What did people do when they had to wait for a day to arrive? Usually, they would occupy themselves and the days would feel shorter than they let on. After all, it was normal to be excited, even anxiousness brought a tinge of excitement with all the worries it withheld. But what about Han Hyeongjun? What were his methods in trying to let the days pass without feeling like ripping his skin out?

Today he went to the hardware store. An odd choice because, first, he did not need to go in the first place. He felt a bit rebellious having to lie to Seungmin about needing more screws, yet the truth was, he just couldn't spend another minute in his bed without having to see Seungmin at least once. Second, he was still sick and he foolishly let himself under the sun and had to suffer more than he already was as a consequence. Because he, again, couldn't spend another minute in his bed without having to see Seungmin at least once.

Just to relieve his selfish craving to see Seungmin, he went. Felt curious, relieved, then jealous seeing how close Seungmin was with his friend. But that was not what annoyed Hyeongjun right now; it was that he went to the store only to come back home with a stronger crave to see Seungmin again.

He tossed and turned, all day, all night. He couldn't even tell. He was just thinking of what was going to happen in two days. Where did Seungmin plan to take him next? Oh, how much Hyeongjun never wanted time to run fast, yet it turned out he would learn how to want it to.

—

Day 1: Hyeongjun finally cleaned his room. He fixed it into a nice, homely space where all of the stuff he loved were out of its boxes and ready to help him cope with the loneliness he chose to lock himself into. His electric guitar, his acoustic guitar, his ukulele, his other electric guitar, and his guitar picks. And also a wall clock he forgot the batteries were taken out of and were all in the next room, but was too lazy to fetch for. And a sketchbook.

Did any of them help him pass the day without having to rip his skin out?

Well, yes. Realistically, he would never do such a thing, but the urge was still there. He played, played, and sketched, then played, and laid on his bed, then sketched again. All in the span of three hours that he managed to count even without the clock working its hands.

How could time run so slow now that he was waiting for it to run fast? Just one more wink of a sleep before the day finally comes, but god, what was he supposed to do that was not going to kill him waiting?

When midnight came, he wore his jacket in his usual blues, sneaked out, and sat in front of the store. The town asleep left the little birds to trill. Would that include Hyeongjun? Yes, but he did not chirp along with the birds. Instead he sat in his silence, trying to steer his mind off of things.

He tried not to think about how bored he was—how his guitar skills had gone rusty, how his body felt like it wasn't going to get better. How Seungmin looked so good in white yesterday, his sleeves folded above his elbows baring his forearms. How he wanted to be wrapped up in it. Or wanted his fingers to untangle the mess of Seungmin's brown choppy hair. Or to suffocate in Seungmin's scent reminiscent of the moonlit sea.

Hyeongjun ran his hand down his face, realization hitting him with a brick, "I might have a crush on him," he muttered to himself.

His thoughts were relentless as his patience began to wear down, but at least the moon was there with him tonight, and it felt like Seungmin was, too.

—

Day 2: Today was finally the day, but Hyeongjun woke up a little too early. The sun was just beginning its rise; it had not even been six hours since he slept. But he was filled with excitement. He felt a lot better, too. He could probably help out with the restaurant today.

"Can I help out today?" Hyeongjun was sitting at their dinner table in the other room with his parents, where they ate their breakfast of leftover soup and rice. It was spacious there, some light was spared in, and it did not feel murky like it did in his room.

Hyeongjun's mother looked up, her eyes wide with concern, "Are you feeling better now, honey?"

"Yes."

His parents shared a look, then his father said, "Alright. You can start in the evening."

Hyeongjun pursed his lips, "Can't I do noontime? I've got to be somewhere in the evening." he said.

They shared a look again, "Where are you going?" his father asked.

"Somewhere with Seungmin," His parents already knew about him since he became a regular at the restaurant anyway. "He's taking me somewhere, I'm not sure where, but I doubt it'll be far." Hyeongjun's stomach fluttered at the thought of having to be with Seungmin again.

His mother chimed, "Oh, that sweet little boy?" she sighed, "I've heard about him, but he seems pretty nice."

"He is nice," Hyeongjun noticed the 'but,' but he did not think too much of it. His mind was preoccupied with the excitement and curiosity of where Seungmin was going to take him later.

"Hmm," His father grumbled, "Alright, whatever you wish. Just don't overwork yourself."

So, Hyeongjun did not overwork himself. He stood behind the counter, made sure to keep a relaxed smile and tone, and served the customers being swift on his feet. Seungmin did not come in today, which Hyeongjun half-expected he would. Nevertheless, He was not disappointed, instead, he was thinking of what to put on when he would have to meet Seungmin later.

—

That was how Hyeongjun waited for the days and hours and minutes and seconds of the time to pass. It was only two days, yet it felt so long and so short at the same time. He accumulated his thoughts and all pointed to one, which was—drumroll,—Seungmin.

Hyeongjun honestly believed it was absurd how excited he was feeling, given the fact that he had barely touched the surface of Seungmin's mysteriousness—that did not help either because thinking about it only made Hyeongjun want to dig deeper. The urge to be with him was too suffocating for someone who had just learned how to be impatient. But the absurdity of it all did not bother Hyeongjun at all, his ache to see Seungmin again was the only thing he wanted to relieve.

It was six thirty in the evening, he had gone up to the apartment already after his parents were more than happy to have him clock out before closing hours, which he wished they weren't but was grateful at the same time. Though Seungmin did not specify the time they'd leave, Hyeongjun was already dolled up wearing the clothes he thought he would not have to wear again.

He gazed at the reflection of his own self who wore a printed blue top tucked into a black skirt with mesh fabrics spilling to the floor in irregular waves to mimic the tails of a jellyfish, leaving his thighs bare with leg warmers to combat the cold. He was going to wear a jacket to go with it all, but Seungmin's words replayed in his mind whenever he reached out for it.

I always have a jacket with me.

God, he wished Seungmin never said that. Now the thought of being wrapped in Seungmin's warmth and scent overrode everything in his mind. He blushed, his cheeks hot for the first time in a while.

Everything seemed to go well; his hair was also compliant as it laid nicely half up in a ponytail. His face looked alive as well, which did not really look dead in the first place. Then it hit him, shit, did I overdress? His fingers crumpled at the edges of his skirt, felt the texture of his rub on the tips of his fingers as he started to feel reality crash down on him. He was overdressed. Suddenly, the urge to take everything off washed over him but was interrupted when the door behind him opened, his mother peeking at the crack.

Her eyes widened when she finally saw Hyeongjun, "Sweetheart," She breathed, the door opened wider as she lifted her hand from the knob and to her chest, "Oh, it's so good to see you wear your clothes again."

Hyeongjun stopped wearing his favorite clothes ever since he dropped out of high school. He lost the passion in everything, along with it his identity as well, but today he wanted to feel his utmost self with Seungmin today. He twirled sheepishly in place, "I don't know, is it too much?" he bit his lip nervously.

"No, sweetheart, you look amazing," She stepped closer and loosened Hyeongjun's grip from his skirt, "You look like my son again." she grinned at him and pecked a kiss on his cheek. He could just melt in her arms right there and then.

"But I think I overdid it," The blueness of his shirt felt like he was drowning in it.

His mother hugged him, "Trust me, you look amazing." She held him like that for about a minute or two, before startling the both of them when she suddenly jumped, "Oh! Right, that Seungmin boy is waiting out the back. I came in here to tell you that."

Without another thought, Hyeongjun quickly put on his black boots and rushed out of the room, leaving his mother behind. Before he went downstairs, "I'll be home soon, mom," he said before his feet rappelled down the stairs.

From the kitchen, the restaurant sounded filled with customers. His father was out in the front, and though he was rushing to meet Seungmin, he made his way to the window, "Dad, I'm leaving." He called out to his father who was busy taking orders from a customer.

His father turned, "Alright, be safe Hyeongjun. Call me if anything happens."

"Okay, dad." Hyeongjun grinned, ran back to the backdoor, and opened it to see Seungmin waiting with his motorbike.

Seungmin wore his usual black in a loose shirt, his biceps a bit defined down to his small waist tucked neatly into a belted pair of flared denim pants. The jacket in his arms the same color of his shirt as his helmet was tucked in the same arm.

Hyeongjun was not fond of candy, in fact, he could only have little before his temples would twinge from the sugar rush. But if looking at Seungmin forever meant that he could drink in all of his tastes, then Hyeongjun did not mind the ache.

He stepped closer, careful and light as Seungmin caught his breath when he was now in front of him. He remembered how he felt he was overdressed now that he realized how casual Seungmin looked, "Should I change my clothes?" Hyeongjun mumbled as he bowed his head down.

However, Seungmin's cold hands met Hyeongjun's cheeks to lift his head up until their eyes met, "Don't." His eyes widened upon seeing Seungmin's smile, "Don't change, you look really good." Before the warmth on Hyeongjun's cheeks flowed through Seungmin's hands, he let go, stepping away to let him feel the comfort of the air again.

"Thanks, I mean, you do, too." Hyeongjun's hand unconsciously lifted to where the coldness of Seungmin's hands were imprinted.

"Huh, I guess dressing up paid off." Seungmin's lips pulled into a lopsided smile. He dug into his pockets and pulled out a piece of paper, "I couldn't come in today since I was getting your ticket for the viewdeck."

Hyeongjun took the ticket, puzzled. "Come in, where?"

Seungmin tilted his head to the direction of the apartment building behind Hyeongjun, "The restaurant."

Was he a mindreader? Hyeongjun felt his cheeks flush, remembering how he was a little expectant of Seungmin to come in today. But he did not have to know that. "It's alright," Hyeongjun rubbed the blue fabric covering half his neck to calm himself down, "I didn't work in the afternoon anyway." he added, his hand finally falling to his sides.

Seungmin set his helmet and jacket down, taking the electric blue one from under the bike's seat. Then, he reached out behind Hyeongjun's head, the scent of the sea filling his senses as Seungmin gently pressed his ponytail and slipped the helmet on, his cold fingers brushing lightly against Hyeongjun's chin as he worked the lock. When he was done, he took a step back.

They stood there for a second or two, gazing at each other. Hyeongjun mostly looked at Seungmin's neck where his throat moved, up to his rosy lips that parted and shut infinitesimally. Hyeongjun did not realize he was holding his breath as he watched Seungmin tilt his head closer, but pulled away just as he did, pushing the visor on Hyeongjun's helmet down before he turned his back.

What was that? As Seungmin busied himself wearing his own helmet, Hyeongjun felt his heart on his ears. He shook his head, calm down, calm down...he prayed.

"Come here," Seungmin beckoned him out of his reverie. What he did not know was, Hyeongjun, upon hearing his voice, slipped deeper into his psyche—so much that his feet moved on their own.

Seungmin pulled his jacket over Hyeongjun's shoulders, in which he slipped his arms into the sleeves, dazed out of his imagination that Seungmin might just kiss him right there and then. It was an indulgent thought, and while Seungmin was oblivious to it, Hyeongjun relished with the impending thought that this day could be the last he'd live.

Behind the darkened visor, Seungmin's eyes burned a fire that Hyeongjun wished he could stand in. Or he probably was, as Seungmin slowly zipped up the jacket, the crisp scent of a salt-kissed air wafted through his senses. Hyeongjun wanted to sink into Seungmin, into his neck where he could fill his lungs with the ocean, because it was Seungmin's scent he would voluntarily drown in. He was never fond of the sea, but he began to like it, just how he began to like being in Seungmin's presence.

"You'll be cold on the ride up," Hyeongjun could imagine the smile on Seungmin behind the helmet, "It gets cold up there."

"Are you going to drive fast?"

"No," Seungmin bumped his helmet softly on Hyeongjun's and stayed there, letting him feel the vibrations of his soft whisper, "I don't want to do anything you don't like."

—

The viewdeck was up in the mountains—obviously, it wouldn't have been a proper viewdeck if it was not. But until today, Hyeongjun had never known that the mountains were accessible, both since his parents did not bother to travel around town and that he definitely could not climb it himself. Though, he found out there was a road that zigzagged up to the top, and because Seungmin's driving was so smooth (and slow), the view was already as beautiful as they headed upward.

It was nothing compared to the viewdeck, though. Before they made it to the entrance, there was a parking space just a level below the viewdeck, so they trekked up to the top and surprisingly, it was an easy task for Hyeongjun. He got to enjoy the view of the landscape on the way up without having to chase after his breath.

The chilly winds breezed past them upon arriving at the entrance, where string lights shone like stars against the night sky. The place consisted of wood and glass structures compliant with the tall sedimentary rocks flanking the area. A restaurant was situated on the rightmost side where people could dine in or outside, but the view of the town was visible either way. Hyeongjun could not see much on the left side from the entrance as a huge rock blocked the sight with a signage that glowed, 'Viewdeck for Everything Nice.'

Hyeongjun shivered out of sheer amazement, "Wow, this is a beautiful place." he hugged himself with Seungmin's leather jacket still on.

"You'd fit pretty well here." Seungmin smiled at him as he held his hand out. Hyeongjun's heart skipped a beat, his hand hesitating as it lifted an inch before, "Your ticket?"

Oh. Flustered, Hyeongjun pursed his lips and dug into the pockets of his skirt, "Uh...here," his cheeks felt hot as he avoided Seungmin's eyes, which thankfully, he succeeded in doing so.

"Let's go, the others are waiting for us." Seungmin walked on ahead and Hyeongjun followed behind, his ears heating up while he rubbed his fingers together, relieving the itch that had just come up. Hyeongjun felt embarrassed for being so expectant today, from waiting on Seungmin's arrival at the restaurant to waiting his fingers to meet his own. Hyeongjun bit his lip down in attempt to keep himself grounded; he was getting a little too giddy.

"Are you feeling cold?" Seungmin asked as they walked deeper into the deck, heading to the restaurant.

Hyeongjun shook his head, "No, it's just so nice up here."

"It is," Seungmin sighed, "The food's great here, too. It makes the trek worthwhile since you can't find any of this stuff down town."

Hyeongjun playfully raised a brow, "Must be good, then."

"I promise that was not a jab at your noodles."

"I was just kidding."

As Seungmin held the door to the restaurant, the ambience filled Hyeongjun with warmth as hanging lights in the same amber color of the ones outside illuminated the place. He wasn't familiar with the feeling of being in a crowded place anymore since it had been a while, but it was still spacious with so many tables filled with cheers and laughter. There was also a bar on the left right side that made the place even more lively than it already was.

Moving deeper into the restaurant, Seungmin led Hyeongjun to a table by the window where his friends sat, all having a happy look which turned into surprise upon making eye contact with him.

"Holy crap, you actually brought him with you!" The blonde one—if Hyeongjun remembered correctly, Jiseok—jumped from his seat.

"Of course I did. It's the viewdeck," Seungmin turned to Hyeongjun with a grin. His heart fluttered ever so slightly at the sight, relishing in the selfish indulgence of Seungmin's smile being only his. Even for just a split second.

Jiseok moved out of the table, revealing his outfit of a denim skirt under a moss green sweatshirt with three dogs stacked on each other printed with the word "CORGY." Hyeongjun found it oddly cute, just not so much when Jiseok suddenly took his hands, "Hi, I'm Jiseok. Kwak Jiseok. The town's favorite blunt rotation, but most loyal to his boyfriend." Hyeongjun stared at the glowing hand within his pale ones, "Come, come, sit. We ordered drinks. Do you drink?"

"Uh, I can drink, I think." Hyeongjun responded, turning his gaze to Seungmin for help as Jiseok dragged him into a seat. He was now sandwiched in between Jiseok and another guy in the same moss green sweatshirt; a matching one.

"That's good. We're gonna get wasted tonight, right?" Jiseok's large eyes turned into crescents as he smiled cheekily at Hyeongjun, who couldn't respond to what he said. He wasn't really fond of alcohol, but one good thing was he wasn't a lightweight either. He found out about that during a summer party in high school before he dropped out.

The guy next to him spoke, "No one's getting wasted tonight. I'll have to go back on duty and no one's going to take your ass home." Hyeongjun felt awkward with the sudden language choice as he turned to the guy. He bore the same hair as Seungmin's, just a little darker, neater, and longer. "I'm Kim Jungsu, Jiseok's boyfriend."

"Oh, hello," Hyeongjun mumbled as he bowed his head.

He felt a sudden weight on his shoulders, "You don't have to take me home because Hyeongjun and I don't plan on going home tonight." He was overwhelmed with the sudden contact of Jiseok's cheek rubbing against his. He did not know how to react, so he froze.

"Jiseok, you're making him uncomfortable." The guy from the opposite side of the seat said. Hyeongjun remembered him; the gloomy guy with Jiseok who did not look so gloomy now. He wore a brown leather jacket that was complementary to his sharp features, along with his hair that fell into perfect waves, framing his face just perfectly.

"Am I?" Jiseok dropped his arms on Hyeongjun as he pulled away, the latter finally being able to breathe. "I'm sorry. I get really excited whenever Seungmin brings his boyfriend—"

"Okay, shut up." Seungmin took his seat in front of them as he shot a glare at Jiseok, who giggled at his reaction. His eyes softened when it landed on Hyeongjun, "Sorry Hyeongjun, he's a little touchy, isn't he?"

The smile on Seungmin's face was enough to make Hyeongjun feel ill at ease. He shook his head, "It's alright." and it was, because Seungmin was here to keep him grounded.

"Oh wow," Jungsu mumbled, amazement laced in his voice, "I totally see it."

"I told you! I saw it at the hardware store." Jiseok threw his head back with a laugh, "Oh god, Seungmin, you're so obvious it's funny."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Seungmin furrowed his brows. Hyeongjun resisted the urge to smile when he saw the slightest pout on Seungmin's lips. Oh, how cute it was. He was so distracted by Seungmin that the conversation around him blurred.

The other guy beside Seungmin said, "Don't worry about it, really, just keep it up. You might defy the laws of fate the more you guys do it." he snickered.

Seungmin fell back on his seat, letting out an exasperated breath, "Can you guys stop being vague?"

Hyeongjun turned to Jiseok only to see his lips trembling as he held his laugh. "Geez," He coughed out before turning to Hyeongjun, "Do you like Seungmin? He's nice, he's just a little dense."

"Jiseok—"

The guy beside Seungmin held his hand out to stop him from standing, "Wait, stop, I wanna know too." He had an expectant look on his face as he stared at Hyeongjun, and it felt like they were all boring holes in him. Weirdly enough, he also felt Seungmin staring.

"Uh," His eyes flickered from Jiseok, Jungsu, the other guy, then to Seungmin, where he held his gaze there and swallowed the lump in his throat. He wasn't actually sure of what he felt about Seungmin, but one thing he knew was, "I...well, he makes me feel comfortable."

The table went silent. Awfully silent at that, like an anchor crashed down on the table and shattered it into pieces. But that was what Hyeongjun truly felt about Seungmin; the first thing that came to mind was comfort.

Suddenly, Jiseok bursted out laughing again as Seungmin sighed before sitting back down, "Wow! Wow, so good. That was amazing, Hyeongjun." He wiped the corner of his eye as he attempted to stifle his laughter, "Ah, here I thought you liked him back. What a shame." He melted back on his seat with a sigh.

"Like him back? Seriously, Jiseok?" Seungmin growled.

"What? It's not like you don't like Hyeongjun."

Jungsu joined in, "True, it's nothing to be ashamed of." he said.

They continued talking as Hyeongjun fell quiet with the thought of Seungmin liking him. It was absurd, but he couldn't deny how much joy it brought him. He was never the type to conform himself into a likeable person just for the sake of being liked, but if it was for Seungmin, he wouldn't mind. He wanted to be liked by Seungmin.

Without a thought, his lips blurted out the words deep in his mind, "I like him," and if that wasn't enough, "I like Seungmin."

A pause. A silence. The restaurant had most of their tables filled, something Hyeongjun witnessed in their restaurant back down, and although the chatter and glasses clinking were something he barely heard, he was glad it filled his ears when he finally felt the heat creeping down from his spine and up to his nape, his fingers itching to rub it off but he did not move. He just realized what he said; a confession that was obviously uncalled for. Maybe he should leave. He knew the way back down, he wouldn't mind having to heave his lungs out if he had to, he just had to get out of here as fast as he could. What the hell was he thinking? Jiseok was probably gonna burst out laughing again, or worse, Seungmin. Yeah, Seungmin would definitely laugh at him. Laugh at him for thinking that they could be more than just friends—

"Here's the drinks," A waitress set down five glasses on the edge of the table, "Enjoy." She bowed before she left.

Then, the silence came back. But Hyeongjun's raging thoughts had died down. He was present and he wasn't at the same time, until Jiseok coughed awkwardly, "Well...let's get wasted?"

Hyeongjun wanted nothing more than that. So, he grabbed the margarita on the side of the table, aware that they all had their eyes on him, and drank the whole thing down to the dregs as he felt the awful burn with every trickle of the alcohol passing through his throat. He grimaced, wiped the excess off his lips, and slowly set the emptied glass down in front of him and said, "Let's get wasted."