The Dating Game | DOTAE

3. hot chocolate

"...and then Jeno threw Renjun into the fucking bathtub while he was fully clothed. My poor baby hit his head against the steel tap and started bleeding. You can't believe how much trouble Jeno got into with mum. I hit him some too. Jisung started laughing at him but then mum got angry and him too, grounding him for no reason. I brought Renjun home with me since Johnny went home with some chick," Doyoung explained, sipping his hot chocolate. His eyes were shining as he talked about his family. Taeyong admired everything about him sometimes he couldn't even believe he got a best friend like this.

The waiter came up to them and asked if there was anything else they would've liked. Doyoung ordered a cinnamon roll, insisting that he ordered it to share when she left. The snort at the end of his little speech said otherwise. Taeyong hit the back of his head when she came back and Doyoung made heart eyes at the pastry.

They continued with their conversation easily, Doyoung with sticky lips. It made the older one out of the two twitch. "Did he go home this morning?" Taeyong asked. Doyoung had sounded busy in the morning but he was finally here with his best friend.

"Yeah, he left after an hour in bed. It was actually really nice, I love cuddly time with him, it's the best. He had his breakdown right before he left though, he got really upset. I had to go back and check on the others after as well."

Taeyong hummed in response, not able to meet Doyoung's eyes. "That's sad," is all he said, picking a little at the sweet in front of him. Doyoung didn't seem to recognise Taeyong's weird behaviour and kept smiling as he talked more about his younger boyfriend.

After a while they finally left the café and walked to the nearest. It almost felt like a date to Taeyong. Even more so when Doyoung grabbed his hand and interlaced their fingers. He stared down at it for a second of wonder, just watching the grip that they both held. They'd held hands a million times before, it wasn't supposed to be a problem.

"Do you want ice cream?" Doyoung's voice broke the older boy out of his reverie and shook his head, snorting lightly at his best friend's silliness.

"No, what the fuck Doyoung, it's so cold outside. We literally just had hot chocolate."

Doyoung pouted, stopping and he let go of his hand. Sudden pricks cold ran up his hand; it felt empty. Yet he didn't comment on it, instead he just shoved it into his jacket and watched Doyoung throw a little tantrum in the midst of the trees.

Taeyong laughed and shook his head. "Doyoung stop being a baby and let's go," he beckoned him closer, waddling forward in his huge puffer jacket. Doyoung cooed at him and grabbed his cheeks, letting go of his act immediately.

"Aww, look at this cutie pie, why so adorable TaeTae? You look like a penguin in that jacket," he murmured, still playing with Taeyong's cheeks. By now, they were extremely red and he blamed it on the cold.

"I'm naw adwoewable, geh orfff!" he screeched as Doyoung kept playing around with cheeks, stuffing up his words. The trees reflected back his laugh, enclosing him in it.

The moment that Doyoung let go, Taeyong scrambled to the nearest trunk and hit his fist against it. It hurt, but the pain was only in his closed fist and it felt good. It built warmth too. When he turned back, he saw Doyoung looking at him with a confused yet amused face.

"What was that for?" he questioned, tilting his head to the side. Always the curious bunny. Taeyong wanted to strangle him. String him up like a convict.

Taeyong shrugged, twirling around on his tiptoes. A swirl of condensation made a crown around him.

"Did it so I didn't have to punch you in the face."