flower boy | seungjin

13

Seungmin turns his head away, cheeks heating up after Hyunjin's risque question. He hums, but his tone doesn't give a definitive answer, because he's not even sure of it himself. He can feel his heart pounding in his chest, and knows that if he doesn't say anything, it'll only get worse. So he lets out a breath. "This is ridiculous," he mutters mainly to himself. but of course, with Hyunjin's chin were it is on his shoulder, the older hears it loud and clear. 

"What does that mean?" he asks.

"It means we met less than a week ago," Seungmin admits, his voice quickly dropping in volume. "And I'm feeling things I shouldn't be."

A smile appears on Hyunjin's face and he looks at Seungmin's reflection in the glass. The younger refuses to meet his eyes again, even when Hyunjin talks again. "So.... what?" he prompts him. Is this it?

"I... I think I like you."

A car drives by, and the headlights cast a golden glow that washes over the pair. Also at some point, rain started to fall and blanketed the sky with looming black clouds.  

Silence hangs between the two boys, both of them watching the view outside the window of flickering lights and blurred pictures. One of them wishes he could take back what he said as his heartbeat picks up in anticipation. The other, also with racing thoughts, is about to let his previously thought out reply slips past his lips, but stops. These are the words he'd been waiting for, waiting like a dog completing a trick to please their owner. That's it, he tells himself. You completed the dare. You can stop this now. Stop acting and go back to how you used to be.

His breathing gets heavier, he opens his mouth to speak but no sound comes out. What are you doing? Stop fucking pretending...

Are you sure you're pretending?

Mind falling to a blank, that one question lingering in his thoughts, Hyunjin buries his head into Seungmin's neck and sighs. 

"I think..." What? What do you think?

Stop acting.

"I think I like you too."

***

Jeno's face the next morning when Hyunjin reluctantly reveals what happened sets off an explosion of turmoil in Hyunjin's chest. He didn't sleep all night, too busy dealing with thoughts demanding they stampede their way into his consciousness and denying him a single peaceful second. And Jeno cheering for him and saying he can finally finish his dare certainly does nothing to calm it.

Hyunjin falters.  "You said 'love'," he says slowly, "You said he has to fall in love with me. He said like. Like is different from love. It's not done yet."

He lets out a breath when Jeno nods, "Okay," he says. "So when he tells you he loves you, you're gonna break his heart?"

Hyunjin nods, "Yeah."

At that moment, Jaemin appears in the doorway. It's obvious he heard at least part of their conversation, if the looks he gives the both of them are anything to go by. "I'm spending the day with Renjun and Hyuck," he says, mainly to Jeno. "Try not to get into any trouble." He makes his way towards the door but is pulled back by Jeno, who grabs his wrist. 

"Kiss?" he asks, eyes widening. Jaemin - not before rolling his eyes - gives in and connects their lips together. Jeno pulls him in closer, grinning when the younger of the two laughs. 

Looking away, Hyunjin opens the fridge, searching for anything that could resemble a breakfast. There's nothing though, besides a few slices of bread and some leftovers in Tupperware, and he's pretty sure the others living here have claimed those for themselves. Sighing, he decides to leave the couple to... what ever it is they're doing... and go buy some food.