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Jaehyun doesn’t really mean to put his name on the email list for the Neotech Asian Pacific Students, because how cliché would that be? Even if NAPS is the funniest acronym for a student organization, he has no interest in spending his free time in college sitting around with a bunch of other diaspora students reminiscing about a motherland that probably none of them ever even lived in. Holy shit, no thank you.
And yet, when the activity fair rolls around, Jaehyun finds himself in front of the NAPS booth, drawn in by the guy running it and his bowl of assorted candies. “Sign up for our emails and get a free candy!” he says with a winning smile.
Curse my sweet tooth, thinks Jaehyun glumly, already stepping forward to take a tootsie roll in one hand and a ballpoint pen in the other.
“We host various campus-wide cultural events throughout the year,” the guy explains as Jaehyun writes down his name and student email address. “But mostly we’re really chill and do, like, game nights and the occasional party. I’m Yuta, by the way.”
“Jaehyun,” replies Jaehyun. He unwraps the tootsie roll and pops it in his mouth, ready to make a quick getaway to find a more interesting club to sign up for.
Before he has the chance, Yuta’s eyes catch on someone behind him and light up in recognition. “Hey! Doyoung!” he shouts, waving excitedly.
Jaehyun turns, and oh, that’s a cute boy.
“Yuta?” The cute boy joins them. “Hah, I should’ve figured you’d be involved with the Asian club.”
“Wanna join? It’ll be like high school all over again,” suggests Yuta with a grin.
Cute Boy—Doyoung?—makes a face. “Please work on your pitch,” he says, teasing, then he seems to notice Jaehyun. “Are you a member of NAPS too?”
“Nah, he’s a fresher like you,” Yuta answers for Jaehyun. “But he did put his name our email list, so…”
Jaehyun hurries to introduce himself before the conversation can get any more confusing. “I’m Jaehyun, though to be honest, I mostly came over here just for the free candy,” he says, and ignores Yuta’s melodramatic gasp of betrayal.
Cute Boy laughs. “I’m Doyoung,” he tells Jaehyun. “Yuta and I went to the same high school. He’s a year older, but we were in our school’s Students of Asian Descent affinity club together.”
“Well, you have to admit that NAPS is a way better acronym than SAD. Come on, Doyoung, you should at least sign up for our emails,” says Yuta wheedlingly. He shoves the email list and pen into Doyoung’s hands. “Jaehyun did.”
Sighing, Doyoung puts his name on the email list. “Okay, fine, but I make no promises,” he says and fishes a lollipop out of Yuta’s candy bowl. “I want to make new friends in college, you know?”
“Jaehyun could be your new friend,” Yuta offers, causing Doyoung and Jaehyun both to laugh.
Doyoung unwraps his lollipop and sticks it in his mouth, smiling at Jaehyun around it. “Well, maybe I’ll show up to some NAPS meetings if you’re gonna be around,” he says with a wink, then saunters off, leaving Jaehyun alone with Yuta and the beginnings of a crush.
Despite his attraction to Doyoung, Jaehyun does not in fact go to any of the NAPS meetings. It’s just that he can’t bring himself to drag himself over to Zhang-Chen House on a Tuesday evening, not when he has homework and Sicheng, who lives down the hall from him and is in the same linear algebra section as him. Most evenings can find them together in the common room of their residence hall, pouring over their textbook and groaning about math problems.
Then Jaehyun gets an email informing him of the first NAPS party of the year. The perky invitation uses too many different colors and fonts and is clearly written by Yuta, who Jaehyun has somehow managed to learn is the the NAPS secretary in spite of his efforts to not actually become involved with the club. Despite the garish appearance of the email, Jaehyun has to admit that the party itself sounds like it could be fun.
When Friday night rolls around, Jaehyun and Sicheng walk down to Zhang-Chen House. It’s ostensibly one of the college’s “cultural centers” but it’s also a residential house, and based on the loud music that Jaehyun can hear blasting from half a block away, he’s starting to get the feeling that it functions as more of a frat house than anything.
“You don’t think we were supposed to bring our own alcohol, do you?” Jaehyun asks Sicheng, suddenly nervous. He hasn’t gone to very many parties, isn’t really sure of the protocol.
Sicheng snorts. “There’s no way they’re not providing drinks, not when half the student body can’t buy alcohol for themselves,” he reasons. “And if for some reason they aren’t, I’ll just have to bitch them out on their lack of solidarity, because us Asians gotta look out for each other, right?”
Jaehyun bursts out laughing. “Yeah, like, if they don’t give me alcohol, that’s homophobic, because it inconveniences me, a gay,” he snickers, joining in with Sicheng’s line of joking.
“Exactly! It’d be practically a hate crime,” says Sicheng emphatically. He knocks loudly on the door of Zhang-Chen House, and Jaehyun prays that someone inside will be able to hear it over the music.
A girl who Jaehyun vaguely recognizes from around campus answers the door with a big smile. “Hi, hi, welcome!” She beckons them in like they’re long-lost best friends. Behind her, the living room is crowded with students drunk and dancing. “We’re putting coats in Johnny and Yuta’s room, and we have beer and vodka shots in the kitchen.”
Before either Jaehyun or Sicheng can ask her where Johnny and Yuta’s room is, she’s gone, disappearing back into the rest of the party.
“Uh,” says Jaehyun, exchanging a bewildered look with Sicheng.
“Cool. I’ve decided this is not my problem,” Sicheng replies. He shrugs off his jacket and hands it to Jaehyun. “You figure it out. I’m going to get us drinks.”
“Sicheng!” Jaehyun sputters, but Sicheng is already heading to the kitchen. “That wasn’t very Asian solidarity of you,” he grumbles, then decides to head upstairs and start peeking into rooms until he finds the one with a bunch of coats in it. That’s a logical course of action, right?
The first door he tries leads to a bathroom, but the second is a bedroom. In the darkness, Jaehyun can make out a large number of coats spread across the bed closest to the door. Bingo. He flips on the light switch, then nearly screams when he realizes that there’s someone else already in the room, lying facedown on the other bed.
“Shit, sorry. Do you want me to turn the light back off?” asks Jaehyun.
When the person lifts their head to look at Jaehyun, Jaehyun realizes that it’s the cute boy from the activity fair—Doyoung, his brain remembers—and that he doesn’t look like he’s having a good time.
Dropping Sicheng’s jacket with the others, Jaehyun walks over to Doyoung. “Hey,” he says softly. “I know we don’t really know each other, but, um, are you okay?”
Doyoung laughs weakly. “Jaehyun, right?” he asks, and Jaehyun’s heart flutters because Doyoung remembered his name! “I just had a bit too much to drink. Yuta said I could lie down on his bed until I sober up a little.”
Jaehyun sits down on the end of the bed. “It must be nice to have a friend from home looking out for you,” he says, then immediately wishes it could take it back when Doyoung suddenly tears up. Unsure what he said wrong or what he’s supposed to do in this situation, Jaehyun reaches out to squeeze Doyoung’s calf in a way that he hopes comes across as comforting and not, you know, creepy. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’m sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry,” sniffles Doyoung. He curls up miserably. “You probably think I’m an idiot, crying over nothing.”
“I don’t think you’re an idiot,” Jaehyun replies immediately. He pets Doyoung’s shoulder, wonders if maybe he should try to find Yuta.
Doyoung shifts, flipping around to lay his head in Jaehyun’s lap. “M’just homesick,” he mumbles, pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes. “I really wish Taeyong were here.”
“Taeyong?”
“My best friend,” explains Doyoung. “He’s a year older, like Yuta, but we’ve been together since middle school.”
His phrasing gives Jaehyun pause. He’s never before heard anyone describe a friendship in terms of being together.
“He goes to Vision School of Performing Arts,” Doyoung continues. “He’s a dancer. He’s really talented. They gave him a scholarship and everything, full ride. I’m really proud of him, you know?” He sounds so fond, and it makes Jaehyun’s heart ache a little bit. “I just wish he were here. I miss him so much.”
“I’m sure he misses you too.” Jaehyun isn’t sure what prompts him to say it, but he figures it must be true. How could Doyoung’s best friend not miss him?
Doyoung smiles, soft and a little sad. He reaches a hand up to poke Jaehyun’s cheek. “Speaking of missing,” he says, “how come you’ve never come to any of the NAPS meetings, huh? Every Tuesday night, I think maybe this week you’ll finally show, but you never do.”
Jaehyun blushes. “I’ll come next week,” he finds himself promising.
“You better!” Doyoung pouts, and oh no, it’s so cute.
“Here, give me your phone and I’ll give you my number so you can hold me accountable,” suggests Jaehyun.
Doyoung’s mouth quirks into a triumphant smile. He slides his phone out of his back pocket, unlocks it, and hands it to Jaehyun. “I’ll hold you so accountable,” he pledges in a sleepy, earnest tone.
Laughing, Jaehyun accepts the phone and enters his contact information. Just as he finishes typing his number in, a text notification flashes across the top of Doyoung’s phone: “Taeyong: make sure you get home safe 💛💙 i’ll call…” The preview cuts off the rest of the message, but Jaehyun already feels like he’s accidentally read something far too intimate for his eyes.
He hands Doyoung’s phone back to him. “Do you need any help getting back to your dorm?” he asks, because Doyoung looks on the verge of passing out at any moment.
“That’s so sweet of you, but I’m definitely just going to crash here in order to punish Yuta for letting me drink so much,” says Doyoung with a loopy sort of grin.
“You’re sure?”
Doyoung struggles upright, presses a kiss to Jaehyun’s cheek. The light touch of his lips makes Jaehyun’s whole body burn. “You’re sweet,” he says again. Then, decisively, “We’re going to be friends.”
Halfway through his second semester, Jaehyun realizes that in spite of his best efforts, he’s become a semi-regular at the NAPS weekly meetings.
“This is all your fault,” he tells Doyoung darkly.
“Just admit that you actually enjoy the meetings!” Doyoung laughs. “Honestly, I don’t understand why you were so dead-set against being affiliated with NAPS anyways. Like, we’re not all fresh-off-the-boats and overachieving nerds.”
“You’re an overachieving nerd,” Jaehyun points out, then ducks to avoid the textbook Doyoung chucks at him.
They’ve become close in the months since that first party at Zhang-Chen House, and the more Jaehyun gets to know Doyoung, the more his crush on him grows. He’s not just cute, but clever too, with a sharp wit and sense of humor that Jaehyun thinks he’ll never tire of. It’s a stupid cliché, he knows, to be a sad little gay boy yearning for his friend. Jaehyun hates feeling like a cliché.
It wouldn’t be so bad, he muses, if Doyoung didn’t get so touchy-feely when drunk.
But Doyoung does get touchy-feely when drunk. Every time he and Jaehyun go out to a party, Doyoung drinks maybe a little more than he should and makes Jaehyun dance with him. He kisses him on the cheek or forehead about half the time, and once—just once—at the NAPS spring formal, he kisses him on the mouth, sloppy and tasting of cheap whiskey.
Jaehyun might be tempted to ask him about it, if it meant anything, were it not for the fact that later that same night, Doyoung throws himself into their friend Kun’s arms and kisses him too, much to Kun’s great consternation. It makes Jaehyun’s heart hurt a little, but it’s okay.
You can be content with friendship, he tells himself. He has to be. He’s not willing to risk their friendship over chasing after him either romantically or sexually. It just wouldn’t be worth it.
It doesn’t stop Jaehyun from showering Doyoung with love and attention in the desperate hope that maybe if he’s just nice enough, sweet enough, good enough, that Doyoung might begin to develop feelings for him too.
It wouldn’t be impossible, would it?
Yuta pulls him aside after one NAPS meeting. Alone in Yuta and Johnny’s room, the older boy warns him, “I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but… I’ve noticed the way you’ve been looking at Doyoung, and I’ve got to be honest with you. You shouldn’t waste your time.”
Jaehyun feels his body go cold. He’s not sure if it’s because Yuta has picked up on his infatuation with Doyoung or if it’s because Yuta is telling him that he doesn’t stand a chance. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve heard him mention Taeyong, right?” Yuta asks, then when Jaehyun nods, continues, “He’s in love with him.”
Jaehyun isn’t sure if he means that Doyoung is in love with Taeyong or that Taeyong is in love with Doyoung, but he suspects either way, it’s bad news for his crush. “Who is?” he asks numbly.
Yuta gives him a sad, sympathetic smile. “Both of them, really. They aren’t in a relationship or anything yet, but it’s only a matter of time,” he says. It feels like a stake to Jaehyun’s heart. “I’ve known since the tenth grade that they’re going to end up together.”
“I… Does Doyoung know? That I like him, I mean,” asks Jaehyun hollowly.
“I doubt he’s picked up on it. He’s not very observant about that kind of thing.” Yuta pats his arm. There’s pity in his eyes, and Jaehyun hates it. “He’s only ever had eyes for Taeyong.”
Jaehyun learns to live with it.
It helps, or maybe it hurts, that Doyoung rarely talks about Taeyong. It’s nice not to be constantly reminded that apparently Doyoung’s heart has been spoken for for years before Jaehyun ever even met him, but it also makes it all too easy for Jaehyun to delude himself into thinking that maybe he still has a chance, when he never hears about the guy who is supposedly Doyoung’s big soulmate or something.
He tries to swallow his feelings, tries to spend more time with Sicheng than with Doyoung because he knows it’s dangerous to let Doyoung become his best friend at Neotech, except maybe it’s already too late to avoid that one.
It’s just so hard for him to say no to Doyoung.
Jaehyun goes to the NAPS elections just to vote for Doyoung. While he’s there, he also votes Yuta for vice president, because he knows how much Yuta cares about the club. It’d be silly not to vote him into a higher leadership position. Both of them win, and when Doyoung learns the good news, his face breaks out into a glorious smile that makes Jaehyun feel all warm inside.
He skips the next two NAPS meetings, because he has an image to uphold, dammit!
It doesn’t last. When Jaehyun’s housing plan for sophomore year falls through, Yuta suggests he live in Zhang-Chen House, because they’re struggling to find someone to fill the last single. “Irene’s room will be empty after she graduates, so as long as you don’t mind sharing a bathroom with the girls, it’s yours” he explains, the hesitates. “Though, uh, I’m sure you know this, but Doyoung’s gonna be in one of the doubles with Kun, and um, well, do you think it would be a good idea to live with him, just because, you know…”
Because you still have a big stupid crush on him, Jaehyun finishes silently. He thinks about it. He wouldn’t want to live with Doyoung if they were hooking up or even dating, because that would just be a recipe for disaster. Don’t shit where you eat and all that. So, if he chooses to live with Doyoung, he’d be essentially friendzoning himself, right? It’d be the ultimate act of shutting down his feelings.
“It’ll be fine,” he tells Yuta. “I’m getting over him.”
Yuta looks like he doesn’t believe him, but he doesn’t push the matter. “If you’re sure,” he says, then grins. “Hey, it’ll be fun to live together next year. We’ll make a fully fledged NAPS member out of you yet.”
Jaehyun rolls his eyes and groans.
After a summer break that somehow feels too short and too long all at once, Jaehyun returns to campus and moves into Zhang-Chen House. Yuta and Joy, who lives in the double down the hall from Jaehyun, help him carry his luggage up to the third floor. Afterwards, Yuta runs out to the little convenience store and buys a pint of ice cream.
“You might need it,” he says cryptically, unable to meet Jaehyun’s confused gaze.
Doyoung arrives the next day, with an ecstatic smile and the news that he has a boyfriend now. “Taeyong took me on the sweetest date, revisiting all these places around our hometown that are meaningful to us, and confessed that he’s been carrying a torch for me for years,” he gushes, oblivious to way Jaehyun’s gut twists at his words.
From the pitying but unsurprised look on Yuta’s face, Jaehyun surmises that he already knew, and that Doyoung and Taeyong’s newfound relationship was the reason for the earlier ice cream. You could’ve given me a better warning, he thinks sullenly, before remembering that he’s supposed to be getting over Doyoung.
He forces himself to smile. “That’s great, Doyoung,” he says, fighting through the bitterness that clogs his throat like dust. “I… I’m so happy for you.”
“It’s like something out of YA novel, isn’t it? I’ve had a crush on him for all this time, and had no idea he felt the same way until this summer,” Doyoung all but swoons.
“That’s great,” Jaehyun says again.
He’s grateful when Kun shows up, and Doyoung’s attention shifts away from talking about Taeyong. The moment they disappear into their new room, Jaehyun releases a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding.
“Sorry, Jaehyun,” says Yuta quietly.
“It’s fine. I’m fine,” Jaehyun lies, then immediately undercuts himself by heading into the kitchen to grab that pint of ice cream from the freezer.
Yuta sighs and shakes his head. “I’ve just decided that my side project for this year is to find you a man,” he tells Jaehyun.
“That’s… really not necessary,” says Jaehyun stiffly.
He ends up spending the semester going on a series of blind dates set up for him by Yuta anyways. None of them go anywhere. But that’s fine. It’s not like Jaehyun is looking for a relationship. He’s just trying to get over his silly unrequited crush on Doyoung.
“Where do you even find all these guys?” he asks Yuta one Saturday afternoon, when they’re quietly doing homework together in the living room of Zhang-Chen House.
“… Would you be upset if I told you that they’re mostly guys I hooked up with over the past two years?” asks Yuta sheepishly.
Jaehyun flicks the side of his head with his pencil. “Yes!” he exclaims, wrinkling his nose. “I don’t want your sloppy seconds, dude!”
“Hey, you should be grateful! I’m only setting you up with the ones who were good in bed,” retorts Yuta, rubbing the offended spot.
“Yeah, yeah, thanks for test-driving my potential dates for me.” Jaehyun rolls his eyes. He’s not actually upset with Yuta. It’s funny more than anything. He hadn’t even known that Yuta wasn’t straight until that moment.
The sound of footsteps alerts them to Kun coming down the stairs. He joins Jaehyun and Yuta, pulling out his laptop with a grumpy, “Doyoung is on the phone with his boyfriend in our room, and it’s impossible to get anything done with his voice all mushy and loving. Couples, am I right?”
“Sounds annoying,” says Yuta, his gaze flickering over to Jaehyun.
Jaehyun stares impassively back at him. I’m getting over him, he insists silently. Aloud, he says to Kun, “At least they’re long distance so you don’t have to worry about Doyoung sexiling you.”
Kun gags. “Fuck, I hadn’t even thought about that.”
By the end of his sophomore year, Jaehyun has come to two important realizations. The first is that he will never escape NAPS, especially not now that Johnny has talked him into taking over his position as social chair. Jaehyun lives in Zhang-Chen House and he goes to all the parties, so it makes sense, okay?
The second is that his feelings for Doyoung aren’t going anywhere, but Jaehyun is at peace with it. As long as he’s happy, he thinks with a bittersweet sort of tiredness. That’s all that matters.
And Doyoung does seem to be happy. He doesn’t get drunk and handsy the way he did freshman year, and Jaehyun would be a fool to think it has anything to do with something other than Taeyong. Sure, Doyoung still goes out to parties with Jaehyun and Kun and Sicheng, but he doesn’t get blitzed the way he used to and he never stays out too late.
He checks his phone frequently, and more often than not, Jaehyun catches him with a soft, silly smile on his face as he reads whatever text Taeyong has sent him.
Jaehyun is happy for him. Really, he is. What sort of garbage friend would he be if he begrudged Doyoung for having a boyfriend that he’s clearly so, so in love with? He just wants to be a good friend to Doyoung.
He slowly stops going on the dates that Yuta arranges for him. He hadn’t realized it at first, but he’d only been going on them in the selfish hope that it would make Doyoung jealous, which it never did. And Jaehyun doesn’t think it would be a good idea to get involved with anyone while he’s still feeling some sort of way about Doyoung.
Plus, he’s kept pretty busy between classes and his increasing responsibilities in NAPS. He just doesn’t have time for a relationship right now.
The last NAPS party of the year is a good one. Johnny lets Jaehyun pick the music playlist while he sets up a table for slap cup, “because it works better than beer pong for a large group of people, so shut the fuck up, Yuta!”
Sure enough, once the party gets into full swing, a small crowd gathers around the table to partake in the drinking game. Doyoung squeezes in on Jaehyun’s left. “Go easy on me, please,” he says with a coy smile. “You know how much of a lightweight I am.”
“I make no promises,” teases Jaehyun. “You know how much of a competitive streak I have.”
Doyoung sticks his tongue out playfully, and Jaehyun has to remind himself that he’s supposed to be getting over him. Bad brain, he tells himself. No horny thoughts about your friend.
It’s a close game, but Yuta ends up winning. He has a gleeful grin on his face as he watches Jaehyun drink the death cup from the center of the table full of gross, warm beer.
“Ugh, that’s nasty,” Jaehyun complains once he’s finished the cup.
“And you still took it like a champ,” replies Yuta with a wink.
Doyoung snickers. The flush on his face tells Jaehyun that he’s right on the edge of tipsy and drunk.
The selfish part of Jaehyun wants to goad him into doing tequila shots with him, because he knows that if Doyoung drinks more, he might start getting touchy in a way that he hasn’t since freshman year. The better part of Jaehyun wants to make sure Doyoung doesn’t have any more alcohol so that he’ll stay in that happy, glowing place of having fun without taking it too far.
Jaehyun genuinely isn’t sure which side of him will win out, until he sees Doyoung follow Johnny into the kitchen to get another drink.
“Hey.” He stops Doyoung with a hand on his shoulder. “You sure you want more?”
Doyoung tilts his head to one side, seeming to consider Jaehyun’s question with a serious thoughtfulness. Before he can answer though, he gets distracted by his phone pinging with a notification. From the way his eyes go soft and his smile widens as he reads the text, Jaehyun knows it’s from Taeyong.
Tucking his phone away, Doyoung slings an arm around Jaehyun’s shoulders and says, “You know, maybe I’ll turn in early tonight.”
“You’re just trying to get out helping to clean up after the party, aren’t you?” Jaehyun laughs.
“Oh, noooo, you found out my sneaky plan,” jokes Doyoung. He leans more heavily on Jaehyun, giggling when the added weight makes him stumble.
Somehow, Jaehyun ends up half-carrying Doyoung upstairs to his room. “You big baby,” he teases, dumping Doyoung onto his bed.
Laughing, Doyoung tugs Jaehyun down to lie next to him. “It’s funny,” he says softly. “This is where we met.”
He and Kun live in the second floor double now, but last year it had been Yuta and Johnny’s—the very same room where he and Jaehyun had once spoken to each other in a quiet moment at a different NAPS party.
“We met the activity fair,” corrects Jaehyun, because he thinks he will never forget the way Doyoung’s mouth had closed around that lollipop as he winked at him.
“Barely.” Doyoung snuggles himself into his pillow. “I can’t believe I cried to you because I was drunk and missed Taeyong. That was pretty lame of me, huh?” He snorts. “I can’t believe you still wanted to be my friend after that.”
Jaehyun is used to the way his heart aches, just a little bit, at the mention of Taeyong’s name. “Why wouldn’t I have wanted to be your friend,” he asks, “after seeing how much your friends mean to you?”
Doyoung rolls his eyes. “Yeah, but Taeyong isn’t just my friend,” he says.
I know, thinks Jaehyun, and it barely even hurts anymore. He’s your boyfriend now.
“I don’t know if we were ever just friends,” continues Doyoung blithely, ignorant to the way his words make it hard for Jaehyun to breathe. “I think we were always sort of in love with each other.”
“Wow, how does it feel to be the protagonist of a YA novel?” asks Jaehyun with a forced smirk.
Doyoung’s phone lights up with an incoming text notification, and Jaehyun sees the name “Taeyong 💛💙 Lee” flash across the screen before Doyoung unlocks his phone. His face looks tender and happy in the cool light of his phone’s screen as he reads Taeyong’s message. He types out a response, then smiles at Jaehyun. “It feels so good.”
“So are you still pining after Doyoung?”
Jaehyun stiffens when he hears Yuta’s question. It’s his junior year now—Yuta is a senior—and if he’s still carrying a torch for Doyoung, it’s nobody’s business but his own. He grits his teeth. “I’m not pining,” he insists, and he isn’t. Not really. Sure, he still has lingering feelings for Doyoung, but he’s fully resigned himself to the fact that they will never be reciprocated.
It’s not pining if he isn’t hoping for something to come of it, right?
Yuta scoffs disbelievingly. “Does that mean I should go back to setting up dates up for you?” he asks, more teasing than sincere.
“I’m not looking for a relationship,” says Jaehyun. “I could do casual hookups, but something serious? Not right now.”
“Yeah, I know the feeling.” Yuta slings an arm around Jaehyun’s shoulders. “College is for fun anyways, you know?”
Jaehyun knows. For all that he thinks it’s sweet that Doyoung seems so happy in his relationship with Taeyong, a part of Jaehyun can’t believe that his friend has decided to waste his college years on being tied to a long distance boyfriend. Doyoung barely even goes to parties anymore, opting instead to stay in the single he now lives in on the second floor of Zhang-Chen House to watch a movie over facetime with Taeyong.
Boring! Jaehyun thinks, and goes out with Yuta and Sicheng instead.
They crash a lacrosse team party, sneaking into the backyard to snag cups of jungle juice that they toss back with the gleeful snickers of getting away something only mildly illicit. When they finish their drinks, Jaehyun goes back to get them seconds.
It’s fun. It’s easy.
By the time they leave the party, all three of them are properly drunk. “We should order pizza,” suggests Yuta, but Sicheng groans.
“If I don’t get to bed in the next half hour,” he says, yawns, continues, “I’m going to be in a grouchy mood all weekend.”
Sicheng’s dormitory is on the other side of campus from Zhang-Chen House, so he splits off from Jaehyun and Yuta to stagger home in the dark.
“It’s a shame we never got him to fully commit to NAPS,” Yuta comments as they watch Sicheng go.
“He’s a stronger man than I am,” Jaehyun agrees, then laughs when Yuta cuffs him affectionately around the back of the head. “Oh my god, is this hazing? Are you hazing me?” he teases, grabbing Yuta’s hand and holding it tightly the rest of the way back to Zhang-Chen House.
Outside the front door, Yuta turns to Jaehyun with an uncharacteristically soft smile and says, “Hey, you know, I’m really glad you ended up joining NAPS.”
I’m glad too, Jaehyun doesn’t admit aloud. It’s a point of pride at this point. “I’m glad we’re friends,” he says instead.
“Yeah, that’s what I meant.” Yuta squeezes his hand once before letting it go to get his keys out.
As he fumbles with the lock, Jaehyun pats his cheek fondly and thinks about their friendship. He has always considered Doyoung to be his best friend at Neotech, but suddenly he wonders if maybe his real best friend has been Yuta all along. After all, it’s Yuta and not Doyoung who knows his better kept secrets, just in the way a best friend would. Plus, Yuta has nurtured Jaehyun’s participation in NAPS and nudged him into meeting new people over the years.
“Do you think we’d still be friends if I hadn’t bullied you into joining NAPS?” asks Yuta as they stumble through the door.
“I joined NAPS because of Doyoung,” Jaehyun automatically replies, then immediately wishes he hadn’t when Yuta gives him a sad look, obvious even in the darkness.
“Oh, Jaehyun,” he sighs. “You need to get laid.”
Jaehyun sputters. “I… That’s not—”
Yuta uses his hip to bump the door closed behind them. “Well, you know what they say: the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else,” he says with a knowing smirk.
Maybe it’s just the five cups of jungle juice that Jaehyun probably shouldn’t have had at the lacrosse team party, but he reads Yuta’s statement as bordering on flirtatious. Maybe that’s what drives him to ask, “Yeah? You offering?”
Yuta grabs Jaehyun’s chin in his hand and leans in, close enough for Jaehyun to feel his breath on his lips. Jaehyun lets his eyes flutter closed, and—
“I thought I heard the front door,” a voice says. The overhead light flips on. “Oh!”
Jaehyun’s eyes fly open. He sees Doyoung standing at the top of the stairs, eyes wide as he glances rapidly between Yuta and Jaehyun.
Yuta releases Jaehyun’s face, scoffs, “You’re so fucking drunk, dude. Go to bed.”
Something that feels almost like disappointment wells inside Jaehyun as Yuta heads up the stairs, squeezing past Doyoung without another word.
“Um,” says Doyoung. He gives Jaehyun a guilty look. “Sorry for interrupting… whatever that was.”
Jaehyun shakes his head. “There was nothing to interrupt,” he tells Doyoung. He sinks to the floor with an exhausted sigh.
Doyoung comes down the stairs to sit next to him. “Is everything okay?” he asks. “I’ve always sort of wondered about you and Yuta to be honest,” he begins in a lilting voice.
“Don’t.” It comes out sharper than Jaehyun intends. He is so tired. The straggling remnants of his crush on Doyoung still stings after all this time. “Please, don’t. We’re not… There’s nothing there.”
“I’m sorry,” whispers Doyoung. He wraps an arm around Jaehyun’s shoulder, helps him to his feet. “Let’s get you to bed, hmm?”
It’s a strange role reversal. Jaehyun is so used to watching out for Doyoung, taking care of him and making sure he gets to bed after parties. “Aren’t you supposed to be the delicate one between us?” he asks as Doyoung helps him up the stairs.
“Well, right now, I’m the sober one between us,” Doyoung points out, amused.
“Ugh, why are you sober right now? You should come out with us more” whines Jaehyun. “I miss partying with you.”
Doyoung laughs, maneuvering Jaehyun to lie down on his bed. “We’ll see,” he says. “You know I like to keep my weekends open for Taeyong.”
“Taeyong,” repeats Jaehyun, mouth suddenly dry. “Yeah. I know.”
Jaehyun’s parents sign up for an all-expenses paid cruise ship raffle through one of the charitable organizations they like to support. This isn’t surprising. What is surprising is the fact that they actually win. And through some funny twist of fate, the cruise lines up perfectly with the dates of Neotech’s winter break. Great.
“Guess I’ll be going home to an empty house and spending the holidays alone,” he tells Doyoung with a frustrated sigh. A group of them are doing homework together in the dining room of Zhang-Chen House, because finals season is fast approaching and everyone needs all the study sessions they can get.
“Don’t be stupid,” says Doyoung. “Just come home with me.”
On the other side of the table, Yuta hums but doesn’t say anything, his gaze flickering quickly from Doyoung’s face to Jaehyun’s then back to his biology textbook.
“Shit, could I?” asks Jaehyun. He’s so curious about Doyoung’s hometown that he refuses to think about if it’s a good idea with regards to his unrequited crush. It’ll be fine, he tells himself. His feelings have been slowly fading away anyways. Haven’t they?
“Yeah, of course.” Doyoung grins. “Yuta, you have room in your car, right?”
Right. It makes sense that Doyoung would carpool with Yuta back to their hometown for the holidays. It isn’t too long of a drive from Neotech.
Jaehyun glances at Yuta. They haven’t spoken about the incident in the living room after the lacrosse team party. He isn’t sure if they should, or if maybe there’s nothing even to talk about and he’s just overthinking things.
“Yeah, I have room,” replies Yuta. He arches an eyebrow at Jaehyun, and it looks almost like a dare—whether to accept Doyoung’s offer or to turn it down, Jaehyun isn’t sure.
Well, let the record show: Jaehyun Jung is no coward. He smiles, first at Yuta then at Doyoung. “That’d be great,” he says. “I’d love to spend winter break with you.”
As it turns out, Yuta drives like a maniac. He speeds. He changes lanes abruptly. He flips off other drivers on the highway. There are at least three occurrences that Jaehyun is certain are probably near-death experiences. Doyoung graciously had given him the passenger seat, but now Jaehyun wishes he were sitting in the back instead because he thinks the view from there would be less nerve-wracking.
At least Yuta gives Jaehyun the AUX cord and free rein to play whatever music he wants for the duration of the drive. Jaehyun picks some top 40 playlist, which makes Doyoung groan and Yuta bob his head to the beat enthusiastically.
Miraculously, they make it to their destination in one piece. It’s just past dusk when Yuta drops Jaehyun and Doyoung off at the latter’s house.
“I think you shaved five years off my life with your unhinged driving, you asshole,” Jaehyun tells Yuta as he and Doyoung unload their suitcases from the car.
“Yeah, yeah, you love me anyways,” says Yuta breezily. “You’re welcome for the ride, by the way.” He grins and blows Jaehyun a kiss before pulling out of the driveway.
Doyoung watches the whole exchange with an amused smile. “Well,” he says brightly and gestures at his front door. “Welcome to my house.”
Mr. and Mrs. Kim are kind folks. They welcome Jaehyun with warm smiles, inviting him to make himself at home as they show him the guest bedroom they’ve set up for him. “The shower control is a little finicky,” Mr. Kim warns him, “so make sure you get Doyoung to show you how it works.”
Dinner is a quiet, warm affair. Jaehyun is sure to compliment Mrs. Kim’s cooking and to repeatedly thank Doyoung’s parents for letting him spend the holidays with them.
“Of course!” gushes Mrs. Kim. “We’re thrilled to meet one of our Doyoungie’s college friends.”
She and Mr. Kim both speak with slight accents, and it doesn’t surprise Jaehyun to hear them chatting quietly to each other in Korean as they clear the table. He is more surprised when Doyoung chimes in.
“I didn’t know you spoke Korean,” he says to Doyoung later, when they’re getting ready for bed.
Doyoung arches an eyebrow at him. “Don’t you?”
Jaehyun shakes his head. “The only Korean I know is my own name,” he admits. His dad and mom are second- and third-generation Korean Americans respectively. The language has never been present in his home, and he feels strangely jealous of Doyoung for having that cultural knowledge.
“Uh-oh, you shouldn’t have told me that,” teases Doyoung, eyes sparkling. “Now Taeyong and I will be able to gossip about you without you knowing. Ah, I’m really excited for the two of you to finally meet!”
They meet Taeyong for lunch at a local sandwich shop. “This is one of my favorite places,” Doyoung tells Jaehyun. “It’s so good, seriously. In high school, Taeyong and I used to sneak off campus to eat here for lunch all the time.”
Jaehyun laughs. “Doyoung Kim, don’t tell me you were a rule-breaking rebel in high school! You mean to say that you only became a giant nerd once you got to college?” he teases.
“Um, I contain multitudes actually,” Doyoung jokes back. “All dichotomies are false dichotomies, didn’t you know?”
The bell on the door jingles as they enter the sandwich shop. Jaehyun takes a moment to admire the cozy atmosphere, the mouth-watering smells wafting out from the kitchen, and then a bright voice is calling, “Doyoungie! Over here!”
Jaehyun’s eyes snap over to where the voice is coming from. Seated at a table tucked in the corner is a young man in an oversized gray hoodie. He has a big grin on his face as he waves them.
“Taeyong!” Doyoung cries happily and bounces across the room to catch his boyfriend in a big hug. He presses a kiss to Taeyong’s cheek, and Jaehyun quickly averts his gaze.
It’s just a kiss on the cheek, but somehow it feels too intimate for him to watch.
He stares determinedly at the fake plant by the window and waits patiently for Doyoung to unwrap himself from Taeyong and introduce him. “Jaehyun, this is Taeyong,” he says, gesturing between them. “Taeyong, Jaehyun.”
Taeyong beams at Jaehyun. “It’s great to finally finally meet you,” he says earnestly. “I’ve heard so much about you from Doyoung.”
“Yoooooong!” protests Doyoung, scrunching his nose in embarrassment.
Jaehyun laughs, and it doesn’t even sound forced. Well done, him. “Only good things I hope.”
Taeyong laughs too, then he winks at Jaehyun.
It reminds him awfully the first time he met Doyoung. And just as with his first meeting with Doyoung at the activity fair two years ago, Jaehyun finds his heart rate quickening. Look, he’s seen photos of Taeyong before. After two and half years of friendship with Doyoung, of course he has. But pictures don’t do him justice. His good looks are brought to another level by his vibrant liveliness.
“Okay, you can swap embarrassing stories about me later,” huffs Doyoung. “Let’s go order food.”
“Oh, so we have your permission to swap embarrassing stories about you?” asks Taeyong with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.
Doyoung pouts, Jaehyun chuckles to himself, and they head to the counter to order sandwiches.
Once they’re settled back at their table with their food, Jaehyun turns to Taeyong. “I’m ready for those embarrassing stories about Doyoung,” he says, grinning at the way Doyoung rolls his eyes and takes a big bite of his sandwich. “No, but actually, I don’t think he’s ever told me the story of how the two of you met?”
Taeyong’s accent is extremely subtle. Jaehyun only notices it around his Rs, and even then, only sometimes. But Jaehyun does hear it, and so it doesn’t come as a surprise when the story of how they met begins with Taeyong explaining that his family moved from Korea to America when he was in the seventh grade. “Doyoung was the only other kid at our school who spoke Korean,” Taeyong tells Jaehyun. “He really took care of me.”
“Aw, that’s cute,” comments Jaehyun. It makes sense with what he knows of Doyoung: someone with a strong sense of loyalty to those he considers to be a part of his community.
Taeyong smiles softly and reaches across the table to squeeze Doyoung’s hand. “He still takes care of me, even now,” he says, his voice full of affection, and Doyoung, blushing, squeezes his hand back with a fond look on his face.
Jaehyun swallows, tries to ignore the weird feeling in his stomach. Because that is decidedly not in line with what he knows he knows of Doyoung. At Neotech, he’s always looked after Doyoung, or else Yuta has, or one of their other friends. Doyoung has never been a caretaker.
He wonders suddenly how different Doyoung is with Taeyong than with other people—how different, maybe, he has always been with Taeyong than with other people. Jaehyun has long thought that Doyoung’s smile is dazzling, but it’s different with Taeyong. It’s even more. It’s brighter in a way that Jaehyun has never seen before.
Maybe I’ve only ever known one side of him.
Jaehyun is quiet for the rest of lunch, lost in his own thoughts as he listens to Doyoung and Taeyong catch up with each other and reminisce over high school stories that Jaehyun recognizes are more for his benefit than anything. He learns that Doyoung did musical theater, that Taeyong was the treasurer for their school’s Students of Asian Descent club. He hears about the time they went to homecoming wildly underdressed because they lost track of time at the arcade together beforehand and about Yuta getting into a passionate disagreement with their US history teacher over their textbook’s depiction of Japanese internment during World War II.
Doyoung seems so at home with Taeyong. His usual sharp wit and biting humor melts away into a tender softness with his boyfriend. It makes Jaehyun smile, makes him feel nostalgic for something he’s never experienced.
When Taeyong accidentally smudges mustard on his chin, Doyoung leans across the table to carefully wipe it off for him. “Messy Yongie,” he teases, voice sweet and indulgent and totally unfamiliar to Jaehyun.
This is fucking weird, thinks Jaehyun. I shouldn’t be here.
After lunch, Doyoung and Taeyong take Jaehyun on a mini tour around their hometown. Doyoung snakes his hand into Taeyong’s, and Jaehyun tries to ignore the overwhelming feeling that he’s third-wheeling.
Except, of course, he is third-wheeling, isn’t he? Even if Doyoung and Taeyong are taking him places and pointing things out to him and telling him stories, it’s very clear they are a couple and he is just sort of along for the ride. Even if he is Doyoung’s best friend at Neotech, Taeyong is his best friend at home—not just his boyfriend—and it’s becoming increasingly obvious to Jaehyun that nobody else will ever come close to the bond between Doyoung and Taeyong.
Ah, he thinks as he watches Doyoung throw his head back in laughter over something Taeyong has said. Yuta was right. I never had a chance.
They walk around a park that Taeyong says hosts free outdoor concerts during the summers, and Jaehyun wonders if it was a mistake for him to come home with Doyoung. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Taeyong sneak a kiss that leaves Doyoung flushed and happy. It makes Jaehyun feel all complicated inside.
Three weeks, he tells himself. It’s only three weeks, and then you’ll be back on campus.
Lying awake in Kims’ guest bedroom, Jaehyun thinks about Taeyong. I should dislike him, right? he muses. After all, he’s my romantic rival or something, isn’t he? But when he thinks about the happy glow that emanates from Doyoung whenever he’s with his boyfriend, Jaehyun can’t find it in him to feel bitter towards him.
I like him, realizes Jaehyun, despite his relationship with Doyoung.
Or maybe, because of it.
Taeyong is a charming enough person on his own, but the main reason why Jaehyun likes him is because he makes Doyoung happy, isn’t it? In Jaehyun’s books, anyone who brings that much joy to his friend’s life has to be good. He’s glad that Doyoung has such a kind, loving boyfriend, Jaehyun realizes, and it doesn’t even hurt. There’s something freeing, something comforting about it.
Isn’t that strange?
Jaehyun rolls over in bed and wonders if this is what getting over a crush feels like.
As he waits for Yuta, Jaehyun watches Doyoung gussy himself up for a date with his boyfriend. “Is this really necessary?” he asks. “Hasn’t he known you since you were, like, eleven? Surely, you don’t need to impress him or anything.”
Doyoung laughs, fidgeting with the way his bangs fall across his forehead. “It’s not necessary,” he agrees. “Taeyong has certainly seen me at my worst, many times. But it’s fun. Keeps the spark alive or whatever.”
“Oh my god, how are you such an old married couple already?” snickers Jaehyun.
Doyoung rolls his eyes. “Maybe it’s because we’ve literally known each other for a decade already.”
The sound of a car horn outside interrupts before Jaehyun can reply. “Ah, that’ll be Yuta,” he tells Doyoung, moving towards the door.
“Tell him I expect him to have you home before 10pm!” shouts Doyoung, teasing.
Jaehyun flips him off cheerfully, then heads outside to find Yuta’s car idling in the driveway.
It’s a quick jaunt from Doyoung’s house to Yuta’s, where Jaehyun sits at the kitchen island while Yuta putters around and makes lunch. “I didn’t know you knew how to cook,” says Jaehyun, watching Yuta stir-fry baby spinach with garlic and soy sauce.
“Fuck you, I’m a great cook!” Yuta retorts, moving on to slicing a block of firm tofu into cubes.
“How come you never cook at school then?” Jaehyun shoots back.
Yuta points his knife at him and says solemnly, “Um, because I hate the kitchen in our house. It haunts my dreams, and I will never use it.”
Jaehyun chokes on a laugh. “Excuse me?!”
“I’m serious!” says Yuta, but his grin says otherwise. “I think the Zhang-Chen kitchen is demonically possessed or something.”
“I think you’re demonically possessed!”
It isn’t until later that Yuta brings up Taeyong. “How do you feel about Doyoung’s boyfriend?” he asks quietly.
“You asked me that already,” Jaehyun points out. “No, he really does seem like a good guy. I’m happy for him and Doyoung. They’re clearly super in love or whatever.”
“Or whatever,” agrees Yuta. His tone is oddly clipped.
It makes Jaehyun look at him. “Wait…” The idea comes to him slowly. “Don’t tell me you have a thing for Taeyong?”
Yuta snorts. “Please!” He rolls his eyes. “I had a crush on him for, like, all of five seconds in high school before I realized that he was already stupid in love with Doyoung and always would be.”
“Mm, yeah. Seeing them together, I get what you meant now,” says Jaehyun quietly.
“Do you regret coming?” asks Yuta. Then, a little nastier: “Does it hurt to see just how fucking in love they are?”
Jaehyun ignores the underlying viciousness in his friend’s voice. “You know,” he says calmly, “I think it was actually just what I needed. Like, I don’t have to wonder anymore. I’ve seen for myself exactly how hopeless my crush on Doyoung was always going to be.”
On Saturday, Taeyong invites Yuta and Doyoung and Jaehyun over to his house for a pizza night. Doyoung insists on swinging by the grocery store on the way in order to pick up a few six-packs of hard cider because, “Taeyong prefers the way it tastes over beer.”
Jaehyun doesn’t comment on it, but it makes him think of what Taeyong said on the day they met: Doyoung takes care of me.
Yuta is already at Taeyong’s when they arrive, kicked back on the couch with a glass of white wine.
“Wouldn’t red go better with pizza?” asks Jaehyun.
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize I was in the presence of a wine connoisseur,” Yuta sneers.
“Also Yuta is banned from drinking red wine in my living room ever since he spilled some on the carpet over the summer,” Taeyong chimes in, and Yuta scowls.
The pizza gets delivered not long after, and the four of them settle around Taeyong’s dining room table. Jaehyun can’t help but wrinkle his nose when the first pizza box is opened. “Which one of you heathens ordered pineapple on pizza?” he demands. “What is wrong with you?”
Yuta laughs, sharp and hyena-like, while Doyoung and Taeyong exchange sheepish grins. “It was us,” says Taeyong, gesturing between him and Doyoung. “We both love pineapple on pizza.”
Jaehyun gapes at Doyoung in fake outrage. “How did I not know before now that you had terrible taste?”
“Pineapple on pizza is good,” Doyoung insists, chin jutted out mulishly.
“Don’t worry, Jaehyun,” says Yuta. “I made sure the second pizza we got was free of that monstrosity.”
“My hero.”
After they eat, Taeyong boots up his game console, and they move to the living room to play a few rounds of Mario Kart. Jaehyun and Yuta take the couch while Doyoung and Taeyong cram themselves into the accompanying armchair.
Taeyong sits practically on top of Doyoung, one leg thrown across his lap and one arm twined around his shoulders to grab his controller just below Doyoung’s face as they play. Jaehyun tries not to stare at all the places they’re touching. He’s always thought public displays of affection were a little cringy, but somehow it just seems to make sense with the two of them.
They orbit each other like a binary system, two stars pulled towards each other. Going to different colleges, they don’t get to be together for much of the year, so when they are, why should they keep their hands off each other? It wouldn’t be fair.
Doyoung whines loudly when Taeyong knocks him off the Mario Kart track. “Rude, rude, rude,” he chides, teasing, and jostles his boyfriend in his lap to distract him from the game.
Yelping and squirming, Taeyong mutters something to Doyoung in Korean. His tone is light and affectionate, and Doyoung returns it rapid-fire, his mouth finding the language so naturally that it makes Jaehyun a little green with envy.
He tears his eyes away to focus back on the TV screen, where Yuta is currently giving him a run for first place. It never would’ve worked between you and Doyoung anyways, he tells himself. After all, he likes pineapple on pizza.
Taeyong and Yuta both come over to the Kims’ for New Years.
Doyoung’s parents go to bed early, claiming that the champagne and midnight countdown are best left to the young folks. Mrs. Kim tells them not to stay up too late and Mr. Kim says to make sure the kitchen is left at least somewhat clean for breakfast tomorrow, and then it’s just the four boys left to their own devices with some drinks and about an hour and a half to kill before the new year hits.
In the Kims’ living room, Taeyong paws through the DVD collection with the familiarity of someone who has spent years there. He selects a feel-good animated film that makes Jaehyun and Yuta both roll their eyes, but Doyoung smiles and immediately pops it into the DVD player.
Yuta snags a blanket and picks a spot on the floor, his back to Jaehyun’s legs where he sits on the couch. Doyoung settles himself on the other side of the couch, and Taeyong immediately curls up between them. He lays his head on Doyoung’s lap, and as the movie plays, Doyoung absent-mindedly cards his fingers through Taeyong’s hair.
It’s terribly sweet.
Jaehyun glances down at the top of Yuta’s head in front of him and is struck by a sudden urge to twine his fingers into his hair. It looks silky soft, and maybe Yuta would look up and smile at him in that tenderhearted way that Taeyong does Doyoung. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Unsure where the thought is coming from and flustered by it, Jaehyun swallows thickly and forces his gaze away. He makes himself focus on the movie and not on Yuta, not on the way Doyoung is holding Taeyong.
By the time the credits roll, Taeyong is snuggled deeply into Doyoung’s arms, looking as comfy as a bear all nestled down to hibernate for the winter. There’s almost ten minutes left before midnight, a fact which Doyoung reminds Taeyong of with an indulgent smile.
“You’ll give me a New Year's kiss, right?” asks Taeyong, blinking sleepily up at Doyoung.
“Of course,” Doyoung replies, then slips into Korean to coax Taeyong to his feet and into the kitchen, where the champagne is waiting for them.
“Disgustingly cute, aren’t they?” comments Yuta lightly.
Jaehyun’s mouth twitches. “They really are.”
Yuta twists around to get a better look at him. Their eyes meet in the semi-darkness of the Kims’ living room, and Yuta smiles. “So,” he says. “Got any New Year’s resolutions?”
“I guess I want to put myself out there more. Let myself move on from... you know.” Jaehyun nods in the direction of the kitchen. Then he laughs, almost self-deprecating, and asks, “I don’t suppose you have any more previous hookups on hand you could set me up with like you used to do last year.”
Yuta bites his lip. “Well,” he says slowly. “I might have someone in mind, but only if you’re serious about moving on.”
In the kitchen, Jaehyun can hear Taeyong exclaim, “You’re supposed to wait until midnight to kiss me!” and then Doyoung laughing, breathy and sweet. They have their own world, filled only with each other and years of being together. Jaehyun never could’ve hoped to touch that.
But he could hope for something else.
He smiles at Yuta. “It’s a new year. There’s no better time than now to think about new beginnings.”
“No better time,” agrees Yuta quietly. He gets to his feet, stretches his arms above his head, then offers a hand to Jaehyun. “Let’s go get some champagne, hmm?”
Jaehyun takes Yuta’s hand and follows him into the kitchen, where Doyoung is pouring champagne for everyone. Taeyong stands behind him with his arms wrapped tightly around his waist, and Jaehyun smiles at them both before accepting the flute of champagne Doyoung offers.
Yuta glances at the clock. “Not quite midnight,” he observes.
“Who’s going to judge you for having a sip a few minutes before midnight?” asks Doyoung. He leans his head back to press his cheek against Taeyong’s, adding affectionately, “Someone here has already had a glass.”
Taeyong laughs and nuzzles into Doyoung’s neck. “The holidays are meant for having fun,” he insists, face flushed from the alcohol and his own happiness.
Jaehyun raises his champagne flute. “Shall we make a toast?”
“To the new year,” says Doyoung with a soft smile.
“To new friends,” adds Taeyong, beaming at Jaehyun.
Yuta looks at Jaehyun, his head tilted to one side and his eyes thoughtful. “To new beginnings.”
Grinning, Jaehyun clinks his glass against Yuta’s. He’ll drink to that.