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This isn’t the first time that Byeon Seungjin has relied on Yang Eunoh to get them home safely after a night out, and it is unlikely to be the last.
“Come on, this is our street. We’re almost there.” Eunoh grunts as he tries to move Seungjin.
Seungjin blinks and takes in his surroundings with hazy eyes.
“Oh, there’s our 7-Eleven,” he says, pointing at the convenience store two blocks down from their apartment where he stops almost every morning.
“Yes,” Eunoh agrees. “Now walk so we can finally get home. I’ve been dragging you for 15 minutes.”
Seungjin veers off towards the 7-Eleven double doors, ignoring Seungjin's plea and intent on buying some triangle kimbap. “I want snacks.”
Eunoh yanks him back by his collar. “You just ate your body weight in chips and popcorn at the bar. You don’t need snacks.”
Seungjin stumbles over a curb and nearly ends up eating pavement before Eunoh grabs him around the waist and hauls him up.
“That came out of nowhere,” Seungjin mumbles out loud while turning to glare at the offending curb. Beside him, Eunoh snorts. “Aish! Eunoh-ah, don’t laugh at me! This is all your fault!”
“My fault?” Eunoh asks.
Seungjin spins around to tell Eunoh exactly how thinking about the identity of the person Eunoh likes directly led to Seungjin’s heavy drinking tonight. His mouth snaps closed when he sees Eunoh illuminated under a street light, centimeters away from him. He's looking at Seungjin with that fondly exasperated expression of his, arms crossed, head tilted. It really is a miracle that Seungjin has gotten his full attention for so many years. He definitely should have been snatched up and stolen away from Seungjin by some pretty girl by now.
Tonight he's wearing one of Seungjin’s favorite of his sweaters. It’s black, white, and grey, multi patterned with thick white stitching woven into it. It’s very soft, and if Seungjin steals it on a day after Eunoh wears it, his cologne clings to the fabric. Seungjin grabs onto a string dangling from the stitching and smooshes his face into Eunoh’s neck, inhaling happily. Nearly midnight after a night partying in a crowded bar, and Eunoh still smells so good.
“I want to wear your sweater,” Seungjin tells him.
“Why? You’re already wearing one,” Eunoh answers.
Seungjin looks down and huh. So he is. It’s brown and tan striped, and Seungjin suddenly hates it.
“Let’s switch,” he decides. He pulls away and rips his sweater over his head. Eunoh tries to stop him, but Seungjin dodges his hands. He’s wearing a blue buttoned shirt under it – why did he put on so many layers this morning? The buttons are small and slippery in his fingers, but Seungjin focuses his blurry eyes and devotes himself to the task with the same dedication he gives on game days. Getting this shirt off feels like the most important thing he’s ever done.
“Stop! Seungjin-ah, why are you getting naked? It’s freezing!” Eunoh continues to reach for him, but Seungjin bats him away in between unfastening buttons.
“Ah hah!” Seungjin shouts in satisfaction when the last button is undone. Technically, Seungjin thinks he actually popped the button clean off the shirt, but he still takes the victory. “Done!” He drops both shirts carelessly on the sidewalk.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Eunoh says. The world spins for a moment when Seungjin’s eyes follow Eunoh as he bends down to pick up the discarded clothing.
Seungjin’s body is warm from all of the beer he drank, but the late autumn chill still bites through that artificial heat.
“Gimme,” Seungjin demands, holding out his hands to Eunoh. When his friend just stares at him, Seungjin reaches for the bottom of Eunoh’s sweater to pull it off.
“Hey!”
Eunoh jumps back to evade him, but when he does, he almost hits a couple passing them on the path. “Sorry,” he calls, giving them an apologetic bow of his head.
“Don’t tell them you’re sorry,” Seungjin says when he thinks the couple is far enough away. Judging by the frantic shushing, it is possible that Seungjin got the timing slightly off. “They’re in our way.”
“We’re in their way, you drunken idiot,” Eunoh says.
“Sounds fake,” Seungjin says. A gust of wind shakes the trees around them, and Seungjin crosses his arms over his chest to protect his modesty and, more importantly, his hard nipples from the cold.
Eunoh sighs and tilts his head up to the night sky. “I can’t believe this is happening.” He removes his sweater, and flings it in Seungjin’s face. “Here, take the damn thing.”
Seungjin quickly burrows into it. The sleeves are long, draping down past his fingers, which just makes it extra cozy. He immediately pulls the collar up to his nose and breathes deeply, his eyes slipping shut. When he opens them, he sees Eunoh frozen, watching Seungjin. He’s wearing only the thin white t-shirt that was under his sweater.
That shirt…fits him really well, especially around his biceps and chest. Seungjin’s eyes narrow in drunken annoyance.
“This!” he shouts, his mind back on his main complaint of the night. “This is how you mess with people’s heads!”
“What?” Eunoh asks.
Seungjin points a shaky but accusing finger at him, gesturing down to his shirt and tight jeans. “This! Who…who said you could…” He gets distracted by a group of girls walking together across the street watching them. Seungjin grabs his striped sweater out of Eunoh’s grip and tries to wrestle him into it. “Put this on right now.”
“Ok. OK!” he yells, jerking away from Seungjin’s grip to put it on himself. “Are you happy?”
“Mm,” Seungjin confirms with a grin. He reaches up and fixes Eunoh’s hair. “Happy.”
They start walking again, past the fluorescent lights of the 7-Eleven. Seungjin takes another good sniff of Eunoh’s sweater. Then he asks, “What does my sweater smell like?”
“What does it smell like?” Eunoh repeats. “Beer and day old sweat. Why? What does mine smell like?”
Seungjin inhales again happily. “Smells like you.”
Eunoh makes a choked sound and then grabs Seungjin by the shoulders, stopping him. “Seungjin-ah, how do I mess with people’s heads?”
Seungjin rolls his eyes. “Just look at you!” He punctuates this by placing both of his hands on Eunoh’s cheeks and squishing them together. “Who is the person you like?”
Eunoh opens his mouth, but before he can answer, Seungjin continues, “I don’t like her.”
Eunoh laughs. He grips Seungjin’s wrists and tugs them away from his face.
“You don’t even know who it is,” he says.
“You can’t bring her to our secret barbeque place. Or the cafe by the gym. Or our apartment.”
“Is there somewhere I am allowed to take them?” Eunoh asks.
“To meet me,” Seungjin answers. “So that I can tell you everything that’s wrong with her. Then you’ll never…never…”
The whole world blurs around the edges, and it’s harder for Seungjin to keep his eyes open or follow the thread of their conversation. He is so tired.
“Then I’ll never – what? Seungjin? Seungjin?”
Seungjin blinks and when his eyes open again, he’s being carried on the back of some stranger.
“Who are you?” Seungjin groggily asks.
The mystery man snorts and shifts Seungjin higher onto his back. “You’re so drunk.”
“S’not my fault!” Seungjin might not be clear on much at the moment, but he’s clear on that. “You would be too if…if…Yang Eunoh. Do you know him?”
The body beneath him shakes and then the mystery man answers, “Yeah, I know him.”
“He has someone he likes.”
“So?”
“So that means he’s going to start dating her soon.”
“How do you know that the person he likes likes him back?”
Seungjin scoffs at the stupid question. “Who wouldn’t like him back? He’s smart ‘n funny ‘n takes care of me, ‘n he smells so good. Actually, you smell really good too.” He nuzzles behind the mystery man’s ear and takes a few good whiffs.
“Seungjin-ah. Do you like Yang Eunoh?” the man asks.
“Shh!” Seungjin says. He puts a hand over the man’s mouth and then says, “It’s a secret. Understand?”
The hands holding Seungjin’s thighs tighten as the man nods.
Satisfied, Seungjin removes his hand and presses his cheek against the man’s shoulder.
“Do you know where I live?” he asks.
“Yes,” the man answers. His voice sounds weird, strangled and much deeper, but Seungjin doesn’t dwell on it.
“K,” he says and passes out again.
Seungjin is used to Sunday morning hangovers, but this is one for the record books. It’s not often he gets black out drunk, but his memory of the night before is filled with giant holes.
He thinks that Eunoh got him home, as usual. He definitely threw up more than once, and the gross, acidic taste in his mouth confirms that. He smacks his lips in distaste as he carefully sits up in bed.
On the bedside table is his reusable water bottle, filled to the top, and a bottle of pain reliever. He chugs the water and leaves enough at the bottom of the bottle to take the pills. Someone is moving around in the common area. Seungjin closes his eyes and listens to the muted shuffle of socked feet and the clang of pots in the kitchen for a good 15 minutes before getting up and heading straight to the bathroom.
He has to clutch the wall to stay standing in the shower, but it’s worth it to wash away the last remnants of the night before. He brushes his teeth twice, grimaces, and tosses the toothbrush in the garbage.
He woke up wearing flannel sleep pants, but he chucks those with the dirty laundry and grabs a clean pair of boxers and a Chicago Bulls jersey before heading out to the common area. Eunoh is sitting at the kitchen table in his own pajamas and a zip-up hoodie, drinking a cup of coffee.
Seungjin clears his throat and tries to pretend he’s not embarrassed by the state Eunoh must have seen him in yesterday. It’s also freezing now that he’s away from the warm steam of the bathroom, but he is far too lazy to put on more clothes.
“You’re up,” Eunoh says as Seungjin sits across from him.
Seungjin immediately cracks, spine melting until his head is resting on the table and he’s whining.
“Why did you let me drink so much, Eunoh-ah?” he wails.
“You really enjoy blaming me for your bad decisions.”
Seungjin switches positions, flinging himself against the back of the chair with his arms and legs splayed out.
“I’m never drinking again,” he vows.
“I’ll believe that when I see it. Here.” Eunoh pushes a bowl towards him.
Seungjin eats a spoonful without even checking to see what it is, and the first taste confirms it’s hangover soup. He gets through half the bowl and wipes the back of his hand over his mouth.
“What would I do without you, Eunoh-ah?” he asks.
“You would have been dead in an alley after last night,” Eunoh replies.
“So it was you who got me home?”
“Mm,” Eunoh says. “You don’t remember?”
“Not much,” Seungjin admits. “I – “ He stops, catching sight of Eunoh’s intense expression as he listens to Seungjin’s answer. “What? Did I do something bad last night?”
Eunoh shakes his head and leans back in his seat. “No. Keep eating.”
Seungjin finishes the first bowl and then a second when Eunoh refills it for him. It is exactly what he needs to calm the roiling nausea that lingers in his stomach.
“Thank you,” he says when he’s finished. He rubs his bare arms and looks around for a blanket.
“Are you cold?” Eunoh asks him. He nods at Seungjin’s boxers and sleeveless jersey. “Here.” He unzips his hoodie and holds it out across the table for Seungjin to take.
Seungjin stares at the offering in confusion. Sure he’s been known to “borrow” Eunoh’s clothes on occasion, but Eunoh always complains about it. He never freely offers them up.
After a few seconds of silence, Eunoh says, “If you don’t want it –”
Seungjin snatches it from him before he finishes the sentence. “I want it. I want it.”
He eagerly puts it on and sighs with how warm it is from Eunoh’s body heat. He zips it all the way up and surreptitiously turns his head to smell the collar. Eunoh wears the best cologne. It’s musky and woodsy. Seungjin doesn’t know anything about cologne scents, he just knows he’s always liked Eunoh’s.
His eyes catch on Eunoh’s gaze. He’s watching Seungjin with a smirk that immediately makes Seungjin suspicious.
“What’s that look for?”
“Nothing,” he says, with a lilt to his voice that makes it clear it’s absolutely something.
“Tell me!”
Eunoh gathers Seungjin’s empty bowl and stands up. “Nothing,” he repeats.
Seungjin hits the table in annoyance. He hates being left in the dark.
“Eunoh-ahhhh! Is it something I did last night? What is it? If you don’t tell me, I’ll ask Jiwon-ah and Jungwoo!”
“They don’t know.”
Seungjin waves a wild finger at him. “Ha! So you admit that something did happen!” He jumps up and immediately regrets it when it causes a shooting pain in his still-aching head. “Oww…”
Strong hands grip his arms and lead him to the couch. “Sit, you idiot. You didn’t do anything weird last night besides almost puke on my shoes. OK?” Eunoh tells him.
Seungjin gives up and gives into the temptation to curl on the couch, tucking his knees against his chest and putting the hood up on Eunoh’s hoodie.
“Fine,” he mumbles and stifles a yawn with the inside of his elbow. He drifts instantly.
The light in the living room shuts off, and right before he falls back to sleep, he hears a quiet, “Cute.”
Jungwoo doesn’t return to the apartment all weekend, so on Monday it’s just Seungjin and Eunoh getting ready for class in the morning.
Seungjin is leaning against the counter eating a bowl of cereal when Eunoh speaks.
“I’m asking out the person I like today,” he says.
Seungjin freezes, the spoon slipping from his fingers and plopping into the bowl of milk. Something tight and painful squeezes him around the middle. He clears his throat and it takes him a few beats too long to respond in the way he knows Eunoh expects.
“Oh my god!” he exclaims. His mouth stretches into a smile so fake it’s painful. “Who is it? When are you doing it? Where are you two going? Tell me!”
Eunoh picks up his bag off the floor and then Seungjin’s as well. He’s trying to look nonchalant, but Seungjin can see how nervous he is. The band around his chest tightens.
“I’m going to invite them for barbeque, and then I got tickets to a Thunders game next week.”
Seungjin spins around to face the sink and concentrates on washing his bowl. He wants to argue that Eunoh isn’t allowed to take anyone to their secret barbeque place, and he should only be going to basketball games with him, but Seungjin is self aware enough to know how jealous that would make him look.
“Seungjin-ah? How does that sound?” Eunoh asks.
“Yeah, good,” he responds quickly. “Does she like basketball too?”
“He does.”
“He?” Seungjin repeats, head whipping around. He looks over at the stubborn set of Eunoh’s jaw. “No wonder you caught onto Jungwoo and Jiwon.”
Eunoh smirks and shakes his head. “No, that was obvious. You just never see what’s right in front of you.”
Apparently not. Apparently he’s missed that all of his friends are gay or bi. Wait, if Eunoh could tell with Jungwoo and Jiwon, did that mean he also could tell with…?
That thought gets Seungjin moving. He races past Eunoh and shoves his feet into his shoes. He holds his hand out for his bag, but Eunoh just ignores him and walks out the door with both bags over his shoulder.
“Hey, wait!” Seungjin calls.
“Lock the door,” Eunoh says and tosses him a set of keys.
He fumbles with securing the lock and runs to catch up with Eunoh.
“Hang on! I need my bag! Eunoh-ah!”
The elective is a class they share with Jiwon and Jungwoo, and the couple are in their usual seats when Seungjin and Eunoh arrive.
“Eunoh is asking out the person he likes today!” Seungjin says before he even sits down.
Jiwon looks up in surprise, but Jungwoo only raises his eyebrow at Eunoh.
“Oh?” he asks. The two share a significant glance, and Eunoh shrugs.
“Yeah,” he answers.
Jungwoo shakes his head. “I still don’t get it.”
“Jungwoo, do you know who it is?” Seungjin demands.
“Of course,” Jungwoo says.
“Of…!” Seungjin exclaims. “What do you mean, ‘of course’?” He throws himself into his chair and whines. “Why am I always the last one to know these things?”
“Because you’re oblivious,” Jungwoo says.
Seungjin opens his mouth to respond to that, but Jiwon cuts in.
“I don’t know either, hyung,” he says.
Seungjin grabs Jiwon’s arm with both of his hands, avoiding Jungwoo’s attempts to peel him off.
“This is why I’m your number one fan, Han Jiwon!” He blows him a kiss and finally lets Jungwoo push him away. “Jiwon-ah is my only friend now. The two of you are dead to me.”
Jiwon laughs as Jungwoo wraps a possessive arm around his shoulders.
“If only,” Jungwoo replies.
“Please, I know you love me,” Seungjin says.
Jungwoo rolls his eyes and turns away from him. Seungjin looks at Eunoh instead.
“You too, Eunoh-ah. Tell me you love me.”
Eunoh shocks him by calmly meeting his eyes and saying, “I love you, Seungjin.”
“Ah!” Seungjin exclaims, eyes widening and heart racing. “Ahaha, you’re funny. Oh look, the professor is here.”
He reaches for his pen and winds up flinging it across the floor instead. Eunoh bends down and picks it up. He holds it out to Seungjin, who snatches it, face flushed.
“Thanks,” he mumbles.
“Oh,” Jiwon whispers behind him. “Really?”
“I’ll tell you about it later,” Jungwoo whispers back.
Professor Kim is as boring as ever. He projects his Powerpoint and starts in on the lecture with his monotone voice. Seungjin’s mind immediately wanders to what Eunoh told him.
A guy who likes basketball? Is it someone on the team? Or just someone who comes to their games? Seungjin searches his memory for suspicious behavior between Eunoh and any other guys.
He spends all of his time with Seungjin, so that means that whoever it is, Seungjin was probably right beside Eunoh while Eunoh fell for him.
His hand tightens around his pen as he reframes interactions they’ve had with other guys on the team, now with Seungjin as the unwitting third wheel. Had Eunoh been trying to get Seungjin to leave when they ran into Minjun in the student center last week? Or after practice when Hyunwoo hung back to ask Eunoh a question about an assignment for a class they share?
He imagines future meals or trips to the movies where it’s him and the two couples. He imagines walking in on Eunoh kissing this guy on the couch or, god forbid, hearing them have sex.
And then there’s the biggest question that Seungjin tries not to dwell on: why not him? He’s been beside Eunoh since freshman orientation, so why hasn’t Eunoh ever looked at him?
Seungjin knows he’s sometimes loud and obnoxious and emotional, but he doesn’t think Eunoh ever gets truly annoyed with him for it. But maybe he’s wrong. Everyone always says he can’t read the room, so maybe he’s missed something –
“Seungjin?”
Seungjin startles and looks over at Eunoh. “Yes?” he whispers, not wanting to get caught by the professor.
“Are you OK?”
“Wha –” Seungjin blinks and feels tears in his eyes. “Shit.” He scrubs his face with his shirt sleeves. “Something in my eye,” he lies.
Eunoh studies him for a moment and then finally nods.
Seungjin spends the rest of the class period paying more attention to Professor Kim than he has the whole semester, trying his best to look neutral.
When Professor Kim is winding down the lesson, going over the homework due the following week, Eunoh leans closer and asks, “Want to get barbeque after your history lecture?”
“Sure,” Seungjin replies, forcing a small smile. That’s two hours from now, and Eunoh doesn’t have any other classes on Mondays. It gives him more than enough time to ask out the guy he likes.
The lecture ends after a small lifetime of Seungjin’s thoughts spiralling. As they’re packing up, Seungjin invites Jungwoo and Jiwon to lunch with them. Maybe having them there will take some of the pressure off of Seungjin to react normally when he hears about Eunoh’s new boyfriend.
“Ah, no,” Jungwoo responds quickly, ruining that plan. “We’re busy.”
Seungjin slumps down in his seat and listlessly tosses his stuff into his bag.
Eunoh is already sitting at their preferred table when Seungjin walks into their barbeque place. Seungjin tries to read his mood from across the restaurant. Does he look like a man who just scored a date with the person he likes?
He sits down and tosses his bag on the empty seat beside him.
“I ordered for us,” Eunoh says.
Seungjin can’t take the suspense and decides to get it over with.
“Did you do it?” he asks.
“Order?”
“No, not order! Ask him out!”
Eunoh shrugs. “Sort of,” he says.
“Sort of? What does that mean?” Seungjin demands.
“It means I don’t think he knows it’s a date,” Eunoh says. He unwraps a straw and puts it in a glass of cola that he gives to Seungjin.
Seungjin ignores that and tilts his head. “Eh? What do you mean he doesn’t know? How can someone be that stupid?”
Eunoh laughs and puts his head in his hands.
“Listen,” Seungjin says, his foot tapping anxiously against the floor. “Do you really like him?”
“Yes,” Eunoh replies, the word muffled by his hands.
“Well, don’t.”
It’s out before Seungjin realizes he intends to say it. His eyes widen and Eunoh raises his head up to look at him.
“What?” Eunoh asks.
“Don’t like Minjun.”
“Min–?”
“Or Hyunwoo, or whoever it is. Don’t like them. Like me instead.”
It’s hard to tell who is more shocked by Seungjin’s words. They both freeze. Eunoh stares at him.
“Why?” he asks Seungjin after several long, awkward seconds.
“Huh?”
“Why should I like you instead?”
Seungjin grips the glass Eunoh filled for him and takes a large gulp, trying to compose himself. “We’re already together all the time, so you wouldn’t have to change your schedule,” he begins. “I know your favorite places to eat and game, which means we can go on dates you’ll like. And anyway, look at me.” He gestures at himself. “I’m a catch!”
Eunoh leans back in his chair and crosses his arms over his chest, frowning. “That’s it?”
“I mean,” Seungjin stutters, trying to come up with more ideas on the spot. “You didn’t give me any time to think about it. I know there’s more reasons. I’m a better point guard than Minjun!”
“Why do you keep bringing up…you know what? I don’t even want to know,” Eunoh says. “Seungjin-ah, you’re telling me to like you, but what about you? Do you like me?”
Seungjin’s face heats. He studies the table top and runs a hand through his hair. “Ahh...that is…” He bends down and finishes his drink. His heart is beating so fast it feels like he’s just completed back-to-back suicide drills.
Eunoh tilts his head to meet Seungjin’s eyes. Seungjin shifts his gaze to one side, and then the other when Eunoh’s eyes chase his, finally resorting to looking up at the ceiling to avoid him.
“Seungjin,” Eunoh scolds, a touch of laughter in his voice.
“Yes!” Seungjin shouts. “Yes, I like you.” As soon as he says it, he panics and begins to backpedal. “Actually, forget I said anything. I have to –” He starts to get up, but Eunoh springs into action. He grabs Seungjin’s wrist to stop him.
“Wait! Seungjin-ah, just wait a second,” he says.
Reluctantly, Seungjin settles back into his chair, looking around for a distraction. “It was a bad joke. I wasn’t serious. When’s the food coming anyway?”
Eunoh reaches into his bag and takes out an envelope. He places it on the table and uses two fingers to push it to Seungjin.
“What’s this?” Seungjin asks.
Eunoh nods at it. “Open it.”
Slowly, Seungjin picks up the envelope and lifts the flap. He half expects a document terminating his name off their lease. Instead he sees two tickets. They’re for the Thunders game next Friday.
“Why –?”
“Do you want to go with me?” Eunoh asks.
“Me? I thought you were asking the guy you like to go with you?” Seungjin says.
“I’m trying to,” Eunoh answers.
“Huh?” Seungjin asks.
"I'm trying to asking out the guy I like right now," Eunoh add.
Seungjin blinks and stares at him, confused, until -- “Wait – me? I’m the guy you like?”
"Yes, you idiot,” Eunoh snaps. He doesn’t sound upset, though. Just fond.
Seungjin's heart ricochets against his ribs. He places a hand on his chest to catch it just in case it breaks out. “This whole time?” Seungjin clarifies. “It was me? I’m the cute one?”
Under the table, Eunoh’s foot hooks around his ankle.
“Mm.” Eunoh leans forward like he’s sharing a secret, and says, “You’re pretty cute.”
Seungjin gawps at him, unable to think of anything to say. Eunoh’s smile widens when he realizes he’s rendered him speechless.
“I…” Seungjin tries and then gives up and tries to take another sip of his drink, only to realize that the glass is empty.
“Hmm?” Eunoh asks. “Are you being shy right now?” He sounds delighted.
“I…no! Shut up, don’t look at me.” He covers his face to regain his composure. When he emerges, Eunoh is watching him with a teasing grin, cheek propped in his open palm like he's enjoying the show. He’s so handsome.
Seungjin licks his lips. “Can we cancel our order?”
“Yes,” Eunoh agrees eagerly.
They walk out of the restaurant side by side. Seungjin is so nervous that his hands are sweating, which is fucking ridiculous. They’re best friends! Roommates, even! He turns to Eunoh.
“Eun–”
“Seung–”
They both speak at once and then stop and wait for the other to speak, and Seungjin has had enough. He gets ahead of Eunoh and walks backwards to face him.
“So how long have you liked me?” he asks with a grin.
“How long have you liked me?” Eunoh counters.
“I asked first, Eunoh-ah!” Seungjin whines. “Come on, what was it that made you like me? Was it my good looks? My incredible basketball skills? My sexy bod – ah!”
He trips over a curb, his arms pinwheeling as he loses his balance. Eunoh grabs the front of his shirt and yanks him upright. His shoulders are broad where Seungjin clings to them for support.
Seungjin catches his breath and says, mostly to himself, “That came out of nowhere.”
Eunoh stares at him for a moment and then starts laughing.
“What?” Seungjin wonders before the wind is knocked out of him a second time by Eunoh dragging them into an alley and pushing Seungjin against a wall. Eunoh crowds him, placing one of his hands on the wall beside Seungjin’s head. The other he curls around the back of Seungjin’s neck to tilt his head up.
The kiss isn’t hesitant. Eunoh dives in with purpose and immediately takes control. Seungjin lets him. He hooks his fingers into Eunoh’s belt loops and melts into the bricks behind him.
Though he’s had very little kissing experience generally and none with men, Seungjin finds that, because it’s Eunoh, he isn’t nervous at all. He parts his lips, and Eunoh takes the invitation to dip his tongue into Seungjin’s mouth and pull him in closer. Seungjin moans and wraps his arms around Eunoh’s waist in response.
They kiss until the sound of voices coming nearer forces them to separate. Eunoh steps away from him and stares, eyes heavy-lidded and face flushed. Seungjin abruptly realizes that if they don’t stop now, the walk home is going to be extremely embarrassing for him.
He can’t resist one last quick, smacking kiss to Eunoh’s pretty red cheek and then declares, “Race you!” and takes off running.
“Hey!” Eunoh shouts in his wake as Seungjin cackles, feeling euphoric.
When they play basketball, Seungjin is deadly on fast breaks, while Eunoh has more stamina. He easily overtakes Seungjin a couple hundred meters in when Seungjin’s legs tire, despite his head start.
“Do you need the coach to make you run laps at our next practice, Curly Hair?” Eunoh taunts over his shoulder. He makes a show of slowing to a jog and pretending to check his watch.
Seungjin grins wildly and bellows a war cry as he puts on a burst of speed and barrels straight towards Eunoh.