Caught (In the Mix) [for EVERYONE]
For: EVERYONE ♡
Title: Caught (In the Mix)
Pairing(s)/focus: JB/Jr./Youngjae
Rating: PG
Word count: 5660
Warnings: None
Author's notes: I hope I did this prompt at least a little justice ;; I hope you like it [everyone]!!<3
Summary: When Youngjae enters college, he ends up falling for not one, but two guys.
There are many things Youngjae regrets doing in his life.
For instance, breaking his mum's favourite mug and stealing his brother's branded shoes, or throwing that small get together in high school that somehow blew up into The Party of The Year (he still thinks it was Jackson's fault despite the denials) and ended up with him being grounded for a month.
But nothing quite compares to this, Youngjae thinks as he lurches forward, bubble tea in hand spilling onto what was previously a pristine white shirt, the owner turning to him with a furious glint in his eyes. He really should have looked where he was going.
“I am so sorry,” Youngjae starts, apologies flying out of his mouth as he dabs at the stranger's shirt with his handkerchief, trying to clean up the mess he had made but only manages to make it worse. Around him people are pointing and whispering and he can feel his nerves getting the better of him. It was his first day at college, things weren’t supposed to go this way.
Somewhere amongst his ramblings he can vaguely hear a deep voice telling him to stop but he doesn’t, until a hand catches his wrist and Youngjae looks up, slightly startled to meet the intense gaze of the other boy that effectively shuts him up. He’s leaning in and Youngjae cowers in fear, eyes squeezing shut and ready for the repercussion of his clumsiness but the blow he expects doesn’t come and then another voice filters in.
“Jaebum, what did I tell you about scaring the freshies away?”
Youngjae peeks an eye open to see a familiar face come to view. He’s pretty sure he’s seen him before but doesn’t exactly remember where. He watches the exchange between the two boys and only then realises that his wrist was still caught between long fingers. Youngjae clears his throat, “Uhm…”
Two heads snap towards his direction and Youngjae immediately feels himself getting flustered, not used to all the attention. “I’m sorry for interrupting but can you please let go of my hand?” he says quickly and when he doesn’t get a response adds, “I don’t think you want to drag around baggage like me,” he laughs nervously, “Unless you plan on cutting my hand which I hope isn’t the case because I kind of really need it.”
There’s a small bout of silence before one of them is laughing, loud and cheerful, the corners of his eyes wrinkling with mirth. “Oh, forgive me. I should have introduced myself first. I’m Park Jinyoung, president of the student union.”
Youngjae nods, now knowing why he’d been so familiar. His face was practically on every poster on the campus ground. “I’m Choi Youngjae and I, uhm, still need my hand back.”
Jinyoung’s smile contradicts his actions as he elbows the other boy on his side. It looks painful, and it probably was judging from the groan he hears but at least he’s free now. “Sorry if he scared you. Jaebum seems intimidating and looks like a big bad bully but he’s actually okay.”
“Just okay?” Youngjae hears Jaebum grumble as he rubs at his waist before his eyes train on Youngjae again to which the younger boy quickly ducks his head, pulling his bangs over his eyes, embarrassed at being caught staring.
“Uhm, it’s fine, really,” Youngjae mumbles as he slowly shifts, taking a few steps backwards away from the pair. “H-He didn’t scare me at all,” he continues to say, lying through his teeth. “I, uh, would love to stay and chat but I’ve got to go now, bye!” Youngjae speaks in a rush before quickly turning around and sprinting far from the crowd that had formed around them.
Jinyoung sighs. “Poor boy was definitely scared. He was such a cutie too,” he hums, shaking his head and walking the opposite direction while Jaebum stays rooted to the spot as he watches Youngjae’s back disappear into the distance.
“He didn’t even offer to wash my shirt.”
“So rumours are flying around that someone made a mess of Jaebum-sunbaenim this morning.”
Youngjae groans loudly, dropping his head a little too hard on the table in front of him, lunch forgotten on one side. “Already?”
“Ha! I knew it was you! You owe me five bucks, Yugs,” Kunpimook cheers, doing a little victorious wiggle before holding his palm out towards his best friend, Yugyeom grumbling about being broke as he hands the other boy his cash.
“How did you even figure it out? I’m pretty sure no one on campus knows my name yet,” Youngjae mumbles against the hardwood surface of the table.
“They said and I quote, “A blond boy with round glasses almost got beaten up by resident bad boy Im Jaebum if not for president and social butterfly Park Jinyoung saving his ass,”” Kunpimook explains, complete with air quotations, before nipping at Youngjae’s lunchbox.
“But I can’t be the only boy who’s blond! And wears glasses!”
“Yeah but not many people are clumsy enough to make a fool of themselves in front of an entire crowd on their first day. I still remember your first day of high school when you tripped and fell over ‘Mook,” Yugyeom says with a shudder, flashbacks of Kunpimook’s angry state coming back to him.
“It’s not my fault that I was born with two left feet,” Youngjae whines, looking up at his two friends. “What’s the deal with both of them anyway? They seemed pretty close.”
A roll of bimbimbap barely makes it to Kunpimook’s mouth, the food falling from his chopsticks as he stares down at Youngjae, jaw dropping. “You don’t know? Hyung, where have you been?”
“Oh I don’t know,” Youngjae drawls sarcastically. “Too busy sorting out my college life to pick up on campus gossip? I don’t even know how you manage it when we’ve only stepped into this place two days ago.”
“Friends, hyung. I make them,” Kunpimook replies with a roll of his eyes. “They’re the most mismatched yet hottest couple on campus ground. Nobody even knows how they became one but everyone agrees that they look undeniably good together.”
Youngjae hums in response, scratching at his cheek nervously before he quietly fires the next question. “What about Jaebum-sunbaenim though? What’s the dish with him? Why’s everyone afraid of him?”
Kunpimook raises his eyebrows suspiciously and squints at the older boy. “Why are you asking all these questions?”
“N-Nothing,” Youngjae squeaks, cheeks colouring a soft pink. “Never mind then.”
“Aw, does our little Youngjae have a crush on him?” Yugyeom says and when Youngjae doesn’t reply, a grin slowly spreads across his features. “So you do like him.”
“First of all, I am your hyung and I’m not little. Second, I do not like him.”
“Hey, hyung. Jaebum-sunbaenim is right behind you and he’s coming our way.”
Youngjae jumps in his seat, neck twisting so fast he almost gives himself a whiplash, only to find out that Yugyeom had been lying. “I hate you.”
Kunpimook falls against Yugyeom’s side as they both cackle, tears of mirth pooling at the corner of their eyes. “Hyung, if you have a crush on him it’s fine. It’s completely normal. Almost everyone on campus likes him or secretly likes him because they find the bad boy attitude appealing.”
“Oh.”
“But I didn’t think you were into that type,” Kunpimook laughs. “You better give up, though. You have no chance against Jinyoung-sunbaenim.”
Despite barely knowing anything about Jaebum or his partner, Youngjae couldn’t help but feel a little hurt at Kunpimook’s words. “I wasn’t holding onto any hope anyway,” he mumbles under his breath, packing his lunchbox into his bag before getting up from his seat, bidding his friends goodbye as he headed to his next class.
Besides, it wasn’t like he was going to meet Jaebum again.
Except, that’s exactly what happens.
“I’m starting to think that you’re doing that on purpose,” Jaebum says when Youngjae had tripped, yet again, but instead of spilling anything on the older boy, this time, he was the one to fall against Jaebum’s sturdy chest, Jaebum just managing to balance them as he caught onto Youngjae’s arms.
Youngjae was happily headed to Advanced Contemporary Music, hoping that the class would clear his head a little. But when he stepped inside, he was so shocked to find Jaebum there as well that his feet ended up caught on a music stand before he fell onto the older boy.
“I’m not!” Youngjae replies a little too loudly, only realising the height of his voice when his classmates started to whisper. “I mean…I-I’m sorry.”
“That’s alright,” Jaebum hums, patting Youngjae lightly before releasing his grip and the warmth that he felt earlier disappeared as quickly as it came. “Are you okay, though?”
Not trusting the state of his voice completely, Youngjae simply nods and quickly rushes to find a seat, hoping that he wouldn’t get the chance to embarrass himself further. But luck was clearly not on his side as Jaebum slides in next to him, gaze piercing as he stares at him even as their professor came in to start the lecture. Youngjae ignored him, or tried to at least, focusing on jotting down notes instead.
“It wouldn’t come off.”
Youngjae stops writing, turning to the older boy and answers with a very intellectual, “Huh?”
“The tea you spilled. I tried washing it but it wouldn’t come off,” Jaebum explains.
Only then did Youngjae realise that Jaebum was still wearing the button-down he had on earlier that morning, a big splotch of brown covering almost half of it. He suddenly felt guilty.
“I didn’t have enough time to go change,” Jaebum goes on, resting his cheek on his palm as he continues to stare at Youngjae, face devoid of any expression that it made Youngjae think he was still mad for his blunder. “But Jinyoung said I deserved it. For scaring you away.”
“J-Jinyoung? Your boyfriend?” Youngjae says before he can stop himself.
Jaebum looks briefly surprised as his eyebrows lift. “Wow, word sure does travel fast.”
Youngjae presses his lips together and keeps quiet for the rest of the lecture, and thankfully, Jaebum does too. But the guilt that he feels doesn’t subside even as the class comes to an end so he taps Jaebum’s shoulder as they file out of the lecture hall and speaks up.
“You might want to try bleach,” he advises, eyes trained to the ground as he slides out of his favourite hoodie, all but shoving it into Jaebum’s chest. “But for the meantime, wear this.”
He disappears before Jaebum can even fit in a word of thanks.
The next time he runs into someone, it’s Jinyoung.
Youngjae had been volunteering to do community service, helping at a nursery home half-owned by the college, for the extra hours, while he still had the time, at least, before exams came around. He was balancing trays on his arms, ready to serve dinner when he lightly bumped into a solid body, but quickly found composure and saving the plates of food.
“It’s you,” a familiar voice says and Youngjae looks up to find Jinyoung grinning at him charmingly, causing his heart to do a weird little flop.
“Oh,” Youngjae replies, slightly breathless from the weight of the trays and maybe, just a bit, from Jinyoung’s smile. “Hi.”
“Need help with those?” Jinyoung offers but before Youngjae even has the chance to answer, Jinyoung was already lifting one of the trays off of him, helping him carry it to the right table.
They continued to work side by side, then, Youngjae stealing glances at Jinyoung every now and then, watching him patiently hold conversations with the elderly, until dinner service was over and all the plates had been cleared.
And somehow that finds them seated on the steps of the nursing home’s porch, sipping on bottles of leftover apple juice.
“Thank you for helping me out,” Youngjae says timidly, biting into the rim of the bottle out of nervousness.
Jinyoung surprises him by ruffling his hair affectionately, eyes disappearing into crescents as the same, sweet smile graces his face. “I didn’t know you worked here as well.”
“Oh, I only signed up recently,” Youngjae explains. “I thought that I might as well do something other than study now that I’m in college.”
“Why not join societies instead?”
“I didn’t find any that I was interested in. Plus, half of them are sports and I suck at it.”
Jinyoung chuckles. “I can imagine. You’re not very good at keeping your balance, are you?”
“He told you, didn’t he?”
“About that time you fell onto him in music class? Or that time you almost slipped off the stairs? Or maybe that time when you spilled something on him again, what was it this time?”
“Yoghurt and it fell onto his pants,” Youngjae mumbles.
Jinyoung breaks out into loud laughter, his head tilted back and mouth open wide as he clutches at his stomach. “Oh man, it took him days to get the stain out. You should’ve seen how distraught he was.”
Youngjae’s eyebrows drew in confusion. “So you’re not…I don’t know, mad at me for always putting your, uh, boyfriend in tough situations?”
“Are you kidding me? I love seeing him suffer,” Jinyoung grins, and Youngjae thinks he’s hallucinating when he sees a small, evil gleam in his eyes before they soften again. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen Jaebum warm up to someone this quick, though. Tell me, Choi Youngjae. What’s your secret?”
“Uhm, be awkward and clumsy 24/7?”
Jinyoung snorts, ruffling his hair again before finishing his drink and tossing it into the bin, fishing his phone out to quickly text someone before grabbing at Youngjae’s wrist, pulling him in the direction of the campus.
“Sunbae, where are you taking me?”
“Just call me hyung,” Jinyoung says, throwing Youngjae a smile over his shoulder. “And I’m hungry. You’re joining us for dinner.”
“’Mook? Yugyeom?” Youngjae gapes, eyes as wide as saucers as he stares at his friends, who were currently seated across from Jaebum, chatting casually.
“Oh, Youngjae, you know them?” Jinyoung asks, pushing him down to sit beside Jaebum while he occupies the other side of him.
“Know them? We grew up in high school together. I didn’t know that you knew them,” Youngjae voices in disbelief, glaring at his friends who actually have the decency to smile at him sheepishly and mouth, ‘Sorry, we forgot to tell you.’
“I met Yugyeom in Dance and Jinyoung takes an extra course in Fashion and Design, where he decided to adopt Bambam,” Jaebum tells him as if it were obvious.
“Bambam?”
“That’s my new nickname!” Kunpimook chirps. “Jinyoung-hyung had a hard time pronouncing my name so he went with Bambam.”
“Oh, so you’re on hyung terms now?” Youngjae grits out.
“Relax, hyung,” Yugyeom says, trying to pacify the situation. “We were gonna tell you sooner or later. It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Not that big of a deal-you know my secret!”
“What secret?” Jaebum and Jinyoung asks at the same time, turning their attention to the boy in the middle of them.
Youngjae groans, holding his head in his hands. “It’s nothing. It’s just something stupid.”
“Well, you’ve got me curious now,” Jinyoung says, wrapping an arm around Youngjae’s shoulder and peered into his personal space. “C’mon, you can trust me.”
“Sun-Hyung, we’ve only had a proper conversation hours ago.”
“So? You’ve gotten close to Jaebum for a little over a week now and being close with Jaebum means that you’re close with me too. So, what do you say? Will you please tell me?”
Youngjae shakes his head vehemently and when Jinyoung kept insisting, he pulls his oldest trick out of his bag, one he only uses when he wants something. Desperate times calls for desperate measures. He widens his eyes and juts his lower lip into a cute pout, looking at Jinyoung through his eyelashes.
“Hyung, can we please just have dinner instead?”
Across from him, he can hear Kunpimook and Yugyeom making mock gagging noises but his gimmick seems to be working on Jinyoung as he sighs in defeat. “Okay, fine fine. But don’t think I won’t bring it up again,” he warns and then adds, “What do you want to eat?”
Youngjae mentally high-fives himself and smiles before shrugging. “I don’t know. What do they usually serve?”
“Youngjae-hyung tends to skip dinner,” Kunpimook blurts out, much to Youngjae’s dissatisfaction.
Jinyoung immediately fusses over him, saying things along the lines of, “Growing boys should eat more,” and “I’m going to buy you everything they’ve got,” before making the beeline towards the cafeteria.
“Thanks,” Youngjae says dryly and Kunpimook sticks his tongue out.
“Don’t worry he’s always like that,” Jaebum mumbles softly, picking around at his food and when Youngjae turns to him, he realises that Jaebum has his hoodie on. It falls a little short on him but he looks better in it than Youngjae ever had. It makes his cheeks warm. “He’s like a mother hen.”
Youngjae acknowledges his words with a hum. “You’re wearing my hoodie.”
“It’s a safety measure,” Jaebum deadpans. “In case you spill anything on me this time, at least it’ll be on your shirt.”
“You’re mean,” Youngjae pouts.
Jaebum reaches over to flick his forehead, grinning amusedly. “At least I’m not clumsy.”
Youngjae whines a little and rubs at the sore spot, easily falling into conversation with Jaebum. Too wrapped up in their own world, they fail to notice the knowing looks Kunpimook and Yugyeom exchange and only when Jinyoung comes back do they break apart.
“Hyung…how much did you spend?” Youngjae questions, slightly mortified at the amount of food Jinyoung had bought.
“Hm, you’re right, it’s not enough,” Jinyoung starts but before he could go anywhere, Youngjae quickly catches onto his wrist, stopping him from buying more.
“No, it’s more than enough!” he half-yells. “Let’s eat, hyung.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Youngjae confirms, sighing in relief when Jinyoung slides back next to him.
True to Jaebum’s words, Jinyoung indeed was a mother hen. All throughout dinner, he made sure to not only pile up Youngjae’s plate with extra rice but he also shared his portion of the side-dishes with him. In all honesty, Youngjae was grateful. It was nice to have someone care for you when you’re so far from home but by the end of the night, Youngjae was feeling the effects of the food as his stomach bloated. He rubbed at his tummy, Kunpimook screaming an over-exaggerated “eww” as he released a small burp.
“Thanks for the food, Jinyoung-hyung. I’ll repay you next time.”
“There’s no need for that. I’m just doing my job as the hyung. Plus, I really like you so I don’t mind spending a little extra on you.”
Youngjae knew, then, that Jinyoung had only meant it in a friendly way, but at the same time he couldn’t stop the loud thudding of his heart, and the way his cheeks quickly heated up. Kunpimook and Yugyeom were giggling inconspicuously and Youngjae was certain that his face expressed his feelings.
The three of them bid goodnight and part ways with the older boys, after Jinyoung mildly calls it a night, and even though Youngjae’s teased all the way back to their dorm, he barely pays his two so-called friends any mind. He’s got more important things to settle.
He’s pretty sure that it’s Jaebum that he likes, so why does his heart beat like this every time Jinyoung so much as smiles?
Youngjae finds himself crossing paths with Jaebum and Jinyoung more often than not. He has his suspicions that Kunpimook and Yugyeom are somehow involved in that, but they always deny his allegations, and Youngjae, being Youngjae, lets it go.
Over the past couple of months, he’s gotten closer to his hyungs, spending more time with them, even more than he does with his high school friends, to the point he can hear the whispers of students around them, wondering who he is. With Jaebum, their time is always spent studying for the one class they shared together, while with Jinyoung, it’s usually spent helping out at the nursery home, or sometimes it’s just Youngjae giving him an extra hand when his president duties have piled up. Even though Youngjae admits he’s happy with the development of their friendship, he can’t help but still feel a little confused about his feelings. He’s (dare he say?) equally attracted to both of them, and the fact that they’re already in a relationship together puzzles him even further. He obviously has no chance with either of them but the flicker of hope lingering in his heart just won’t die out no matter what he does.
The music room is quiet when he gets in but that’s only to be expected- no one else in this campus would be crazy enough to come back here to study on a Saturday evening. He drifts automatically over to the piano, file with his scoresheets tucked under his arm, like he does every time he gets frustrated over work or studies and just needs a break.
Youngjae’s been singing since he’d been too young to remember (his mother likes to show family friends mortifyingly embarrassing home videos of him caterwauling in the shower) but he’d never pursued it seriously. It’d been a harmless sort of hobby, just something he did in his spare time, and he’d never thought too much of it.
Sighing, he focuses on the music sheet in front of him, ridding himself of all thoughts involving Jaebum and Jinyoung. He runs his hands over the ivory keys of the piano and closes his eyes, softly singing to the melody of the music.
It’s honestly either a testament to how well music helps him relax (or how daft he thinks he is in general) that he fails to notice the two people who’d into the room until he finishes playing, shocked when he hears the sound of applause.
“I didn’t know you could sing,” Jinyoung smiles as he strides up to Youngjae, perching his hips against the piano. Jaebum, on the other hand, stays in his spot by the door, a weird look on his face that Youngjae can’t quite decipher.
“Only a bit. I’m not that good,” Youngjae replies modestly, flushing slightly at having caught singing.
“Are you joking? You have a very powerful voice,” Jinyoung compliments. “Did you know that Jaebum sings as well? Your vocals would match nicely.”
Youngjae looks over his shoulder at Jaebum, eyes sparkling excitedly. “Really, hyung?” he asks and when he doesn’t receive a reply, tries again. “Hyung?”
Jaebum snaps out of his reverie and shakes his head. “Huh, what was that?”
Jinyoung rolls his eyes. “I just told Youngjae here that you can sing too. And you two should do it together sometime.”
“Oh yeah, sure, definitely,” Jaebum nods, flashing Youngjae a small smile. “I’d love to.”
Youngjae can’t help but beam widely, almost blinding both Jaebum and Jinyoung. “So what brings you here, hyungs?”
Jinyoung holds a finger up and searches his pockets with his other hand, pulling out a crumpled ticket. “We tried to find you and Bambam told us you were most probably here,” he explains, holding out the piece of paper for Youngjae to take. “There’s a dance competition this weekend. Yugyeom and Jaebum are part of it and we wanted to invite you to come and watch. But only if you’re free.”
“Even if I wasn’t I’d make myself free. I can’t miss watching my best friend and my…uhm, hyung. I’ll be there.”
“Great! It’s a date then,” Jinyoung cheers, plopping down next to Youngjae and winks at him. “At least, for me and you it will be.”
Younjae laughs and can only wish that it were true.
Jaebum and Yugyeom’s team end up winning first place, and Youngjae’s truly excited for them, but he’s even more delighted when he spots a familiar face in the crowd.
“Jackson-hyung?”
“Youngjae?”
Youngjae all but squeals and jumps into Jackson’s unsuspecting arms, the older boy laughing loudly as he gripped at him tightly, spinning them around much to Jaebum’s and Jinyoung’s displeasure. Everyone noticed the dark aura that surrounded them, everyone except Jackson and Youngjae of course.
“How do you know Jackson-hyung?” Yugyeom questions wearily, slowly shifting away from the fuming couple.
“He went to the same high school as us,” Youngjae answers with a bright smile. “But you probably never met him because he moved back to Hong Kong just as you and ‘Mook entered. Speaking of, what are you doing back here, hyung?”
“I spent half of my life here I couldn’t let it go that easily so I came back. I didn’t know you studied here as well though.”
“Well, you would have known if you actually contacted me over the years like you promised to.”
Jackson smiles apologetically. “Sorry, ‘Jae. But hey, at least we’re back together now and I see you’ve made some pretty good friends.”
As if on cue, Jaebum immediately wraps his arm around Youngjae’s shoulder while Jinyoung snakes his around Youngjae’s waist, both holding him possessively. “Yes, we’re very good friends.”
Youngjae looks back and forth between them in confusion, flushing at the close proximities of their bodies and Jackson has the same, baffled, expression on his face until everything clicks into place. “You two are really obvious,” he chuckles. “And you are really oblivious. I’d love to stay and catch up some more but I’ve got to run now, ‘Jae. I kinda wanna live tonight and someone’s waiting for me. I’ll see you around, yeah?”
Youngjae only manages to squeak out an “okay!” before Jackson’s already running off to the opposite direction. His words float around in his head though and Youngjae finds himself even more puzzled than before. “What does he mean by me being oblivious?”
“Nothing,” four voices say at once and Youngjae has the feeling that they know something that he doesn’t but before he can question it any further, Jaebum cuts in and tells them they should celebrate their win. Youngjae shuts up in favour of everyone’s happiness, but next time, he won’t let it go so easily.
Jaebum and Jinyoung are still strangely hostile towards Jackson but after a few more encounters, they warm up to him. It’s hard not to like Jackson anyway with his positive vibes and fun energy keeping them entertained. They become friendlier, though, after Jackson introduces them to his best friend, Mark, and from then on, the seven of them make it a daily ritual to have lunch together.
“So, have they confessed to you, yet?” Jackson asks Youngjae when they’re left at the table alone while the rest of the group purchases their lunch.
“Huh, who?”
“Jaebum and Jinyoung, duh. They obviously like you. How can you not see that?”
Youngjae chokes on his egg sandwich, putting his food down as he tries to drink water and thumps his chest at the same time. “What gave you that idea? We’re just friends.”
“Just friends, my ass,” Jackson rolls his eyes. “Half of the time you’re together, they look like they’re about to eat you.”
“Hyung, you do know that they’re a couple, right? There’s no space for me to fit in.”
“Have you ever heard of threesomes, Youngjae-ah? They’re real and they can happen, even to you.”
Youngjae snorts. “Please, I can’t even get one person to like me what makes you think I can get two?”
“’Jae, you’re not ugly, y’know?”
“I know I’m not,” Youngjae sighs, his appetite suddenly lost. “But I also know that it is impossible for two highly attractive guys who are in a relationship to like me so can we just, drop the subject?”
Jackson relents. “Alright, fine. But don’t say I didn’t tell you.”
It’s Jinyoung who kisses him first.
Youngjae had noticed how stressed Jinyoung was with spring drawing near, because with spring also came a lot of social activities that were way too much to handle, with Jinyoung already being short staffed. So Youngjae, being the caring dongsaeng that he was, decided to help. Initially, it was just him making lunch for Jinyoung because he knew how little the older boy ate when he was under pressure. Jinyoung had been grateful, giving Youngjae sweet smiles in return that did nothing to calm his fluttering heart. When the deadline came close though, it seemed as if more work kept piling up instead of decreasing so Youngjae put the skills he gained as a chair of the student in high school to work, staying up as late as midnight just to lessen Jinyoung's burden.
As the last day rolled in, Jinyoung heaved a relieved sigh, stacking up the last of his paperwork just a little after midnight before holding his hand up to high-five Youngjae. "We did it."
"Congratulations, hyung."
"I couldn't have done it without you, Youngjae-ah," Jinyoung smiles, albeit a little tiredly.
"Silly, hyung," Youngjae teases, surprising Jinyoung by pulling him into a brief hug. "I'm always here to help you if you ever need me."
"You're so wonderful, what would I ever do without you?"
"You'd probably cripple up here and die. And then Jaebum-hyung would be really, really sad."
Jinyoung laughs, the first genuine one he's had in weeks and Youngjae realises just how much he misses it. "Would you be sad too?"
"Of course!" Youngjae replies without a beat. "If you're gone, who's gonna take care of me? I mean, there's Jaebum-hyung but just between you and me, he doesn't do a very good job at it," he jokes.
"Oh, he's absolutely terrible," Jinyoung chuckles, slowly bringing his hands up to cup Youngjae's face, thumbs running over the bags that had accumulated over the weeks. "But I'm not that much better. Look at how much sleep you've lost."
"Please, hyung. I sleep like a log. I can easily recharge myself."
Jinyoung hums, fingers still running over the shape and contour of Youngjae's face. He takes in the little mole Youngjae has under his eye, the unblemished skin, his full lips. He doesn't really realise how close he's come to Youngjae, eyes already closed as he leans in, the only indication of his direction being the little puffs of breath coming out of Youngjae's mouth.
"H-Hyung?"
And Jinyoung closes the distance between them, lips pressed together in a gentle kiss. Youngjae's unresponsive at first, as his brain tries to process the situation at hand. Jinyoung is kissing him, Jinyoung who he likes, but already has a boyfriend, is kissing him. He should feel guilty, he really should, but it’s hard to feel anything else but pleasure as Jinyoung's tongue runs over the seam of his mouth in attempt to coax a response out of him.
And Youngjae gives him what he wants.
He clutches onto the front of Jinyoung's shirt, pulling their chests together as he tilts his head, parting his lips just slightly but it’s enough for Jinyoung to slip his tongue in and drink in the sweet taste of the younger boy who in turn moans against him. There's biting and sucking and only when Youngjae starts grinding against his thigh does Jinyoung stop, chuckling softly at the dishevelled state the younger boy’s in even though he knows that he probably looks equally as messy.
"You have no idea," Jinyoung starts, resting his forehead against Youngjae's and smiles. "How long I've been waiting to do that "
"Why'd...why'd you stop then?" Youngjae pants, lightly nuzzling his nose against Jinyoung's cheek.
"Someone will be very angry at me if I go any further."
Panic sets within Youngjae, his eyes widening with fear. "Jaebum-hyung. Oh my God, what did I do? I kissed his boyfriend. He's going to hate me, he's going to hate me."
"Youngjae, relax," Jinyoung calms him down, squeezing his shoulders and shaking him lightly to stop him from panicking. "He's not going to hate you because...well, he likes you too."
"W-What?" Youngjae gasps disbelievingly. "You mean you two...and me...?"
Jinyoung nods. "I know it seems a little bit weird and that there's a lot to process right now but...our feelings are genuine. We'll give you a few days to think it over. It'd make us really happy to have you in our relationship but if you decide to reject us, then we won't object."
Youngjae shakes his head and laughs. "I don't even need the time, hyung. My answer is yes."
"I can't believe you kissed him without me," Jaebum sulks, arms crossed over his chest after he had literally lectured Jinyoung about sharing, now that they were in a three-way relationship. "You can't hog him all to yourself, y'know."
Jinyoung presses his lips together to keep himself from laughing and potentially angering Jaebum further. He gestures at Youngjae to pacify the eldest of them three and Youngjae easily obliges, squeezing himself between Jaebum and the wall he was currently facing, climbing onto the older boy's lap.
"Don't be mad at Jinyoung-hyung," Youngjae says as he nuzzles into the crook of Jaebum's neck. "It was my fault too."
Jaebum already feels his resolve crumbling but keeps up the facade. "I'll only forgive both of you if you give me something."
"But I already permanently gave you my hoodie! And that was my favourite one too."
"I'll keep being angry then."
Youngjae huffs. "How about free kisses?"
"Go on."
"I'll give you as many kisses as you want today and as punishment, Jinyoung-hyung won't get any today."
"Hey!"
"I like the sound of that," Jaebum grins and pecks Youngjae's lips but before he could go any further, Jinyoung pulls Youngjae away.
"I'm not going to back down without a fight," Jinyoung says.
"You're on," Jaebum retaliates.
And as Youngjae watches his boyfriends fight, life, Youngjae thinks, couldn't get any better than this.
[readers, don't forget to leave a comment! anonymous is on if you're shy.]
Title: Caught (In the Mix)
Pairing(s)/focus: JB/Jr./Youngjae
Rating: PG
Word count: 5660
Warnings: None
Author's notes: I hope I did this prompt at least a little justice ;; I hope you like it [everyone]!!<3
Summary: When Youngjae enters college, he ends up falling for not one, but two guys.
There are many things Youngjae regrets doing in his life.
For instance, breaking his mum's favourite mug and stealing his brother's branded shoes, or throwing that small get together in high school that somehow blew up into The Party of The Year (he still thinks it was Jackson's fault despite the denials) and ended up with him being grounded for a month.
But nothing quite compares to this, Youngjae thinks as he lurches forward, bubble tea in hand spilling onto what was previously a pristine white shirt, the owner turning to him with a furious glint in his eyes. He really should have looked where he was going.
“I am so sorry,” Youngjae starts, apologies flying out of his mouth as he dabs at the stranger's shirt with his handkerchief, trying to clean up the mess he had made but only manages to make it worse. Around him people are pointing and whispering and he can feel his nerves getting the better of him. It was his first day at college, things weren’t supposed to go this way.
Somewhere amongst his ramblings he can vaguely hear a deep voice telling him to stop but he doesn’t, until a hand catches his wrist and Youngjae looks up, slightly startled to meet the intense gaze of the other boy that effectively shuts him up. He’s leaning in and Youngjae cowers in fear, eyes squeezing shut and ready for the repercussion of his clumsiness but the blow he expects doesn’t come and then another voice filters in.
“Jaebum, what did I tell you about scaring the freshies away?”
Youngjae peeks an eye open to see a familiar face come to view. He’s pretty sure he’s seen him before but doesn’t exactly remember where. He watches the exchange between the two boys and only then realises that his wrist was still caught between long fingers. Youngjae clears his throat, “Uhm…”
Two heads snap towards his direction and Youngjae immediately feels himself getting flustered, not used to all the attention. “I’m sorry for interrupting but can you please let go of my hand?” he says quickly and when he doesn’t get a response adds, “I don’t think you want to drag around baggage like me,” he laughs nervously, “Unless you plan on cutting my hand which I hope isn’t the case because I kind of really need it.”
There’s a small bout of silence before one of them is laughing, loud and cheerful, the corners of his eyes wrinkling with mirth. “Oh, forgive me. I should have introduced myself first. I’m Park Jinyoung, president of the student union.”
Youngjae nods, now knowing why he’d been so familiar. His face was practically on every poster on the campus ground. “I’m Choi Youngjae and I, uhm, still need my hand back.”
Jinyoung’s smile contradicts his actions as he elbows the other boy on his side. It looks painful, and it probably was judging from the groan he hears but at least he’s free now. “Sorry if he scared you. Jaebum seems intimidating and looks like a big bad bully but he’s actually okay.”
“Just okay?” Youngjae hears Jaebum grumble as he rubs at his waist before his eyes train on Youngjae again to which the younger boy quickly ducks his head, pulling his bangs over his eyes, embarrassed at being caught staring.
“Uhm, it’s fine, really,” Youngjae mumbles as he slowly shifts, taking a few steps backwards away from the pair. “H-He didn’t scare me at all,” he continues to say, lying through his teeth. “I, uh, would love to stay and chat but I’ve got to go now, bye!” Youngjae speaks in a rush before quickly turning around and sprinting far from the crowd that had formed around them.
Jinyoung sighs. “Poor boy was definitely scared. He was such a cutie too,” he hums, shaking his head and walking the opposite direction while Jaebum stays rooted to the spot as he watches Youngjae’s back disappear into the distance.
“He didn’t even offer to wash my shirt.”
“So rumours are flying around that someone made a mess of Jaebum-sunbaenim this morning.”
Youngjae groans loudly, dropping his head a little too hard on the table in front of him, lunch forgotten on one side. “Already?”
“Ha! I knew it was you! You owe me five bucks, Yugs,” Kunpimook cheers, doing a little victorious wiggle before holding his palm out towards his best friend, Yugyeom grumbling about being broke as he hands the other boy his cash.
“How did you even figure it out? I’m pretty sure no one on campus knows my name yet,” Youngjae mumbles against the hardwood surface of the table.
“They said and I quote, “A blond boy with round glasses almost got beaten up by resident bad boy Im Jaebum if not for president and social butterfly Park Jinyoung saving his ass,”” Kunpimook explains, complete with air quotations, before nipping at Youngjae’s lunchbox.
“But I can’t be the only boy who’s blond! And wears glasses!”
“Yeah but not many people are clumsy enough to make a fool of themselves in front of an entire crowd on their first day. I still remember your first day of high school when you tripped and fell over ‘Mook,” Yugyeom says with a shudder, flashbacks of Kunpimook’s angry state coming back to him.
“It’s not my fault that I was born with two left feet,” Youngjae whines, looking up at his two friends. “What’s the deal with both of them anyway? They seemed pretty close.”
A roll of bimbimbap barely makes it to Kunpimook’s mouth, the food falling from his chopsticks as he stares down at Youngjae, jaw dropping. “You don’t know? Hyung, where have you been?”
“Oh I don’t know,” Youngjae drawls sarcastically. “Too busy sorting out my college life to pick up on campus gossip? I don’t even know how you manage it when we’ve only stepped into this place two days ago.”
“Friends, hyung. I make them,” Kunpimook replies with a roll of his eyes. “They’re the most mismatched yet hottest couple on campus ground. Nobody even knows how they became one but everyone agrees that they look undeniably good together.”
Youngjae hums in response, scratching at his cheek nervously before he quietly fires the next question. “What about Jaebum-sunbaenim though? What’s the dish with him? Why’s everyone afraid of him?”
Kunpimook raises his eyebrows suspiciously and squints at the older boy. “Why are you asking all these questions?”
“N-Nothing,” Youngjae squeaks, cheeks colouring a soft pink. “Never mind then.”
“Aw, does our little Youngjae have a crush on him?” Yugyeom says and when Youngjae doesn’t reply, a grin slowly spreads across his features. “So you do like him.”
“First of all, I am your hyung and I’m not little. Second, I do not like him.”
“Hey, hyung. Jaebum-sunbaenim is right behind you and he’s coming our way.”
Youngjae jumps in his seat, neck twisting so fast he almost gives himself a whiplash, only to find out that Yugyeom had been lying. “I hate you.”
Kunpimook falls against Yugyeom’s side as they both cackle, tears of mirth pooling at the corner of their eyes. “Hyung, if you have a crush on him it’s fine. It’s completely normal. Almost everyone on campus likes him or secretly likes him because they find the bad boy attitude appealing.”
“Oh.”
“But I didn’t think you were into that type,” Kunpimook laughs. “You better give up, though. You have no chance against Jinyoung-sunbaenim.”
Despite barely knowing anything about Jaebum or his partner, Youngjae couldn’t help but feel a little hurt at Kunpimook’s words. “I wasn’t holding onto any hope anyway,” he mumbles under his breath, packing his lunchbox into his bag before getting up from his seat, bidding his friends goodbye as he headed to his next class.
Besides, it wasn’t like he was going to meet Jaebum again.
Except, that’s exactly what happens.
“I’m starting to think that you’re doing that on purpose,” Jaebum says when Youngjae had tripped, yet again, but instead of spilling anything on the older boy, this time, he was the one to fall against Jaebum’s sturdy chest, Jaebum just managing to balance them as he caught onto Youngjae’s arms.
Youngjae was happily headed to Advanced Contemporary Music, hoping that the class would clear his head a little. But when he stepped inside, he was so shocked to find Jaebum there as well that his feet ended up caught on a music stand before he fell onto the older boy.
“I’m not!” Youngjae replies a little too loudly, only realising the height of his voice when his classmates started to whisper. “I mean…I-I’m sorry.”
“That’s alright,” Jaebum hums, patting Youngjae lightly before releasing his grip and the warmth that he felt earlier disappeared as quickly as it came. “Are you okay, though?”
Not trusting the state of his voice completely, Youngjae simply nods and quickly rushes to find a seat, hoping that he wouldn’t get the chance to embarrass himself further. But luck was clearly not on his side as Jaebum slides in next to him, gaze piercing as he stares at him even as their professor came in to start the lecture. Youngjae ignored him, or tried to at least, focusing on jotting down notes instead.
“It wouldn’t come off.”
Youngjae stops writing, turning to the older boy and answers with a very intellectual, “Huh?”
“The tea you spilled. I tried washing it but it wouldn’t come off,” Jaebum explains.
Only then did Youngjae realise that Jaebum was still wearing the button-down he had on earlier that morning, a big splotch of brown covering almost half of it. He suddenly felt guilty.
“I didn’t have enough time to go change,” Jaebum goes on, resting his cheek on his palm as he continues to stare at Youngjae, face devoid of any expression that it made Youngjae think he was still mad for his blunder. “But Jinyoung said I deserved it. For scaring you away.”
“J-Jinyoung? Your boyfriend?” Youngjae says before he can stop himself.
Jaebum looks briefly surprised as his eyebrows lift. “Wow, word sure does travel fast.”
Youngjae presses his lips together and keeps quiet for the rest of the lecture, and thankfully, Jaebum does too. But the guilt that he feels doesn’t subside even as the class comes to an end so he taps Jaebum’s shoulder as they file out of the lecture hall and speaks up.
“You might want to try bleach,” he advises, eyes trained to the ground as he slides out of his favourite hoodie, all but shoving it into Jaebum’s chest. “But for the meantime, wear this.”
He disappears before Jaebum can even fit in a word of thanks.
The next time he runs into someone, it’s Jinyoung.
Youngjae had been volunteering to do community service, helping at a nursery home half-owned by the college, for the extra hours, while he still had the time, at least, before exams came around. He was balancing trays on his arms, ready to serve dinner when he lightly bumped into a solid body, but quickly found composure and saving the plates of food.
“It’s you,” a familiar voice says and Youngjae looks up to find Jinyoung grinning at him charmingly, causing his heart to do a weird little flop.
“Oh,” Youngjae replies, slightly breathless from the weight of the trays and maybe, just a bit, from Jinyoung’s smile. “Hi.”
“Need help with those?” Jinyoung offers but before Youngjae even has the chance to answer, Jinyoung was already lifting one of the trays off of him, helping him carry it to the right table.
They continued to work side by side, then, Youngjae stealing glances at Jinyoung every now and then, watching him patiently hold conversations with the elderly, until dinner service was over and all the plates had been cleared.
And somehow that finds them seated on the steps of the nursing home’s porch, sipping on bottles of leftover apple juice.
“Thank you for helping me out,” Youngjae says timidly, biting into the rim of the bottle out of nervousness.
Jinyoung surprises him by ruffling his hair affectionately, eyes disappearing into crescents as the same, sweet smile graces his face. “I didn’t know you worked here as well.”
“Oh, I only signed up recently,” Youngjae explains. “I thought that I might as well do something other than study now that I’m in college.”
“Why not join societies instead?”
“I didn’t find any that I was interested in. Plus, half of them are sports and I suck at it.”
Jinyoung chuckles. “I can imagine. You’re not very good at keeping your balance, are you?”
“He told you, didn’t he?”
“About that time you fell onto him in music class? Or that time you almost slipped off the stairs? Or maybe that time when you spilled something on him again, what was it this time?”
“Yoghurt and it fell onto his pants,” Youngjae mumbles.
Jinyoung breaks out into loud laughter, his head tilted back and mouth open wide as he clutches at his stomach. “Oh man, it took him days to get the stain out. You should’ve seen how distraught he was.”
Youngjae’s eyebrows drew in confusion. “So you’re not…I don’t know, mad at me for always putting your, uh, boyfriend in tough situations?”
“Are you kidding me? I love seeing him suffer,” Jinyoung grins, and Youngjae thinks he’s hallucinating when he sees a small, evil gleam in his eyes before they soften again. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen Jaebum warm up to someone this quick, though. Tell me, Choi Youngjae. What’s your secret?”
“Uhm, be awkward and clumsy 24/7?”
Jinyoung snorts, ruffling his hair again before finishing his drink and tossing it into the bin, fishing his phone out to quickly text someone before grabbing at Youngjae’s wrist, pulling him in the direction of the campus.
“Sunbae, where are you taking me?”
“Just call me hyung,” Jinyoung says, throwing Youngjae a smile over his shoulder. “And I’m hungry. You’re joining us for dinner.”
“’Mook? Yugyeom?” Youngjae gapes, eyes as wide as saucers as he stares at his friends, who were currently seated across from Jaebum, chatting casually.
“Oh, Youngjae, you know them?” Jinyoung asks, pushing him down to sit beside Jaebum while he occupies the other side of him.
“Know them? We grew up in high school together. I didn’t know that you knew them,” Youngjae voices in disbelief, glaring at his friends who actually have the decency to smile at him sheepishly and mouth, ‘Sorry, we forgot to tell you.’
“I met Yugyeom in Dance and Jinyoung takes an extra course in Fashion and Design, where he decided to adopt Bambam,” Jaebum tells him as if it were obvious.
“Bambam?”
“That’s my new nickname!” Kunpimook chirps. “Jinyoung-hyung had a hard time pronouncing my name so he went with Bambam.”
“Oh, so you’re on hyung terms now?” Youngjae grits out.
“Relax, hyung,” Yugyeom says, trying to pacify the situation. “We were gonna tell you sooner or later. It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Not that big of a deal-you know my secret!”
“What secret?” Jaebum and Jinyoung asks at the same time, turning their attention to the boy in the middle of them.
Youngjae groans, holding his head in his hands. “It’s nothing. It’s just something stupid.”
“Well, you’ve got me curious now,” Jinyoung says, wrapping an arm around Youngjae’s shoulder and peered into his personal space. “C’mon, you can trust me.”
“Sun-Hyung, we’ve only had a proper conversation hours ago.”
“So? You’ve gotten close to Jaebum for a little over a week now and being close with Jaebum means that you’re close with me too. So, what do you say? Will you please tell me?”
Youngjae shakes his head vehemently and when Jinyoung kept insisting, he pulls his oldest trick out of his bag, one he only uses when he wants something. Desperate times calls for desperate measures. He widens his eyes and juts his lower lip into a cute pout, looking at Jinyoung through his eyelashes.
“Hyung, can we please just have dinner instead?”
Across from him, he can hear Kunpimook and Yugyeom making mock gagging noises but his gimmick seems to be working on Jinyoung as he sighs in defeat. “Okay, fine fine. But don’t think I won’t bring it up again,” he warns and then adds, “What do you want to eat?”
Youngjae mentally high-fives himself and smiles before shrugging. “I don’t know. What do they usually serve?”
“Youngjae-hyung tends to skip dinner,” Kunpimook blurts out, much to Youngjae’s dissatisfaction.
Jinyoung immediately fusses over him, saying things along the lines of, “Growing boys should eat more,” and “I’m going to buy you everything they’ve got,” before making the beeline towards the cafeteria.
“Thanks,” Youngjae says dryly and Kunpimook sticks his tongue out.
“Don’t worry he’s always like that,” Jaebum mumbles softly, picking around at his food and when Youngjae turns to him, he realises that Jaebum has his hoodie on. It falls a little short on him but he looks better in it than Youngjae ever had. It makes his cheeks warm. “He’s like a mother hen.”
Youngjae acknowledges his words with a hum. “You’re wearing my hoodie.”
“It’s a safety measure,” Jaebum deadpans. “In case you spill anything on me this time, at least it’ll be on your shirt.”
“You’re mean,” Youngjae pouts.
Jaebum reaches over to flick his forehead, grinning amusedly. “At least I’m not clumsy.”
Youngjae whines a little and rubs at the sore spot, easily falling into conversation with Jaebum. Too wrapped up in their own world, they fail to notice the knowing looks Kunpimook and Yugyeom exchange and only when Jinyoung comes back do they break apart.
“Hyung…how much did you spend?” Youngjae questions, slightly mortified at the amount of food Jinyoung had bought.
“Hm, you’re right, it’s not enough,” Jinyoung starts but before he could go anywhere, Youngjae quickly catches onto his wrist, stopping him from buying more.
“No, it’s more than enough!” he half-yells. “Let’s eat, hyung.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Youngjae confirms, sighing in relief when Jinyoung slides back next to him.
True to Jaebum’s words, Jinyoung indeed was a mother hen. All throughout dinner, he made sure to not only pile up Youngjae’s plate with extra rice but he also shared his portion of the side-dishes with him. In all honesty, Youngjae was grateful. It was nice to have someone care for you when you’re so far from home but by the end of the night, Youngjae was feeling the effects of the food as his stomach bloated. He rubbed at his tummy, Kunpimook screaming an over-exaggerated “eww” as he released a small burp.
“Thanks for the food, Jinyoung-hyung. I’ll repay you next time.”
“There’s no need for that. I’m just doing my job as the hyung. Plus, I really like you so I don’t mind spending a little extra on you.”
Youngjae knew, then, that Jinyoung had only meant it in a friendly way, but at the same time he couldn’t stop the loud thudding of his heart, and the way his cheeks quickly heated up. Kunpimook and Yugyeom were giggling inconspicuously and Youngjae was certain that his face expressed his feelings.
The three of them bid goodnight and part ways with the older boys, after Jinyoung mildly calls it a night, and even though Youngjae’s teased all the way back to their dorm, he barely pays his two so-called friends any mind. He’s got more important things to settle.
He’s pretty sure that it’s Jaebum that he likes, so why does his heart beat like this every time Jinyoung so much as smiles?
Youngjae finds himself crossing paths with Jaebum and Jinyoung more often than not. He has his suspicions that Kunpimook and Yugyeom are somehow involved in that, but they always deny his allegations, and Youngjae, being Youngjae, lets it go.
Over the past couple of months, he’s gotten closer to his hyungs, spending more time with them, even more than he does with his high school friends, to the point he can hear the whispers of students around them, wondering who he is. With Jaebum, their time is always spent studying for the one class they shared together, while with Jinyoung, it’s usually spent helping out at the nursery home, or sometimes it’s just Youngjae giving him an extra hand when his president duties have piled up. Even though Youngjae admits he’s happy with the development of their friendship, he can’t help but still feel a little confused about his feelings. He’s (dare he say?) equally attracted to both of them, and the fact that they’re already in a relationship together puzzles him even further. He obviously has no chance with either of them but the flicker of hope lingering in his heart just won’t die out no matter what he does.
The music room is quiet when he gets in but that’s only to be expected- no one else in this campus would be crazy enough to come back here to study on a Saturday evening. He drifts automatically over to the piano, file with his scoresheets tucked under his arm, like he does every time he gets frustrated over work or studies and just needs a break.
Youngjae’s been singing since he’d been too young to remember (his mother likes to show family friends mortifyingly embarrassing home videos of him caterwauling in the shower) but he’d never pursued it seriously. It’d been a harmless sort of hobby, just something he did in his spare time, and he’d never thought too much of it.
Sighing, he focuses on the music sheet in front of him, ridding himself of all thoughts involving Jaebum and Jinyoung. He runs his hands over the ivory keys of the piano and closes his eyes, softly singing to the melody of the music.
It’s honestly either a testament to how well music helps him relax (or how daft he thinks he is in general) that he fails to notice the two people who’d into the room until he finishes playing, shocked when he hears the sound of applause.
“I didn’t know you could sing,” Jinyoung smiles as he strides up to Youngjae, perching his hips against the piano. Jaebum, on the other hand, stays in his spot by the door, a weird look on his face that Youngjae can’t quite decipher.
“Only a bit. I’m not that good,” Youngjae replies modestly, flushing slightly at having caught singing.
“Are you joking? You have a very powerful voice,” Jinyoung compliments. “Did you know that Jaebum sings as well? Your vocals would match nicely.”
Youngjae looks over his shoulder at Jaebum, eyes sparkling excitedly. “Really, hyung?” he asks and when he doesn’t receive a reply, tries again. “Hyung?”
Jaebum snaps out of his reverie and shakes his head. “Huh, what was that?”
Jinyoung rolls his eyes. “I just told Youngjae here that you can sing too. And you two should do it together sometime.”
“Oh yeah, sure, definitely,” Jaebum nods, flashing Youngjae a small smile. “I’d love to.”
Youngjae can’t help but beam widely, almost blinding both Jaebum and Jinyoung. “So what brings you here, hyungs?”
Jinyoung holds a finger up and searches his pockets with his other hand, pulling out a crumpled ticket. “We tried to find you and Bambam told us you were most probably here,” he explains, holding out the piece of paper for Youngjae to take. “There’s a dance competition this weekend. Yugyeom and Jaebum are part of it and we wanted to invite you to come and watch. But only if you’re free.”
“Even if I wasn’t I’d make myself free. I can’t miss watching my best friend and my…uhm, hyung. I’ll be there.”
“Great! It’s a date then,” Jinyoung cheers, plopping down next to Youngjae and winks at him. “At least, for me and you it will be.”
Younjae laughs and can only wish that it were true.
Jaebum and Yugyeom’s team end up winning first place, and Youngjae’s truly excited for them, but he’s even more delighted when he spots a familiar face in the crowd.
“Jackson-hyung?”
“Youngjae?”
Youngjae all but squeals and jumps into Jackson’s unsuspecting arms, the older boy laughing loudly as he gripped at him tightly, spinning them around much to Jaebum’s and Jinyoung’s displeasure. Everyone noticed the dark aura that surrounded them, everyone except Jackson and Youngjae of course.
“How do you know Jackson-hyung?” Yugyeom questions wearily, slowly shifting away from the fuming couple.
“He went to the same high school as us,” Youngjae answers with a bright smile. “But you probably never met him because he moved back to Hong Kong just as you and ‘Mook entered. Speaking of, what are you doing back here, hyung?”
“I spent half of my life here I couldn’t let it go that easily so I came back. I didn’t know you studied here as well though.”
“Well, you would have known if you actually contacted me over the years like you promised to.”
Jackson smiles apologetically. “Sorry, ‘Jae. But hey, at least we’re back together now and I see you’ve made some pretty good friends.”
As if on cue, Jaebum immediately wraps his arm around Youngjae’s shoulder while Jinyoung snakes his around Youngjae’s waist, both holding him possessively. “Yes, we’re very good friends.”
Youngjae looks back and forth between them in confusion, flushing at the close proximities of their bodies and Jackson has the same, baffled, expression on his face until everything clicks into place. “You two are really obvious,” he chuckles. “And you are really oblivious. I’d love to stay and catch up some more but I’ve got to run now, ‘Jae. I kinda wanna live tonight and someone’s waiting for me. I’ll see you around, yeah?”
Youngjae only manages to squeak out an “okay!” before Jackson’s already running off to the opposite direction. His words float around in his head though and Youngjae finds himself even more puzzled than before. “What does he mean by me being oblivious?”
“Nothing,” four voices say at once and Youngjae has the feeling that they know something that he doesn’t but before he can question it any further, Jaebum cuts in and tells them they should celebrate their win. Youngjae shuts up in favour of everyone’s happiness, but next time, he won’t let it go so easily.
Jaebum and Jinyoung are still strangely hostile towards Jackson but after a few more encounters, they warm up to him. It’s hard not to like Jackson anyway with his positive vibes and fun energy keeping them entertained. They become friendlier, though, after Jackson introduces them to his best friend, Mark, and from then on, the seven of them make it a daily ritual to have lunch together.
“So, have they confessed to you, yet?” Jackson asks Youngjae when they’re left at the table alone while the rest of the group purchases their lunch.
“Huh, who?”
“Jaebum and Jinyoung, duh. They obviously like you. How can you not see that?”
Youngjae chokes on his egg sandwich, putting his food down as he tries to drink water and thumps his chest at the same time. “What gave you that idea? We’re just friends.”
“Just friends, my ass,” Jackson rolls his eyes. “Half of the time you’re together, they look like they’re about to eat you.”
“Hyung, you do know that they’re a couple, right? There’s no space for me to fit in.”
“Have you ever heard of threesomes, Youngjae-ah? They’re real and they can happen, even to you.”
Youngjae snorts. “Please, I can’t even get one person to like me what makes you think I can get two?”
“’Jae, you’re not ugly, y’know?”
“I know I’m not,” Youngjae sighs, his appetite suddenly lost. “But I also know that it is impossible for two highly attractive guys who are in a relationship to like me so can we just, drop the subject?”
Jackson relents. “Alright, fine. But don’t say I didn’t tell you.”
It’s Jinyoung who kisses him first.
Youngjae had noticed how stressed Jinyoung was with spring drawing near, because with spring also came a lot of social activities that were way too much to handle, with Jinyoung already being short staffed. So Youngjae, being the caring dongsaeng that he was, decided to help. Initially, it was just him making lunch for Jinyoung because he knew how little the older boy ate when he was under pressure. Jinyoung had been grateful, giving Youngjae sweet smiles in return that did nothing to calm his fluttering heart. When the deadline came close though, it seemed as if more work kept piling up instead of decreasing so Youngjae put the skills he gained as a chair of the student in high school to work, staying up as late as midnight just to lessen Jinyoung's burden.
As the last day rolled in, Jinyoung heaved a relieved sigh, stacking up the last of his paperwork just a little after midnight before holding his hand up to high-five Youngjae. "We did it."
"Congratulations, hyung."
"I couldn't have done it without you, Youngjae-ah," Jinyoung smiles, albeit a little tiredly.
"Silly, hyung," Youngjae teases, surprising Jinyoung by pulling him into a brief hug. "I'm always here to help you if you ever need me."
"You're so wonderful, what would I ever do without you?"
"You'd probably cripple up here and die. And then Jaebum-hyung would be really, really sad."
Jinyoung laughs, the first genuine one he's had in weeks and Youngjae realises just how much he misses it. "Would you be sad too?"
"Of course!" Youngjae replies without a beat. "If you're gone, who's gonna take care of me? I mean, there's Jaebum-hyung but just between you and me, he doesn't do a very good job at it," he jokes.
"Oh, he's absolutely terrible," Jinyoung chuckles, slowly bringing his hands up to cup Youngjae's face, thumbs running over the bags that had accumulated over the weeks. "But I'm not that much better. Look at how much sleep you've lost."
"Please, hyung. I sleep like a log. I can easily recharge myself."
Jinyoung hums, fingers still running over the shape and contour of Youngjae's face. He takes in the little mole Youngjae has under his eye, the unblemished skin, his full lips. He doesn't really realise how close he's come to Youngjae, eyes already closed as he leans in, the only indication of his direction being the little puffs of breath coming out of Youngjae's mouth.
"H-Hyung?"
And Jinyoung closes the distance between them, lips pressed together in a gentle kiss. Youngjae's unresponsive at first, as his brain tries to process the situation at hand. Jinyoung is kissing him, Jinyoung who he likes, but already has a boyfriend, is kissing him. He should feel guilty, he really should, but it’s hard to feel anything else but pleasure as Jinyoung's tongue runs over the seam of his mouth in attempt to coax a response out of him.
And Youngjae gives him what he wants.
He clutches onto the front of Jinyoung's shirt, pulling their chests together as he tilts his head, parting his lips just slightly but it’s enough for Jinyoung to slip his tongue in and drink in the sweet taste of the younger boy who in turn moans against him. There's biting and sucking and only when Youngjae starts grinding against his thigh does Jinyoung stop, chuckling softly at the dishevelled state the younger boy’s in even though he knows that he probably looks equally as messy.
"You have no idea," Jinyoung starts, resting his forehead against Youngjae's and smiles. "How long I've been waiting to do that "
"Why'd...why'd you stop then?" Youngjae pants, lightly nuzzling his nose against Jinyoung's cheek.
"Someone will be very angry at me if I go any further."
Panic sets within Youngjae, his eyes widening with fear. "Jaebum-hyung. Oh my God, what did I do? I kissed his boyfriend. He's going to hate me, he's going to hate me."
"Youngjae, relax," Jinyoung calms him down, squeezing his shoulders and shaking him lightly to stop him from panicking. "He's not going to hate you because...well, he likes you too."
"W-What?" Youngjae gasps disbelievingly. "You mean you two...and me...?"
Jinyoung nods. "I know it seems a little bit weird and that there's a lot to process right now but...our feelings are genuine. We'll give you a few days to think it over. It'd make us really happy to have you in our relationship but if you decide to reject us, then we won't object."
Youngjae shakes his head and laughs. "I don't even need the time, hyung. My answer is yes."
"I can't believe you kissed him without me," Jaebum sulks, arms crossed over his chest after he had literally lectured Jinyoung about sharing, now that they were in a three-way relationship. "You can't hog him all to yourself, y'know."
Jinyoung presses his lips together to keep himself from laughing and potentially angering Jaebum further. He gestures at Youngjae to pacify the eldest of them three and Youngjae easily obliges, squeezing himself between Jaebum and the wall he was currently facing, climbing onto the older boy's lap.
"Don't be mad at Jinyoung-hyung," Youngjae says as he nuzzles into the crook of Jaebum's neck. "It was my fault too."
Jaebum already feels his resolve crumbling but keeps up the facade. "I'll only forgive both of you if you give me something."
"But I already permanently gave you my hoodie! And that was my favourite one too."
"I'll keep being angry then."
Youngjae huffs. "How about free kisses?"
"Go on."
"I'll give you as many kisses as you want today and as punishment, Jinyoung-hyung won't get any today."
"Hey!"
"I like the sound of that," Jaebum grins and pecks Youngjae's lips but before he could go any further, Jinyoung pulls Youngjae away.
"I'm not going to back down without a fight," Jinyoung says.
"You're on," Jaebum retaliates.
And as Youngjae watches his boyfriends fight, life, Youngjae thinks, couldn't get any better than this.
[readers, don't forget to leave a comment! anonymous is on if you're shy.]