Chapter Text
Jisung awoke in the middle of the night (early morning?) with a groan, feeling dizzy, sweaty, and just overall not great. He took a moment to fully open his eyes, slowly processing his surroundings. He was on the floor of Minho's apartment, with Chan latched onto his back like an oversized koala. He vaguely recalled all of them going to Minho's house after hanging out at the bar, but he didn't remember actually falling asleep and he definitely didn't remember when Chan laid down next to him. Jisung wanted nothing more than to fall asleep again but he also felt way too gross to do so, craving a nice cold shower. He mustered all of his energy to pry Chan's arms off of him and stood, pleasantly surprised that he wasn't nauseous after moving. Jisung picked his way through the maze of bodies tangled up on the carpet until he found Minho, feet pressed into Seungmin's side and one of his arms being used as a pillow by Jeongin. Jisung poked Minho's head with his foot until Minho made a noise that Jisung took to mean he was awake enough.
"Can I steal a towel and use your shower?"
"Don't have to ask," Minho grumbled sleepily, not opening his eyes. "Mi casa es tu casa or whatever." He swat at Jisungs legs with his free arm. Jisung chuckled at his hyung, making his way to the guest bedroom. Of course he knew Minho wouldn't mind but he still had to ask, he wasn't a heathen… or at least he was a heathen with manners . He grabbed a towel from the closet and padded to the bathroom, turning on the lights with a yawn. Jisung almost jumped out of his skin when he turned and found Felix sitting on the floor in front of the toilet, eyes half closed and looking a little pale.
"Jesus fucking christ Lix, why are you just sitting there?" Jisung held a hand over his heart, willing it to calm down.
"Thought I was gonna throw up." Felix mumbled in response.
"You couldn't turn on the lights?"
"Nah didn't feel like it." Felix shrugged, smiling at the way Jisung shook his head at him. They both stared at each other for a moment before breaking out into quiet giggles.
"We really are so dumb." Jisung said with a breath of laughter. "I can't believe the hyungs let us drink so much." Felix grinned in agreement.
"Their parenting skills are truly terrible." Felix stage whispered, as if the older boys would hear him in their sleep and scold him. After a moment, Felix cocked his head to the side, frowning at Jisung. "Wait, why are you up?"
"Oh." Jisung made a face as if he had completely forgotten that he had woken up for a reason. "I was gonna shower because I feel sticky and a little dizzy." Jisung held up the towel for emphasis.
"Go ahead dude." Felix leaned back against the wall, his eyes slipping shut. Jisung shifted from foot to foot, debating in his head for a moment if he was really going to shower with Felix still in the bathroom. Jisung eventually decided, screw it , and got undressed, hopping into the shower with a content sigh when the cold water washed over his skin. Jisung immediately felt better being under the stream of water, feeling the gross grogginess from drinking melting away. It was quiet for a while and Jisung felt himself relaxing, knowing he would be able to go right back to sleep after the shower. "So when are you gonna ask Hyunjin out?" Jisung jumped at the sound of Felix's voice, startled because he thought that the other boy had fallen asleep. He was so caught off guard that he lost his footing, slipping and stumbling and almost ripping the shower curtain off of its rings in an attempt to keep himself from falling. Felix was by his side in an instant, helping him not fall out of the shower. They stood there for a moment, Felix awkwardly holding Jisung to steady him. Felix was regretting getting up so fast, his head was spinning from the abrupt movement and Jisung could see he had turned slightly green. "I'm gonna puke."
"God please don't do it on me." Jisung finally pulled away and pushed Felix back towards the toilet, properly getting back in the shower and fixing the curtain as much as he could. Felix hunched over the toilet, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He managed to keep the contents of his stomach where it belonged and eventually sunk back to the floor.
"I did not expect to see you butt ass naked tonight." Felix muttered. Jisung stuck his head out from the shower to stare at Felix with wide eyes, clutching the edge of the curtain to his chest.
"You're the one who told me to go ahead and shower!" Jisung yelled in a whisper, his voice high pitched in embarrassment.
"Yeah but I didn't think you were going to almost die while doing so!" Felix matched Jisung’s tone, but chuckled at the other boy when he huffed and went back to finish showering. Felix let his eyes close again as he waited. Jisung quickly wrapped up his shower, drying himself and getting dressed in the clothes he had woken up in (he assumed the t-shirt and sweatpants were Minho’s because they sure as hell weren’t his).
“C’mon Lix.” He tapped Felix’s head and reached out a hand to help him up when he looked at him. “Let’s go to the kitchen so I can give you something for that nausea.” Felix begrudgingly stood, moving slowly as he followed Jisung out of the bathroom and to the kitchen. He sat as Jisung rummaged around the drawers in the kitchen and Felix was mildly concerned that Jisung was going to try to get him to drink some weird concoction that he considered a good remedy. He let out a sigh of relief when Jisung seemed to find what he was looking for, pulling a packet of Alka-Seltzer out of one of the drawers with a flourish. He got a glass of water and mixed in the tablets before placing it in front of Felix where he had sat down.
“Thanks Sung.” Felix gulped down the water quickly, making a face at the weird taste the medicine left in his mouth. Jisung sat down next to him, seeming to be thinking about something as he bounced his leg erratically. “You okay there?”
“Yeah, sorry.” Jisung stilled. Felix put a hand on Jisung’s arm and waited for Jisung to gather up his thoughts, clearly wanting to say something. “I was just… I was thinking about what you said in the bathroom…”
“About Jinnie?”
“Mhmm…” Jisung nodded, pulling at his lip with his teeth as he thought. “I just… I like him a lot. ”
“I can tell.” Felix said with a soft chuckle, gently squeezing Jisung’s arm encouragingly.
“I just don’t want to screw up what we have. I feel like he also has feelings for me but…” Jisung was starting to work himself up, voice getting a desperate edge as he continued. “What if he doesn’t actually want to date me? I haven’t really had a lot of experience with dating, what if I’m not a good boyfriend and then he breaks up with me and then everything is just awkward and bad and–”
“Jisung.” Felix grabbed the other boy’s face so he would look at him, squishing his round cheeks between his hands. “You’re so dumb.” Jisung frowned and was about to argue but Felix squished his face further with a smile. “You’re both hopelessly in love with each other, that much is clear. You know Hyunjin and you know he won’t care if you’re not experienced or whatever, you two can learn and grow together. I think you should go for it. You guys make each other really happy already and I think you’d be even happier if you could be open about your feelings.” Jisung’s eyes were shining by the end of Felix’s spiel.
“Thanksh Liksh." Jisung whispered. "Can you shtop shquishing me now?" Felix laughed, giving Jisungs face one more firm squeeze and placing a soft kiss to his forehead before finally releasing him. Jisung was vibrating with a different sort of energy then, panicking again after only a moment of tranquility. "Oh my god how do I ask him out."
"You could literally ask him through text and he'd be excited." Felix shrugged. He then realized what he said and narrowed his eyes at Jisung. "Don't you dare do that though."
"I would never." Jisung scowled at Felix, slightly offended by Felix's comment. "Hyunjin deserves something big. Romantic. He deserves the best. Which is exactly why I have no idea what to do!" Jisung pressed the heels of his hands against his temples as he tried to wrack his brain for ideas.
"It doesn't have to be anything big." Felix said with a pat to Jisung's messy hair. "He watches too many dramas and loves sappy romantic shit, just be honest about your feelings. Take him out to eat or something."
"Do you think he'll want to get brunch with me?"
"Today?"
"I need to do it ASAP before I chicken out." Jisung gave him a sheepish grin. Felix breathed out a laugh at him.
"I mean—he probably would like that if he's not hungover." Jisung's mind was made. He would see how Hyunjin was feeling when he woke up and if he was feeling okay Jisung would take him out to eat and ask him out.
The morning came with a lot of quiet groans and frowns from the boys, with the rare occurrence of Jisung being the first to wake up. The late morning light filtered warmly through the small window as he stumbled to the kitchen. He was too excited and nervous to be able to sleep later, trying to hype himself up for when Hyunjin would eventually wake. Jisung put the entire pot of coffee to make for the others, relaxing as he waited for anyone to join him. Seungmin was the first, eyes squinted behind his large round glasses and hair sticking up in every direction as he trudged in and flopped into one of the chairs.
"Morning Minnie." Seungmin grunted in response and Jisung wasn't sure if his eyes were even open. Minho came in a few minutes later, seeming more awake than Seungmin, but also seeming unhappy about being awake. He had a scowl on his face, and he gave Jisung a curt nod in greeting before seating himself beside Seungmin, not reacting when the younger placed his head on his shoulder. Jisung suppressed a smile at the two as he went about serving their coffees. Seungmin seemed to have fallen asleep on Minho's shoulder, not moving when Jisung placed the steaming mugs on the table in front of them. Minho picked up his own mug with one hand, using the other to steady Seungmin’s head so he wouldn’t fall off of his shoulder. Jisung ended up stealing the cup he had made for Seungmin, seeing as the boy was too far gone to drink it himself. Jisung leaned against the kitchen counter as he slowly sipped on the drink. Minho's scowl didn't lessen as he drank his coffee and Jisung had to stifle a laugh at the contrast between the older’s expression and the way he was gently holding Seungmin's head, how he carefully took the younger’s glasses off of his face to place them on the table. Jisung and Minho continued drinking their coffees in silence, Seungmin's soft breaths filling the room. Jisung was almost done with his drink when Chan waddled into the kitchen, face and eyes puffy and mouth pulled into a sleepy pout. Hyunjin came in with him, wrapped around Chan and practically hanging off of the older’s back. Jisung felt his heart stutter once he laid eyes on Hyunjin, the nerves of asking the boy out coming back full force.
"Morning hyung, morning Jinnie." Jisung smiled at them, trying to hide how nervous he was feeling.
"Hi Ji, Minho hyung." Hyunjin muttered as detached himself from Chan and made his way to Jisung as if magnetized, melting into the smaller boy's arms as Jisung pulled him into his embrace. Chan seemed a little lost as he stood where Hyunjin left him.
"Channie hyung?" Jisung called out to him over Hyunjin’s head with a little giggle at the eldest. Chan rubbed his eyes, a tired smile falling on his face as he seemed to finally focus on the others in front of him.
"Yeah, sorry." He huffed out a little laugh. "G’morning Sung, Minho… Seungmin? Is he asleep?" Minho hummed in affirmation and Chan looked over the sleeping boy with an amused but fond smile. "How are you guys feeling?" Chan asked as he sat across from Minho and Seungmin.
"Better now, just a little groggy." Jisung shrugged as he shuffled his way to the fridge with Hyunjin, he grabbed a lone bottle of juice and handed it to Chan, the older giving him a surprised little 'thank you'. Jisung settled back against the counter and tightened his arms around Hyunjin before continuing. "Woke up in the middle of the night feeling really not great but I took a shower and felt better. Lix was also awake and was really going through it though." Jisung chuckled. "I have a feeling he's not gonna wake up until much later." Chan made a sympathetic face, gathering that the boy must have been extremely hungover with how much he drank. It was a shock that Jisung was relatively fine.
"What about you Hyunjinnie?" Chan asked, the boy in question looking up from where he was draped over Jisung’s shoulder with a small grin.
"Sleepy, but otherwise I'm okay." His smile grew wider when he noticed the grimace being directed at him, courtesy of Minho.
"How the fuck are you feeling fine," Minho grumbled. "I didn't even drink and I have a headache." Jisung and Hyunjin didn't bother to hide the chortles that escaped them, only quieting a bit when Minho leveled a glare at them. "Hyunjinnie hasn't eaten tissues in a while, huh?" The boy in question whined, burying his face in Jisung's shoulder as the smaller boy laughed and rubbed his back comfortingly.
"Your head hurts?" Chan frowned at Minho, glazing over the thinly veiled threat. Minho turned to him with confusion. "Are you okay?"
"Uh, yeah, head's pounding a bit but it's whatever…" Minho watched as Chan nodded before standing to move beside Seungmin.
"I'll take Seungmin back to the living room, you should go lay down for a bit." He didn't wait for Minho to respond, scooping Seungmin up from his seat and gesturing with his head for Minho to go. He carried out the sleeping boy with little effort, not noticing the way Minho stared after him in bewilderment.
"What the hell? Is he always like this?" Minho muttered, getting up and putting his mug in the sink.
"Yeah." Jisung snorted. "Just Chan hyung being Chan hyung." Minho shrugged, deciding he may as well take advantage of the help and go rest. Jisung mentally gave himself a little pep talk as Minho left, pulling away a little from the boy in his arms once they were alone. "Jinnie?"
"Mmm?" Hyunjin looked up at Jisung with a dopey smile and Jisung hoped he couldn't hear the way his heart was hammering in his chest.
"Are you up for grabbing something to eat together?" Jisung thanked whatever deity out there that he didn't stutter. Hyunjin's grin grew wider and he nodded happily. "Brunch at the diner sound good?"
"Mmmm pancakes." Hyunjin hummed. Jisung took that as a yes, feeling his anxiety lessen as he laughed at the boy.
They ended up asking Chan to take them, the diner being too far from Minho's house for them to walk. Jisung felt an awful lot like a kid being dropped off at a date by their dad, the feeling only emphasized when Chan promised to pick them up when they were done before driving off, back to Minho's house to take care of their hungover friends. The diner was oddly empty so Hyunjin and Jisung were able to get a table rather quickly. Jisung tried to act as normal as possible, mostly keeping up with conversation as they ate. He felt himself relax a little as he listened to Hyunjin babble excitedly about anything and everything, and Jisung couldn't help the warm smile that spread on his face when Hyunjin mentioned how happy he was about being able to hang out with both of their friends the night before. By the time they had finished eating, Jisung almost forgot about the whole reason he invited Hyunjin out to eat. The anxiety crashed over him like a wave as he remembered, and he considered not saying anything, his fears overshadowing the logic that Felix had made him see in the night. Jisung was so lost in his own head he didn't realize Hyunjin had stopped talking and was looking at him with his eyebrows pulled together in worry. He tapped the back of Jisung's hand gently, bringing the younger boy's attention back to him.
"Ji? You okay?"
"Huh?" Jisung stared at him with wide eyes. Hyunjin sighed, frowning at him.
"You seem kind of off today…" His expression softened but the concern was clear in the little pout still on his face. "Is something bothering you?" Jisung sucked in a breath, holding it for a few seconds before exhaling. He could do this. It was now or never. Jisung got up to slide into the booth next to Hyunjin, taking Hyunjin's hands in his trembling ones. He was unable to look Hyunjin in the eyes, instead keeping his gaze fixed on their joined hands as he started talking.
"So… we've known each other for a few months now, huh?" Hyunjin nodded, confused, but he kept quiet to allow Jisung to continue. "You very quickly have become a really important person in my life and I don't know what I would do without you. I… god, I practiced what I would say so many times but I'm blanking now." Jisung huffed out a little nervous laugh before finally looking up at Hyunjin, feeling more confident when the boy's eyes were glimmering with something Jisung could only describe as hope. "I like you a lot, Hyunjinnie. You're so caring and you have the biggest heart out of anyone I know and I can't keep pretending that I only want to be your friend. If you would let me, I'd really like to take you out on a proper date." Hyunjin barely gave Jisung time to finish his proposition before he tackled him in a hug, effectively making both of them topple out of the booth and onto the floor of the diner in a heap. Hyunjin squeezed Jisung in an impossibly tight hug for a moment more before pulling away enough to cup the smaller boy's cheeks in his hands. They were both beaming as they stared at each other, seemingly unaware of the couple of eyes on them. Hyunjin stared at Jisung's mouth for a moment before looking back up into his eyes, waiting for Jisung to understand his silent question. Jisung's eyes widened slightly and he nodded, grin growing as Hyunjin pulled their faces together and joined their lips in a kiss. They weren't able to maintain the kiss for long, both of their ecstatic giggles forcing them to pull away. They were only allowed another moment in their little bubble before a waiter politely asked them to get off the floor, causing Hyunjin to have to stifle his laughter as he got up, and making Jisung go bright red in embarrassment as he stood as well and bowed lowly, apologizing. They slid back into the booth, Hyunjin pulling Jisung to nestle him into his side. Jisung felt warm and content, he wouldn't be able to wipe the smile off of his face even if he wanted to—which he didn't. Jisung could feel the elation bubbling in his chest and shifted to look up at Hyunjin, his heart roaring in his ears when he noticed Hyunjin looking down at him with a gentle fondness. This is nice, Jisung thought as he nuzzled further into Hyunjin with a content sigh. I could stay like this forever.