Chapter Text
Dayeon had run off to get herself a muffin as a reward for having finished working on the finalizing touches of their group project in the last hour they’d spent together at the café. (She had asked if Kihyun wanted one too, but he had declined.)
Even though they’d barely known each other before this, she had asked him to do the project for their commercial art class together, and Kihyun had always thought she was nice, so he’d said yes. He had been right, she was cool, open, her smile was nice. He liked how she dressed in soft pastel colours and oversized clothes.
Kihyun wasn’t dumb, he noticed that she liked him. Because she leaned in close to him when he showed her something on his phone or laptop and she smiled at him with sparkles in her eyes, and that honestly wasn’t a problem, unless that he didn’t like her back even though she was funny and smelled really nice, feminine, flowery. He felt flattered, but that was about it. Maybe he shouldn’t have said yes to a group project with her after all.
Dayeon let herself fall onto her seat and started pulling the wrapper from her muffin. She broke off a small piece and offered it to Kihyun. “Wanna try?”
“Thanks.” He took it, finished it in two bites and took a sip from his coffee.
Dayeon swallowed, stared down at the muffin, and smiled to herself. “So, this was fun.”
“Yeah. But I’m glad we’re finished,” he said and leaned back in his seat.
“Me too. But… I, well, I was wondering if you’d want to go on a date with me sometime,” she said and looked at him with something hopeful in her eyes.
There it was. It had been bound to happen sooner or later, exactly what Kihyun had been scared of. He didn’t like turning people down, not that that happened to him regularly or something, he wasn’t someone that people paid a lot of attention to, at least not until he had become friend’s with Minhyuk somehow, got added to his whole friend group and even moved in with him and Hoseok after like two months of knowing him.
Lots of people knew Minhyuk, which kind of resulted in a lot of people knowing Kihyun too. Minhyuk was loud and popular, an art major who everyone who met him instantly grew weirdly fond of. Kihyun included, but not that he’d openly tell him that.
Since he had gotten close to Minhyuk, he’d had to turn two girls down, and he had been so uncomfortable. Kihyun hated it, it made him feel like the bad guy somehow even though he knew it wasn’t his fault that he just didn’t like them. He wasn’t into dating random people in general, all the people he’d ever liked had been friends of his at first.
Kihyun panicked and lied, “I’m sorry. But I’m not over my ex yet.”
What ex? Kihyun hadn’t had a serious relationship for a whole while.
Dayeon’s face fell. Then she smiled at him sympathetically and said, “Oh. It’s okay, I’m sorry about that…”
“I mean... you’re cool, and thanks for asking, I’m flattered, but not interested. Sorry.”
“No, no, don’t be sorry, I totally understand! It’s fine,” she assured.
Kihyun threw her a small smile. This was awkward now.
“Was it a bad breakup?” Dayeon looked at him with sad eyes. She felt sorry for him. Fuck, this was even worse than the other two times.
“I… no, we’re still good. It’s probably for the best like this,” he lied.
She furrowed her eyebrows. “Sounds like you don’t really believe that.” Yes, because there’s no ex!!! “Who is it…?”
“Um. Changkyun.” That was dumb. Very fucking dumb. He could have just said she didn’t know them. But she certainly knew him. Lots of people knew Changkyun just like they knew Kihyun, for the simple reason that they were close friends with Minhyuk.
“Changkyun…? Oh.” She looked a bit surprised. “He’s a chemistry major, right?”
“Biochemistry,” he corrected.
Kihyun couldn’t help but grin to himself as he remembered how Changkyun needed to correct everyone about his major all the time. People assumed he was either studying biology, chemistry, or physics, and it was honestly endearing to watch him correct them. Depending on the day he has had so far, he sounded amused or annoyed, or sometimes both, and sometimes a bit passive-aggressive, but Kihyun might even love that the most out of all. ‘It’s biochemistry.’ He could picture him saying it so well.
He had barely been able to eloquently explain the difference between physics and chemistry before he had met Changkyun like four months ago. Kihyun had never paid attention in his science classes, it had all seemed like very useless information back then. But it was easy to pay attention to Changkyun, Kihyun basically hung onto his lips whenever he was speaking. And when he explained stuff in an easy way, it was easy to remember what he was talking about, like every word he said automatically imprinted itself into Kihyun’s brain.
Kihyun hated when people felt the need to explain stuff to him that he hadn’t and would never have a single clue about. But when Changkyun did it, it was… okay. He didn’t unpromptedly explain stuff to him, just when it came up. And when he did, he wasn’t trying to make himself sound smarter than everyone else, he just liked talking about what he was interested in, loved it when anyone asked him genuine questions. Sometimes when he drifted off into a speech that only another science major could possibly understand, Kihyun didn’t mind, didn’t stop him. It was somehow hot even. Kihyun wasn’t sure since when his type had become smart boys.
Kihyun snapped back into reality and looked in Dayeon’s face as she said, “I didn’t know you were together.”
“Yeah,” he answered. Him neither.
***
Kyun
Kyun:
Hey Kihyun
This girl just came up to me and asked me if I’m aware that you still love me
Which I’m not btw. Didn’t know we ever dated why didn’t you tell me :(
Kihyunnie:
Omg I’m so sorry
Kyun:
It’s okay but what happened lmao
Kihyunnie:
She flirted with me I didn’t know what to do to turn her down…
Kyun:
Ki :(
Whyyyy
She’s so pretty
She genuinely seemed like a nice person
Kihyunnie:
She’s not my type
Anyways what did you say to her?
Kyun:
I think I looked pretty confused and she took that as a no I didn’t know lmao
Then she just rambled on about how you told her that you’re still in love with me even though we apparently broke up and I played along
She was very cute and considerate btw, she was scared we’d fuck up our friendship and told me I should talk to you and figure our feelings out haha
Kihyunnie:
Omg sorry I really shouldn’t have said that…
I wasn’t thinking
Kyun:
It’s fine it was funny lmao
Kihyunnie:
Thanks for playing along I guess
I didn’t think she would tell you
Kyun:
It’s okay, really
Kihyunnie:
Okay
Kyun:
But why me?
Kihyunnie:
Idk I wasn’t thinking when I said it!!!
Kyun:
You’re lucky then because no one would ever have believed you if you said you and Min used to date lmao
Kihyunnie:
What makes it believable that we did?
Kyun:
You’re too close to Min
In a way that screams “fuck I can’t stand you but I still love you so much”
Which could be romantic maybe, but not if they know you two
It’s not romantic right?
Sorry I’m not making any sense
Kihyunnie:
I think you understood my relationship to Minhyuk perfectly 😂
Kyun:
Wait okay I know how to explain now!
You’re not awkward with each other while still being so close
You’re not like Min and Hyunwoo
Kihyunnie:
Yes that makes sense
“Ah, the ex-boyfriend’s home,” Hyungwon mocked him when Kihyun got home that afternoon.
Of fucking course Changkyun had already told everyone.
Kihyun groaned and ignored Hyungwon’s teasing laugh as he poured himself some water and drank half of it in one go. “Is Changkyun here?”
“Yeah.”
Of course he was here. Kihyun felt like their apartment was some meeting room for their whole friend group because there was always at least one person in there that didn’t really belong there, as in they didn’t actually live with them, and this one person was Hyungwon, Hoseok’s annoying, lanky boyfriend of one and a half years. The perks and disadvantages of living with the most extroverted person he knew… Kihyun had had to get used to it at first, but at least he wouldn’t get lonely, right?
“You’re being so obvious, it’s getting embarrassing,” Hyungwon commented.
Kihyun didn’t really hate Hyungwon, but he certainly didn’t like him either, and Hyungwon felt the same about him. Kihyun could accept him, but nothing would change the fact that they just didn’t really get along and disagreed on almost everything.
“Shut the fuck up,” Kihyun huffed and made his way to the living room and then to Minhyuk’s room when he didn’t find anyone there.
He knocked, peeked into the room, and saw Changkyun sitting on the floor with Minhyuk, playing monopoly. Changkyun turned his head in his direction and Minhyuk looked up at him with a wide smile, couldn’t hold himself back from giggling loudly as he must be thinking about what Kihyun had told Dayeon yesterday.
Kihyun ignored him. “You– what are you doing?”
“It was my favourite board game when I was younger,” Changkyun explained. “Do you wanna play? I mean we’re pretty far into the game but we can start over again if–“
“Changkyun. We’ve been playing for at least an hour now. I’m not starting over again,” Minhyuk groaned.
“It’s fine, I’m not in the mood anyway,” Kihyun told them.
Minhyuk seemed to be content with that, but Changkyun pouted at him when he declined, Kihyun really wasn’t in the mood though, and stuck to his decision. Changkyun looked down onto the board, remembered it was his turn.
“You told them…?”
Changkyun looked at him, he knew exactly what he was talking about, and said, “Of course I told them, it’s hilarious.” And when he giggled cutely, Kihyun really couldn’t be mad at him.
He left them alone, changed into comfortable clothes, and put his contacts out. When he went into the kitchen to make himself something to eat, Hyungwon was gone.
Kihyun heard doors opening and closing and voices in the background and then there was Changkyun standing in the doorway of the kitchen.
“Hey, I’m going home. Just wanted to say bye,” he informed him with a smile.
Changkyun came over a lot to visit Minhyuk or to spend time with all of them as a group, he never came to see Kihyun specifically, but he always said bye to him, and Kihyun wanted that to mean something. Yes, he said bye to everyone that he found in the kitchen or living room on his way out, but he even came to knock on the door to Kihyun’s room before he left. He didn’t do that for Hoseok and Hyungwon, always said he was scared he would catch them fucking in there or something and Minhyuk would laugh and assure him that the door would be locked in that case, but Changkyun didn’t ever knock on their door anyway, he only knocked on Kihyun’s. Maybe he was being delusional, but it made him happy.
Kihyun smiled almost stupidly bright at him and answered, “Bye.”
Changkyun stepped further into the room instead of leaving then though.
“I didn’t know you wore glasses,” he said and Kihyun hadn’t noticed that Changkyun had apparently never seen him wear them before.
Kihyun got nervous when he stepped right in front of him. “Well, I wear contacts most of the time…” he explained as if that wasn’t the obvious conclusion of why he’d never seen him in glasses.
“Can I try them on?”
“Um, yeah.” He took them off and handed them to Changkyun.
“Do I look cute?” Changkyun asked with Kihyun’s glasses on, smiling at him and showing his dimples. Kihyun huffed a laugh, nodded small because he didn’t know what to say. He did look insanely cute. Changkyun put them off again and carefully put them back onto the bridge of Kihyun’s nose. “You look cute in them,” he complimented him.
“Um, thanks.” Kihyun was blushing, he could feel it. He just hoped Changkyun hadn’t noticed, or maybe he wanted him to notice, he wasn’t sure.
But Changkyun just looked at him for a few more seconds, lips curving into a cute smile, and then he left.
Kihyun noticed Minhyuk had been peeking into the kitchen from the hallway. He brought Changkyun to the door and locked the door after him, then he joined Kihyun in the kitchen to make fun of him.
He laid his hand on Kihyun’s back. “We all know why you said Changkyun was your ex. I wonder if he gets it too,” he teased. And Kihyun stared at him with lowered eyebrows, tried to look as intimidating as he could, even though that never worked on Minhyuk, he just called him cute whenever he did it, but Kihyun didn’t know how else to react.
***
Kyun
Kyun:
Hey
Someone just asked me why we broke up
Kihyunnie:
Who asked you that??
Kyun:
Idk someone from my major, don’t really know her
Kihyunnie:
So everyone’s gossiping about us now..?
Kyun:
Should have thought about that before you told her we dated haha
Kihyunnie:
Do I even wanna know what you told her?
Kyun:
It’s nothing bad I swear!!
I just said we were incompatible as a couple
Kihyunnie:
Okay that really wasn’t what I expected
Thought it would be something way more extra
Kyun:
Yeah I also regret that I couldn’t think about something more creative faster :(
***
It was the middle of the night when Kihyun woke up and left the comfort of his bed to get himself a glass of water. He had no idea how late it actually was, hadn’t looked at the clock because he knew it would only make him stress himself about having to fall asleep again even though he didn’t need to go anywhere the next day.
Kihyun didn’t turn on the lights in his room, he hadn’t closed the blinds so the streetlamp outside his window was enough for him to see where he was stepping. Kihyun was still a little sleep drunk when he opened the door, and the hallway was dark too but there was the shape of someone sitting right in front of his fucking door with a bright laptop screen in their lap, Kihyun was sure he wasn’t imagining it. He screeched and stumbled a step back.
Changkyun turned to look at him over his shoulder and laughed at him.
“Asshole. You fucking scared me,” Kihyun huffed with his arms wrapped around his middle. “Didn’t you hear me coming?”
“Of course I did but I didn’t expect you to scream,” Changkyun giggled.
Changkyun placed the laptop on the floor and stood up to come and hug Kihyun. He didn’t hug him back because he was still a little angry at him, and even though Changkyun’s hug ended way too soon, everything inside him was tingling. Changkyun didn’t hug him very often, so this was special.
“You could’ve moved at least or something,” Kihyun said, acting annoyed.
“I’m sorry.” Changkyun smiled at him so very innocently. Like he wasn’t a creep sitting in the dark in front of Kihyun’s door in the middle of the night.
“Wait, what were you doing there? You’re aware that’s creepy as hell, right?” But it was embarrassing how little he actually cared about that.
“My wifi wasn’t working,” Changkyun explained.
Kihyun remembered the first time Changkyun had come to his room when he had been having a sleepover with Minhyuk and had complained to him, “My wifi connection is shit.”
Kihyun had looked at him, had wanted to ask what he had been supposed to do about that, but then Changkyun had continued to ramble on about how Minhyuk had said that Kihyun’s room was the closest to the internet router and he had let him stay.
The door to Minhyuk’s room opened. Speak of the devil. “I heard Kihyun scream, what happened? Is there a bug?” Minhyuk asked, just slightly hysteric.
Kihyun and Minhyuk were the types of people to scream and be too scared to kill it when they saw a bug, and Hoseok couldn’t kill them because he felt too bad for them. An apartment full of gay cowards. Great.
The only advantage of Hyungwon basically living with them was that Kihyun and Minhyuk could just ask him to kill bugs and he’d do so without hesitating (unless Hoseok managed to talk him out of it somehow, but what Hoseok didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him). Changkyun was fine with killing them too, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t scream while doing so. A true hero.
“No, Changkyun’s just being scary.”
“And why are you standing there in the dark?” Minhyuk stepped out into the hallway and turned on the light, they all flinched at the sudden brightness.
“Anyways, I forgot to send in my assignment that’s like until tomorrow 9 am. I’m planning to sleep at least until then, so I’ll need to finish this shit,” Changkyun said and sat back down on his previous spot again.
“Why is it just your wifi that isn’t working by the way?” Minhyuk wondered.
Changkyun looked up at him. “I don’t know?”
“Too many devices maybe?” Kihyun considered, then looked over at Minhyuk. “You shouldn’t give the neighbours our passcode all the time just because they ask nicely.”
“What am I supposed to do?!” Minhyuk whined. “He’s hot!”
“He has a girlfriend,” Kihyun argued.
“I know, but what if they break up? Then I don’t wanna be the one who refused to give him our passcode!”
Kihyun rolled his eyes. “Come on, he probably doesn’t even like men…”
“You don’t know that! I get bi vibes from him,” Minhyuk pouted. “Tell him I’m right, Changkyun.”
“What? I’ve never seen this guy before,” Changkyun told him.
Hoseok’s door opened. “Hello?” he asked in a soft sleepy voice, stepped into the hallway, and closed the door halfway after him. “What are you discussing at 2 am?” Hoseok wanted to know.
“Tell them the hot neighbour is bi, Hoseok!”
“Oh yeah, he definitely is,” he nodded approvingly.
“See?!” Minhyuk smiled, triumphant.
They could hear Hyungwon groan from Hoseok’s room. They really had woken up everyone in this apartment. “Can you all go to sleep already?”
Changkyun started giggling, Kihyun couldn’t take his eyes off him.
Everyone went to bed again except Changkyun, who still had to finish the assignment, and Kihyun, who went to the kitchen and came back with a glass of water just to sit down and lean against the wall opposite Changkyun.
“Is it working there?” Kihyun asked, quietly as to not disturb the others again.
“It’s slow but yes.”
“Are you finished soon? Can I go to sleep again?”
“Will take a while but you’re free to go to sleep whenever you want.” Changkyun concentrating on whatever he was doing it was kind of hot. Kihyun just wanted to look at him for a little longer.
“I’m not going to sleep knowing you’re sitting in front of my door. That’s creepy.”
“Why?” he asked, not looking up from the screen.
“Because you can probably hear me turning around in bed from here.”
“And? We all slept in the same room together before, I don’t see the problem.”
“That’s very different because I’m expecting to have my privacy in there and you’re invading it!”
“I’m sorry… I won’t do it again.”
“It’s okay. Just maybe don’t sit right in front of my door next time. I bet the wifi’s fine over there too,” Kihyun said, pointing to where the hallway was ending and turning into the living room a few meters from where they were sitting.
“I… I can move?” Changkyun suggested.
“No. Just type faster,” Kihyun ordered and leaned his head back against the wall.
Changkyun concentrated on his task again and Kihyun stared at the back of the laptop resting on Changkyun’s thighs, wanted to rest his head on them. Life was so unfair.
Kihyun sighed and said, “Remind me to change the wifi passcode tomorrow, I want to kick out all the hot people Minhyuk won’t have a chance with anyway.”
Changkyun laughed. “If they marry one day, we should write all that into the best man’s speech.”
Kihyun grinned at him. “And you’re the best man or what?”
“No, I don’t know! But I’ll tell whoever it is to include it,” Changkyun chuckled. “But actually… yes, please kick him out, I don’t want them to get together,” he added in a more serious tone.
Kihyun slightly frowned. “What? Why?”
Changkyun moved towards Kihyun so he was sitting right in front of him and Kihyun wasn’t really sure what was going on, but his heart was racing. “I have to tell you a secret.”
Kihyun’s face fell as he realized that Changkyun might like Minhyuk.
What if he was about to tell him something like that? What was he supposed to say then? Would he even be able to smile and act as if it didn’t bother him at all?
“And you need to promise you won’t tell anyone. No one, okay?” One of Changkyun’s hands landed on his knee, Kihyun could only stare at it.
“Changkyun–“
“Joo likes Minhyuk,” he whispered.
Kihyun blinked at him. “Oh.”
Fuck, he really needed to stop scaring him like that.
Jooheon studied music production and was the newest addition to their friend group. A few months ago it had just been the six of them but then Hyunwoo had befriended Jooheon, introduced him to all of them and Changkyun and him had become really close really fast.
At first, Kihyun had been jealous. They were getting along so well, Kihyun had known Changkyun longer than him and he hadn’t managed to get just half as close to him as Jooheon had, and they were always so touchy. And everyone else in the group had been wondering about them too, that’s why they had asked Changkyun if he could imagine dating Jooheon during a play of truth or dare.
Changkyun had turned to face Jooheon and Kihyun’s heart had been beating so fast, he had been so, so scared. But then he had said, in all sincerity, “My sweet, sweet honeybee, no offense, but I don’t think I could ever date you.” And Kihyun could breathe again.
“None taken, me neither,” Jooheon had answered with a smile and Changkyun had blown a playful kiss into his direction.
Kihyun was still jealous when they were physically close, but he was jealous no matter who was touching Changkyun just in the slightest way. Now he knew that Jooheon wasn’t a threat. He had become Changkyun’s best friend, nothing more than that, and he was in love with Minhyuk. Great.
“Don’t tell him that I told you. Seriously.”
“I won’t. Of course I won’t,” Kihyun promised.
“Good. Thank you,” he smiled. “So? Do you think they’d be good together?”
Kihyun tried to calm himself down and thought about it for a moment. “I never thought about them together, but knowing that he likes him… hm, yeah, they would kinda make sense,” Kihyun considered.
“Does he talk about him sometimes?” Changkyun asked, excited and hopeful for his best friend. He was so fucking adorable and caring and amazing.
“Well, yes, they’re friends, so of course. But not like that, and also not very often. They’re not that close.”
Changkyun hummed disappointedly.
“But... you know those people that are totally your type, but you don’t immediately realise? What if he’s that for Min?”
“That would be nice. I’d be really happy for them; I think they deserve someone like... well, each other.”
They went to bed after Changkyun had finally sent in the assignment and Kihyun was lying in his bed, wondering if Changkyun and him would make sense together.
Just because Minhyuk shipped them didn’t mean they would actually be compatible, Kihyun having the biggest crush on him didn’t make them compatible either. They clicked, kind of, but when Kihyun thought about it they were pretty different, or maybe not different enough in some aspects.
Kihyun wanted them to make sense together. Did Changkyun think that they would make sense together? Was he thinking about Kihyun at all?
***
Kyun
Kyun:
I just told someone we broke up because you put milk before cereal and I couldn’t tolerate that
And he agreed with me and told me that’s a red flag for him too and that his ex did that 😭😭
Kihyun this is so funny lmao
Kihyunnie:
You know that that’s not even true
Kyun:
I know
And I hope you know that I’m glad you’re doing it the right way but that I’d still love you even if you’d put milk before cereal 🥺
Kihyunnie:
Thank you???
But if you keep on lying like that everyone on campus will hate us one day
Kyun:
Idc I’m having fun
Kihyunnie:
Great
Kyun:
Are you mad?
Kihyunnie:
No
Kyun:
Really? You sound mad
I can stop
Kihyunnie:
Do whatever you want, it was my fault anyway
***
Kyun
Kyun:
We broke up bc you called me bro all the time
I’m loving this, it keeps me creative lmao
Kihyunnie:
Why are you doing me dirty like that…
Later that day Changkyun was over at their apartment, it was just Minhyuk, Hoseok, and Kihyun with him in the living room. They were eating together and Changkyun was telling them about the weird reasons the two of them had broken up and everyone was finding it very amusing except Kihyun, he was just embarrassed as fuck.
“Hey, I get it, this whole ex-boyfriend lie is your thing,” Minhyuk said and pointed between the two of them. “But I’m feeling slightly left out, why do I not get updated regularly about all of this?” he pouted.
“Sorry,” Changkyun chuckled. “I’ll try to make sure I text you from now on, okay?”
“Wait, no, let’s make a group chat!” Minhyuk suggested excitedly. And Kihyun really tried to stop him but once Minhyuk wanted something it was very hard to talk him out of it.
Reasons Changki broke up
Minhyuk added Changkyun, Kihyun and Hoseok.
***
Reasons Changki broke up
Changkyun added Jooheon.
Changkyun:
We broke up because I thought he was a Sagittarius, turns out he’s a Scorpio
Kihyun:
You get so creative about this…
Changkyun:
Is that a compliment?
Kihyun:
I’m not sure
Minhyuk:
But I’m a Scorpio too :(
Changkyun:
I’m sorry I didn’t mean it like that!! I love Scorpios, y’all are hot
Love you guys 💜💜
Minhyuk:
Thanks I know 💕
Changkyun:
I’m not sure if the girl I told that to nodded so eagerly because she absolutely agreed with me or if she didn’t know what the fuck I was talking about
Kihyun:
I’m positive it’s the latter
Minhyuk:
Third option is that she was a Scorpio and she now hates you
Changkyun:
Oh
Haven’t thought about that actually
Hoseok:
If you think Scorpios are hot this really isn’t how you’re making yourself popular with them Kyunnie
Changkyun:
Ah fuck :( no hot scorpios for me I guess
***
Changkyun had slept at their place last night. He had stood half-naked in their kitchen this morning and they all had breakfast together. Had he slept in Minhyuk’s bed like that last night…?
Kihyun knew he didn’t need to be jealous, Minhyuk would never touch Changkyun, he was way too loyal to ever betray Kihyun like that. He didn’t want anything from him, or else he wouldn’t be able to shut up about it. No, Minhyuk didn’t like Changkyun like that. But Kihyun was still jealous because he was jealous of anyone closer to him than he was.
Changkyun had really been here a lot lately. He was the person who visited them the most right after Hyungwon. Minhyuk had gotten himself a friend that was just as emotionally and physically clingy as him apparently. Because Hyungwon would get jealous if he would act like that with Hoseok and Kihyun got sick of Minhyuk when they spent too much time together and wasn’t into skinship with friends that much. So, good for him.
Kihyun’s head had been spinning when he had looked at Changkyun’s chest and stomach and thighs, and it still was. He had tried not to look at him, but it seemed to be impossible. When he was there, nothing else could ever be more important. When he was looking at him, he saw Changkyun as if he were in a spotlight, when he was speaking, all the other sounds were dimmed down, and that even though he always spoke so softly.
Changkyun didn’t work out. He was slim, didn’t have defined abs, very strong looking arms or thick thighs, stuff that he had admitted feeling insecure about sometimes. He never acted like that, he always seemed so sure of himself, so Kihyun hadn’t suspected him not to be until he told Minhyuk and him about that a while ago.
Kihyun didn’t have any of that either, still he felt pretty good in his own body, but he did get why Changkyun struggled with it and hoped that he had managed to make him feel understood when he had opened up to him like that. Because it had meant a lot to Kihyun.
Kihyun just knew that he could stare at Changkyun all day and would never get bored. And he would get mad at everyone who didn’t agree with him and jealous at everyone who did.
He was obsessed with everything about him. The way he spoke and smiled and brushed his hands through his hair. His nose and cheeks just looked so kissable, Kihyun was weak for him. He wanted to kiss his tummy and every little mole on his chest, figure out if he was ticklish.
Changkyun was smart and funny and thoughtful and sexy. Kihyun thought he was perfect.
***
After lunchtime, Kihyun went grocery shopping with Changkyun and Minhyuk. It was fun. It felt domestic even though they were mostly just buying alcohol and snacks and dinner for all of them, but Kihyun pretended he was grocery shopping with Changkyun for a party in their shared apartment.
It was kind of hard to pretend though when Minhyuk was being loud and hyper and had a million ideas on what else they should buy which meant Kihyun needed to keep him at bay so they wouldn’t go bankrupt. Why was Minhyuk even here again? For how hard he was shipping the both of them, he was in the way a whole lot, Kihyun realised. But it also made sense, they were friends, they had been friends before Kihyun and Minhyuk had even properly met, and just because Kihyun was here now, head over heels in love, Minhyuk wouldn’t suddenly distance himself from Changkyun.
They got all the remaining things that they needed, paid, and went home again.
Two new girls had moved into one of the apartments above them recently, Kihyun had run into them in the stairway before and they had introduced each other briefly. One of them entered their building right before them and they all got into the elevator together. Kihyun said hi but otherwise didn’t interact with her.
At first, he didn’t think anything of it when Minhyuk turned to Changkyun and started telling a story as they waited to reach their floor. “I went out with Hyunwoo yesterday, we ate at this café, they had really good croissants and he–“
“What the fuck is a croissant?”
“What?” he asked, giggling, but Changkyun just continued to act confused, so Minhyuk started explaining. “It’s a pastry? France? No? Looks like this,” he said and painted the shape of a croissant into the air for Changkyun.
“No idea what you’re talking about.”
Kihyun tried to act like he didn’t know either of them even though she had obviously seen them come in together, and once they had reached their floor and they had left the elevator, he quietly scolded them.
Changkyun explained to him that they had gotten the idea from TikTok yesterday and Kihyun felt even more embarrassed because he was in love with this man behaving like a fucking child. He tried to tell himself it was just Minhyuk’s bad influence on Changkyun.
***
In the evening their whole friend group came over which only meant more people who were taking Changkyun’s attention away from Kihyun, but it was fine, nothing new, Kihyun could deal with that.
They shoved frozen pizzas into the oven and played stupid games while they got drunk. They made Kihyun give Changkyun a kiss on the cheek and he couldn’t back out and take a sip instead because if it were anyone else, he’d do it, because why not, it didn’t mean anything after all, and Changkyun knew that.
Kihyun panicked but he did it anyway. And because Changkyun was just the cutest, most wholesome person, he gave Kihyun a kiss on the cheek back and smiled at him cutely. Everyone cooed at them while Kihyun just died a little.
Changkyun went to the kitchen to get himself water later at some point of the night and Kihyun followed him without thinking about it, just because he missed him. He got himself a new mug out of the cabinet and filled it with water.
Kihyun leaned against the wall and stared at his back, appreciated how nice his shoulders looked in a simple white t-shirt. “I can’t believe you’re telling everyone that I’m the problem when you’re the one drinking water out of a fucking mug! I mean, who does that?”
Changkyun giggled and turned around to look at Kihyun. “Why are you so upset by that?”
“Because that’s wrong! It’s insane. Why?”
“It just tastes better like this.” Changkyun smiled and shrugged.
Kihyun was in love with a science nerd who drank water out of mugs.
It wasn’t the first time he noticed it, of course, but it was the first time he said something about it. They had become closer lately, teasing Changkyun about something like this felt safe now. And also, Kihyun was drunk. Maybe it was just that that was helping.
He grimaced. “What are you? An alien?”
Changkyun laughed and put the mug on the counter, moved towards him and hugged Kihyun, swayed him in his arms. He had placed one of his hands on the back of Kihyun’s head like Kihyun had seen him do with the others when he hugged them. It was such a Changkyun thing to do.
He was a touchy person in general, not so much with Kihyun, not usually, sometimes, but not that often. And as soon as he was tipsy, he got really clingy. Kihyun wasn’t ever on the receiving end of his drunken touchiness, but he was more than happy to be right now.
He held onto him, giggled with Changkyun. Kihyun felt really happy, like there was nothing in the world he would have to worry about, just for a few moments until Hoseok barged into the kitchen, froze in place when he saw them, and asked, “Why are you hugging? Am I interrupting something?”
He immediately left when no one answered him, but Changkyun had let go of him already, the moment was ruined. No more hugs as it seemed. Kihyun wanted to pout until Changkyun would wrap him up in his arms again, but decided against it.
“But the mug thing,” Kihyun remembered. “I’ll tell that to the next person who asks me why we broke up!” he told him excitedly.
“Sure, go ahead,” he encouraged him with a smile.
“Wait. Why does no one ever ask me why we broke up?” he wondered.
“No one ever did?”
“No. I would’ve told you otherwise.”
“Maybe they think it’s a sensitive topic for you because they heard you still have feelings for me,” Changkyun considered. “Do you still love me, Kihyun?”
“Shut up,” Kihyun giggled.
They went back to the others again and Kihyun kept staring longingly at Changkyun the rest of the night because he wished Changkyun would want him to hold him and put his arms around his waist like Jooheon did. Kihyun wanted to touch him, wanted to be touched by him, and he wanted him to want it too, to mean it with his whole heart.
Kihyun envied both that they were so physically close to each other right now and that they had casually become best friends this fast. Because Kihyun didn’t have one, probably hadn’t had one since middle school. He still had friends from high school and also from college but no one who he was really that close with.
He hadn’t thought that it would be any different with Minhyuk when they first met in class, especially because Minhyuk seemed to be nice to everyone, so he had thought he was just another one of his acquaintances when he had talked to him every time he met him in the class they shared and on campus. But he had also continued to text him, to send him memes, and to ask about his opinions on his art projects. He had been taken aback when Minhyuk just dragged him along to lunch so he could meet his friends one day.
Kihyun had been a little shy when he had introduced him to all of them, but he had befriended them just fine, and now he was the closest to Minhyuk and Hoseok, naturally, since they lived together, but Hoseok’s best friend was Hyunwoo and Minhyuk called all of them his best friends because he simply loved everyone so much.
Maybe it was stupid, but Kihyun had always wanted to be someone’s favourite person, and not even his exes had ever made him feel like that, not really.
He wanted to be Changkyun’s favourite person, specifically, but that was probably too much to ask for.
***
He wasn’t sure how their conversations had suddenly turned into this. Kihyun was nervous, to say the least.
They were talking about who they would be comfortable with kissing out of their friend group, it kind of turned into a game with everyone having to answer with yes or no for every person, and Minhyuk was going first. Hoseok and Hyungwon weren’t playing because Hyungwon got jealous really easily, but they were kind of hosting this whole thing together now.
Kihyun thought it was stupid, and that everyone was just so excited to do this because they wanted to see how he and Changkyun would act, what they would say. He was sure they just wanted to see Kihyun suffer.
Minhyuk said he would kiss Hyunwoo and Kihyun, Kihyun wasn’t surprised. Even though Hyunwoo was Minhyuk’s ex boyfriend, and maybe he should have been. Kihyun hadn’t known them yet when they had been dating, but Hoseok had told him that pretty much everyone had thought they were meant to be, that they had gotten along so well, until they just hadn’t anymore. It hadn’t been a bad breakup apparently, they had needed a while to get over it and to go back to how everything had used to be, but they were fine now. They had a great friendship, still told each other pretty much anything.
When Minhyuk said he would probably kiss Jooheon too, Kihyun wasn’t exactly surprised, because Minhyuk had so much love to give, he’d gladly kiss all of his friends on the lips, but he was happy because it probably means something to Jooheon. Maybe it really did mean something, or it could at some point, at least. That he wasn’t opposed to it was good, right…? Fuck, what was he supposed to say about Changkyun when it was his turn? What would Changkyun say about him?
“Would you kiss Changkyun?” Hyungwon asked Minhyuk.
Hearing his name made Kihyun feel wide awake. He stared at Hyungwon, who seemed to be kind of bored at the game already, before he glanced over at Changkyun, he was looking at Minhyuk curiously. He looked so cute in one of his comfy hoodies, and with his fading red hair, it was hard not to stare at him, to tear his gaze away and pay attention to Minhyuk and what he was going to answer, but Kihyun managed.
“No.”
Now Kihyun was surprised. He didn’t think he believed Minhyuk.
He would kiss Changkyun, Kihyun was sure of that. He loved Changkyun, had a huge soft spot for him, and that meant something because he had a soft spot for almost everyone, for each of them in their own way, but Changkyun’s was different. He’d been so close to Changkyun lately, physically as well as emotionally, even though Kihyun mostly just guessed that they were because they seemed so comfortable with each other. He was sure they were comfortable enough to kiss each other in a friendly way.
But Minhyuk was loyal, and he was being loyal to Kihyun right now. He would never kiss someone Kihyun was seriously interested in, not even in a non-romantic way, he would never betray him and break his heart like that. Kihyun had known that, but he was still surprised at Minhyuk’s answer. He was so glad to have him.
Changkyun pouted at Minhyuk, played hurt at his answer, but it was obvious that he wasn’t really offended. And then it was Changkyun’s turn already. Kihyun didn’t know what to expect when they would ask Changkyun about him, if he would kiss him. It made Kihyun’s heart beat in his chest like crazy.
“Would you kiss Joo?” Hoseok asked, looking at him curiously.
“Sure, we did kiss before,” he answered and Jooheon nodded affirmatively.
Oh, Kihyun thought. That hurt a little.
Hoseok seemed to be surprised too. “Seriously? Why?”
“Just wanted to try. Who wouldn’t want to kiss him? Look at how cute he is!” Changkyun cooed. “It was entirely friendly though, no romantic feelings,” he clarified, but Kihyun didn’t feel comfortable at the thought of that anyway. They had apparently decided they wanted to kiss each other entirely on their own, not because of a stupid dare or spin the bottle or something…
“What about Minhyuk?”
“Yes,” Changkyun answered. “But he apparently doesn’t want me to, so that’s also fine.” He shrugged.
“Would you kiss Kihyun?” Hoseok asked.
Kihyun’s whole body was tense, he was holding his breath, and it felt like forever until Changkyun answered, even though he didn’t even need to think about it before he said, “If he’d want me to.”
He looked over at Kihyun shyly, making sure his answer was okay with him, but Kihyun was frozen in place. He wasn’t sure what to do, if he was supposed to smile or nod, or look unfazed. He didn’t know. So he didn’t do anything.
He took too long to react, but everyone ignored it, Hoseok just asked about the next person, Hyunwoo.
“No, I’m sorry.” Changkyun turned to look at Hyunwoo. “I love you, but I don’t think I could. I see you as, like, an older brother, so that would be weird,” he explained.
“That’s okay, I couldn’t see you like that either,” Hyunwoo assured with a slight smile.
Kihyun watched the scene happening in front of him, but he couldn’t pay attention, he was still confused, a bit shocked and nervous, but also happy? Pretty much everything at once because Changkyun had said he would kiss him if Kihyun also wanted to… Kind of an interesting way to phrase it, a cautious one.
But Kihyun didn’t think it actually meant something, he just liked to analyse everything Changkyun did into something possibly meaningful, but he never ended up fully believing it. It was enthralling to interpret how he could have meant stuff, but it would only get him hurt if Kihyun actually believed in it, and it would turn out not to be true.
After Hyunwoo, it was Kihyun’s turn. It happened way too fast, he was still trying to come up with answers that made sense, something that wouldn’t make him sound weird when they would ask him about Changkyun… but there wasn’t much time to think left.
“Would you kiss Min?”
Easy question.
“No.”
“Why not?” Minhyuk said in an offended tone, he was pouting.
“Because you’re annoying.”
It was true, Minhyuk was fucking annoying. But he was also one of Kihyun’s favourite people. What a weird contradiction.
Minhyuk scoffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I don’t think I wanna kiss him anymore.”
“Yeah, please don’t.”
Minhyuk looked at him like he wanted to aggressively kiss him just to mess with him though, and Kihyun got distracted when he noticed Changkyun was fondly looking back and forth between them.
Hyungwon immediately brought Kihyun back into the moment with the next question directed towards him. “What about Hyunwoo?”
“No,” he said.
“Jooheon?”
Hyunwoo had said he wouldn’t kiss any of them because he wasn’t into kissing someone and not fully meaning it. Kihyun understood that. But sometimes it was nice to just make out with someone, and maybe, if he wouldn’t like Changkyun so much, kissing Jooheon wouldn’t be so bad, he was cute. But Kihyun did like Changkyun, so much that he didn’t want to kiss anyone else.
“Maybe,” he answered anyway. He and Jooheon weren’t that close, which made it easier to imagine kissing him, and it made it sound less suspicious as if he just said that he could imagine kissing Changkyun. Kihyun couldn’t lie after all, he was horrible at lying. Look at what had happened the last time…
“And would you kiss Changkyun?” Hyungwon asked finally, trying to make his voice sound as bored as ever, but Kihyun knew he wanted to tease him right now and that he was internally very amused, he just held himself back in front of Changkyun because he wasn’t a total asshole.
“Maybe.”
Only if Changkyun meant it.
Jooheon was the last person in the round, he said he would kiss Changkyun (again) and maybe Minhyuk (He was stealing Kihyun’s unclear answers!!!), but not Kihyun and Hyunwoo. Kihyun didn’t care about his answers though, he just spaced out and daydreamed about how it would feel to get kissed and loved by Changkyun.
***
Changkyun slept in Minhyuk’s room that night as always, Jooheon on the couch and Hyunwoo in Kihyun’s room. Kihyun would be totally fine with that, if only he wouldn’t snore so damn loud. It wasn’t the first time they did a sleepover with the whole group at their place though, on some nights, Kihyun had been so tired that he had just fallen asleep and hadn’t even noticed the snoring, or he put in earplugs, but today he couldn’t find them for the life of him.
Hyunwoo was fast asleep in bed next to him and Kihyun loved him a lot, but he would also love to just kick him out right now, but he couldn’t do that. So Kihyun figured the only thing left to do was to get out of bed and sneak into Minhyuk’s.
His double bed probably wasn’t meant for three people to sleep in it but if Kihyun cuddled up to Changkyun real close and made himself small, they could make it work. So that was exactly what he did. He sneaked into Minhyuk’s room and tried to quietly close the door after him when Changkyun propped himself up on his elbows.
“Ki?” he asked in his deep, sleepy voice. It was so cute, so hot, Kihyun just wanted to kiss him breathless.
“Yes.” He walked over to the bed and stared down at Changkyun; he didn’t see much apart from his silhouette in the dark room though. “Move,” Kihyun whispered, and Changkyun did, so Kihyun could slip under the blanket next to him. Minhyuk was sleeping pressed up to the wall already, with a second blanket wrapped around him. That made things a lot easier.
Changkyun immediately cuddled up to him and Kihyun’s heart started racing. “Mm, you’re warm,” he murmured. Kihyun must be dreaming. “This okay?”
“Mhm.” It was more than okay. It was everything Kihyun ever wanted, actually.
Kihyun fell asleep to the sound of Changkyun’s steady breathing instead of Hyunwoo’s snoring and the next morning Minhyuk was surprised but very endeared when he found not just one person but two sleeping in his bed, who were cuddling and holding each other close.