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It was just, Yeonjun had asked so nicely, and had looked at him with such hope in his eyes, Soobin couldn’t just decline. And it wasn’t a frat party, per se, just a gathering of former frat boys in one of said former frat boys’ apartments. Yeonjun hadn’t seen his old friends from college in a couple years, and from the excitement that Soobin saw in his eyes, he knew his boyfriend was excited to reunite with them.
He should feel honoured that Yeonjun wanted him to go with him, perhaps show him off, so that his friends could all see that he had fallen in love and somewhat settled down. And Soobin understood, he really did. He missed his old friends from college too, albeit they were the quieter, nerdy types that would probably reunite over a game of Dungeons and Dragons instead of a game of beer pong. But Soobin was a good partner, and so he agreed to attend the not-frat party.
Yeonjun had dressed in casual but fashionable clothes, a low-cut long-sleeved shirt that showed off his collarbones, tight black jeans, and had all of his piercings in his ears. He slipped his old class rings on, probably some frat brother tradition, and had his hair pushed off of his face. He looked, to use a singular word, hot. Soobin’s mouth watered a bit as he stepped out of the closet, and he wondered if maybe he should change out of his soft sweater that he had chosen. However, as Yeonjun looked over him, and smiled softly, he decided against it. As long as Yeonjun liked it, that’s all that mattered. “Should we call an Uber? That way we can both drink?” he asked, adjusting his bracelets.
Soobin nodded, though he wasn’t sure if he’d be drinking that much. His preferred alcohol was wine, and he doubted they would have that at this party. Yeonjun smiled, walking up and giving Soobin a kiss on his cheek. “I’m so excited,” he said, and Soobin could hear it in his voice. He couldn’t help but smile, happy at seeing the older smile so much. He had been so stressed this week with deadlines at work, and Soobin thought he deserved to let loose a bit. He pushed aside his own reservations about the party, and smiled back. “I’m excited to meet your friends,” he replied. Yeonjun grinned wider, ordering the Uber through the app. “They’re going to be jealous I ended up with the hottest person in the world,” he said, rather off-handedly. Soobin blushed hard, shaking his head a bit, looking down.
Soon enough, the two arrived at a modest-looking apartment. Thankfully, there was no booming music or flashing music like Soobin had envisioned, and he began to feel a bit better. Maybe this really would be a more laid-back get together, and not a collection of rowdy boys reliving their college heydays. After thanking their driver, the couple walked up to the door, and Soobin picked up on the sound of talking through the door, before Yeonjun knocked a few times. Soobin held his hand tighter, chewing on his lip, feeling as if he was meeting Yeonjun’s parents for the first time again.
After a few seconds, the door opened, and a pretty-faced boy with dark hair and soft-looking cheeks greeted them. His eyes widened as he saw Yeonjun, lips splitting into the widest grin Soobin had ever seen. “Yeonjunie-hyung!” he exclaimed, yanking Yeonjun inside, causing Soobin to stumble too, his hand breaking apart from Yeonjun’s. The boy hugged Yeonjun hard, nuzzling his head as the two laughed. “It’s been too long!” he said, swaying them a bit as they hugged. Soobin stood next to the scene awkwardly, deciding to close the door behind him to keep the cold out. He heard Yeonjun laugh as he did, and turned to see he had pulled back and was pinching the boys cheeks. “Beomgyu-ah, you lost your baby fat!” he said, eyes bright and full of youthful excitement. Soobin didn’t know Yeonjun that well in college, but he could already see the old traits returning as he was surrounded by his old friends. They weren’t bad traits, in fact they were a little endearing, and Soobin found himself smiling.
He waited patiently for Yeonjun to introduce him to this Beomgyu, but right as it appeared he was going to do so, another boy bounded up, slightly taller and with longer hair. When he spoke, it was more of a shriek, and it was enough to even make Soobin flinch a little. “Hueningkai!” Yeonjun said, throwing his arms open for the boy to tackle him, the two laughing very loudly. Soobin smiled a bit at that, making to step towards the two, deciding to get Yeonjun’s attention so they could make the formal introductions and get out of the entryway, before a few more people walked in of their own accord and suddenly Soobin was separated from Yeonjun by what looked like a bus full of boys.
He swallowed, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable, standing there on his own, not knowing anybody, and being completely forgotten by his boyfriend. He brushed it off though, knowing Yeonjun was just really excited to see everyone, and caught up in the rush of activity. Soobin looked around, trying to see if there were any other people like him, partners or friends of one of the frat boys, stranded on their own as the boys all began talking loudly over each other. He didn’t see anyone in the living room, but before he worked up the courage to venture into the kitchen, he felt a tap on his shoulder.
He turned, and saw a boy a few inches shorter than him with bright red hair and sharp features smiling at him. “You with them?” he asked, nodding his head at the group of boys who had started to migrate towards the kitchen, clapping each other on the back and laughing every few seconds as they spoke. Soobin could see Yeonjun’s head of blue hair in the thick of it all, moving with them. He felt a slight pang of hurt at him just leaving without really considering where he left Soobin, but he just brushed it off again. He smiled softly at the red-haired boy. “No, I’m here with my boyfriend, he’s the one with blue hair who seems to be getting all of the attention,” he informed.
The boy chuckled, holding out his hand. “I’m Taehyun, my boyfriend is also with them, he’s the one who answered the door, Beomgyu?” he said. Soobin’s eyes widened, before he smiled a bit more, shaking Taehyun’s hand, feeling more at ease now that he found someone else in his same position. “I’m Soobin, it’s nice to meet you,” he introduced himself. Taehyun smiled gently, before walking to the living room, sitting down on the couch, the loud sound of the boys starting to fill the small space. “How long have you been dating Yeonjun-hyung?” he asked. Soobin blushed a little, sitting down and fiddling his fingers a bit. He was always shy when he first met someone new. He took him a solid two months to ask Yeonjun if he wanted to get coffee with him sometime, and he almost passed out from shaking so much during it.
“Um, a l-little over a year,” he answered, smiling at the thought of their anniversary a few weeks ago. He looked up and saw Taehyun smiling softly. He had a very gentle and comforting aura, and Soobin was grateful. He didn’t think he’d be able to stay if he was completely alone. He cleared his throat, blushing a little more. “How about you and Beomgyu-ssi?” he asked. Taehyun’s face shifted into some akin to lovesickness, leaning back against the chair. “Three years,” he replied. Soobin felt his eyebrows raise, nodding, impressed. Taehyun giggled. “You and Yeonjun-hyung make a very cute couple,” he remarked. Soobin’s ears turned red, and he looked down, flustered. “Th-thank you,” he replied.
The two made casual conversation for a while, mostly talking about their respective boyfriends, as that’s why they had met after all, and Soobin decided he liked Taehyun. Despite the conversation, however, he couldn’t manage to forget the absence of his boyfriend. He hadn’t seen him since all of the boys had crowded into the kitchen, and by the time on the clock and how loud they had gotten, Soobin assumed most of them were drunk. He wasn’t sure if Yeonjun was, the boy didn’t always let himself drink a lot, but he felt that this night was an exception. He looked over his shoulder, and saw Yeonjun toss back a shot, the other boys cheering him on, getting rowdier under the influence of alcohol.
He bit his lip, turning back, his heart aching again. It was getting harder to not feel a little sad over it, and he knew Taehyun could probably tell. The younger patted his knee, offering a kind smile. Soobin returned it, before he heard a lot of shuffling, and then all of the boys were surrounding the living room. Taehyun expertly moved out of the way in time, but Soobin was too slow, eyes widening as he looked up at everyone. They weren’t paying much attention to him, as one of them had suggested with a shout that they play some video games, and a few were fighting over who got to be first player. He felt slightly trapped, the smell of alcohol a bit overwhelming. He stood up, surprised to see he was one of the tallest ones, before trying to carefully manoeuvre his way out of the crowd.
Before he makes it however, he feels a hand grip his elbow, and suddenly Yeonjun is there. He’s very clearly drunk, eyes a bit hazy and hair messy as he smiles dopily up at Soobin. “Yah! Guys, look, it’s Soobin, my b-boyfriend!” he hiccupped, reaching to squeeze Soobin’s cheeks. Soobin couldn’t help but feel called out, with a dozen eyes suddenly on him. His ears turned pink, as did his cheeks, and he quickly tried to move away. But Yeonjun had a strong grip on his arm, and before Soobin knew it he was being turned around and one of Yeonjun’s hands came up to push his hair off of his forehead. “Isn’t he just the prettiest person you ever saw?” he cooed, except his breath smelled like alcohol, and the hand holding his arm was starting to hurt. Soobin didn’t like this at all.
The other boys all started to cry out in agreement, moving into Soobin’s space and poking and prodding him. All of the contact became too much for Soobin, and he turned to his boyfriend, eyes wide and a bit scared. “H-hyung, stop it, let me go,” he whispered. Yeonjun’s brow furrowed, a look of confusion decorating his delicate features. “What?” he asked, as if he couldn’t believe Soobin would dare want such a thing. Soobin swallowed, the other boys still watching him, a few whispering into each other’s ears and laughing obnoxiously. Soobin looked back at Yeonjun, pleading. “Please let me go, you’re hurting my arm,” he whispered. Yeonjun blinked, before rolling his eyes and scoffing, letting him go with a little shove. “Why do you have to be like this all the fucking time, Soobin? You couldn’t just cooperate once, for me,” he said sharply, disgust so clear in his tone.
Soobin’s jaw dropped, right as tears sprung to his eyes at Yeonjun’s harsh and hateful words. In the back of his mind, he knew that it was the all of the alcohol and testosterone speaking, but he couldn’t pay attention that in the moment. He didn’t know what to say, mouth opening and closing embarrassingly, and Yeonjun just shook his head, walking away and shouting something about starting the game and dividing teams.
So Soobin stood there, feeling like a complete idiot, tears dripping down his cheeks, and heart racing so fast he was afraid it was going to just fly off. None of the other boys, including Yeonjun, cared enough to look back at him, and so Soobin quickly wiped his eyes, deciding it would just be better if he left. As he pulled out his phone and walked to the front door, he was stopped by Taehyun, who looked up at him, worried. “Hey, Soobin-ssi, hey,” he said, helping him walk away from the door. “I heard what Yeonjun-hyung said, you know he’s just drunk,” he reassured. Soobin sniffled, nodding, even though he couldn’t make the hurt go away. Taehyun looked at him sadly, before rubbing his back a little. “Can you, uh, t-tell Yeonjun I got an U-Uber home?” he asked quietly, voice breaking. He really just wanted to get away and go home and cry for a little bit.
Taehyun nodded, eyes still full of concern as Soobin opened the front door. Before he left, he turned and looked at the younger. “It w-was really nice meeting you, Taehyun-ah,” he said softly. Taehyun stared back, before offering the smallest of smiles. “You too, hyung, get home safe,” he said. Soobin nodded, before walking out, closing the door behind him.
He was halfway asleep when he heard Yeonjun stumble back into the apartment. He had cried for a good thirty minutes, before he grew too tired, and stripped off his clothes for pajamas, and crawled under the covers. He found a few extra tears to shed there, before he curled up, closing his eyes.
When he heard Yeonjun, his heart dropped, nervous. He wasn’t sure if Yeonjun was going to try to say anything, or if he’d just get straight into bed and sleep off the alcohol. He hoped that’s what happened. Soobin really didn’t think he could handle any more of his boyfriend’s cruel words. He listened as the older took his shoes off, walked into the kitchen and poured a glass of water, and then felt his heart speeding up as he heard the footsteps grow louder as he came towards their bedroom.
Soobin decided to just pretend to be asleep, closing his eyes and evening out his breathing, even he was sure his heart was beating loud enough for Yeonjun to hear it. He listened as Yeonjun went into their bathroom, brushing his teeth, spilling water it sounded like, before it grew quiet for a moment. Soobin assumed he was changing into pajamas, and sure enough, a few minutes later he felt the covers move as Yeonjun slid into his side of the bed. He heard the older take out his piercings and take off his rings, before exhaling. It was silent for a minute, and Soobin could feel Yeonjun’s eyes on him, and he prayed that he believed Soobin was asleep, so he didn’t have to talk to him. He didn’t know if he’d be able to without crying right now.
Yeonjun didn’t say anything, but suddenly Soobin felt gentle fingers brushing his hair back, and he had to work extra hard to stay still and relaxed, even though Yeonjun’s touch sent sparks through him, and he automatically tensed just the littlest bit. He waited, as Yeonjun’s fingers lingered in his hair, and then they disappeared. He heard Yeonjun shift as he laid down, and he relaxed again, thinking the older was going to go to sleep.
He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a pair of cool lips against his temple. The simple act made him want to cry again, now because his feelings were so conflicting. He just wanted to sleep. They could talk in the morning. Thankfully, Yeonjun pulled the covers up then, and Soobin heard his breathing even out after a few minutes. He relaxed again, and let himself drift off to sleep.
When he woke up the next morning, it was raining, and Yeonjun’s side of the bed was empty. Soobin blinked a few times, eyes still a bit puffy and sore from the crying, and he rubbed them as he sat up, shaking his hair out. He sat in bed for a minute, the events of last night replaying in his head, stomach swirling with discomfort as he dreaded going out to face his boyfriend. He knew Yeonjun was drunk when he said those things, he knew that, but he couldn’t help but feel like there was some truth to it. His initial hesitance to go to the party in the first place, the way he hadn’t interacted with his friends much, maybe he could have been more cooperative.
He decided not to delay the inevitable any further, and got up. He went to the bathroom first, brushing his teeth and trying to rub the tear tracks off his cheeks. It didn’t really work. Yeonjun was going to know instantly. Soobin sighed, looking down in shame, before picking his head up and slowly walking out of their room. Yeonjun’s favourite anime was playing quietly on the tv, but as soon as Soobin walked into the living room, Yeonjun looked up, turning it off instantly. “Baby,” he said, standing up, eyes already conveying regret and worry as he moved up to Soobin. Soobin couldn’t meet his gaze, training his eyes on the ground as he crossed one arm over his front. It was a protective stance, and Yeonjun picked up on it immediately, stopping where he was and not coming any closer.
It was silent for a few very awkward moments, and Soobin’s mind raced as he tried to think of something to say. But what are you supposed to say the morning after your boyfriend basically cursed you out for being a bit socially awkward? Yeonjun spoke first though, saving Soobin from having to. “Soobin-ah,” he said, voice gentle and careful. “I’m so sorry for what I said last night, there is literally no excuse, and I hate that I did that to you in front of everyone,” he apologised. Soobin could hear the pain and shame in his voice, and he knew the apology was genuine. He appreciated it, and the fact that he didn’t blame it on the alcohol or anything else.
He managed to lift his head, and he was met with a pair of scared eyes. Like Yeonjun was afraid Soobin was going to want to break up or something. He was hurt, for sure, but the thought of not being with Yeonjun hurt more. What he said wasn’t exactly forgivable, but Soobin knew they could work it out. He bit his lip, before looking back down. “Do I, do I really not cooperate that much?” he asked, guilt seeping into voice. Yeonjun immediately shook his head, moving closer and lifting Soobin’s face with his hands, as if unable to stay away any longer. “No, no, you’re absolutely fine, you’re perfect, I was being a complete asshole,” he said, eyes searching Soobin’s, desperate.
Soobin looked back at him, heart already forgiving him, and he stepped closer, seeking the comfort. Yeonjun stroked his cheeks, no trace of deceit or humour on his face, just pure concern and finality. “I shouldn’t have abandoned you, I shouldn’t have put you on display like an object, and Soobin, I’m so so sorry,” he said. Soobin gulped, the words ringing out around them. Yeonjun looked like he was going to combust while waiting for Soobin’s reply, and so Soobin didn’t hesitate for too long, before nodding.
He dropped his arm, and Yeonjun instantly pulled him into a hug. He stood on straight so Soobin could rest his head on his shoulder, and wrapped his arms tightly around him, one hand buried in his hair. “I love you so much, baby, I’m sorry I made you cry, fuck,” he said hurriedly, running his hands over Soobin, as if trying to make up for lost time. Soobin just locked his arms around Yeonjun’s waist, letting himself be hugged. He was glad Yeonjun had apologised, but he knew it would take him a bit of time to let his invasive thoughts fade away. Thankfully, it appeared that Yeonjun was determined to help as much as possible.
He pulled back, and looked at Soobin, hesitating. Soobin looked back, before closing the distance between them and kissing him softly. He physically felt Yeonjun relax, his hand cupping Soobin’s cheek as they kissed. Soobin pulled away after a second, and Yeonjun took his hand, pulling him to the couch. The two sat down, Yeonjun instantly lifting Soobin into his lap, and Soobin curled up there, tucking his head into the older’s neck and closing his eyes. He kind of wanted to cry, but Yeonjun’s fingers running through his hair were comforting, so he focused on that.
They had some things to talk about, but Soobin knew they were going to be okay.