Hyunjin sighed and looked at the guy sitting in front of him, he had big cheeks and a really cute face. Totally Hyunjin's type, he could say. He was drinking a frappe with enthusiasm and taping the table with his fingers, he looked adorable and the way his blonde hair fell over one of his eyes was extremely gripping.

However, Hyunjin couldn't quite get himself to feel interested in him.

His phone vibrated, and takin advantage of the fact that Jisung was too using his phone, he took his own out. Seeing that the message was from his best friend, Changbin.

«How's your date going?»
—Binnie

«Not too good» Hyunjin replied.

At that moment, Jisung giggled at something that Hyunjin wasn't aware of and Hyunjin looked at him. His lips made a really pretty smile and his cheeks going up looked really cute. And yet, he didn't feel attracted to the guy.

«That means bad news coming from you»
«Is something wrong?»
—Binnie

«I just don't think I'm interested enough» Hyunjin typed back.

Hyunjin looked at Jisung again, who hadn't said a word in the past 5 minutes and Hyunjin hadn't tried to start a conversation either. It was almost obvious that they did not match too well.

«End it. I know you, if it's not working now, won't work after either»
—Binnie

And Hyunjin knew that he was right. So he raised his head and called Jisung's name. The aforementioned took his eyes off his phone's screen and looked at Hyunjin with big eyes. He totally resembled a squirrel like that and Hyunjin felt a little bit shameful for accepting the date in first place.

"Look, Jisung," Hyunjin started, trying to sound the least rude he could. "You're a really funny and interesting person," Hyunjin wasn't lying. "But I really don't feel attracted to you in that way," and Jisung sighed, showing him a smile that exuded nothing more than relief.

"I'm glad to hear that," Jisung said and smiled, completely disconcerting Hyunjin. "Don't get offended, you're indescribably handsome, but I am not really attracted to you either. The only reason why I asked you out was that my friend insisted that I've been crushed on the same guy for too long and that I needed to take him out of my head," he giggled again. "It's definitely not working when he's texting me right now."

Jisung showed his phone's screen to Hyunjin and he got to see some laughter emojis here and there, and the name of the guy that was Minho. Hyunjin couldn't help it but start laughing too and got up.

"This is ridiculous," Hyunjin said in between laughter.

"I know," Jisung said too. "I'll see you again, Hyu. I hope we can meet again as friends," he smiled and stretched out his hand. Hyunjin didn't doubt a second to shake it and smile too.

Jisung was the first one to leave the cafe after their short but more than enough explanation. Hyunjin stood there a few more minutes while he finished his cup of coffee. His phone vibrated again.

«All set?»
—Binnie

«Yup»
«Turns out that none of us was really interested in the other»

«I don't know if you're extremely unlucky or just stupidly lucky, Hwang Hyunjin»
—Binnie

«I know, lol»
«Where you at?»

«Where do you think I'm at?»
—Binnie

«Apartment?"

«No~ try again»
—Binnie

«Studio?»

«Bingo!»
«Are you coming?»
—Binnie

«Of course I am. I am heartbroken, I need my best friend to console me.»

«Ha-ha»
«The door will be open. Come quickly, I'm lonely now that Chan is gone. ㅠㅠ»
—Binnie

«Alright~»

🌸

Hyunjin arrived at Changbin's mini studio around twenty minutes after they talked. The door was open just like he'd said before and Hyunjin only had to spin the doorknob and push.

Changbin was the proud owner of a small, but really cozy and well-equipped studio in Seoul. He was still in his twenty-three, but he'd been working in the studio long before graduating from college. It was a two rooms apartment, one of which was used as the main studio and the other one was a room where Changbin and his friends/collaborators would sit and compose or do whatever they felt like doing.

In moments like those when Changbin was done with his work and Hyunjin had nothing to do, he would go there and they would just chill at the studio. Other times, they would just stay in the apartment they shared and watch movies or something.

"In the free-room!" Hyunjin heard Changbin's voice yell his location after the door was opened.

Hyunjin walked towards the room and found the older one laying face up with some mellow music playing in a really slow volume in the background.

"What is that track?" Hyunjin asked and entered the room. Changbin moved on the coach, making space for Hyunjin to sit on and using him as a pillow as soon as the younger one got comfortable.

"It's something I've been working on with Chan," Changbin explained. "We wanted to try a more laidback style this time. Do you like it?"

"I do, a lot," Hyunjin smiled at him and Changbin did the same.

Hyunjin didn't say anything else and simply listened to the melody in silence. He had always considered himself a fan of Changbin's compositions. Not only as a producer, but also as the amazing rapper he was and, in very rare and few occasions, even a singer.

"How was your day?" Changbin asked when the melody stopped and changed to a different one that Hyunjin already knew.

"You pretty much know it," Hyunjin laughed calmly.

"What about the guy you had the date with?" Changbin asked curiously.

"He was great, I was just not interested. Maybe as friends would be better, honestly," Hyunjin explained and Changbin laughed.

"Love is really not for you, right?" He said and Hyunjin shrugged. "You and Jeongin are still in contact, right?"

"Yeah," Hyunjin answered. "He's dating someone now. I think his name is Seungmin? I'm not sure, but I'm glad for him."

Changbin nodded, "I'm glad too, Jeongin is a good kid, he deserves love."

Hyunjin nodded until he realized the implications in that statement.

"Are you insinuating that I'm not a good person and I don't deserve love?" Hyunjin asked dramatically, placing his right hand on his chest and looking indignant.

"I would never say such things, Hyunjin," Changbin defended himself, but he started to laugh as soon as he finished the line. And although Hyunjin wanted to continue with his act for a little longer, he couldn't hold back his own laughter for too long and he accompanied Changbin.

🌸

"Hyunjin..." Hyunjin opened his eyes as soon as the known voice of Changbin woke him up.

He looked at the semi-opened door where Changbin was standing, not entirely inside of Hyunjin's room. For a second, Hyunjin didn't really understand the situation, his brain wasn't really working properly and he just observed Changbin for a few moments. Changbin was wearing pajamas and in his right arm rested Gyu (his Munchlax Plush that Changbin always slept with).

Hyunjin didn't realize what was going on until a loud thunder startled him and Changbin too. The latter one whimpered, sounding almost like a wounded animal and Hyunjin's heart ached. He didn't hesitate and got out of his bed, moving quickly towards Changbin and surrounded him with his arms. Changbin hid his face in Hyunjin's chest almost immediately, helped by the height difference between them since Changbin was around 12 centimeters shorter than Hyunjin.

Another thunder went off and Changbin whimpered again, holding onto Hyunjin with more strength as he started to shiver. Hyunjin lifted him in his arms and Changbin wrapped his legs around Hyunjin's waist. He hid his face in the younger's neck and tightened his grip around Hyunjin's shoulders.

Hyunjin hated storms for this one reason in particular.

He walked to his the windows and put the curtains down, making sure that the glare of the lightning strikes inside of his room would be minimal. He then went over to his bed, sitting with his back resting against the wall and covered Changbin with his thick blanket. However, in no moment he let go of the older as he shivered and tried to control his own irrational fear (definition with which Hyunjin was totally in disagreement) to storms.

Hyunjin took his phone and headphones from the nightstand and searched for a playlist of soft, calming music. He put the volume almost at the highest and made sure to carefully place his headphones on Changbin's ears. He brought him closer and stroked his back.

Almost 20 minutes after that, Changbin seemed calmer. He wasn't shaking anymore and his breathe seemed normal. But his body was still extremely tense and all Hyunjin wanted was for the storm to end.

The truth is, Changbin's fear of storms had everything but irrationality in it. When he was around eight years old, during one of his father's business trip, a robber entered their house. It was stormy that day, and Changbin and his sister had to hide in a cabinet of the kitchen while his mother was out there, trying to keep her children safe. Changbin had told him millions of times that all he could hear as soon as thunders started to strike, were the loud rumbles of that storm and the screams of his mother. Until there was nothing more than a perpetual silence that would eat up Changbin's consciousness. Ending with the sirens of the cops in the distance, repeating over and over and over...

So no, Hyunjin didn't like the description of his Astraphobia. It was not irrational. It was a trauma, a completely understandable and horrible trauma.

Changbin fell asleep around an hour and a half after going into Hyunjin's room. But Hyunjin didn't let go of him even then. Even when the sleepiness was about to defeat him too, he made sure that Changbin was sleeping right next to him, with his arms around him.

🌸

"So, you are telling me that you live together, spend almost the fifty percent of your days together, he is bisexual and you are gay, but, you are not together?" Jisung looked at him with a frustrated expression on his face.

After deciding that none of them was really interested in the other, Jisung and Hyunjin had met up a few times in a friendly matter. Finding out that they were actually really compatible if there wasn't romance involved.

"Yeah, exactly," Hyunjin answered directly.

"What world are you living in? Narnia? Are you blind?" Jisung said and snapped two fingers in front of Hyunjin's face, making him frown.

"What do you mean?" Hyunjin asked confusedly.

"Hwang Hyunjin, wake up!" Jisung yelled out of the blue and Hyunjin got startled. "Your eyes basically sparkle when you talk about Changbin!"

Hyunjin didn't digest Jisung's words immediately that day. He actually had to take a long time to think about it to finally understand what his friend meant with this. And when he finally did, his own consciousness screamed. He wasn't sure if it was horror or just fear in its purest state, but it was terrifying.

He found himself thinking about the idea of liking Changbin and realizing that it didn't bother him at all. He realized that thinking about spending a lifetime with Changbin didn't sound like a bad idea, it rather sounded amazing. He became aware of those small aspects of his life with Changbin that didn't quite fit under the term of friends of best friends.

But it still took him time to fully accept that he'd been in love with Seo Changbin all this time, and he never noticed.

He'd been next to Changbin for the longest part of his life, they were childhood best friends. Changbin brought him a sensation of peace and comfort that no person with who Hyunjin had dated could equalize. Not even Jeongin, the most formal boyfriend that Hyunjin had had up to now, could ever get to the place where Changbin was. Being next to Changbin gave him a sense of belongingness, like his heart was sure that it was Changbin's property and it was okay with being his.

And it felt like Changbin was his too.

🌸

"Hyunjin, why do you still have this?" Changbin asked, sticking his head out of Hyunjin's closet and showing him a white t-shirt with the words "I ♡ NY" written in the front.

"I'm not really sure..." Hyunjin giggled.

"This is like three years old," Changbin complained.

"Almost three years, actually," Hyunjin corrected.

Changbin grimaced and threw the t-shirt away. It was an old tourist product that he'd bought when he and Changbin had spent two weeks together in New York. It had been an amazing trip. But by now the shirt was kind of wore out and the colors had faded a little bit.

However, five minutes later Changbin took the t-shirt from where it had landed and walked out of the room with it. Coming back almost a minute after with his pajama pants and the t-shirt on. Since Hyunjin was a lot taller, the t-shirt was really big on Changbin. He looked threateningly adorable.

"I feel like I'm wearing giant's clothing," Changbin shaded.

"I feel like I'm watching a gnome wear my clothes," Hyunjin slapped back and Changbin looked at him with an offended expression, but it changed quickly as he yawned. "Are you tired?" Hyunjin asked immediately.

"Yup. I worked a lot with Chan and now that Jisung joined us, we've got a lot more to do," he yawned again.

Turns out Jisung was studying music and composition too, so Hyunjin decided to play god for a few minutes and introduce Jisung to his two producers friends. They became close so quickly that Hyunjin was surprised and thought that he should try to lead fate more often.

"Do you want to sleep here?" Hyunjin asked cautiously, not wanting to sound too abnormal for Changbin.

"With you?" Hyunjin nodded. "You aren't joking now, right?" Changbin asked again, apparently not believing in Hyunjin's offer.

"Yes, Binnie. With me, together, in my bed. Sleeping," Hyunjin tried to state the obvious, but the only thing he got out of it was a furious blush and a Changbin equally blushed.

"Okay," Changbin said and ran out of the room, probably going to get Gyu. He came back a few seconds after and turned off the lights before walking to Hyunjin's bed.

Hyunjin could see him go up to the bed and move towards the top thanks to the tenuous lightning of the room. Changbin took place next to him, but not touching and hugged Gyu. But Hyunjin wasn't comfortable like that. He moved closer to the older one and grabbed him by the waist, slowly pulling Changbin towards himself. And when their bodies were aligned with each other, Hyunjin hugged him tightly and rested his head right behind Changbin's neck.

"Weeks ago I would have never thought about telling you this, but now it's different," Changbin turned around, facing Hyunjin with his face getting red in embarrassment. "I love you, Seo Changbin. And I belong to you in any way possible," Hyunjin said.

Even with the darkness of the room, Hyunjin could see the blush on Changbin's face and he could feel the heat of his own. Changbin started to stutter and finally just pulled Hyunjin into a hug and buried his face in his chest. Which coming from Changbin was a really good signal.

Hyunjin smiled and closed his eyes, falling asleep with the sensation of Changbin's arms around him comforting him and making him happy when he woke up in the morning and those arms were still rounding him.

🌸

Disclaimer: English is my second language.

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