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“I’ll have Set A with iced lemon tea and Set D with coke — extra rice and no tomatoes for Set D, please.” Eunwoo orders without even looking at the menu. He can probably recite the entire menu in his sleep if he tries — that’s how often they eat here.
“The usual, then.” The waiter nods, tapping the order onto his iPad before turning his attention to Myungjun who’s being unusually shy and flustered, pink in the cheeks. “What about you? The usual also?”
Myungjun just nods jerkily in response.
Eunwoo resists the urge to face palm. They had even come up with a plan this time, rehearsing and role playing before they entered the restaurant. Myungjun was supposed to make small talk with the waiter, flirt a little bit, drop a few hints here and there, but just like last time and all the times before that, Myungjun was completely tongue tied in front of the waiter.
“Okay, I’ll be back shortly with your orders.” The waiter flashes a polite smile before walking away from their table.
Myungjun’s gaze trails longingly after him.
“Hyung, that was such a fail...” Eunwoo shakes his head in disappointment. At this rate, pigs will fly before Myungjun can muster up the courage to ask the waiter out on a date.
Myungjun drops his face in his hands, “I don’t even know what happened,” He groans, muffled. “My mind just went totally blank.”
“We had a plan...” Eunwoo complains.
“I know, I know,” Myungjun lifts his head, running a frustrated hand through his hair and messing it up in the process. “Honestly, I thought I had it this time. I was going through the plan in my head, I knew what to say but then he came over and he looks extra cute today and — I don’t even know, I just blanked out!”
Eunwoo sighs exasperatedly.
“I’ll do better next time! I promise!”
“That’s what you said last time, hyung! And the hundred times before that! I swear, if I have to eat here one more time just so you can make heart eyes at your crush the whole time and not ask him out, I might just lose my mind!”
“Stop being such a drama queen, Eunwoo!” Myungjun kicks him under the table. “And don’t talk so loud — his coworkers might hear you!”
Eunwoo kicks him back in retaliation which results in Myungjun kicking him again, followed by more kicks after that because they tend to bring out the childish side in each other. It keeps going until they feel the judgemental stares of the girls seated at the table beside them. Myungjun stares back at them sassily while Eunwoo straightens up in his seat, chewing on his bottom lip in embarrassment.
Finally, Myungjun crosses his arms and leans back against the booth. “What’s taking Bin so long? Tell him I’m starting without him if he’s not here by the time the food comes.”
Eunwoo picks up his phone and checks the new message, “He’s on his way — practice ended later than usual.” Eunwoo passes on Myungjun’s threat to Bin, grinning in amusement when Bin quickly replies with a few threats of his own. “He says that if you start without him, he’ll tell the waiter that you have a giant crush on him.”
“That brat!” Myungjun gasps.
Eunwoo’s grin widens, his fingers flying across the screen of his phone, “Oh, I’m telling Bin you called him a brat.”
Myungjun quickly grabs the phone out of Eunwoo’s hands, panic clear on his face, “Don’t be such a snitch! You know he’s strong enough to toss me across the room without breaking a sweat! Are you trying to get me killed?”
Eunwoo rolls his eyes, “Binnie is harmless.” He flaps his hand at Myungjun dismissively.
“Yeah, only to you!” Myungjun says pointedly. “The rest of us aren’t safe from those giant muscles of his. Seriously, can you tell him to stop working out so much? It’s intimidating as hell — don’t tell him that I said that.”
Eunwoo thinks it’s kind of hilarious how people are intimidated by Bin — the boy who drinks chocolate milk every morning, who gets all sulky and pouty whenever Roa doesn’t want to play with him, who falls asleep listening to the MapleStory soundtrack on loop. Then again, most people don’t know Bin the same way Eunwoo does.
His phone vibrates in Myungjun’s hands, who glances down at the new message, “Bin says he just reached the mall — on his way up now.” He slides the phone back to Eunwoo just as the waiter returns to their table with their food balanced on a tray.
Immediately, Myungjun goes all stiff and weird as the waiter leans over and places their food on the table.
“Enjoy your meal.” The waiter smiles, clutching the empty tray under his arm. Eunwoo doesn’t miss the way that the waiter’s gaze lingers on Myungjun a little longer than necessary. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
Eunwoo kicks at Myungjun’s shin and clears his throat pointedly, tilting his head in the waiter’s direction in what he hopes is a subtle manner.
This is the perfect opportunity for him to say something.
The waiter — Jinwoo, as stated on his name tag — looks at Myungjun expectantly. Myungjun looks like a deer caught in headlights, eyes wide and jaw slack until Eunwoo finally decides to take pity on him.
“We will. Thank you!” Eunwoo smiles politely.
The waiter nods and then walks away, shoulders slumping slightly like he’s disappointed. Only then does Myungjun seem to start breathing again, his whole body relaxing as he sprawls back into the booth.
“Another missed opportunity.” Eunwoo sighs, not even trying to hide his disappointment. “Why didn’t you say something? He was waiting for you to say something! And he kept looking at you too!”
“Just shut up and eat.” Myungjun flaps his hand at him. Then, his gaze focuses on something behind Eunwoo. “Oh, Bin is here. Geez, what happened to him?”
Eunwoo cranes his neck back, watching as Bin makes his way towards them with a slight limp in his step. He looks fresh like he just showered after practice, dressed in his usual navy and red Nike windbreaker and matching shorts, backpack on his shoulders, glasses on his face.
“What happened to you?” Eunwoo asks, standing up so that Bin can slip into the booth beside him since Bin always prefers sitting on the inside.
“Fell.” Bin shrugs nonchalantly, already picking up his spoon and chopsticks. “Man, I’m starving like mad. I haven’t had anything since lunch and coach made us run extra rounds today.” He shovels a spoonful of rice and pork into his mouth.
“Are you hurt?” Eunwoo asks, eyebrows furrowed in concern as he runs his gaze fleetingly over Bin’s body, assessing him for any injuries.
“Just some cuts on my knees. I already went to the nurse’s office but it still stings a little when I walk, that’s all.”
Eunwoo frowns but lets it go for now since Bin seems fine. He picks up his own utensils, taking a sip of his steaming hot soybean paste stew.
“You’re such a klutz, Bin.” Myungjun mocks.
“At least I’m not a coward like you.” Bin retorts. “I heard you chickened out of talking to that waiter guy again. You should just go for it, hyung. What’s the worst that can happen?”
“What’s the worst —” Myungjun gasps, gesturing with his chopsticks. “I’ll tell you what’s the worst that can happen! He could reject me and then I’ll be too humiliated and heartbroken to ever show my face here again! Then we’ll need to find another place to eat at which would suck because I really like this place.”
“Sounds to me like the only thing holding you back is the fear of rejection.” Bin says wisely. Eunwoo hums and nods in agreement. “You shouldn’t let that stop you from going after what you want in life. You know that quote — You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take? I learnt that from my coach.”
Myungjun scoffs, “That’s so easy for you to say — you’ve never been rejected before.”
“Yes, I have!” Bin insists. “Eunwoo kept rejecting me when we were in kindergarten, no matter how hard I tried to be his friend. It was very hurtful.” Bin throws an accusing glare at Eunwoo, though it is softened by the adorable pout on his face.
“That’s because you kept following me around and being mean to all of my friends. You even threw a toy car at Doyeon’s head, remember?”
“Yeah, but only because she kissed you in front of the whole class! On the lips!” Bin whines, getting worked up even after all this time. “She stole your first kiss. Obviously I was pissed — I wanted to be your first kiss.”
Eunwoo bursts out laughing, thinking back fondly.
Bin had been put in time out for the whole day because he simply refused to apologise to Doyeon no matter how much the teacher scolded him. Bin had sat alone in the corner, facing the wall with his arms crossed over his chest stubbornly, his lower lip wobbling when he thought no one was paying attention to him. That day, Eunwoo could not pay attention to anything else but Bin. It was the first time he really noticed Bin.
Myungjun raises an eyebrow, “So how did you two end up together?”
“Bin was persistent — really persistent.” Eunwoo says, nudging Bin’s side with his elbow and giving him a knowing look.
Bin rolls his eyes, putting a piece of potato in his mouth. “Aren’t you glad I was?” He asks with his mouth full. “If I wasn’t so persistent, you would probably be stuck with Doyeon now.”
“Hmm, that might not be so bad.” Eunwoo shrugs nonchalantly, putting on a considering look on his face. “You know, Doyeon’s really pretty now.” He bites his lip and tries not to laugh when Bin stiffens beside him, looking at him with a mix of disbelief and betrayal.
“What?” Bin says flatly. “How do you know that she’s really pretty now? Have you seen her?” Bin peers at him suspiciously.
“She followed me on Instagram recently.”
“And did you follow her back?” Bin asks, placing a hand on Eunwoo’s thigh. Myungjun’s amused gaze flickers between the both of them, sipping on his soup quietly and enjoying the tensed exchange.
Eunwoo takes a long sip of his drink, purposely stalling so that he can enjoy teasing Bin for a little bit longer. It’s cute — the tiny crinkle that appears between Bin’s eyebrows and the way his bottom lip sticks out in a pout. When he finally sets his drink down, Bin raises his eyebrows expectantly, still waiting for an answer.
“Of course I didn’t follow her back. Yah — What kind of boyfriend do you think I am?” Eunwoo scoffs, pretending to be offended. Bin lets out a sigh of relief, his hand sliding off Eunwoo’s thigh. Eunwoo quickly snatches Bin’s hand and holds it firmly. “I’m perfectly happy being stuck with you. There’s no one else I’d rather be stuck with. You know that, right?”
“Ugh, stop making me cringe.” Myungjun holds up a hand, his face scrunched up in disgust. “Also, stop rubbing your cute and annoying relationship in my face. Not everyone is lucky enough to be in a relationship since kindergarten, you know...”
“Ew, we were not dating since kindergarten. That would be gross.” Bin says, shaking his head. Then he grins mischievously at Eunwoo, “We only started dating in my first year of high school cause that’s when Minhyuk’s family moved in next door to me and Eunwoo got jealous cause I kept hanging out with Minhyuk instead of him. See? I’m not the only jealous one.”
Eunwoo just rolls his eyes and goes back to eating his food, not bothering to deny any of it because it’s true. When they were just kids, it was always Bin who chased after Eunwoo, always trying to get his attention. So when Minhyuk suddenly appeared and Bin started spending less time with Eunwoo and more time with Minhyuk, Eunwoo didn’t like it at all. He’ll admit that he doesn’t like to share Bin with anyone else.
“So what you’re saying is that I should try to make Jinwoo jealous?” Myungjun hums thoughtfully, and steeples his fingers under his chin.
“What? No!” Bin sputters. Then he pauses and tilts his head to the side like he’s reconsidering. “Wait, actually that might just work? I can help you with that. I’ll make a very good pretend boyfriend. Right, Nunu?”
Eunwoo shakes his head resolutely, “No, Binnie.” He is not okay with the idea of Bin being anyone else’s boyfriend, even if it’s just pretend. That’s just not going to happen.
Bin and Myungjun share a disappointed sigh. Before Eunwoo can talk some sense into them, his phone vibrates against the table. Eunwoo picks it up and sees a message from one of his classmates asking for help with their criminal law assignment that is due next week. While Bin and Myungjun chatter on about the best way to ask the waiter out, Eunwoo tunes them out in favour of reading over the case study sent by his classmate.
Ten minutes later, he’s still so absorbed in the case study that it takes him a while to notice that Bin’s curious face is hovering right next to his.
“Who do you keep texting?” Bin asks, squinting down at Eunwoo’s phone.
“Doyeon.” Eunwoo says without thinking, a smirk on his face. Apparently, he’s not done teasing Bin yet but how can he resist when Bin wrinkles up his nose so cutely when he’s annoyed?
“Fine.” Bin huffs. Then, to Eunwoo’s surprise, Bin stands up and attempts to leave, sliding between Eunwoo and the table. Oh, crap! Eunwoo quickly holds out his arm, blocking Bin’s way and trapping him in the booth.
“I’m kidding! It’s just my classmate — he’s asking about an assignment!” Eunwoo explains hurriedly, eyes wide when Bin doesn’t seem to be appeased at all by his explanation. Eunwoo wraps his arms around Bin’s waist and tugs him down so that he’s sitting on Eunwoo’s lap. “I’m sorry. Really — I was just kidding.”
“It’s not even funny.” Bin mutters, sulking.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” Eunwoo says soothingly. He rests his chin on Bin’s shoulder and tightens his hold around Bin’s waist in apology. Bin is usually so easygoing that Eunwoo sometimes forgets that he can be sensitive at times.
“Whatever. Could you let me up now?” Bin huffs in annoyance, trying — and failing — to free himself from Eunwoo’s grasp. “I really need to go to the bathroom urgently and you squeezing my bladder is really not helping.”
Eunwoo hums, “That depends. Are you still mad at me?”
After a second, Bin shakes his head in response so Eunwoo loosens his grip, finally letting Bin slide out of the booth to go to the bathroom.
The girls at the table beside them keep glancing at them again, giggling shyly and whispering to one another with pink cheeks. Eunwoo pretends not to notice, used to the attention he often gets whenever he shows any affection towards Bin in public, while Myungjun just rolls his eyes at them.
“Sometimes, I really have no idea how Bin puts up with you.” Myungjun says frankly, finishing up his drink and sucking on the straw noisily. Then, his eyes go wide with alarm and he straightens up in his seat abruptly. “Oh my God! Bin is talking to him! Why is he talking to him? That sneaky little —”
Eunwoo cranes his neck back curiously and sure enough, Bin is talking to the waiter near the front of the restaurant.
“You’re going to have to find a new boyfriend soon because I am going to strangle Bin the moment he comes back! Oh my god — He’s looking at me! Is he coming over? He is, isn’t he? Oh my god! I can’t do this!” Myungjun squeaks, hiding his face in his hands and shrinking back into the booth like he’s trying to disappear.
Eunwoo watches as Jinwoo comes over, a shy and slightly nervous smile on his face directed towards Myungjun.
“Hey.” Jinwoo says.
All of a sudden, Eunwoo feels like a third wheel. He should probably give them some privacy, let them have their moment.
“I’m just, uh, going to settle the bill.” Eunwoo says, quickly excusing himself. Myungjun looks at him in panic as he slides out of the booth. Eunwoo gives him a subtle wink and thumbs up behind Jinwoo’s back before making his way to the cashier near the front of the restaurant, pulling out his wallet.
He’s waiting for the cashier to return his credit card and receipt when Bin comes up to him with a grin on his face, looking very proud of himself. Eunwoo shakes his head fondly.
“Just a heads up, Myungjun is probably going to strangle you later.”
Bin shrugs, “I’m not scared. I can totally take him.” He waggles his eyebrows and then sneakily takes a few mints from the bowl on the counter, tucking them into the pocket of his windbreaker. “Besides, he should be thanking me. I did him a favour.”
They both glance back at the table curiously when they hear Myungjun’s easily recognisable laughter, high pitched and loud. Jinwoo’s still standing there, talking animatedly with his hands, eyes curved into little crescents. They both have matching smiles on their faces.
“You know, I can see why Myungjun likes him. He’s kind of cute.” Bin admits. Eunwoo turns to look at him, a hint of jealousy about to reach the surface until Bin continues, “Like a mouse, sort of...”
Eunwoo snorts in amusement, nudging Bin in the shoulder playfully. Bin stumbles back with a slight wince and Eunwoo follows his gaze down until he notices the skin-coloured bandages on his knees, a patch of dried blood visible under the surface.
“That looks painful.” Eunwoo wrinkles his nose.
“It’s not that bad.” Bin shrugs. “But you do have to be extra nice to me though, since I’m hurt and all. I think you should treat me to a movie and maybe we could also get some ice cream after that?” He pleads, clasping his hands against his chest and batting his eyes hopefully as though Eunwoo could ever deny him anything.
“Whatever you want, Binnie.”
By the time they get back to their table, Jinwoo is nowhere to be seen and Myungjun looks like he’s floating on cloud nine, eyes glazed with a dreamy smile on his face.
“So?” Bin prompts. “What happened? Are you two dating now? Should I be expecting a thank you gift basket on my doorstep anytime soon?”
“Jinwoo went to get his things. He’s on his dinner break now and we’re going to hang out for a while, get to know one another and stuff — like a date!” Myungjun squeaks excitedly.
Eunwoo beams, reaching out to clap Myungjun on the shoulder, “I’m happy for you, hyung! And also happy for myself because this means that we can finally stop eating here all the time, right?”
Myungjun just shakes his head, “Nope! If we start dating, I’ll want to see him as much as possible so of course we’ll have to eat here all the time.”
Eunwoo groans, filled with dread at the thought of it. He just knows that Myungjun is going to be even more intolerable once he’s in love.
“Can you not look as though I just dashed all of your hopes and dreams, Eunwoo? You’re my wingman! I need you with me!”
Bin tilts his head to the side, “Hyung, shouldn’t I be your wingman instead? Since I’m the one that actually made it happen.”
Myungjun smiles at him threateningly, “Bin, half of me wants to hit you but the other half of me wants to hug you. I’m way too excited right now to think clearly but once I’m back to my normal self again, you’re dead meat.”
Bin pouts like a sad puppy.
Thankfully, Jinwoo chooses that moment to return. He properly introduces himself to Eunwoo and Bin and they make a bit of small talk. It doesn’t take long before Bin starts spilling embarrassing stories about Myungjun who looks as though he’s trying to strangle Bin with just his mind and sheer willpower.
Eunwoo laughs nervously, “Alright, guys. Bin and I are thinking of watching a movie so we’ll leave you to your date, then?” They shuffle out of the booth and Eunwoo grabs Bin’s backpack, slinging it onto his shoulder and ignoring Bin’s protests.
“Nice meeting you, Jinwoo! Let’s hang out again!” Bin smiles, waving enthusiastically as Eunwoo drags him out of the restaurant by his other hand. “Enjoy your date!”
They head for the escalators, Eunwoo getting on behind Bin and gently nudging him to one side so that the people behind can walk up past them. The mall is crowded, even for a Friday night.
Bin turns to him, “You don’t have to carry my bag, you know. It’s my knees that are hurt, not my arms so I can carry my own bag.”
“Didn’t you tell me to be extra nice to you? This is me being extra nice.” Eunwoo grins, grabbing onto the sleeve of Bin’s windbreaker as they reach the floor above, pulling him towards the sweet scent of popcorn wafting from the cinema. “Look, Bin! They’re showing the new Minions movie! I didn’t know it was already out.”
“We’re not watching that.” Bin says firmly, crossing his arms and squinting at the list of movie titles on the tv screen above the counters while they wait in line to get their tickets.
Eunwoo’s about to start pleading with sad puppy eyes when someone calls out to them from behind.
“Bin-hyung?”
They turn around to see Sanha waving cheerfully at them from the back of the line with Minhyuk beside him looking bored as usual. Eunwoo and Bin wave back and Sanha takes that as an invitation to walk over to them, leaving Minhyuk to hold their place in the line.
“Bin-hyung, I thought you said that you were going home right after practice?” Sanha asks, sounding a little bit accusing. “What are you doing here? You took a pretty bad fall on that hurdle. Coach asked you to go home and rest.”
Eunwoo raises an eyebrow at that, fixing Bin with a disapproving gaze. Sanha glances at Eunwoo for a moment and then copies his expression, trying his best to look disapproving despite his well known fear of Bin.
“Can you guys stop ganging up on me?” Bin huffs in annoyance. “I just want to spend some time with my boyfriend. Is that such a crime?”
Eunwoo softens a little, knowing that they haven’t been able to spend as much time together as they usually do because Eunwoo just started university and Bin is in his senior year of high school, training for the inter school track and field competition and preparing for the CSAT at the end of the year.
“It’s not a crime — trust me, I’m a law student.” He says, knowing it will annoy Bin because he’s said it so many times since he first received his university acceptance letter months ago but Eunwoo never gets tired of saying it. “Even if it was a crime, I’ll let you get away with it since you just admitted that you missed me.” He grins smugly.
“I did not.”
Eunwoo just gives him a knowing look, raising an eyebrow silently while Bin stuffs his hands into the pockets of his windbreaker, shuffling awkwardly on his feet.
“Hyung, your cheeks are turning red.” Sanha gasps, staring at Bin in fascination as though he is seeing a completely new side of Bin. He lifts one finger to poke Bin’s cheek.
Bin smacks Sanha’s hand away before it can even make contact, scowling, “Seriously, you’re both so annoying. I’m going to queue for the snacks with Min. The two of you can stay here and be annoying together.”
“Wait! What do you want to watch?” Eunwoo calls out at Bin’s retreating back.
“Minions!” Bin calls over his shoulder, rolling his eyes exasperatedly as he saunters over to Minhyuk and pulls him out of the queue, dragging him over to the snack counters instead.
“Same as us!” Sanha beams, eyes lit up excitedly. “Let’s all sit together! Hyung, get the centre seats, okay?”
Ten minutes later, Eunwoo and Sanha are giggling as they take photos with the Minions cardboard poster near the entrance while they wait for Bin and Minhyuk.
“No, Eunwoo-hyung — copy Kevin’s pose! Don’t smile! You have to look more bored — like you are so done with everything!” Sanha instructs, bending his knees so that he can get a better angle as he snaps the picture.
When Bin and Minhyuk finally spot them, Minhyuk says dryly, “I don’t know them.”
“Neither do I.” Bin says, looking embarrassed but also unsurprised. It’s not like Eunwoo keeps his minion obsession a secret.
“Bin-hyung! Go stand over there!” Sanha orders, shoving him towards Eunwoo, causing him to trip a little. Eunwoo quickly catches Bin and steadies him with an arm around his waist.
“Yah — You almost made me drop the popcorn!” Bin scolds, readjusting the large popcorn box and soda in his arms.
Sanha squeaks out an apology and then proceeds to take way too many photos of them until Minhyuk finally reminds them that the movie is going to start soon.
While they’re sitting in the cinema — centre seats, as per Sanha’s request — Bin scrolls through the photos on Eunwoo’s phone while they wait for the previews to start. Eunwoo glances over when Bin taps him on the arm to get his attention.
“You should post this on your Instagram.” Bin says quietly, showing him a photo of the both of them in front of the Minions cardboard poster. Bin’s looking at the camera with his signature toothy grin and Eunwoo’s looking at him with an endearing smile.
“Why?”
“Just because.” Bin shrugs, staring intently down at the phone instead of meeting Eunwoo’s amused gaze.
Eunwoo looks at him for a second longer and then plucks the phone out of his hands, tapping on the Instagram app. He picks four of the cutest photos of the two of them and even puts a heart emoji for the caption. His friends and classmates might just make fun of him for being all cheesy and lame but whatever — as long it makes Bin happy, it’s a small price to pay. He tags Bin in one of the photos and then clicks on share.
“Happy?” Eunwoo asks.
Bin nods with a satisfied little grin on his face, eyes curved into shiny crescents behind his glasses. Without a thought, Eunwoo leans in and plants a big, wet smooch on his cheek, unable to help himself. He pulls back and snorts when Bin scrunches up his face in mock disgust and wipes the saliva off his cheek with the sleeve of his windbreaker.
“Gross!” Sanha whisper-yells from the other side of Bin, frowning at them disapprovingly. “For the sake of my pure, innocent eyes, please keep the PDA to a minimum.”
Bin rolls his eyes, grabs a handful of popcorn and stuffs it down the front of Sanha’s shirt. Sanha lets out a startled yelp, squirming in his seat as he tries to get all the popcorn out while Bin just sits back with a smug smirk on his lips as the lights go dark and the previews start playing on the screen.
Sanha whines at Minhyuk to switch seats with him because he’s too scared of Bin and claims that he won’t be able to enjoy the movie peacefully if Bin is sitting next to him but Minhyuk simply ignores him and tells him to deal with it.
Sanha sulks for a while until Eunwoo leans over and reassures him that he’ll make sure Bin leaves him alone throughout the movie. A look of relief washes over Sanha’s face but it is quickly wiped away when Bin lifts his fist and cracks his knuckles with a threatening smile.
Eunwoo tugs Bin towards him and whispers, “Stop scaring the poor kid.”
“It’s called character-building. I’m just helping him toughen up.” Bin whispers back. All Eunwoo can do is shake his head exasperatedly.
Finally, the movie starts and Eunwoo is entertained by the bright colours and cute little characters on screen. Halfway through the movie, Bin’s head falls onto his shoulder but Eunwoo doesn’t mind it at all because his eyes are welling up with tears at an unexpectedly touching scene and Bin would surely tease him if he weren’t fast asleep, mouth opened and drooling on Eunwoo’s sweater.
Bin wakes up just as the credits roll and the lights come on, stretching his neck and blinking blearily around him, “Good movie, huh?”
“You slept through half of it.” Eunwoo replies dryly.
Before Bin can deny it, Eunwoo points to the small wet patch that is clearly visible on his blue sweater. Bin stares at it dubiously for a moment before he shrugs, reaching for the popcorn box on Eunwoo’s lap and munching on the leftovers as they make their way out of the cinema.
Eunwoo pulls out his phone to check the time and grins when he sees thirty four new messages from Myungjun. As expected, most of the messages are just Myungjun gushing on and on about Jinwoo — how handsome he looks when he smiles, how nice his laugh sounds, how he has the cutest little mole under his lips.
“Good news — Myungjun says they’re going out on a second date tomorrow. He’s already picking out his outfit at home.” Eunwoo tells Bin, handing him his phone when Bin makes grabby hands at it.
Bin scrolls through the messages quickly, snorting when he sees the overuse of exclamation marks and heart eyes emojis. Then he looks closely at the selfies Myungjun sent of himself standing in front of the mirror, trying on different outfits and poses.
Eunwoo takes the phone away from Bin before he can start giving Myungjun his inputs.
No offence but Bin is the last person who should be giving fashion advice to anyone. Eunwoo will admit that despite Bin’s terrible fashion sense, he makes up for it by being so effortlessly handsome and somehow manages to look good in just about anything — even sandals with socks.
“Can we go for ice cream now?” Bin asks, tugging on Eunwoo’s arm impatiently while he’s typing out a response to Myungjun.
“Aren’t you tired though? Maybe we should head home so you can get some rest. It’s already late.” Eunwoo suggests instead.
Bin shakes his head stubbornly.
“You keep yawning, you can barely keep your eyes open and you’ve been dragging your feet around and looking like you might pass out any second.” Eunwoo tries to argue.
“That’s because I haven’t had ice cream. If I had ice cream, I’d be more awake.” Bin explains like it’s the most obvious and logical thing in the world, as though that makes any sense.
“I’ll get you ice cream tomorrow, okay?”
“Now.” Bin demands, eyes narrowed challengingly at Eunwoo as though daring him to disagree. For a moment, Eunwoo thinks about disagreeing just for the sake of it — just to show him who’s boss even though they both know Bin has Eunwoo wrapped around his little finger.
Eunwoo is also tempted to point out that Bin just proved his point because he only gets all bossy and demanding when it’s past his bedtime. But he is staying over at Bin’s place later since his family is out of town visiting relatives over the weekend. They’ll have the house all to themselves and it’ll be a waste if Bin is in a bad mood over something so trivial like ice cream.
Besides, Eunwoo loves ice cream so...
“Fine.” Eunwoo concedes, flicking Bin on the nose softly. “That’s for being bossy.” Then he calls out to Sanha and Minhyuk who are strolling leisurely ahead of them. “Guys, we’re going to Baskin Robbins! Want to join us?”
Sanha looks up from his phone with a pout, “I can’t — my brother just ended work. He’s already on his way here to pick me up.”
Of course, Minhyuk joins them since they’re going home together later. They each get a waffle sundae and sit down at a corner table.
Bin proudly recounts the story of how he set Myungjun and Jinwoo up while Eunwoo nods along, chiming in here and there. He’s mainly just focused on his sundae because it tastes so good. He eyes Bin’s scoop of chocolate mousse royale and wonders if he can steal some without getting caught.
“What about you, Min?” Bin finally asks, gesturing at Minhyuk with his plastic spoon from across the table. “You like Sanha, right?”
Minhyuk promptly chokes on his sundae, his eyes wide in shock as he coughs up a bit of his cookies and cream. Eunwoo helpfully hands him a napkin.
“What?” Minhyuk sputters, dabbing at his mouth with the napkin. “No. Just — no. Oh my God, why would you even think that?”
Eunwoo grins in amusement, “That would be more convincing if you weren’t turning so red in the face which leads me to believe that Bin might be on to something here.”
“No way — I don’t like him. He’s annoying, okay?” Minhyuk glowers down at his sundae like it’s done him wrong.
“If he’s so annoying, then why were you hanging out with him just now?” Bin asks. “I’ve also noticed you two hanging out together at school more often so what’s that all about?”
“That’s because he kept pestering me about that stupid Minions movie and wouldn’t shut up about it until I finally agreed to go with him!” Minhyuk says, starting to get all worked up and defensive. “That’s all there is to it, okay? I don’t like him.”
Under the table, Eunwoo nudges Bin’s thigh with his own, silently telling him to ease up on Minhyuk a bit.
Bin sighs, “Fine, but I’m just saying. If you do like him, I can help set you two up. It’s kind of my thing now. Right, Nunu?”
Eunwoo glances between Minhyuk’s pleading eyes and Bin’s expectant gaze, feeling like he’s stuck in the middle. After a few seconds of hesitation, he finally decides to take pity on Minhyuk, feeling like it’s his duty to rescue Minhyuk from the clutches of his boyfriend who can be a little too pushy for his own good sometimes.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Binnie.” Eunwoo says lightly. “Besides, I’m sure that Minhyuk can handle his own love life. If he needs your help, he’ll come to you on his own, right?”
Minhyuk quickly nods in agreement and shoots a grateful look towards Eunwoo. Bin shrugs, poking at his melting sundae disappointedly.
Eunwoo’s phone vibrates and he glances down at it, grinning when he sees an Instagram notification — it’s the perfect distraction for Bin.
“Doyeon left a comment.”
“What did she say?” Bin asks, trying to seem like he’s uninterested but Eunwoo notices the way he perks up in his seat and leans closer to Eunwoo like a moth to a flame.
“She said that we look cute together.”
“Well, of course.” Bin preens, nudging his shoulder against Eunwoo’s happily. “Hate to agree with her but she’s right about that.”
Eunwoo clears his throat, “She also said that she wants to meet up with me soon to catch up since it’s been a long time.” He waggles his eyebrows at Bin, watching closely for his reaction.
“Oh?” Bin says, looking at Eunwoo like he’s daring him to continue.
Eunwoo shrugs, “I mean, I don’t have any plans on Sunday so we could probably meet up for a coffee date or something...” Eunwoo trails off, meeting Bin’s cold glare with an overly innocent smile.
“Cha Eunwoo. Do you want to break up?” Bin asks seriously. He always means business when he calls Eunwoo by his full name.
“Nope.” Eunwoo shakes his head instantly.
“Then stop messing with me or else you can forget about spending the night at my place.”
Minhyuk looks up at that, “What? He’s staying over at your place later?” He asks, looking annoyed for some reason.
“You have a problem with that?” Bin drawls, raising an eyebrow.
“Other than being stuck in a bus with you two for the next twenty minutes? Nope, no problem at all. Everything is just peachy.” Minhyuk says, sarcasm thick on his tone.
“You could always take the next bus if it bothers you.” Bin shoots back, sticking his tongue out at Minhyuk who immediately does the same thing in return.
“Come on, we’re not that bad.” Eunwoo protests, a little bit offended when Minhyuk just rolls his eyes sullenly. “I promise it won’t be like last time. We’ll keep the PDA to a minimum this time — just a tiny bit.”
Bin scoffs and turns to Minhyuk, “I’m still mad at him so you don’t have to worry about any PDA because there will be none.” He glares at Eunwoo briefly before turning back to Minhyuk, patting him on the arm reassuringly. “I’ll just sit next to you on the bus later, Min.”
“Bin...” Eunwoo whines, even though he knows he deserves it for all the teasing he has been putting Bin through lately.
Bin holds his hand up, “Don’t even, Cha Eunwoo. I told you to stop but you didn’t listen. Now you can sit on your own and reflect on your actions.” He says sternly.
Minhyuk snorts in amusement at the glum look on Eunwoo’s face before finishing up the last of his ice cream quickly.
It’s dark and cooling outside by the time they exit the mall, slowly making their way to the nearby bus stop.
Bin and Minhyuk walk with their arms linked together, chatting and laughing while Eunwoo trails behind them sullenly, being thoroughly ignored by the two of them.
When the bus arrives, Eunwoo pouts as Minhyuk slips into the empty seat beside Bin, leaving him to sit behind them by himself instead. He entertains himself by annoying Minhyuk a little — poking his finger at the back of Minhyuk’s neck and blowing at his hair randomly.
When that gets boring, Eunwoo pulls out his phone and spams Bin’s chat with cute apology stickers and crying face emojis. He glances up when he hears Bin snort and watches as Bin scrolls through the messages, the corners of his lips tilting up in a tiny smile.
“Do you want to hang out tomorrow? Get breakfast or something?” Minhyuk asks as they walk uphill towards their houses.
Eunwoo glances at Bin just in time to notice him in the middle of a yawn, covering his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Better make it lunch.” Eunwoo suggests, knowing that Bin won’t be able to wake up before noon at the earliest. “Should we try out that new cafe that just opened? The one opposite the GS25 down the street? It looks pretty good.”
“Ah.” Minhyuk’s eyes light up in recognition. “Yeah, that’s cool. Text me tomorrow.”
They part ways then, Minhyuk turning to the right and Bin and Eunwoo turning to the left. It’s quiet as they cross the short distance to Bin’s front door.
“Roa, I’m home!” Bin calls, switching on the lights as they remove their shoes by the doorway. Roa is nowhere to be seen, probably curled up under the table or something. “Roa — Oomph!” Bin huffs as Eunwoo wraps his arms around him from behind, leaning some of his weight on Bin.
“You’re heavy.” Bin complains, stumbling forward a little but making no effort to push him away.
“Are you still mad?” Eunwoo asks, resting his chin on Bin’s shoulder and pressing their cheeks together. “You know, you make it really hard for me to resist teasing you because you always give the cutest reactions.”
“Are you saying it’s my fault?” Bin asks dryly.
“Mhmm.” Eunwoo hums, nodding his head. “It’s your fault for being too cute so that means you can’t be mad at me anymore.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. That’s just the way it is.” Eunwoo shrugs. When Bin just lets out an exasperated sigh, Eunwoo tightens his hold around Bin’s waist until he starts to squirm uncomfortably, prying at Eunwoo’s interlocked fingers.
“Ahh, you’re crushing me! Let go!” Bin gasps.
“I’ll never let you go! You’re stuck with me forever!” Eunwoo wails dramatically. Even though that sounds cheesy, he’s not embarrassed because he means every word of it. They might still be young and dumb but Eunwoo just knows deep down that Bin is his forever. He does loosen his grip slightly though, mindful of the fact that Bin got hurt during practice.
“Forever?” Bin echoes, turning around in Eunwoo’s arms to face him with a dubious look on his face. “Isn’t that kind of long though? How am I going to survive being stuck with you for that long?”
“Yah —” Eunwoo blinks, pulling back in surprise.
“I’m joking!” Bin laughs, smacking Eunwoo on the shoulder. “What? You’re the only one allowed to make jokes around here? I like teasing you too, you know? You should have seen your face!”
Eunwoo sighs in relief, “Don’t do that to me...” And before Eunwoo can even think about sulking, Bin pulls him in for a kiss and Eunwoo promptly forgets about everything else other than the sweet taste of his forever.