to school just months earlier. Both his and Seungkwan’s hair stuck out in strange directions, matted awkwardly from the way they slept, also not unlike that day. Hansol decided not to mess with it, in hopes that Seungkwan would feel the urge to style it for him again. Seungkwan spat out his toothpaste first, rinsing his mouth and washing his face before leaving to start his multi-step skincare routine. In the meantime, Hansol fetched his change of clothes for the day and quickly got dressed in a pair of jeans and a light blue hoodie. As he walked back into the bedroom, he found Seungkwan patting in his final layer of moisturizer. Hansol approached him, looking at the array of products on the dresser table inquisitively. 

“What’s this?” He asked as he picked up a strangely shaped vial.

“Vitamin C serum,” Seungkwan replied, eyes not leaving the mirror.

“Oh, like in oranges,” Hansol replied. He tilted his head. “Is that why your skin is so good?”

Seungkwan furrowed his brow. “I don’t think the serum’s the most important product-”

“No, I mean since you ate them so much growing up.”

Seungkwan stared at him strangely. “I’m not even going to comment on that.”

Seungkwan packed away his products and then also got changed, coming back into the bedroom donning a pair of baggy, cream pants and an oversized, striped blue and white button down layered over a light blue T-shirt. They continued packing the rest of their belongings save for the essentials for preparation of their flight that evening before heading downstairs. Hansol could hear lively chattering as they neared the kitchen.

Joshua and Seokmin were already sitting at the dining table, having breakfast with Seungkwan’s grandmother and mom as they walked in. Joshua spotted him first, shooting Hansol a smug smile as he did so. Hansol looked back at him in confusion.

“Ah, you two sleepyheads finally decided to get up, huh!” Seungkwan’s grandma said, quickly getting up to usher them to the table. “Come, I made French toast.”

Hansol watched in anticipation as she piled a stack of French toast onto his plate and drizzled a bit of syrup on it before handing it to him. He used a fork to rip at the bread and took a bite.

“Oh, this is really good,” Hansol said, eyes sparkling. “How’d you make this?”

“It’s quite simple,” she replied as she made a plate for Seungkwan. “Just eggs, milk, sugar, some cinnamon and crushed almonds. Joshua here gave me the idea to add the almonds, actually.”

“That’s how my parents make it back at home,” Joshua added proudly. 

“Well it tastes amazing,” Hansol replied, going in for another bite.  Joshua watched him eat in satisfaction. “I’ll have to visit sometime.”

“Definitely- what is it, like a five hour flight from New York?”

“I think so,” Hansol replied, munching on his French toast. For some reason, Seungkwan had fallen uncharacteristically silent beside him again- something he noticed he was doing more and more whenever he talked to Joshua. However, ever the mood maker, he immediately launched into another conversation to engage everyone at the table.

“We’re gonna head out to the orange orchard after this,” Seungkwan said excitedly. “I brought an entire empty suitcase just to take a bunch of them back with us to Seoul.”

Seokmin laughed from across the table. “Are you serious? Is that gonna make it go over the weight limit again?”

“I’ll just shove them in my pockets then,” Seungkwan replied with a humph.

“Poor Hansol’s bag is going to be overflowing even more than it already is,” Mrs. Boo replied, laughing as she recounted their trip on the way there.

“Why are you already assuming I’m going to put my stuff in his bag?” Seungkwan replied with a slight sulk.

“Well… aren’t you?” Joshua said, a wry grin on his face.

“Yeah sure, if he needs it,” Hansol replied casually, not blinking an eye.

Seungkwan only grumbled something under his breath as he stared very pointedly at his plate and moved to bring his water cup up to cover his face. Hansol, having long finished off his own plate of French toast, watched him endearingly. He snuck a hand under the table over Seungkwan’s thigh, and rested it atop Seungkwan’s own hand. Seungkwan nearly spat out the sip of water he was taking.

“Seungkwan! What’s wrong?” Mrs. Boo chastised as Seungkwan continued to cough in the background. 

“I just choked on some water. It’s nothing!” Seungkwan replied hurriedly, bringing a napkin to wipe at his mouth. His mother shrugged, glancing at Seungkwan with a strange look as she went back to eating. Joshua shot Hansol a grin across the table, to which Hansol only returned with a quizzical tilt of his head.

The conversation continued on without them, but Hansol hadn’t moved his hand away from Seungkwan’s side. Seungkwan hadn’t made any move to push it off either. Tentatively, Hansol inched Seungkwan’s fingers apart so that he could clasp their hands together under the table. His skin was warm pressed against Hansol’s own, melting into his touch as Hansol slightly brushed his thumb across Seungkwan’s knuckle. When Hansol looked over to his side, Seungkwan was furiously staring at the table straight ahead of him, the tips of his ears flushed a bright pink.

Eventually, Seungkwan finished eating (no thanks to Hansol, he was sure), and the six of them collected the dishes off the table and helped to bring them to the sink. Joshua went to collect a sponge and began lathering dish soap onto it.

“Heavens, Joshua sweetie, you don’t need to do that!” Seungkwan’s grandmother scolded upon spotting Joshua washing the dishes.

“Please, it’s alright!” Joshua replied politely, giving her one of his state-of-the-art gentlemanly smiles.

“Tsk, of course it's not. Let Seungkwan take care of those menial tasks!”

“Hey!” Seungkwan complained, suddenly finding himself roped into doing more chores.

“Fine, get Hansol to help you then,” his grandmother replied, now looking at Hansol with a pleased grin. Hansol shrugged.

“Sure.”

“It’s settled then,” his grandmother said with a nod of finality. “Come on then, Joshua. Would you like to see my embroidery collection?”

“Oh yes, ” Joshua replied excitedly, dishes completely forgotten now. Hansol and Seungkwan watched the two of them quickly make their way out of the kitchen, leaving them standing there alone. Mrs. Boo and Seokmin had also somehow seen themselves out of the kitchen when he hadn’t been looking. A second of silence stretched between them, before suddenly Hansol felt a fist smack against his shoulder.

“What was that for?” He said in surprise, turning to the perpetrator- a now pouting Seungkwan.

“Hey, what gives? You resigned us to doing the dishes!”

Hansol raised an eyebrow. “You’re upset about that?”

Seungkwan’s gaze dropped, looking away abashedly. “No… but you made me spit out my water earlier!”

“Oh, did I?” Hansol replied innocently, picking up the sponge which Joshua had abandoned to continue washing the dishes with.

Seungkwan scoffed in disbelief, snatching up the plate which Hansol finished scrubbing to rinse it off and dry it with a dish towel. “Just wait, I’m getting you back for that.”

“If you say so,” Hansol said happily as he picked up another plate. 

From his peripheral vision, he could see the corners of Seungkwan’s tips tug up into a wide smile.

*****

Hansol was half expecting Seungkwan to shove him against the wall as soon as they entered their room, but much to his surprise and more importantly slight concern, he kept himself perfectly composed throughout the entire time they packed up their luggage, collected their orange-picking baskets, and even until they met back up with everyone else to depart for the orchard. 

He eyed him expectantly as they climbed into the van, but Seungkwan paid him no mind as he continued chatting with the others. It was in no way out of the ordinary, but for some reason Hansol found himself slightly on edge, hands gripped onto the white, woven basket in his lap. His fingers  itched to reach over and grab Seungkwan’s own, which were only inches beside him. However, Seungkwan soon started gesticulating as he recounted some over-the-top story about the last time he had visited the orange orchard to Joshua and Seokmin. Well, he couldn’t just grab his hand in broad daylight anyways- or could he? There wasn’t any reason to hide what had happened between them, was there? 

“We’re here!” Hansol suddenly heard Mrs. Boo exclaim, snapping him out of his thoughts. He looked up and glanced out the window to find rows and rows of endless trees decorated with plump, orange tangerines and a lush, grassy field littered with stray pieces which had fallen off the branches. The tangerines were even more vibrant than the ones he’d seen near Seungkwan’s house, with their skins painted a deep, almost scarlet color. A small river near the foot of the inconspicuous-looking, rocky path shimmered in the midday sun which washed over the green fields.  

Seokmin gasped from beside him, hand raising to cover his mouth. “It's gorgeous…”

Hansol nodded in agreement.

“Wow… I’ve gotta come to Jeju more often,” Joshua said, similarly in awe.

“I’m glad you boys like it,” Mrs. Boo said with a sort of proud satisfaction. “I’ll head back to the house now, but I’ll come check in on you all in about, say, two hours? What do you think, Seungkwannie?”

“That sounds good to me,” Seungkwan confirmed cheerfully before throwing his bag of tools over his shoulder and launching himself out the car door. He raised his hand holding his basket into the air. “Follow me- we just gotta walk up this path to get to the actual fields.”

The four of them trudged up the wobbly pebble- ridden path and pushed aside branches of overgrown leaves before emerging onto a mildly- paved path which led to the endless rows of tangerine fields. Hansol was immediately hit with a fragrant, citrus scent permeating the air. He inhaled deeply, appreciating the atmosphere.

“Hey Hansol, you still got that camera on you?” Joshua asked him. “This’d be a great place to snap a photo.”

“Yeah,” Hansol replied, digging through his own bag to procure the vintage camera. 

“Awe, we should’ve asked Seungkwan’s mom to take one with all four of us,” Seokmin said in realization.

“I’ll ask her when we leave,” Seungkwan suggested. With that, Seokmin, Joshua, and Seungkwan stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the tangerine orchard and held up a variety of peace signs. Hansol looked through the viewfinder and snapped a photo. Satisfied with his growing collection, Hansol put away the camera again as his three friends dispersed.

Seungkwan trudged through the grass and approached the tree closest to them. “Now, let me show you guys how to pick a good orange.”

The three of them gathered around Seungkwan and watched attentively as he sifted through a branch full of oranges. “You need to look for one that’s firm and heavy- that’s how you know it’s ripe.” Seungkwan looked through a couple more before settling on one he deemed adequate and cushioning it into the palm of his hand. He used his other hand to reach into his shoulder bag and procure a pair of pruning shears. “Then just clip it at the stem and that’s it!”

Seungkwan easily clipped the thin stem of the tangerine, letting the fruit fall loose into his palm. He pocketed the shears back into his bag before digging his nails into the tangerine’s skin and peeling off the skin. He split the fruit up into sections, offering a piece to Seokmin, Joshua, and then Hansol. However, instead of placing the slice into his hand like he did with Seokmin and Joshua, Seungkwan only raised the slice directly to Hansol’s lips and watched him expectantly, a small, smug smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Hansol paused for a moment. Then, he opened his mouth and ate the piece of tangerine from Seungkwan’s hand, his eyes not leaving Seungkwan’s own. Hansol tried to focus on the taste of the tangerine in his mouth, the juiciness of the perfectly ripe piece of fruit bursting against his tongue, but he somehow found his attention wandering. Seungkwan’s gaze didn’t waver, lips still pulled taut with a smile. “So? How is it? Sweet?”

“It’s really sweet,” Seokmin remarked in amazement. “I think that was the best goddamn orange I’ve ever had in my entire life.”

“Mm… these are crazy good,” Joshua said in agreement, eyebrows furrowed as if still trying to process the flavor profile of what he was tasting. 

Hansol stood in place, frozen, before realizing that he was the only one who hadn’t said anything. “Oh.. um, yeah. They’re really good.”

Seungkwan drew back with a satisfied smile. “I’m glad. I told you guys Jeju oranges were like no other.” He finally tore his gaze away from Hansol. “Just make sure you don’t pick any green ones- oranges don’t ripen after they’ve been picked.”

“Got it,” Seokmin replied with a quick thumbs up. 

Seungkwan dug into his bag again and took out two pairs of shears. “I could only find two… so we’ll probably have to share.”

“I can share one with Seokmin,” Joshua suggested immediately, reaching out to take one of the tools from Seungkwan’s hand. 

“Sure,” Seungkwan agreed with a shrug. He handed one of the shears to Joshua. “You shouldn’t have to pull on the really ripe ones too hard- they’ll come off pretty easily. Make sure you don’t tear the fruit!” Seungkwan warned, seeming endearingly protective of his oranges.

“Yessir,” Seokmin replied, letting his basket dangle in the crook of his elbow. Seokmin and Joshua opted to explore further down the row of trees, soon leaving Hansol alone with Seungkwan for the first time since that morning. Hansol watched their figures slowly shrink in the distance- Seokmin was practically skipping through the trees, and Joshua laughed gleefully before swinging an arm around Seokmin’s shoulder to lead him back onto the path.

“You wanna try?”

Hansol’s eyes snapped away from Seokmin and Joshua, now focusing back on Seungkwan’s expectant stare. He was holding out the pair of shears towards Hansol, handle first. Hansol blinked.

“Do you wanna pick an orange?” Seungkwan further explained, raising a brow.

“Oh. Sure,” Hansol replied this time, taking the shears from Seungkwan’s hand. For some reason, his processing time was proving to be even more delayed than usual today.

Hansol searched through the bushel of oranges, trying to find a sufficiently ripe one to pick. After feeling a few of the fruits, he finally settled on one which seemed to have a uniform enough weight to it and brought the shears up to its stem to clip it off the branch. He held it up triumphantly.

“Good job. Are you gonna taste it?”

“Sure, why not?” Hansol handed the pair of shears back to Seungkwan and went to peel the tangerine, though far less efficiently and neatly than Seungkwan had done, he had to admit. Finally, he let the final bits of the peel fall to the floor before pulling apart the fruit slices and popping one into his mouth. “Hmm… it’s good but not as good as the one you picked.”

“Oh, really? Can I taste?”

“Sure-” Hansol moved to hold out the remainder of the orange to Seungkwan, but Seungkwan pushed his arm aside and instead leaned in to capture Hansol’s lips with his own. Hansol, caught off guard, let his hands linger awkwardly in the air for a moment more before bringing his free hand up to rest on Seungkwan's shoulder. However, as soon as he had done so, Seungkwan pulled himself away and took a step back, away from Hansol’s grasp. Hansol immediately felt cold without his touch.

Seungkwan was looking down, appearing contemplative while licking at his lips. 

“You’re right. It’s not as sweet.”

For some reason, the singular comment abruptly made Hansol’s face flare up. The orange hung limply between his fingers, forgotten.

“I’ll pick one again and you can watch- just keep your eyes on me.”

Hansol couldn’t think of anything else he’d rather do. 

*****

“Hansol, could you give me a boost up to that branch up there? Those oranges look really ripe.”

Hansol nodded, wordlessly bending down so that Seungkwan could swing his legs over his shoulders.

The two of them had only been picking for half an hour or so, but both their baskets were almost full. They had traveled a couple rows down since then, before Seungkwan suddenly announced that he wanted to show  Hansol his “favorite tree” to eat fruit from. Seokmin and Joshua were still nowhere in sight, so the two of them had continued to wander lazily around the orange trees in search of Seungkwan’s precious tree.

Hansol gripped onto Seungkwan’s thighs to hold him steady as he stood up. Seungkwan’s hands lingered against Hansol’s neck, brushing against his skin ever so slightly. His fingers traveled up to Hansol’s earlobe, and Hansol wondered if he had done it intentionally. 

“Go a little more to the left.”

Hansol easily obliged, moving so that Seungkwan could reach out and grab one of the branches of the tree. He handed him the pair of shears so that he could pick a handful of oranges  before holding out the basket up for Seungkwan to deposit them in. 

“We probably can’t pick much more,” Seungkwan muttered as a tangerine threatened to tumble out. “I should’ve brought a wagon with us.”

“Well we definitely couldn’t have brought that many back with us on the plane,” Hansol pointed out.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Seungkwan replied in resignation. Seungkwan ran his fingers through the hair at the nape of Hansol’s neck. “Maybe we should try and find Seokmin and Shua. I wonder if they’re lost.”

“Did you still wanna find that tree you were talking about?”

“Oh, yes- it should be the one at the end of the row here,” Seungkwan said enthusiastically, raising an arm to point down the rows of tangerine trees. Seungkwan still had his arms latched comfortably around Hansol’s shoulders and seemed to have no intention of getting down anytime soon, so Hansol grabbed the now full tangerine baskets and began making his way across the orchard. As they approached the end of the row, Hansol spotted a tangerine tree that didn’t seem any different from the others at first glance, but upon further inspection, noticed a series of engravings carved onto its trunk. 

Seungkwan finally patted at Hansol’s shoulder as a signal to let him down, and Hansol crouched down so he could slide off. He took a few steps toward the tree, appearing contemplative. He laid a gentle hand against its trunk. 

“This was the tree I picked my first tangerine from,” Seungkwan finally said, voice fond. He turned back to look at Hansol with a warm smile. “My parents told me it was planted the same year I was born. I come back every year to add a new carving on it.”

Hansol watched him attentively, focused on every small and minute movement he made. Seungkwan reached into his bag and pulled out a small pocket knife. He motioned his head towards the tree. “Any ideas?”

Hansol brought a hand to his chin, thinking. “Hmm…what about our initials? S and H?”

Seungkwan’s cheeks flushed with color. “Isn’t that a little too cheesy?” He sputtered.

Hansol titled his head in confusion. “Our initials are cheesy?”

“You’re hopeless,” Seungkwan replied in exasperation, but he was grinning. He brought the knife to the tree. “Fine then.”

Hansol watched him carve a small “S” into the bark, the letter impressively neat for having been cut into a tree. Seungkwan also carved a plus sign before turning around to hand the knife to Hansol. “Your turn.”

Hansol took the knife from him and carved an “H” next to Seungkwan’s initial, though it looked quite amateur-like next to Seungkwan’s handiwork. Seungkwan didn’t seem to notice however, instead standing back with his hands on his hips to admire their creation. 

“Add a heart around it too, while you’re at it,” Seungkwan said with a laugh.

Hansol shrugged and began carving a haphazardly shaped heart around their initials. 

“Oh… I didn't actually expect you to do it…” Seungkwan said softly, the blush not leaving his face. 

“Sorry, I know it’s not the best.”

“No,” Seungkwan said quickly, shaking his head. “It’s perfect.”

After Hansol had finished carving the heart to the best of his ability, he flipped the pocket knife closed and handed it back to Seungkwan. The two of them stood before the tree, taking in the new addition to the collection of carvings. The two arches of Hansol’s heart were glaringly uneven, but it somehow added to its authenticity. Hansol took the opportunity to let his eyes trail over the old carvings left by Seungkwan from years before. The trunk was littered with various words, some elementary-looking drawings, and some markings which seemed completely random. Hansol wanted to learn the meaning behind every single one of them. “Which one did you make first?”  He asked in curiosity.

“Ah… that would be that one,” Seungkwan replied, pointing to a carving of the word “Boo” on the tree cut almost as crudely as Hansol’s own letter. “I did the B, my mom the o, and my dad the other o.  I must’ve been, what, eight?”

Hansol nodded as he took in the information. He brought his fingertips up to run them over the rough wood of the engraving. He found himself immediately drawn to the tree, to the fact that it documented so many memories and grounded them into the orchard for an entire lifetime. Suddenly reminded of memories, Hansol dug into his own bag and took out his dad’s old camera.

“I still have a bit of film left,” Hansol said. “Wanna take a picture with the tree?”

“Only if you’re in it too,” Seungkwan said with a pout.

“It might be kinda hard to take a selfie with this type of camera…” Hansol replied contemplatively. 

“You can take another one of me if it turns out bad,” Seungkwan insisted.

“Well I won’t know until I actually get it developed-”

“Shut up and just come here,” Seungkwan said impatiently, grabbing Hansol by the hand and pulling him against the tree with him. They stood with their backs to the trunk, the carving of their initials positioned between them. “Let's make a hand heart around it,” Seungkwan suggested, letting go of Hansol’s hand to create his half of the heart around their initials, the shape lining up with Hansol’s raggedly carved heart.

Hansol raised his free hand to complete Seungkwan’s heart, before awkwardly trying his best to turn the camera around and line it up without looking into the viewfinder. Once he had a stable grasp on it, he pressed down on the button to snap a picture. Not being used to being on the other end of the camera lens, its bright white flash almost blinded him, but Hansol managed to keep his eyes open so as not to ruin the picture. 

Hansol let his arm fall and brought the camera down so that he could dangle the strap around his neck once more. Seungkwan watched the movement with interest. Seungkwan’s back was pressed up against the tree behind him, and he looked at him intently through the wispy, golden bangs falling over his eyes. As always, Hansol felt himself inexplicably drawn towards him, unconsciously inching closer as if pulled by some gravitational force. Seungkwan’s round eyes blinked up at him, a coy smile drawn over his face as he threw his hands around Hansol’s neck. The force pulled Hansol in even further and he let his forehead rest against Seungkwan’s.

“You know… I’ve never taken anyone else to this spot,” Seungkwan said softly, voice low. His hands ran down Hansol’s neck to his shoulders. 

“Oh?” Hansol breathed out.

“You’re the first.”

Hansol couldn’t help the broad smile that escaped his lips. He let his gaze flicker down for a moment before meeting Seungkwan’s eyes again. Seungkwan smiled back, the action so full of adoration that Hansol didn’t even know how to take it all in.

They just stood like that for a while, breathing in each other’s presence in the brisk late autumn air. The weather was refreshing and surprisingly comfortable for autumn, and the orange tree leaves provided just enough shade to shield them from the glare of the sun above them. Hansol closed his eyes, and he could make out the citrusy scent of the tangerines around them.

When Hansol opened his eyes again, Seungkwan was still watching him patiently. Then his hands traveled further down and he grabbed onto the camera straps around Hansol’s neck.

“I’m getting deja vu…” Hansol said in a daze, voice trailing off.

“Oh, really? What happened last time?” Seungkwan replied teasingly. Hansol inched closer, so that the tip of his nose brushed against Seungkwan’s.

“The best thing that’s ever happened to me…” 

Seungkwan’s eyes widened momentarily, before a tearful smile overtook him and he gently pulled on the camera straps to bring their lips together. 

Hansol kissed him delicately, taking his time to absorb every sensation- the pleasant wind blowing across his face, Seungkwan’s hair tickling his cheek, each subtle brush of Seungkwan’s fingertips against his skin. He brought a hand up to cradle Seungkwan’s jaw and angled it so he could lean further into the kiss. Seungkwan hummed against his lips in satisfaction.

When he finally pulled back, he found Seungkwan’s eyes glistening and watery. He brought a thumb to his cheekbone, concerned. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing I… I’m just so happy,” Seungkwan replied through a bright smile. He buried his head into Hansol’s chest, seeming a bit embarrassed. Hansol only laughed lightly in amusement, and wrapped an arm around him to pull him in closer. Seungkwan, seeming glad for the escape, moved to rest his face in the crook of Hansol’s neck.

Eventually, the two of them found themselves sitting on the ground, with Hansol leaning his back against the base of the tree trunk as he peeled another orange to snack on. Seungkwan had his head resting on Hansol’s lap as he basked in the golden afternoon sunlight, its rays perfectly matching the luminance of his hair. The leaves above them painted the ground beneath them in shimmering foliage patterns.

“I can’t believe we have to go back to school tomorrow,” Seungkwan lamented, letting out a long sigh. “Jeju’s always too good at making me forget about my responsibilities.”

“I think you should come more often, then,” Hansol replied as he broke apart a tangerine slice. He dangled it above Seungkwan’s lips and Seungkwan opened his mouth so that Hansol could drop it in. 

“Yeah, I’m sure you’d love that,” Seungkwan said slyly through sounds of him chewing on the orange slice. 

“Woah, I didn’t say you had to invite me,” Hansol protested with a small laugh. He popped an orange slice into his own mouth- thanks to Seungkwan’s guidance, it had proved to be far sweeter than the first one he had picked.

“I think my grandma will actually eviscerate me if I come without you now,” Seungkwan joked. He randomly picked a stray orange peel off the floor and raised an arm to place it on top of Hansol’s head for some reason. “She’s finally found another target to stuff with her cooking.”

“Well I’m not complaining,” Hansol replied with a shrug. He fed Seungkwan another orange slice. “She’s a great cook.”

“It’s all fun and games until they start pinching at your cheeks saying how you’ve become pudgy,” Seungkwan pouted, orange slice lodged in his cheek. Hansol laughed.

“I’d still do it for a good meal,” Hansol said with a grin. 

“Yah, so are these your true intentions? Using me to gain access to my grandma’s cooking?”

“... No.”

“Hey! What’s with the pause?” Seungkwan complained in fake outrage.

“Nothing.” Hansol stuffed another orange slice in Seungkwan’s mouth so he wouldn’t have to reply. Seungkwan almost spat it out in protest. In one swift motion, Seungkwan rolled over onto his side so that he could shove Hansol down from his sitting position against the tree and onto the grass. A couple oranges tumbled off the tree and out of Hansol’s basket from the disturbance.

Seungkwan leaned over him, a hand splayed out next to Hansol’s head. The orange slice was balanced between his lips. “You eat it. I’m full.”

“Okay.”

Seungkwan leaned down and brushed his lips against Hansol’s. Hansol opened his mouth to accept the orange before chewing on it. The juice burst across his taste buds satisfactorily. 

“How is it? Good?” Seungkwan said with a shameless grin.

Hansol finished chewing and swallowed the orange slice. “The best.”

Seungkwan giggled as he rested his elbows against the ground to cup the sides of Hansol’s face before leaning down to kiss him. Hansol smiled back into the kiss, the taste of tangerines still lingering in his mouth. Seungkwan could undoubtedly taste it too, because he smothered Hansol in hungry kisses until he nearly couldn’t breathe. Hansol laughed when his lips clumsily missed and landed instead on the corner of his mouth. Seungkwan quickly muffled the sound with another kiss.

When he finally pulled back, both of them were breathing hard, lips slightly swollen and tinted coral from the acidity of the tangerine juice. Hansol decided to break the silence.

“...So we’re having dinner before we leave, right?”

Seungkwan scrunched up his face and grabbed Hansol by the collar to shake him up and down. He released him mid- shake, making Hansol’s elbows tumble against the floor beneath him.  Seungkwan picked an orange off the ground and launched it at him. “You’re the worst.”

Hansol laughed as he made no move to avoid the throw, the orange hitting his chest harmlessly and then bouncing onto the grassy floor. “Why would you hurt a poor orange like that?”

“You’d best worry about yourself instead of that orange…”

Hansol raised a brow. He leaned over, until his face was mere inches from Seungkwan’s own. “Oh, really?”

Seungkwan flashed him that self-assured, competitive smile that Hansol always seemed to be drawn to. His fingers latched onto Hansol’s collar again, and his eyes fell down to his lips.

“I told you I’d get you back, didn’t I?”

*****

“We should probably try and group up with the others… I think it’s almost been two hours.”

“Okay.”

-is what Hansol said, but neither of them made any movement to pull apart. Eventually, Seungkwan’s phone started buzzing with a flurry of notifications, which finally seemed to jostle him from his cozy resting spot on Hansol’s chest, albeit with a disgruntled groan.

He pulled out his phone and quickly shot a few texts to their group chat. “My mom’s gonna be here in like ten- I told Seokmin and Shua to meet us at the entrance to the path we came in through.”

“Sounds good,” Hansol said with a nod.

They shoveled some of the spilled oranges into their baskets and picked them up before making their way out of the orchard. Seungkwan reached out and grabbed Hansol’s free hand, swinging it between them playfully as they walked. It felt so familiar, the way their fingers fit together the same way they had so many times before. Suddenly, Seungkwan leaned over and quickly pecked Hansol on the cheek. Hansol looked back at him in astonishment.

“What was that for?” Hansol asked, eyes wide.

Seungkwan only shot him a pleased smile in return. “Do I need a reason to kiss you?”

Hansol raised an eyebrow. Suddenly, they heard the voices of their friends in the background, chatting animatedly about something Hansol couldn’t quite make out. Seungkwan spotted them ahead of them, letting go of Hansol’s hand to run and greet them.

“Hey guys! How was the picking?” Seungkwan asked brightly.

“Oh, don’t get me started,” Joshua replied with a fond roll of his eyes. “I think Seokmin disturbed an entire ecosystem.”

“No, I didn’t!” Seokmin complained, crossing his arms. “All I did was knock down a few oranges… or a lot of them… and scare off some birds with my singing…”

Seungkwan side eyed him. “I just hope you didn’t hurt any trees.”

“Don’t worry, your precious trees are safe,” Seokmin replied, holding up his basket. “I even picked up all the oranges I accidentally dropped on the ground.”

“Good,” Seungkwan said, seeming appeased. 

Hansol shot him a knowing look, remembering how they themselves had undoubtedly knocked down more than a few oranges from the trees earlier. Seungkwan couldn’t bury the slight blush that rose to his cheeks, and instead decided to turn his head away from Hansol’s teasing stare.

“Anyways, I think my mom’s gonna be here in a few minutes. Let’s head back down the path.”

The four of them began the last of their journey out of the orange trees, with Seokmin and Joshua leading the way down the row in front of them. Just as the rocky path came into view, Hansol grabbed Seungkwan and pushed him against a tree so that they were out of view, before pressing a short but deep kiss against his lips. Seungkwan grabbed onto his shoulder to steady himself, but Hansol had already ripped himself away and ran up ahead to join Seokmin and Joshua. As he walked backwards he held up one finger to Seungkwan and then two.

Your move, he mouthed before turning around, leaving Seungkwan shell-shocked.

He heard Seungkwan’s footsteps quickly come up behind him.

“You’re dead,” Seungkwan whispered in his ear, but there was glee underlying his voice.

Hansol only smiled as they left the orchard.

Chapter Text

The trip back to Seoul went smoothly, and rather uneventfully, in Seungkwan’s opinion. He, his friends, and his mother had begrudgingly dragged their luggage into the car after Seungkwan had stuffed as many oranges as he could into his spare suitcase (no, he did not go over the weight limit again- Seungkwan had made sure to weigh all his luggage before leaving this time). The flight back, however, was admittedly much more bearable now that he wasn’t fighting with Hansol anymore. Seokmin and him had decided to swap seats this time, so that Seokmin now occupied the other aisle seat and Hansol was seated to Seungkwan’s left. Before they had even taken off, Hansol’s hand had found his own under the cramped airplane seat tables and laced itself with Seungkwan’s fingers. His heart skipped a beat everytime Hansol caressed his thumb against his knuckles- but he refused to let it show. Seungkwan’s efforts were probably for naught, however, because he had dozed off at some point during the flight and let his head fall against Hansol’s shoulder. Now that he thought of it, the action wasn’t anything that he and Hansol wouldn’t have done before. The mere thought sent Seungkwan’s mind into spirals so he opted to ignore it instead.

It was dark by the time they had landed, so Seungkwan’s father had offered to drop everyone back to their homes after picking the five of them up from the airport. They dropped off Seokmin first and then Shua, with Seungkwan walking them to their doors to help with their bags before giving them a hug goodbye. Before he knew it, they were finally on their way to drop Hansol home as well. 

“So, Hansol, how’d you like Jeju?” His father asked from the driver's seat. “I can’t believe it's taken this long for Seungkwan to rope you into coming on a trip with us.”

“Oh, it was really great,” Hansol replied earnestly. “The oranges really lived up to the praise. And, you can see the stars way better without the light pollution of the city.”

“That’s certainly true,” Seungkwan’s mother hummed in satisfaction from the passenger’s seat. “I’m so glad you were able to come with us, Hansol. Seungkwan’s been talking about inviting you for such a long time-”

“ Mom …” Seungkwan whined in embarrassment, trying to get her to stop. Hansol just laughed in amusement from beside him, eliciting a smack on his shoulder from Seungkwan. 

A few minutes later, they were pulling up to Hansol’s driveway and though Hansol only brought one bag, Seungkwan walked him to the door nonetheless. It wasn’t until they were standing on his doorstep that Seungkwan realized that they would be separated for the first time in three days, and he suddenly didn’t want to leave despite the fatigue tugging at his limbs.

Hansol grabbed both his hands, looking into his eyes with a subtle adoration that made Seungkwan want to melt. “See you tomorrow at school?”

Seungkwan smiled back widely. He let go of Hansol’s hands to wrap his arms around his shoulders, and he felt Hansol’s hands at his waist, holding on just as tightly. He nodded against the crook of his neck. “Yeah.”

Seungkwan pulled himself out of Hansol’s grasp before his traitorous self could do anything more incriminating, and waved to Hansol as he skipped back to the car. He opened the backseat door and slid in with a deep exhale.

“So, I see you resolved whatever you two had going on,” his mother pestered him immediately.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Seungkwan said, crossing his arms.

“If you say so,” his mother said cheekily. “Just don’t think that I haven’t noticed you not inviting him over for the past week.”

Seungkwan flushed. “I was just busy! W-with school and stuff!”

His mother raised an eyebrow, unimpressed with the excuse.  Luckily, his dad happened to switch the topic at that moment.

“By the way, there’s a little surprise waiting for you back home.”

Seungkwan’s expression immediately morphed into one of mild intrigue. He sat up a bit straighter as he uncrossed his arms. “Oh, really? What is it?”

“Well, that wouldn’t make it much of a surprise, would it?”

Seungkwan slumped back into his seat- his parents always seemed to make it their priority to tease him to death as the youngest of the family. Just as Seungkwan was pondering what in the world his dad could be talking about, they had arrived at home and were pulling into their driveway. His father helped him and his mother with their bags, and Seungkwan handled his tangerine bag with extra care as he wheeled it up the steps of the porch and through their front door.

“Ahh, look who’s finally back.”

Seungkwan’s head snapped up- it was a familiar yet unfamiliar voice, one he hadn’t heard for several months. He spotted his sister lounging at the kitchen table, hair roller in place under her bangs and a headband pulled over the rest of her deep, black hair. “Sojeong!”

Seungkwan leaned his bags against the wall and rushed into the kitchen to embrace her. She laughed happily in response, patting Seungkwan on the back as he squeezed her tightly. Seungkwan pulled back, face contorted in both joy and confusion. “What’re you doing here? Don’t you have class tomorrow?”

“Nope- we have reading days until Wednesday, so I decided to come here and harass you.”

“Oh, of course,” Seungkwan said with a roll of his eyes.

“I can’t believe you guys went to Jeju without me,” she said, letting out a long sigh. “I could really do with a Jeju orange right now- college bound homesickness is getting to me again.”

“Well lucky for you, I acquired an entire suitcase-full that we need to eat before they go bad. So get started.”

“Oh, sweet,” Sojeong replied in anticipation as Seungkwan pointed out the orange luggage to her. “So, how was the trip? Anything new?” She asked as she unzipped the suitcase and inspected the oranges inside. They basked in the fragrant, citrus scent that was immediately released into the room.

“You mean with Jeju? No, not really. Weather was unusually great, though.”

“How’s grandma?”

“Energetic and nosy as ever,” Seungkwan said with a resigned grin.

“Did she pester you about your dating life too?”

“Um, no?”

“What the hell, she kept telling me I was boring for not dating anyone…”

Seungkwan laughed heartily at his sister’s annoyance. “Yeah, because she knows I’m not as much of a loser as you.”

Sojeong stuck out her tongue at him before selecting a handful of oranges from the suitcase to bring back to the kitchen table. “Having that many connections doesn’t count if half of it is just the drama department.”

Seungkwan resisted the urge to roundhouse kick her, the preliminary excitement of seeing his sister for the first time in months quickly replaced with the typical self defense that just naturally came with having an older sister. Instead, he opted to sit down next to her with a roll of his eyes and help peel the oranges for his family. 

“Dad told me you took some friends with you.”

“Yeah, I invited Seokmin, Shua, and Hansol.”

“Ahh yes, I think I remember them. I was probably in school at the same time as Joshua, actually. How are they doing?”

“Well, Seokmin just starred as the lead role in the King Arthur play our school put on,” Seungkwan began explaining excitedly, recounting the efforts of the drama department and how they had paid off spectacularly during the performance. “As for Shua, he’s been topping the rankings for the senior class along with Seungcheol- oh! He’s recently become friends with my volleyball captain, who’s also the student body president, Seungcheol.”

“Oh, Seungcheol!” Sojeong said in recognition. “I remember him. He was so involved in student council, even as a sophomore. Very ambitious.”

“Do you remember Yoon Jeonghan, then?” Seungkwan asked deviously, eager to update Seojeong on the continuation of the high school drama that always seemed to be never ending.

“Ah, you mean that guy who kept falling asleep in class and getting his ass ratted out by the dean every other business day? I don’t think I’ve ever met him but I recognize his name from the announcements through the intercom.”

“Yep. That’s him. But get this- Seungcheol’s tutoring him now, and it actually seems to be working.”

“No. Way,” Sojeong replied, fully engrossed in the new developments of their high school. “I never thought I’d see those two in the same circle.”

“It’s hilarious to witness,” Seungkwan said with a laugh. “I get to watch Seungcheol lose his mind every practice.”

“Alright, alright, but enough with the nasty school gossip- you still haven’t told me about Hansol.” She raised a suggestive eyebrow. “You may be good at subverting the topic with normal people, but you can’t get through me.”

Seungkwan narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean? I wasn’t talking around him- I’m getting there!”

“So how’s the crush going?”

Seungkwan’s cheeks flared red. “What the hell are you talking about!” He sputtered, nearly dropping the orange in his hands. “I… did not have a crush on him!”

Sojeong only scoffed in response. “Right. And the dean is going to come up to our doorstep and propose to me on the spot. Spill it!”

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about…” Seungkwan muttered under his breath.

“Are you serious?” Sojeong said with a short laugh, flipping a strand of long, inky black hair over her shoulder which had gotten loose from her headband. “He’s literally all you talked about freshman year and I saw how cuddly you two had gotten last summer.”

“We were literally just friends??”

“HA! Were?”

“NO! I mean- we are friends!” The word friend didn’t feel right in Seungkwan’s mouth even as it came out, much to his distress. He didn’t dare classify his relationship with Hansol, seeing as they hadn’t actually discussed it between themselves yet. He didn’t know if he even wanted to, for fear of disappointing himself at the end. Shit, had he liked Hansol since the very beginning?  “Well… we did  have a fight recently. But we resolved it during the trip.”

Sojeong’s eyebrows shot up. “Woah, you guys actually fought? Interesting. Over what?”

Seungkwan paused, thinking for a moment. Having been so caught up with… his time spent together with Hansol, he hadn’t had much time to process what had happened himself either. “Hansol and I kinda exploded in front of the volleyball team over how important winning was and, well, Hansol let it slip out that he actually didn’t care about volleyball much at all.”

“And?”

Seungkwan looked at her in shock. “And? Are you not surprised at all?”

“Well…” she hummed. “It wasn’t exactly hard to see that that boy was completely smitten with you. I wouldn’t be surprised if he only joined the team to keep you company- which is what sounds like happened.”

Seungkwan went a bit slack-jawed, astonished at how Sojeong had managed to completely piece together their entire conflict with one sentence. “W- you could tell? That he didn’t like the sport?”

She shrugged. “It isn’t a topic he particularly talks a lot about, at least from what I’ve seen.”

“Ugh…” Seungkwan pressed a hand against his temple. “I feel like a horrible friend. How could I not have noticed that he didn’t even enjoy volleyball?”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it,” she replied with a small laugh. “He’s the one who continually inserted himself into the team just to be close to you- what else were you supposed to take that as, besides him liking the sport? Well, except him liking you, which your dumbass is clearly incapable of doing.”

“Hey!” Seungkwan complained. “Come on, we had only known each other for a few months.” He paused. Suddenly, a rather strickening realization dawned on him. “Oh my god… we had only known each other for a few months… How long has this been going on?!”

“Long enough,” Sojeong drawled, sounding a bit bored. “So how’d you guys resolve things?”

“Well… I was really only mad at him because it felt like he was lying to me for no good reason. And I think he was a bit upset that I kept running myself thin with all my commitments- so much so that we didn’t even see each other that much. We both kind of just unleashed all of that during our hike at Jeju, which explained a lot of things for both of us.” Seungkwan licked at his lips, debating if he should reveal the next morsel of information. Eventually, he decided to just go for it, because if there was anyone he had no qualms confiding in, it was Sojeong. “And… we kissed.”

Sojeong’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head, and she squealed while shaking Seungkwan’s shoulders rather violently, making her hair roller almost fly off her head. “FRIENDS MY ASS! HOLY SHIT!” Eventually, she composed herself and rested her elbows on the table, leaning forward in interest. “Tell me everything. ”

Seungkwan fidgeted a bit under her attention, but an uncontrollable smile began tugging at his lips as he thought back to his time with Hansol that weekend. He struggled to even find words to encapsulate every fleeting feeling and sensation that he had experienced. “It was… amazing.”

“Lord…” Sojeong muttered from beside him. “You’re really that far gone, huh?”

“Stop!” Seungkwan whined, blushing furiously. 

“How’d it happen? Paint the scene for me,” she prodded.

“We got lost in the forest after hiking… so we ended up stargazing in an overlook over the mountains.”

“Aww,” Sojoeng cooed. “So romantic.”

“He said his favorite constellation was Capricorn.”

“Shut up ,” Sojoeng said, slapping Seungkwan on the shoulder. “That’s your star sign! Oh my god, you two are so down bad for each other.”

“It caught me off guard,” Seungkwan admitted, ignoring her teasing. “I didn’t even realize until Shua mentioned it. Did he say that because it was my star sign? Or was it a coincidence?”

“I doubt it,” Sojoeng replied. “I think he’s just obsessed with you.”

“I’m not sure if he likes me like that, though.”

Sojoeng’s eyebrows shot up. “You guys kissed and you doubt if he likes you?”

“No, like, in a relationship way,” Seungkwan said with a frown, looking down at the half-peeled orange in his palms. He sighed, shoulders slumping against the kitchen chair. “I just… what if it ends the same way as last time?”

Sojeong’s gaze softened, eyes downturned as she turned to assess Seungkwan. “If this is about that asshole from freshman year… you know  Hansol’s not like that.”

Seungkwan grimaced. “I know, I know. Hansol’s been an amazing friend.” He looked down, playing with the tangerine peels in his hands. “I just don’t want to get my hopes up again.”

Sojeong tilted her head. “Well I can tell you that every new experience is a new one- so you owe it to yourself to take the chance to be happy.”

Seungkwan pressed his lips together, knowing she was right. But, he desperately wanted to stay in the period of ignorant bliss he had created for himself with Hansol in it, at least for the moment, lest it disappear as soon as it had come. He let out a tired sigh, clasping his hands and stretching out his shoulders. “Hey, this isn’t supposed to be a counseling session for me. Tell me about some wild college party scene stories.”

His sister raised a playful eyebrow at that, before doing a precautionary glance around the room “I’d rather mom and dad don’t hear about that. Wanna go in my room and do sheet masks?”

“God, yes. My skin’s been so dry from all the flying this weekend,” Seungkwan replied, relief visible in his shoulders. “Just a warning though- your bedroom’s been turned into a storage room.”

“God Dammit. Not again.”

*****

Seungkwan waited for Hansol at their usual meeting spot the next day before school- the tall, willow tree which was on the way to school between both their houses. He fidgeted with the strap of his backpack, seeming unable to rid himself of the bit of anticipation that crawled at his insides. On one hand, he so badly longed for the easy, casual time with Hansol on their way to school everyday. However, now Seungkwan couldn’t deny the possibility of having something much more between them, and it honestly frightened him.

Somehow, every thought and worry seemed to vanish from Seungkwan’s mind when he saw Hansol approaching in the distance. He raised an arm to wave enthusiastically to him, and Hansol waved back.

“Morning,” Seungkwan greeted him sweetly.

“Good morning,” Hansol replied, casually reaching forward to brush a strand of hair out of Seungkwan’s face. Seungkwan hated how much it made his stomach flip, and hated even more how much he preened from the small but subtle action.

“Did we have homework due for class today?”

“No idea.”

“Wonderful,” Seungkwan said, expecting nothing less from him. “You still coming to hang with Seokmin and the others during theater rehearsal, after practice tomorrow?”

“Obviously.”

Seungkwan grinned, grabbing his hand as they walked to school together again for the first time in weeks.

*****

The next day afterschool, practice was going unbelievably well.

A little concerningly well, Seungkwan would even say.

Seungcheol slapped Seungkwan on the back in praise after he had set the ball up perfectly for Seungcheol to spike over the net- one of many perfect run throughs of the day. It wasn’t only thanks to Seungkwan, however, because Hansol seemed to always be right at his side just when he needed him to bump the ball over for him to set. The only time the volleyball seemed to hit the floor was from the satisfying smack after it went over the net and scored a theoretical point.

“Great job everyone, seriously!” Seungcheol complimented the team, voice filled with a mixture of satisfaction and pure astonishment. “At this rate, we’re gonna be set for the semifinals for sure!”

After practice, Seungcheol immediately singled out Seungkwan as he was collecting volleyballs off the perimeter of the court. 

“Good job.”

Seungkwan propped a volleyball under his arm, letting out a huff of satisfaction as Seungcheol brought a hand up to pat his shoulder. “Thanks- definitely felt more like myself out on the court today. We’re timing our sets really well with each other.”

Seungcheol shook his head. “Oh yes, that- but I meant with Hansol. I’m really glad you guys worked out what was going on. It’s great to see you guys so close again. By the way, how was Jeju?”

“It was good,” Seungkwan said shortly, hesitant to let anything incriminating slip. “It was nice to be back home and see my grandma.”

“I see,” Seungcheol only said in reply, sporting an annoyingly knowing smile. “Well I hope you guys are well rested and ready for the semifinals this weekend.”

Seungkwan grinned. “Trust me, we’re going to destroy them.” Suddenly, an idea sparked in the back of his mind. “Hey, I’m gonna meet up with Seokmin, Soonyoung, and Chan at the theater after this. Wanna come?”

“Umm.. sure? But what would I do?”

“You gotta watch our rehearsals and give us some critiques,” Seungkwan insisted, already knowing his friends would jump at the opportunity to show off in front of Seungcheol.

“Oh, us, you say? Did you finally join the drama department?” Seungcheol teased.

Seungkwan sighed in exasperation. “No! Stop asking!”

Seungcheol helped him carry the rest of the volleyballs and they dumped them into the storage closet before making their way to the locker rooms. Seungkwan’s eye immediately found Hansol’s familiar mop of brown hair from across the room, even though he was turned away from him. Seungkwan couldn’t help his gaze from flitting down to the nape of his neck, the skin still a bit red and irritated as if something had been rubbed against- 

Oh. 

Seungkwan’s face immediately flared a deep red, and he forcefully jerked his neck away from the sight to calm his heartbeat. He was sure Seungcheol was giving him some curious looks right now, but he pointedly chose to ignore it. 

Seungkwan changed into his normal clothes in what was probably record time, before booking it out of the locker room for the sake of his own sanity and waiting outside in the hall for Hansol to finish changing. Soon enough, after a few other of their team members had filtered out of the door, Hansol appeared with his gym bag strapped over his shoulder and hands tucked into the pocket of his gray sweatshirt. Seungcheol trailed after him, and the two had just appeared to have finished conversing about something.

“Let’s go,” Seungkwan said quickly, beginning to walk down some random direction in the hallway.

“Isn’t the theater that way?” Hansol asked inquisitively, pointing a finger in the opposite direction of the hallway.

“Oh. Yeah,” Seungkwan said, shaking his head as if that would clear it. He turned around to hide the embarrassed flush traveling up his neck and the three of them made their way towards the theater room.

“You’re coming too, Hansol?” Seungcheol said, sounding incredibly amused. “Are you part of the drama department too, or are you also a solicitor like Seungkwan?”

“Hey!” Seungkwan grumbled, but his protests were lost amidst the conversation.

“Nah, I’m just giving Seungkwan company,” Hansol simply replied. Seungcheol raised a brow but didn’t say anything more.

The three of them continued walking down the hall, the space now deserted so late after school had ended. Seungkwan found himself a bit disappointed that Hansol had pocketed his hands, rendering them inaccessible, so he instead decided to bump shoulders with him as they made their way down the hall. 

“So what’re you guys working on now, since the play’s over?” Seungcheol asked in interest.

“Well… we haven’t exactly settled on which play to do next yet, but Seokmin and Soonyoung have already started method acting for a couple possible roles,” Seungkwan replied. 

“Like what?”

“One option’s the Wizard of Oz,” Seungkwan began. “We’re trying to find a play that Soonyoung’s actually gonna play a real character in- and the Lion’s as close to a tiger as we can get for now.”

“Has Soonyoung never played anything besides a tiger?” Seungcheol asked with a snort.

“Believe me, we’ve tried to make him do something else,” Seungkwan said with a roll of his eyes.

“So who’s gonna be Dorothy? Seokmin?”

“We’re leaning towards assigning him as Scarecrow.”

Hansol let out a string of laughs at that, leaning against Seungkwan’s side while he slapped at his arm. “Seriously… that’s perfect casting,” he said between wheezes.

Seungkwan grinned happily, looking behind his shoulder to where Hansol was still glued to his side. “I know, right? Seokmin’s being all sulky about it, though.” Seungkwan brought a hand to his chin. “I think Chan would be a great fit for the role, actually.”

“You know what- I can see the vision,” Seungcheol said, nodding a bit in agreement. “Well, whatever you guys decide, I’m sure it’ll be great.”

They soon arrived at the theater doors and Seungkwan pushed them open, alerting his friends to his presence.

“You guys are finally here- OH! You brought Hansol and Seungcheol?” Seokmin immediately noticed, bounding up to them excitedly. “Perfect- you’re just in time to witness Soonyoung’s lion performance.”

Suddenly, a loud roaring sound exploded from the back of the room, on stage. Soonyoung emerged from the curtains clad in his tiger costume from the King Arthur play. Seungkwan saw Chan faceplant from the front row of the audience.

“Soonyoung, you’re supposed to act scared! You don’t roar until the very end of the play!” Chan criticized, throwing his hand holding the script papers into the air.

“I still have to practice for my ultimate finale!” Soonyoung insisted, crossing his arms.

“I think we’re all too familiar with your roaring abilities from the last play,” Seungkwan said wryly as they approached the stage.

“Seungkwan! You’re here,” Chan greeted, finally noticing their presence. His eyes flitted to the side. “And… Hansol and Seungcheol too! What’re you guys doing here?”

“Seungkwan pulled me along to watch you guys rehearse,” Seungcheol replied, sounding slightly amused. “But it doesn’t seem you have much prepared.”

“Well… you can just be here for moral support,” Seungkwan said flippantly.

“Yeah, that’s what Hansol always does,” Soonyoung pointed out.

Seungcheol laughed. “How often do you come here, Hansol? Seungkwan isn't even in the drama department?”

“Er… once in a while…” Hansol replied, scratching the back of his head. 

“Is this a club meeting or just fraternization?” Seungcheol asked suspiciously, crossing his arms. “Do I need to look into the stuff you guys have been booking in the name of the drama department?”

“Oh shit,” Soonyoung said, his ferocious tiger persona dropping slightly. “I forgot he was the student body president.” Chan looked to Seungcheol and then Soonyoung again in slight worry.

“Don’t worry guys, it’s not like he’s gonna actually do anything,” Seungkwan said, playfully poking Seungcheol on the shoulder. Seokmin eagerly joined in on teasing Seungcheol.

“Why am I friends with you people?” Seungcheol replied, letting out a weary sigh.

Eventually, Seungcheol made himself comfortable in the audience seats while Seungkwan joined his friends onstage in planning the new play. Hansol seemed to consider staying behind in the audience as well for a moment, but eventually decided to follow Seungkwan up the steps to the stage and join them in their shenanigans, much to Seungkwan’s satisfaction. Seungkwan couldn’t help the small, giddy smile that slipped out of the corner of his mouth as Hansol sat next to him and brushed his knee against his.

“We’re trying to figure out how to frame this opening scene,” Seokmin said, beginning to fill Seungkwan in on the planning they had done while he was at practice. “I think we should have everyone file in from stage right, but Chan thinks that it would be better to have a more symmetrical entrance.”

“I just think the stage composition would be more balanced,” Chan explained.

“Well there’s not gonna be too many people in the opening sequence,” Seokmin replied. “It’ll make the focus on the characters easier to follow.”

“What do you think, Soonyoung?” Chan asked.

“Is the tiger in the opening scene?”

“There is no tiger!”

“Ahh… I don’t know then. It probably doesn’t matter too much since there aren’t many people on stage.”

“See?” Seokmin said. 

Chan rolled his eyes before turning to Seungkwan. “What about you, Seungkwan?”

“Er…” Seungkwan trailed off. “I mean, wouldn’t it be better to have people coming in from opposite sites if there’s gonna be singing? Because then we can relay between each other better.”

Chan smiled satisfactorily at Seungkwan’s answer. 

“Are we tied?” Seokmin said with a sigh. “I guess we’re at an impasse.”

“What if…” Hansol suddenly spoke up, surprisingly all four of them, including Seungkwan himself. He had the knuckle of his pointer finger rested against his lips, and appeared to be deep in thought. “You set up the opening scene with everyone already on stage? You’d introduce everyone through their character’s candid actions. It would help place the audience in the scene and add to the immersion. Then, everyone can slowly coalesce into center stage to interact with each other.”

“That’s… actually a good idea,” Seokmin replied, sounding mildly impressed. “We can definitely try a couple ideas once we actually get our props, but I think you’re onto something.”

“Hey, you’ve got a real knack for this,” Soonyoung complimented him. “Wanna be our director?”

“I dunno, that seems like a big role,” Hansol replied with a small laugh. 

“Don’t pressure him,” Seungkwan scolded Soonyoung. “This is why Chan is scared of all of us.”

“I am not!” Chan protested. “You guys are just annoying.”

“Anyways,” Soonyoung continued, ignoring the both of them. He turned back to Hansol. “You don’t gotta commit- just sit in for a few more rehearsals and see how you like it first. What do ya say?”

“Hmm… okay,” Hansol said after a moment of thought. “I’m around here a bunch with Seungkwan, anyways.”

“That’s the spirit!” Soonyoung said with a grin, slapping Hansol on the back. “How do you know so much about directing, anyways?”

“I did some child acting,” Hansol said with a shrug. “Got to see a lot of directors at work.”

“ Oh?” Soonyoung replied, interest peaked. “Well, the role of the tin man’s still up for grabs if you’re still in the acting scene.”

Hansol shook his head vehemently, the action so sharp that it almost looked painful. “No thanks, I’m good.”

“If you say so,” Soonyoung shrugged, quickly shifting to the next item on their script draft.

Seungkwan looked at Hansol inquisitively, but his expression didn’t give anything away, remaining stoic as ever. He opted to just place a reassuring hand atop Hansol’s knee and drape an arm across his shoulders. Hansol leaned into his touch.

The five of them talked aimlessly about some random, minor items on the script for a few more minutes before the theater door opened again. Seungkwan’s eyes flickered to the entrance to see who it was- Shua. Seungkwan was caught off guard for only a second, before a slow smile crawled up his mouth as the reason for Shua’s presence dawned on him.

Seungkwan looked to Seokmin- he hadn’t seemed to even notice the presence of another person in the room, being completely engrossed in discussing one of his lines with Soonyoung and Chan. Eventually, Hansol shifted his head, which had been resting against Seungkwan’s shoulder, to look into the audience and notice Shua’s presence as well.

“You can go talk to Shua and Seungcheol if you want,” Seungkwan said against his ear. Shua had made his way down the carpeted, red steps and was now standing beside Seungcheol and conversing with him about something. “Soonyoung’s been harassing you for far too long.”

Hansol pulled back by a fraction, looking up at Seungkwan through long eyelashes. Seungkwan swallowed roughly. Why had he never noticed how long they were before?  “Are you sure?”

“Y-yeah,” Seungkwan said, furiously fighting the blush which threatened to seep into his cheeks. 

Hansol stirred against Seungkwan’s side, eventually pushing himself off the floor and silently slipping into the rows of seats in the audience. Seungkwan watched him disappear as the stage lights slipped off his figure and he greeted Shua with a high five. Seungkwan watched him run a hand through his still-damp hair as he talked, the way he just slightly rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, how he cutely nodded along as he listened to whatever they were talking about-

“Um, hellooooo? Earth to Seungkwan?” He heard Seokmin say as a hand was waved in front of his face.

“Huh? What?” Seungkwan said, disoriented. His gaze snapped to focus on Seokmin’s hand, which he quickly swatted away.

“We were saying,” Seokmin began. “You know what, actually- spill what happened between you and Hansol! You guys are all over each other, ever since we lost you guys on the mountain,” Seokmin said suggestively. He paused. “Well, more than usual.”

“What do you mean more than usual!” Seungkwan protested.

“Ever since you guys started hooking up-” Soonyoung started.

“Wait, I thought they were already dating??” Chan said, sounding extremely perplexed.

At this point, Seungkwan’s cheeks were practically burning red as he desperately tried to ward off his friends’ accusations. He buried his face into his palms. “I don’t know what you guys are talking about- we were never dating!”

Soonyoung, Seokmin, and Chan all eyed each other, as if they were having a silent conversation through just a single look.

“What??” Seungkwan said again, when no one responded.

“Okayyy… if you say so,” Seokmin said, sounding like he didn’t believe him a single bit. “I’ll just say… you guys were getting REAL comfortable in those orange fields-”

Seungkwan practically launched himself across the stage to cover Seokmin’s mouth with his palm, eliciting a chorus of screams as Seungkwan strangled Seokmin and Soonyoung somehow elicited himself into the fight for no apparent reason. Chan was suddenly nowhere to be seen, probably having backed away to watch them in disappointment.

When Seokmin had finally fended himself free from Seungkwan’s attacks, rehearsal was almost over and the winter sky was beginning to darken outside. The four of them dispersed (but not before Seungkwan had made sure to pummel Seokmin in the back once again for good measure) and Seungkwan went to join Hansol off stage. He just barely caught the end of their conversation.

“-ah, so that’s what happened. Jeju sounds like such a nice place to getaway,” he heard Seungcheol say.

“It was gorgeous,” Shua responded in a dream-like voice. “Amongst other things, I’m sure,” he continued, sending a pointed look towards Hansol. Hansol just looked back in confusion.

“Shua, what are you doing here?” Seungkwan interrupted, before Shua could do anything more incriminating. Shua only smiled at him sweetly.

“Oh you know, I just happened to be in the area after the literature club meeting, and wanted to stop by and see how my fellow classmates were doing.”

Seungkwan crossed his arms, leaning back to give Shua a sly look. “Uh-huh, and definitely not to come see a certain someone who happens to be in the drama department, right?”

Shua didn’t flinch from Seungkwan’s teasing, much to his disappointment. He inspected a nonexistent speck of dust on his sleeve cuff. “Even if I was, at least I do it with some class.”

“Excuse me?”

“Anyways, I’ve gotta run- I told Jeonghan I’d meet him to help with one of his classes for once-” Seungcheol made a small face of surprise from beside him at that. “But I’ll see you guys at the game this weekend?”

“Yeah, thanks for coming again,” Seungcheol replied happily. “I’ll look for you in the stands.”

Shua waved goodbye to them before making his way up the stairs again and pushing open the double doors to the auditorium. Seungkwan let out a breath as he disappeared, and rested his head against Hansol’s shoulder. “Well, I’m spent. I’ll see you tomorrow at practice, Seungcheol,” Seungkwan told him.

Seungkwan threw his bag over his shoulder and grabbed Hansol’s hand before ushering them out the door as well. Hansol trailed along easily.

“Are you ready for the game this weekend?” Seungkwan asked him as they walked home together. He huddled himself against Hansol’s side to ward off the chilly air that seeped into his limbs. Their fingers were still intertwined together, stuck inside Hansol’s jacket pocket to conserve warmth.

“I think so,” Hansol replied. The wind blew at his nose and tinted it red, and caused a few strands of hair to slip out from under his beanie and whip against his cheeks. “Practice has been going really well this week.”

“It’s crazy how much the team dynamic has changed just ‘cos we’re not fighting anymore,” Seungkwan said with a small laugh. He watched the colorful leaves crunch under his feet as they trailed along the path in silence for the next few minutes, with only the sound of crunching leaves and gusts of air permeating the space. Hansol was probably one of the only people Seungkwan could truly feel comfortable silence with, he was realizing. “Y’know, you don’t have to stay on the team if you don’t want to. I’m sure everyone would understand.”

“Mm, it’s not that I don’t want to,” Hansol explained. “It’s just hard to see you get so overwhelmed because of it.”

“Oh…” Seungkwan said, furrowing his brow as he tried to think of what to say. “I just don’t think I even recognize when I’m pushing too hard.”

Hansol let out a sigh, the single breath somehow filled with reluctance yet fondness at the same time. He turned to look at Seungkwan, a soft smile etched onto his face that made Seungkwan’s heart clench. “Then don’t worry about me. You’ve got enough on your plate.”

*****

“Seungkwan-ah, could you set the plates up on the dining table?”

“Sure, mom.”

Seungkwan rolled the sleeves of his pale blue dress shirt up his elbows, as he made his way towards the cabinet where they kept their tableware. The air in their house had gotten stuffy with all the cooking his parents were doing in the kitchen combined with the general clamor that went on within the house whenever they had a guest coming over- even if that guest was just Hansol, who had been over many times before. It was his sister’s last night at home, so his mother had enthusiastically suggested he invite Hansol over for dinner before she left. Sojeong had gladly obliged to the idea, jumping at the chance to see Hansol again and probably pester him for details on their trip to Jeju.

Once Seungkwan had laid out all the plates on the dining table and helped to arrange some of the finished dishes across the center, he made his way upstairs to freshen up before Hansol arrived at his house. He had already changed into his dinner attire- which his mother had insisted he dress formally for for no apparent reason- of a simple button down tucked into a pair of black slacks. However, the hairstyle Seungkwan had combed his hair into had fallen out of place amidst all the work he had been doing around the house. Seungkwan picked at the strands, trying to tuck them back into place, but a few still stubbornly made their way across his forehead. He debated getting his products to slick it back into place, but decided he liked the slightly messy look.  He wiped at a few droplets of sweat which had accumulated on his forehead and reapplied a tinted lip balm before surveying his reflection in the mirror again. He hated to admit it, but he cared a lot about what he looked like- mostly because he wanted to impress Hansol. Should he accessorize with a pair of earrings? Maybe a necklace? Seungkwan shook his head. No, that would be overdoing it. This wasn’t even a fancy event.

Afterall, he wouldn’t be surprised if Hansol just showed up dressed in the same button up he’d worn a dozen times before an old pair of jeans anyways.

Suddenly, Seungkwan’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing and his parents yelling at him to go answer the door. He quickly flew down the stairs and patted himself down once more before taking a deep breath and throwing open the door. 

Nothing could’ve prepared Seungkwan for the sight that stood before him.

Hansol stood on his front doorstep, dressed smartly in a crisp, cream dress shirt and well-tailored slacks. His hair was styled for once in his life, swept to the sides in neat waves, and Seungkwan found himself wondering who had done it because there was no way Hansol could’ve done it himself. The top button of his dress shirt was undone, exposing a bit of clavicle which he had obviously sprayed his signature cologne on- Seungkwan was getting insanely drunk off of it. 

And to top it all off, Hansol was holding a moderately-sized bouquet of flowers in his hands and holding it out to Seungkwan, looking a bit abashed. Seungkwan could’ve melted on the spot.

“Um… here. For you and your family,” he said, thrusting the bouquet towards him. Seungkwan clumsily took it, still disoriented.

“Ah- thanks,” Seungkwan replied, already feeling a flush rise to his face. He stepped aside to let Hansol inside before closing the door behind him.

“Oh my, Hansol, you look so nice!” His mother said from behind him, having finally emerged from the kitchen to greet their guest. She caught sight of the bouquet in Seungkwan’s hands and gasped. “And you brought flowers? How thoughtful! Maybe I should adopt you instead.”

“Mom!” Seungkwan complained.

“Anyways, please come in- dinner’s almost done!” 

Hansol removed his shoes at the door before following Seungkwan into the house as he tried to locate an adequate vase to hold the flowers in. Much to his luck (or unluckiness, he wasn’t sure), they ran into Sojeong on their way to the living room- it seemed that she had finally finished getting ready and emerged from her room. She was now wearing a knee-length, blue dress and actually had her hair taken out of its rollers for possibly the first time Seungkwan had seen thus far.

“Oh my god, stop. What am I witnessing right now?” She said upon spotting the two of them dressed up in formal wear and Seungkwan holding the huge bouquet of flowers in his hands. Seungkwan was now realizing how date-night themed the entire setup was beginning to seem. Sojeong immediately took out her phone to snap a picture of them, much to Seungkwan’s embarrassment. “You guys are too cute. Oh yeah, and good to see you again, Hansol.”

“Hey Sojeong. You too.” Hansol calmly raised a hand in greeting. Once again, Hansol’s lack of reaction never failed to impress Seungkwan.

“How’re things going? Anything new?”

“Well-”

“Sojeong, do you know where the vases are?” Seungkwan said, cutting him off before he could say anything even more embarrassing. 

“No. I don’t live here anymore,” she replied simply, going back to look at the picture she had taken on her phone.

“Right…” Seungkwan replied. “You’re useless. I’m gonna check the cabinets over there.”

“Alright,” she agreed. She suddenly turned to Hansol, pulling him in by the crook of his elbow. “Oh, Hansol, come sit with us at the table while he does that. I think everything’s ready.”

“Ok.”

Seungkwan helplessly watched the two of them leave in despair as Sojeong threw a wink to Seungkwan over her shoulder, likely plotting to reveal some exceptionally incriminating story about him over a plate of his mom’s spring rolls. He quickly located a vase hidden away in the back of one of their cabinets and filled it with water from the kitchen sink before stuffing the stems of the flower bouquet into it. He set it in the center of the kitchen table, now that all the food had been transported to the larger dining room.

Seungkwan walked into the dining room a bit precariously, but to his relief Sojeong seemed to just be asking Hansol about normal school-related topics. 

“So do you think you’ll join the drama department then?”

“I don’t really know… I thought I would be too busy with volleyball but Soonyoung’s been really persistent.”

“If you ask me, I think it’d be absolutely hilarious if you joined before Seungkwan did,” Sojeong replied under her breath. Hansol grinned back in amusement, looking like he might actually be considering the suggestion now.

“Sorry to interrupt your conversation about well, me,” Seungkwan butt in, making his presence known as he pulled back the empty chair next to Hansol. “But I’m here to stop whatever manipulation might be occurring right now.”

Sojeong stuck out her tongue at him. “He’s already been manipulated far enough if he’s friends with you.”

“Hey!” Seungkwan snapped back, launching a plastic spoon at her. Seungkwan had severely misjudged his aim, however, because the spoon ended up hitting Hansol square in the eye instead of his sister, who was seated right behind him. Seungkwan’s hand flew to his mouth as the spoon bounced harmlessly off his face, landed in his lap, and then rolled onto the floor with a soft rattle.

Hansol didn’t move a single inch throughout the entire assault. He just blinked blankly at Seungkwan, as if nothing had happened at all, before bending down to casually pick the spoon off the floor. “Um… should I throw this away?”

“I am so sorry for my brother’s horrendous hospitality,” Sojeong said apologetically, placing a hand on Hansol’s shoulder. Seungkwan sputtered, not even sure how to object. She took the dirtied spoon from Hansol’s hand. “I’ll take care of that, don’t you worry.” With that, Sojeong was off to the kitchen to throw away the spoon. 

Seungkwan looked back carefully to Hansol, who had begun fixing a few strands of hair out of his face. Seungkwan tsked, leaning over to prevent him from messing up the hairdo which someone had graciously done for him. “Yah… you’re alright, right?” He tutted, gingerly brushing his fingertips across the skin around Hansol’s eye, inspecting it for any possible sign of a blemish even though there was absolutely no way something as light as a plastic spoon could’ve done any damage. Hansol nodded in confirmation as Seungkwan continued to fuss over him.“Goddamnit, I was aiming for Sojeong.”

Hansol only smiled in response as Seungkwan’s hands made their way down to his collar to straighten out the lapels and smooth down the fabric around his shoulders. Seungkwan caught a whiff of his familiar, intoxicating perfume, and his gaze trailed up to lock eyes with Hansol. A light dust of rosy color bloomed across Seungkwan’s cheeks as he took in the sight of Hansol looking like… that this up close.

“Why don’t you dress up more often?” Seungkwan whined. He gave Hansol another once-over. “You look… unbelievably handsome. Seriously.”

Hansol cocked an eyebrow. “Thank you?”

“You’re welcome,” Seungkwan pouted. He waited. “And…”

“And?”

“And…” Seungkwan gestured to himself, the hairdo and makeup he had spent hours pouring over, the outfit he specifically curated for this event. “Hello?”

“Aah…” Hansol finally said, seeming to get somewhere. “Did you get a new shirt?”

Seungkwan face-palmed. 

“He wants you to compliment his looks,” a voice suddenly said from behind him, amidst some loud chewing sounds.

Seungkwan whipped around in his seat, face burning. “Sojeong!!!”

Sojeong was sporting a plate with a bit of salad on it, munching on a carrot as she watched them with a bored expression on her face.

“Oohhh,” Hansol said, finally putting the pieces together. Then he furrowed his brow, tilting his head a bit to the side. “Seungkwan always looks pretty, though.”

Seungkwan felt his heart stupidly skip several beats. Sojeong pointed a finger and laughed at his embarrassment. Hansol just sat there, unaware of the effect his words had on him as usual.

Seungkwan always looks pretty, though.

Seungkwan couldn’t get the sentence out of his head for the rest of the dinner, even as the rest of his family arrived at the table and they began to pester Sojeong and Hansol with various questions. He had to force down the giddy smile that threatened to make its way up his face each time he took a bite off his plate. The entire room just rang with warmth- from his parents’ happy chortles to Sojeong’s snappy comebacks to Hansol’s reassuring presence blending in seamlessly to his family’s banter. He wondered if his parents noticed the bright blush still staining his face- they most definitely did, on second thought, but Seungkwan didn’t find himself caring as much as he thought he would.

“How’s your third year treating you, Sojeong?” His father asked through a mouthful of chicken. “How does it feel to be more than halfway through your degree?”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Sojeong muttered. “Just two years closer to actually having to get a job.”

“What’re you studying again?” Hansol asked, sucking the sauce off his spoon.

“Architecture, but I’m trying to get a minor in Music Theory too.”

“Oh wow, that’s a cool combination.”

Sojeong grinned. “Thanks- I’ve gotta put my music skills to work somehow. Not all of us are gifted with the voice of a siren like Seungkwan.”

“I’m not that good…” Seungkwan said, rolling his eyes. 

“Yeah, you are.”

Seungkwan shot Hansol with a disapproving look of betrayal.

“Do I need to pull up the baby videos of you singing karaoke along with the TV?” Sojeong said with a shit-eating grin.

“Sojeong I swear to god…” Seungkwan said in the most threatening voice he could muster, grip on his fork tightening.

It was too late however, because Sojeong had already fished out her phone and had pulled up a series of videos from an album she apparently had curated for this very moment so that she could embarrass Seungkwan to hell and back. Seungkwan tried to lunge for the phone, but he risked smacking Hansol in the face again so he was forced to restrain himself as the utterly cringe-worthy sound of his ten-year old voice began playing across the dining table.

“ Aww, I remember that day!” Seungkwan’s mom cooed, eyes sparkling as caught a glimpse of Sojeong’s phone. “I almost forced Seungkwan to sign up for choir club after that but then he threw a huge fit over it.”

“Sounds like him, alright,” his father replied with a solemn nod.

Seungkwan shielded his face with his hand, having since given up on enjoying a peaceful dinner in his home. “Oh my god, turn that off. Some of us are trying to eat here!”

“You’re so cute here though,” Sojeong replied, sounding very much like she wanted to pinch Seungkwan on the cheeks like she often did when they were younger. “Hansol, don’t you think that Seungkwan was such a cute kid?”

Seungkwan peeked at Hansol from between his fingers as he leaned in to get a closer look at the video. His younger self was gripping a homemade microphone, jumping around in front of the TV as he sang along to his favorite girl group at the time. He bit his lip as Hansol continued to watch intently.

“Very,” Hansol replied simply, a smug grin resting on his features. “He’s been a singer from the very beginning, I see.”

Seungkwan shoved him on the shoulder, eliciting an amused laugh from him before Sojeong finally decided to put Seungkwan out of his misery and put her phone away. 

“I heard you and Seungkwan have that volleyball tournament coming up this weekend,” his dad said to Hansol, graciously changing the topic. 

“Oh, yeah,” Hansol replied, munching on some vegetables. “It’s the semifinals.”

“How’s practice going? Seungkwan was really stressed about preliminaries a few weeks back- I swear, I’ve never seen him so caught up over volleyball.”

“We’ve improved a lot,” Hansol said matter-of-factly. “I think we’re well prepared this time.”

“Oh? New training regime?” His father asked with a raise of his brow.

“Yeah, I’m sure you could say that,” Sojeong said, wiggling her eyebrows at Seungkwan. Seungkwan shot her a glare across the table.

“We’re gonna crush them this weekend,” Seungkwan said confidently, ignoring Sojeong’s suggestive looks. 

“Looking forward to seeing it happen,” his dad replied, raising a glass of his sparkling cider to the center of the table. “Cheers to the game this weekend?”

The rest of them eagerly raised their glasses to clink against his father’s own, and the clamor of their voices overlapped as they each made their own toasts. Seungkwan threw back his own drink, its carbonation stinging a bit as it traveled down the back of his throat. The drink wasn’t alcoholic, but somehow Seungkwan felt more pumped and loose than ever. The sentiment even seemed to have reached Hansol, who was laughing freely along with the rest of his family. 

Before he knew it, dinner had ended and the clock had struck 11 PM- the dinner conversations had dragged on far longer than any of them could have foreseen. Sojeong and his parents waved Hansol goodbye and thanked him for coming before Seungkwan walked him up to the front door to see him off. Hansol’s dad hadn’t arrived to pick him up yet, so the two of them lingered outside on the front steps, the space dimly lit by the warm porch lights. The ambient lighting painted Hansol’s face gorgeously in the deep night, and Seungkwan couldn’t help but stare at him, entranced, as a gust of cool wind blew a strand of hair across his face. Seungkwan took a step closer to him, cupping the side of his face with one hand tucking the lock of hair back into his now-messy updo with the other hand.

“You know, there’s been something I’ve been wanting to do all night, ever since I saw you in this outfit,” Seungkwan said softly, eyes locked on Hansol’s own. Hansol tilted his head against Seungkwan’s palm, round, deep brown eyes gazing back at him expectantly.

Seungkwan just barely lifted his heels off the ground to close the one inch- space between them, and pressed a hand behind Hansol’s neck to bring his face further down. He felt the languid warmth of Hansol’s breath against the cold, late autumn air before feeling the searing heat of his lips pressing against his own. Seungkwan let his eyes flutter closed. Hansol gently brought a hand up to cover Seungkwan’s own, the heat from his palm seeping into the cold, wind-kissed skin on the back of Seungkwan’s own hand.

The kiss was short but sweet, and Seungkwan only pulled away because he knew Hansol would have to leave soon. Seungkwan couldn’t help but playfully pull at the soft scarf wrapped around Hansol’s neck that he had let him borrow- of course that dumbass had forgotten to pack anything actually warm for when it got colder at night. Seungkwan grabbed both of his hands and placed them against his cheeks, sighing in satisfaction when they warmed his face against the cold wind immediately. 

“See you tomorrow at school?” Seungkwan said lightly, when he saw Hansol’s dad pull up into the driveway from the corner of his eye.

Hansol nodded cutely, letting his hands fall to clasp Seungkwan’s in the space between them. “Of course. Always.”

*****

It was the day of their semi-final game, and Seungkwan was simultaneously filled with anticipation and apprehension at the same time. He wrung his hands together in his lap as Seungcheol drove him, Hansol, Jihoon, and Wonwoo to the opposing school’s gymnasium, their gym bags full with equipment and thrown into the trunk of Seungcheol’s car. Seungkwan had no reason to be nervous, really. The team had flown through their practices even better than they could have ever hoped for, even soliciting astounding comments from their coach who had sounded like she was on the brink of losing hope just a week before. He supposed their disastrous uncoordination still nagged at him, threatening to come back just as suddenly as it had left. He felt a gentle brush of skin against his fingers- Seungkwan turned his head by a fraction to find Hansol, silently watching him intently and laying a reassuring hand over his own, which had been resting on the seat of the car between them. Seungkwan smiled to himself, nerves immediately quieted. Soon enough, they arrived at the rival school and were soon waving goodbye to Jihoon and Wonwoo as they went to find their seats in the bleachers. Seungkwan shook his head to rid himself of any lingering thoughts, and instead channeled his nerves into warming up and practicing more sets as they began to set up in the school gymnasium.

Their rival school’s gymnasium was much nicer than their own- and that was a grand understatement. Seungkwan gaped stupidly as he surveyed the tall, newly renovated gym walls and state-of-the-art sports equipment. The rest of the team seemed to be similarly in shock as they slowly filed into the large space. Seungcheol whistled lowly from beside him.

“They didn’t spare any expense in funding this place, did they?” Seungcheol commented.

“I think a single volleyball from here could fund our department’s meetings for the next month,” Seungkwan muttered in envy. Seungcheol laughed, agreeing with him.

Once they had gotten over their initial shock, the team immediately began warming up with some stretches and laps around the gym before doing some preliminary drills before the game started. Seungkwan grabbed a volleyball from the cart which had been set out before making his way back to find Hansol, who was currently kneeling on the floor, leg stretched out behind him as he did his umpteenth stretch of the day. Seungkwan watched him in fascination.

“How many stretching routines do you have? I swear, I always see you doing a new one…” Seungkwan remarked in amusement.

“It’s the most important part of any sport,” Hansol replied factually.

Seungkwan kneeled down on the floor beside him, trying to recreate the pose he was doing. He immediately felt his hamstring stretch satisfyingly- maybe Hansol was onto something.

“I wonder if the others are here yet,” Seungkwan mused, looking up into the bleachers. “I know Soonyoung, Seokmin, Chan, and Shua are coming- which probably means Jeonghan is too. We better hope our captain doesn’t get distracted.” Seungkwan wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“What do you mean?” Hansol said, sounding a bit confused.

Seungkwan rolled his eyes. “Nevermind.”

“Can someone go get more volleyballs?” 

Hansol looked away from their conversation to respond to Seungcheol’s request. “Seungkwan and I can go,” he offered. 

Seungkwan looked at him in slight surprise, but nonetheless paused his stretching to push himself off the floor and follow Hansol to the storage supply closet and fetch more volleyballs. He playfully bumped shoulders with Hansol as they half stumbled out of the gymnasium. “You seriously don’t notice anything?” Seungkwan laughed.

“Notice what?” Hansol said again, sounding genuinely fascinated this time.

“Seungcheol so has the hots for Jeonghan.”

“Ohh. I guess that makes sense,” Hansol replied after a moment of thought. “They’re kind of obsessed with each other.”

“That’s what I’m saying!”

Finally, after walking past a bunch of random doors they managed to find the equipment room- they had nearly walked past it, having mistaken it for a classroom because of how large it was. They walked in and meandered throughout the aisles until they found the ones containing a variety of balls. Finally, they spotted the volleyballs on the shelf second last to the far left wall. 

“Goddamn, this place is huge,” Seungkwan said in amazement as he made his way towards the volleyball shelf. “We could get lost in this room alone.”

Hansol nodded in agreement, footsteps padding against the floor as he followed behind him. Seungkwan felt the heat radiate off Hansol’s body as he reached over him to grab a couple volleyballs which were perched on the shelf directly behind him. Seungkwan leaned backwards against the shelf, hands clasped around the edge of its smooth wood as he stared directly at Hansol’s chest in front of his face. His breath stilted.

Hansol eventually pulled back, tucking the volleyballs under his right arm. He continued adjusting the balls against his side for several moments before realizing that Seungkwan was in fact, not moving to get any volleyballs himself. He blinked dumbly at him. “Um…”

“Chwe Hansol, what are you trying to pull?” Seungkwan asked, voice leering as he poked a finger into Hansol’s chest. Hansol raised an eyebrow.

“Am I pulling something?” 

“Yeah, me.” 

Hansol grinned, clearly amused by his forwardness. “Good to know.”

Seungkwan grabbed him by the shirt, shaking him a bit and eliciting a bright laugh from Hansol. “You’re so dumb.” Seungkwan, now finding himself so close to Hansol, couldn’t help his hands from moving down his chest to rest around his torso. He peered up at him, eyes flickering down to his lips in interest. Seungkwan felt the heat of Hansol’s palm press against the base of his neck, thumb just slightly brushing against the sensitive dip of his collarbone. Seungkwan shivered.

  Hansol’s hand pushed against his neck, gradually inching their faces closer together. It was nothing like their time in Jeju- all hungry kisses and desperate longing. No, Hansol was bringing him in slowly and purposefully, taking all the time in the world to look at Seungkwan in what he could only describe as absolute adoration. Seungkwan’s chest fluttered as he shut his eyes in anticipation.

He waited for the familiar touch of Hansol’s lips to come, but it never did. In fact, Hansol seemed to have paused entirely. Seungkwan blinked his eyes open in confusion, finding Hansol looking over to his left. Seungkwan followed his line of vision and his gaze locked onto the shocked faces of Jeonghan along with nearly everyone else from their thirteen person group chat. His eyes widened to the size of saucers.

Seungkwan immediately ripped himself away from Hansol- probably with a bit too much force, because the next thing he knew, his elbow had painfully made contact with the volleyball racks behind him and caused them to fall onto his head unceremoniously. He bit down the urge to curse as yet another foam ball bounced off his head and almost comically rolled across the room to bump against Jeonghan’s foot. Everyone in the room was stunned into silence, including Seungkwan himself as an uncontrollable blush imploded across his face.

“What are you two doing in here?” Mingyu asked, recovering from his shock first. He eyed him and Hansol with a smug expression.

Hansol blinked innocently and pointed to the volleyballs. “Getting more volleyballs,” he responded casually, as if they hadn’t been seconds away from making out. Seungkwan gaped at his complete lack of concern around the entire situation.

As if turning on a switch, the group broke out into immediate chatter and exclamations, swarming around the two of them as Seungkwan tried his best to avoid eye contact with any of his traitorous friends. 

“I guess that answers the question on how you two are doing...” Jeonghan muttered in disbelief, smiling as he did so.

“I - I can explain -” Seungkwan stuttered, raising his hands in defense as Soonyoung walked up to him and slapped his back like a proud parent. Damn Soonyoung.

Shua walked up to Hansol and helped out with a couple of the volleyballs, seeming completely unphased. Seungkwan wondered how much he really witnessed from the Jeju trip- his prospects were not good, judging from the unimpressed way Shua was eyeing him, like this was a scene he’d seen play out a hundred times before.

“What was that??” Chan asked Hansol, smiling in shock along with the rest of them. 

Hansol pondered for a moment before shrugging. “Good luck ritual?” 

Seungkwan’s cheeks flared even redder than they already were, and he tugged down on Hansol’s shirt to whisper-scream into his ear.

“Stop making it worse!”

Hansol only offered him a confused look in return.

“Oh, is that the secret to our volleyball team’s winning streak, then?” Wonwoo said smugly. “Seungcheol never told us about that.”

Hansol frowned. “I don’t think Seungcheol has a good luck ritual.”

“Why don’t we ask Jeonghan?” Shua chirped cheerfully, looking around for him. “Agh, where'd he go?”

“Maybe he went back into the storage closet,” Jihoon suggested. “That’s the ideal spot for these things, apparently.”

Seungkwan buried his face into his hands, as if that would drone out all the incessant teasing. Amidst all the commotion, he realized he’d failed to bring even a single volleyball out of the storage closet; it was no matter though, because his friends were now filing out of the room each carrying a ball in their hands as they followed Seungkwan towards the gym. 

“There they are!” Chan called, spotting Seungcheol and Jeonghan, who had snuck out of the horde at some point during the chaos.

“We’re not going to find two couples in one day, are we?” Joshua asked suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows as he approached them. 

“Shut up,” the two snapped simultaneously at him. Joshua only shrugged innocently, as if they had just proved his point.

“We were just talking about the team. Specifically you two,” Seungcheol noticed, looking at Hansol and Seungkwan. 

Seungkwan groaned and hung his head. “Enough, I’ve already heard plenty from them,” he said, defeated. 

They began wishing the three of them good luck on their performance, and Seokmin made his way towards the water fountain to grab a drink before the game started. Seungkwan saw the fountain assault Seokmin with a violent spurt of water and he immediately pointed a finger to laugh at him, folding over in hysterics as Soonyoung joined in on the festivities. The two of them were still in stitches over the sight of a disappointed Seokmin as Jeonghan offered his cardigan to him to dry off with.

“Okay, let's head back to the stands and let you guys resume practicing,” Jihoon suggested, after the chatting died down a bit.  

“Practice volleyball, ” Minghao clarified, looking pointedly at Hansol and Seungkwan. 

Seungkwan glared at him, huffing in embarrassment. Hansol tilted his head, as if he was wondering what else they would be practicing. 

“Maybe you and Jun can give them pointers later,” Jeonghan commented under his breath, smirking. Minghao crossed his arms and looked away, looking somewhat shy. 

“Not so loud!!” Jun complained, a blush creeping up onto his face. 

They were all fucking doomed, Seungkwan thought wryly. However, Seungkwan took solace in the fact that he wasn’t the only one being teased now, at least. He could always count on Jeonghan to never discriminate in his mischief.

Soon the game was underway, and Seungkwan easily zeroed in on what was important- the ball. In that moment, all his nerves had faded to nothing and were instead replaced with a buzzing sense of comfortable anticipation in his veins. He surveyed the court- Hansol was situated to his right behind him, likely positioned to receive the ball as soon as it came over the net. Seungcheol was at his usual spot near the net, ready to spike the ball and score a winning point as long as Seungkwan could get it to him- it was up to him to set it up. Every player was vital in getting the ball over the net, but Seungkwan was the glue that would hold all their parts together. He dug his heels against the polished gym floor to ground himself as the referee brought the whistle to her lips.

The shrill screech of the whistle reverberated through the room and the ball flew into the air. Seungkwan’s feet moved instinctively. He smiled, already feeling more alive than ever.

This feeling was what he lived for. 

*****

The team broke out into cheers and celebrated the win of the first set. Seungcheol smiled and praised the team for their efforts, giving Seungkwan and Hansol a pat on the back from the last spectacular save they had made. The game was going exceptionally well, and they all made their way towards the edge of the court as their coach went over the plans to the team again. Seungkwan was breathing hard, but the familiar thrum of adrenaline in his limbs overshadowed any discomfort he felt and magnified the high of their success tenfold.

A sudden burst of noise came from the audience, amongst which Seungkwan easily recognized Seokmin’s booming opera voice and Soonyoung’s, well, generally loud ass voice. Near the middle section of the stands sat all of his friends, jeering and hollering for their first win, trying to get their attention. Seungkwan and Hansol made their way towards Seungcheol, who was  looking up and waving at them. 

“They know we haven’t won yet, right?” Hansol asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Definitely not,” Seungkwan answered, smiling brightly as he basked in their attention. 

The rest of the game went by in a complete blur, which is how Seungkwan knew it was getting more intense- so intense that every shred and fiber of his being was completely consumed on where the ball was, where he was on the court, where he needed to set it up next to get it over the net- nothing else could possibly drag it out of his line of sight even if it tried. 

Before he knew it, the referee had called the game and Seungkwan had to physically snap himself out of his gameplay mode upon realizing they had won. Seungkwan’s heart lifted as the team swarmed Seungcheol with hugs and pats on the back, and he returned their praise, saying it was all a team-effort. All their friends came running down the stands too, starting with Seokmin and Soonyoung running down first and then the rest, with all of them crowding the already convoluted hurdle of volleyball players to give them hugs and congratulations. Seungkwan hollered triumphantly as Seokmin and Soonyoung lifted him and practically threw him into the air in celebration. The sensation was almost overwhelming- the sound of the crowd roaring and the cool air against his sweat-slicked skin and the sound of their winning score still ringing in his ears. 

When Seokmin and Soonyoung had finally released him from their grasp, Seungkwan found Hansol amidst the rest of their teammates, still cheering in a huddle. Hansol caught his eye immediately as he neared, a bright smile breaking across his face when he spotted him. Seungkwan ran up to him and threw his arms around his shoulders, holding onto him tightly as Hansol spun him around in a circle. Seungkwan laughed, heart weightless as his feet dangled in the air. He couldn’t even be bothered to care about his friends’ undoubtful teasing later, because the only thing that could make the moment better than it already was was having Hansol at his side. Hansol set him back on the floor but Seungkwan held onto his shoulders, still jumping up and down from the exhilaration of their win. “Hansol!! We’re moving onto semifinals!” Seungkwan exclaimed excitedly.

“Hell yeah we are,” Hansol replied happily, covering Seungkwan’s hands with his own. Seungkwan beamed back at him, eyes shining. He wanted to take Hansol’s face into his hands and kiss him right now, in the middle of their rival gymnasium and in their sweat-drenched jerseys and messy, slicked back hair. But, something within him prevented him from doing so, and he leaned in to envelope Hansol in a hug instead. Hansol’s hands came up to rest on Seungkwan’s back.

“We did it. Together,” Seungkwan said into his ear.

Hansol nodded against his hair.

Chapter Text

Hansol stared down at the contacts list on his phone, debating on pressing call after clicking on the profile he had been looking for. He really needed to pay back a favor and invite him out for lunch anyways, but there was something else also nagging at him that he would undoubtedly harass him about if they met. Finally, just deciding to go for it, Hansol shook his head and pressed the call button. After one, two, rings, the call picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hey Jun,” Hansol greeted, glad he had caught him at a time he wasn’t busy with some acting-related gig. “You free right now? I was thinking we could grab lunch so that I could repay you for helping me with my hair and styling the other day.”

“Actually, yes,” Jun said after a bit of pause, and Hansol heard the shuffling of papers on the other end of the phone. “I’m free for the next two hours. Where’d you want to meet?”

“Um… do you know that Korean-Chinese restaurant near the school?”

“... You mean Jeonghan’s restaurant?”

“Oh yeah, I forgot he worked there,” Hansol replied. “I’m nearby right now. I can meet you there?”

“Sure, sounds good,” Jun replied. “I’m sure we’ll be entertained.”

Before Hansol could ask him what he meant by that, Jun had already hung up. He stared at his phone in confusion before simply shrugging and pocketing it away again. He began to make his way towards the restaurants, hands in his jacket pockets as the cool breeze blew against his face. He still had Seungkwan’s soft, pale yellow scarf wrapped around his neck which he had borrowed from him so many nights before- Hansol had meant to give it back earlier, but kept forgetting, so he’d resolved to simply start wearing it around until the next time he saw Seungkwan (which was never too far away). 

After a pleasant ten minute walk, Hansol arrived in front of Jeonghan’s restaurant. He wondered if Jeonghan was working right now- probably, since it was a weekend, and if all the horror stories Joshua told him were anything to go by. He pushed open the door and it chimed cheerfully as he stepped in.

“Welcome… oh, Hansol? What’re you doing here?” Jeonghan greeted him, actually getting up from his seat behind the counter and switching up from his bored-sounding tone exceptionally fast. He looked behind his shoulder towards the front door, as if he were expecting someone else to pop up beside him.

“Hey hyung,” Hansol greeted with a wave of his hand. “Jun and I were gonna have lunch here.”

“Aaah, really?” Jeonghan drawled, still looking behind Hansol expectantly for some reason. “I’ll cover the bill then.”

Hansol shook his head. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ve gotta repay Jun for something anyway.”

“Oh? Whatever for?” Jeonghan prodded in interest. He grabbed some plates and two napkin sets off the counter behind him and set them up on a table nearby.

“I asked him to help me style my hair and pick out an outfit for a dinner party at Seungkwan’s,” Hansol explained. “Figured he’d know a lot about looking presentable.”

Jeonghan’s eyes lit up with glee from the new information. “Meeting the family already I see~ You guys are adorable. I bet Seungkwan loved that.”

Hansol nodded. “I think he did. He was complimenting my looks all night long.”

“Oh yeah, he really loved it.”

After a few more minutes of random conversation, the door chimed and Hansol turned around to spot Jun walking through the restaurant doors. He was dressed primly as usual, with a long, gray plaid coat over a well-fitted, black turtleneck sweater. He had a face mask pulled over his face, likely to avoid drawing more attention than he already was. Hansol waved to him. “Jun, over here.”

Jun followed the sound of his voice and waved back. Hansol could tell that he was smiling from the way his eyes crinkled underneath the mask.

“Hansol, good to see you.” Jun turned to Jeonghan. “And good to be back here.”

“Yeah… I assure you this visit will not be like the last one,” Jeonghan replied, appearing to cringe a little. He pulled a small notepad out of his apron pocket and clicked the end of his pen open. “What can I get you guys?”

After a bit of time perusing the menu, Jun decided to order the Chow Mein and a bowl of wonton soup, and Hansol went with Jeonghan’s suggestion of the house jajangmyeon. Jeonghan quickly wrote down their orders and handed the small piece of paper to the staff. They seemed to have come during a lull, because the restaurant was evidently dead enough for Jeonghan to circle back and harass them with more questions. 

“Sooo any big plans coming up? Either of you?” Jeonghan asked, pulling up a chair and turning it around so that he could rest his arms along the back of it. 

“Actually, yes- Minghao’s birthday is coming up next week,” Jun said happily. “I was gonna ask later, but I might as well now. Could you guys make it to the surprise party I’m throwing for him? It's the Sunday after his birthday, November 7th.” 

“For sure,” Hansol said. 

“Ahh…” Jeonghan hummed, thinking. “I’ll have to ask someone to cover for me, but I’m sure I can make it.” 

“Thanks, you guys,” Jun replied gratefully. “It’ll be so great to have everyone there since he won’t be able to see all his family back in China for his birthday this year.”

Hansol nodded along in understanding. “I totally get it- I don’t remember the last time I’ve spent my birthday with my mom and sister.”

“Right, they live in America, don’t they?” Jun replied. “How’re they doing?”

“Good,” Hansol replied. “I think I’m gonna visit them during the first half of winter break next month.”

“Ooh, fun~” Jeonghan said. “I need to get Shua to take me to LA one day- and by that, I mean pay for my flight ticket.” Hansol laughed at his shamelessness.

Soon enough, the food was ready and Jeonghan brought them their steaming, aromatic dishes from the kitchen counter. He and Jun offered to share some of the food with him, but Jeonghan waved them off saying that he needed to tend to other orders before his parents came downstairs to kick his ass. So, they said their goodbyes as Hansol broke apart the wood chopsticks to begin digging into his plate of noodles. 

“Thanks again for the styling advice,” Hansol said as he took a bite of the jajangmyeon. “I think Seungkwan and his family really liked it.”

“Of course,” Jun replied, amused. “I might as well utilize the entourage at my disposal.”

Hansol grimaced. “I have to say, sitting in your studio getting made up by your makeup artist reminded me a little too much of my acting days.”

“When did you stop acting?” Jun asked, digging into his own plate.

“Fifth.. Maybe sixth grade I think,” Hansol said, thinking hard. “I remember my mom suddenly pulling me out, but I’m not sure why. Not complaining though- it was exhausting.”

Jun nodded along. “I don’t blame you- I love my job, but sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I could enjoy life undetected.”

“I hope it hasn’t been too bad at school,” Hansol said, remembering how Jun’s desk had practically been swarmed the first day he transferred in.

“It’s manageable- most people seemed to have calmed down now,” Jun said with a laugh. “Also, Jeonghan showed me his special napping room that I can escape to.”

“Our school has a napping room?” Hansol replied, furrowing his brow.

“I’m pretty sure Jeonghan just illegally commandeered some random storage room in the basement for it,” Jun said with a shrug. “I’d show you where it is, but… I don’t think Jeonghan would appreciate that considering he told me not to use it for making out.”

Hansol frowned, trying to understand what that had to do with showing him the napping room, but Jun had already moved onto the next topic of conversation.

“Do you remember what shows you were in?” Jun said giddily, bringing out his phone. “I wonder if I could find you in any videos online.”

“Uh… try the Children’s Meteorological Channel from 2005. Oh, and I did an ad for Jeonghan’s restaurant at some point too.”

“Oh my god, seriously?” Jun said in awe, already tapping at his screen to find the aforementioned ad. Jun must’ve possessed some magical internet browsing powers, because he managed to find the video in only a couple minutes. Before he knew it, Hansol heard the energetic, high-pitched voice of his younger self playing across the table.

“And… what do we have here? Korean Fried Chicken?!” Hansol heard himself say with more enthusiasm than he’d probably displayed within the past year. Jun’s chopsticks hovered in midair, his eyes glued on the screen, absolutely fascinated by what he was watching.

“Oh my god…” Jun said, a small giggle spilling out of his throat. “You’re so cute. But so different!”

“Yeah, I get that a lot,” Hansol replied, shrugging.

“Can I send this to the group chat?”

“Um…”

“Too late, I already did.”

Hansol felt the buzz of the group chat going off in his pocket, and he fished out his phone to check his notifications. He opened the chat to find the thumbnail of the ad staring back at him- an image of his six-year-old self in wide-rimmed glasses, holding a plate of chicken while making a dramatic, shocked expression at the camera. Hansol scrunched his nose at the old picture.

SVT:  Superold Videosof Tinyhansol 

Jun: *sent a video link*

Jun: look what I found guys!

Jeonghan loved Jun’s message

annoyingflyonmyshoe loved Jun’s message

⋆｡°✩WonderGirl!⋆｡°✩ loved Jun’s message 

Jeonghan: awww how CUTE

Jun: I thought you said you were working…?

Jeonghan: um… hehe 

annoyingflyonmyshoe: Who, Jeonghan? Never

Jeonghan disliked annoyingflyonmyshoe’s message

⋆｡°✩WonderGirl!⋆｡°✩ liked annoyingflyonmyshoe’s message

DK loved Jun’s message

DK: OMGGGGGG IS THAT HANSOL???! 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 

Jun: yep! It’s an ad for Jeonghan’s restaurant haha

DK: CUTEEEE

Jeonghan: damn I can’t believe you actually found that thing

Jeonghan: i thought that video was lost to the archives forever

Jeonghan: keep that buried i dont want ppl coming here

annoyingflyonmyshoe: Don’t worry with the customer service you’re providing right now no one will be lining up to eat there

Jeonghan: u say that like it’s a bad thing

Soonyoung loved Jun’s message

Mingyu loved Jun’s message

Wonwoo loved Jun’s message

geniusprodwoozi loved Jun’s message

Chan loved Jun’s message

Seungkwan loved Jun’s message

Minghao loved Jun’s message

Soonyoung: WAHHHHHHHHHH HANSOL YOU’RE SO ADORABLE?!?! What a young star 🤩

Mingyu: oh my god this is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen 🥺

Seungkwan: AWWWWWWWE

geniusprodwoozi: lmfao simp

Seungkwan disliked geniusprodwoozi’s message

Seungkwan: literally EVERYONE is cooing over him why are you targeting me?!

Wonwoo: because ur a simp

Seungkwan disliked Wonwoo’s message

Chan: Hansol you’re so energetic?? What happened lol

👽: idk 

Soonyoung: He used up all his JUICE

geniusprodwoozi: wtf does that mean

👽:  jeonghan can we get some napkins

Seungkwan: wtf r u at the restaurant lmao??

Jun: Yeah Hansol and I are having lunch here

⋆｡°✩WonderGirl!⋆｡°✩ : Wait why tf don’t you just talk to Jeonghan in person then??

👽: i dunno where he went

⋆｡°✩WonderGirl!⋆｡°✩ : I thought he was WORKING?!

annoyingflyonmyshoe: Why am I NOT surprised

Jeonghan: wait im coming im coming

Hansol looked up to find Jeonghan jogging up to them, phone still in hand and very obviously not doing his job. In his other hand, he held a stack of clean napkins which he plopped onto the middle of their table. 

“Here you go.”

“Thanks,” Hansol said, taking a napkin off the top of the pile to wipe his face with.

“I take it the work is going well?” Jun asked, taking a napkin as well.

Jeonghan didn’t respond, eyes glued to his phone.

“Jeonghan?” Jun repeated, trying to get his attention.

“YES!!” Jeonghan suddenly yelled, likely disturbing the whole restaurant. Hansol and Jun stared at him in confusion. After another moment of dead silence, Jeonghan finally raised his eyes from his phone, as if just remembering that Hansol and Jun were there. “Oh, sorry. I just beat my high score on the snake game.”

“Oh, seriously? What version?” Hansol inquired. “Because the original’s the clear superior.”

“Uhm…” Jeonghan trailed off, clicking off the app to check. “I think it's two.”

Hansol shook his head in disappointment. “Shame.”

“Ooh, can I see? What game is that?” Jun asked, mouth drawn in a small ‘o’.

“What is wrong with you people?”

Hansol looked up at the new voice. It was Minghao, sporting a similarly nice long jacket to Jun, with a warm-looking magenta sweater underneath and a plaid scarf. He was watching all of them with a look of distaste; Hansol wondered how long he had been standing there.

“Minghao!” Jun said in surprise, but his entire demeanor was immediately uplifted. 

“Ahh, so that’s why you weren’t responding to the chat- you must’ve been driving here,” Jeonghan said in understanding.

“Hm? No, I just have that thing muted,” Minghao replied plainly.

“What’re you doing here?” Jun asked him, ignoring the jab.

“Your manager’s looking for you,” Minghao explained. 

“Aw, what?” Jun said, disappointed. He checked his watch. “I was supposed to be off for another hour at least!”

“Are you filming for something right now?” Hansol asked.

“That’s the most annoying part- I’m literally not!” Jun complained, scraping off the last remains off his plate. “The amount of PR these things require alone is crazy.”

“I know… and they even asked me because they knew I was the only one who had any chance of knowing where you were,” Minghao said with a roll of his eyes. “I need to mute my incoming calls too.”

“But not from me, right?” Jun said cutely.

Minghao gave him a flat look. “Especially from you.”

Jun muttered something critically to him in Chinese before turning back to Hansol. “I’m sorry I have to cut this short, Hansol. But it was great seeing you again.”

“No worries,” Hansol reassured him. “I know how busy you are.”

Jun sent him a gracious look and also thanked Jeonghan for the food before heading off with Minghao and leaving the restaurant, effectively leaving Hansol alone with Jeonghan.

“You were sooo adorable in that video, Hansol,” Jeonghan immediately began teasing him, poking a finger at his cheek. “I still can’t believe you just happened to advertise for us when you were a kid.”

“I almost forgot too,” Hansol said, mildly spazzed out from the thought. 

“I know Seungkwan’s having the time of his life watching that thing right now.”

“Is it really that interesting?” Hansol said, slightly amused.

“No, not really,” Jeonghan admitted. “I’m just saying that ‘cos it's a video of you.”

“Um… okay then,” Hansol replied, not sure where the conversation was going. He opted to continue eating the last of the jajangmyeon off his plate instead. It was exceptionally delicious as Jeonghan had advertised, since apparently they made their noodles fresh everyday. 

“You are way less fun to tease than Seungkwan,” Jeonghan pouted, collecting the empty plate Jun had left behind and brushing off the table with the edge of his apron. “Seungkwan has the funniest reactions to everything.”

Hansol nodded in agreement, a small smile gracing his face. “You can say that again.”

“Aww, you guys are disgustingly sweet,” Jeonghan sighed wistfully before whisking off the dirty dish Hansol had just emptied into his pile and going to dump them in the dishwasher. 

“Hyung, do you like Seungcheol hyung?” Hansol asked him when he came back.

Jeonghan almost dropped the new, clean plates he was holding, sputtering as he tried to find the words to respond. “Of course not. Why’re you asking?”

“Hm,” Hansol hummed, thinking of what he and Seungkwan had talked about before their semifinals tournament. “Just wondering. Seungkwan and I were talking about it earlier.”

“Um??? In what way?” Jeonghan pushed, sounding mildly concerned now.

“We were saying how you guys are obsessed with each other.”

Jeonghan humphed disgruntledly, blowing a long lock of hair which had fallen from his hair tie out of his face. “Yeah, maybe he is. Obsessed with my grades for no reason, that is,” Jeonghan huffed.

“But you talk about him all the time,” Hansol pointed out.

“No, I don’t!” Jeonghan protested, crossing his arms.

“I guess not to me…” Hansol replied upon second thought. “But I hear a new story from Joshua every time I meet him.”

“That bast- I’m going to kill him…” Jeonghan muttered under his breath, seeming like he was deep in the process of plotting something. He took a sharp breath, composing himself. “Anyways. Please don’t misunderstand- there is nothing going on between us.”

“Okay, hyung,” Hansol replied simply. For some reason, the answer didn’t seem to satisfy Jeonghan’s discontent. “Uh, can I get the check?”

“Yeah… yeah,” Jeonghan muttered, scouring around in his pockets and seeming a bit frazzled. He laid the check on the table once he had located the receipt and Hansol handed him a few bills to cover it. Jeonghan took the money from Hansol’s hand and went to the register to fetch some change. 

Jeonghan returned with a few dollar bills and some coins, which he slipped into Hansol’s palm. Hansol gave it back to him. “For the tip.”

Jeonghan just gave him a bemused look, tilting his head a bit. “You don’t have to do that, Hansol. How could I take money from my precious underclassmen?”

Hansol shrugged. “Oh- well it’s just customary to give this much in America.” Jeonghan grinned, bringing his hand back again.

“In that case, I absolutely can accept money from my underclassmen. Thank you for your generosity.”

“No problem.”

Hansol waved goodbye to Jeonghan as he left the restaurant. He checked the time- it was nearly four in the afternoon now. He meandered outside for a while, hands in his pockets and enjoying the crisp, clean air and pleasant weather. He put in his headphones to listen to music. He walked home amongst the last of the falling leaves, wondering what Seungkwan was up to.

Once he had gotten back, Hansol opened the door to the calm, resounding silence of his home- a stark contrast to Seungkwan’s always bustling home, he was now beginning to realize. He absentmindedly wondered if his dad was home; although it was a weekend, he would often get called in randomly for various work-related issues. 

Hansol kicked off his shoes and made his way to the living room to find his father seated on the couch much to his pleasant surprise, his computer pulled up on his lap as he pursued through something. He looked up upon noticing Hansol’s presence, quickly ushering him to sit beside him.

“Ah, Hansol. Good timing- I’m looking at flights for this winter,” he said, pointing out the various tabs pulled up on his screen. “The prices seem to be best the first week of your break- does that work for you?”

Hansol narrowed his eyes, leaning in to get a closer look of the dates on the screen. “Yeah, it should be. I don’t really have anything else planned, anyways.”

“Why don’t you take Seungkwan with you this time?”

Hansol drew back in surprise, looking at his father in subdued excitement. “That’d be awesome! Oh… but I don’t wanna make him pay for the ticket… I know it’ll be expensive.” His father just gave him a knowing smile, as if he had prepared for this.

“Well, lucky for him, since we fly to the states so much, I’ve accumulated a bunch of miles on my account. We probably have enough stored up to redeem another seat for practically free.”

Hansol’s eyes widened. “Seriously? That’s amazing- I’ll ask him for sure, then.”

“Let me know what he says,” his father replied cheerfully. “We should probably book it within the next week.”

Hansol nodded his head enthusiastically, immediately making his way up to his room to tell Seungkwan about the news. He clicked on his contact, forgoing the message button and going straight for the call button because he hadn't heard Seungkwan’s voice yet today. The line picked up within one ring.

“Hansol?” Seungkwan said over the phone, sounding a bit surprised to have received his call. “What’s going on?”

“Do you want to come to New York with me this winter break?”

Hansol heard a gasp on the other end of the line, and he could practically envision the face Seungkwan must be making right now- his lips drawn in a small pout of surprise, with a hand ran through his hair as he pushed his bangs out of his face.

“I- oh. This winter? I’d love to! Ah, I gotta ask my parents if they can help me pay for it though.”

“Don’t worry about that, my dad says he has enough points on his account to get a spare seat for you.”

“Oh my god, really? Wait… but wouldn’t he want to use that to get a ticket for himself?” Seungkwan asked in concern.

Hansol shook his head even though he knew Seungkwan couldn’t see it from over the phone. “He can’t take enough days off work anyways, so he’s gotta stay in Korea. You might as well come.”

“Aww, that’s so sad,” Seungkwan lamented. “I’ll bake him something before we leave!”

Hansol grinned to himself. “I’m sure he’d love that. You free the first week of break?”

“I should be!” Seungkwan said enthusiastically. Hansol heard the shuffling of papers over the line- probably Seungkwan flipping through his thick, stuffed planner which looked like it was on the brink of falling apart every time Hansol saw it. “Even if not, I’ll move it around. I don’t have anything that important planned.”

“Sweet,” Hansol replied, already looking forward to the trip. “You can finally meet my mom and Soph.”

“Oh my god, yes,” Seungkwan exclaimed. “I can’t wait. You gotta show me all the best spots in New York City too! I’ve gotta see the origin story of Chwe Hansol, after all.”

“I’ll try my best,” Hansol replied with a laugh. “My memory’s a little spotty.”

He heard Seungkwan sigh from over the line. “You’re so useless. I’ll just ask Sophia, then.”

“Okay, rude. She’s literally ten.”

“Still more years than are on your memory.”

Hansol stayed on the phone with Seungkwan for a little while longer, just chatting about the exciting things they planned to do during the trip and how their day went and the most random, menial topics which would probably be dreadfully boring otherwise but never when it was narrated by Seungkwan. Hansol plopped onto his bed backfirst, phone propped against his ear as he lost track of time just talking and listening. Before he knew it, the sun had dipped below the horizon, plunging his room into darkness. 

“Oh- my mom’s calling me for dinner,” Seungkwan said, finally bringing their conversation to a stop. “Keep me updated about the plans! I’ll see you tomorrow at school?”

“Yeah, duh.”

Hansol could practically hear Seungkwan grin over the line, before he hung up the phone a few moments later. He let his hand fall from his ear, blanching when he saw that his battery was at a mere 7%. How long had they been talking?

Hansol reached over to his bedside dresser to plug in his phone. It made a small sound as he did, the noise obvious in his quiet, empty room. He laid back down and threw an arm across his eyes, feeling fatigue beginning to tug at his shoulders. He should probably tell his dad that Seungkwan agreed, Hansol thought, but the thought of dragging himself out of bed did not seem appealing in the very slightest right now. Instead, he opted to roll over to his side and shoot a text to his dad about it before unceremoniously passing out on his bed.

Chapter Text

Seungkwan knew it was going to be a shitty day as soon as he saw the ugly face of the basketball captain polluting the gym entrance that afternoon, right when they were supposed to be having practice.

“What the hell are you doing here?” The basketball captain, who Seungkwan recognized from last year as Jiseok, sneered.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Seungkwan replied, frowning.

“Um, practice? What else?” Jiseok replied condescendingly.

Seungkwan scowled, immediately pissed off. “What? Out here in the hallway? ‘Cause the volleyball team’s got the gym booked for this block.”

Jiseok’s brow furrowed. “No, we’ve got it booked for this block.”

“We always have it during this time, though.”

“That sounds like…how do I say? Not my problem.”

“Listen here, you-”

Much to Seungkwan’s disappointment, but definitely luck, Hansol firmly held onto his elbow and prevented Seungkwan from pummeling Jiseok’s face into the ground. The other members of both their teams were beginning to trickle in as well, joining in on the face-off and argument over who was going to take the gym for that block period. As the crowd grew, the very obvious hostilities between the groups continued to thicken as various jeers and insults were thrown across both ways. The crowd eventually got so thick that Seungkwan found himself pushed to the very back, which was honestly probably for the best of both their teams. 

Eventually, their Coach arrived and Seungkwan hoped that the issue would finally get resolved, but it only seemed to escalate things as the basketball team went to bring their coach into the argument as well. 

“Listen, I’m not sure what the confusion is here,” their coach said sternly. “We always have this time booked for practice, every day like clockwork. It’s documented here on the schedule.”

“Well I don’t know what to tell you,” the basketball coach- Mr. Park, Seungkwan recalled- shrugged self-assuredly. “I got a confirmation email for the booking of this block as well.”

“What?! How is that possible?” Their coach replied, the pressure of it all seeming to get to her as well. “Let me see that,” she snapped, snatching Mr. Park’s tablet from his hands.

“Woah now, no need to get snappy!” Mr. Park complained, raising his hands in defense. Their coach shook her head as she scrolled through the email, muttering in confusion over what she was reading. “See?” Mr. Park reiterated. “Our session got moved up, fair and square.”

“I swear… who is in charge of the scheduling…” their coach replied, venom in her voice.

“How about this? You take the gym today, but we get access to the volleyball club room. It’s absolutely preposterous that we’ve been without one for so long.”

“Ew, no way!” Someone on the volleyball team jeered. “They’re gonna trash it for sure!”

“What’re you trying to say?” A member of the basketball team responded.

“Just saying, we’re the only ones doing fundraisers and events to raise money to supply the room so there's no way we’re gonna let you guys get your grubby hands on it.”

“Well just wait until I get my grubby hands around your NECK-”

“PARK! Control your damn team!” Their coach yelled, outraged.

“What is going on!?!?” He suddenly heard Seungcheol say from behind them, clearly bewildered as he pulled Hansol aside.  

“The basketball team are being huge assholes, what else is new?!” Seungkwan answered immediately, not even waiting for Hansol to respond. He crossed his arms and shot another glare towards the basketball team, foot tapping against the floor impatiently. Hansol paused, thinking.

“We all came to practice today to find that the basketball team had taken over the gym,” Hansol began explaining calmly, after a moment of thought. “Coach explained to them that we have the gym scheduled for practice today, and the basketball team said that their practice got moved up to the same exact time. Then they agreed to let us have the gym if they could use our club room, since they don’t have an official one, and then everything kind of blew up.”

Seungcheol rubbed at his temple, sighing in exhaustion before forcing himself through the crowd to talk to their coach. Seungkwan watched him walk off, neck craning above the crowd to try and catch what was going on.

“Do you think he’ll be able to sort it out?” Hansol asked from beside him, eyebrows knitted in concern.

“I hope so…” Seungkwan muttered, watching as Seungcheol began to converse with the coach. She said something with finality to Seungcheol before storming off, phone in hand. “But with these absolute creatures of  human beings, who the hell knows.”

Upon noticing his presence, one of the members on their team grabbed Seungcheol’s arm and brought him forward. “Look, he’s the student council president!! Seungcheol, tell them they can’t just waltz in and take our club room.” 

The basketball members’ eyes immediately all turned to Seungcheol in looks of hatred and scrutiny, and Seungkwan couldn’t help but wince in sympathy. “How is that fair?? You’re obviously going to favor your team since you’re the team captain.” The basketball player spat. 

Mingyu and Wonwoo shoved their way through the players at that moment, coming up to Seungcheol with cautious looks. Mingyu muttered something to Seungcheol that Seungkwan couldn’t quite make out, before one of the other players grabbed Mingyu’s jersey and pulled him back with some force. “Don’t apologize to him!” They scorned. “Who’s side are you on?” Wonwoo grabbed their hand and took it off of Mingyu. The player shot him and Mingyu both dirty looks. 

“What?!? Go on, president, how the hell are two teams supposed to share both the gym and the club rooms??” One of the basketball players yelled mockingly from over the noise of the crowd. 

“All you guys need is a fucking ground and a ball. Why should you even have the gym??” Another asked. 

“Well your heads are completely hollow, why don’t you just use that as your hoop?!” One of his team members said back. Seungkwan had to bite his cheek to stifle the proud laugh that threatened to spill out of his mouth at that one.

“I bet he’s going to take everything for his team. Some fucking student body president that is,” one of them muttered.

“Of course he is! He’s actually loyal to his team members, unlike your disaster team,” 

“Loyal to the student body or to his team??” 

“Seungcheol, you’re not going to let them have it, right?” 

“Are you planning on deciding anytime soon?? You're not the only one with games coming up, you know.” 

The teams broke out into yelling again, barraging each other with insults and shooting a million questions at Seungcheol. Seungkwan shot him a worried look, wondering if he should step in and say something, before his eyes traveled a few people behind Jiseok, who was leading the rampage, and locked onto the gaze of another senior on the basketball team from last year whom Seungkwan had so desperately tried to never think about again. His blood ran cold, suddenly rooted to the spot, as the player’s gaze suddenly morphed into one that seemed rather predatory.

“ENOUGH!” The basketball team captain yelled, his voice booming through the hallway and thankfully snapping Seungkwan out of his trance. Seungkwan tore his eyes away and looked to Mr. Park, knees feeling a bit weak. The teams’ shouts immediately sputtered out, falling into hushed whispers. His intense gaze landed squarely on Seungcheol, frowning as he did so.“This argument is just wasting our practice time. We can deal with this later. Right now, you need to make a decision. You’re the student body president. Decide .” 

Seungcheol faltered in his steps, looking incredibly conflicted as he clenched his jaw. Eventually, after a few more moments of deliberation, he opened his mouth again. “We take the gym,” Seungcheol said, voice hushed and dripping with shame. He looked away from the crowd. 

Jiseok’s eyes darkened, like it was exactly what he expected Seungcheol to say. He slammed the basketball he was holding into the wall in anger, making Seungkwan flinch a bit, before he walked off without another word. The rest of the basketball team groaned and cursed at Seungcheol, all storming off after their captain in anger. Seungkwan caught sight of Mingyu’s eyes drooping sadly before Wonwoo dragged him away, trailing after the remnants of their team. He winced, thinking how awkward class with Mingyu was going to be after today’s practice.

Hansol was the first to move, stepping forward to hesitantly place a hand on Seungcheol’s shoulder. “Are you alright-”

Seungcheol sharply pulled away from him, causing Hansol to recoil his hand in surprise. “Yes! What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and start!” Seungcheol snapped at him and the rest of their team.

Everyone hurried off inside the gym, leaving him and Hansol outside. Seungkwan frowned, trying to meet Seungcheol’s eyes, but he evaded every attempt he made. He knew that Seungcheol must’ve been under an immense amount of stress as the class president, but Seungkwan couldn’t deny the bit of disappointment that bubbled up in his chest at how he handled the ordeal. He especially didn’t have to take it out on the rest of their team, who were just trying to help.

“You seem tired, hyung,” Seungkwan said simply, before walking off into the gym. Hansol, who was still silent, followed after him as well. 

“I’m gonna get some water,” Hansol finally said after a few moments of dead silence, pointing to the water fountain on the other end of the wall. “I’ll meet you inside the locker rooms.”

Seungkwan nodded numbly before beginning to make his way towards the locker room doors. Before he could pull open the doors, however, a voice interrupted his thoughts and made him freeze in his steps. His fingers went slack, paralyzed just inches above the handle.

“Seungkwan? Is that you?”

Seungkwan bit down on his lip, hard, before slowly forcing himself to turn around. He forced in a breath. Then finally raised his gaze up to eye level.

“Hey, Sangwook.”

“How are you?”

“What do you want?” Seungkwan finally let out, exhausted but somehow consumed by nerves at the same time.

Sangwook raised a pointed eyebrow, eyes scouring over Seungkwan in a way that made him want to jump out of his skin. Seungkwan hated how he looked exactly how he’d remembered him- tall, with piercing gray eyes and slightly wavy, side-swept brown hair that always looked like it fell so naturally around his face.“Wow, how rude. Is that how you treat your seniors?”

“Just the ones who are shitty people.”

“That’s not what you were saying less than a year ago.”

Seungkwan’s throat suddenly began to close up, the unwelcome feeling of panic beginning to prick at his skin. He balled his fists at his sides. “You still haven’t answered my question.” 

“I didn’t realize you joined the volleyball team.”

“Didn’t exactly feel inclined to let you know.”

“Listen… I feel like we ended things badly-”

Seungkwan shook his head, frowning deeply. “No. Stay away from me,” he heaved, before he lost his resolve and did anything stupid. With that, he yanked open the locker room door and quickly threw himself inside, slamming the door behind him. He pressed his back against it, taking in a shuddering breath to calm his heart and he did so. 

Damn it, Sangwook. It was so not the time.

Seungkwan reminded himself of this, resolving to pull himself together for the sake of the team. He peeled himself off the door and made his way to his locker, opening it up with shaky fingers. Just as he was throwing his sports jersey over his shoulders, he felt a warm touch on the back of his neck.

“Hey-”

Seungkwan involuntarily jumped, whirling around to find Hansol looking at him with a perplexed expression. Seungkwan sighed in relief, shoulders decompressing immediately. “Sorry, you scared me.”

Hansol furrowed his brow. “You good?”

Seungkwan flushed a bit in shame, remembering that this was the second time someone had flinched away from Hansol today. He quickly stepped forward and pressed his palms against his neck, laying his head down against his chest and hugging him in reassurance. “Yeah, yeah, I- god. Don’t worry. I’m fine.”

Hansol didn’t seem fully convinced, but he brought his arms up to return the embrace anyways. They broke apart a moment later so that they could finish getting ready for practice, and that was when Seungcheol stormed into the locker room, looking as frazzled as ever.

Some members on the team turned to look at him strangely, but Seungkwan decided to just let him be and give him some space. Judging from the way Hansol was keeping his distance, he seemed to be in the same boat.

The rest of practice was weird and awkward- not quite disastrously uncoordinated like it had been when he and Hansol had been fighting, but lacking the typical high spirits and camaraderie Seungkwan always looked forward to whenever he played volleyball. It didn’t bother him too much, however. It wasn’t like they hadn’t had an off day in practice here and there- hopefully Seungcheol would be able catch a break during the weekend and come back to school with a level mind.

Practice seemed to drag on a little longer than usual, but they made it through it having done a good number of drills in an attempt to make the most use of the room Seungcheol had so painfully acquired for them. Seungkwan, for one, was just looking forward to heading straight home and burrowing into a mountain of blankets in his room. Preferably with Hansol.

Seungkwan made his way to the locker room once more with a long sigh, shoving open the door with probably a little more force than was necessary. He quickly got changed, but opted to wait inside the locker room for Hansol in case he were to run into a certain someone outside again. He crossed his arms and leaned his back against his locker, lazily letting his eyes trail over Hansol’s messy, brown hair and pink cheeks that were flushed from the exertion of their practice. He didn’t know how it was possible, but he just caught himself becoming more and more attached to him with every day that passed.

Once Hansol was done changing, Seungkwan skipped up to him and linked an arm through his, pulling them out of the locker rooms and into the hallways. He had been planning to plaster on his best-looking smile upon leaving, but found that he didn’t even really need to try upon being in Hansol’s presence. Seungkwan looked up to him with pleading eyes, clinging on closely to side. “Come over to mine today?”

Hansol smiled smally, seemingly glad that Seungkwan seemed to be more like his usual self again. “Sure.”

Seungkwan smiled back, standing up on his toes to peck Hansol on the cheek. “You’re the best.”

*****

After the hectic week they had all had, Seungkwan was practically jumping at the seams to blow off some stress and just relax at Minghao’s birthday party that weekend. He’d already caught sight of Minghao in the hallways that Wednesday and attempted to wish him a happy birthday in Chinese. He’d practiced all day to try and master the tonation, but judging from the way Minghao’s mouth had twisted up awkwardly at the corners as he said it, Seungkwan could tell his pronunciation was far from perfect. Nevertheless, Minghao thanked him earnestly, seeming to appreciate the effort.

The next line of business was picking out a birthday present for him. Seungkwan prided himself in being rather skilled in picking out thoughtful gifts, and although he hadn’t known Minghao for very long at all, the case would be no different for him. 

His first thought had been to get something from his home country, but he quickly discarded that idea seeing as he wasn’t very well versed in the culture himself. He supposed he could ask Jun for help, but Minghao would undoubtedly return home sometime within the year during their breaks and could get anything he needed then, anyways.

Then, his mind flew to one of the things he had first noticed about Minghao when he had first met him- his nails. They were always immaculately done, but also decorated with unique and artsy designs or elegant patterns. Seungkwan had seen a plethora of appealing nail polish sets at the beauty store when he had been shopping for a new toner earlier that week, so he already had an idea for which one he might pick out. So, Seungkwan made up his mind to head to the beauty supply store later that afternoon.

Upon arriving, he immediately spotted one of his favorite stylists who worked there, and waved to her in greeting. She caught his eye and smiled brightly, waving back as she made her way towards him. She had her long, brown hair tied up in a neatly styled ponytail and was wearing a warm looking, snow white sweater paired with dangly silver earrings.

“Ha-eun!” Seungkwan greeted her.

“Seungkwan, you’re already back again?” Haeun replied, tilting her head so that her bangs fell across her face. “How’s the toner working for you? Good?”

Seungkwan nodded. “I actually love it so far- I really needed something more hydrating for winter. Thanks for the recommendation.”

“Of course! What brings you here today?” She asked, absentmindedly reorganizing some products on a shelf nearby.

“I’m shopping for my friend- it's his birthday,” Seungkwan explained animatedly. “I was thinking of getting a nail polish set for him.”

“Ooh, you’re in luck then! We’re having a sale on this high-end brand, if you want to impress him,” Haeun said, wiggling her brows a bit. Seungkwan smiled a bit, pressing his lips together tightly in amusement.

“Um.. no. It’s not like that. I do want to get him something nice though, since I bet his boyfriend is always spoiling him rotten.”

“Ah, well in that case,” Haeun started, bringing a hand up to her chin to think. “Do you know what kind of style he usually goes for in his nails?”

“Either artsy or elegant, I’d say,” Seungkwan explained. “I’ve seen him wearing nail art too- I bet he does it himself, judging from the paintings he posts on his Instagram sometimes.”

“How about a nail design kit then?” Haeun suggested. “We have sets that include professional brushes, tools, and a variety of shades you could pick from.”

“That would be great,” Seungkwan said, eyes sparkling. “Lead the way.”

After pursuing their collection of color schemes, Seungkwan ended up picking a kit that had a range of muted purple shades- a color he hadn’t seen Minghao wear yet- and a deep navy blue color which would be good for lineart. Satisfied with his selection, Seungkwan paid for the nail polish and earnestly thanked Haeun for her help yet again before leaving the store. He quickly rushed home, excited to wrap up the present and decorate it with shiny bows and ribbons.

He put on some background music while he sat on the floor of his room, sticking out his tongue as he measured out a sheet of floral-patterned wrapping paper for the nail polish box. He meticulously folded up the edges of the paper around the gift, taking care to not get too much of his fingerprint onto the tape when he secured them in place. Finally, he tied the entire thing in a poofy, glittery silver bow- the finishing touch. Seungkwan held the wrapped present out in front of him, admiring his work. 

As he lowered his arms, he spotted something out of place in the corner of his room- a leather bomber jacket that was definitely not his. He walked over and picked it up, biting back a smile when he was hit with the familiar scent of Hansol’s cologne. Well, he supposed he had no choice but to give him a visit to return it now. He pointedly ignored the fact that his and Hansol’s wardrobes had not been purely full of their own clothes for months now.

Seungkwan threw on the warmest sweater vest he had and layered Hansol’s bomber jacket on top, letting himself relish in a bit of self-indulgence before he gave it back. He breathed in deeply against the heavy fabric, which was just the smallest bit too big for him but not large enough to be considered oversized. Seungkwan briefly considered just stealing it for himself, but he still wanted an excuse to see Hansol, so he forced himself out of the house and began walking.

The sky had since grown a bit dim, and Seungkwan realized he had spent more time roaming the beauty store and then decorating the present than he’d thought. He gasped in awe, seeing a deep, pink color gradienting from behind the houses. It’d be the perfect sight to watch with Hansol , he thought in content as he burrowed his hands into Hansol’s jacket pockets. 

He finally arrived at Hansol’s house, and walked up the front steps to knock on the door. Seungkwan actually hadn’t been to Hansol’s house too many times before, he realized. They’d only really come when they actually intended to do some schoolwork peacefully and Seungkwan knew his house would be in an absolute chaotic disaster from family visiting or his parents stirring up some inconceivable family event again. The door opened a few moments later, and Seungkwan was smiling brightly up at Hansol’s slightly surprised face. 

“Surprise!” Seungkwan said cheerfully, holding his arms out. “I’ve come to return your jacket. I know, no need to thank me.”

Hansol raised a playful eyebrow. “Is that why you’re wearing it?”

“Just let me in already.”

Hansol stepped aside to let Seungkwan in his house, which was so dead silent that Seungkwan thought he might’ve been able to hear a pin drop in it. He glanced around, impressed with how neatly kept it looked compared to his own place. “Your dad home?”

“No, he got called into work again,” Hansol said with a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.

Seungkwan frowned. “On a Saturday?”

“It happens,” Hansol replied with a shrug. “Nothing much to do about it.”

Seungkwan nodded in understanding, grabbing Hansol’s hand to pull him into the living room. “Good thing I dropped by to give you company then- let’s do something fun while he’s out.”

“Like what?” Hansol asked, easily dragged along.

“Hmm..” Seungkwan turned around, grabbing Hansol’s other hand to give him a sly look. “Should we stargaze?”

“Umm… but it’s still light out. I don’t know if we could even see stars this far out with the light pollution mh -”

Seungkwan cut his words off with his mouth, kissing him earnestly and breathing in the scent of his cologne-stained jacket enveloped around him. He pulled back in satisfaction, leaving Hansol staring back at him stupidly.

“ Oh. You meant that stargazing.”

Seungkwan playfully slapped Hansol across the shoulder, used to this behavior at this point. “Aah, anyways. You excited for Mingaho’s party tomorrow?”

Hansol nodded. “Yep. I just packed his present today.”

“No way, me too!” Seungkwan replied in interest. “What’d you get him?”

Hansol walked over to the coffee table in the room and scooped up a plain, brown paper bag with something stuffed into it. He pulled it out to reveal a set of minimally decorated tea cups. Their handles were small and delicate, with a bit of glimmering gold trim lining the rim- perfect for tasting the high-end teas that Minghao undoubtedly owned.

“We bought some chinaware when we got the house but never actually used most of the set… My dad and I don’t drink too much tea. But I’m sure Minghao would put it to good use.”

Seungkwan nodded in agreement, but frowned in confusion upon watching Hansol put it back in the drab, paper bag. “Wait, is that how you’re packaging it?”

Hansol paused, looking blankly between the bag and then Seungkwan and then the bag again. “Yes?”

Seungkwan rolled his eyes so hard he thought they might go out of his skull. But again, he found himself completely unsurprised at the same time. 

He really couldn’t believe they were the same MBTI.

“What’d you get him?” Hansol asked.

“Nail polish set,” Seungkwan replied. “I really hope he doesn’t have anything too similar already…”

“He’ll run out eventually- he can still use it.”

“True,” Seungkwan said, grateful he could rely on Hansol to always reassure him. “The sky’s pretty right now. Should we take a walk?”

“Are you gonna give me my jacket back?”

“...Not yet,” Seungkwan replied sheepishly. 

Hansol just gave him a strange look, though he was smiling. “Okay… let me go grab another one then.”

Seungkwan watched him walk off to go rummage through his closet before returning back wearing a black hoodie. Seungkwan pursed his lips, eyeing him thoughtfully.

“Maybe we should switch, actually. That looks a lot more comfortable.”

Hansol shrugged, moving to take off his hoodie. Seungkwan hurriedly put a hand on his arm, stopping him with a small laugh. “Hey! Um… I was joking. You don’t have to.”

“But I want you to be comfortable?” Hansol replied in confusion, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Seungkwan flushed before proceeding to bonk him on the head.

“Don’t be a fool. Come on, let’s go.”

Hansol and him made their way back to the front door, and Hansol quickly locked the door behind him before they began walking down the sidewalk, in the direction of the sinking sunset. The sky had since changed to reveal a bit of lavender around its edges as well. Seungkwan shoved his hands further into Hansol’s jacket pockets as the wind blew against his skin. A few minutes later, his fingers still proved to be too cold for comfort, he reached over to grab Hansol’s hand and shove it in his pocket as well. He’d probably just end up stealing Hansol’s jacket again when he eventually headed home, seeing as he hadn’t brought his own, now that he thought about it.

“Can I ask you something?” Hansol suddenly said, breaking the silence and making Seungkwan glance at him in slight surprise. He was still looking straight forward, and Seungkwan couldn’t discern what he might’ve been thinking about at that moment at all.

“Yeah, sure.”

“That guy you were talking to before practice…was he from the basketball team?”

Seungkwan’s expression undoubtedly soured from the change in topic, meaning that Hansol definitely noticed as well. He flitted his eyes down to look at his shoes, avoiding eye contact.

“Oh… you saw that?” Seungkwan mumbled.

“I’m only asking ‘cos you looked kind of…” Hansol continued, voice trailing off a bit. “I don’t know exactly. Like you were last year. I thought they would’ve let off by now.”

Seungkwan shrugged uncomfortably. “Yeah, I can’t lie. It didn’t exactly bring up great memories for me. Nothing happened, though. I just told him to fuck off.”

“Is he the one who gave you all those bruises?” Hansol suddenly asked, head whirling around to look at Seungkwan with wide eyes. Seungkwan paused in his steps, the bluntness of the question catching him off guard. Even during their entire freshman year, he had never addressed the physical harm so directly. Though if there were one person Seungkwan should’ve come to expect bluntness from now, it was Hansol. Hansol bit his lip, as if he were shocked he’d asked himself.

“It wasn’t only him,” Seungkwan said honestly, resuming his walking pace and staring down at his shoes. “But he hurt me in more ways than physically.”

“Like… what?”

“Just by… being a really flaky friend,” Seungkwan mused. “I was always left guessing with him.”

Hansol shot him a worried look, which Seungkwan desperately wanted to wipe off his face immediately. He looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but was simultaneously afraid to. Seungkwan bumped shoulders with him. “Hey, cheer up. That’s in the past, and I’m not gonna see him anymore. Let’s look forward to the party tomorrow.”

Hansol nodded, but the frown didn’t leave his face.

It didn’t leave Seungkwan’s mind either.

*****

“Hey, shitface!”

Seungkwan turned around in dread, seeing Jiseok and a few other of his team members on the basketball team filter into the gym after practice and approach him. They threw a couple sheets of paper into his face so sharply that Seungkwan thought he might’ve gotten a papercut or two on his cheek.

“Wanna explain what the hell this is? Did you tattle to coach on us?”

Seungkwan frowned, bending down to pick up one of the papers now sprawled across the floor.  His eyes widened- it was a disciplinary warning write-up.

“I don’t know anything about this…” Seungkwan replied, trying to keep the wobble out of his voice.

“There’s no way it isn’t him,” another one of his teammates uttered to Jiseok. “No one else would be stupid enough to come after us.”

Jiseok gave Seungkwan a murderous gaze, likely suppressing the urge to kick him right there and then. He quickly snatched the papers from Seungkwan’s hands, tearing them in half as he maintained eye contact with him. “Listen here, since maybe you don’t understand. I know people on the sports administrative council- not just student leaders, but actual people who can fucking blacklist you from regionals and beyond if you try this shit again. You’re already pushing it with the Point Guard thing. Don’t test me.”

With that, he dropped the scraps of paper back onto the floor and turned around to walk off, but paused while he was just within earshot. 

“Don’t mess up his face.”

It all happened in a blur from there, because Seungkwan had no way to predict what was coming, when the next blow was going to painfully strike into his body. It seemed to happen both too fast but also last far too long, and all he knew was that he ended up writhing on the gym floor by the end of it, clutching at his sides and a stream of red dripping from his nose. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out his senses, his last shred of shriveling pride preventing any tears from trickling out. When he finally opened his eyes again, there was a face right in front of him, watching him silently with unblinking eyes. Seungkwan flinched, jumping back in a panic even though it hurt, gaze sweeping around the room but realizing that no one else was there.

“Relax, I just got here,” the guy said, reaching out a hand to Seungkwan to help him sit up. Seungkwan just stared at his hand, eyes bloodshot and strained.  Seungkwan vaguely remembered his face from somewhere- he was likely also on their basketball team, judging from the striped navy jersey poking out of his gym bag that matched Seungkwan’s own. The guy sighed. “I saw what happened. I just have to tell you- Jiseok’s full of shit. He lies about knowing people on the council all the time. I saw him do it last year too.”

Seungkwan’s nerves had since calmed a bit upon realizing he wasn’t in immediate danger of being pummeled. Eventually, he wordlessly took the guy’s outstretched hand, who helped him stand up with some effort. Seungkwan groaned from the motion, bringing a hand up to hold his side, but swaying weakly on his feet as he did so. The stranger caught him as he stumbled, pulling Seungkwan’s around his shoulder to prop him up.  His foot dangled awkwardly in the air a bit, since the guy was several inches taller than him. Seungkwan dragged himself uncomfortably across the floor and towards the locker rooms, along with the stranger’s help.

“Why… are you helping me?” Seungkwan finally wheezed out. From their preliminary introductions at the beginning of the year, Seungkwan remembered that there were only two other sophomores on the team, and this guy was not one of them- meaning he was either a junior or senior. Seungkwan couldn’t even begin to imagine why he’d want to fraternize with him in that case.

The guy glanced at him, looking slightly amused. From this close up, Seungkwan could notice how striking his gray eyes were. It was almost entrancing.

“What, can I not help a guy who’s just gotten the shit beaten out of him?” He said with a dry laugh. “I’m not heartless.”

Seungkwan pursed his lips, still a bit unsure of his intentions, but he undoubtedly needed the help to even pick himself off the floor right now. All his stuff, including his phone, were still in the locker rooms. “Um. Thanks then.”

The stranger smiled back at him, and Seungkwan felt his heart flutter for no reason- he hurriedly looked away, shoving down the feeling as soon as it had come and trying to expunge the image of his bright gray eyes from his mind.

“I’m Sangwook, by the way,” the guy said, finally introducing himself.

“Seungkwan,” he replied.

Sangwook laughed brightly, seeming to find the introduction particularly hilarious for some reason. “Yeah, I know. Mr. First year Point Guard.”

Seungkwan blushed uncontrollably at the comment, even though he wasn’t even sure if Sangwook had meant it as a complement. His mind spun hazily, wildly confused at the various sensations running through him right now- pain, exhaustion, and something else entirely.

They finally got to the locker room, and Seungkwan leaned his weight against the door while he pulled himself off of Sangwook. “Um… you can go now. Thanks for the lift.”

“Are you sure?” Sangwook replied, eyes trailing up and down Seungkwan’s body and making him flush from the attention once again. “You’re pretty badly beaten up.”

Seungkwan shook his head, far too overwhelmed already. “Yeah, I’m sure. …I’ll see you at practice though?” Seungkwan asked hesitantly, a bit of stupid hope escaping into his voice.

Sangwook just pocketed his hands, giving Seungkwan a playful look as he backed out of the gym. Seungkwan stood there for a while, unsure of what to make of it.

*****

The main thing on Seungkwan’s mind when he arrived at Jun’s house the next evening was that he absolutely needed to get plastered. His impromptu meeting with Sangwook had unwillingly dug up a lot of plaguing memories, and he needed them gone pronto . He sent a silent prayer to whoever’s wallet he was breaking with the amount of soju he planned to drink tonight.

Jun greeted him upon his arrival, wearing a wine red turtleneck and black slacks, paired with a shimmering silver bracelet that made him look all kinds of expensive. 

“Seungkwan! Glad you could make it,” Jun greeted him, ushering him in. “Hansol’s in the kitchen, if you're looking for him.”

“I didn’t even say anything…” Seungkwan muttered, pouting as he stepped inside Jun’s three-story house. Inside, it was decorated with shiny streamers and banners which gave the space a cozy feeling. Off to the side, there was a table covered in an intricate looking tablecloth which sported many different sizes and colors of presents. Seungkwan took his shoes off at the front door and walked over to place his present along with the rest of them. He spotted Hansol’s ugly-looking brown paper bag within the pile, and resisted the urge to take the bow off his own present and put it on in order to make it look slightly more presentable.

Instead, he decided to make his way into the kitchen to check out what Hansol was doing. Seungkwan had arrived almost thirty minutes early, hoping to maybe be able to help Jun set up some of the decorations, but the house already seemed to be decorated to perfection. He imagined Hansol must’ve helped him quite a bit, seeing how he’d come over hours in advance to help Jun with some of the logistics- he knew the two had become rather close after they had found out that they both had a background in acting.

Upon first glance, Seungkwan had almost mistaken the kitchen for another living room due to how pristine and spacious it looked. Seungkwan finally spotted him amidst the punch bowl and various other drinks.  He was wearing a navy blue button down, but it had been thrown over absentmindedly over a pair of jeans. 

“What’s in there?” Seungkwan asked in interest, eyeing the punch bowl as he came up behind Hansol. Hansol turned around at the sound of his voice, just noticing he had arrived.

“Orange juice, fruit punch, lemonade… so far.”

“So when are we spiking it?” 

“Jun said we can raid his liquor cabinet when more people get here.”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened in excitement. “He has a liquor cabinet??”

“Apparently Minghao’s into wine tasting, so they ended up collecting a bunch of different stuff.”

“Sweet,” Seungkwan replied with a grin. “We don’t even have to find anyone who’ll buy it for us then.”

“YAHHH!”

“ AHH! ” Seungkwan screamed, jumping out of his skin. He whirled around to find Soonyoung, hands up in tiger claws and grinning at him. Seungkwan continued to scream as Soonyoung laughed heartily in the background. Hansol, who had silently remained at his side, slowly turned around with an expression of slight interest.

“ Goddamnit Soonyoung!” Seungkwan cursed, just beginning to regain his bearings. “When the hell did you get here?”

“When I heard the word liquor,” Soonyoung replied with a mischievous grin. “Let’s get this party fucking started!”

“Minghao’s not even here yet,” Hansol pointed out.

“More reason to spike it now before he realizes how much alcohol we’ve used up,” Soonyoung replied.

“I don’t think he should be left alone in this room…” Seungkwan muttered under his breath, crossing his arms as he watched Soonyoung wander around the room in search of alcohol. “It's gonna turn into a public safety hazard. What a dumbass- he’s such a lightweight anyways.” Seungkwan let his arms fall, suddenly taking in his surroundings in slight apprehension. “Is anyone else here yet, by the way?”

Hansol nodded. “Seokmin and Joshua should be here somewhere. Jihoon was here earlier too to set up the sound system.”

Seungkwan raised a brow. “Sound system? Jun’s going full out, huh?”

“You’re one to talk,” a new voice said. It was Joshua, emerging from the depths to tease him yet again. “I think I could spot your present on that table from a ten mile radius.”

Seungkwan gave him an unimpressed look. “So where’s Seokmin? I thought he’d be with you.”

“Unlike some people, I’m capable of keeping my hands to myself for more than a couple of minutes.”

“What are you talking about!!” Seungkwan protested.

“Hm? I didn’t say it was about you, Seungkwan,” Joshua said with a tilt of his head.

Luckily, Seungkwan was saved from his utter embarrassment when the doorbell rang again, signaling the arrival of another one of their friends. It was Mingyu and Wonwoo, who came in carrying their own neatly wrapped presents. The fact that Wonwoo and Seungcheol had arrived separately was not lost on him.

“Mingyu!” Seungkwan said with a wave, hoping the awkward tension from their last practice wouldn’t seep into today’s party. Luckily, Mingyu seemed to have recovered from the entire ordeal, and came over to greet Seungkwan in earnest.

“Hey Seungkwan, Hansol,” he said, nodding to both of them. “How’s it going?” 

“Let’s just say I’m ready to discover whatever’s in that mystery punch,” Seungkwan said with a laugh. “How’s Wonwoo? He looked really upset after… you know.”

Mingyu let out a sad sigh, shaking his head a bit. “I can tell he’s still pretty down, though he might not look like it. I’m not even totally sure why- I don’t think it's even cause of the whole gym standoff itself.”

Seungkwan eyed him from across the room. Wonwoo did in fact, appear to just be acting like his usual quiet self. However, Seungkwan also knew for a fact that Seungcheol also hadn’t been meeting with Wonwoo all week, leading him to believe that their rift still had yet to be resolved.

“He probably hasn’t fixed things with Seungcheol yet,” Seungkwan told him. “Just so you know, I don’t think he handled the… fight well either but he’s been crazy overloaded this week. Like more than usual, if that were even possible,” Seungkwan said with a grimace. “But if there’s one thing I know about him, it’s that he’ll always find a solution. So I hope you guys can hold out a little longer for him.”

Mingyu smiled understandingly. “Yeah, of course. I know Seungcheol’s a good guy.”

Soon thereafter, the rest of their friends had slowly trickled in, with Chan and Jeonghan arriving a few minutes later to join the clamor around the mystery punch bowl. With each passing minute, Seungkwan found himself more and more apprehensive yet intrigued about what that thing was becoming. Finally, just when he thought he wouldn’t make it, Seungcheol also burst in through the door mere minutes before Minghao was supposed to get home, looking as frazzled as Seungkwan had seen him last practice. It wasn’t often that Seungcheol was maybe the least well dressed person in the room- though Hansol would always give anyone a run for their money.

“Guys, Minghao will be here in five minutes! Get into your hiding spots,” Jun suddenly called out, frantic. 

Everyone quickly dispersed to hide someplace in the living room. Seungkwan grabbed Hansol’s hand and giggled as he pulled him into a nearby closet, shutting the door soundly behind them. They had to push a few racks of clothing aside to make room, and even then Seungkwan found himself pressed up close against Hansol, cheeks flushing whenever he felt Hansol’s warm exhale of breath against his skin.

 “Okay, he’s here. You guys all come out once I pop the party popper,” he heard Jun instruct, barely audible. 

The front doorbell rang, and Seungkwan shortly heard the sounding of the door opening. He peeked through the small ridges of the closet door, though he couldn’t make out much.

“Hi. How was your day?” He heard Jun ask.

“What… is going on…” Minghao’s voice asked, sounding slightly scared. 

“What?! Nothing!”

“No. You never ask me how my day was. And you’re speaking in Korean,” Minghao replied bluntly. Seungkwan resisted the urge to facepalm- a laughable giveaway, really.

“Aish, just come inside!” Jun said, despite Minghao’s unending protests. 

“Okay.. what is going on,” Minghao asked again, sounding more distressed by the second. 

“Happy Birthday,” Jun said, before the sound of the party popper went off. Seungkwan shoved open the closet door.

They all sprang out of their hiding spots shouting “SURPRISE!” in unison. Minghao startled and then stared at all of them in pure bewilderment. His eyes went wide with shock as they all cheered and clapped for him, wishing him happy birthdays. A smile slowly crept up on his face, and he turned to Jun.

“I knew it! I knew you were doing something weird!!” He said, playfully shoving him. Soon enough, he joined in the celebration, laughing along with the rest of his friends. 

Before he knew it, the party had gone into full swing, with everyone heading to the kitchen to snack on the fancy-looking appetizers Jun had provided for them. Seungkwan went straight past them, instead making a beeline for the mystery punch. To none of his surprise, he spotted Soonyoung and Seokmin already there, filling up their cups to the brim.

“Do I even want to know what you guys put in this?” Seungkwan asked, glancing into the strangely murky liquid suspiciously.

“Probably not,” Seokmin admitted, raising his cup in cheers. “Better to just drink and regret it later. Cheers!”

Had Seungkwan been in a slightly better mood, he might’ve refused the drink entirely in favor of one of the canisters of soju that he actually knew the contents of. However, every time he closed his eyes, the face of Sangwook reappeared to haunt him. So, Seungkwan brought his own cup up to clink against Soonyoung and Seokmin before downing the entire thing in one go. He heard his friends cheering in the background, impressed with his ability to finish the entire cup.

Immediately upon bringing his cup back down, Seungkwan felt remarkably woozy, having to grab onto the table behind him with a hand to steady himself. The room around him spun dangerously for a few more minutes until the familiar buzz of the alcohol began to settle into his limbs and he could walk again. He refilled his cup with the punch before making his way out of the kitchen to meander around. 

He found Mingyu, Soonyoung, Seokmin, and Chan in the living room playing a round of beer pong. They immediately called over to him upon spotting him, inviting him to join. Seungkwan gladly made his way over to them, letting his competitive spirit take over. 

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, since it was his end goal), the mystery drink had made Seungkwan’s motor skills wildly impaired, and he swore he could see his vision tripping at certain points during the game. At least he wasn’t as bad as Soonyoung and Seokmin, however, who were practically bursting out in tears every five seconds and falling all over each other. Seungkwan narrowed his eyes and tried to focus his vision across the table as well as possible where Chan stood, who was impressively sober for the amount he had drank. Seungkwan had had the unfortunate luck of having Soonyoung on his team, so he had to practically carry their entire team against Chan and Mingyu. He closed one eye before throwing the ping-pong and taking his shot. It missed.

Seungkwan groaned in displeasure as Chan and Mingyu cheered loudly from across the table, celebrating their victory. He begrudgingly took a cup and drank the contents, throat practically raw from how many shots he had to take to compensate for Soonyoung’s lightweightness.

The game inevitably concluded with Chan and Mingyu winning, even though Seungkwan, Seokmin, and Soonyoung were a group of three. The group dispersed, too utterly wasted to even locate more alcohol to refill the cups even if they wanted to have a rematch. Seungkwan took another sip of the mystery punch, swearing he might be seeing hallucinations at this point. He stumbled over to Soonyoung and Seokmin, who were fiddling around with a random karaoke machine they had somehow found near the TV.

“Guys…” Seungkwan moaned, pointing to his cup as stars danced across his vision. “Seriously, what did you spike this with?!”

Seokmin, who seemed to be in more of a daze than anything now, looked at him cheekily. “I don’t kiss and tell.”

“I’ll kiss you! Tell meee~” Soonyoung interrupted, grabbing at Seokmin’s face, much to his displeasure.

Seungkwan just laughed uncontrollably at the display, spilling a bit of his drink and thinking he might actually be losing the last of his wits. “Where the fuck are you guys getting this shit?!”

Soonyoung brought a finger to his lips. “Senior class secrets.”

Seokmin had somehow managed to set up the karaoke machine in the meantime, causing a high pitched noise to ring throughout the room and disturb everyone. “SORRY, SORRY!” He apologized profusely through his drunken state, quickly fixing the audio settings until it was at a tolerable level. A familiar girl group song started playing on the loudspeakers, making Seungkwan jump up in excitement. 

“SEOKMIN!” He yelled dramatically, stretching out a hand theatrically to him. “Hand me that mic.”

Seokmin obliged easily with a grin, grabbing one for himself as well as Soonyoung as they began to sing along to the music. Their other friends soon began to gather around them in interest, some cheering on their singing skills and some just watching in amusement as they made a fool out of themselves. Seungkwan absentmindedly wondered what Hansol thought of as he watched him in the crowd, singing his heart out. Ah, Hansol, Seungkwan thought, giggling to himself for no reason. He turned to Seokmin.

“Aren’t there any more romantic ballads??” He complained, nudging Seokmin on the shoulder. 

“Say no more,” Seokmin replied dramatically, changing the song to a slow love song littered with the cheesiest lyrics Seungkwan had ever seen. He grinned.

“Perfect~” Seungkwan sang, trying to show off his voice as much as possible. His eyes scanned the crowd, looking for Hansol, but he couldn’t find him. Seungkwan pouted. Well, he’d just have to sing louder, then.

However, Seungkwan ended up getting so consumed in the heartfelt song that he’d stopped paying attention to the crowd again at some point, and was instead focusing more on harmonizing along with Seokmin and Soonyoung. Everyone watching them gasped and clapped in amazement as all three of them belted out impressively clear high notes, even in their drunken state.

The three of them collapsed onto the floor, barely able to stand after having sung for maybe two hours straight. Soonyoung draped an arm around Seokmin, and started badgering him for kisses. He swatted him away lazily, still trying to sing some more. Somehow Seokmin’s energy never ran out when it came to belting out ballads. 

“Soonyoung, don’t be stupid, that isn’t how you kiss someone,” Seungkwan criticized, words coming out slurred.

“Oh? Then why don’t you show us how?” Soonyoung challenged, clearly expecting him to back down. Seungkwan could practically feel a fiery indignation ignite in his chest. Stupid Soonyoung. He’d show him.

Seungkwan stood up, nose held up high in the air. “I will.” His eyes scanned the room, zoning in on Hansol, who he finally found watching Jeonghan and Chan’s game of pool. Stupid Hansol. Why wasn’t he coming over here to watch him perform? Was his voice not good enough?

His body moved before his mind caught up to it, because Seungkwan marched straight up to Hansol, grabbed him by the collar, and yanked down hard before smashing his lips against his. Now that would get his attention. Hansol’s eyes widened as he stumbled against him, nearly dropping his drink in the process.

Seungkwan tugged him in closer, smiling in satisfaction when he felt Hansol kiss him back. He pressed harder against Hansol’s lips, trying to get him to open his mouth to deepen the kiss; he needed to sell it, though to everyone around them or just to himself, Seungkwan didn’t know. He only stopped in his tracks when he suddenly noticed the sound of cheers and applause and Soonyoung whistling in the background. 

Seungkwan pulled away, leaving both him and Hansol breathless. His cheeks exploded with heat, realizing what he’d just done. Hansol simply looked back at him in amusement.

Seungkwan buried his head into his hands, suddenly wanting to cry for some reason. Although the alcohol (and possibly drugs) rid him of his inhibitions, the inability to pinpoint any of his bubbling emotions was now causing him an unwarranted amount of distress. He hurriedly pushed himself away from Hansol and stumbled into the kitchen to find another drink- though preferably not the mystery punch again. The kitchen was mostly empty, seeing as how everyone was still in the living room fooling around, allowing Seungkwan to take in a deep breath as his head readjusted to not having a cacophony of sounds bursting in his ears. Seungkwan went over to Jun’s fridge and opened the door, searching for a plethora of drinks that Jun undoubtedly owned. Eventually, his eyes landed on a bottle of vodka lemonade, which Seungkwan thought looked rather tasty. As he reached out to grab it, suddenly another hand came up to delicately wrap around his wrist. Seungkwan looked up in annoyance, coming face-to-face with Hansol. Although still somewhat embarrassed, Seungkwan was too tired to muster up the energy to actually act on it, and instead shot Hansol an annoyed look.

“Whaat,” Seungkwan said, words coming out far less eloquently than he’d meant to. Hansol gave him an assessing look before glancing back to the drink he was reaching for in the fridge.

“You need to drink some water, not more vodka,” Hansol told him matter of factly. Seungkwan frowned at him.

“Water doesn’t taste as good,” he whined. 

“Even Jeju water?” Hansol said, the corner of his mouth quirking up.

“There isn’t that much of a difference, you freak,” Seungkwan replied, harmlessly banging his fists against Hansol’s chest. Hansol chuckled at his useless efforts to intercept him.

“Let me goooo,” Seungkwan continued to complain as Hansol dragged him away from the fridge and sat him down. He begrudgingly accepted the small bottle of orange juice that Hansol offered to him instead, which had a straw stuck through the opening for him to drink from. Hansol sat down next to him, watching him contemplatively. Seungkwan took a small sip from the orange juice, though the acidity didn’t do anything to help his burning throat. 

“Hansol, do you like me?” Seungkwan said sadly, after a bit of silent deliberation.

Hansol’s eyes widened, simply blinking back at him in shock for a few moments. “What? Of course I do.”

“But do you really?” Seungkwan pressed on. He stared into the orange juice in his hands, which had been so lovingly opened and presented to him by Hansol, with the bendy part of the straw bent and everything. The sight made Seungkwan’s heart clench even tighter. “Will you change your mind?”

Hansol shook his head, brow furrowing. “No- why would I do that?”

“Because I’m confusing you, I’m making things more difficult for you,” Seungkwan replied tearfully, unable to stop his eyes from watering up anymore.

“Why would you think that?” Hansol asked, sounding more bewildered by the second.

“T-that’s what he said,” Seungkwan said with a hiccup. He brought the back of his hand up to wipe at his eyes, but in his drunken state forgot he was holding the orange juice bottle and ended up spilling it all over the counter, which only made him cry more. “Look! I did it again.”

“You didn’t do anything,” Hansol said, ignoring the spill and grabbing Seungkwan’s face in his hands. “Who told you that?”

Seungkwan shook his head vehemently, not wanting to speak his name, for it would bring his face up into his consciousness all over again. He sobbed against Hansol’s hands, sniffling as Hansol brought a gentle thumb to his cheekbone to wipe a tear away. “Sorry, sorry. I won’t be ungrateful anymore.”

Hansol was looking at him with all sorts of despair in his eyes, which only served to confuse Seungkwan even more. Seungkwan mustered up the prettiest smile he could, though he knew he must look an absolute mess right now. He brought up his own shaking hands to loosely hold the backs of Hansol’s own. “See? Look, I’m good.”

“I don’t think so,” Hansol said calmly, bringing his hands down so that he could hold Seungkwan’s in his lap, stilling them. “Tell me what happened.”

Seungkwan jumped in his seat, panic overtaking him. “Nothing happened!” He exclaimed, due to his utter lack of inhibition or something else, he wasn’t sure. He grabbed onto Hansol’s hands tighter. “Please believe me… please.”

Hansol was looking at him, dark eyes now tinged with pure fear. Seungkwan felt his heart drop. He tried to pull his hands back. “Oh god- I said the wrong thing, didn’t I?”

Hansol grabbed his hand again, lacing their fingers together before bringing his knuckles against his mouth to press a light kiss against it. Seungkwan watched the scene unfold before him numbly. Hansol searched for his eyes, holding his gaze unwaveringly when he did so.

“Listen to me. I believe you. And I like you, really. I’m the one who told you so first. You’ll believe me too, right?”

Seungkwan sniffled, heart rate finally seeming to have calmed down a bit. He nodded. “Okay. I’m sorry though.”

Hansol frowned. “For what?”

“I kissed you in front of everyone…” Seungkwan said, voice strained and face flushing again. “It must’ve been such an embarrassment…”

“Why would it be embarrassing?” Hansol asked innocently, tilting his head. “I’m not ashamed that I like you.”

Seungkwan was rendered silent, the statement seeming to flip his entire world at that moment for some reason. He brought a hand to his head, a sudden headache throbbing in his brain. “Oh… you’re not?”

“Did I do something that made you think that?” Hansol said, sounding more curious than anything. Seungkwan furrowed his brow, thinking deeply.

“...No, not really,” he said after several moments of thought. He must’ve really been going crazy. He decided to just blame it on the alcohol. “But you’re really not upset?”

“Should I do it again?” Hansol said, standing up from his seat. “I’ll prove it to you.”

“No, it’s okay,” Seungkwan said with a small laugh, far too exhausted to deal with his friends’ various jeers and teasing right now. He blushed again, looking away sheepishly. “Though, I wouldn’t mind another kiss right now…”

The words had barely left his mouth before he was cut off with Hansol’s mouth against his. Hansol brushed a thumb across his cheekbone, the touch feather-light, like Seungkwan would shatter in a moment’s notice if he was too rough. Seungkwan tasted alcohol and salt and citrus in his mouth all at once as his tears mixed into the remnants of the drink left on his tongue. It tasted disgusting, but Hansol didn’t seem to notice at all. Instead, he held onto him tighter, holding the back of his neck to bring him in closer. Seungkwan closed his eyes, breathing in his scent everytime Hansol momentarily let go of his lips to take a shuddering breath.

When Hansol finally pulled back, Seungkwan smiled back at him tearfully, mind worlds clearer than it had been just moments ago.

“Thank you,” Seungkwan breathed against his lips. 

“For what?” Hansol mumbled back, a slow grin spreading across his lips. Seungkwan laughed, the sound light and airy.

“Dumbass.”

“I know.”

It was while they were still wiping up the spilled orange juice that they heard Jun bustle into the kitchen to retrieve Minghao’s birthday cake. Jun looked at them curiously, though he ultimately ended up choosing not to comment. 

“We’re going to cut the cake now,” Jun explained as he pulled a generously-sized white box from the fridge. “Come join us in the dining room.”

Seungkwan and Hansol finished wiping up the last of the orange juice and washed their hands (and in Seungkwan’s case, splashed cold water over his face to try and hide its puffiness), before following Jun into the dining room. The rest of their friends were already gathered around the table, either too consumed in their own shenanigans or too plastered to have noticed his and Hansol’s very obvious, extended absence for once. 

Once they’d sung happy birthday and distributed the cake slices, Minghao unwrapped his gifts one by one. He’d seemed rather impressed with the gift Seungkwan had picked for him, as well as the wrapping job he’d done, giving Seungkwan another thing to smile about that evening. After the gift unwrapping, Wonwoo and Mingyu took the opportunity to gather everyone around for group photos that would undoubtedly get spammed into the groupchat tomorrow.

Despite his slight meltdown earlier that night, Seungkwan left Jun’s house smiling more brightly than ever. He was now walking slightly better than before, the alcohol beginning to fade from his system and the cold, night air seeming to sober him up a bit. 

Hansol walked him all the way back to his house despite Seungkwan’s multiple protests that he was fine, and that the only reason he was letting him do it was because Hansol’s arm was proving to be very comfortable to latch onto right now. By the time he had managed to unlock the door to his house, Seungkwan felt far too fatigued to do anything else but peck Hansol on the cheek exactly once before stepping inside and collapsing onto the couch. After a few moments, he heard footsteps before feeling the brush of a plush blanket against his skin. The last thing he heard was the sound of someone closing and locking the front door being him before he lost consciousness.

*****

Seungkwan peeked behind the bleachers to try and catch sight of Sangwook before their practice started, but he didn’t seem to have arrived yet despite it starting in only five minutes.  Their coach slammed open his office doors and emerged into the gym a few minutes later, forcing Seungkwan out of his hiding spot as he moved to convene with the rest of the team who were looking at him with mixed expressions. Some looked perplexed, some including the certain members who’d actually hit him looked amused, and some just sported an expression of pure apathy. Jiseok, being the bastard he was however, practically ignored Seungkwan’s existence entirely, which pissed him off far more than he’d like to admit. 

He’d stolen some of his sister’s concealer in the middle of night in an attempt to cover some of the bruises which were more obvious, but his lackluster skills were in no way shape or form enough to conceal every scar his teammates had left on him. True to his word, Jiseok had left his face largely unblemished, making it easy to hide the bruises with a simple long sleeve shirt under his jersey at least. 

Sangwook didn’t arrive until they were nearly ten minutes into practice, which Mr. Park promptly chewed him out for before he could join their drills. Seungkwan’s mood immediately brightened by a fraction upon seeing him, and he craned his neck in his direction, trying to catch his eye. However, Sangwook had immediately become pulled into a drill one of the other groups were doing, so Seungkwan shrugged it off and went back to shooting some hoops.

Seungkwan kept trying to find a chance to talk to him, but their rotations were somehow immaculately timed so that they didn’t cross paths. It wasn’t until they were doing scrimmages near the end of practice that Seungkwan decided to abandon the effort entirely and just try and catch him afterwards. Just as he had made the decision, however-

“Seungkwan!”

Seungkwan snapped his neck in the direction of the voice. It was Sangwook, strategically passing the ball to him so that he could angle it into the next. Seungkwan caught it easily and dodged a few team members who tried to block him before comfortably aiming it against the backboard so that it could fall into the net with a satisfying swish.

Seungkwan beamed at the goal, pushing back his messy bangs from his face as he basked in the victory. It was far from the sense of accomplishment that came from actual games, seeing as how no one on the team usually clapped for goals made during practice, but Seungkwan relished in the fact anyways- especially because Sangwook had been the one to throw it to him, had believed in him enough to pass it to him. Seungkwan bit on his lip to stop a small, giddy smile from spilling out of his mouth and embarrassing him.

The coach called practice over and dismissed everyone, and the rest of his teammates immediately dispersed into the locker rooms. Seungkwan decided to make his way to the water fountain instead; he’d rather avoid being in an enclosed space with all of his teammates there to jeer and mock at him. The water was cool and refreshing against his lips after the long practice. Seungkwan sighed happily as he leaned against the water fountain, the post-euphoria of the workout working to offset his still-aching bruises which had yet to fade. He wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand as he turned around to head towards the locker rooms. Instead, he was greeted with the sight of brilliant gray eyes.

“Oh!” Seungkwan exclaimed, raising a hand to his chest. “I didn’t see you there, Sangwook.”

 Sangwook just gave Seungkwan a knowing smile, tilting his head a bit as he observed him. He had changed out of his sports jersey, and was instead now sporting an oversized, gray T-shirt just a few shades lighter than his eyes. Seungkwan suddenly became all too aware of his disheveled hair and sweaty jersey that he still hadn’t changed out of. 

“Nice score back there,” Sangwook said, giving him a small smile. Seungkwan quickly gathered himself to avoid looking stupid.

“Ah, thanks! Nice pass too,” he replied, wiping his sweaty hands against his gym shorts and hoping he sounded casual. Sangwook seemed pleased at the comment, leaning back on his heels as he clasped his hands behind his back.

“You know, I can’t believe we haven’t talked before. You’re pretty interesting.”

“Oh? In a bad or good way?” Seungkwan asked, half jokingly.

“In a… captivating way,” Sangwook finally decided on saying, giving him a sly smile. “In a I can’t take my eyes off of you kind of way.”

Seungkwan blushed furiously, feeling like his face might almost explode. He hoped it could pass as lingering exertion from their practice. He looked back at Sangwook’s pretty gray eyes which were staring right back at him. “Oh…”

“By the way, how’re your bruises holding up? They look a lot better already.”

“Ah, that would be because I’m wearing concealer,” Seungkwan said with a shrug. “They’re kinda turning purple now…”

“That means they’ll be healed in no time!” Sangwook said optimistically, clapping Seungkwan on the back. Seungkwan winced as he hit a sore spot, but didn’t let the sound escape his throat so that Sangwook wouldn’t notice.

“Yeah, hopefully,” Seungkwan replied with a shaky laugh. “I’m um… gonna get changed now,” Seungkwan said, pointing towards the changing room.

“Oh, okay. See you next time, then.” Sangwook waved off to him cheerfully as he left through the gym doors, leaving Seungkwan still in his damp gym clothes and leaning against the water fountain trying to comprehend the entire interaction. 

Seungkwan brought a tentative hand to his cheek- it was burning hot.

At this point it had been far too long for it to have been from practice. It wasn’t exactly a bad sort of burning though, but rather an exciting and slightly frightening one at the same time. A strange, almost overwhelming sensation ran through his veins.

And like anything new Seungkwan encountered, he wouldn’t stop until he found out what it was.

Chapter Text

Hansol knitted his brows together, turning over the events from the night before in his head as he added a fixing solution to the tank containing the roll of film he had extracted from his dad’s camera. The dark room of the photography studio provided a welcome respite from the busy, unrelenting bustle of usual high school activity, so quiet he could almost hear his own thoughts echoing against its walls. He’d have to thank Joshua for not only getting him into the room (even though he wasn’t sure how he still had access to it) but also for giving him a basic rundown on what he had learned from developing film in his class. The whole process was rather cathartic, he thought as he removed the film after a few minutes to rinse it off.

Seungkwan didn’t seem to want to address, let alone talk about what had brought upon the events of last night. He turned bright red and buried his face into his hands as soon as Hansol even approached him, embarrassed to even meet his eyes. At least he wasn’t avoiding Hansol nearly as much as when they had been fighting before the Jeju trip, so Hansol was fairly certain that he hadn’t done anything to incite the reaction this time. Which left him with a completely unanswerable question leaving him reeling: what had happened?

Hansol dipped the film in a wetting solution for half a minute before removing it to hang up and dry. Satisfied with his work, he stepped back to admire the strips of photos he had taken during their trip to Jeju. Even in the dark, he could just make out the bits of light shining through the outlines of his friends’ forms on the images. His eyes drifted across the photos in search of one in particular. Just a few moments later he spotted it- a haphazardly angled shot of Seungkwan and him leaned against a carving-littered orange tree. He smiled, pleased that his aim had been sufficient enough to capture both of them in the picture.

Seungkwan was also smiling in that photo. He looked happy.

Hansol wanted to restore the sentiment to his face again as soon as possible. The only problem was, he had no idea how.

Hansol shook his head, trying to push back those thoughts for now. The film needed to dry for at least another 2 hours, so he decided to try and find Seungkwan for the rest of their free activities period. 

He carefully made sure everything was put away and cracked open the door to slip out of the dark room. He raised a hand above his eyes, squinting as they readjusted to the normal brightness of the school hallway. Hansol walked back to their homeroom and peeked inside, only to find that Seungkwan wasn’t there. He sighed in disappointment. Was he practicing volleyball again?

The next stop he checked was the gym, and Hansol silently hoped that he wouldn’t find him there because there was no way Seungkwan didn’t have a massive hangover from the night before. That and the fact that Hansol really had no intention to change into his gym clothes this late into the period and join him in his drills.

Luckily (or unlikely, he couldn’t really decide), Hansol didn’t find Seungkwan in the gym but rather discovered that the basketball team had taken over it to practice for their upcoming game. They were probably trying to make use of the gym during every chance they could get since Seungcheol had kicked them out of there rather unceremoniously last week. He lingered in the back of the gym for a while, absentmindedly watching the team shoot and make a goal. The basketball landed on the floor with a resounding bounce which echoed throughout the room. It brought him back to freshman year, when he’d watched Seungkwan do the same thing with so much passion in his eyes.

Just as he was about to leave, the basketball team dispersed for a water break and two familiar figures began to make their way towards him- Mingyu and Wonwoo. Hansol waved to them as they jogged over, a bit out of breath from their laborious scrimmage round.

“Hansol!” Mingyu greeted him cheerfully, looking a bit like a joyful puppy who’d just had an intense game of catch. “Didn’t think I’d catch you here.”

“Are you here to gather intel for Seungcheol?” Wonwoo joked, crossing his arms.

Hansol chuckled, shaking his head. “I don’t even know what kind of intel Seungcheol would stand to gain from me watching you guys… I’m just looking for Seungkwan. I thought he might be here practicing volleyball, but that’s evidently not the case.”

“Ah yeah, I haven’t seen him,” Mingyu replied, scratching at the back of his neck. “I thought you’d be the one who’d know where he is.”

“Usually yeah, but I broke off to go develop some photos near the beginning of the period,” Hansol explained. “He’s been kinda weird since last night.”

“Weird?”

“Yeah like… embarrassed, I guess,” Hansol remarked sheepishly.

“After what he pulled last night? I’m sure,” Wonwoo replied in amusement. “Congrats by the way. I mean, I already knew you guys were going to get together, but I’m impressed it wasn’t dragged out even longer.”

“You guys are so cute together,” Mingyu added, grinning.

“Oh, thanks?” Hansol replied, a bit confused at how to reply. “Anyways, I don’t wanna take up more of your guys’ practice time. I’ll check somewhere else.”

Hansol waved goodbye to the two of them before beginning to make his way back towards the exit hallway. He caught sight of the water fountain on his way out, and decided to stop by and take a sip. The sound of the water flowing drowned out the rest of the commotion going on in the gym background, which is likely why he didn’t notice anyone approaching him until he turned around, hand in mid-wipe over his mouth. He stilled.

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

Hansol observed the guy- it seemed to be someone else from the basketball team who looked vaguely familiar, but Hansol couldn’t quite put a finger on where he’d seen him from. He finished wiping his mouth on the back of his hand and brought it down to his side. “Sure.”

“I overheard you talking about Seungkwan with Mingyu over there- how do you know him?”

“Um… we’re in the same class. We’ve been friends for a while. Do you know him?”

“Yeah, I’m an old friend from last year,” the guy replied, self-assuredly. Hansol furrowed his brow- he’d never heard Seungkwan mention having a friend from the basketball team before. Rather, it’d been mostly bad stories concerning the team.

“Oh… did you guys know each other from basketball?”

“Ah, no, I just joined the team this year,” he rushed to explain. “I just knew him from seeing him around school.”

“Ooh, okay,” Hansol replied. He supposed that made more sense. Seungkwan had such an endless catalogue of contacts that it would be impossible for Hansol to keep track of them, anyways.

“I haven’t talked to him in a while, how’s he doing?”

“Pretty good,” Hansol replied with a shrug. “Or, as good as you could be with midterms coming up, I guess.”

“Good, good. That’s great to hear,” he replied, locking his hands behind his back. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard Seungkwan mention you before. What’s your name?” Hansol asked in curiosity.

“Sangwook,” he replied. Sangwook let out a hearty sigh. “As his senior, I’d love to check in on him more, but I know he’ll get all pouty if I try,” he said with a small laugh. That did sound like Seungkwan, all right. “And you?”

“I’m Hansol,” Hansol introduced himself. “What grade are you?”

“Twelve,” Sangwook replied. “So just call me hyung. Don’t hesitate if you want to ask for any advice, Hansol. Any friend of Seungkwan is a friend of mine.”

Hansol nodded, still a bit perplexed at what was happening. “Thanks, I appreciate it. I dunno when our paths will cross again, but maybe I’ll see you around?”

“I look forward to it,” Sangwook replied with a short nod. At that moment, a sharp whistle sounded throughout the gym and the basketball team began gathering near its center again. Sangwook turned around, spotting the commotion. “I’ve gotta run, but it was great meeting you, Hansol!”

Sangwook gave Hansol a small wave before jogging back to join the rest of the team. Hansol watched him with a tilt of his head, not sure what to make of the entire interaction. Maybe he could ask Sangwook more about Seungkwan if they really were old friends- he was sure to have some sound advice as a senior as well. 

Hansol began his trek back to the homeroom, seeing as how there was now only a mere 10 minutes left for their activities period. He’d just have to meet Seungkwan for their next class. 

Hansol just hoped he would actually face him this time around.

*****

“Do you want some Advil?”

“No! I’m fine…” Seungkwan grumbled while clutching at his head simultaneously. “I mean… I already had three this morning, I don’t think more’s gonna do much else.”

“Okay.”

Seungkwan peaked between his fingers to steal a glance at Hansol, cheeks still flushed red as ever. 

“So… who were you talking about last night?”

Seungkwan immediately slammed his face back into the table, the tips of his ears turning bright red. He blindly reached a hand out to the side, palm side up. “Give me the fucking Advil.”

Hansol snorted, taking a small bottle of pills out of his backpack and shaking a few into his palm before dropping two into Seungkwan’s outstretched hand. “Are you sure you don’t need to go to the nurse?”

Seungkwan paused, hand holding the pills suspended in midair right as he was about to swallow them. “No. But, that’s a good idea actually. I don’t think I can sit through an entire period of trigonometric equations.” Seungkwan quickly downed the pills with a sip of water from his water bottle before promptly raising his hand to get the teacher’s attention. “Mrs. Kim, can I go to the nurse’s office for some painkillers? I have a massive headache and I feel nauseous.”

Mrs. Kim looked up from her lesson plan, brow furrowing in slight concern. “Alright. Take someone with you, since you’re not feeling very well.”

“I’ll take Hansol,” Seungkwan told her before standing up. Hansol stood up a second later, and Seungkwan grabbed his hand before dragging both of them out of the classroom. 

“Umm… you do know I have more painkillers, right?” Hansol asked him as they made their way down the hall, footsteps echoing in the empty space.

Seungkwan smacked him on the shoulder. “I know, dumbass. I just wanted to skip class.”

“Oh. We still going to the nurse?”

“Yeah, I still wanna log my name on the sign in sheet in case they check.”

Hansol nodded in confirmation as they continued to make their way down the hall. Seungkwan went silent for a moment, looking at their clasped hands between them. “You don’t mind, right?”

“No,” Hansol replied immediately. “Math’s my least favorite subject, anyways.”

Eventually they arrived at the nurse’s office, and Seungkwan greeted the nurse with a familiarity that Hansol couldn’t help but take note of. He quickly signed his name onto the sign in sheet before she ushered them into the corner of the room where a bed was situated surrounded by a blue curtain.

“I’m just going to take your vitals, then feel free to stay as long as you need, okay sweetie?” She offered. Seungkwan smiled back at her.

“Thank you. For everything.”

Hansol watched in silence as the nurse took Seungkwan’s temperature, then blood pressure, and lastly as she shined a light across his pupils before making note of the tests onto her notepad. After a few minutes of scribbling, she pulled open the privacy curtain before making her way back to the front desk. Hansol spotted a visitor chair situated at Seungkwan’s beside, and slowly took a few steps forward so he could sit down. He clasped his hands together and leaned forwards to rest them on his knees. 

“Seems like you’ve been here a lot,” Hansol commented. 

Seungkwan didn’t flinch away from the question this time, seeming to have gotten over his flustered embarrassment from the morning before. He gave Hansol a noncommittal shrug.

“Basketball team?”

Seungkwan’s sad smile was the only confirmation he needed. Seungkwan let out a long sigh, burying his face into his hands before raking them through his hair to push his bangs out of his eyes. “I guess I can’t ignore what I said last night forever…” Seungkwan shifted his gaze back to Hansol once more before they flitted to rest in his lap as he wrung his fingers together. “Um… so you know that guy on the team who I said hurt me in more ways than one?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, he wasn’t just a teammate. I guess I would sorta consider him an ex.”

Hansol’s eyes widened in surprise, making him sit up a bit in his chair. “You were seeing someone last year? I never knew…”

“Yeah, I hid it from you,” Seungkwan said a bit apologetically. “Not cause I didn’t trust you or anything just… he asked me not to tell anyone.”

“Why?”

“It was kinda both of our first times being with a guy. I think he was still coming to terms with it.” An exasperated, but disappointed look crossed Seungkwan’s face as he looked off into the far side of the curtain. “But I don’t think he ever did. He acted so ashamed of me. He barely acknowledged my presence in front of the team, even when they were all up on my ass.”

Hansol frowned, taking the new information in. He did notice a point last year when Seungkwan had become particularly reserved, but he had thought it had just been the same team members bothering him. 

“Wait, so he never stood up for you?” Hansol asked in disbelief.

Seungkwan scoffed bitterly. “You have no idea how many times I stupidly hoped for him to do that. But to answer your question, no. Sometimes he’d even take his frustration out on me himself.”

“How could he…” Hansol trailed off, a sort of chilling horror settling under his skin.

“Because he’s a coward,” Seungkwan said simply. “Too afraid to stand up to any of our teammates and risk getting isolated, or even outed. I realize that now. God I-” Seungkwan sighed and dragged his hands over his face again, making his voice come out muffled. “I’m so stupid, aren’t I? But… I’d never felt something like that before. All this time spent confused why I never wanted to date girls, but I never even considered that I could like guys instead.”

Hansol nodded along, understanding. “That makes sense. Why you stayed so long and… why you didn’t say anything. I get it.”

Seungkwan looked up, relief washing over his face. He bit his lip before swinging his legs over the side of the bed and throwing his arms around Hansol’s shoulders. Hansol smiled against his neck, folding his arms against Seungkwan’s back in return. Seungkwan pulled back a moment later, but quickly grabbed Hansol’s hand to instead pull him up onto the bed next to him. The two of them clumsily squished into the cot clearly only meant for one person, though it wasn’t too hard since Seungkwan had snaked an arm under Hansol’s neck and thrown a leg over his own to cuddle up closer against him.

“But, I'm still glad I convinced you to leave the team,” Hansol noted softly after a moment of contemplative silence.

Seungkwan sighed against his chest. “It needed to happen. It would be stupid to try and stay in that environment after it had escalated so much- thanks for talking me through it, by the way. I think I would’ve gone insane.”

“You still went insane.”

“Shut up,” Seungkwan snapped back weakly, and Hansol knew he was just trying to cover the slight amusement lining his voice. “Anyways… sorry about last night. I guess I’m still trying to get over how paranoid he made me about our relationship.”

“Don’t apologize,” Hansol replied with a tilt of his head. “I mean, it’s not like you did anything. Except get stupidly wasted.”

Seungkwan craned his neck up to smile back at him gratefully, and Hansol could tell that he was likely trying to hold back a tear or two. “It’s not my damn fault. Soonyoung and Seokmin spiked that shit with something weird.”

“You mean like song tunes?”

“So that’s why you ignored my performance to watch billiards! Are you calling my singing weird ?” Seungkwan whisper-yelled at him.

“No, just your taste,” Hansol said with a scrunch of his nose. “Gee gee gee? Seriously?”

“How dare you,” Seungkwan spat, pulling back and making him almost tilt off the bed. “That is a renowned classic. Just for that, I’m making you sing it next time.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“You’re just jealous of my beautiful voice,” Seungkwan said self-assuredly, crossing his arms.

“Yeah, I am. Because you still haven’t chosen a song to sing for me.”

Seungkwan turned red. “I-I’m still choosing! You said you would wait!”

Hansol laughed toothily at Seungkwan’s endearing response. He suddenly felt the urge to lean over and cup his cheeks from how cute he was, so that’s what he did. Seungkwan pouted, avoiding eye contact but also not pulling away. His skin burned hot under Hansol’s palms.

Hansol waited patiently until Seungkwan’s gaze traveled back to meet his own, and so he could catch a glimpse of his glistening, brown eyes. 

“Then I’ll be waiting.”

*****

“Oh my god, what the hell happened?”

Hansol’s feet were rooted to the ground, hand tightening around his backpack strap as he caught sight of Seungkwan making his way towards him from the other end of the hallway. Or rather limping towards him, to be more accurate.

“Umm..” Seungkwan said with a grimace, unsure of where to even begin. “Okay, so don’t freak out but…”

“How can I not?!” Hansol replied, voice almost cracking upon spotting yet another ugly bruise blooming across Seungkwan’s arm. He’d thought that he’d already seen the worst of it, but the injuries splotched all over Seungkwan’s body were almost too many to count.  A few angry, purple spots had even made its way up his collarbone and led to the split lip that Seungkwan had tried his best to mend. Hansol simultaneously wanted to reach over and check if he had more, but was also far too wary his touch would only cause more pain. “When did this happen?”

“Friday, after school.”

Hansol paled. If this was how he looked after a weekend spent healing, he couldn’t even fathom how bad the injuries must’ve been right after the incident.

“I don’t understand… why? What’s even in it for them?” Hansol finally said, voice broken.

“Coach actually wrote them up for once, and they did not like that,” Seungkwan said with a roll of his eyes. “They probably got jumpscared at the possibility of actually something on their record, so they decided to scare me off in return.”

“Is this because of me? Because I told you to talk to the coach?” Hansol said, voice small.

“What? No!” Seungkwan replied hurriedly, shaking his head. “That was my own decision. No one could’ve predicted how big of assholes those fuckers could’ve been.”

“Still,” Hansol said breathily. “I’m the one who kept asking you to do it.”

“Hey, I don’t regret it,” Seungkwan said, stepping forward to place a hand on Hansol’s arm. “Now I know that the Coach doesn’t stand for how the team’s acting, either. Things just got… a bit messy. But I feel less alone now.”

Hansol nodded, glad at least for the last morsel of information. But, it didn’t do anything to lessen the painful sight of Seungkwan before him. 

“Did you go to the nurse, at least?”

“I went right after practice,” Seungkwan reassured him. 

“What’re you gonna do now?”

“I doubt they’re gonna pull anything like that again anytime soon. They’re just trying to scare me,” Seungkwan replied. “I’m sure things will settle down again.”

Hansol bit his lip, not fully able to accept Seungkwan’s words. What else could he suggest, though? For him to quit the team? Despite how much he wanted him to, he knew Seungkwan would never stand for it.

Strangely, Seungkwan’s spirits didn’t seem nearly as beat down as some of the less severe pummelings he had taken, so Hansol decided to not press on any further.  

“Could you tell the volleyball team I’m out sick today?” Seungkwan asked him, face drawn in disappointment. “I’m still pretty sore, and I don’t want everyone questioning my, well, you know.”

“Of course,” Hansol replied, mentally letting out a sigh of relief that Seungkwan was at least letting himself recover, even though the mere thought of practice without Seungkwan sounded like the most unpleasant experience he could imagine. “Do you think you’ll be good enough for next practice?”

“I’ll be damned if I miss more than one practice in a row,” Seungkwan said with a smirk. “I can’t let those upperclassmen’s egos get too high, now can I?”

“Sometimes I wonder if you’re the captain or Seungcheol,” Hansol muttered. Seungkwan laughed at his comment as they walked off to class together.

Chapter Text

Lee Chan created a groupchat with Joshua Hong, Wen Junhui, Kwon Soonyoung, Jeon Wonwoo, Lee Jihoon, Kim Mingyu, Lee Seokmin, Xu Minghao, Boo Seungkwan, and Chwe Hansol

Chan: we all saw that right 

Joshua liked Chan’s message

Junhui liked Chan’s message

Soonyoung liked Chan’s message

Wonwoo liked Chan’s message

Jihoon liked Chan’s message

Seokmin liked Chan’s message

Minghao liked Chan’s message

Seungkwan liked Chan’s message

Hansol liked Chan’s message

Mingyu: 🫢 

Chan: did they bang ???   

Seokmin: they look like they just woke up 

Minghao: They totally did 

Jihoon: about time the sexual tension was getting unbearable 

Wonwoo: isn’t that Seungcheol’s coat jeonghan was wearing too? 

Joshua: He’s wearing jeonghan’s coat too and those r 100% his PJs too 

Hansol: i was wondering why his shirt said “hoes take off your clothes”  

Junhui: ahh, young love 

Seungkwan: ?? ur literally younger than them 

Junhui: they don't act like it 

Minghao: You’re one to talk

Seungkwan snickered, putting his phone down to look over to Hansol, who was sitting next to him scrolling through the messages on his own phone despite the fact that class was right about to start.

“I can’t believe it. I never thought it’d actually happen,” Seungkwan said in a bit of awe.

No sooner had Seungkwan noticed Seungcheol nearly breaking down under the stress of all his responsibilities and consequently avoiding all unacademic- related human interaction had he witnessed the very same student body president barging into their school-wide formal assessment exam a mere two minutes before it began, and even more surprisingly with a confused-looking Jeonghan trailing behind after him actually showing up to an exam for once. Seungkwan and the rest of his friends had only gawked at the two of them, causing himself to lose a good two minutes off the beginning of his exam as he had to refocus himself from the commotion.

“Well it’s pretty obvious that they liked each other,” Hansol hummed after a moment of thought.

“Yeah, but they’re also both ridiculous cowards,” Seungkwan replied with a snort, liking yet another incriminating message that was sent into the new group chat.

    → Hansol: i was wondering why his shirt said “hoes take off your clothes”  

Joshua replied: On god I’ve been trying to make him throw out that shirt for years

Hansol: lmao

“What does… hoes take off your clothes mean?” Seungkwan asked Hansol, squinting his eyes as he tried to sound out the English words in his message.

“Umm…” Hansol began, thinking. “Basically take off your clothes if you’re a hoe.”

Seungkwan slapped a hand over his mouth, realizing what he had just uttered out loud for anyone to hear with no restraint. “Why the hell does Jeonghan have a shirt like that?! And why would he wear it to school?!”

“He probably doesn’t know what it means,” Hansol replied with a bemused shrug.

“I’m sure Shua would’ve told him!”

“Would he, though?”

“Yeah, maybe not,” Seungkwan replied upon second thought. He knew from first-hand experience that Shua would not skip out on the opportunity to prank someone. “Not that Jeonghan cares about making a good impression at school for anyone besides Seungcheol, anyways.”

“Where did they even come from to turn up like that…” Hansol wondered out loud. 

“The broom closet, probably,” Seungkwan said gleefully. “It looks like they were all over each other, judging from how disheveled they were.”

“Oh, like us when I slept over at yours that one time.”

Seungkwan smacked Hansol on the back of the neck, physically urging him to shut his trap before someone else could overhear them. Namely Mingyu, who was also part of their massive group chat and was giving the two of them a very knowing look at that very moment from across the room. Seungkwan turned back to his phone as another notification went off.

Mingyu: Speaking of sexual tension, I just saw Seungkwan try to strangle Hansol

Seungkwan: Kim Mingyu, do you want to die?

Mingyu: i’m sorry sir no sir

Jihoon: what kind of kinky ass shit are you mfs into

Soonyoung: if i may speak

Jihoon: no you may not

Soonyoung: okay

Wonwoo: what in the power dynamic play

Chan: i regret making this chat

Seungkwan gave Mingyu the death glare from across the room, who was looking like he regretted every life decision he had made at that moment. Hansol placed a hand on his shoulder, not looking up from his phone. It wouldn’t be the first time he had to hold him back from pummeling someone. Luckily, the teacher walked into the classroom at that very moment, which prevented Seungkwan from marching over to strangle him- at least for now.

*****

Semi-finals had snuck up on them before Seungkwan had even known it, seeing as he hadn’t worked himself into a frenzy like he had with preliminaries. It was strangely… peaceful, feeling like he wasn’t about to lose his mind within a moment’s notice. He supposed Hansol’s presence had that effect on him. The two of them had just changed into their team uniforms for practice and had walked into the gym, only to be greeted with a slew of whispers and conspiracy theories about their captain.

“So is he just not gonna address it?” Hansol said in confusion as they walked past another member of their volleyball team who had definitely just uttered Jeonghan’s name in their conversation. 

“I don’t know, but it's entertainment either way for us,” Seungkwan said with a shrug. 

“I’m kinda curious what happened now too,” Hansol said.

“Maybe I’ll ask him about it.”

“Seungkwan!” One of their teammates called out. “You keep in touch with Seungcheol, right? Do you know if he hooked up with Jeonghan?”

“I wish I could tell you for sure,” Seungkwan said with a huff. “But he’s been MIA all week. Though I really don’t think we need much more confirmation than what we all saw with our own eyes just this morning.”

“There’s no way they didn’t,” another teammate from the senior class butted in. “Those two are constantly eyefucking each other whenever Seungcheol barges into our class.”

“Damn, he’s even visiting his class? How deep does their deal go…”

Seungkwan and Hansol detached themselves from the conversation to go find some volleyballs to practice with, continuing to converse about the developments as they did so. Seungkwan picked up a stray volleyball but didn’t move to actually use it, instead tucking it under his arm as Hansol brought up another interesting theory. Seungkwan was only shaken out of his conversation when he noticed something bouncing off his leg. He looked up- it was Seungcheol, having just thrown a volleyball in his direction and now making his way towards them. 

“What?” Seungcheol asked, probably noting the strange expressions the two of them were scrutinizing him with.

“Have you not been hearing about the rumors floating around about you?? Or the weird glances??” Seungkwan blurted out, vocalizing what everyone in the room was probably wondering.

Seungcheol rolled his eyes. “That’ll die out soon once they figure out I settled things with the basketball team.” 

Seungkwan frowned in confusion, having completely forgotten that that entire debacle had even happened. “Huh? No, no one cares about that,” he replied, waving his hand in dismissal. “I’m talking about the rumors about you and Jeonghan.” 

Seungcheol’s eyes widened. “What rumors??” 

Seungkwan looked at him in utter disbelief. “You don’t know?? How do you not know?? Even Hansol knows!!” Seungkwan said, and Hansol nodded his head behind him to affirm his statement. “The whole school’s talking about it! And no ones being particularly subtle about it either.” 

Seungcheol just gave a look of total confusion, only making Seungkwan’s mouth drop open in further shock.

“You know, the rumors that you and Jeonghan did it on the roof before the exam.” 

“WHAT??” Seungcheol exclaimed, combing both his hands through his still-ragged hair. Seungkwan briefly wondered if Jeonghan had been the one to make it look like that.

“Is it true?” Hansol asked. 

“NO!” 

Seungkwan turned his head to look at Hansol, who had his nostrils flared and mouth drawn in a way that mirrored his look of complete disbelief and utter suspicion. He could tell they were both thinking the exact same thing- it was so, undeniably, definitely true. The two of them slowly turned their heads to look back at Seungcheol, who’s face had flared alarmingly red.

“I - I swear to god, thats not true –” he defended hurriedly. 

“Then what happened that morning??” Seungkwan asked, crossing his arms. 

“Uh…we….” Seungcheol hesitated, clearly completely at a loss for words. Well, that was as good a confirmation as anything.

“I knew it,” Seungkwan said. “That much was probably true, but people are going absolutely wild with the rumors. It’s turned into a game of telephone at this point.” 

“Yeah, I heard someone say you’re getting into the gradebooks and changing his grades in exchange for sex,” Hansol added. Seungkwan furrowed his brow at the comment, turning to Hansol with narrowed eyes.

“That one makes no sense, Jeonghan would already do that himself,” he argued. “It’d be more likely that Seungcheol would be forcing him to actually study in exchange for sex.” 

Hansol placed a hand on his chin, nodding. “Hm, I guess you’re right.”  

“We’re not having sex!!” Seungcheol said, insistent, burning red. “There is no freaky deal going on between us!! We just decided to spend the night on the roof, okay?” 

“I heard a rumor that the tutoring program is actually a guise for one of those rent-a-boyfriend situations, except the boyfriends only give out ‘rewards’ if the students bring back good grades,” another team member said, jumping in on their conversation. 

Seungkwan scoffed. “That would absolutely not work on Jeonghan. These rumors are getting a little out of hand.” 

“The tutoring program is just a tutoring program, I didn't have sex with Jeonghan on the roof, and no one is allowed to talk about this anymore. In fact, I’m banning Jeonghan’s name from ever coming up in conversation within the team ever again,” Seungcheol demanded, turning away from the team to hide his burning face. 

“You’re the main perpetrator though –” Seungkwan started, but he was cut off as Seungcheol gave him a sharp glare. Seungkwan side-eyed him. “Okayy….” He muttered. 

“Get back to practice!!” He yelled at the team, and everyone hurried back into their positions. 

“Not sure why he’s trying so hard to hide something that’s obviously true…” Hansol mused from beside Seungkwan. 

“What did I say? Ridiculous cowards,” Seungkwan muttered with a roll of his eyes as he bounced a volleyball against the floor in preparation for their next drill. “All we can hope is that Seungcheol doesn’t get distracted ogling Jeonghan during the actual semifinal game.”

*****

It was unfortunately not too long before Seungkwan saw the face of the topic of all their discussions approach him during his lunch break a couple days later, when Seungkwan had decided to join Soonyoung and Chan for their lunch period instead of his usual sophomore time block with Hansol.

Jeonghan took the empty seat next to Seungkwan. “Hi,” he said, as inconspicuously as he could probably manage yet still failing.

“What do you want?” Seungkwan asked, cutting straight to the point. Jeonghan made a noise of offense like Seungkwan thought he wasn’t just here to catch up with him, even though that was undoubtedly the truth. 

“To see you and Soonyoung and Channie,” he said casually, though Seungkwan knew it was hiding the voice of the devil. “What have you guys been up to?”

Soonyoung and Chan immediately launched into the newest random topic they were debating about, causing Jeonghan to smile in resignation as he was forced to listen to them. That’s what he got for harassing him with ulterior motives.

When the conversation had somehow turned to tigers again, Jeonghan turned to Seungkwan, letting Chan chastise Soonyoung about his obsession.  “Sooo…” he started, placing an arm around his shoulder. 

Seungkwan side-eyed him in suspicion. “I knew you were here for something.” 

“How was the Jeju trip? You still haven’t updated me,” he asked, taking his arm back. 

Seungkwan shifted a bit in his seat from the question, instead choosing to look at his lunch tray as thoughts and memories of the Jeju trip raced across his mind. A light blush unwillingly started to creep onto his face as his mind spun with all the incriminating things Jeonghan could possibly be trying to prod him about.  “...Why do you ask?” He finally asked, voice coming out more timid than he intended.

“Curious,” Jeonghan said, smiling, making Seungkwan wonder how much he really knew. 

“It was good. I got to spend a lot of quality time with my family,” Seungkwan said simply.

“Heh. Sure,” Jeonghan replied, reaching into his pocket. He brought out a clementine orange and put it on Seungkwan’s tray. Seungkwan’s face burned at the very sight of it. 

He took the orange and put it in his pocket, choosing to save it for later. “You know you can’t bribe me with oranges, right?” 

“Hey!! I’m not. Don’t worry, I know nothing can compare to a Byeonggul orange, but it's still pretty sweet,” he said, leaning on his hand. “Besides, I know all about you and Hansol already,” he added, teasingly. 

Seungkwan huffed, looking around to make sure no one was listening in. Luckily, Soonyoung and Chan were deep in conversation about what animal they’d be in their next life, and Jeonghan turned his attention to them for a little bit while Seungkwan’s mind continued to wander. It seemed that Shua had already revealed everything he knew to Jeonghan, then. But there was no way even Shua knew the full brunt of everything that had happened, right? Seungkwan felt the orange Jeonghan had given him weigh heavily in his pocket. Oh god, he had fed an orange slice to Hansol right in front of his face though….

“Anyway, I asked Shua and he wouldn’t tell me his side of the story, you know, with Seokmin. So I wanted you to spill the details,” Jeonghan said eagerly, turning to Seungkwan again. 

Seungkwan sighed, relieved it wasn't about him and Hansol. Nevertheless, he gave a pointed look at Jeonghan. “I knew it was something like this. Hyung, have you ever considered doing anything honestly?” 

Jeonghan tucked his hair behind his ears and looked at him innocently. “Hm?” 

“They… uhh.” Seungkwan thought as he took another bite of his food. What exactly were Shua and Seokmin up to? Shua did seem to particularly gravitate towards Seokmin, but he was also likely trying to avoid getting caught up in his and Hansol’s unspoken feud. Seungkwan recalled how Shua had practically jumped at the chance to room with Seokmin- a choice that was probably driven by multiple motives. That and the fact that the only image appearing in his mind right now was the sight of Hansol’s flushing face looming above his own as he brought an orange slice down to Seungkwan’s lips - Seungkwan internally shook his head to snap him out of his thoughts. “I don’t remember much, they were pretty secretive.”

“Were they, or were you just incredibly distracted?” Jeonghan asked, brandishing an unimpressed look. 

“Stop!!” Seungkwan swatted his shoulder, sheepish. “But they did spend a lot of time together. Did he tell you how they abandoned us in the forest during our hike!!” He asked indignantly. 

“Hmm…. he said he helped you two out to sort out things. Guess he left the part out where he abandoned you guys in a forest…” 

Seungkwan scoffed in disbelief. That was one way to describe scheming to have the two of them jump off a small ledge and then ditching them in the forest for four hours straight. “You guys are all crazy.”

“Why are you excluding yourself? You’re so crazy about H-” 

“It's too bad, though, Jeonghan!” Seungkwan said, interrupting him before he could get another word in. He took another bite of his food. “Now that Shua’s interested in someone, it looks like you can’t pretend to date him anymore to make Seungcheol jealous,” he added, tone smug. 

Jeonghan was at a loss for words for once. Seungkwan grinned in triumph.

Gotcha.

“Are the rumors tr-” 

“No!” Jeonghan said, sounding like he wasn’t quite sure if he even believed himself. 

“So what really happened?” Seungkwan asked, if only to humour him. He was curious if the story would be any more incriminating from Jeonghan’s perspective compared to what Seungcheol had already told him.

“He was being neurotic about exams so I just took him up on the roof to stargaze. We were up there for a while and must’ve fallen asleep,” Jeonghan said, crossing his arms defensively. “Yet again, I’ve proven to him my way of life is superior.” 

Seungkwan nearly spit out his food, Jeonghan’s other words completely lost on him after the first statement. “Hyung, you stargazed with him??” 

Jeonghan gave him a strange look, like he was glad Seungkwan was taking him seriously but also deeply regretting opening his mouth at the same time. “I - Yes? Just to prove that my way is better!” 

Seungkwan’s eyes were bulging out of their sockets as he gave Jeonghan a once-over, who was still looking back at him with the most bewildered expression in the world. The last time he had stargazed ended with him and Hansol… Seungkwan flushed from the very thought of it. If there was one thing Seungkwan knew about stargazing, it was that it was in no way, shape, or form platonic.

Seungkwan put a hand on his shoulder. “Yeah… It’s over for you.” 

“What??” Jeonghan echoed, still confused.

Seungkwan did not care to further explain himself, leaving the conversation at that.

*****

“Dude, Jeonghan said that he and Seungcheol stargazed.”

Hansol paused and looked up from what he was doing on his laptop, face contorting into something between wry amusement and smug bewilderment. “Looks like we all had the same idea that week.”

Seungkwan made a noise of complaint at his teasing, fighting down a blush as he did so. “What I’m saying though, is that basically confirms it, right?”

“It’s just crazy how hard they’re denying it,” Hansol said with a small shake of his head. “When I asked him about it at his restaurant the other day too, he didn’t give in at all.”

“That bastard… how can he tease us when he’s a hundred times worse,” Seungkwan muttered. “I bet he prodded you for information about the trip too, huh?”

“Yeah, a bit,” Hansol replied, eyes flickering back to his laptop screen. “Though he just started commenting on the advertisement video I was in instead.”

Seungkwan gasped, mouth turning up into a small grin. “I almost forgot about that! That was so adorable. I owe Jun my life for finding that.”

“You’re such a fanboy.”

“Jealous?”

“Of Jun? Hell no,” Hansol said with a roll of his eyes. “Way too much attention.”

“Even from me?” Seungkwan said with a pout.

“...It’s okay if it's you,” Hansol muttered after a moment of thought. Seungkwan grinned in satisfaction, reaching over to playfully ruffle Hansol’s hair. Luckily, the action wasn’t disturbed by his stupid beanie today. Hansol scrunched up his nose, seeming slightly disgruntled that Seungkwan had messed up his hair.

“Am I gonna have to compete with your fans for your attention too when we go to America?” Seungkwan joked, recalling the various TV shows Hansol had mentioned filming back in the States. 

Hansol visibly cringed. “I doubt they’d recognize me.”

“What about your ex? Would she recognize you?”

“I don’t even remember what she looks like. So I wouldn’t know if she did,” Hansol replied. “Are you worried about that?”

Seungkwan smiled back at him, reaching a hand across the table to grab Hansol’s hand. Hansol’s fingers slipped between his easily. “No. Just curious.” Seungkwan looked down at their interlaced fingers, heart beating loudly in his chest from the sight. “What’re we gonna see in New York? I’ve gotta start planning some aesthetic outfits.”

Hansol raised a brow at that, but answered his question nonetheless. “I was thinking of taking you up the Empire State Building. It’s got a great view. Also, I’m getting  us tickets for Broadway.”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened, glittering from the mention of theater. “Really? No way! What show?”

“It’s a secret,” Hansol replied with a small smile.

“You’re no fun,” Seungkwan said, pouting.

“You’re gonna start looking it up and spoil yourself,” Hansol said offhandedly, clicking at something on his screen.

“Will not!” Seungkwan protested. He raised his head, trying to look over the table at what Hansol was doing. “Are you buying them right now? Lemme just see.”

“Even if I was, I wouldn’t,” Hansol replied plainly. “I’m looking at this form Soonyoung just sent me.”

“Form?” Seungkwan furrowed his brow.

“Yeah, Soonyoung keeps spamming me with application forms and links to the drama department.”

“What the hell…” Seungkwan said in exasperation, crossing a leg and folding his arms across his chest. “He sure is persistent. He hasn’t even convinced me to join yet!”

“Surprisingly.”

Seungkwan glared at him. “Oh, I am so bragging to them that I’m seeing Broadway in New York City ,” he said deviously.

“Again, surprisingly…”

Seungkwan just rolled his eyes. “Anyways… I wanna see some of your favorite spots too, you know.”

“I definitely wanna stop by Grand Central Terminal, for the constellations.”

“Constellations?” Seungkwan said, mouth drawing into a small ‘o’. “Inside?”

“It’s a ceiling mural,” Hansol explained. “It’s pretty famous, I think you’d like it.”

“That sounds so pretty,” Seungkwan said with a happy sigh, forever endeared by Hansol’s fascination with stars.

“And there’s a pizza place I always go to,” Hansol continued. “Near where… well, you’ll see.”

Seungkwan nodded, excited to see all the places Hansol grew up around. Excitement bubbled in his veins, from the anticipated New York trip to their upcoming winter break to the volleyball semifinals just this weekend. 

And before he knew it, Seungkwan was getting into position in anticipation for the first serve of the semifinal’s game to fly over the net. Although the team was doing miles better than before, their disastrous practice game would forever put him on edge. However, all his worries disappeared as soon as the whistle blew to signal the start of the game and his body went into autopilot. He found that he never had to worry about their previous lack of coordination at a single point throughout the game, because each of his teammates were always in position right when he needed them and Seungkwan could read just when they needed him as well.

Despite fighting against one of the strongest teams in the district, their team managed to triumph in the semi-finals. Seungkwan almost cried as a wave of relief, happiness, and pure exhilaration overtook him when the referee blew the final whistle to announce their victory- a familiar dopamine rush of all his efforts paying off in the end. And this time, with all his teammates beside him in their best spirits as well.

He smiled, grin almost painfully wide as all his teammates crowded around to pull him into a group hug amidst their cacophony of cheers. Seungkwan caught Seungcheol’s eye throughout it all, recognizing the glint of pride in his eyes as he watched them celebrate. Seungkwan reflected it back in his own smile.

Finally, after the group finally dispersed from their huddle, Seungkwan and Hansol gravitated towards the corner of the gym in search of the water fountain. Seungkwan bumped shoulders with him as they walked, still riding out the thrill of their victory as he recounted the game’s events.

“Oh my god, that dive Seungcheol did near the end was absolutely insane!” Seungkwan told Hansol, practically vibrating from excitement. “I thought for sure we would’ve lost the point from that block- oh, and the assist on your end too!” Seungkwan threw out his hands dramatically. “You set that up perfectly for the last spike!”

“Couldn’t have done it if you hadn’t set it up so many times during that relay,” Hansol said, voice light and the corners of his eyes folding a bit from his smile. “That required some crazy impressive footwork.”

Seungkwan beamed from the praise, bounding up to him to link his arm with his. Hansol found his hand slipped his own into it, interlacing their fingers as he did so. Seungkwan squeezed his hand back before making the split decision to pull him in for a hug, not even caring if anyone was watching. He laughed brightly as he jumped up and down in pure joy, arms bouncing against Hansol’s shoulders from the action. 

Hansol broke out into a laugh as he bounced along with him, the sound reverberating against Seungkwan comfortingly from their close proximity. He craned his neck upwards and caught sight of Hansol’s gummy smile, uncontrollably wide with unbridled elation. Seungkwan’s eyes glazed over, mesmerized. 

He could kiss him right now.

But, he didn’t, instead choosing to bury his head further against Hansol’s chest, feeling the comforting pound of his racing heartbeat, still elevated from the exertion of their game. Seungkwan felt Hansol’s arms wrap around his back to hold him closer, and Seungkwan gladly leaned into his touch, satisfied with just clinging onto him tighter for now.

There’d be plenty of time for that later.

*****

December snuck up on all of them before they had even known it, prompting a discussion of Christmas plans and gifts in the large group chat. And so, the thirteen of them somehow managed to all meet up at lunch the following day, sitting around one of the larger circular tables. 

“Okay, I’ve thoroughly checked the hat to make sure no one can cheat, AND, I had Minghao write all the names since I can actually trust him to be honest,” Joshua said, staring pointedly at Jeonghan. He was standing up at the table with one of Hansol’s snapbacks (which to Seungkwan’s great joy, he had been persuaded to take off his head), next to Minghao, who passed over the slips of paper with their names on it. 

“Why would I even want to cheat for this?” Jeonghan asked, plastering on the most deceivingly innocent-looking face he could muster. 

“Please, hyung, it is not a coincidence that you’ve gotten Soonyoung for every secret santa since we’ve known him,” Seungkwan said tiredly, shooting him an unimpressed look.

“Ohh… that was rigged??” Soonyoung asked, surprised. Seungkwan internally face-palmed.

“Of course it was rigged!!” Joshua said. “You’re the easiest to buy presents for.” 

“I am?” Soonyoung asked, still confused. 

Jihoon just placed a hand on his back and shook his head. “I’m glad we have such a big group this year. Typically I’d just get Wonwoo a new game and Seungcheol new watches…” 

Shua started the hat in the opposite direction of where Jeonghan was sitting so it would reach him last, and one by one each of them began picking out folded slips of paper and silently reading the name of the person they got. 

Seungkwan eyed the little pieces of papers curiously as Jun handed the hat to him. He was seated only three people away from Joshua, who had picked the first name before passing the hat to Minghao and then Jun, which is why he had to forcibly restrain himself from reacting when he had opened his own slip of paper to read the name written inside:

Hansol

Seungkwan just stared at the paper, flabbergasted that he had somehow picked Hansol’s name out of the remaining ten people in the hat. Furthermore, he didn’t know whether to be excited or exceptionally pressured to pick out the perfect gift now. 

Soon, everyone was snickering and giggling over who they got and attempting to gather information from the other friends. Seungkwan refolded the little paper and slipped it safely into his pocket to prevent anyone (Jeonghan) from sneaking around finding out who he had gotten. However, he couldn’t help but take a cursory glance around the circle, wondering who had gotten him. He secretly hoped it wasn’t Soonyoung, seeing as how the last time he had received a gift from him it included a screaming animatronic card which had scared Seungkwan shitless. Seungkwan glanced at Hansol, who was seated to his left, but he remained expressionless, showing no visible signs of who he could’ve gotten as well. 

“We’ll set a money limit since we don’t want anyone spending that much,” Joshua said. “How about $25?” 

The group nodded, agreeing to the price limit. 

As the group went their separate ways, a certain someone crept their way up to Seungkwan and Hansol on their way back to class, to none of Seungkwan’s surprise.

“Seungkwan-ah~” Jeonghan drawled, throwing an arm around Seungkwan's shoulders as they walked. 

“I’m not telling you who I got, hyung,” Seungkwan said with a roll of his eyes, before he could say anything else.

Jeonghan pouted. “I didn’t even say anything! … But why not?”

“It’s almost like it’s called Secret Santa,” Seungkwan replied.

“I’ll give you a free dessert from my restaurant~” Jeonghan offered.

Seungkwan raised a brow. “Is that even allowed?”

“It is if you agree.”

“No.”

Jeonghan frowned in disappointment, before his gaze flickered to Hansol. “What about you, Hansol?”

“What kind of dessert?” Hansol asked. “Ow!”

Seungkwan brushed his hand off on his shirt, after having used it to smack Hansol on the back of the head. “Don’t be fooled by that deviant, Hansol.”

“I was just kidding…” Hansol said unhappily, rubbing at his head. “I’m not going to break the rules.”

“Rules?! It’s Secret Santa,” Jeonghan argued desperately. 

“Yeah, but that defeats the whole purpose of the game if we tell you,” Hansol pointed out.

“You guys are impossible,” Jeonghan sighed unhappily. “Soonyoung would’ve caved in a second.”

“Are you seriously comparing us to Soonyoung right now?” Seungkwan said with a raise of his brow.

“Fair point.”

Jeonghan eventually left them alone after realizing that they weren’t going to budge, likely going off to coerce someone else into revealing the name they picked. Seungkwan and Hansol continued walking to class, and spotted Mingyu loitering near the front of their classroom holding a cookie in his hands. 

“Let me guess, Jeonghan cajoled you into telling him who you got for secret santa,” Seungkwan said immediately upon approaching him. Mingyu gave him a sheepish look.

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

“You’re holding one of the actual edible cookies from the cafeteria, but no one is going to actually pay for those because they’re overpriced to hell, so obviously Jeonghan slipped you one in exchange for the information. That and you’re a huge pushover.”

“Wow,” Mingyu replied, a bit in awe. Hansol silently clapped in the background. “Impressive, but I am not a pushover.”

“Whatever you say,” Seungkwan said with a self-assured shrug as they all went into the classroom and the bell for the next period rang. “Things any better with the basketball team?” Seungkwan asked Mingyu in curiosity as they walked to their desks.

“Actually, yeah. We got our own club room!”

“Oh, seriously?” Seungkwan replied in awe. “How’d you guys manage that?”

“It was all thanks to Seungcheol,” Mingyu said happily. “He even managed to pull some strings to clear up practice time in the gym for us.”

“I knew he’d figure it out,” Seungkwan said proudly, nodding along. 

“I think I’m finally starting to get through to some of the guys on the team, too,” Mingyu added. “I was beginning to think that we weren’t going to bond at all.”

“That’s great to hear,” Seungkwan said, a tiny prick of sadness stirring up from inside of him despite the good news. He was sincerely happy for Mingyu, but Seungkwan just knew it was something he could’ve never had during his time on the team. “Seems like things are finally turning up for all of us.”

“You can say that again,” Mingyu said with a deep sigh. “What about the volleyball team? Oh- congrats by the way! I heard you guys won the semifinals game last weekend!”

“Thanks,” Seungkwan said, grinning from the memory of their victory. “Worked our asses off for that one, but it paid off in the end.”

  “You guys do anything to celebrate?” Mingyu asked suggestively.

“We got milkshakes with the team afterwards,” Hansol said.

“Oh, nice,” Mingyu replied. “But I meant the two of you, specifically.”

Seungkwan shot Mingyu an annoyed look, while Hansol just continued looking off in the distance, likely trying to actually recall something out of the ordinary the two of them had done together.

“No, nothing in particular. I was wondering though,” Seungkwan began, changing the topic. “What about Wonwoo? He and Seungcheol seemed to still be on rough terms the last time I saw them.”

“Hm, I’m not sure. Wonwoo’s still been a bit standoffish about it all, but hopefully things will be resolved since Seungcheol fixed our team problems.”

“I’m still kinda surprised he joined the team in the first place,” Seungkwan commented. “Seemed like a sudden decision.”

“To be honest… I still can’t believe I convinced him,” Mingyu said, eyes wide. “I was half-joking at that point since he’d turned me down so many times. Not complaining, though.”

“Of course you wouldn’t,” Seungkwan said, giving him a shit-eating grin. A light blush made its way up Mingyu’s cheeks. “We’ve still gotta schedule that basketball game between us at some point. Do you think Wonwoo would wanna join?”

“Probably not,” Mingyu said with a shrug. “He still prefers to spend his free time gaming instead of actually practicing.”

“Yeah, I saw him online on Fortnite at 3AM the other day,” Hansol added.

Seungkwan turned to Hansol with a look of disgust. “You play Fortnite??”

“Yeah, Wonwoo, Seungcheol and I have a group chat for it.”

“Of course you do.”

The teacher walked into the classroom and got their attention before they could say anything else, forcing Mingyu to go back to his seat and cease loitering around Seungkwan and Hansol’s desks. They weren’t doing much during class today, seeing as how winter break was starting just this weekend, allowing Seungkwan’s attention to wander to his upcoming trip with Hansol in just a few days. Both excitement and apprehension bubbled in Seungkwan’s veins, seeing as he had never traveled out of the country before, yet alone to one where he wasn’t fluent in the dominant language. He internally grimaced. If he had known that he'd be traveling to the US so soon, he would’ve tried harder in their English class. 

However, there was no one else Seungkwan felt safer with to guide him around a new country than Hansol, so Seungkwan found himself looking forward to embracing the new experience. Suddenly, an idea sparked in his head.

He tore a piece of paper off his notebook before scribbling a note into it.

Hey, let’s speak in English until the trip so I can practice!

Seungkwan looked down at the paper, double checking the spelling of the English characters before doodling a little American flag in the corner, folding up the paper neatly, and passing the note to Hansol.

Hansol gave him a curious look upon noticing the small piece of paper on his desk. He picked it up and unfolded it, a slow smile growing on his face as he read it. He ripped a piece of paper out of his own notebook before going to write out his reply. Seungkwan watched him in slight concern, as he seemed to be writing far more than a simple ‘okay’ onto the note.

Finally, Hansol finished writing, and haphazardly folded up his note and threw it onto Seungkwan’s desk. Seungkwan picked up the paper and unfolded it, eyes immediately squinting in confusion when he opened it up.

Okay, your first task: translate this

Seungkwan couldn’t even begin to understand what the hell Hansol had written, because he had followed up the note with a long ass paragraph on some completely unrelated topic. Seungkwan frowned back at Hansol in annoyance, his fun little activity being turned into something more akin to a homework assignment. Nevertheless, he tried to read as many of the words as he could make out- it wasn’t like he was particularly paying attention in class right now, anyways. However, after many more minutes of scrutinizing the note, Seungkwan still didn’t know what to make of it.

Maybe he’d ask Shua for help on the matter, later .

*****

Much to his disappointment, Seungkwan did not find Shua loitering around Jeonghan’s restaurant when he came over to help one day. Of course, he hadn’t come with the sole intention of harassing Joshua, but it would’ve been greatly convenient either way. 

Seungkwan had heard the word from Seungcheol first, after finding out that he and Shua had stopped by the other day to help Jeonghan with restaurant-related duties. Apparently Jeonghan had actually began studying lately, causing him to skip out on hours of sleep. He couldn’t deny that both running a restaurant and being a full-time student sounded exceptionally hard, so Seungkwan was quick to jump at the chance to help his friends in lessening his burden. It wasn’t all that bad, and Seungkwan had quickly become acquainted with Mr. Kim, one of the staff who seemed particularly close to Jeonghan and promptly took Seungkwan under his wing. 

“You’re seriously wasting your whole afternoon here? Just for me?” Jeonghan asked teasingly as Seungkwan tied an apron around his waist.

Seungkwan looked him up and down in distaste. Jeonghan somehow looked even less professional than Seungkwan, despite it being his own restaurant; he had let his hair down messily all over his eyes and was wearing a gigantic graphic- tee shirt under his own dirty apron. “Hyung, you make it really hard to want to help you out.”  

Jeonghan laughed at that. “How come Hansol’s not with you?? Doesn’t he typically follow you around like a pet?” 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes, already regretting his decision to come to the restaurant.“Being alone with you in front of Hansol is one of my worst nightmares, actually.” 

Jeonghan snickered. “I have no idea what you mean by that. It’s too bad, we could’ve used an extra pair of hands. You sure you can go a whole couple of hours without him here?? Should I put up a picture of him for support??”   

Seungkwan shot him with the best death glare he could muster. “I can just walk out of here, you know.” 

“Are you going to go to Hansol??”

Seungkwan’s eyebrow twitched, and he picked up a fork which he spotted on the table nearby before aiming it threateningly in the general direction of Jeonghan’s throat. “No, but you’re about to see the pearly gates of hell if you don’t shut the hell up.”

Jeonghan finally let up his teasing after that, seeming to at least somewhat value his life. Mr. Kim then took over and showed Seungkwan around the place, since Jeonghan did not seem particularly inclined to do the task himself. Once Seungkwan was well acquainted and assigned dish duty, Jeonghan slid up to him, grabbing a towel to dry off the dishes. 

“So…” Jeonghan started, as casually as possible. Seungkwan shot him a nasty look again. “Who’d you get –” 

“I’m not telling you!” 

“Come on~” Jeonghan pressed. “Shua told me you were at the stationary section in the mall the other day. Surely that wasn’t for yourself. You must have something planned.”  

“It’s a secret santa,” he insisted again, unbudging.

“But you got Hansol, right?” Jeonghan asked, eyes narrowing. Seungkwan nearly dropped the slippery plate he was holding in his hands, startled. How in the hell did he know that?!

“Aha! I knew it!” Jeonghan exclaimed, much to Seungkwan’s panic.

“I didn’t say anything!” Seungkwan protested, trying to attempt damage control, but he could already feel his face reddening against his will. 

“Wow… I can’t believe this… I’m impressed and slightly proud. Did you cheat the system?” Jeonghan asked, a glint of slyness in his eye.

“No, I’m not you ,” Seungkwan rebuked in offense. “It just happened to be an insanely lucky coincidence. Or unlucky… I can’t decide.” 

“It’s lucky for Hansol. I don’t think anyone knows him better than you do,” Jeonghan said, sweetly for once. Seungkwan sincerely hoped he was right. A small smile tugged at his face as he thought about how Hansol might react to his gift. 

“I just hope he likes what I got him,” he said shyly, handing Jeonghan a clean plate. 

“What did you get him?” Jeonghan asked, drying off the plate and taking the next one Seungkwan gave to him. 

He sighed in resignation, lowering his voice. “You promise not to tell anyone?? Even Shua.” 

“I won’t!” he whispered back, excited. 

“And you can’t make fun of me.” 

“No promises.” 

Seungkwan gave him a look, but continued. “He’s been really into film and photography recently, so my first idea was to get him a photo album to store all of his photos.” 

“Aww, that’s cute.” 

“I was at the stationary store because the photo album looked so plain so I obviously had to decorate it. I still haven’t finished it but I think it's turning out really nice so far.” 

“Awww, you two are so cute,” Jeonghan said endearingly. 

“And… nevermind,” Seungkwan said quickly, not really wanting to get into the other part of his gift- it would be hard to explain fully, anyways.

But of course, Jeonghan wouldn’t let the little omission slip, and continuously pestered him about it until he finally gave in.

“Okay, okay!! I just… fulfilled a promise I made to him a while back…” he muttered, burning red from the memory of Hansol and him walking back home that one chilly night after the play, hand in hand as Hansol had asked to hear him sing. “You are so annoying, hyung,” he added indignantly, pointedly putting his attention towards scraping the dishes instead so that he wouldn’t combust on the spot.

It was still in the works, of course, but Seungkwan had already spent the past few days plotting out a melody which had been stuck in his head for a while. He had considered just picking one of his favorite songs to sing for Hansol, but every single one he considered just didn’t feel special enough. So, he decided to finally put his mind to paper and draft out some lyrics for the song he was composing. He had even asked Jihoon to look over the song and to borrow some recording equipment so that he could burn the song onto a CD. Jihoon had graciously complied to the latter after Seungkwan had given him a Diet Coke in payment.

He was considering stopping just after buying the photo album, but Seungkwan couldn’t help the urge to continuously decorate it in ways that he knew Hansol would like and even then add the recording of his song for an even more personalized touch. Seungkwan had always prided himself in curating the best presents for his friends, so there was absolutely no way he could risk falling flat with Hansol.

Despite Seungkwan’s continuous efforts to make the perfect gift, he could only hope that Hansol would like it in the end. 

The thought made Seungkwan more giddy than he’d like to admit.

Chapter Text

“Please,” Jeonghan begged the next day during classes, having ambushed Hansol in the hallway on his way back from lunch.

“Nope,” Hansol said, used to Jeonghan’s incessant nagging at this point. He couldn’t say he was too surprised that Jeonghan had decided to target Hansol independently when his efforts had proved fruitless yesterday after the name picking.

“C’mon, just a hint. Or just tell me what you got, instead of who.” 

“Can’t, it's a secret santa,” he said, taking a sip from a half-drunken americano he had stolen from Seungkwan at some point throughout the day.

“Right…” Jeonghan paused, thinking. Hansol waited as he pondered his next scheme. “Okay… can you tell me how you came up with it?” 

“I just noticed he collected these things ‘cuz he talked about it once. And so I’m gonna pick up one from where he’s from,” he explained simply. It was actually pretty lucky that he was headed to the US soon, Hansol thought, because now he could pick up a bottle of Joshua's favorite perfume from the states before coming back to Korea for their secret santa exchange. He took another sip, the straw making strangling noises as it picked up the last bit of coffee. 

Jeonghan didn’t seem to be very satisfied from the answer, however, instead frowning as he tried to take in Hansol’s words.

“Hyung, you have Seungcheol, right?” Hansol finally asked after a few more moments of thought. There was no reason for Jeonghan to be this worried about the gift if it were anyone else, after all.

“Yes…” Jeonghan said, seeming a bit caught off guard.

Hansol thought about how he would go about picking a gift if he had to buy one for Seungkwan- so many things seemed to remind Hansol of him, so he reckoned it wouldn’t be particularly difficult. He could probably think of a couple of things Seungkwan would love to receive right now, just off the top of his head. “Oh… that's easy, then. Just get him the first thing you see. Don’t think about it too hard,” Hansol advised sincerely. He sucked on the coffee straw again, absentmindedly.

Jeonghan gave him a look of apprehension, as if debating whether or not to believe him. Instead, his eyes flickered to Hansol’s now-empty Americano.

“You realize there’s no more coffee, right?” Jeonghan asked curiously. 

Hansol looked at the cup. “The ice is melting,” he said simply, before resuming to suck on the slightly coffee- flavored ice cubes.

Jeonghan eventually left him alone after realizing that he wasn’t going to get anything else out of him, and Hansol made his way back to his homeroom class. He spotted Seungkwan in their usual spot and waved to him.

“Hi-” Seungkwan began, but Hansol cut him off with a shake of his head.

“ You mean, hello,” Hansol replied to him in English, stretching out the last syllable of the word. Seungkwan gave him a bemused look.

“Fine. Hello, Hansol. How are you?”

A small, amused smile tugged at Hansol’s mouth. “Pretty good, what about you?”

“I’m… good,” Seungkwan said cutely. “ Thank you for asking.”

“You’re welcome,” Hansol replied. “Your English is great.”

“Of course!” Seungkwan replied with a proud huff. “I am…” he paused. “What’s the word for fluent?”

“ Fluent,” Hansol answered with a raised eyebrow.

“I am fluent,” Seungkwan said, nodding to himself.

“Not yet, you aren’t.”

“Rude,” Seungkwan said with a frown, dropping the English entirely. Hansol laughed as Seungkwan grabbed onto his collar threateningly. “Why are you trying to bring down my confidence?!”

“It’s just constructive criticism?” Hansol offered as Seungkwan shook him around.

The two of them continued exchanging notes as class began, completely ignoring whatever was being taught, not unlike the rest of class. They would be out for winter break in only another day, and it was glaringly obvious from the fact that no one seemed to be able to keep their focus on school for the entire week.

Seungkwan’s English- speaking streak continued on into the last drama club meeting of the semester, much to the amusement of Soonyoung, Seokmin, and Chan, who immediately joined in on the antics.

“ Yeahhh, I’m DK, bro!” Seokmin said excitedly in English when Seungkwan had explained his English- speaking challenge to the drama group.

“ Ooh, DK! I thought you‘re Seokmin?” Chan replied teasingly.

“Yes, Seokmin,” Seungkwan said, pointing a finger towards Seokmin. “He’s stupid,” Seungkwan muttered to Hansol, shaking his head in disapproval.

“Ha, stupid!” Soonyoung repeated, nodding his head in agreement.

“ You… you no know English!” Seungkwan said upon turning to Soonyoung. Hansol wheezed, letting out a high-pitched laugh.

“You don’t know English,” Hansol gently corrected.

“ Ah, thank you so much,” Seungkwan replied, placing a hand on Hansol’s shoulder. He turned back to Soonyoung. “ You DON’T know English!”

The rest of the drama club meeting went along mostly uneventfully (well, as uneventfully as a drama club meeting could go), until the double doors to the auditorium opened about 20 minutes later to reveal someone dressed in all black and a face mask making their way down the stairs and towards the stage. Upon further inspection, Hansol recognized the familiar, short figure under the mask covering his face.

“Oh, Jihoon?” Soonyoung said upon noticing him, head poking up from whatever script he had been working on. 

“I’m not here for you,” Jihoon said boredly, immediately dismissing him. Soonyoung just pouted, seeming disappointed but not surprised in the slightest. Instead, Jihoon turned to Seungkwan, holding out a pair of wired headphones. “I thought I might find you here- you left these in the music room the other day.”

“Oh my god, so that’s where they went!” Seungkwan said, happily taking them from Jihoon’s hand. “Thanks, Jihoon.”

“Oooh, Seungkwan, are you finally recording a song?” Seokmin asked in interest. 

Hansol turned to Seungkwan- he seemed to freeze up a bit for some reason, as if he had just been caught doing something he couldn't explain.

“I asked him to sing the refrain for one of the songs I’m working on,” Jihoon said casually. He buried his now free hands into his sweatshirt pockets. “I thought his vocal tone would match the song nicely.”

“You have to let us hear it when it’s complete,” Chan said. The rest of the group clamored in agreement.

“I’ll send the soundcloud link into the group chat,” Jihoon replied with a quick nod. “It probably won’t be done for a while though, something about the mixing keeps bothering me… Anyways, I’ve gotta go.”

“Oh, do you finally have some social event to go to?” Soonyoung asked teasingly.

“...No,” Jihoon replied through narrowed eyes. “I’m going back to the studio.”

“Hah! You’re such a heathen,” Soonyoung said, laughing as Jihoon walked off. He just gave him the middle finger as he left, back turned towards them.

“Dude, he’s gonna kick your ass,” Seokmin muttered a bit cautiously.

“Yeah, he would. He loves my ass.”

Seungkwan spat out a bit of the iced Americano he had been drinking.

Hansol wiped at the stray droplets which had fallen onto his jeans in distaste, earning an affronted look from Seungkwan.

“You do have a great ass,” Seokmin commented, causing Chan to make a face of slight discomfort in the background, raising his brows as he did so.

“What is the deal with you guys??” Seungkwan finally asked, wiping the back of his mouth with his shirt sleeve once he had recovered. “I deadass can’t tell if you guys are together or not.”

Soonyoung let out a long, resigned sigh, stretching out his arms behind him to prop himself up. “We’re not.” He wagged an eyebrow. “Unless you count together in the janitor's closet.”

Seungkwan made a gagging motion in response.

“Okay, so what? Are you guys fuck buddies or something?” Chan asked.

“Chan! Language!” Seokmin immediately reprimanded him. Chan looked at him in annoyance.

“Umm, I prefer the term ‘friends with benefits’,” Soonyoung said, bringing his hands together as he slowly sat back up. “Oh shit, I don’t think I was supposed to tell you guys that. Jihoon’s actually gonna kick my ass now.”

“Don’t worry, we won’t say anything,” Seungkwan said with a grimace. “We really don’t need to know more about your sex life.”

“Yeah, we won’t let your ass be in danger,” Seokmin said seriously. “Soonyoung ass protection club.”

“We are absolutely not calling ourselves that,” Seungkwan said in disgust. 

“I’m renaming the group chat right now,” Seokmin said, already pulling out his phone in glee. Soonyoung leaned over his screen to watch him. “Since we’re practicing English… Hansol, what’re the acronyms for Soonyoung ass protection club?”

“SAPC,” Hansol replied.

“Don’t encourage them!” Seungkwan criticized, shooting Hansol a glare. 

Hansol just shrugged. “He asked.”

“Oh, Hansol, how come you’re not in the drama group chat yet?” Soonyoung said, now scrolling on his own phone. “Let me add you.”

“Well, he’s not in the drama club,” Seungkwan noted.

“Neither are you,” Chan said with a raise of his brow.

“True that,” Hansol said. Seungkwan just rolled his eyes.

“No, not that one! Don’t add him to the big chat, he’s gonna get spammed,” Hansol heard Seokmin hiss under his breath.

“You say that like you guys aren’t spamming the chat 24/7…” Chan said offhandedly.

“Who the hell changed all the names?!” Seungkwan complained after he took out his own phone as Seokmin and Soonyoung cackled in the background. “Change it back!”

A few moments later, Hansol felt the familiar buzz of his own phone going off in his pocket. He pulled it out and read the notification:

ass added you to SAPC

ass protector 1: fine, fine

ass: aw

ass protector 3: thank god

ass protector 1 set their user to bubbles

bubbles set ass’s user to buttercup

bubbles set ass protector 3’s user to mr. Cha

bubbles set ass protector 2’s name to blossom

buttercup: welcome to our abode, Hansol!

blossom: you mean hell

buttercup: admit it blossom, you enjoy it

blossom: why the hell are we texting we’re sitting right next to each other

Hansol: lol

“We need a fun nickname for Hansol!” Seokmin said, prying Hansol’s attention away from his phone.

“It will come with time,” Soonyoung said wisely.

“What is… Mr. Cha from?” Hansol asked Chan.

“That’s his alter ego when he goes to dance rehearsal,” Seungkwan explained, as if that clarified anything. 

The drama meeting soon concluded after that, leaving Hansol to wonder what they had even accomplished besides gossip about Soonyoung’s strange relationship with Jihoon and messing around in their group chat. He had a feeling Seungcheol would not approve of their use of the drama rooms for their daily hangouts.

“What time are we leaving for the airport this Saturday?” Seungkwan asked him as they walked home from the school. Hansol turned to him- Seungkwan was wearing a large, fluffy scarf wrapped around his neck to shield himself from the cold. The plaid fabric bunched across his face and muffled his voice a bit as he spoke.

“Probably around like… 6PM,” Hansol replied. “My dad said he could drive both of us.”

Hansol couldn’t see it under his scarf, but he could tell Seungkwan was smiling back by the way his eyes folded into little crescents and creased around the edges. “Seriously, your dad’s the best.”

Hansol ended up walking Seungkwan all the way back home, his feet unconsciously just taking him to his street from habit as he and Seungkwan got lost in their conversation. By then the sky had begun to dim, and the street lamps flickered on as they approached the front doorsteps of Seungkwan’s home. It was the perfect atmosphere for some snow, Hansol thought, and he hoped that they’d see some when they went to the States.

“Ugh, I’d invite you in but I should finish packing…” Seungkwan said with a sigh. He took a step towards Hansol, tugging at the lapels of his jacket and looking up at him with a shy smile. “See you tomorrow?”

Hansol’s breath hitched a bit before he smiled back proudly, caught off guard from Seungkwan’s impromptu use of English. He exhaled, his breath coming out in a puff of clouds from the frosty winter air.

“Yeah…” Hansol said, bumping his forehead against Seungkwan’s. Seungkwan giggled from the action. “See you then.”

*****

That Saturday, Hansol waved goodbye to his dad as he watched him pull out of the departures lane, with Seungkwan doing the same by his side. He snacked on a cookie he had brought along with him- one from the large batch that Seungkwan had indeed baked for his dad the day before he had picked him up for their flight. Hansol couldn’t help but swipe a few of them for himself; they were double chocolate chip, his favorite flavor. Hansol absentmindedly wondered if that was why Seungkwan had chosen it.

Seungkwan and him made their way towards the terminals after they had checked in their bags at the counter. Luckily, Seungkwan’s luggage did not in fact go over the weight limit this time, causing Seungkwan to let out a cry of triumph.

Once they had made their way through security, the two of them rolled their carry-on bags down the long, shiny tile floor of the corridor as they tried to find their gate. On their way there, Hansol spotted the small cafe which he had gotten coffee from before their flight to Jeju. He glanced at Seungkwan, who was looking at the coffee stand longingly.

“Do you want an Americano?” Hansol asked. Seungkwan quickly shook his head.

“No, it's an overnight flight. I should try and sleep.”

Hansol nodded, deciding to do the same.

Before they knew it, boarding had begun for their flight and they made their way into the plane once Economy class was called. Luckily, his dad was a rewards member, so he had managed to secure seats next to each other for Seungkwan and him. They shuffled down the narrow aisle before finding their seats- 17A and B, Hansol noted after checking their ticket. He lugged his bag into the overhead department before helping Seungkwan do the same.

“We got assigned a window seat,” Hansol told him. “You want it?”

“Are you sure?” Seungkwan said, but Hansol didn’t miss the glimmer of excitement in his eye.

“Yeah, I’ve done this exact flight a million times before,” Hansol said, gesturing for Seungkwan to go into the row. Seungkwan gave him a thankful look before going to take his seat by the window. Hansol slid into the middle seat next to him.

Seungkwan looked out the window at the glittering cityscape as they took off, hand in Hansol’s under the blankets they had provided for them during the flight. Hansol caught sight of his excited smile in the window’s reflection, and he watched him until Seungkwan’s eyes found his own, making his grin grow even wider.

“You know, the take off looks exactly the same as when we went to Jeju, but it feels so different for some reason,” Seungkwan commented.

“Yeah, because we were avoiding each other,” Hansol replied.

Seungkwan turned his head, giving Hansol a sheepish look. “Ugh, don’t remind me… now that I look back on it, that was so embarrassing.”

Hansol just laughed, agreeing with him. 

“Let’s never fight again, okay?” Seungkwan told him.

“Agreed.”

Seungkwan perched his head into the nook of Hansol’s shoulder, even though he had the window seat and could’ve easily leaned against the wall instead. Hansol just let him, allowing his head to gently rest atop Seungkwan’s as well.  At some point during the flight, Hansol must’ve fallen asleep, because he woke up to something poking at his cheek amidst the silent hum of the airplane.

“ Hansolll…” he heard a familiar voice whisper. Hansol blinked his eyes open, letting them adjust to the darkness before he found the outline of Seungkwan’s face hovering above him.

“Hm?” He mumbled, still bleary-eyed. “How long was I out?”

“A good five hours,” Seungkwan told him. “You’re impressively good at passing out in random places,” he added a bit enviously on second thought. 

“They still have the lights dimmed,” Hansol said with a yawn.

“Yeah, which means it's the perfect time to do sheet masks while no one can see us!” Seungkwan whispered excitedly.

“Now?” Hansol grumbled, not very enthusiastic at the thought of putting a cold, wet piece of cloth onto his face in the middle of the night. “Do I have to…”

“Our skin is going to be parched by the time we land if we don’t,” Seungkwan tsked. “This isn’t some short domestic flight to Jeju, it’s a grueling 14 hours.”

After a bit more bickering, Seungkwan had finally convinced Hansol to peel open the packet to his citrus-scented face mask and lay it over his face. Hansol shivered as it touched his skin. At least it smelled good, he supposed. He looked to Seungkwan, who was looking in a small handheld mirror he had brought while he expertly laid each corner of the mask on his face. He had his bangs pushed back with a fluffy skincare headband, which had a cute bow attached to the top of it. Once he was satisfied with his mask, he put away the mirror and looked back to Hansol. He frowned.

“Agh, your mask is all crumpled,” Seungkwan tutted in disapproval. He leaned over to fix the mask on Hansol’s face. Hansol lazily stared up at his face, admiring his delicate eyelashes peeking out from his silly looking face mask. Suddenly, Seungkwan caught his eye, pausing what he was doing. “What?”

“Huh?” Hansol said stupidly.

“Why’d you start smiling?” 

“Oh.” Hansol brought a hand to his face, not even realizing he had been smiling. The action messed up the placement of his face mask, much to Seungkwan’s disapproval. Hansol’s mouth moved on instinct. “You’re just pretty.”

Seungkwan’s face flushed unmistakably pink, even in the low light of the airplane. He pursed his lips together as he searched for words. Eventually, he just went back to readjusting the mask on Hansol’s face. Then, once he had finished, he lightly pressed his mouth to the top of Hansol’s head, before his lips traveled down to his ear.

“Chwe Hansol, you’re going to be the death of me ,” Seungkwan muttered, voice low and breath tickling his skin. Hansol involuntarily shivered from the sensation.

Hansol felt his own cheeks burn as Seungkwan settled back into his spot on Hansol’s shoulder and shut his eyes.

That was definitely going on the counter.

*****

Thankfully, the next time Hansol woke up was when the flight attendants had started rolling around the carts for breakfast, making Hansol sit up in his seat in anticipation. Their used sheet masks lay disposed in one of the paper bags Hansol had found in their seat pockets. Seungkwan had swiftly dozed off upon putting on their face masks, so Hansol had stayed awake for at least another twenty minutes so that he could remove them- he had read that leaving them on for too long could actually cause the masks to start reabsorbing moisture and bacteria. 

He poked Seungkwan awake, who was still slumped against Hansol’s shoulder. The sunlight seeping in from the plane window fell over his face, illuminating his features in its glow. He awoke with a slight start, hands automatically moving to his face to feel for the sheet mask.

“I took it off,” Hansol told him, pulling down the table from the seat in front of him. 

“Oh,” Seungkwan said with a yawn, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands. “Thanks.”

The two of them ate their breakfast- a meal consisting of some steamed rice, vegetables, and a fried egg. Hansol ate it happily, knowing that the American one on the flight back would not be nearly as good.

“No peanuts this time?” Seungkwan said between a mouthful of rice. Hansol gave him a wry look.

“You’d never let them get to me.”

Before they knew it, an announcement came on informing everyone that they would be landing within the next hour. The both of them folded up their tables again to the seat in front of them. Seungkwan was looking off into the distance through the window with a look of slight awe on his face, as if he hadn’t yet processed that they’d made it all the way across the ocean already. Hansol watched him for a while, captivated by his every minute fascination.

After another half hour, Hansol could begin to make out the sight of rows of houses and tall skyscrapers in the distance that seemed so small from all the way above the clouds. A strange sense of familiarity yet displacement filled him from the sight. 

Twenty minutes later, they had touched down. The airport lights blinked around them amongst the darkness, and the pilot announced that the local time was around 8PM. Despite having flown so many times, Hansol didn’t know if he would ever get used to feeling like he had practically time traveled 24 hours into the future every time he landed on the east coast. He looked to Seungkwan again, who was still staring out the window- he didn’t seem to be tired at all, sat upright in his seat as he waited for the seatbelt sign to turn off in anticipation. 

Once it did, they lugged their bags down from the overhead department and made their way down the cramped aisle and then the ramp connecting them to their gate. After making their way through customs, they emerged into the arrivals section of the terminal and went to go look for their bags. Hansol grabbed Seungkwan’s hand as they walked around the airport, who seemed uncharacteristically silent, like he was still taking everything in. Finally, they found their bags and rolled them in the direction of the airport doors.

“My mom and Soph should be around here somewhere…” Hansol told Seungkwan, eyes flitting around the masses of people as he searched for them. 

“Is it weird that I’m kinda nervous?” Seungkwan finally responded with a sheepish smile, turning to Hansol. “I’ve been hearing you talk about them for so long… it feels kinda unreal now.”

“They’ll love you,” Hansol reassured him, squeezing his hand as they walked. Seungkwan gave him a grateful smile in return.

As they neared the entrance, Hansol caught sight of a familiar head of wavy, brown hair barely peeking out from the taller crowd around her. A floating balloon dangled from above the spot, revealing his sister’s hidden location. Hansol smiled.

“Soph! Mom!” Hansol called out to them, waving his hand. His mom immediately took notice of him, face breaking out into a welcoming smile. The edges of her eyes crinkled as she took him in, pulling him close and resting her hands on his shoulders so that she could look him over.

“Hansol,” she breathed, immediately tucking a stray strand of hair out of his face. Hansol smiled widely, letting out a sigh as he leaned into her touch. She looked the same as when he had seen her last, with her wavy, dark blonde hair and soft blue eyes. It had only been since just this past summer, but the distance had made it feel like so much longer. “You’re finally back.” After giving him a quick hug, her eyes immediately flitted to his side, where Seungkwan straightened just slightly from her attention. “And this must be Seungkwan, who I’ve heard so much about!”

“All good things, I hope,” Seungkwan said with a friendly smile before bowing deeply. “It’s so great to finally meet you, Mrs. Chwe!”

“Oh, you don’t need to be so formal,” she said with a small smile, likely noticing his use of honorifics in Korean. “None of all that exists here in the US.”

“Ah, I see,” Seungkwan replied brightly. He turned to Sophia, who had been watching them silently and clutching at her balloon which read Welcome Back. She was bundled up in a red coat, with a light pink scarf wrapped around her neck. Despite still being 10 years old since Hansol last saw her, she seemed to have grown at least a good half inch taller. “And you must be Sophia! I’m Seungkwan, Hansol’s friend.”

Sophia blinked once, and Hansol thought he eerily saw his mirror for a moment. Then she gave Seungkwan a small wave. “Hi Hansol’s friend. I like your hair- it’s cool.”

“Oh, um, thank… you!” Seungkwan replied, stumbling a bit over his English once he had understood what Sophia had said. His hand flew up to run his finger through some of the blonde strands as he spoke.

“Sophia, what did I tell you?” His mother tutted disapprovingly. “Speak in Korean while we have our guest over, please.”

Sophia rolled her eyes a bit, before seeming to reluctantly agree. “Why though, his English sounds good.”

Seungkwan gasped, placing a hand over his chest. “Oh my god, Hansol, I already love her,” he said seriously, eyes sparkling as he placed a hand on Hansol’s arm and looked him dead in the eye. Hansol turned to Sophia.

“Hey, what gives? You didn’t even greet me yet,” he scolded her playfully.

“Obviously I’m saving the best for last,” she said before coming up and throwing her arms around him. Hansol bent down to her level so he could return the hug. “The balloon’s for you!”

Hansol pulled back so he could take the balloon from her hands, the fond smile not leaving his face. He ruffled her hair a bit. “Thanks, Soph.”

The four of them made their way out of the airport after that, with Seungkwan and his mother easily falling into lively conversation as she asked him lots of questions. It was a bit surreal to watch, in fact, because the conversation seemed to fly by even faster and with more energy than Hansol himself. His mother laughed as Seungkwan recounted yet another tale from their huge SVT friend group.

“I’m so glad to hear that Hansol’s made so many good friends,” his mother said with a happy sigh. “You know, I was a bit worried since Hansol’s always had to move around so much, and it's especially hard since he’s not fully Korean-”

“Mom, it isn’t that bad,” Hansol said with a small laugh, shoving his hands into his pockets from the cold. “It was just the dumb elementary schoolers who decided to pick on me for that.”

“Ah, but I can’t help but worry sometimes. The world can be cruel to those who are different.”

“The world doesn’t bother me anymore,” Hansol replied simply with a shrug. It wasn’t even a deflection, just the truth.

“You’ve always been the strong one,” his mother replied with a pat to his cheek. “But anyways, just keep Seungkwan around you and I’m sure you’ll never be alone. I can already tell that he’s the type to attract all sorts of interesting people.”

“Well, I met Hansol, didn’t I?” Seungkwan quipped. He leaned an arm against Hansol’s shoulder, watching him attentively.

“I’ll take that as a complement,” Hansol replied bemusedly as they emerged onto the busy streets of New York City. The city greeted him with flashing bright lights that reflected off the tall skyscraper windows, the energizing buzz of car engines, and the mumbled chatter of people making their way down the street and pushing against them. Hansol felt Seungkwan’s hand tighten against his as he glanced at their surroundings, mouth drawn in a small ‘o’  at every new flashy attraction and brow furrowed as he tried to make out the English words strewn across tall billboards.

Hansol recognized a couple of the cafes and shops littered nearby on their way to the subway- the sandwich shop that his father would always buy him a panini from every time they picked him up from the airport as a kid, the hole-in-the-wall coffee shop that served drinks out of a window in the street, a slightly janky-looking department store that his mom had always dragged him to to buy clothes from. All of them seemed to either be closed or in the process of shutting their lights off, a miniscule dimming amongst the glimmering city around them. He made a note to make sure to take Seungkwan to the coffee shop on their way back so he could try their popular Americanos.

After a quick ten minute walk, his mom had led them all to a nearby subway station and they began descending the stairs into the underground platform. Hansol let go of Seungkwan’s hand so that he could rummage around the inside of his bomber jacket pocket for his wallet.

“You can just tap the scanner with your credit card to pay for the transit,” Hansol explained to Seungkwan. “I’m not sure if foreign cards will work… but I can also help you load some money onto a transit card if not.”

Seungkwan nodded, reaching into his own long, tan jacket pocket. Then, suddenly, his eyes widened, face looking a bit pale. His hands slapped against his jacket pocket, then his pants, and then the interior of his coat. He slowly raised his eyes to meet Hansol’s.

“Hansol…” Seungkwan started, voice weak. “I can’t find my wallet.”

Hansol just stared at him for a second, before his mouth twisted into a strained smile and he let out a snort.

“What the h-” Seungkwan quickly cut himself off upon realizing Sophia was next to them, watching the interaction with slight interest. “What the heck!!! Why are you laughing?!”

Hansol bit down his laughter, recognizing the slight hint of panic in Seungkwan’s voice and stepping forward to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Don’t feel too bad. It happens to everyone here. Just uh… make sure you lock your credit cards and stuff.”

“Yeah, Hansol lost like $50 last year,” Sophia pointed out bluntly.

“That wasn’t a pickpocket,” Hansol corrected her with a frown. “I just got scammed out of a pair of headphones that stopped working.”

“You say that like that’s better…” Seungkwan muttered.

“You’re in luck, I have a spare transit card you can use, Seungkwan,” his mother offered, pulling out the card from her own bag and handing it to him. Seungkwan thanked her profusely as she watched him in slight amusement. “You’re dressed too nicely,” she commented with a small laugh. “It makes you a target.”

“I am?!” Seungkwan said, looking down at the outfit he had chosen. He wore a cream, cable-knit sweater and collared button down under his cleanly-pressed beige, long jacket paired with a pair of neat black pants. The outfit made him look well put-together and attractive, to be sure- not just to Hansol, but to nearby pickpockets as well it seemed. Hansol looked to his own outfit- a ripped pair of old jeans and a plain, black T-shirt under his bomber jacket. Compared to Seungkwan, he certainly looked like a less far appealing target. 

“You look so nice though, sweetie,” his mom complimented him. She shot Hansol a disapproving look. “Sometimes I wish Hansol would dress up like that more.”

“You and me both,” Seungkwan replied with a reaffirming nod.

“Not happening,” Hansol simply said as he tapped his own card against the reader. 

Seungkwan, his mom, and Sophia tapped their own cards as well and they made their way through the maze of differently labeled platforms until they found the one which would take them home. Hansol didn’t miss the way Seungkwan just slightly clung to his bags and jacket pockets tighter as they did so.

The train arrived along with a gush of cold wind and bright lights, making Hansol’s jacket flap against him violently. Seungkwan, who didn’t have a beanie on over his head, messily pushed his hair back as it whipped around in the air. 

They boarded the train, which was surprisingly full for this hour of the night but not so much so that they weren’t able to find a couple of free seats near the end of the cart. Hansol took the farthest seat, with Seungkwan sitting next to him and then Sophia and his mother. They lowered the handles on their bags and clutched them against their knees as more people filtered into the cart.

“I guess it’s true, what they say,” Seungkwan said to him as the train began to move. “New York’s the city that never sleeps.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” Hansol replied, grinning.

Seungkwan just returned the smile, eyes brimming with a curiosity that Hansol knew meant that he couldn’t wait to find out.

*****

When they arrived at their modest three- bedroom apartment (New York rent was as expensive as ever), Sophia earnestly began to show Hansol and Seungkwan around the apartment and point out some of the new decorations and furnishings they had acquired since he had last visited. Namely, the half-decorated, plastic Christmas tree which had been set up in the corner of the living room next to the large windows which gave way to a dazzling view of the city lights. A couple of spare ornaments lay littered on the floor around it, including the glittery star for the tree topper. Hansol and Seungkwan quickly agreed to help finish decorating it while they were there. 

Then, his mother took them to their room so that they could put away their bags. “The guest room only has one bed, since we really only have Hansol as a guest,” his mother explained a bit apologetically. “But it's a queen size, so it should be able to comfortably fit you both.”

“Please don’t worry, I’m just thankful for you for hosting me,” Seungkwan replied politely.

“Yeah, that won’t be a problem,” Hansol said. “We’ve shared a bed lots of times before.”

Seungkwan shot him a strange look.

“Oh, wonderful. You’re all set then,” his mother replied happily. She held open the door for them. “Make yourselves at home.”

Hansol flicked on the bedroom lights, met with the room looking exactly like he had left it, almost as if it had been frozen in time. A couple of empty boxes were shoved into the corner of the room, from his random packages he had ordered over the summer but just never got around to getting rid of. The dresser and closet had been emptied, save for some old clothes that hadn’t fit him for years. A small window was situated on the far wall, lined with deep blue curtains and a small ledge that was just wide enough to sit on. He moved to place his luggage against the wall before plopping down onto the bed. The mattress bounced slightly from his weight.

“Well, this is it,” Hansol said to Seungkwan, who was still standing near the doorway, hand resting atop the handle of his own luggage bag as he glanced around the room. Seungkwan slowly made his way into the room, leaving his own bag next to Hansol’s. The room was just barely large enough to fit the bed and a small dresser next to it, so Seungkwan had to maneuver himself slightly as he made his way to the window ledge.

“I just can’t stop looking at the view,” Seungkwan said, voice still tinged with awe. “I never thought I’d find anything better than Jeju landscapes but, this is just so… different.” Seungkwan turned around to look at Hansol, eyes round. “I think I like it.”

After that, the two of them spent some time unpacking their bags and putting things away in the drawers (but not before Seungkwan had taken out his laptop to hurriedly log onto his bank account and lock his cards). The closet slowly filled up with their clothes, creating a comically obvious contrast between Seungkwan’s muted palette-curated side of the closet and Hansol’s collection of denim, black and white T-shirts, and the occasional pop of a hideously bright colored graphic tee. 

“Let’s go clothes shopping during this trip,” Seungkwan said as he observed Hansol’s side of the closet, hands on his hips. “What even are these color selections??”

“Oh. Well I don’t select them,” Hansol replied, laying back on the bed and making himself comfortable. 

“Yeah, that makes a lot of sense,” Seungkwan said with a resigned sigh. He tore his gaze away from the closet and went to join Hansol on the bed. The mattress dipped beside Hansol as he sat down. Seungkwan scooted closer to Hansol’s head, leaning over his face a bit.

“Your family is so nice,” Seungkwan commented, running his fingers through Hansol’s hair. The pressure felt soothing and satisfying against his scalp. “Sophia actually recognizes my clearly amazing English skills.”

Hansol rolled his eyes as Seungkwan continued to comb through his hair. “Yeah, because a ten-year old’s English skills are just great.”

Seungkwan gasped in mock offense. “I will not have you disrespecting Sophia like this.”

“And what are you going to do about it?” Hansol quipped back in English. He watched in satisfaction as Seungkwan’s brow furrowed, brain immediately working to decode what he had just said.

“I don’t know, what… should I do?” Seungkwan answered tentatively, surprising Hansol. It seemed like Seungkwan had been practicing more than he thought. 

“Whatever you want to,” Hansol replied, looking Seungkwan in the eye as Seungkwan’s fingers paused their movements in his hair. A beat of tantalizing silence passed between them.  Seungkwan’s eyes became slightly lidded. 

Hansol opened his mouth to speak again. “It’s free real estate.”

Seungkwan frowned, giving him an unimpressed look. “Are you quoting a meme right now?”

“Maybe.”

After Seungkwan had chided him a bit, the two eventually gave up on unpacking and instead found themselves cuddling up to one another as they watched some random cat videos on Hansol’s phone. Hansol laughed as he compared one of the pouty-looking cats to Seungkwan, who just pouted in response and confirmed his comparison.

A few hours later, when his mother and Sophia had undoubtedly already gone to bed, Hansol glanced over at the time on his phone- it was nearly midnight. Hansol stretched his arms above his head, which ultimately just served to give Seungkwan more surface area to cling onto. Seungkwan rested his head on Hansol’s chest, craning his neck to look up at him.

“Not be homesick already, but you know what I’m really craving right now?” Seungkwan told him, eyes wistful. “Some really spicy tteokbokki.”

Hansol hummed, taken with the idea. “You’re right,” he replied, mouth already watering from the imaginary scent of gochujang sauce after their less than satisfactory dinner on the airplane. He pushed himself up and off Seungkwan’s grasp, eliciting a small noise of protest from him. “That would hit so good right now. And maybe some ramen, too.” He turned to Seungkwan again. “I know just the place.”

“What, now?” Seungkwan said, his expression a mixture of surprise and delighted excitement. “Are there places open this late?”

“There always is, if you know where to look,” Hansol replied confidently, already shrugging on his jacket. “Dress warm- it’s even colder out now.”

Seungkwan followed suit and put on an unassuming looking, black puffer jacket (having unfortunately learned his lesson now), before bundling a thick scarf around his neck. The two of them sneaked out of the room, their path illuminated only by the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree as Hansol gently opened the front door so they could slip out. The wind stung against his knuckles as he locked the door behind them.

“Follow me,” Hansol said into Seungkwan’s ear before excitedly making his way down the stairs. He heard the sound of thudding footsteps following behind him short after.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this energetic,” Seungkwan commented once they had gotten to the bottom of the staircase, voice muffled through the fabric of his scarf. “Should I be buying you tteokbokki more often?”

“Maybe you should,” Hansol said simply as he shoved his hands into his pockets. Seungkwan hit him on the arm with his shoulder, and Hansol laughed a bit as he evaded his attack. “Well you said you wanted to see some of my favorite spots so… I’m showing you one of the late-night Korean places my mom would take me to after shoots. It may not be the best but it always hits home.”

“Oh…” Seungkwan replied, brows drawn in fascination. “For the TV shows you filmed, I’m assuming? Did they run late a lot?”

“Oh yeah,” Hansol replied, a skip in his step as he recognized the street that they needed to turn on. “Sometimes they’d even run past midnight. That’s why we always went there, cos it was the only place still open.”

“That sounds borderline illegal,” Seungkwan replied half-jokingly.

“It probably was.”

“You say that so casually,” Seungkwan said, looking at Hansol with a raised brow.

“Well what am I gonna do,” Hansol replied with a shrug. “It’s in the past now.”

The walk to the restaurant was still another twenty minutes away, and Hansol made sure to point out every landmark he recognized on the way to Seungkwan, who attentively nodded along. The city lights glittered from stories and stories above them as they neared Times Square. Seungkwan let out an audible gasp from beside him at the sight, the sound of his voice immediately being buried in the sound of lively street music and a stray car’s honk and aimless chatter of strangers pushing their way around them. Hansol relished in the feeling- one of his favorite parts of his birth town, where he could dissolve as an unidentifiable part of the synonymous crowd without any attention on him. Everyone was moving too fast, too encapsulated in their own worlds to notice him. It must’ve been almost below freezing outside, but the air somehow didn’t seem very cold from the body heat of those packed around them, to the buoyant laughs exchanged between them, to Seungkwan’s hand somehow making its way into Hansol’s pocket to find his own at some point. 

Eventually, they had passed Times Square (they really didn’t need to go through it, but Hansol had wanted to show Seungkwan some of the landmarks), and Hansol led them away from the high-vibrancy crowd and ten minutes down another side street. The atmosphere immediately shifted into one of a mellower air, with only an underlying hum of the previous energy brewing. Hansol scanned the buildings, looking for his beloved restaurant.

“That was insane,” Seungkwan said from beside him, eyes glittering almost as much as the city lights themselves. “Everything feels so much… taller than in the pictures.”

Hansol nodded in understanding. “It’s easy to feel small walking through here… but I like it.”

“Thanks for showing it to me,” Seungkwan said earnestly. His cheeks were rosy, though from the cold or something else Hansol couldn’t tell. “I bet it’ll be nothing compared to the tteokbokki we’re about to eat, though.”

“Now I feel like I’m hyping it up too much…” Hansol replied with a slight grimace. “I’ve set the bar too high.”

“How the hell can you mess up tteokbokki and ramen, though?” Seungkwan huffed indignantly, his breath creating a cloud of white in the air. 

“Didn’t Soonyoung burn water trying to make ramen once, though?”

Seungkwan snorted. “Um… Soonyoung is a different sort of talent, I’ll just say that.”

Finally, Hansol spotted the sign he was looking for: an unsuspecting black and white sign with blocky Korean letters written on it, slightly weathered from age but holding up nonetheless. Hansol swiftly climbed the steps leading up to the narrow entrance before yanking open the handle. A cheerful chime rang from the action as Hansol held open the door for Seungkwan to go inside. 

A blast of overwhelmingly hot air from both the furnace and the bustling kitchen immediately hit Hansol right in the face, and he took a deep breath to catch a whiff of the lingering spices of cooking food. The restaurant looked the same as when he had last come, with its rows of neat, wooden tables and walls decorated with authentic-looking paintings and calligraphy.

Seungkwan immediately unwrapped the scarf from around his face, letting it dangle around his neck instead as he took in the setting. Hansol called over the server, who led them to a small booth next to the window with a glowing ceiling lamp dangling above it. 

“One tteokbokki and an original ramen, please,” Hansol told the server, not even glancing at the menu. “And… also a scallion pancake side, please.”

“Ah, a regular I see,” the server said, writing down their order. He pocketed the pen into his apron before placing a hand on his hip, assessing him. “Ey, weren’t ya here a ton a couple of months ago? Vernon, was it?”

“That’s me,” Hansol replied with a guilty smile. He turned to Seungkwan, who seemed to be somewhat stunned that he could actually understand the conversation going on now that they were using Korean. “Brought a friend with me this time. He’s visiting the States.”

“Oh I see, how’re you liking the big apple so far?” The server asked Seungkwan. 

“Great,” Seungkwan replied, easily falling into conversation. “Though I gotta say, I prefer oranges.”

“He’s from Jeju,” Hansol explained.

“Ahhh, that’s on my travel bucket list,” the server said before pocketing his notepad. “But you know, the work never stops.”

With that, the server left them alone to go put in their orders. Hansol fell silent, mildly surprised that the servers had recognized him despite the fact that he rarely made an effort to start up any conversation. He rested his elbows on the table and clasped his hands as he watched the server walk off. 

“Wow, even the server recognized you!” Seungkwan noted. “You must come here a lot.”

“I didn’t realize I came that often,” Hansol muttered. “Maybe I need to eat out less.”

Seungkwan laughed at that, catching Hansol’s attention when he placed the palms of his own hands over Hansol’s. Their warmth immediately seeped into his skin. “And deny the midnight tteokbokki craving? Never.”

Hansol grinned back at him.

“I’m curious though,” Seungkwan began with a tilt of his head. “He called you Vernon? Not Hansol?”

“Yeah. I usually go by Vernon when I’m in the States. More American-sounding.”

“Do you prefer one over the other?”

“Hm… I don’t mind either. Maybe Hansol, since it’s my actual first name.”

“You sound unsure.”

“Just… no one’s ever asked me that before,” Hansol replied softly as he stared down at the table. Now that he’d thought about it, he’d since been used to just using whichever name brought up the least amount of attention. He looked back up to Seungkwan, who was just watching him, expression contemplative. 

Just a few minutes later, their server brought over a small plate of kimchi and a vase of water for the table while their food was cooking. Hansol picked up his chopsticks to immediately take a bite, leaning back into his seat from the taste of comfort flooding against his tongue.

“You know, this tastes weirdly like Kimchi back home,” Seungkwan said, eyes furrowed as he tasted a piece as well.

“This is the most authentic place I’ve found,” Hansol replied between bites. “It’s a little bit hidden away, but I think that just makes it better.”

Seungkwan hummed in agreement.

After another ten minutes or so, their steaming pots of tteokbokki arrived, along with a generous bowl of ramen. Hansol’s mouth watered just from the sight, and it seemed like the scent was having the same effect on Seungkwan as well. Before the server had even placed their scallion pancake onto the table, Hansol and Seungkwan had already begun digging into their dishes.

“Ow!” Seungkwan hissed after taking a sip of the ramen soup, nearly spitting it out.“Too hot…”

Hansol just laughed at him, to which Seungkwan shot a mild glare back in return. 

Once their food had actually cooled to a reasonable temperature, Hansol shoved a huge spoonful of the tteokbokki into his mouth and almost combusted on the spot. “This is-”

“ So good,” Seungkwan finished for him, practically moaning from the taste of the ramen. “You have no idea how much I needed this after that airplane food.”

“Try the tteokbokki,” Hansol said in excitement, picking up a sauce-drenched ricecake with his chopsticks and raising it to Seungkwan’s mouth, his other palm floating precariously underneath to catch any drips. Seungkwan only eyed it for a moment before opening his mouth and eating the food from Hansol’s chopsticks. His eyes widened.

“Oh my god,” Seungkwan said, practically melting into his seat. “Gimme more of that.”

The two of them quickly scarfed down the two dishes, periodically exchanging the bowls between them so they could taste both foods. Per usual, Seungkwan had tapped out first, leaving Hansol to finish off the remnants of the noodles. 

“Now that was good,” Seungkwan said with a satisfied sigh, leaning back into his seat. “If this is your way of getting me to love New York, it’s working.”

“We’ve only been here for a couple hours,” Hansol noted, slurping a mouthful of noodles. “Tomorrow we’re gonna hit up the Empire State Building.”

“Ooh, I can’t wait,” Seungkwan replied. “What’s the plan for the other days?”

“Definitely a walk in Central Park one day, and maybe checking out the museums nearby while we’re there. The Brooklyn Bridge's a good place to hit up too. Good pizza around the area. Did you still want to go shopping?”

“Yes, for sure. I’m making you get some clothes too, by the way.”

Hansol shot him an unenthusiastic look but continued. “We can spend a day doing that, and maybe just exploring the area. We’re seeing Broadway on Tuesday.”

Seungkwan’s eyes lit up, a playful glint in his eye. “You still haven’t told me what we’re seeing.”

“And I’m not saying,” Hansol said resolutely, making Seungkwan just sigh in resignation. He put his chopsticks down, balancing them across the now empty ramen bowl. “There is something I wanted to ask you though… and you can say no if you want.”

“Oh?” Seungkwan said, sitting up in interest and leaning his elbows against the table.

Hansol avoided his gaze, suddenly a bit nervous for some reason. “Do you remember my cousin’s wedding on the 23rd I mentioned in the group chat once? It’s the day before we leave. I was wondering…” Hansol’s eyes hesitantly floated up to find Seungkwan’s again, who was watching him, attention fully clinging onto every word he said. “If you wanted to be my plus one?”

“Yes.”

“I- oh, really?” Hansol stuttered, caught off guard from Seungkwan’s immediate response.

“I’d love to,” Seungkwan said earnestly, now grabbing onto Hansol’s hands and clutching them in the middle of the table between them.

“It’s no pressure, I wasn’t sure if you’d be up for it since you don’t know anyone there and everyone pretty much only speaks English-”

“Hansol, I’ll be your plus one,” Seungkwan said again, a small smile gracing his mouth. He tilted his head, eyes trailing across his face in fascination before bringing up a finger to poke at his cheek. “You know, you’re really cute when you ramble.”

Hansol frowned. “I wasn’t rambling.”

“For you? That was rambling.”

“Well anyways, thanks,” Hansol finally said, letting out a breath he didn’t even know he had been holding. “I was kinda dreading going to that thing alone.”

“Are Sophia and your mom not going?” Seungkwan asked, furrowing his brow.

“It’s… complicated,” Hansol began with a grimace. “My mom isn’t exactly on great terms with the rest of her family, but my cousin reached out to me personally to invite me so I wanted to go.”

Seungkwan nodded along, not pushing or questioning but instead appearing deep in thought. “I see,” he eventually said, breaking the silence. “No matter the case, I’m coming to support you. So just tell me what you need.”

Hansol nodded gratefully, resting his forehead against their clasped hands. Seungkwan brought a palm to rest against Hansol’s cheekbone, the warmth from his skin immediately working to soothe his nerves. Although he couldn’t see his expression right now, Hansol was almost sure Seungkwan shared the deep sense of solace he felt in his chest at the very moment.

The two of them quickly paid (well, Hansol did, because Seungkwan still had all his cards locked), and made their way out of the restaurant into the now even colder night air.

Chapter Text

“Are you sure about this?” Seungkwan asked, narrowing his eyes a bit in suspicion.

“Yes! Hansol’s gonna be so impressed!” Joshua urged from over their Facetime call.

Hansol had stepped out momentarily to buy something for his Secret Santa present (it would be ‘spoiled’ if Seungkwan came along apparently, even though he was almost 100% sure Hansol hadn’t picked him for the exchange), so Seungkwan took the opportunity to call Shua and ask about the note Hansol had wrote him in class which he had yet to decipher- as well as ask for a few English tips for the trip in general. Seungkwan had his phone propped up against one of his random skincare containers he had left lying around the guest room while he took notes on some of the English phrases Shua had felt inclined to share with him.

“If you say so…” Seungkwan muttered, scribbling down Shua’s words and praying he had spelled them mostly correctly. “Also, my life does not revolve around impressing Hansol, for your information.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Joshua replied cheekily.

“Jisoo, you are so lucky I am not in the same country as you right now,” Seungkwan said, voice mildly sing-songy as he continued to write.

Joshua just laughed at him, saved from his impending fistfight for the meantime.

“Anyways… you’re telling me that he just quoted Shrek 2 for a paragraph straight??” Seungkwan said, narrowing his eyes at the parts of the note he had managed to decipher.

“Were you expecting a love note?” Shua replied smugly.

“No…” Seungkwan replied, eye twitching. “But I also wasn’t expecting to need swamp in my vocabulary bank.”

“Well you’re gonna need it to communicate with Hansol.”

“What??”

“Just trust me. What’re you guys gonna do today?”

“Hansol said we could go shopping since the only thing we have planned for today is to go to the top of the Empire State Building at night.”

“Ooh! Oh! I have a good one then,” Joshua replied with a wide grin.

“Let’s hear it,” Seungkwan said, uncapping his pen.

“You look like my type.”

“What does that mean?” Seungkwan asked as he noted it down.

“It just means ‘you look good’. So if Hansol tries on something that looks nice you can say that.”

“Oh, okay,” Seungkwan replied. “You… look… like… my… type…” He muttered as he wrote down each word. “Got it. Thanks, Shua.”

“My pleasure.”

“Oh yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask- how’re things going with Seokmin? I know I’ve been teasing, but I’m genuinely curious.”

“We’ve been hanging out a lot,” Joshua replied, voice airy. “Nothing official yet, though.”

“You should ask him out!” Seungkwan encouraged him.

“Maybe I will,” Joshua replied with a dreamy sigh. “I have to find the right time, though. How’d you and Hansol do it?”

Seungkwan felt his cheeks flush, but responded nonetheless. “We didn’t ask each other out, things just kinda… happened. The timing was right.”

“The timing of Seokmin and me having to witness your shameless flirting, you mean?”

After a bit more grumbling on Seungkwan’s part, Shua finally decided to let off on his teasing. His features softened, leaving a small smile on his face. “Happy for you guys though, seriously. I always knew you guys were gonna get together.”

“Since when? Everyone keeps telling me that… but I never picked up on Hansol-”

“It’s because he’s been content to just have you in his presence,” Shua replied with a small shrug. “And he probably had a hard time figuring it out himself.”

“Yeah… you’re right,” Seungkwan said, thinking back to their dramatic confrontation over the cliff’s edge. “His only other relationship wasn’t even a technical relationship.”

Joshua’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, did he tell you more about his ex?”

Seungkwan immediately snorted at the word ex. “It was an elementary school crush,” Seungkwan explained with a bemused sigh. “An eight-year old who he basically felt too awkward to reject.”

Shua laughed, the sound ringing brightly even through the video call. “Oh boy, and here I was thinking there was some major drama that went down. I can’t wait to tell Seokmin.”

“Okay okay, I won’t drag you away from your lover boy any longer,” Seungkwan said with a smirk. Joshua just rolled his eyes at him, though the smile hadn’t left his face. 

“Tell me how it goes if you use those phrases I told you.”

“Will do. See you, Shua.”

Seungkwan waved at the screen and leaned over the table so he could end the call with his other hand. He roughly skimmed over the words he had written onto the spare notepad he had found, trying his best to commit them to memory before folding up the paper and stuffing it in his pocket.

It wasn’t long after that when Seungkwan heard the front door open, letting him know that Hansol had returned from his shopping excursion. Seungkwan closed out of the random Instagram reel that Soonyoung had sent him earlier that day (surprisingly, about a relationship skit instead of tigers), before getting up to go greet Hansol. 

“Hansol~” Seungkwan greeted him cheerfully, approaching him as he locked the door behind him and took off his beanie so he could shake out his hair. The keys loosely dangled off his fingers and jangled in the background from the action. “Did you get everything you needed?”

“Yup,” Hansol replied, voice muffled by the thick scarf he had wrapped around his face. His round eyes peeked out from behind the fabric and the bangs falling over his forehead, surveying the room around them. “Are my mom and Soph home?”

“No, I think your mom went out to drop Sophia at a friend’s house.”

Hansol nodded in acknowledgement. He balanced a small, white bag around his wrist as he went to take off his thick bundle of layers. Seungkwan watched in slight amusement as he tangled the scarf up even more upon trying to unwrap it with his free fingers.

“Aish, just let me do it,” Seungkwan tsked, swatting away Hansol’s hands. Hansol easily let his hands fall to his sides. “I feel like a damn house husband right now…” 

“Is that bad?” Hansol said with a small chuckle.

“I dunno yet,” Seungkwan replied simply. “I’ll need to test it out some more.”

Seungkwan gently pulled away the layers of scarf from Hansol’s face, one by one, until it revealed his cold-bitten, bright pink, flushed lips. Seungkwan’s pulse raced from the sight. 

“Thanks,” Hansol breathed out once he was done, the edges of his mouth quirking up. 

“Of course, I’m happy to help,” Seungkwan replied in English, causing Hansol’s mouth to split into a grin.

“Aah, nice one,” he replied, turning around to shrug off his coat and hang it up. “Been practicing while I was gone?”

“You know it.”

“You’re getting better. I’m impressed.”

“Of course I am. I’m fluent. And in reading, too”

Hansol raised a pointed brow.

Seungkwan took out the note Hansol had thrown across his table during class days ago and held it up. “Shrek 2? Seriously?”

“Okay, I know,” Hansol said, raising his hands in protest. “I was gonna write quotes from Shrek 1 ‘cos it’s like, obviously the clear superior, but I thought these would be easier to translate.”

“What- no, I mean why did you give me Shrek quotes to translate?! I thought you had written something like, actually fun!”

Hansol furrowed his brow. “What do you mean? Shrek is the pinnacle of fun. Shrek is love. Shrek is life.”

“I-” Seungkwan stammered, not even knowing how to respond. Finally, he settled on giving in. “I guess you’re kinda right. Did you say Shrek One was the superior, though?”

Hansol’s eyes widened. “Do you not think so?”

“I dunno, I just hear people talk about Shrek 2 a lot more.”

Hansol looked down to his watch. Then back up to Seungkwan. “We still have some time before we need to head out. I know what we’re doing for the next hour and twenty-nine minutes.”

*****

“I can’t believe this.”

“You’re acting like I just cursed out your long lost ancestors!” Seungkwan muttered in astonishment. “All I’m saying is that Shrek 2 has more iconic lines.”

“Unbelievable.”

Hansol shook his head from beside Seungkwan as they walked along the bright streets of Soho, scoping out some places to shop from. He had his brow slightly furrowed, looking more disgruntled than Seungkwan had ever seen him maybe the entire time he had known him.

“It’s just my opinion!”

“And your opinion is objectively wrong,” Hansol said with a deep frown.

Seungkwan gave a deep sigh, rolling his eyes as he reached over to pat at Hansol’s hair. “Alright, alright, I’ll take your word for it. You’re the Shrek expert, anyways.”

Much to Seungkwan’s amusement, Hansol appeared to brighten up from the comment, and was soon pointing out some stores he had researched upon planning out their excursion. 

“Can we go in that one?” Seungkwan asked excitedly, pointing at a store which sported some fashionably dressed mannequins in the windowsill and was decorated with festive fairy lights.

“Sure,” Hansol replied with a small nod. Seungkwan grinned and grabbed Hansol’s hand to pull him towards the entrance.

The door chime rang cheerfully as the two of them stepped in. They were immediately greeted with the comforting warmth of the furnace ebbing away any remains of the harsh December air.

“Welcome!” A woman who was dressed smartly in a pretty blouse and fitted skirt greeted them. “Let me know if you need help finding anything.”

Hansol nodded. “Thank you, I think we’ll just be browsing for now.”

Seungkwan also thanked her in the best-sounding American accent he could muster, before his eyes were already scanning the store for some articles of clothing which would go well together. They widened slightly as they landed on a cream, soft-looking oversized sweater vest and an array of patterned pants.

“Hansol, over here,” Seungkwan nudged him, pulling him along with his intertwined hand which was still in his grasp.

He pulled a few different colors of pants from off the rack, squinting at them discerningly before turning to Hansol. He held the two of them up at waist level. “What do you think? The plaid or the brown?”

Hansol stared back at him blankly. “Um… either?” 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes. “You’re useless. Oh!” He stepped towards the rack beside him to grab a pair of slim-fitting, tailored navy slacks and a white, pinstriped silky shirt which shimmered with the smallest bits of silver thread. On second thought, he also grabbed a belt which was embellished with a fancy-looking buckle. He turned back to Hansol with a mischievous grin, holding them out towards him. “Here. Try these on.”

Hansol eyed them suspiciously, before cautiously reaching out a hand to take them from him. “Why?”

“I want to see you in it,” Seungkwan said with a nonchalant smile, though the way he was bouncing on his heels probably gave away how eager he was.

Hansol paused for a moment, looking very much like he wanted to refuse, before finally giving in with a begrudged sigh and trudging over to the changing rooms. Seungkwan cheered from behind him, carrying a few items of his own which he wanted to try on. 

There were only two changing rooms and one seemed to already be occupied, so Seungkwan was forced to wait outside as he forced Hansol through the curtains of the free one. The store seemed to be a smaller, more boutique-style shop, and had a small seating area accompanied by a full length, lit mirror in front of each changing room. 

Seungkwan set his items down on the couch and took in his surroundings, noting the small holiday decorations signifying the approach of Christmas and appreciating how the twinkling string lights added to the ambience of the room. Eventually, he took out his phone to mindlessly scroll through some reels Soonyoung had somehow managed to spam him with in the time since he had last opened Instagram, before deciding to give up on the task upon opening an exceptionally questionable one in public. He sighed, putting away his phone and wondering if Hansol had somehow fallen asleep in the changing room. As he looked up, he spotted the rack of rejected clothes which previous people had left on the reshelving rack, and stood up to pursue them in the meantime. Just as he had picked out an attractive-looking light-pink cardigan, he heard the curtains shuffle from behind him. He put the hanger back so that he could turn around.

“Finally, I thought you had died… in there….” Seungkwan began to say, because his words were drifting off as the muscles in his jaw suddenly decided to go slack- they were going slack because Hansol stood in front of him, almost completely unrecognizable and looking maybe the most attractive he had ever seen him.

“Ah… is this missing a button?” Hansol said in concern, straightening the collar of his button-down as he looked in the mirror. Seungkwan just shook his head because no, the shirt was designed to frame the neckline in a V-line shape that exposed the delicate dip of Hansol’s collarbone and drew Seungkwan’s eye down to the smallest sliver of his sternum, much to his delight. Seungkwan snapped his jaw shut as he felt the blood rush to his cheeks, admiring the way the belt showed off Hansol’s waist perfectly and further elongated the length of his legs. 

Hansol caught Seungkwan’s eye in the reflection of the mirror, giving him a slightly confused smile. His hair had become slightly tousled from when he had been changing, but it had somehow landed across his face in the most gorgeously messy way possible. He rolled the sleeves up to his elbows, and Seungkwan thought he might actually pass out from the sight. “How do I look?”

Seungkwan bit his lip, forcefully calming his mind even though his head was going at a hundred miles per minute. Hansol looked back at him expectantly, waiting for his answer. Seungkwan found his mind drawing a blank, frantically searching for something to say until he landed something he had bookmarked for later.

“You look like my type,” Seungkwan said, delivering the English phrase with as much grace as he possibly could.

The entire room fell silent for a moment, and Hansol’s eyes widened slightly while his cheeks flushed a light pink. He brought a hand to cover his mouth before-

“What?! Why are you laughing??” Seungkwan exclaimed, distressed. “ Why you laugh?” He quickly corrected himself in English, upon second thought. 

The desperate use of English seemed to just make Hansol wheeze harder, much to Seungkwan’s annoyance. Hansol practically fell against the sofa, the sounds of his familiar, squeaky laugh coming out in a steady rhythm.

“Sorry, sorry, I just-” Hansol said between breaths. “Where did you learn that?!”

Seungkwan frowned. “Um… from Shua? Why?”

Hansol’s eyes widened in understanding, and he brought a fist to his mouth as he nodded along. “Ahhhh…. Makes sense.”

“Is it something bad?!” Seungkwan said, panicking that he had been fooled by Shua for a second time.

“No, no,” Hansol said, though he was wearing a smile far too smug for his liking. “I liked it. Thanks.”

Seungkwan humphed, starting to think that Hansol wouldn’t give in and tell him what was so funny. He took a step forward and grabbed onto Hansol’s collar lapels, looking up into his light brown eyes to admire them. From this up close, the rosy stain tinting his cheeks appeared even more obvious.

“You better be buying this outfit,” Seungkwan said, voice low.

“Should I?”

“Yes,” Seungkwan replied, embarrassingly fast. He lifted up his heels to stand on his tip-toes, inching closer to Hansol as if that would convince him. “Please.”

He might’ve been imagining it, but Seungkwan could’ve sworn he felt Hansol’s breath hitch for just a second. A heartbeat later, he got his reply.

“Okay.”

*****

After trying on some outfits of his own (Hansol had insisted that his first try-on had “wiped him out” too much for any more), Seungkwan purchased a few articles he had found satisfying and that Hansol had given his usual thumbs up to before the two of them headed out of the store. Realizing that it was around lunch time, Hansol suggested a place nearby where they could grab a bite to eat. 

“Is there a dress code for the wedding, by the way?” Seungkwan asked him as he bit into his sandwich.

“Oh yeah… I should probably check that,” Hansol said, pausing mid-bite. 

Seungkwan just shook his head, unsurprised. “Just asking ‘cos I didn’t bring a suit or anything.”

“I’m sure we won’t need to dress up that fancy…” Hansol replied, genuinely sounding a bit worried. Seungkwan raised an eyebrow.

“Most weddings are black-tie or equally formal,” he said, thinking back to when he had the pleasure (or displeasure, he couldn’t say for sure) of attending some of the weddings of his cousins. “I could buy a suit jacket while we’re here, I guess. I kinda already spent a lot of my budget, though…”

“I have a spare blazer you could borrow,” Hansol replied. “Your wardrobe’s already pretty nice so you can just wear something from that.”

“If only I knew, I would’ve packed something nicer.”

“Your luggage was already overflowing, though.”

“Ah!” Seungkwan said, cutting him off. “I don’t want to hear it, Mr. Dirty white tee.”

“Huh?”

“Your shirt,” Seungkwan said, gesturing to him with his chin. “You’re dripping ketchup on it.”

Hansol slowly leaned his head down to look at his shirt, brow furrowing in slight acknowledgement when he saw the stains on his shirt. “Oh.” He clumsily balanced his sandwich in one hand and picked up a napkin to dab at his shirt. However, the action only served to smear the sauce over a wider surface and make the stain even more obvious.

“That looks horrendous,” Seungkwan chastised between bites, watching Hansol with a slight frown. Eventually, Hansol gave up on the stain and went back to eating his sandwich.

“Are you gonna walk around like that?” Seungkwan asked, slightly distressed. “It looks like you just walked past a murder scene!”

Hansol shrugged. “I’m sure there’s worse sights people’ve seen here.”

Seungkwan continued to frown at him.

“Okay, fine,” Hansol said with a slight roll of his eyes. He set down the sandwich on a napkin and wiped his hands before zipping up the front of his leather jacket, so that only a sliver of the shirt collar was showing. He gestured to himself with both his hands. “Better?”

“Much,” Seungkwan said in approval. 

After the two of them had finished off their sandwiches, they decided to check out a few more stores before heading back. Before he had known it, the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon and paint the sky in pretty shades of purple and gold. Seungkwan’s eyes lazily drifted across the illuminated clouds as he looked out their balcony window.

“Ready?” Hansol asked, once he had changed out of his stained shirt and into a warmer-looking sweater. He had layered on the same leather jacket he’d worn earlier that day and-

“Oh,” Seungkwan let out a breath, taking a few steps towards him and raising his fingers to grasp at the pale, yellow fabric of the scarf hanging from his neck. “You still have this? I’ve been wondering where it went.”

“Ahh, yeah,” Hansol replied with a small grimace. He scratched the back of his head. “I keep forgetting to give it back to you. Figured I’d bring it on the trip so I don’t forget again.”

“Well, give it to me later.” Seungkwan raised his chin by a fraction so that he could look up at Hansol’s face, cheeks partially buried under the scarf. Despite the sunny color of the fabric clashing rather inharmoniously with the black leather of Hansol’s jacket, Seungkwan’s heart couldn’t help but skip a bit from the sight. “You look cute in it.”

Hansol just titled his head the slightest bit, looking back down at Seungkwan with a mixture of amusement and confusion. Seungkwan patted his cheeks affectionately.

Seungkwan shrugged on his own jacket and then they were off to the Empire State Building. 

The walk there wasn’t terribly far from the apartment, but now that the sun had set, the wind stung a bit more sharply against his skin where it met the winter air. Seungkwan stuck his hand into Hansol’s jacket pocket (which was beginning to become his favorite spot to rest his hand in), feeling around in the fabric for his hand before finding the familiar warmth of Hansol’s skin and lacing their fingers together. When they got to the gleaming building, Hansol presented the front desk with their tickets, and they were led further instead and to an elevator that had too many buttons for Seungkwan to even count. 

He felt his ears pop a bit as the elevator plunged them dozens of stories upwards into the night sky. Seungkwan’s eardrums had just readjusted to the altitude when they stepped out of the elevator and into the expansive observation deck which revealed a rich, indigo sky sparsely scattered with an occasional, twinkling star. Their luminance paled in comparison to the dazzling city lights, which probably washed away what few stars would have normally shown up. 

“Woah…” Seungkwan exhaled as they stepped closer to the railings of the deck. He craned his neck to look up, somehow finding that no matter where he looked, the tips of skyscrapers seemed to border his vision at every angle. “Everything’s so much smaller from up here- so much quieter, too.”

“Nice, isn’t it?” Hansol replied, voice almost lost in the strong winds whipping his hair in every which direction. “It’s all muted.”

Seungkwan nodded in agreement, eyes still consumed with observing every lit window of the buildings and each illegible but colorfully pulsating sign. After a few more moments of ambient existence, Seungkwan pulled out his phone and grabbed Hansol by the elbow to pull him up against him. “Let’s take a picture together,” Seungkwan said, eyes gleaming.

Hansol complied easily, more or less, after taking a moment to pat down his hair which had become tousled from the wind. 

Seungkwan lined up the camera to capture as much of the background buildings as he could, smile widening from the way Hansol tried to squeeze himself into the frame. He snapped a couple selfies, using his free hand to poke at Hansol’s cheek in one of them. Hansol just raised an eyebrow in confusion from the action. 

Seungkwan scrolled through a couple of the pictures and determined which one showed the backdrop the best, before clicking share and sending it to the SVT chat.

SVT:  Skyscrapers, Views, and Tallbuildings 

Seungkwan: *image file*

Seungkwan: Empire State Building!

DK: OMG 🤩🤩🤩

hamster: woahhh

Mingyu: look at u guys going international ✈️

Mingyu: …damn how far up is that

geniusprodwoozi: almost as high as your tall ass

Wonwoo: r u jealous

genuisprodwoozi: do you wanna die?

Wonwoo: yeah kinda

annoyingflyonmyshoe: why does hansol look so confused

annoyingflyonmyshoe: awesome view btw

Seungkwan: he always looks like that

hamster: LMAO

→ Wonwoo: yeah kinda

Chan replied: so are we just not gonna unpack that or ????

Seungkwan rolled his eyes upon seeing how quickly the chat had already gotten off topic before pocketing his phone and turning back to Hansol, who was still staring out into the distance, looking strangely contemplative. He shifted closer to him and laid a hand on his shoulder.

“What’s on your mind?” Seungkwan asked.

“Hm…” Hansol hummed. “It always feels a bit strange coming back here.”

“What do you mean?” Seungkwan asked, eyes widening slightly.

“I was born here, but sometimes it still feels so unwelcoming. Like I’m still trying to run away from something.”

Seungkwan remained silent for a moment, thinking as the wind softly blew through his hair. The city lights twinkled beneath him, the only indication of the passage of time as Hansol’s words hung in the air and enveloped them.

“What do you think you’re running away from?”

“My own thoughts, maybe,” Hansol replied. “I can’t let them get to me. It’s pretty easy for me to disregard other people’s judgements, but if I let myself feel discomforted… I’m my own biggest enemy.”

Seungkwan furrowed his brow. “Well you can tell me whatever you’re thinking, if you want,” he replied. “If you’re your biggest enemy, I’ll be your biggest supporter. I wanna know everything about you there is to know.”

Hansol turned to him, face indiscernible save for the slow blinking of his eyes- he was nervous. When Seungkwan had started being able to comprehend the most minute details of his expressions, he couldn’t recall.

“Okay,” Hansol finally breathed, looking out into the landscape again. “I wanna show you something, then.”

*****

“Where are we?” Seungkwan asked as they tread through the remnants of what appeared to be abandoned buildings, located a good twenty minute walk away from the Empire State Building. It was chilly, but Seungkwan found that he didn’t mind the walk because the city infused him with a slight buzz of adrenaline that warded off the worst of it. He stepped over another random piece of scrap metal, following behind Hansol.

“Youth films production center,” Hansol replied. “Or at least it used to be.”

“Oh. What happened to it?”

“The studio got shut down, so it basically became abandoned since no one bought the area again. I think there might’ve been some sort of hazard that burned down some of the infrastructure.”

Hansol left it at that, before grabbing onto his hand and continuing forward, guiding him further through the ruins. Seungkwan couldn’t really tell if it had been indeed burned down or not, seeing as how rusted and desolate the place had likely gotten over the years. After a few minutes, Hansol led them into a building which was quite easy to get into since the door had somehow been stripped off.

As they entered, Seungkwan spotted movie posters peeling off the sides of the wall and yellowing at their edges, their once-vibrant commercial colors now faded into a dull brown. The rackety floorboards creaked underneath their feet as they approached a spacious area with a desk and some spare pieces of wood- broken pieces of a long ruler, he realized upon closer inspection. Hansol walked over to the side of the room, abandoned with random props and pieces of clothing which had gotten misplaced- ratted, old pieces of children’s clothing, that was. The entire scene almost looked like it had come straight out of some sort of chilling horror movie set- fitting , Seungkwan supposed.

“Our examination room,” Hansol explained. “They took our measurements for height, weight, body dimensions here.”

“For tailoring outfits, I’m guessing?”

Hansol nodded. “Yeah. But also to make sure we were within the acceptable ranges.”

Seungkwan frowned. “How old were you guys?”

“I was seven or eight when I started… though some of the other kids might’ve been younger.”

“Awful lot of pressure to put on a grade schooler…” Seungkwan said sadly.

Hansol shrugged. “I don’t remember it being too much of a problem for me. Some of the other kids really struggled with it though. Messed with their self image and everything.”

They continued onto the next room, which had a large platform set up with various equipment hanging from the ceiling and movable staircases which looked precarious at best. 

“Aah…” Hansol said with a grimace. “One of my least favorite parts- the stunt room.”

Seungkwan took a sharp inhale of breath. “Did you get hurt?”

Hansol shook his head. “I don’t think so… at least nothing serious.” He sighed in frustration, the sound coming out as more of a heave. “I can’t remember anything that happened well. I don’t know why.”

“Maybe your mind wants you to forget.”

“I’ve tried to ask my mom about it, but she doesn’t tell me anything.”

“She wants to protect you, too.”

“But I want to know,” Hansol pressed on, taking a step towards Seungkwan. His light brown eyes were wide, pupils shaking with an intensity he had never seen before. “If I can’t have agency over my own thoughts, what do I really have control over? I mean, I’ve spent a lifetime being told what to do and dressed up like a prop and I can’t live like that anymore-”

Hansol paused, words escaping him when Seungkwan brought a hand to his face, the pad of his thumb brushing gingerly across his cheekbone to wipe at the wet glimmer running down it.

“Hansol… you’re crying.”

Hansol’s eyes widened, and he brought his own hand up to cover Seungkwan’s, before it traveled upwards to wipe at the inner corner of his eye. “I am?”

Seungkwan just nodded, breath caught in his throat. He had never seen Hansol cry in all their years of friendship. Even if it wasn’t anywhere close to full on sobbing, the sight of the subtle shine around the corners of his eyes, slightly reddish and glazed over, was enough to make Seungkwan’s own eyes prickle with tears.

Hansol grabbed onto Seungkwan’s hand and gently moved it off his face before hurriedly wiping at his eyes with his jacket sleeve. “Sorry, I dunno why I’m doing that.”

“Stop,” Seungkwan said firmly, grasping his hand and lacing their fingers together. Hansol’s hand slightly shook against his own. “Don’t say that. You don’t need a reason to cry. Just feel whatever you’re feeling.”

Hansol knitted his brows together, looking so thoroughly confused that it almost made Seungkwan snort out an incredulous laugh. Instead, he just offered Hansol an affectionate smile. “Sorry, I’ll let you process that one.”

Hansol remained silent, staring off into the room desolately for a while longer before his eyes landed on a spot in the corner stained heavily with dirt and debris and rust. Something about the room emanated a sort of foreboding energy, though Seungkwan couldn’t exactly put his finger on it. Hansol turned away. “I’m feeling nauseous… let’s get outta here.”

This time, Seungkwan took the lead and gently guided them out the way they came, Hansol’s hand warm against his palm and footsteps trailing closely behind him. As they made it out of the building, past the tape measures and forgotten equipment and time-stained posters marred by the impression of what once was, Seungkwan kept his grip tight around Hansol’s fingers. They were hit with a blast of cold air as they exited the gaping doorway, making their scarves violently whip around and dance in the air.

“Are you okay?” Seungkwan said, almost yelling over the sound of the wind. He grabbed onto the borrowed scarf around Hansol’s neck and moved it out of the way so that he could see his face, pulling down on it a bit to pull him in closer against the cold, holding onto him tighter than whatever despair threatened to take hold of him.

Hansol’s eyes softened, still slightly watery- an unfamiliar sight. They looked beautiful this way too, Seungkwan thought, as the glassy reflection in them made the hazel-tinted brown of his eyes look translucent and almost quartz-like. The corners of his mouth tugged up into a small smile, before Hansol calmly brought their intertwined hands upwards and pressed his lips to the back of Seungkwan’s hand. Hansol’s long, delicate eyelashes blinked away the remainder of his tears as he looked up to find Seungkwan’s gaze again.

“Yeah. I will be.”

*****

“Why’re you staring at me?” Seungkwan asked, an uncontrollable smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he craned his head to his left to catch Hansol in the act.

“Hm?” Hansol hummed, nonplussed. His stare didn’t waver, causing Seungkwan’s cheeks to flush a bit under his gaze.

“You took us to Grand Central Terminal to look at the constellations, yet here you are staring at me.”

The time was nearing midnight, and the two of them found themselves leaning against the wall while they sat on the tile floor and gazed at the mural of constellations above them. Although it was by no means deserted, the space was empty enough for them to loiter around without disturbing any lingering traffic around the terminal. 

“I’ve seen them before,” Hansol shrugged. His eyes were round, curious. “But you have constellations, too.”

“Huh?” 

Hansol raised a careful finger to gently poke at the spot underneath Seungkwan’s left eye, then delicately traced a line to the top of his brow, the bottom of his cheek, and the skin near his left ear one, two, three times. Seungkwan shivered beneath his touch, the sensation almost ghost-like, fleeting. Hansol’s expression didn’t change, focus following the path of his finger.

“Your moles,” Hansol explained simply, letting his hand fall to his side again. “They make a pattern, like constellations.”

Seungkwan felt his breath catch, heartbeat loud in his chest.

“I like them…” Hansol continued, voice soft. “It’s like your own, special zodiac.”

“And what zodiac is that? The orange?” Seungkwan slowly replied with a grin.

“Nah, they make more of a… weirdly grown parallelogram.”

Seungkwan swatted Hansol on the shoulder playfully. “The hell kind of description is that?” He complained.

“A geometrically consistent one.”

Seungkwan just rolled his eyes and went back to looking up at the mural. He admired the delicate, fluid handiwork of the gold lines which made up the zodiac illustrations. They contrasted brilliantly against the deep, aqua color of the background. It was certainly a different experience than stargazing in the pitch-black, Jeju forests, but Seungkwan felt himself drawn to it just by the fact that these were the stars Hansol had grown up with year after year in New York, while the real ones remained washed out by busy city lights. 

“I can’t believe we’re already halfway through the trip,” Seungkwan said with a deep, yet content sigh. “I’ve already seen so much, though. And we haven’t even gone to Broadway yet!” He leaned over and propped an arm against the wall. “Are you still not gonna tell me what the play is?”

“Nope,” Hansol said, completely at peace with his decision and looking like he was ready to go into his default, abnormally symmetrical sleeping position. 

“How am I supposed to plan out my outfit then?” Seungkwan pouted.

Hansol raised an eyebrow. “Plays have dress codes?”

“Obviously,” Seungkwan chastised him. Then, he looked away sheepishly. “At least that’s what I’ve seen in all the movies and posts online…”

“Maybe there used to be, but I don’t think they have one anymore,” Hansol said with a shrug. “I’ve definitely seen people just walk in there with jeans.”

Seungkwan scrunched his face up in distaste. “Ok well, we’re not doing that.”

“We’re not?”

Seungkwan slammed his fists against Hansol’s chest, gripping onto his shirt in despair. “You weren’t going to do that, right?”

“Umm…” Hansol’s eyes flickered away, guilty.

Seungkwan let out a sigh, shoulders slumping. He let his head flop down against Hansol’s chest. “What am I going to do with you?” He muttered, words coming out muffled against the fabric of Hansol’s shirt. Suddenly, Seungkwan snapped his head up, an idea sparking. “Why don’t you wear the outfit you bought earlier today?”

“Is it that fancy?” Hansol replied cautiously.

“We can match!” Seungkwan said, eyes sparkling. “If you won’t tell me what play it is, I’ll just have to dress to match you instead.”

Hansol’s face split into a wry grin, as if he found the idea amusing for some reason. “Okay, fine. Might as well put it to use.”

“ Yes!” Seungkwan immediately slapped a palm over his mouth, as the sound had echoed a bit too loudly against the walls of the terminal for his comfort. He grimaced, slowly bringing his chin down to rest against Hansol’s chest in an attempt to make himself smaller.

The action only made Hansol laugh louder, thus offsetting any attempt Seungkwan had made to draw the attention away from them. Seungkwan scowled, grabbing onto Hansol’s shirt again to shake him around. “Hey, stop!” He hissed. The complaint only made Hansol laugh more, and Seungkwan desperately tugged up the fabric of Hansol’s scarf over his mouth to muffle the sound. “Everyone’s looking at us!”

Hansol tugged at his scarf until the fabric fell back off to reveal a defiant-looking expression on his face. “So? Let them look.”

Seungkwan barely had a moment to think before Hansol had slipped the pale, yellow scarf off his own neck and thrown it around Seungkwan’s, tugging his face close until their noses were barely an inch away from each other. Seungkwan’s face flushed a deep red. “What are you doing?”

“Should I stop?” Hansol said quietly, eyes calm, placid, and fixed solely onto Seungkwan’s own. Waiting. Seungkwan let his gaze flicker downwards to Hansol’s lips, the weight of the scarf heavy against his neck. He bit his lip.

“No.”

Hansol smiled.

Seungkwan returned the smile against his lips, the taste of them sweet under the unmoving mural of constellations.

Chapter Text

Hansol awoke as daylight broke through the curtains the next morning. It made him stare up at the ceiling for a bit through bleary eyes, because it was rare that he woke up so early in the morning. He was still on edge from last night, he supposed.

He blinked a few times before twisting his neck to the left, where Seungkwan lay splayed out on his stomach beside him. His cheek was squished almost comically against the soft pillow, golden hair lay splayed out like a halo around his head, glimmering in the amber, morning light. He peacefully slept, soft breaths drifting around the otherwise silent room. Hansol just watched him contently, satisfied just from the feeling of Seungkwan’s weight dipping into the mattress next to him and the impenetrable, balmy, calm saturating the air. 

He didn’t know how much time had passed, but Seungkwan eventually started rustling against the sheets next to him and was soon rubbing at his eyes with a large yawn. He went back to sleep once, twice, tossed around in bed a bit, before flipping over to Hansol’s side and slowly blinked his eyes open. 

Hansol met his gaze.

Seungkwan’s cheeks slowly but surely bloomed a dusty rose.

“You’re doing it again…” Seungkwan mumbled, voice coming out rough from disuse. His eyes momentarily fluttered shut again.

“Hm?”

Hansol wasn’t quite sure he had shaken himself out of his lazy, morning trance yet.

“Staring...” Seungkwan mumbled again, sounding very much like he was about to drift off to sleep again. 

“Should I stop?”

“No,” Seungkwan immediately replied, eyes blinking back open and a small pout drawn across his lips. “Just come here.”

Hansol obliged as Seungkwan motioned for him to scoot closer, allowing Seungkwan to bury his head under Hansol’s chin and Hansol to rest an arm under his neck. He breathed in the scent of Seungkwan’s citrusy shampoo, letting out a long, lingering breath upon every exhale. Seungkwan threw an arm across Hansol’s chest.

“You’re not still nauseous, right?” Seungkwan said quietly after a few more minutes of silence. “I heard you get up a few times at night.”

“No,” Hansol replied with a small shake of his head. “I’m okay, just had to use the bathroom.”

The air fell still for a heartbeat again.

“You sleep well?” Seungkwan broke the silence.

“Hm, I’ve had better,” Hansol admitted. “I don’t feel too tired, though.”

“That’s good,” Seungkwan mumbled against his chest before letting out another small yawn. “Rest some more if you need to, though.”

“Are you just saying that ‘cos you want to go back to sleep?”

“No,” Seungkwan grumbled, slightly frowning even as his eyelids remained closed. Hansol laughed as Seungkwan blindly swatted at him with a weak hand. They remained like that for a while, entangled in a mess of limbs and bedsheets, and Hansol almost thought Seungkwan really had fallen back asleep before he suddenly spoke again.

“I’m glad you showed me, last night,” Seungkwan said softly. “I’ll be here when you do remember. And if you don't, you're still the most authentic person I know.”

Hansol blinked at him slowly, taking in his words before a warm smile tugged across his face. He brought a hand up to brush against Seungkwan’s cheek, making Seungkwan giggle a bit as the touch tickled his skin. Hansol’s hand traveled further up to comb back the soft locks of hair covering his face before pressing a gentle kiss on his forehead.

“Thanks.”

After that exchange, the two of them finally managed to excavate themselves out of bed and make it to the bathroom to brush their teeth. Seungkwan uncapped the toothpaste tube and squeezed a small amount onto Hansol’s outstretched toothbrush before putting some on his own and sticking it into his mouth. “So, what’s on the agenda for today?” He said through a mouthful of toothpaste.

“I want to take you to a popular coffee place,” Hansol replied, momentarily taking his toothbrush out of his mouth. “Central Park’s pretty close by so we can pass by there too, before we come back for Broadway.”

Seungkwan spat out his toothpaste into the sink. “Can’t wait.” He shot Hansol a smug look in the mirror’s reflection. “I can’t wait to dress you up in that outfit again, too.”

Seungkwan’s ambitions extended to earlier in the day it seemed, as he had somehow convinced Hansol to borrow one of his oversized button downs to wear as his second layer instead of the jean jacket he had probably worn almost everyday during their trip at this point. The two of them finished freshening up before making their way to the living room to greet his mother and Sophia. 

“Ah- Hansol, Seungkwan! Good morning,” she greeted them, busy cracking a couple eggs into a bowl as Sophia munched on some colorful-looking cereal. “Need breakfast? Or are you heading out?”

Hansol shook his head. “Nah, we’re headed to the window coffee shop- the one where dad would take us.”

“Ooh, I see,” she said with a small, knowing smile. “Have fun then. Better rush if you want to beat the crowds.”

Hansol nodded in agreement, and the two of them wished her a quick goodbye before they were off. This early in the morning, the streets buzzed with an energy quite different to the one at night- it was more of a buzzing, slow churning atmosphere filled with people on their way to run errands and attend work rather than the electrifying feeling the contrast between flashing, bright billboard signs and dark skies brought on. After a quick subway ride, the two of them emerged from the stairs only to come face to face with a long, chattering crowd.

“Agh, we’re late,” Hansol said with a slight wince, hands shoved into his pockets as he craned his neck to try and gauge the crowd. “The line’s already so long.”

“It’s okay, it seems to be moving fast,” Seungkwan pointed out, leading them to the end of the crowd. “Is there no inside? I only see people ordering from the window over there.”

“Yeah, it’s one of those hole in the wall kinda places, but all the locals are crazy about it,” Hansol explained. “I got reminded of it since we passed it on our way out of the airport.”

“It’s gotta be good, judging from this line,” Seungkwan said excitedly. “I can’t think of anything better to start the day with than a freshly made Americano.”

“I’m going to try their mocha,” Hansol said with a nod. “You put me on those.”

“What’d you usually get here, then?” Seungkwan said with a small smile.

“Since I mostly came here as a kid- a hot chocolate.”

“Well, you can’t go wrong with that,” Seungkwan said with a shrug. “Why’d you guys always come here? Anything special about it?”

“Not particularly,” Hansol hummed. “It’s just close to the airport. And we’d come to pick my dad up from there pretty often.”

“Was he overseas a lot?”

“Yeah,” Hansol replied, drawing out a long sigh. “Maybe saw him for a week at a time at most. Usually just for the holidays, too.”

“Is that why you moved to Korea eventually? To see him more often?”

“Um… kind of?” Hansol replied, looking off into the distance as he thought. “I kinda just wanted a fresh start, too.”

Seungkwan nodded along as the line crept forward before he could say anything else. He eyed Hansol from the corner of his eye, whose attention remained completely on the menu in front of them, face unreadable. 

Eventually, the two of them made it to the front of the line, where Seungkwan proudly handed the cashier a $10 bill he had taken out from the ATM earlier to finally pay for their coffee. They took their drinks and headed towards a small, grassy area that was nearby to enjoy them.

“So, tell me about who’s gonna be at the wedding,” Seungkwan started as he swirled his Americano around in his cup. “ Who’s the life, who I gotta meet, maybe more importantly- who I need to avoid,” he finished with a raise of his eyebrow as he sipped at the drink.

“Hm. Well my cousin’s name is Mark. He’s the one getting married,” Hansol explained. “His fiancee’s name is Lucy.”

“I’m guessing he’s from your mom’s side of the family?” Seungkwan asked.

“Yeah,” Hansol confirmed. “His parents… my uncle, I guess, will be there.” He scrunched up his nose. “He’s kind of unpleasant to be around, to say the least.”

“How so?”

Hansol paused for a moment, thinking, before responding. “He’s kinda racist.”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened. “Wait, what??”

“It means he only likes white p-”

“I know what being racist means,” Seungkwan replied with a roll of his eyes. “I just wasn’t expecting you to drop… that.”

“Yeah… he and my grandparents were kinda involved in this huge argument with my mom when she decided to get married,” Hansol explained as he scratched the back of his head. “I don’t know all the details, but I heard it was pretty bad. To the point where she doesn’t talk to them anymore.”

Seungkwan nodded along thoughtfully. “It’s pretty admirable that you’re still going then.”

Hansol offered a small smile in response. “We spent a lot of time growing up together- he might’ve been one of my only real friends at the time, to be honest. I’d like to repay him for that by coming, at least.”

Seungkwan returned the smile, his heartstrings tugging at Hansol’s words. 

“They usually just ignore me, anyways,” Hansol said with a shrug. 

Seungkwan laughed at that, playfully elbowing Hansol as they walked down the path. 

“By the way, these are way stronger in America than back home,” Seungkwan said, gesturing to his drink. “I think I’m gonna be up all night.”

“You’ll need it. We’ll be out late tonight.”

Seungkwan leaned into his side and peered up at him. “Tell me about the play? Please?”

Hansol let out a soft sigh, the corner of his mouth quirking up uncontrollably. 

“Seventies.”

“Huh?” Seungkwan replied, eyes wide, looking taken aback that Hansol had actually budged.

“It’s set in the 70’s. That’s all you’re getting.”

Hansol could already see Seungkwan’s mind churning as they continued walking home, narrowing down the list of plays that fit the description. 

*****

“You’re so pretty,” Seungkwan told Hansol, as he ran a gentle hand through his hair.

Hansol let out a breath as he stared back up at him, back pressed against his bed, silk shirt slightly unbuttoned at the collar. 

The play would be starting soon, so why were they splayed out across Hansol’s bed right now?

Seungkwan was dressed in a similarly fancy outfit- a peach colored shirt that Hansol vaguely remembered seeing him wear before. The chain of a delicate, silver necklace hung from his neck and lightly brushed against Hansol’s collarbone as Seungkwan leaned down to bump their noses together. He brushed a thumb against his lip, and then his cheekbone, mesmerized by his features. Hansol’s cheeks flushed pink under Seungkwan’s stare, under the attention he would usually hate but couldn’t turn away from now.

“We have to leave soon…” Hansol finally let out, voice breathy.

Seungkwan let out a resigned sigh, pulling away a bit before smiling. “Fine. I’ll just have to admire you later.”

Hansol was beginning to think that the outfit he had bought possessed some sort of magical properties.

“The train leaves in 7 minutes,” Hansol said, looking down at his phone.

“Sometimes I wonder if you’re even human,” Seungkwan muttered as he pushed himself off the bed and patted his hair in the mirror one last time.

They both shrugged on their coats and made their way out of the apartment, trying to catch the soonest train headed towards Broadway. It had gotten dark since then, making the city lights glow around them. Now that he thought about it, Hansol didn’t remember the last time he had actually seen a Broadway show. He supposed he didn’t really have a reason to until now. He looked over to Seungkwan, whose eyes were twinkling with excitement, reflecting the lights around them as he grabbed onto Hansol’s hand and led them down the stairs of the subway station. They made it onto the platform just as he could feel the gust of wind signaling that the train had arrived.

After a quick ten minute train ride, they got off and made their way onto the busy streets crowded with dozens of other people dressed in nice-looking clothes. Seungkwan had been right, he supposed- Broadway was something people actually dressed up for. The two of them fit right in as they handed their coats to the coat check staff and went up the winding, carpeted staircase to find their seats. He heard Seungkwan’s small gasp of amazement as they entered the performance hall, his eyes taking in the dazzling lights and deep, red seats and velvet curtains. 

“It’s packed in here,” Seungkwan noted as they took their seats- a pair near the middle of the mezzanine level. “How’d you manage to snag these tickets?”

“I camped out on the site until they released them,” Hansol replied simply. 

“And when was that?”

“... the day after you said you would come here with me.”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened. “Really? That soon?”

“This was a must-do on the agenda,” Hansol replied with a shrug. 

Seungkwan smiled at him gratefully before linking his arm in his and leaning into his side. Before they knew it, the lights were beginning to dim and they were waiting in anticipation for the curtains to draw. As the first musical number began to play, Seungkwan’s grip immediately tightened around Hansol’s arm.

No you did not,  he saw Seungkwan mouth under the dim lighting of the performance hall. His mouth split into a wide grin. Mamma Mia?

Hansol just gave him a knowing nod, heartbeat quickening just from seeing Seungkwan so excited. He tried to turn his attention back to what was happening on stage, but Hansol couldn’t seem to tear his eyes off of Seungkwan- Seungkwan, whose eyes were currently sparkling with a brightness he hadn’t seen in months, who was currently humming the words of a well-rehearsed song under his breath. Hansol let out a content sigh. He could watch him all night. Hansol snaked his hand over to grab Seungkwan’s, letting their intertwined fingers rest in the armrest between them. Although Seungkwan’s eyes were still on stage, he tightly squeezed back. Seungkwan was practically bouncing in his seat as Money Money Money played, to which he expertly mouthed the lyrics despite his regular insistence that his English was ass. Hansol could definitely see him performing on Broadway, he decided. 

Finally, Hansol’s eyes found their way back to the stage as the energy of the scene winded down into an introspective, calmer one. He couldn’t understand why there always seemed to be so many dramatics around weddings. As he watched Sophie’s mother lace up the back of her wedding dress, a strong premonition struck him for the wedding they were attending just the day after. He could only hope that it wouldn’t be as chaotic as the one in the play. Hansol’s gaze flickered back to Seungkwan, whose eyes were glimmering with unshed tears as Sophie finally asked her mother to walk her down the aisle instead of trying to find her real dad. He squeezed his hand tighter. Hansol squeezed back.

The second act didn’t end without more chaos, however, as Sophie called off the wedding and her mother got married instead. The cast flew into song again, flying across the stage as Mama Mia and Dancing Queen began playing again during the finale. The stage was again lit up colorfully with background dancers, and then the curtains were drawn closed before either of them knew it. The lights gradually turned back on.

“Wow… that was.. Amazing,” Seungkwan let out breathlessly, eyes still lingering on the curtain as if a cast member would pop out with a surprise encore. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“Was it as good as you imagined?” Hansol asked.

“Better,” Seungkwan replied, eyes glimmering. He let out a happy sigh. “Mamma Mia’s gonna be stuck in my head for the rest of the week, though.”

“You hungry?”

“I’m starving,” Seungkwan said, seeming amazed that he had read his mind. 

“Good. Cos I made dinner reservations.”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened. “Oh really? Where?”

Hansol grinned back. “Follow me.”

Soon, the two of them were walking hand in hand to an Italian restaurant not far away, giving them the perfect amount of time to leisurely stroll there after the show. The building was furnished with cozy fireplaces and glowing candlelights at every table. The walls were decorated with greenery and twinkling string lights, making the atmosphere dazzling but still small enough to feel intimate. Hansol heard Seungkwan let out a breath beside him.

“Oh… it’s beautiful,” Seungkwan breathed. He peered through the window, seeing the bustle of people rushing around inside. “It looks pretty popular.”

Hansol nodded. “Yeah, I’ve heard rave reviews about it. The place was booked up for like a month beforehand. Luckily, I snagged a spot.”

Hansol guided Seungkwan into the restaurant and the two of them were quickly seated by the hostess who led them up a narrow staircase decorated with small, twinkling lights all the way up. When they got to the top, they were greeted with rows of tables against a large window overlooking the outdoor garden, with the glass reflecting the luminous candlelight inside. They were seated at a table which let in a fair amount of moonlight, painting the white tablecloth in an opal glow. The hostess handed them a pair of menus and told them their waiter would be with them shortly before leaving them alone.

Seungkwan was still gazing at the room around him, taking everything in. Hansol watched him endearingly, before glancing down at the menu below him. He decided to order the pasta pomodoro, he decided with a nod as he went through the options. Then, he heard a small sniffling noise, and looked up.

“You good?” Hansol asked in slight concern as Seungkwan dabbed at his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, I just… you put so much thought and planning into this. It’s one of the most gorgeous places I’ve seen. This entire night has been out of a dream.”

Hansol smiled as Seungkwan’s words made him feel warm inside. “I’d consider it a success, then.”

Seungkwan reached across the table and softly slid his hand over Hansol’s, delicately interlacing their fingers before turning back to the menu with a small smile. Hansol felt his cheeks flush warmer.

Their waiter soon brought them a fresh plate of bread with olive oil, and abashedly took out the wine menu upon realizing they were both still in high school. While he went to put them away, Seungkwan hurriedly prodded Hansol on how to pronounce all the Italian dishes on the menu.

“What is this.. Care-bonara?”

“Close,” Hansol said, encouraging him. “Car-bonara.”

“Maybe I’ll just get the pesto pasta…” Seungkwan said after some more attempts to pronounce the dish correctly.

“Pesto is really good,” Hansol said with a nod. 

“Doesn’t it have nuts?” Seungkwan said in slight concern.

“Pine nuts,” Hansol replied. “I’m only allergic to peanuts.”

Seungkwan made a small sound of acknowledgement as he used his free hand to grab for a piece of bread, the slice still steaming from being freshly baked. He dipped it into the olive oil and his eyes immediately widened upon taking a bite, placing a hand over his mouth in amazement.

“Ooh, this is so good,” he said, already dipping it in the oil again. “The olive flavor is so rich.”

Hansol took a bite himself and nodded in agreement. The two of them quickly cleared the plate, the bread warming them from the cold winter air outside. Soon, the waiter came back to take their orders, with Hansol ordering the pomodoro and Seungkwan the pesto pasta (without much pronunciation struggle). The waiter left them again to their bread as he put in the orders.

“It’s kind of fitting that we saw Mama Mia today when we’re also going to a wedding tomorrow,” Seungkwan noted as he ate the last of his bread.

Hansol gave a small, slightly pained smile. “Well, you know. Hopefully it goes more smoothly than the play.”

“Someone needs to proclaim their committed, gay relationship in the middle of the wedding like Harry did,” Seungkwan quipped back.

“Who? Us?” Hansol chuckled, setting down his napkin.

“No, I wouldn’t do that to you,” Seungkwan said with a sigh. “I can’t be embarrassing you in front of all your relatives. I’d probably do it at Seokmin or Soonyoung’s wedding, though.”

“You mean their wedding to each other?” Hansol said with a raise of his brow.

“Stop it!” Seungkwan laughed, slapping Hansol on the arm. “We both know they’re in some weird relationship with Shua and Jihoon.”

“Yeah, true,” Hansol replied with a simple shrug before going back to his plate.

Their entrees were ready before they knew it, and they both watched with hungry eyes as the waiter placed the steaming dishes on the table in front of them. They thanked the waiter before immediately picking up their forks and digging in, nearly burning themselves in the process.

Hansol furrowed his brows, nodding his head as he appreciated the flavor of the pasta. “Oh my god, I love this.”