Archive of Our Own

“Do you think Kai and I are boring?”

Soobin looks at Beomgyu with an unreadable look. Maybe it’s confusion, or just pure shock. He tries to school his expression, but it’s too late. Unfortunately, Beomgyu has aced picking up on Soobin’s cues a long time ago. He sighs and sinks further back into the old sofa in his garage. Beomgyu adjusts the guitar resting against his chest, trying to hide behind it. The weight of it isn’t enough to smother him, but if Beomgyu pretends enough, it might. 

“Like– as people , or…?” Soobin moves from the mic stands, not really looking at Beomgyu. He shoots Soobin a cold glare. “Yeah, okay, just clarifying.”

There’s no one else around right now. 

It’s Beomgyu’s only reason for asking the question. If everyone else were here– if Kai was here, then Beomgyu would not even let himself think of the question. But Soobin always has that comforting aura around him, and he’s always been there for Beomgyu’s times of crisis.

“Does he seem like he’s bored of me?” Beomgyu mumbles, looking down at his guitar. He plucks at the strings for distraction.

Soobin is probably raising an eyebrow. “Are you kidding?” Beomgyu looks at him and shakes his head. “Kai is literally incapable of getting bored of you,” he tells Beomgyu. His face pulls into a mildly miffed expression. “Which, actually, is a little sickening for the rest of us. Well– especially me since I’ve known you both since you were twelve–” 

“But he could get bored of me,” Beomgyu stresses. Soobin purses his lips. It does not ease any of Beomgyu’s fears. “Right? Like– take today, for example,” Beomgyu sits up. “He’s not here.”

“You do realise rehearsal starts in fifteen minutes?”

“Kai always comes early.”

“Yeah,” Soobin agrees nicely. “Five minutes early, maybe.”

Beomgyu sighs. “You don’t get it,” he mutters. “He’s… something is off with him, Soobin.”

There is not really room for Soobin to argue with Beomgyu’s deduction. It would not be fair for Soobin to say that Beomgyu is overthinking things. Not only because Beomgyu rarely overthinks, but because no one else knows Kai better than Beomgyu. So, Soobin does what he can do, which is sit beside Beomgyu and listen to him.

“Wouldn’t Kai tell you if it was something serious?”

He nods. “Unless he doesn’t want to talk to me anymore.”

Soobin makes a noise of disbelief. The expression on his face looks something akin to scepticism. “That’s the most unrealistic thing I’ve ever heard.”

“What if– maybe we’re too stale,” Beomgyu mumbles.

He looks down at the guitar on his lap, biting on his lip and considering it. If Kai wasn’t interested in Beomgyu anymore, he would know. Soobin is right. Beomgyu and Kai know each other better than they know themselves. He guesses that’s why he is so frustrated by it all – Kai is normal around Beomgyu until he’s not. The push and pull is too unfamiliar and it leaves Beomgyu somewhere in-between. It has been driving him crazy.

“Come on now,” Soobin makes that same noise again. “I don’t know about stale– you’re just… comfortable, maybe.”

He stares at Beomgyu, trying to think of the right words to console his friend. Beomgyu sulks, deciding that this whole conversation was a waste of his time. 

“Hyung!” Soobin sits up, watching Beomgyu’s brother walk in. His friend glances at Soobin, almost feeling betrayed at how quickly Soobin has perked up. Then, Beomgyu feels a sense of dread and panic swirl together in his stomach. He reaches for Soobin’s leg, tugging on his jeans in a silent plea.

Yeonjun looks over at Soobin, smiling kindly. He’s not here to rehearse– there’s no way in hell that Beomgyu would let his brother join his band. Yeonjun can watch them, and he can book them gigs at places, but there’s no way he is singing to the songs his little brother wrote. Over Beomgyu’s dead body. 

He heads over to the drum kit, sitting behind it and picking up the sticks. Beomgyu scowls, because those are Kai’s and he sometimes dislikes how close his boyfriend and brother are. 

There are bigger problems at hand, though. Like Soobin, who is about to share Beomgyu’s relationship problem to his own brother.

“Soobin,” Beomgyu says harshly. His friend looks at him with calm and innocent eyes. “Do not ask hyung.”

“Ask hyung what?” Yeonjun has that glint of curiosity in his eyes. Beomgyu groans and falls further back into the sofa.

“Do you think Beomgyu and Kai are boring?”

Yeonjun snorts. Beomgyu scowls some more. 

“Boring?” He makes a face to show that he is genuinely considering the question. Beomgyu is desperate, really, that’s the only reason for him to be waiting on Yeonjun’s answer. “Well, there’s nothing wrong with growing stable, I guess,” his brother says simply. “Now, do I think they are insufferable? Definitely. Do I think they–”

“Great,” Beomgyu glares at Soobin unimpressively. “Hyung thinks we’re boring!”

“That’s not what he said,” Soobin argues. Beomgyu crosses his arms over his chest like a child.

“If you think we are stale, and hyung thinks we’re stale– then what does Kai think?”

“Kai thinks the world of you,” Yeonjun replies. Beomgyu blinks, his frown slips away to nothing more than a childish pout. “You know that, Gyu.”

Soobin shifts in his seat to face Beomgyu properly. “What do you think of it?”

“I don’t want him to get bored of me,” Beomgyu mumbles pathetically. 

“You could just start showing him new forms of affection– love languages, and all that.”

“Or,” Yeonjun speaks up. “You can just talk to Kai.”

Beomgyu considers both options. He nods at Yeonjun’s words; talking seems logical. Then, he turns to Soobin, and looks him dead in the eyes. 

“What do you have in mind?” 

“No way you’re taking Soobin’s advice?” Yeonjun sounds scandalised. 

Beomgyu turns to his brother with a sour look. “Kai doesn’t need to know that I’m aware he thinks we’re boring.”

“That was a confusing sentence,” Yeonjun mutters. He shakes his head, as if he is clearing his thoughts before sighing. “Beomgyu, you and Kai have been dating since the day you were born.”

Despite the flush on his cheeks, Beomgyu pouts again. “He’s one year younger than me, so that’s kind of incorrect.”

Yeonjun throws his hands up in defeat. He faces Soobin and points a drumstick at him seriously. “Don’t give him stupid ideas.”

Beomgyu does not have the heart to tell his brother that it is too late. The ideas are already forming in his head, regardless of Soobin supplying them or not. With his guitar now abandoned on his lap, Beomgyu pulls out his phone. He holds it close enough to his face that it could probably cause eye damage. It’s whatever, Beomgyu would suffer reputation damage if Soobin could see his screen right now. 

His thumbs tap across the keypad, furiously typing in the search engine. He clicks the first link that pops up, some sort of cheesy teenage blog that is definitely aimed at a demographic Beomgyu is not a part of. 

Ways to keep the FUN in your relationship!

Has your partner been acting differently lately? Do you want to rekindle that spark from the beginning of your relationship? Are you looking to end it if they don’t get their act together? 

Look no further!

We have all the tips you need to keep your partner interested. Expert advice and real feedback!

To be seriously honest, Beomgyu is a little offended by the creator’s assumption that it is his fault. It stings his ego a little, yet he continues scrolling down the website. His eyes jump over a few words, ignoring some useless stuff and zoning in on the one part that catches his eye.

Top five methods to keep your lover’s attention.
 

It is crazy, Beomgyu knows it’s crazy. But at this point it’s better than nothing. Kai isn’t exactly not paying attention to Beomgyu, but he figures it’s all the same. Getting bored, losing interest, not paying attention. 

He drowns out the sound of Soobin and Yeonjun, reading the first tip with a focused frown. 

This damn website better be good.

Tip #1: Keep up the affection

A common reason for dying relationships is the mundanity of conversation. Try out some fresh, new nicknames that will make your partner’s heart flutter randomly.

Subscribers say their favourites to hear are: baby, darling, hot stuff, love, honey.

He holds back a snort. There’s no way he can call Kai hot stuff without dying of cringe. 

Beomgyu loses himself in the blog, reading over the very extensive list of nicknames trying to memorise the least cringy ones. A large hand waves between his screen and his face, ripping his focus in half. He glares at Soobin, locking his phone immediately. 

“You said no phones at rehearsal.”

Beomgyu sighs. Technically it’s not rehearsal time yet, but he isn’t bothered to argue back. He drops his phone beside his thigh and picks up the guitar again. Mindlessly, Beomgyu plucks at his guitar strings some more, trying to act nonchalant when Kai walks in with Taehyun. 

He’s not a jealous boyfriend. 

Well, not, like toxic-jealous, at least. Beomgyu gets it. Kai is a gorgeous guy, absolutely stunning, with a perfect face and perfect body. All that jazz. But Kai is Beomgyu’s gorgeous guy, okay. He doesn’t need to see everyone else talk about how lovely Kai is, Beomgyu already knows. 

Kang Taehyun is probably the only other person who knows Kai like Beomgyu does. It’s most likely because they are the same age, and there are little, insignificant things that Taehyun might understand better than Beomgyu. It’s okay, though, because Beomgyu has all the big things covered. He also has the little, significant things covered. 

Beomgyu is not jealous. 

It’s just a teeny bit discerning that Kai has walked in with Taehyun, two minutes to practise. He stands up with his guitar in his hands, eyes on the floor as he stands behind his microphone. If he pretends enough, maybe Kai will think he really is busy with adjusting the stand. He crouches over, twisting it loose and pulling it up to his mouth before twisting it tightly in place. 

Beomgyu sneaks a glance towards Kai, who is still talking quietly with Taehyun. He doesn’t even look back at Beomgyu. With a loud sigh, Beomgyu stands up straight. The sigh is picked up by the microphone, and his frustration echoes around the garage. His face pulls  into a grimace at the high pitched scream from the feedback. Instinctively, he leans away from the microphone and glares at Yeonjun who has moved to the sofa.  

“I told you to stop using our amp,” he tells his brother. “You fuck up the speakers every time you use it.”

Yeonjun opens his mouth to fight back. He has his pointer finger in the air like he is going to say something smart. Beomgyu knows he’s just going to say something unbearable. 

“Ah,” Kai’s voice seems to come out of Yeonjun's mouth. He has turned from his place beside Taehyun, looking at Beomgyu sheepishly over his shoulder. “I said he could borrow it for his friend’s party,” he says easily. 

Kai smiles at Beomgyu, scrunching his eyes shut and scrunching his nose. When his face settles back to its usual look, there’s an understanding look in his eyes that makes Beomgyu melt. 

“Are you mad, hyung?” Kai asks sweetly. 

Beomgyu sighs. “No,” he mutters. It is embarrassing how quickly the annoyance dissolves from his mood. “Just— don’t lend it to him again. You know how much I spent on it.”

Kai drapes himself over Beomgyu’s side. His chin comes down to rest on his shoulder, digging in enough to hurt a little. Beomgyu bares with it, trying to look at Kai’s face from this angle. He can’t see much, mainly just the younger boy’s eyelashes fluttering in an attempt to make Beomgyu relent. It’s ridiculous, because Kai really doesn’t need to try.

“I’m not mad,” Beomgyu repeats. Kai pouts, reaching for Beomgyu’s hand and sliding his own into it. Beomgyu swallows, looking down at their joint hands. 

“You seem upset, hyung.”

Kai’s voice is a quiet murmur in his ear. It’s whispered away from everyone else. Beomgyu knows he only has to look at Kai for him to confirm that he is upset. He keeps his eyes on the ground, counting to five in his head while he basks under Kai’s touch. 

Then, he lifts his head and pouts back at Kai, mirroring his expression easily. 

“Nothing is wrong…” Beomgyu says lowly. “Sweetheart.”

He tries not to let the humiliation overwhelm him. The nickname lands a little awkwardly because he tacked it on just a second too late. He has no idea what possessed him to say it. It’s not like he planned to follow through with the blog’s god awful advice. But he’s here now, and he might as well stick with it. 

Using new nicknames on Kai. That can’t be too hard, right?

Beomgyu watches Kai’s face fall before a slight tinge of pink appears on his cheeks. Feeling quite proud, Beomgyu smiles at Kai. The younger boy looks away, completely unsure of how to respond. He stammers. Eventually Kai just makes his way back to the drums, taking his seat while still looking away from Beomgyu. 

Beomgyu’s eyes lock with Soobin’s, a look between panic and shock is sent from his side. Soobin looks amused, maybe smug that Beomgyu fell for his suggestion. There’s no way Beomgyu is even going to consider looking for Yeonjun’s reaction to it all. He mutters a countdown to everyone, and strums on his guitar until his fingers are numb. 

Taehyun is staring at Beomgyu, and he doesn’t like it. He glances at the younger boy, trying to appear intimidating but it doesn’t work out very well. Silently, Beomgyu shuffles closer to Kai on the sofa. He keeps his eyes on his knees, leaning across Kai to grab some of the takeout they had ordered. Kai follows Beomgyu’s hand with wide eyes and a mischievous smile. 

“Those are my fries, hyung.”

Beomgyu shoves three in his mouth while staring at Kai. “Sorry, darling.”

The nickname rolls off his tongue a little smoother now. Beomgyu feels a swell of pride when Kai’s eyes soften at the word. Gently, Beomgyu tucks himself into Kai’s side and sighs loudly. A large hand circles around his waist, pulling him closer. Kai is cuddly, his frame is much larger than Beomgyu’s and he loves it.  He rests his cheek against Kai’s shoulder, feeling his heart grow when the younger boy rests his head above Beomgyu’s. 

A small smile creeps onto his face as Kai’s hand naturally finds Beomgyu’s. He looks down at their hands, pushing his fingers further between Kai’s to tighten the hold. Kai squeezes them gently. Probably his way of letting Beomgyu know that there’s no more room for him to interlock fingers. He still tries some more, squirming his fingers over Kai’s knuckles until Kai turns to him. 

Like this, it is like there’s no room for anyone else. 

Kai’s sweet face is so close to Beomgyu’s, their noses just shy of touching. Almost as if they are both hidden away from everyone else. Beomgyu looks up at Kai with wide eyes, blinking slowly and feigning innocence. To anyone else, Kai would appear straight-faced and maybe annoyed. But Beomgyu can read the sparkle in his eyes, the tiny smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He is waiting for the older boy to say something. 

“Pretty,” Beomgyu says. He lets his eyes drop to their hands for a second. When he looks back up to Kai, there’s a deep flush of red on his cheeks. Beomgyu really wishes the garage was empty right now. 

“Stop,” Kai whispers shyly. Beomgyu smiles teasingly. 

“Stop what?” 

Kai blinks at him, still blushing like a tomato. “Looking at me like you want to devour me.”

“I do want to devour you, though,” Beomgyu whispers back. Kai makes an alarmed noise from the back of his throat. It would make Beomgyu laugh if his brain wasn’t so hazy from seriously wanting to devour Kai. 

“Hyung,” he nearly whines. That certainly does not help Beomgyu’s case. 

“Kai— baby?” He tests out the name, not sure how he feels about this one. Kai raises an eyebrow, but he does not verbally question it. “I feel like we haven’t spent time together in forever.”

Kai raises an eyebrow. “I slept over the other night.”

“That was too long ago.”

“Maybe Tae is right,” Kai says lightly. Beomgyu makes a questioning noise from his throat. A frown tugging on his lips. Kai shifts in his seat. “Maybe we are codependent.”

He turns away towards the food, and Beomgyu feels like he has been sucker punched in the stomach. He is, admittedly, frozen beside Kai until the younger boy pulls his hand away from Beomgyu’s without any thought. Beomgyu frowns some more, trying to keep it minimal and low-key, but it’s there. He can’t help it. 

Hesitantly, Beomgyu moves away from Kai. He sulks and tries to sink himself further into the couch. 

What the hell does Taehyun know about their relationship?

It is childish, but Beomgyu’s eyes naturally drift over to Taehyun. The boy is sat beside Soobin on the floor, sipping on a stupid milkshake and blinking his stupidly big eyes. Beomgyu wants to step on his foot a little bit. He huffs out an exhale, letting the hair on his forehead mix in with his eyelashes. Maybe he can hide his frown this way. 

A nudge on his foot calls his attention. Beomgyu looks down before he looks at the nudger. Yeonjun is watching him carefully, eyes sincere as he taps Beomgyu’s leg.

“Can you go get me some water?” Yeonjun asks simply. 

Beomgyu uncrosses his arms and places his palms flat against his thighs. He rubs them over his jeans and feels that weight in his chest be pulled away by his big brother. Beomgyu nods, and excuses himself silently. 

They don’t really keep water in the garage, so Beomgyu has to go to the kitchen fridge for it. It’s not far, but it’s far enough that he can pull the meanest scowl he wants and no one will question it. And maybe he’s a little too aggressive with his handling of the garage door, swinging it open and not caring how it almost slams shut. 

There’s a part of him that wonders if Yeonjun really wants water. Beomgyu considers it, and decides he will take some back in a while. He needs some time to figure things out first. He also needs time to figure out how he’s going to punch Soobin for suggesting the dumb idea of proving himself to Kai. 

Beomgyu should not have to feel like he needs to prove himself. Not to anyone, but certainly not to his boyfriend of practically his whole adolescent life. The worst part is that Beomgyu agrees. And he wants to prove himself to Kai, for himself. With a sigh, Beomgyu stands in front of the fridge, undoubtedly a borderline pathetic image. 

“I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to open it with your hands not your mind.”

Beomgyu’s frown dissolves, but the grumpy mood remains. 

He opens the fridge silently. The footsteps behind him get closer and closer, Beomgyu tries not to focus on them. When he rises from picking up a water bottle, the body behind him is very close. It really shouldn’t startle Beomgyu as much as it does. 

He knows this body better than he knows his own, really. Beomgyu recognises the wafts of clean shampoo better than he recognises the scent of his own bedroom. He feels the hand on his waist before it is actually placed onto it, just from the amount of body heat that radiates from the boy behind him. 

The touch eases his mood instantly. 

Beomgyu sighs in defeat. 

“What’s wrong, hyung?” Kai’s voice is right behind his ear. His arms snake around Beomgyu’s waist and he pulls him backwards into his chest with ease. 

Beomgyu stays quiet. Kai tightens his arms around his middle, head dipping low into his neck the way he knows makes Beomgyu melt.

He clenches his teeth; proving himself doesn’t mean he’s going to stop being pissed off, okay? 

“You haven’t been this grumpy since last week,” Kai says sadly. 

It clears through the fog of Beomgyu’s stubborn mindset. The sad tone of Kai’s voice wakes him up and makes him remember that Kai knows him. So there is really no point in all the attempts at giving the silent treatment. 

“‘S nothing,” Beomgyu mumbles, trying to sound as honest as possible. Kai weakly shakes Beomgyu in his arms, waiting for the truth. 

He stays quiet. Kai’s eyelashes flutter against Beomgyu’s neck in the meantime. When he grows too impatient, Kai drops a small kiss to the skin. 

“Do you think he’s right?” Beomgyu asks quietly. Kai hums in question. “Taehyun. Do you agree with what he said— that I’m too codependent.” 

Kai lifts his head but Beomgyu doesn’t have the heart to face his current expression. He looks down at Kai’s hands that are locked around Beomgyu’s body instead. 

“He said we are,” Kai corrects. Beomgyu feels heat run up the back of his neck. “And no. I told him he’s just incapable of seeing real love.”

The answer makes Beomgyu smile. He sighs in relief, a sigh he didn’t realise he was holding in until now. Gently, Kai spins him around so they can face each other. Beomgyu looks at Kai bashfully. 

“Is that what upset you?” Kai asks carefully. 

Beomgyu decides to leave it there, nodding simply. 

“You’re sure?”

“Yes, angel,” Beomgyu says softly. Kai’s eyes widen at the newest nickname, looking down at Beomgyu in surprise. Angel definitely sounds a lot better than baby and hot stuff combined. 

“Angel?” 

Beomgyu purses his lips. The embarrassment of being called out is the last thing he needs. Though, it would be an understatement to say Beomgyu is shocked that the blog’s advice actually worked. Shrugging his shoulders with fake nonchalance, Beomgyu looks up at Kai again. 

“You don’t like it?” He asks innocently. The look in Kai’s eyes reflects a shyness he only had in their first few months of dating. Beomgyu stores the Angel nickname away for later use. 

Kai stammers on his words, and Beomgyu seizes the opportunity. “You’re stuttering, jagi-ya.”

Kai positively shuts down. The prickle of deep red that explodes on the apples of his cheeks shocks Beomgyu, too. A tingle of excitement works up his spine, that blog is fucking genius. 

He has no time to react to Kai’s blushing. The younger boy corners Beomgyu instantly. His taller body traps Beomgyu with his lower back pressed to the kitchen counter, hands on his hips and lips on his. 

Beomgyu squeezes the water bottle in his hands, the awful sound of the plastic crinkling gets drowned out. Kai simply slots his lips between Beomgyu’s, gripping his hips and pressing with intent. The reaction sparks a fire inside Beomgyu’s chest, and he puts it out by whining softly against Kai’s mouth. 

“What’s with all the pet names?” Kai whispers hotly. 

Beomgyu swallows harshly. He can still feel Kai’s lips brush over his own ever so slightly. His legs feel like jelly and there is no way he can focus on the question given to him. There is also no way he will actually answer that question. 

Wordlessly, Beomgyu presses his lips to Kai’s again. It is a lot less calculated than the first kiss, catching Kai off guard and their teeth clash together a bit. Beomgyu feels delirious, pressed against his kitchen counter while Kai’s lips trail over his jaw. He presses some kisses upwards, up to Beomgyu’s ear and leaves one long lingering kiss right beneath his ear lobe. 

“Why are you so stressed, Beom-ah?”

If he wasn’t being held by Kai, Beomgyu is sure his legs would give out. Maybe his reaction is humiliating; Beomgyu should definitely not be so affected. But the nickname whispered from Kai is so much better than any of the dumb pet names Beomgyu has been chucking out all afternoon. He rolls his eyes, half carried away and half annoyed that Kai could one-up him at his own game. 

It’s okay, Beomgyu tells himself as Kai gets back to kissing his cheek. He just needs to come up with something better next time. 

Kai blinks down at Beomgyu softly. His head tilts in an innocent form of pure curiosity. Beomgyu shies away from the careful gaze of his boyfriend. All it gets him is Kai placing a finger under his chin to force them to make eye contact. Beomgyu inhales deeply. 

“I was thinking,” Beomgyu starts hesitantly. He looks down at the water bottle in his hands, purposely digging his nails into the plastic. “We could go get ice cream by the park together? After everyone’s left.”

The lazy, fond smile on Kai’s face makes Beomgyu’s heartbeat fasten slightly. He waits for a response, heart sinking when Kai’s smile twitches and a hint of regret starts swimming in his pretty brown eyes. 

“I—” Kai cuts himself off, urging Beomgyu to not look so sad. “I have plans with Tae, but ,” he smiles softly again. “I’ll ask if he can reschedule, hm?” 

Beomgyu exhales. He nods his head, mumbling a small okay. Really, he is fighting back the desire to jump in pure relief. 

Once they return to the garage, Kai goes straight for Taehyun. Beomgyu tries not to be obvious in his staring, but he can’t help it. Yeonjun nudges him, taking the water bottle and giving Beomgyu a weak glare. 

“Stop staring,” he tells Beomgyu. 

Beomgyu turns to Yeonjun with a pout. “You saw it earlier, right?” He asks his brother. Yeonjun doesn’t respond, even though Beomgyu has let go of all pretences. The frustration in his voice is unmissable. 

Yeonjun looks away, his eyes flicking to Taehyun and Kai for a second. He looks like he wants to say something, but he holds back in favour of drinking the water. Beomgyu watches their two youngest friends silently. 

There is no way Kai likes Taehyun. Beomgyu is sure of that. He could bet the future of the band on that, and be confident that there is no consequence. What he is trying to figure out, really, is if Taehyun likes Kai. 

It seems like an unbelievable and absurd idea to Beomgyu. 

Kang Taehyun is impenetrable. Beomgyu doesn’t think Taehyun is even capable of letting someone in– and if he did, Beomgyu hardly thinks that Taehyun would make it so obvious. Especially if he likes Kai of all people. Beomgyu shakes off the dumb idea. 

He falls into the sofa again, curled away from everyone else and brings out his phone. Beomgyu keeps it hidden so Soobin can’t see, and urgently searches for any mention of third parties on the blog. When the search comes up blank, Beomgyu drops his phone onto his chest in defeat. His eyes scan over the garage, pausing on Kai and Taehyun again. 

Taehyun is staring right at Beomgyu while Kai is muttering quietly. It unnerves Beomgyu, but he can’t look away. Those awfully large eyes seem as if they are judging Beomgyu, right through to his soul. It is entirely uncomfortable. Slowly, Beomgyu shifts in his seat, looking away from Taehyun. 

“No.” 

Beomgyu perks up, eyes finding Yeonjun before they flick to Kai. His boyfriend is looking at Taehyun, completely unimpressed with how loud he had responded. Taehyun simply challenges Kai with a stare of his own. If that were Beomgyu in Kai’s place, he would maybe want the ground to swallow him whole. Yet Kai just rolls his eyes, and mumbles something Beomgyu can’t hear. 

He watches as Kai approaches him. The pained grimace on his face is enough of an answer. Beomgyu doesn’t need the sting of a verbal answer. He wonders if the website has any help on eradicating people like Kang Taehyun. More specifically, Kang Taehyun himself.

Kai pouts. “Hyung,” he says quietly. “Tae says we can’t reschedule…”

“What the hell are you doing that’s more important than me?” Beomgyu snaps. His voice is a harsh and low mutter. It catches Kai by surprise, given the way he blinks in shock.

“I– well, Tae has some, um,”

“He’s helping me with a project,” Taehyun says, coming up behind Kai. Beomgyu is a petty guy, so he scowls at Taehyun. Kai places a hand around Beomgyu’s waist to stop his mood. “It’s due next week. There’s no other time.”

“Can’t you take Soobin for help?” Beomgyu asks in defeat. 

Taehyun looks over his shoulder at Soobin, who is busy at the keyboard. He shrugs his shoulders. 

“Nah.”

Beomgyu thinks Taehyun is actually the devil’s spawn. 

He walks away, and Beomgyu is left wallowing in his loss. Kai tugs him closer. He doesn’t look at the boy, he keeps his eyes on his feet. Kai tugs some more, already looking at Beomgyu when he finally lifts his head. 

“We can do ice cream tomorrow,” Kai tries to say placatingly. Beomgyu pouts. 

“Don’t worry about it,” he says. Kai looks concerned, eyebrows pulled together as he frets over Beomgyu’s blunt words. With a sigh, Beomgyu pats Kai’s chest. 

“Really,” he promises. “It’s okay.”

It’s perfectly fine, because Beomgyu has four other tips to try out. 

Tip #2: Don’t just celebrate their birthday!

Giving gifts to your partner isn’t only reserved for birthdays and Valentine’s Day! Being spontaneous is the key to a fruitful relationship, especially when you’ve been in one for so long. Try gifting your partner something, let them know you thought of them!

(Bonus: get something to remind them of YOU)

Beomgyu blinks at the ceiling of Kai’s bedroom. 

Usually, Kai is home on a Sunday. It’s weird, and Beomgyu doesn’t want to seem like he’s possessive or anything. But it’s weird for Kai. He basically never leaves his house. Beomgyu gnaws on his lip, wondering if this was a stupid idea. 

Kai’s mother had said that he wouldn’t be out long. 

He’s been waiting for over an hour. 

Beomgyu runs his hands over the decently sized stuffed penguin in an attempt to distract himself. He brings it to his chest and wraps his arms around it. It’s comforting, but eventually Beomgyu trades it for one of the many others resting along the side of Kai’s bed. 

He clutches one of those ones, and inhales deeply. It kind of smells like Kai, which is more comforting to Beomgyu. 

The boredom of waiting and the comfort from the stuffed animal pulls Beomgyu under. He curls away from the bedroom door, and practically buries himself in Kai’s pillow when his eyelids get too heavy. 

He can’t have been out for too long, because he’s still all curled up when he stirs awake. Beomgyu stretches his legs, almost reaching the end of the bed as he falls onto his back. His arm falls out, whacking someone in the process. 

Beomgyu stills, and then he turns around properly to face Kai. 

The younger boy is lying on his back beside Beomgyu, engrossed with a game on his phone. He’s got his hoodie on, hood up with the strings pulled. Kai makes a noise of realisation, looking over to Beomgyu briefly. A small smile graces his features as he turns back to his phone. 

Beomgyu blinks slowly, rolling closer to Kai and tucking himself under Kai’s arms. He rests his head on Kai’s soft chest, the material of the hoodie soaks up his clean scent much better than those stuffed animals. Beomgyu sighs softly. He stretches a hand over the expanse of Kai’s torso, simply touching because he can. 

Kai shifts a little, making it easier for Beomgyu to be held in his arms as he plays some game. 

“Where were you?” Beomgyu asks quietly. 

“Hm?” Kai tenses slightly beneath Beomgyu’s touch. It worries the older boy, wondering if he had asked something wrong. 

His tone wasn’t accusatory, nor was it even harsh. He was only asking. 

Beomgyu tells Kai as such. 

The body beneath Beomgyu’s softens instantly. 

“Sorry, hyung,” Kai whispers. “I was just helping Tae.”

“You haven’t finished the project yet?” He questions. Okay, maybe now he can be a little harsh. Taehyun would never leave an assignment for this late. It is due in four days. 

“He’s being a bit of a perfectionist,” Kai says lightly. Beomgyu hums in response. 

The silence between them nearly lulls Beomgyu back to sleep. 

But then Kai shifts his body and Beomgyu remembers the gift. He pulls away, causing Kai to look over at him with curious eyes. There’s a small smile on Beomgyu’s face as he shakes the little penguin in Kai’s direction. 

“Picked this up today,” he tries to sound as casual as possible. “It reminded me of you.”

Kai puts his phone to the side. “Oh?” He grabs the penguin, bringing it close to his face and resting his cheek on it. “It’s soft, I like it.”

Beomgyu smiles some more, running a hand over the penguin’s head again. It really is soft. It’s cute, too. Like, easily the cutest of all Kai’s other plushies. Beomgyu mumbles as such, and scrunches his nose when Kai laughs in response. 

“Thank you, hyung,” Kai says softly. He bops Beomgyu’s nose with the fuzzy beak of the penguin. Beomgyu scrunches his nose again, pouting at Kai. 

“Thank me properly,” he nearly whines. 

Kai rolls his eyes, but there’s a fondness tugging his lips into a smile. It stays as he leans forward to kiss Beomgyu softly. Kai pulls away quickly, but he rubs the tip of his nose over Beomgyu’s a few times. Beomgyu sighs happily, falling forward into Kai’s embrace. The penguin is squished between their chests. 

It’s a teeny bit uncomfortable, but Beomgyu can live with it if it means Kai holds him close like this. 

“I have to name it.”

Beomgyu makes a noncommittal noise. “Well, you don’t have to.”

“Should I name it after you?” Kai suggests. “So I can think of you when I see it.”

He buries his head inside Kai’s baby blue hoodie. Beomgyu groans as if he’s fed up with Kai, but it’s all a joke and Kai knows it. He’s well aware, actually, because Beomgyu can feel the rumble of Kai’s cackle in his chest beneath his forehead. 

“Beomgyu the penguin sounds pretty bad, Kai-yah.”

“Mm,” the younger boy ponders over it. He fishes a hand between them, pulling the penguin out. Beomgyu falls further into Kai with a small huff. “I kinda like it.”

“Beomgyu the penguin it is,” Beomgyu mumbles into Kai’s hoodie. He smiles when Kai’s hands drop the penguin to circle around his waist. 

Kai dips his head down to bury his face in Beomgyu’s hair. His hand comes up to run his fingers through the back of it, humming a soft tune. Beomgyu nuzzles his way out of the hoodie, inhaling the air deeply and closing his eyes. The warmth from Kai is nice. 

Slowly, Beomgyu reaches a hand into his pocket and feels around for the chain he put in there earlier. 

He feels his heartbeat quicken when he makes contact. The small string of metal tangles between his fingers and makes it difficult for him to remove his hand so quickly. Kai stops running his hand through Beomgyu’s hair, clearly aware that he’s looking for something. 

“What you got there, Beomie hyung?”

Beomgyu clenches his hand into a fist around the chain. He sighs. 

“Nothing?”

Kai removes his hand from Beomgyu’s hair and taps his back with it. Beomgyu pulls the fist out, and rolls away from Kai. He needs the space to be able to gauge the younger boy’s reaction. Kai blinks at him. 

“Okay,” Beomgyu says nervously. He doesn’t know why he did this. Really, Kai naming the penguin after him did the trick— now it’s a gift to remind Kai of him. Double whammy. Two birds, one stone.

He must have been fucking stoned when he decided to do this.

“Promise you won’t, like, laugh, or anything.”

Kai stares at him, mildly alarmed. He nods, nonetheless, and promises Beomgyu softly. His hand reaches out to rest on the dip of Beomgyu’s waist. The weight of it is both comforting and nerve wracking. 

“What is it?”

“Well— I figured,” Beomgyu brings his fist up to his chest, holding the chain tightly. “It would be nice if… if you have something— something to remind you of me. Or like, something that shows how I’m with you. All the time.”

Kai stays silent. Beomgyu contemplates backing out and leaving Kai curious forever. 

“So— I got this made. It’s— it’s stupid. You don’t need to keep it, I think I give to my mum or something—”

“Come on,” Kai urges softly. Beomgyu stops his rambling. Kai holds his hand out softly. “Show me.”

Beomgyu inhales once, and exhales once. He opens his fist, and holds out the crumpled necklace for Kai to see. Beomgyu watches Kai’s careful fingers lift it up and hold it to his face. And then, Beomgyu holds his breath as Kai runs his hand down the chain to the small oval pendant. He glances at Beomgyu, who suddenly feels too hot. 

Kai opens the oval, clicking it like a minuscule metal book. He runs a fingertip over the contents inside, smiling at it gently. When Kai turns to Beomgyu, there is an unreadable emotion in his eyes. That certainly does not put Beomgyu at ease. He can read all of Kai’s emotions, what the hell is this?

“It— it’s stupid,” Beomgyu repeats. “It’s not like this is the 1950’s, you know? I don’t know why I thought—”

“I love it.”

Beomgyu looks at Kai like a fish out of water. 

“You… what?”

Kai smiles. “I love it, Beomgyu. Thank you.”

He glances away from Kai, ridiculously shy but also greatly relieved. That worked out a lot better than Beomgyu had planned. He watches Kai pull the hood down and lift his neck to put the chain on properly. Kai holds the locket pendant between his two fingers and tucks it beneath his hoodie. 

“I love you,” Kai says as he turns back to Beomgyu. “You’re so cute.”

He’s at an utter loss for words. Beomgyu stares at Kai, heart full of love. He presses a finger to Kai’s cheek. 

“I love you more.”

Kai shakes his head, caging Beomgyu against the bed beneath him. His long hair is no longer secured by a hood, and it dangles in Beomgyu’s face. He reaches up to push it away from his line of vision. 

“It’s equal amounts,” Kai tells Beomgyu.

He pulls a face, testing Kai. The younger boy drops his head onto Beomgyu’s, looking at him from an angle that is far too close. Beomgyu sinks his chin into his neck, and it is definitely unflattering. He squirms, trying to fight out from the weight of Kai’s forehead against his own. Kai laughs, letting his body fall on top of Beomgyu’s and wrapping his arms around him again. He falls onto his back, bringing Beomgyu to lie on top of him.

This is nice, Beomgyu thinks to himself as he closes his eyes. This is perfect, actually. He is seriously considering writing an anonymous review on this blog. Kai reaches for his phone again, loading up his game and resuming it. Beomgyu stares up at the phone, watches Kai tap his thumbs across the screen with a speed that makes him dizzy. Eventually, Kai loses the game and Beomgyu tries to take his phone away.

“You’re losing,” Beomgyu says simply. Kai frowns at him like a child. “Just give up and pay attention to me.”

Kai’s frown dissolves into an amused expression. “Is that what you want?” His voice is light, but the question sits heavy in Beomgyu’s ears. Beomgyu purses his lips in mild embarrassment.

“Soobin is already going to make fun of you for one loss,” Beomgyu mumbles. “Don’t bother giving him more to use as ammo.”

“You’re being quite mean for someone who claims to love me more.”

Beomgyu looks at Kai with wide, innocent eyes. “Angel, I’m saying it because I love you.”

Kai huffs, but he does drop the phone. It lands somewhere on the mattress with a muffled thud. Beomgyu shifts on top of Kai, slotting himself between the boy’s much larger frame. Kai’s hands come up Beomgyu’s back, holding him close. Beomgyu watches Kai close his eyes, and he takes the opportunity to drink in all of his features. 

He has known Kai since they were both children. Back then, Kai had noticeably different features. His nose was unlike anything Beomgyu had seen before, and his eyes were a little too small for his face. He was adorable though, despite all the bad haircuts his mother put him through. Beomgyu first saw Kai differently when they were sixteen. It was probably a long time coming, but the realisation had hit Beomgyu like a truck. 

The eyes that were once too small seemed to sparkle every time he smiled, and he seemed to smile every time he looked at Beomgyu. Kai had grown into his features wonderfully, which is saying something because he has only grown more perfect since then. His haircuts have gotten better too, only because his mother had told him to start taking care of himself now. Beomgyu likes it when Kai lets his hair grow out like this. 

His finger gently scratches the surface of Kai’s soft skin. Beomgyu watches with intent as he drags his finger from one mole to another, mapping out Kai’s entire face with his finger. He pauses when Kai’s face twitches. Beomgyu stares at him, watches his eyes move from beneath the closed eyelids until he cracks them open ever so slightly. Beomgyu smiles down at Kai. 

“Hi,” he whispers.

Kai tilts his head on the pillow, blinking softly. “Why are you looking at me like that?” He questions quietly.

Beomgyu hums, resuming his journey around Kai’s face. His finger stops when he gets to the mole above Kai’s eye. 

“Kai-yah,” he calls out quietly. “You’re really beautiful, you know.” 

The shy smile that Beomgyu receives from Kai makes him giddy. Kai chuckles awkwardly, always bad at handling compliments. Beomgyu tries to make eye contact, protesting softly when Kai turns his head away completely. 

“You’re the pretty one,” Kai mumbles. Beomgyu sighs and closes his eyes. He rests his head against Kai’s chest again. 

“Mm,” he hums sleepily. Kai’s hand brushes some of the hair off his forehead. “Agree to disagree.”

Beomgyu snuggles further into Kai, stretching his arm across Kai’s middles. His hand rests on top of the mattress, patting around until Kai catches it with his own. Naturally, their fingers lock together and Kai pulls their hands to his face. Beomgyu doesn’t open his eyes, not when Kai rubs his cheek over their hands, not when Kai presses soft kisses to each of Beomgyu’s fingers. 

Every doubt that infested Beomgyu’s mind disappears at this moment. 

Kai is holding him so gently, and so close. Beomgyu wonders how he had ever let himself doubt Kai’s devotion to their relationship. He inhales deeply, catching his nose in Kai’s hoodie again. Beomgyu wiggles his fingers in between Kai’s, just a reminder that he’s here. 

Wordlessly, Kai nudges his face into Beomgyu’s. He slides their noses together, and presses a soft kiss to Beomgyu’s lips. 

It’s the kind that makes a tingle work its way down to Beomgyu’s toes. The kind that has Beomgyu clenching his hands and his body melting against Kai. He opens his mouth, eagerly accepting Kai’s advances. There’s not much happening, but it still makes Beomgyu’s brain fuzzy. He can hear the noises from their mouths, and while it should be disturbing, it only spurs Kai on further. 

His lips slide over Beomgyu’s, wet and soft. The way Kai kisses him so slowly pulls a weak whine from the back of Beomgyu’s throat. He tries to push further, tries to be more responsive, but it seems that Kai is more than happy with a soft and pliant Beomgyu. 

Which is good, because that’s all Beomgyu can be right now. 

The best he can do is keep his lips against Kai’s, not really doing any of the real work. He exhales heavily when Kai pulls away. Their faces are still close enough for Beomgyu to feel the ghost of Kai’s lips against his. He can feel the way Kai purposely brushes them together, smiling at the reactions it gets from Beomgyu. He frowns, eyes still closed. 

“Kai-yah,” Beomgyu whispers, voice almost breaking. 

Kai looks at him, a hand comes up to press against his back. 

“Hyung,” he calls. Beomgyu opens his eyes and blinks at Kai blearily. 

“Kai,” Beomgyu repeats. He leans forward, nose knocking into Kai’s in a way that is not very soft at all. He doesn’t kiss him, though. Beomgyu leaves that for Kai to take. “Jagi-ya.”

The hand on his back slides down to his thigh, lifting it up and over his own legs. Beomgyu rolls over easily, a breathy gasp escaping him as Kai attaches his lips to his neck. His hands come up to hold the back of Kai’s head, fingers tangling through the hair and digging into the scalp. Beomgyu tilts his head back and bites on his lips to keep quiet. 

It doesn’t go very far, because Kai’s mother is home and Beomgyu is always too loud for his own good. But it does take a long time for Kai to finally settle down, and when he does, he holds Beomgyu close as they both fall asleep. 

God, he owes that blog big time. 

Tip #3: It’s a date!

Tried tips one and two? Didn’t get the attention you’ve been desiring? Or are you just greedy for more attention? Well, don’t worry too much if we caught you red handed. There’s no judgement here! 

If you’re looking for another way to add some fun into your relationship, this one is the real deal. Try planning a surprise date, but not anything too extravagant. We recommend a movie day. It’s the perfect way to sneak in some cuddling. 

Remember: there is nothing wrong with a little Netflix and chill… emphasis on the chill.

“Woah! Woah, watch where you’re going with those!” Beomgyu nearly yells. He holds his hands out as if it’ll freeze every movement. 

Yeonjun turns to his brother with a blank stare. “I am literally moving the stuff you begged me to move.”

He looks a little funny, standing with two long microphone stands hanging horizontally in his grip. One of them is close to hitting the door frame, which is exactly what triggered Beomgyu’s yelling. Yeonjun grips them tightly, turning around.  

“Yeah, well, you could be a bit more careful with it,” Beomgyu mutters beneath his breath. 

Yeonjun huffs, and rolls his eyes. Beomgyu glares at the back of his head, trying to burn his skull with his eyes. When his brother walks out of the garage, Beomgyu starts pushing the sofa away. He gets it tucked away with ease. By the time Yeonjun returns, it’s with his arms full of blankets and pillows. 

“You couldn’t have called someone else to help?” Yeonjun complains. Yet he is setting up the dropped blankets, pillows and the spare mattresses onto the floor. Beomgyu leans across and starts pulling the mattresses together. He glances up at his brother for a second. 

“Soobin wouldn’t let me live this down,” Beomgyu mutters. From the corner of his eye, he sees Yeonjun raise an eyebrow. He ignores it. “You have to let me live it down,” Beomgyu argues. Yeonjun makes an affronted sound, pausing in his pillow setup to stare at Beomgyu in confusion. 

He looks up at his brother seriously. “I’m calling in my favour from when you lied about breaking the China dish.” 

Yeonjun looks much more perplexed. 

“No questions from you,” Beomgyu elaborates. “Just help.”

He looks away from his brother, and starts laying out the blankets. Yeonjun hasn’t moved, still staring at Beomgyu in confusion. He tries not to focus on the way Yeonjun is frozen. 

“And you have to leave the house when Kai arrives.”

“You’re only watching movies, why do I—”

Beomgyu stops what he is doing and stares right at Yeonjun. He is not at all in the mood for his brother's dense mind right now. The realisation falls upon Yeonjun like he has just eaten a sour sweet, or maybe something rotten. He looks disgusted, which Beomgyu guesses makes sense. He’s not exactly ecstatic about his brother figuring this out. 

“You’re gonna have sex in the garage.”

He groans out loud. “Please, shut the fuck up,” Beomgyu complains. The blush rushing to his cheeks gives away his embarrassment. 

“You said it was a movie date!” Yeonjun throws his hands up in defeat. Beomgyu rolls his eyes. “I was here to help set up the projector— what the hell, Gyu! You have the bigger bedroom, why do you need the garage?”

Beomgyu doesn’t think he’s ever wanted to strangle his brother more than he does right now. 

“I said no questions,” he mumbles awkwardly. He attempts to distract himself by continuing setting up the garage. Yeonjun sighs, but stays silent otherwise. 

It’s not like Beomgyu can easily explain the emphasis on chill part of the blog’s advice. The silence between them is humiliating, and Beomgyu really wishes his brother wasn’t so curious. 

“Besides,” Beomgyu speaks up after a while. Yeonjun turns to him from where he’s trying to work the projector. “It’s just a safety precaution so you don’t walk in if we do anything.”

Yeonjun looks at Beomgyu for a moment. 

Beomgyu is mumbling, and he’s avoiding eye contact from where he sits cross-legged on the mattress. Yeonjun tilts his head as if it’ll help him figure out Beomgyu’s behaviour. 

He sighs. 

“Is this still about Kai thinking you’re boring?”

Beomgyu perks up, trying not to look like he’s fishing for answers. “No,” he lies. “Why? Did Kai say something?”

“No,” Yeonjun enunciates clearly. Beomgyu shrinks in on himself. “Didn’t he say he was just busy helping Taehyun?”

“Yeah,” Beomgyu mutters like a petty child. “Stupid project that’s due the day after tomorrow. Had to rearrange this date, like, three times.”

“So…” Yeonjun fills in the silence. Beomgyu stares at him blankly. “Have you tried just talking to Kai yet?”

“What happened to no questions?”

Yeonjun sighs in defeat. Beomgyu feels a little bad for getting defensive. It gets his brother to stop talking, though, so he doesn’t feel that bad. It’s not long before the garage is set up. Beomgyu pushes himself up from the mattress and looks around the room. It looks a little weird from how different it is, completely void of their band equipment. It looks nice; quite cosy, and Beomgyu can’t help but feel proud of it. 

When Beomgyu gets the text that Kai is on his way, he feels a skip in his heartbeat. Hurriedly, he rushes his brother out of the garage, patting at his back and pushing him out the door. Yeonjun is protesting, because he’s absolutely annoying. Beomgyu curses and fights the urge to kick him in the back of the knee. By the time Yeonjun is out of the garage, Beomgyu has to wipe the back of his hand against his forehead to wipe off the exhaustion. 

Obviously, Beomgyu isn’t going to pressure Kai for something more. But he figures the blog has paid off with everything else, and it’s been a while since they were together. So he waits, and pretends to be busy on his phone until the garage door creaks open and Kai steps inside. 

The curtains are pulled so the light from outside is dimmed. Kai looks around, his eyes catching on the fairy lights so they look more sparkly than usual. Beomgyu looks over from his phone, sitting up a little straighter when Kai looks at him with a questioning smile. He holds his breath, watching Kai approach the mattresses slowly. 

He stays quiet, but his eyes focus on Beomgyu heavily. Kai kicks off his shoes and pulls himself as close to Beomgyu as possible. 

“What is all this?”

“The movies,” Beomgyu responds quietly. He feels a nervous tingle of sweat creep through his palms, yet he cannot look away from Kai. 

From this close, and in this lighting, Beomgyu has the privilege to see each and every one of Kai’s imperfections. Like the darkness around his eyes that definitely comes from staying up late on his phone. The dry lips and dry skin because Kai doesn’t care about that skincare stuff. A five o’clock shadow that would probably make Kai a little bothered if he knew Beomgyu could see it quite well. It’s relieving, seeing Kai as all he is. Beomgyu blinks at him softly. 

“You’ve been doing a lot lately, hyung,” Kai says with a small smile. “Been looking at me differently lately, too.”

Beomgyu makes a noise of confusion. “Doing what?” He asks, a little worried Kai is going to finally call him out. “Looking at you like what? Actually— good different or bad different?”

His boyfriend simply pats a hand to the top of Beomgyu’s messy hair, smoothing it down and cooing softly. Beomgyu grumbles weakly. But he is looking straight at Kai with wide eyes that contradict his complaints. 

“Just different," Kai muses vaguely. Beomgyu’s shoulders drop, but he can’t figure out why he’s disappointed by the words. “You’ve been putting a lot of thought into me lately,” he says after a while. 

“Well, I do love you,” Beomgyu responds instantly. Kai tilts his head, bringing his hand down from Beomgyu’s head to cup his cheek. He pouts at Kai. 

“Why are you saying that like I don’t?”

There’s no pain or offence in Kai’s voice. Just a pure curiosity that strikes Beomgyu to his core. He knows Kai loves him. Beomgyu blinks at Kai, shifting himself on the mattress as a cold feeling bursts inside of him. 

“I—” Beomgyu looks at Kai, at a loss for words. “Yeah,” he says in a weak whisper. Beomgyu swallows, trying to remove the lump forming in his throat. “I don’t know.”

Kai’s features mould into a soft frown. He tries to hold Beomgyu’s face properly, not quite sure when his hand had slipped from his face. 

“Beom-ah,” Kai says seriously. Beomgyu looks at Kai’s nose, he doesn’t have the strength for eye contact. The storm between his head and heart is making him feel sick all of a sudden. “Beomgyu?”

“It’s nothing—” Beomgyu says with a small smile. He hopes it appears reassuring enough. “Let’s just— watch the movie, hm? Spend some time together.” Kai doesn’t look so convinced, but he nods lightly and lets Beomgyu align the projector. 

They are curled together on the mattress, facing the projector screen. Beomgyu is trying to stay focussed on the movie, but his mind keeps wandering off. The only thing that keeps bringing him back to reality is the feeling of Kai’s hand mindlessly drawing patterns on the skin of his waist. His hand curls around Beomgyu, holding him close and softly trailing a fingernail up and down where he can. Kai stops for a second, and Beomgyu releases a breath he had not realised he was holding. 

Beomgyu tenses slightly when Kai’s fingers walk themselves down to the hem of his t-shirt. He glances at Kai, who keeps his eyes on the projected movie. It’s as if he has no idea what he is doing to Beomgyu, which they both know isn’t the case. He swallows heavily, looking away from Kai just as his fingers slide beneath the t-shirt. The touch is cold against Beomgyu’s warm skin, and he exhales a little too harshly when Kai circles his hand all the way to Beomgyu’s stomach. 

At this point, Beomgyu should start wondering how the blog is so accurate. 

Kai’s hand is a little rough, and his nails are a bit short so it only tickles Beomgyu when he runs them over his stomach. He tenses again, looking at Kai in warning. The younger boy blinks over at Beomgyu, face completely passive but a burning desire behind his eyes. 

Silently, Kai pulls Beomgyu closer until his back is flush against Kai’s chest. His hand on Beomgyu’s skin travels lower and lower, a fingertip lifting the waistband of his sweatpants before his hand travels upwards. 

Beomgyu is stunned into silence, staring down at his torso like he can see Kai’s hand through the material. He closes his eyes when Kai’s nose nudges the back of his head, trailing downwards so his lips can leave lingering kisses in dip between Beomgyu’s neck and shoulder. 

“You,” Kai whispers against the skin before he presses another kiss to it. “Are perfect.” 

Beomgyu shudders, eyes rolling back and his head falling to give Kai total access. His eyebrows pull together when Kai bites gently on his neck, his teeth pulling on the skin slightly. 

“All mine,” Kai whispers. Beomgyu purses his lips, trying not to let out a pathetic whimper. Kai’s fingers stop their movements, and he stops kissing Beomgyu’s neck. “Why are you hiding?”

Beomgyu flushes red. Kai’s innocent voice as he asks the question quite literally gives him whiplash. And then he looks up into Kai’s eyes and feels his stomach flush with a warmth only Kai can cool down. He blinks up at Kai, biting on his lips in hesitancy. 

The hand beneath his t-shirt slips out, and cups up to Beomgyu’s mouth. He tugs on the skin below it, freeing Beomgyu’s lips from between his teeth. Kai wipes a thumb over them, watching Beomgyu’s mouth fall open. 

Slowly, Kai moves his hand to Beomgyu’s leg, and places it on his knee. Carefully, he trails it up and between Beomgyu’s thighs, nosing at his cheek with a gentleness that contradicts the movements at his hand. 

He feels Kai smile against his face when he lets out a breathless gasp. Beomgyu makes eye contact, trying to glare at Kai even though he knows there’s no point. The chuckle Kai presses to his lips is enough to make him forget about it all. 

It’s not like he’s embarrassed to be with Kai. Being with Kai like this is second nature to Beomgyu. He’s just a teeny tiny bit humiliated by the fact a stupid blog urged him into this. And he’s more than a teeny tiny bit astonished with how successful the blog’s advice is. 

“You’re drifting again,” Kai mumbles against Beomgyu’s skin. His hand isn’t doing so much more than being an impending weight on the inside of Beomgyu’s thigh. 

He swallows, and blinks up at Kai in confusion. “Huh?”

“You,” Kai says distractedly. He barely takes his lips off Beomgyu’s skin for more than a second. “You weren’t paying attention to the movie. Now you’re not paying attention to me.”

Oh, if only Kai knew how much Beomgyu has been dying for his attention. 

His confusion melts away into the air. “Hm.”

“What, hm?”

Beomgyu looks into Kai’s eyes carefully. “You’re the one distracting me from the movie,” he whispers. Kai’s hand slides up, so close to where Beomgyu needs him. 

“Really?” Kai moves his hand away, holding up in surrender. “I’m sorry.”

There’s nothing apologetic in his tone. In fact, it’s entirely challenging and Beomgyu is too competitive. So with a huff, he turns back to his side and pretends to watch the movie again. His back his still pressed against Kai’s chest, the long arm hangs over his waist. Beomgyu waits, eyes flicking down to Kai’s limp hand hovering over the mattress before he looks back at the projected screen. 

“You know,” Kai starts. “If you wanted to sleep with me you didn’t have to do all of this.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Kai presses his nose into the back of Beomgyu’s hair and leaves a kiss there. “Oh, come on,” he whispers back. “I know you, hyung. The loose t-shirt, the sweatpants— the fairy lights.”

“The lights are cute,” Beomgyu plays it off. “Adds to the ambience.”

“You like the dim lighting.”

“Well— it’s romantic.”

Kai hums in response. Beomgyu frowns, and rolls onto his back to blink up at Kai. The arm hanging over him slips into place with a hand over Beomgyu’s lower stomach. Kai absentmindedly scrunching up the material of Beomgyu’s t-shirt as he looks back at him. 

“Is it too much?” Beomgyu asks, voice a timid whisper. 

He watches Kai’s gaze soften, shaking his head at Beomgyu. “Not at all,” Kai whispers. “You’re just doing so much for me recently,” he mumbles. “‘M just wondering why…”

Well, Beomgyu has no idea how to respond to that one. Not without embarrassing the hell out of himself and admitting to using an outdated blog for relationship advice. Though, he feels a little idiotic for using the blog now. What with the way Kai is trying to reach inside his mind just to be able to understand what Beomgyu is feeling. He wonders how he ever felt the need to approach such a ridiculous idea. 

“‘Cause I love you,” Beomgyu mutters eventually. “D’you love me?”

He hopes the hesitancy in his voice isn’t obvious. 

Kai smiles at Beomgyu, leaning down to knock their noses together softly. “With all my heart.”

Beomgyu reaches for Kai, falling onto his back and bringing Kai on top of him. The younger boy lets out a surprised huff, still pressing his lips to Beomgyu’s as he tries to readjust in the new position. 

He rests on his forearms beside Beomgyu’s face, curling his arms around and leaning down to kiss him properly. The fire burns inside Beomgyu slowly, spreading to the tips of his toes and fingers. He holds Kai by his shoulders, digging his nails into the soft material of his t-shirt to keep the fire from consuming him entirely. 

Kai leaves little kisses to his skin, down his neck and over his collarbone. Beomgyu’s hands slip from Kai’s shoulders as his head lowers, their eyes meeting when Kai carefully lifts the bottom of his t-shirt and presses a soft kiss above the waistband of Beomgyu’s sweatpants. 

“This what you want?” Kai asks against the skin. Beomgyu exhales shakily, waiting for Kai to look up at him before he nods slowly. 

He pulls Kai back up to his face, kissing him softly. 

“Kai-yah,” Beomgyu whispers for no reason. 

Kai presses a light kiss to Beomgyu’s nose. “Mm.”

“Please don’t tease me.”

“Haven’t done anything,” Kai mumbles innocently. His hand does finally start moving. Too slowly, it moves beneath the material of Beomgyu’s sweatpants. Kai keeps it there, and does nothing. 

“Exactly,” Beomgyu sighs in exasperation. Kai laughs quietly, his hand scratching along the skin on the inside of Beomgyu’s thigh. 

He pulls his hand free again, holding onto the hem of Beomgyu’s t-shirt and lifting it up to his chest. Beomgyu rests on his elbows. He looks down at Kai, heart stuttering with anticipation. The fire burns him down to his core, and Beomgyu is surprised his whole body isn't flushed red right now. The heavy gaze from Kai only makes him burn more, a blaze left behind with every scrape of Kai’s touch on his skin. 

A sharp breath leaves him when Kai bites playfully on the skin beside Beomgyu’s belly button. He scowls at him weakly, trying to will Kai away with a hand in his hair. It doesn’t work, because Kai is actually a menace. He bites some more and pulls the skin into his mouth until it blooms a darker red mark on it. Only then does Kai move away, smiling down at Beomgyu with eyes so gentle it makes him feel dizzy. 

He’s sick of this push and pull from Kai, so he rolls them over. Beomgyu looks down at Kai with a triumphant smile, spreading his legs so he can sit more comfortably on top of him. Kai stays silent, simply resting a hand on Beomgyu’s lower back to keep him in place. The hand slides up and down the side of his spine, pressing him down. Beomgyu leans down to kiss Kai, a lot messier than they had been kissing before. 

“Hyung,” Kai whispers against his lips. Beomgyu presses his lower half closer to Kai’s, almost desperately. 

It’s a bit messy, the way they move together. Kai is huffing out heavy breaths through his nose, and Beomgyu is biting on his lips to keep quiet. Maybe it should be more embarrassing than it is, considering they are quite literally working themselves up against each other like teenagers. But Beomgyu is too unfocused to dwell on that fact. 

He grows a little uncomfortable in his clothes, body giving out and falling against Kai for rest. He pants, kissing up Kai’s jaw until he needs to take another breath. 

“Kai,” he nearly begs. “Jagi.”

Kai stays quiet, but he pushes his hands down from Beomgyu’s back to push against the waist of his sweatpants. 

Eventually, Beomgyu manages to get his bearings in order. Just enough for him to sit up again, making eye contact with Kai as he sinks himself down slowly. If Beomgyu bites his lip anymore, it’ll draw blood, so he lets out a long groan which has Kai throwing his head back in response. It gives Beomgyu a view of the locket around his neck, and it only spurs him on more.

Their movements are a little rushed, they’re not even fully undressed. It only adds more fuel to the fire inside Beomgyu. 

Eagerly, Beomgyu places his hands on Kai’s chest, gripping the skin through his t-shirt  and rolling his hips methodically. Kai hisses below him, trying to whack Beomgyu’s grip off of him weakly. He lets up, letting go and staring at Kai mischievously. Kai reaches for Beomgyu’s hands, locking their fingers together and meeting the roll of Beomgyu’s hips with his own. 

The movie is entirely forgotten. Beomgyu feels a bit guilty, maybe Kai really wanted to just watch the movie. But then Kai groans loudly and Beomgyu feels the fire burn inside his stomach again. The heat trapped in the small space between his skin and his t-shirt drives him crazy. He gasps, legs feeling weak and thighs shaking. He drops back onto Kai heavily, almost crying out from the buildup inside of him. 

“So pretty,” Kai breathes out. His eyes are stuck on Beomgyu, dark and calculated on where they focus. Beomgyu tries harder, wanting to look prettier for Kai. He ignores the burn in his thighs, holding onto Kai’s hand tightly. 

“Kai—Kai-yah—” he swallows on a gasp. “Can’t,” he says weakly. 

Kai doesn’t question it. He stays quiet, save for the little breathy moans he lets out. Beomgyu says he can’t yet he keeps moving like he doesn’t know how to do anything else. He watches Beomgyu, eyes trained on him right until his legs give out entirely and he explodes over Kai’s t-shirt. It’s what sends Kai over the edge too, crashing down from his high as he holds Beomgyu close enough that he can feel his shuddering body. 

He brushes some of Beomgyu’s hair away from where it’s gotten matted to his forehead. Gently, Kai presses a kiss to the skin he has just uncovered. When he pulls away, Beomgyu is smiling sheepishly at him. 

“Ruined your clothes,” he mumbles to Kai. “Sorry.”

Kai laughs, knocking his nose against Beomgyu’s cheek. 

“Are you feeling better, hyung?”

Beomgyu looks at Kai, a little confused but also a little panicked. He tries to keep a neutral expression on his face. “Huh?”

The smile he gets from Kai makes him feel warm. 

“Hm,” Kai mumbles vaguely. Beomgyu doesn’t understand what it means exactly. “You seem to be. I love you, okay?”

Beomgyu nods, still mildly confused but not very bothered about it. He whispers the words back to Kai, a small smile on his face. 

Tip #4: Take a Breather!

Let’s be honest, no one wants to kill their relationship by smothering their partner! Take some time for yourself, and let your partner have some time to themselves. It’ll give everyone some room for thought— time apart is never a bad thing. In fact, it will probably lead to your partner realising how much they value your presence. 

Sometimes, Beomgyu thinks Soobin was put on this earth simply to make his life more difficult. 

Like right now, when Beomgyu is moping in front of his computer screen. No one was really supposed to find out about the blog. It was going to be the thing that Beomgyu takes to the grave. Or maybe the thing he’d only ever tell Kai. No way in hell did Beomgyu ever plan to tell the likes of Choi Soobin about the blog. 

Beomgyu is too caught up in what may be the worst advice from the blog to notice the guest walk into his room. He’s blinking at the words and scrolling up and down to see if there’s any alternative. There are no subscriber comments about this section, and really, Beomgyu isn’t so sure about this one. 

It’s not that he wants to smother Kai. He just knows Kai, and he won’t really spend the day wondering about Beomgyu — at least, not the way the blog implies. They’re too accustomed to each other, and Kai will be texting Beomgyu every two seconds if he realises that Beomgyu is trying to give them space. He will also immediately know that something is up, because Beomgyu is maybe just a teeny bit whipped for Kai. 

The horrifying realisation dawns upon Beomgyu that maybe Taehyun is right. 

Maybe they are codependent. 

“Whatcha lookin’ at?”

Soobin’s head hovers over Beomgyu’s shoulder. The voice is right beside his ear and he whacks Soobin in retaliation. His friend whines, and holds onto his injured arm with an offended pout. 

“What the fuck, Gyu?”

“Sorry,” Beomgyu mumbles stupidly. “Reflexes.”

“What is this— tip number—”

Beomgyu tries to cover his screen with his hands, blocking Soobin’s view a little too late. 

“It’s nothing!” He looks at Soobin over his shoulder, looking very crazy in this position. He’s convinced there’s a crazier look in his eyes, too. “Nothing.”

Soobin is still trying to see through the gaps of Beomgyu’s fingers, squinting at the screen and pulling at his forearm to see it all. Beomgyu sighs, and wonders if he’d survive from jumping out of his window. He stays silent, not looking at Soobin or the computer. Beomgyu probably wouldn’t be able to even look at himself in the mirror right now. 

Someone discovering the blog reminds him that this is all real. And he really went to an outdated, badly made, cringey site for help in his relationship. Beomgyu is not immature. He speaks to Kai, and he would tell him if there was something seriously bothering him. The whole point of the blog is to have fun, right? He was only doing it for fun. 

Soobin stands up straight, face blank and mouth twisted together in consideration. When Beomgyu finally braves making eye contact with his best friend, he is nervous as hell. He blinks at Soobin, ready to explain himself, when his friend bursts into laughter. Beomgyu feels his entire body flush with humiliation. He looks away, cursing Soobin and telling him to shut up. 

“Seriously,” he grumbles. “Can you keep it down or hyung will wanna know what’s so funny.”

Soobin’s eyes glow with danger, and Beomgyu does not like it. 

“Oh my god,” he whispers like it’s a scandal. “Yeonjun hyung doesn’t know? No one knows? Just me?”

“Okay, you don’t have to sound so excited.”

Soobin tsks, and sits on Beomgyu’s bed. The boy spins around in his chair, staring at Soobin miserably. 

“What, are you scared I’m gonna tell Kai?”

Beomgyu stays silent. His miserable pout turns into a testing glare. Soobin waves him off, moving forward and shooing Beomgyu off the chair so he can sit down instead. 

“Oh, come on,” Soobin relents. He glances at Beomgyu briefly. “It’s not like you’ve actually done any of this, right? I mean you’ve just found the blog now?”

Beomgyu feels stupid he didn't come up with that excuse. Too stupid that he takes a second too long to respond, and Soobin turns to him in disbelief. 

“There is no way.”

Beomgyu reconsiders jumping out of his window. 

“It’s— it’s nothing,” he mumbles again. This time it’s a little too unbelievable. 

He watches Soobin try to school his expression into neutrality. He fails badly, the amusement shining through his eyes so much it nearly blinds Beomgyu. Soobin takes a deep breath, and looks at Beomgyu. 

“Is this about the boring thing?”

“Um. Yes.”

“Dude,” Soobin stretches out the word as if he’s just had a mind blowing realisation. “You listened to my advice— shit, I didn’t think you’d actually do it? Aren’t you always saying I don’t know anything…”

“I didn’t listen to your advice. I… I listened to the blog’s advice.”

“What have you done?”

“Well— first of all,” Beomgyu begins defensively. “I don’t get why you’re saying it like I’ve committed a crime.” He looks away from Soobin. “And second of all… nearly all of it.”

“Nearly— nearly all of it?!” Soobin turns to the computer screen. He scrolls all the way to the top of the page, eyes flicking across the screen. “Okay,” he mutters to himself. “Do you feel like your partner is drifting— tick. Do you want to keep their attention— clearly .” He scrolls some more, until he hits the first tip. 

Beomgyu purses his lips as he watches Soobin react. The nicknames weren’t so bad, actually. 

“ Please tell me you called Kai hot stuff,” Soobin looks over to Beomgyu. He glares at his friend. 

“No. And you shouldn’t sound so excited about me calling my boyfriend hot stuff. It’s weird.”

“Damn,” Soobin mumbles. “Maybe you are boring.”

Beomgyu flicks Soobin in the back of the head. 

“Ow, jeez? I was joking!”

“This is why no one will ever love you,” Beomgyu grumbles. Soobin rolls his eyes. 

“Oh! Gifts!” He points to the screen like Beomgyu hasn’t experienced it all by now. “That’s cute, Kai probably loved that. What did you give?”

“A stuffed penguin,” Beomgyu mumbles. Soobin looks at him blankly. “What?”

“He has enough of those to rival the actual penguin population.”

“Okay, well, this one was cute?” Beomgyu defends. He sighs. “I— I got him a locket, too,” he says it so quietly he really hopes Soobin missed it. 

“What, I’m sorry?” His friend blinks at him in surprise. “I don’t— did you say a locket?”

Beomgyu doesn’t look up from his lap when he nods. 

Soobin’s laughter echoes loudly in his bedroom. He even slaps his knee, laughing so hard he has to curl over to catch his breath. Beomgyu frowns at him. 

“Are we in the fucking war ages, Gyu?”

“Who the fuck says war ages, firstly,” Beomgyu responds. “And he liked it, so that’s all that matters.”

“You actually gave Kai a locket, like, with your photo inside?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve gotta mention his new necklace at the next rehearsal,” Soobin says, shaking his head in mild surprise. Beomgyu rolls his eyes. “What’s next— a movie date, aw— Netflix and — oh, okay. Didn’t need that image in my head.” 

Beomgyu drops his head into his hands. This has got to be the worst thing to ever happen in his life. He stays quiet, not at all eager to hear what Soobin has to say. 

“That’s it,” Beomgyu says. His voice is a bit muffled, but Soobin turns to him so it can’t have been that difficult to understand. He lifts his head and looks at Soobin. “That’s all there is. The fourth one is to just give him space.”

“So you’ve been listening to what boyfriend blues dot com has to say? Instead of actually talking it out with your boyfriend of nearly six years?”

“You don’t get it,” Beomgyu sighs. “I wouldn’t know how to explain it.”

“Can’t be that hard,” Soobin says. “You go up to him, say: Kai, are you bored of us? And see what he says— which, by the way, we all know will be him denying it.”

“There’s no need for me to feed Kai another insecurity of mine,” Beomgyu replies. “Plus, this is just silly fun, okay? It’s about putting fun into the relationship, Kai doesn’t need to know.”

“Why are you doing this, Beomgyu?” Soobin’s voice is soft, and it jars Beomgyu a little bit. 

“He’s— he’s been helping Tae with some assigned project for, like, two weeks now. And, really, I’m just being clingy, probably.”

“Yeah, probably.”

Beomgyu gives Soobin a deadpan look. 

“But, uh…” he looks away from Beomgyu, shifting in the chair a little bit. Beomgyu frowns at him, taken aback by the sudden change in Soobin’s demeanour. 

“What? What’s wrong?”

“It’s just… Well, actually, I don’t know,” Soobin looks like he might actually be sick, and Beomgyu is unfortunately too busy dying from curiosity to bully him for it. “It’s probably not my place to say—”

“Say what?”

“Taehyun doesn’t have a project,” Soobin says softly. He looks away from Beomgyu. His face is a little less disturbed looking now that he’s gotten the words out of his mouth. Beomgyu sits back. He frowns some more, shaking his head. 

“Yeah,” Soobin says after a while. “I don’t— I’m pretty sure his project was due two weeks ago. But maybe there’s another one and I’m wrong!” 

The hopefulness in his voice only proves that his theory is incorrect. 

Beomgyu is confused. 

Kai had supposedly been helping Taehyun all this time. If he actually was not helping Taehyun, then what the hell was he doing? Why would he lie about how he spends his time with Taehyun? 

A swirl of anxiety and confusion mixes in Beomgyu’s stomach, and he feels awful. It dawns on him that Kai maybe thinking that they’re boring isn’t the worst thing to happen. No, the worst thing to happen would be Kai lying to his boyfriend about hanging out with his best friend. He shares a conflicted look with Soobin, feeling quite unwell all of a sudden. 

“Oh, my god,” Beomgyu whispers. He takes a deep breath to stay calm. “What?”

Soobin looks just as pained. He grimaces as he turns from the computer screen to Beomgyu. His hand scratches the back of his neck, absolutely helpless. Beomgyu doesn’t really know what he can say. 

“Wait—” he closes his eyes and tries to think logically. “Okay, so.” Beomgyu looks at Soobin. “Kai tells me he is helping Taehyun, but there’s really nothing to help with… I don’t get it.”

“Beats me,” Soobin shrugs his shoulders. “It’s not like Kai has any reason to be avoiding you, right?”

“Do you think this blog has made him want to stay away from me?”

He worries, biting his lip and looking at Soobin in mild despair. His friend shakes his head, reading over the advice again. 

“You said he was helping with it before you found the blog, anyways,” Soobin mutters. “Maybe you should ask Taehyun.”

“He’s the one who said it was a project!”

The sick feeling inside Beomgyu has easily turned into that of anger. He’s actually quite vexed, now. What the hell are Kai and Taehyun thinking? 

He clenches his jaw, looking outside his window in thought. Soobin has not moved from the chair, but he is staying too silent for someone who always has something to say. Beomgyu frowns, and then he sighs in defeat. Really, he had thought that the blog was helping. It sounds silly when he thinks about it now, because maybe it has not helped at all. Taehyun said it was a project, which is a lie. And Kai had not bothered to clear that up for Beomgyu. In fact, he had let Beomgyu believe that was the case. 

Whatever. 

The blog says to give Kai space. He seems to want it so badly, then Beomgyu will give it to him. 

“Why did you come over?” Beomgyu asks Soobin.

His friend looks perplexed, unsure if Beomgyu is seriously asking him or not. He swallows, and answers carefully. 

“I was gonna ask if you wanted to run through some new songs,” he tells Beomgyu. “But if you’re not in the mood… I get it.”

Beomgyu is not in the mood, to be honest. But he doesn’t want to let it get to his head more than it already has. So, he sits up straight and shakes his head at Soobin.

“Nah,” he reassures his friend. “Let’s go, it’ll take my mind off this shit.”

The sting in his fingertips from pressing on guitar chords is satisfying. He tests out some new sounds, some new riffs and he smiles at Soobin when one sound is a little too nice. Beomgyu repeats it, getting used to the movement, and looking down at his instrument as if he is learning for the first time all over again. They don’t have much to do, and it doesn’t really help clear Beomgyu’s mind. It had worked at first, but as soon as they take their third break, Beomgyu is reminded of it all.  

Beomgyu has three missed calls from Kai and more than fifteen unopened texts. 

Soobin peers over his shoulder at his phone, sucking in a sharp breath beside Beomgyu’s ear. The sound irks him a lot, and he glares at Soobin before putting his phone down again. Beomgyu readjusts the guitar strap over his shoulder, sighing as he heads back over to his microphone. He can see Soobin typing away on his own phone from the corner of his eye. Beomgyu is smart enough to know that Kai is obviously asking Soobin about him. 

He stares at his friend, waiting for him to look at Beomgyu.

“What is he saying?” Beomgyu asks.

Soobin raises an eyebrow at him. “Why don’t you open your own messages and see for yourself?”

Beomgyu sighs. He plucks a few of the guitar strings, letting the twangy sounds dissipate into the room before he sighs again.

“Is he mad?” 

God, Beomgyu wishes he wasn’t so ridiculous. There is no logical reason for him to be concerned with Kai being mad. Beomgyu should be mad. Except he isn’t anymore, now he is just back to square one. At least now he has more of a foundation to believe that Kai thinks he is boring. The thought sits funny in Beomgyu’s heart. He doesn’t like it, but he has no idea how to bring it up to Kai without sounding like a possessive boyfriend.

So he has to take his time to think about it all. Once he has come up with a calm way to explain it all to Kai, then he will talk to him. Right now, it is all too messy inside Beomgyu’s brain to think calmly. 

He watches Soobin, waiting for an answer.

“No, he’s not mad,” Soobin sighs. “He is confused.”

“Just tell him I’m sick or something,” Beomgyu mumbles. 

Soobin raises an eyebrow. “Yeah, ‘cause that’s gonna stop him from visiting you.”

“Whatever,” Beomgyu scowls. “What else am I meant to tell him?”

“Ooh,” Soobin perks up. “Tell him about the blog you went to for relationship advice.”

Beomgyu scowls, looking away from Soobin. “I’ll tell him you said he was lying.”

“I technically didn’t say that.”

“I technically do not care.”

By that night, Beomgyu’s mood does not get better, and he does not open any of Kai’s messages. Not even when Yeonjun asks why Kai has texted him to ask about Beomgyu. He plays it off, says his phone has died and Kai is probably wondering why he’s not responding. Yeonjun doesn’t question it further. 

He’s lying in bed, staring at his ceiling. With the silence around him, it’s too easy to get lost in his thoughts. Beomgyu blurs his vision until the darkness takes over. Kai hasn’t tried calling him since after dinner, and it’s nearly midnight now. He can’t sleep, and it’s really his own fault for putting himself through this. Beomgyu has never been good with thinking clearly in times of crisis. 

Beomgyu still cannot think clearly during practice the next day. 

He is trying very hard not to snap at Kai right here. He can tell that Soobin is wary, too. Beomgyu grows more antsy with each glance Soobin chucks his way. Kai keeps throwing sad eyes at him and it makes his mood worse. So, he grits his teeth and keeps himself focused on playing the guitar. It works, until it doesn’t. Beomgyu can’t help it, he’s always been a little impulsive when he’s angry. 

All it takes is one look at Taehyun on his phone for him to speak up. 

“You don’t seem to be very worried about your deadline,” Beomgyu mutters a little too harshly. 

Soobin looks over at him with wide eyes, but Taehyun looks up at him with challenging eyes. Beomgyu feels the irritation prickle inside his bones. He exhales heavily through his nose. 

“What’s it to you?” Taehyun asks, most likely unaware that Beomgyu is very cautious of him right now. Kai places a hand on Taehyun’s arm, maybe to warn him of his tone. 

Beomgyu’s eyes focus on the action, his mind going blurry and his brain to mouth filter shuts down. 

“Actually it means a lot considering it’s my boyfriend you’re cosying up with.”

Kai frowns at Beomgyu, but he ignores it. He stares right at Taehyun. The amusement in his eyes makes Beomgyu want to scream in frustration. 

“I’m not cosying up with anybody,” Taehyun replies slowly. He tilts his head at Beomgyu. The amused expression on his face dims down into one that is a little hesitant. “What are you talking about, hyung?”

“Do you like Kai?”

“What?”

The voice that responds isn’t Taehyun’s. Beomgyu finally looks at Kai, eyes blank and face plain. Kai looks genuinely bewildered, completely flabbergasted at the question. Beomgyu watches him turn to Taehyun in something akin to a fusion of disgust and confusion. 

“Well, he is my best friend,” Taehyun says. “But if you’re referring to liking him romantically, then no.”

A hand comes up to Beomgyu’s shoulder. It pulls him out of whatever heated headspace he was in, and he turns to Soobin with a soft frown. His friend is smiling at him softly, pulling him away from Taehyun and Kai. Beomgyu looks at them over Soobin’s shoulder, frowning harder when Taehyun turns to Kai and starts whispering something. 

“Dude,” Soobin whispers. Beomgyu looks at him. “What the hell happened to being calm?”

“It didn’t work,” Beomgyu mumbles. Soobin runs a hand over his face and sighs. He throws his hands up in defeat, looking back at Taehyun with a little smile. 

“Look,” Taehyun says simply. “I’m sorry I have been hanging out with Kai lately, but my project is nearly over.”

Beomgyu squints at them both incredulously. Kai shifts on his feet, avoiding Beomgyu’s eyes. 

“I know there’s no project.”

The words fall over the room and leave them all in shock. 

Beomgyu swallows, not quite wanting to approach it like that, but oh well. He stares at Kai, who looks a lot more stressed than he did before. It hurts Beomgyu a little bit, because he really just wanted to blame Taehyun and hope Kai was being strung along. Seeing Kai be so caught off guard only sours Beomgyu’s mood some more. 

Taehyun looks at Kai, a little surprised. 

“You told him?”

Kai looks pained, ripping his eyes from Beomgyu’s hard stare to look at Taehyun. 

“No,” he whispers finally. 

Tip #5: Talk it Out. 

If you feel like none of these have gotten your partners attention, then maybe it’s time for some serious reflection. It sucks, but you gotta let the baggage go so you can find the person who will treat you right! But if our tips worked for you yet there’s still something off with your partner… well, then maybe it’s not you, it’s them. Try to talk it out with your partner, get to the root of things! 

You got this!

Kai gently pulls Beomgyu by the forearm until they’re out of the garage. The silence is awkward. It makes Beomgyu stand a little sluggish, crossing his arms in defence. He stares at the ground. He can feel Kai’s gaze on him, but he still doesn’t look up. Beomgyu toes the gravel with the front of his beat up sneakers. 

“Are you still ignoring me?” Kai asks, an edge of annoyance in his tone. 

Beomgyu shrugs his shoulders. He purses his lips and finally looks at Kai. 

He looks beautiful. But he also looks tired, and a little bit frustrated. Beomgyu can tell from the way his eyes are focused. The look in them reflects the mix of irritation, confusion and frustration that Kai is feeling. Beomgyu sighs softly. 

“You lied to me,” Beomgyu mutters. 

Kai’s hard expression softens. He reaches for Beomgyu, untangling the crossed arms and running his hand down the arm to hold his hand. 

“Okay,” Kai says gently. Beomgyu looks at him with more of a sulky pout than anything else. Kai smiles at him. “Listen— firstly, do you promise you won’t be mad?”

Beomgyu stays silent. 

Kai looks at their joint hands before speaking again. 

“I did lie,” he admits. Beomgyu tries to pull his hand free, but Kai holds on tighter. “Hyung, listen. It really isn’t serious.”

“You let me believe you were helping Tae with some assignment,” Beomgyu nearly yells. He frowns at Kai. “You had a whole week— longer than a week — to say oh hyung by the way there’s no project. So what the hell, Kai! What was the point of lying to me?”

Beomgyu can feel the shaking anger vibrate through his limbs. It’s hard for him to even look at Kai properly, but he tries. Beomgyu tries to keep his stare steady and calm. It’s not working very well, not with the tears of frustration seeping to the brim of his eyes. It bleeds into his mind and it brings up all the insecurities he had been trying to put away. He sniffles. 

Kai looks alarmed, a distressed sound coming from his throat. He holds Beomgyu’s face carefully. 

“What— why are you crying?” He asks hurriedly, already trying to wipe the tears away. 

Beomgyu is stubborn. He tries to stop the tears just so Kai doesn’t get the satisfaction of wiping them away. It doesn’t work, so he just tries to move out of Kai’s hold. 

“Hyung,” Kai’s voice is somewhere between distressed and comforting. Beomgyu feels so stupid. “What’s wrong?”

“You,” Beomgyu cries. “Do you even like me?” He manages to ask through the tears. Kai freezes, and Beomgyu takes that opportunity to pull Kai’s hands away from his face. He wipes the tears on his own, using the back of his hand. Beomgyu takes a deep breath, swallowing thickly and looking at Kai through his wet eyelashes. “You can tell me. I’m ready for it, I’ve been expecting it. Just break up with me. It’s fine. I won’t let it break the band. We can be friends.”

Kai laughs. 

Beomgyu’s face crumples all over again. He feels sick to his stomach. The sound of Kai’s laughter echoes inside his brain, mocking him. It’s loud, like it always is, and usually Beomgyu loves it. But right now he hates it. He hates the sound of it so much. 

“What are you saying, Beomgyu?” Kai’s voice is a soft break from the echoing laughter. Beomgyu looks at him with teary eyes. “You wanna break up?”

He doesn’t sound worried at all. Kai raises an eyebrow at Beomgyu, a lazy smile on his face. 

Beomgyu shakes his head. 

“But you— I don’t understand what you’re doing, Kai-yah.”

Kai steps closer to Beomgyu, wiping his tears gently and pressing a kiss to his forehead. Beomgyu stays quiet, the odd sniffle breaking the silence. He closes his eyes at the feeling of Kai’s hands in his hair. Beomgyu lets himself fall into Kai’s arms, resting his head against Kai’s shoulder. He inhales deeply, feeling a calm wash over him as Kai presses him closer. 

“Why are you asking me if I like you?” Kai dips his head low to mutter the words softly. Like it’s a secret between the two of them. 

“Because of the lying,” he mumbles. Kai makes a questioning sound. “I did everything the stupid blog said and you’re still avoiding me.”

“What blog?”

Beomgyu rests his forehead against Kai’s shoulder for a second. He sighs, and steps back to face Kai properly. 

Well, this certainly is not what he had planned. 

“The— there’s this blog, which has tips on how to keep you interested…” he glances at Kai, a little surprised to see an encouraging expression on his face. Beomgyu exhales softly. “Because I thought maybe… you were bored of me— of us, maybe. You’re hanging out with Taehyun all the time. And I’m not trying to say it and be all crazy possessive but — it’s — it feels like I’ve been sharing you with your best friend for the past three weeks, now. It’s driving me crazy.” 

“I’m sorry,” Kai says softly. Beomgyu nods, looking at him with sad eyes. “I’m not bored of you, Beomgyu. And I’m definitely not bored of us.”

“Are you sure?” Beomgyu asks quietly. “I’ll be okay if you are— just be honest, please.”

Kai reaches for Beomgyu again. His hands cup Beomgyu’s face as he leans forward to place a soft kiss on his lips. Beomgyu melts against Kai, sliding his lips over Kai’s until he has to pull away. He tries to move further, but Kai’s hold is firm. He holds their faces close together, his nose next to Beomgyu’s as he presses another kiss to the skin beside his mouth. 

“I love you,” Kai whispers. Beomgyu nods again, not trusting his voice right now. He closes his eyes, letting Kai repeat the words over and over again as he leaves soft kisses over Beomgyu’s face. 

“Thank you,” Beomgyu mumbles wetly. “I love you.”

“Do you know what day is next week?” Kai asks. 

Beomgyu shakes his head, his eyes still closed. He isn’t really focused on anything other than the way it feels to be so close to Kai. Kai taps Beomgyu’s face with his thumb to get his attention. He kisses Beomgyu’s cheek gently and moves away to look into his eyes. 

“Next Thursday,” Kai tells him. The date runs through Beomgyu’s mind, and he looks at Kai in mild confusion. 

“Yeah, our anniversary.”

The smile on Kai’s face briefly falters, and he looks a little uncomfortable. His hands fall from Beomgyu’s face and the older boy takes them into his own. 

“I was working with Taehyun,” Kai starts. “For you. For your anniversary gift,” he admits shyly. “Making you a song.”

Oh. 

“Oh.”

Kai smiles nervously. Beomgyu feels like he might just start crying again. He’s a terrible boyfriend. 

“Oh?” Kai asks hesitantly. 

“Oh,” Beomgyu repeats. He looks at Kai with wide eyes. “I’m awful.”

Kai shakes his head, completely denying Beomgyu’s words. 

“No,” Beomgyu argues. “I really am. I just forced you to ruin your surprise for me— you’re not even mad?”

“Well, actually, I’m a little interested in this blog you mentioned.”

Beomgyu groans loudly. He pouts at Kai. 

“Please don’t make me explain it to you, it hurt enough when I had to explain it to Soobin.”

“Soobin hyung knew?” Kai seems to sulk for a second. 

“Only at the end,” Beomgyu says softly. “He’s the one that told me Tae doesn’t have any assignments.”

“Wait,” Kai pulls his hands from Beomgyu and reaches for the chain tucked beneath his clothes. “Did the blog tell you to make a locket for me?” 

Beomgyu tries not to make his embarrassed grimace too obvious. Though, the embarrassment doesn’t last long because he is hit with the realisation that Kai genuinely wears the locket. Like, all the time. He smiles shyly, a little proud of himself for the gift, no matter how cheesy it is. 

“Well— not exactly. It said to try giving gifts, ones that’ll make you think of me. I came up with the locket.”

Kai lets out a breath of relief. “Oh, okay,” he smiles to himself. 

Beomgyu pauses. “Why? Why are you saying it like that?”

“No reason,” Kai hums simply. Beomgyu makes eye contact, a smile spreading on his face as he watches Kai fidget in nervousness. 

“Kai-yah,” Beomgyu says excitedly. “Did you get me a matching locket?”

He really does not even need to ask. The reaction and look on Kai’s face is enough to let him know that he has gotten him one. Beomgyu pulls on his hands, waiting for Kai to look at him. When he does, it’s with bashful and shy eyes that make Beomgyu feel too giddy. 

Beomgyu pulls on Kai some more, bringing him close enough to whisper the words I love you against his lips. 

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313lover left the following comment: My boyfriend followed this blog like the law but he didn’t call me hot stuff once.