Chapter Text
2 years ago
“Jeonghannie, I haven’t seen you in days. Wake up. Please.” Jisoo cooed to his longtime friend, shaking him gently. Jeonghan was clutched in his arms, facing him. He rarely used aegyo, but knowing it annoys Jeonghan just enough to grasp his attention, he tried. He stared down at long lashes curving on an angelically tranquil face. The smooth slope of his high cheekbones formed a porcelain mask to highlight the small, pastel lips slightly turned down in a chronic pout. Jisoo reached out to brush Jeonghan's light brown, tousled hair out of his face. He did so precariously as if Jeonghan would shatter if startled.
"You see me right now, Shua. Let me sleep!" Jeonghan whined, turning over to bury his face in the soft sheets tucked up to his chin.
Honestly, Jisoo just missed Jeonghan. He was craving his attention. The two didn’t have any overlapping classes their second semester of their freshman year in college. Both had paying jobs at different shops across the vast campus which made it difficult to see each other during the day. On a typical morning, Jisoo would run out the door just as Jeonghan would wake up and vice versa. The only time they'd get to see each other was at night when one snuck into the other's bed, curling around an already sleeping figure.
It was sort of tradition, Jeonghan liked to think. One that began at a sleepover in high school. If the day was particularly hard, he'd slip into Jisoo's bed and relax into his embrace. Likewise for the other. But, as Jeonghan saw it merely as a common act, Jisoo found himself falling deeper in love with the boy held in his arms.
So when October came around, the duo were exhausted and in need of a mental vacation.
They had been friends since their sophomore year of high school when Jeonghan had befriended the lost American. Jisoo's family moved to Korea for his father's job and the young, quiet boy was very distraught when they did so. He never expected to leave the Californian town he grew up in. Before he had even left, he'd began reminiscing. He would never forget engulfing, warm rays of sun and cool breezes as his closest friends walked the palm tree lined streets. When he ended up in Korea, the stifling humidity alone felt suffocating. He'd look back now and realize that his hatred for his circumstance wasn't because it was Korea, but that it wasn’t what was familiar.
That all changed when he met Yoon Jeonghan.
Jisoo was shy. He was slow to admit it, but with his low understanding of hangul, the classrooms and schedule left him overwhelmed. There were people around, but he just couldn't bring himself to ask for help in his broken Korean. He paced the halls as they became relatively empty. Just like that, his first day began in disaster. Finding a bathroom, he quickly dodged into it feeling his anxiety creep into his throat. He wanted to cry—wanted so badly to shout and kick and curse whatever had forced him into this stupid, unknown place. As he was about to act on one of his many instincts, a soft hand placed itself on his shoulder, startling him back to reality. Turning around, he laid eyes on a beautiful individual radiating concern and comfort. Jisoo realized that it was an angel that had come to save him.
How ironic was it that years later, Jisoo still found this boy unimaginably pristine, despite discovering how crude and lazy he actually was. "You never spend time with me. You're always busy" Jisoo raised his voice a few pitches higher, gently poking at what was visible of Jeonghan's cheek.
"You're always busy too. I'd have to hug myself until I fell asleep the past couple of nights because you were out late." Jeonghan accused lightly. He would never understand the pressure in Jisoo's heart hearing those words. "Why are you still here anyway? Don't you have music theory this morning?"
"Nope. It was cancelled. I'm free."
"Hi free, I'm sleepy. Come back later." Jeonghan giggled to himself, finding humor in his own joke.
Jisoo sighed, seeing that Jeonghan wasn't going to budge without a little push. "I'll make breakfast." He caved. That was all it took to get Jeonghan stretching and fluttering his eyes open. He stared at his platonic bedmate with half-lidded eyes, not fully awake yet. A wide grin replaced his prominent pout and he wrapped his arms around Jisoo's neck. "Thank you. And good morning."
Jisoo could almost feel the light blush tickling at his ears and tinting his cheeks a light shade of red. He removed himself from the situation, rolling his eyes to play off the embarrassment that Jeonghan instilled. "Whatever." he hastily spoke, walking out the bedroom. He immediately went to work in the kitchen, making Jeonghan food. This felt so domestic. Waking up to see the lovely face of the person in your arms; cooking breakfast for the two of you. He was whipped, assuredly.
After a bit more prodding, Jisoo eventually convinced Jeonghan to shower and get dressed. “It’s so nice out today, why waste it inside?” He had tried these words on Jeonghan, but still had to practically drag the reluctant boy out the door.
The weather was nice. The air was cold and crisp, yet no breeze was prevalent. The afternoon sun was high—a stark contrast to the chilly air, giving the atmosphere a nice blend of warm and cool. As Jeonghan explained how his week had gone, full attention was on him. Jisoo watched his eyes crinkle with a bold smile on his face, laughing at some random thing a classmate said. He observed how the sun created a halo of light around Jeonghan and how he'd peek over every so often to make sure Jisoo was still listening. But of course he was because whenever Jeonghan spoke, he was spellbound. Jisoo wanted to mention how beautiful his best friend looked in the pastel pink fuzzy sweater or how the light washed jeans fit him perfectly. Jisoo also knew how that would go straight to Jeonghan's ego, so he held off.
Jeonghan had picked out his sweater as well. He opted for a navy sweater with tiny white tree patterns. Jisoo hated it, but Jeonghan loved it. Therefore, he wore it without qualms. He'd really do anything if Jeonghan asked. Which is why he found himself being dragged around a strip of stores a few blocks away from their campus.
"Are you planning on actually buying anything or...?” Jisoo had finally caught up to the evanescent ball of energy. Jeonghan giggled running to another shop front. "I dunno... Were you planning on buying it for me?"
If he asked, Jisoo would do it in a heartbeat. Jeonghan wiggled his eyebrows before going inside the closest shop—a music store by the looks of it. Jisoo loved how entertained his best friend was when placed around many different distractions. He'd look at one thing like he was in love then forget it in the moment, moving on to the next.
Jisoo entered the small wooden shop. It had a cozy, hipster feel to it complete with mood beads, fairy lights, and slow EDM wafting in the background. They explored this area, yet never seemed to venture into this quaint little music store. Aisles were crowded close together with many albums borrowed from all over the world. There was a section to accommodate everyone's individual preferences it seemed. The wooden floor boards creaked beneath their feet as they wandered deeper into the building. Jisoo followed the light thumping of Jeonghan's feet to a corner filled with American artists.
"Ooh! Maroon 5. Don't you like this music?" Jeonghan asked, curiously picking up the CD.
"Wow. I'm surprised you remember" the American native chuckled at Jeonghan's shocked facade. Jeonghan wrapped his arms around Jisoo's neck and leaned into his ear, his breath lightly caressing his neck.
"You may not notice, Shua, but I pay very close attention to you.
Jisoo couldn't hide the slight blush creeping onto his puffy cheeks. What was that about? He thought. Jeonghan pulled away and put his attention back on the CDs.
He will never know, Jisoo said to himself, feeling elated, yet empty. He wanted so badly to scoop the other in his arms and never let go, but Jeonghan was a free spirit. His course changed by the day and Jisoo did all he could just to keep up. By the time he gathered himself, Jeonghan was off again. He traced his fingers along the plastic covered cases, a quiet squeak emanating from the friction. So distracted by the various designs, Jeonghan failed to notice a man hunched over a box filled with CDs a couple feet away. Jeonghan pranced forward and the man stood up—the collision was inevitable.
Seungcheol was blindsided and went tumbling down, buried under multiple Zicos and Deans. A slim face was directly above his, eyes shut, pink lips slightly parted. He stared up at the majestic being, not quite acknowledging the growing pain in his lower back or the prickly poke of a piece of plastic stabbing awkwardly at the back of his head. If the fall didn't take his breath, the person on top of him surely did. Slow and cautious, Seungcheol caught a glimpse of the sparkling, curious eyes of the stranger.
"Oh no. I'm so sorry." Jeonghan stumbled and stuttered, pushing himself off the wounded worker. Awkwardly, Jeonghan clambered up onto his knees and immediately began gathering loose albums and placing them back in the box from which they had fallen. Seungcheol followed soon after, sitting up.
"It's okay. Really." Seungcheol stared in awe, "I'm usually the clumsy one causing all the mess. It's nice not to be that person this time." Seungcheol cringed at his lame attempt at conversation starting.
Jeonghan scoffed. "Well if that's supposed to make me feel better..."
"No. I'm sorry. I meant like..." Seungcheol had just set his sights on an angel and wasn't all too keen on letting him slip by "I thought that..." His mouth went dry, his hands clammy. Why was he nervous? The questioning eyes in front of him seemed to drain his confidence. He noticed Jeonghan had stood up, dramatically brushing off his distressed jeans.
“It’s okay. I can take a joke.” Jeonghan smiled. He gathered the two CDs from the floor he had been planning on purchasing. Seungcheol immediately pointed them out.
"I can check you out.” As the words slipped his mouth, he immediately regretted them. He'd never seen this side of himself before. It's like middle school Seungcheol had resurfaced, bringing forth a new wave of shyness. He is not shy at all, but this boy had him struck.
“I mean check your CDs out. Not… you.” God, he was not off to a good start.
"Oh. Umm..." Jeonghan began before getting cut off.
Jisoo saw how the situation was progressing and decided to intervene. He deemed now was the appropriate time to cut in. "Jeonghannie!" He turned on the charm, a slight whine in his voice. "You should pay more attention to where you're going." He reached out to rub Jeonghan's back, placing it closer to his waist if anything. He felt the urge to claim the man. Jeonghan was his best friend, cuddle buddy, and most trusted confidant, but nothing more. His feelings for a relationship would never—could never be requited.
“Yes. We’ll go ahead and check out. Thank you.” Jisoo politely nodded. Guiding Jeonghan to the counter, his hand not once leaving the small of his best friend’s back. Seungcheol scrambled to get to the counter and began to ring up the items. Jisoo began pulling out some cash to pay for the CDs but Jeonghan had already swiped his card. That was strange. He recalled various situations in which Jeonghan had swindled Jisoo into buying him whatever he pulled from the shelves. Why was he so quick to pay now?
“Sign here, please.” Seungcheol handed a receipt and pen to his new crush, blushing all the while. Jisoo noticed the way Jeonghan ran his slender fingers through his light, auburn hair. The way he bit his lower lip was all too familiar. This flirtatious air had arisen from him. Jisoo could feel the jealousy angrily biting at his fingertips. He feared someone could take his Jeonghan away.
But no matter how hard he’d want to believe, Jeonghan was not his.
Casually trading receipts, Jeonghan’s fingers grazed the handsome cashier’s. With a wink and that knowing smile, Jeonghan linked arms with Jisoo and made his exit. Seungcheol’s red lips were round and his eyes widened. He couldn’t help but stare out the door where the angel had left a sweet scent of vanilla and a trail of light in his wake. He clutched the receipt in his hand, a number quickly scribbled on it with a small note and heart by it.
Yes, you can check me out.