Chapter Text
Dohoon groans, eyeing his phone, nervousness lingering in his mind because now he wasn't sure if this was a good idea. The memory was still fresh on his mind.
Everything started with a simple question.
“Wanna hang out this friday?”
Jaehyun had asked, all smiles as always, he hugged Junghwan’s arm and leaned into him, “It'll be fun! And we have to get closer, you're the only 03 liner I know!”
“Y-Yah! Hyung, don't bother him! What if he doesn't want to hang out with us anymore because you're too clingy?” Woonhak cried, he sat with Jihoon and Kyungmin, eating some pizza that their new friends had bought as a small celebration.
“I-I don't mind, Jaehyun-ah is… cute”
And Dohoon, who observed everything from his place, the cup in his hand close to getting broken because he gripped it with too much strength, quickly stood up with the excuse of “getting more drinks”. Youngjae, who noticed his change in demeanor, tried to follow his friend, but the raven gave him one look and it was enough to make him sit back down. Defeated, Youngjae sat beside Hanjin, they mumbled and whispered to each other as they looked at the newly formed pair of Junghwan and Jaehyun.
But there was someone else who looked, who watched and took note of the little scene that everyone else missed.
Han Taesan.
He found himself with his eyes glued to Jaehyun and his friend, he bit the straw and mounched on it as if it was candy, he was ready to go and walk somewhere else, he doesn't dislike the new guys, they're all kind and nice and don't expect him to be all smiles and fake, he can be relaxed around them.
Yet he would lie if he didn't come here to spend more time with freaking Myung Jaehyung, and when he arrived he was already all over this Junghwan, blowing kisses and basically being glued to him from the start.
Then, the Dohoon scene happened, and Taesan saw it, he recognized that ‘in-too-deep’ and emotionally constipated look, that longing and hurt.
He grinned, and after five minutes, with no sight of Dohoon, he stood up as well, dusted himself off and signaled Woonhak that he was going out, the younger smiled and gave him a thumbs up to then fall into conversation with that smiley and bouncy guy, Jihoon, Taesan recalled.
Giving the place a final look, he walked out, the cold air hit him like a truck, he shivered and cursed, eyes searching for that tall and lean figure, until he found it, sat on the sidewalk like he owned it, eyes locked in his phone but not really focused.
Taesan took a long breath and approached him carefully, when he was only a few steps left to be by his side Dohoon looked up, eyes slightly red and lips clearly bitten.
“Hey” is all that he said, voice low and soft, he lowered himself to also sit on the icy floor, they stayed silent, Dohoon didn't answer, he just sighed and sobbed, Taesan could tell he tried his best to stay as quiet as possible, he found it just a tiny bit adorable.
Suddenly Dohoon looked to the side, his eyes met with Taesan’s for a short moment to then break the contact, he dried the small tears that were still on his face and straightened his posture, now, he looked how he had been at the start of this go out, calm but serious, and Taesan could relate to the quick change.
“Why are you here?”
“Saw you run away.. and I kinda wanted to do the same” This made Dohoon freeze, his hands gripped his own hoodie and he played with the strings of it with his mouth, “They were…. annoying, weren't they?”
“A bit” Dohoon answered immediately, his face turned red when he noticed how fast he replied, he laughed bitterly and rolled his eyes, to then glance at Taesan, “I.. I like Junghwan hyung”
“Hah! ‘Like’ is a bit small, isn't it.. what was it? Princess?”
“Oh, shut up kitty!”
They shared some bitter laughs thanks to the fact that their respective crushes were blatantly flirting in front of everyone. They tried to understand, to think logically, since the both of them were supposed to be pretty good at that, at being rational and cold and not so emotionally driven.
“Bullshit” Dohoon blurted out before he could process his own thoughts, letting his body fall backwards onto the floor, “I have to be that way because… I just suck at it, it's easier to shut up and ignore everything”
“And now you bottle everything up, yeah… I get you dumbass, but hey, we can be like them”
“I am not going to flirt with you”
“Your loss! I'm a great boyfriend, ask Leehan”
He had continuously made Dohoon laugh and giggle, yes maybe his eyes were still red, yes maybe from time to time he tried to hide his face, maybe he thought about leaving Taesan there, stranded alone, but he stayed, because Dohoon felt good and thankful.
“Should we.. you know, get inside already? Maybe they will start to think we are making out or something”
“Well, let's not clarify, just a bit of fun, hm?”
Dohoon said nothing, he simply stood and walked to the entrance of the place, Taesan had to ran to caught up to him, he giggled softly, he made sure everyone saw their state, Dohoon’s red face, his own quick breaths thanks to the small run, his grin and Dohoon’s shy smile.
Just a small bit of fun, of payback, even if both of them knew that their crushes had no clue of what they did and how it affected them.
Junghwan was the one who looked up first, he was already on his feet, face full of worry, but it all faded when his eyes fell on Dohoon, a soft smile appeared on his lips but then his expression twisted and turned into something unreadable, full of conflict as he stared at Taesan, who had grabbed Dohoon’s waist and whispered something to his ear. Dohoon, having sensitive skin, squirmed in his arms, he hit Taesan with his legs and they each went to their respective places, Dohoon with Youngjae and Hanjin, who bombarded him with questions, and Taesan with Leehan, who simply gave him a long look, from head to toe, Taesan twirled around and then plopped back on his chair.
“So, what did we miss?”
“Nothing much, they are still discussing what do this friday”
“I-I told you I can't, on fridays I pick Dohoon and we-”
“It's fine hyung, you seemed so… happy, you should go if you want” Taesan whistled and a shit eating grin was visible on his face, he nodded, cleared his throat and successfully gained Junghwan’s attention.
“I can pick him up, got nothing to do on fridays so… What do you say, Hoonie-ah?”
“Ho..Hoonie-ah?” Junghwan repeated in disbelief, he looked at Dohoon, probably expecting an answer, yet it seems like the one he got wasn't what he wanted.
Because Dohoon chuckled, his eyes were now two small crescent moons as he laughed, soft and easy, and then he looked at Taesan, their eyes met, and it wasn't uncomfortable, it was nice, so he nodded.
“Well, if you promise not to blast Oasis and actually focus on the road, then yeah, I'll be waiting for you at 9 am sharp!”
“Of course, you're majesty”
Everyone found the interaction funny, Woonhak and Sungho laughed loudly, Jihoon and Hanjin began to bother Dohoon about this new friendship, wondering why they didn't know about it till now, Jaehyun seemed surprised but still congratulated the two about suddenly growing closer, while Junghwan nodded mindlessly, eyes still focused on Dohoon, searching for something, maybe for the younger to back down, to say that he wanted Junghwan to pick him up, like always.
But the conversation ended there, and the topics moved, probably forgotten by now.
Yet there were four people in the room that couldn't stop thinking about how chaotic this Friday was going to be for them.
Dohoon finishes recalling it, the reason why he's already awake right now, when it's 8:55 a.m.
He's sitting in his living room, TV on as background noise, scrolling through his phone, waiting to see who would send him a message first.
And then it happens, he gets a notification, a text from Junghwan, surprisingly , asking if he's still meeting with Taesan. If he wants him to go pick him up.
Dohoon sighs and replies with a cute sticker of a bunny, to then send a quick text that says “taesanie is already on his way”
Maybe he did it to see if Junghwna would react to it, asking why he said taesanie instead of just taesan . Truly, Dohoon just wants to know if Junghwan is also being eaten alive by the jealousy he's feeling, but he only gets an “ah okay” as an answer. He thinks for a while about asking about Jaehyun, if they are already together, if they will eat something before or after the movie, maybe they'll do both.
But the thoughts make his stomach and chest hurt, twisting in envy and regret, so he simply turns off his phone and waits until finally he finally gets a new notification, this time from the man himself, Taesan, saying he's outside.
It's 9 a.m, not a minute more or less.
Dohoon, even if he's dying inside, smiles, grabbing his bag, turning off the TV and stepping out of his apartment, feeling the cold of the hallway hit his body as he runs down the stairs, since the hellevator always takes like 15 whole minutes. He finally gets to the first floor, says goodbye to the nice receptionist and his eyes land on Taesan the moment he steps outside of the building.
He’s leaning on his car, a simple black one with a small pattern of red and white on the wheels. It's subtle, but just enough to make them pop and get your attention, Dohoon finds himself surprised since he likes it.
It's a complete opposite to Junghwan white car, neat wheels with not a color in sight, still, it makes sense, as far as he knows Taesan is the complete opposite of Junghwan in a lot of ways.
“I know I look good, but are you just gonna stare or are we leaving?”
“Don't flatter yourself, i was looking at your car ”
“Just get in, princess ” Taesan grins, opening the door for Dohoon, who huffs and rolls his eyes, getting in the car with a small pout on his lips.
“Don't call me that”
“Then it's no fun, c’mon! you are definitely going to call me kitty so it's only fair i get to call you that, and besides, you're my passager princess now”
Dohoon doesn't answer, looking outside the window while Teasan gets the car started, the engine roars slightly, it's louder than Junghwan’s, it's also a bit colder, there's no cute plush hanging from the ceiling, no soft video game soundtracks, no place for Dohoon to put his drink, there's no hand on his thigh, no calm voice talking to him, making Dohoon feel warm.
And Taesan? Taesan focuses on the road, glancing at the guy besides him from time to time, laughing a little bit when he sees how sulky Dohoon was, so, with a sudden urge to make this probable new friend a bit happier, he nudges his leg with his own, smiling softly.
“Do you like coffee?”
“... Asyatchu ” Dohoon answers in an almost inaudible voice, Taesan laughs again, finding the younger cute.
“What even is that?”
“Iced tea with a shot of espresso… Its- Its very good, you should try it”
“Wanna go get some?”
When the traffic lights turn red, Taesan takes the opportunity to fully look at Dohoon, being pleasantly surprised when Dohoon is also looking back, eyes wide and shiny, almost like a puppy who just heard the word “ treat ”
What else could Taesan do besides ruffling his hair and change the direction of the car from their university to a nice and faraway cafe he knows, it probably wasn't too crowded and it was a nice place to relax and get your mind off everything, perfect for Dohoon, who seems to caught up on something, and if Taesan has to guess it most definitely be what happened yesterday and what was happening today as well.
“You don't mind skipping a few classes, right? You have the vibe of, you know, this perfect student”
“Hah! That's.. That's Junghwan hyung, not me, I always skip class, mostly when I just feel bad… or if the teacher pisses me off”
“Completely valid, I hated my music theory teacher”
Dohoon laughs and agrees, realizing that they are studying the same thing, they talk about the teachers, the subjects they like and the ones they dont, how fucked up the schedules is sometimes and how some of the assignments were fun but time consuming.
It was the first time he hears Dohoon talk for more than ten minutes, the younger just keeps going, as if this was the first time someone has asked about this, like he had been holding back for a long time, and if Taesan is being honest he likes this, yes, he does talk about his studies with his brother and friends, Jaehyun is also on the same career, but they didn't agree in some things, so finally having someone who finds the same teacher annoying, who tends to work alone since people don't understand his choices, it was like the universe sent his perfect match.
They kept laughing, joking and even teasing each other, promising to show some of their works when they had the chance.
The ride to the cafe was fun, and once they got there the conversation just kept going, Dohoon ordered for the both of them, slipping a piece of strawberry shortcake so they could share, hoping Taesan wouldn't mind, they share some more stories, from both their studies and outside of them.
Now, Dohoon knows that Taesan works at a bar some days of the week, and Taesan knows that Dohoon is actually looking for a job, they talked about pets, birthdays, embarrassing highschool anecdotes and some goals they set for the future.
“You are very ambitious”
“What can I say? Is wanting your own house, to be your own boss and to be a billionaire too much to ask?” Dohoons says as he grins, looking back to the counter since they were finishing a new other, “I think that's ours!”
Dohoon stands up faster than Taesan, leaving him alone on the table again as he goes to get their drinks, but he only puts them down on the table and runs back to where he was and when he turns around again Taesan notices the plate in one of his hands, while the other one had two forks. He walks to the table smiling widely, sitting and placing the plate right in the middle and looking at Taesan with those big eyes again, he laughs and takes one of the forks.
“Did you pay?”
“It was the least I could do, you're practically driving me around today”
“But I offered, didn't I?”
“Yes, but- still, I'm making you try something new, what if you don't like it?”
Taesan nods and glances at the drinks, it looks like any normal coffee, he does usually drink them hot, but an iced coffee sounds just as nice. So, taking a big breath he grabs the drink and takes a small sip, humming and taking a bit to take in the taste.
Its bitter, but just the right amount that it doesn't leave an ugly aftertaste in his mouth, he drinks a bit more, the tae making itself a bit more present, the coolness of the drink making him shiver slightly in this cold morning, but he doesn't dislike it, he actually enjoys it quite a bit, grinning and looking at Dohoon, nodding and leaving the drink back on the table.
“ Huh , gotta give it to you Dohoonie, this is good”
“I told you! Asyatchu is amazing and it also keeps me awake… Im, uh, Im glad you like it” The younger starts to play with his fork, bitting it and looking anywhere but at Taesan, which made the older think that maybe something had happened
But before he could say anything Dohoon looks back at him, looking rather unsure, he takes a sip of his own drink, smiling softly and reaching to the take, taking a piece carefully before speaking softly.
“Maybe we can keep coming here… sometimes.. W-when you're free- and- well, if you want, of course you don't-”
“Sounds nice”
“... You sure?”
“Yeah,” Taesan answers immediately, also taking a piece of the cake and eating it with a smile, letting out a sigh as he places the fork down, “I mean, I know we did this because our stupid not-yet-boyfriends pissed us off but I… I think hanging out more would be good”
Dohoon nods, shyly looking at his drink and tapping it with his fingers, his smile growing a bit bigger when Taesan said those words, the tip of his ears turning red slowly.
“I think so too”