❀ did you sink my battleship?; for baeksthighs [2/2]
part one ❀ | part two ❀
Did You Sink My Battleship? [2/2]
Another Monday, another mission for Kyungsoo to track down Chanyeol and grill him. It’s easily done since they work next to each other, but that doesn’t make it any less awkward given the topic he needs to bring up.
“When did you ask me out?” Kyungsoo tries to ask as casually as possible -- which isn’t exactly easy, giving the disbelief he feels -- as they’re returning to their desks after the department meeting. “Not that I’m asking because I’m interested in you or anything,” he feels the need to clarify.
Chanyeol freezes in place. His ears instantly turn red as his eyes grow comically wide. “You talked to Baekhyun, didn’t you?” Chanyeol turns his attention to the paperwork in his hands. “And, uh, last year.”
“Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo clicks his tongue at Chanyeol’s vagueness. “I seriously have no recollection of this so you’re going to have to be more specific.”
“Last September, after one of the usual group happy hours. I walked you to your car...” Chanyeol scratches the back of his neck nervously before his voice drops to a whisper, “I asked you if you wanted to play Battleship with me.”
Did Chanyeol mishear Kyungsoo’s question, or is he intentionally trying to distract Kyungsoo with irrelevant details? Or have Chanyeol’s tactics of diversion resorted to questions about board game invites he had turned down?
“And?” Kyungsoo pushes.
Chanyeol rolls his eyes. “Everyone knows that’s code for hooking up, Kyungsoo.”
“No, they don’t.” Well, Kyungsoo doesn’t, that’s for sure.
“Watch,” Chanyeol says, turning over his shoulder with a new wave of confidence and zeroing in on the first person passing by, which happens to be Kim Jongin. “Hey Jongin?”
“Yeah?” Jongin looks up from his phone curiously.
“Do you want to play Battleship with me this Friday?”
Jongin’s features instantly scrunch into a grimace. “You’re disgusting, Park Chanyeol.” And with that, he speed walks away from Chanyeol’s overly bright smile.
Chanyeol should not look so proud to be rejected, and yet he immediately beams down at Kyungsoo once Jongin is gone.
“See?”
Once again, Chanyeol has proven Kyungsoo’s obliviousness.
“How did I not know you had a thing for me?” Kyungsoo muses more to himself than Chanyeol.
Luckily, Chanyeol laughs his usual good natured laugh. “Like I told you, you’re so out of the loop sometimes.”
“Well, sorry...” Kyungsoo shuffles in place, deciding to watch his feet and not Chanyeol’s teasing grin. “... You know, if I hurt your feelings or anything.”
Chanyeol shrugs. “Don’t worry about it. It’s in the past. Plus, we wouldn’t have worked out anyway. I could never date someone who sings Justin Bieber at karaoke.”
“That was one time. And I was very drunk,” Kyungsoo defends seriously -- though his smile betrays him halfway through.
“See, you say that. But I seem to remember you had every word memorized…”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kyungsoo plays dumb. But he knows it’s no use because Chanyeol is already grinning knowingly and chuckling to himself at the memory. Kyungsoo wonders how Chanyeol has managed to witness every embarrassing episode of his life in the two years they’ve worked together...
“Speaking of things we’re not talking about, a little birdie saw Oh Sehun walking you to your car last Friday.” At this Chanyeol bats his eyelashes. “How chivalrous.”
“What did I tell you about the wiggly eyebrows Chanyeol?” Kyungsoo moves to grab a hold of Chanyeol’s ear, but his friend is quicker. He dives out of Kyungsoo’s reach and down the hallway. “And tell your ‘little birdie’ to mind his own business!”
“Maybe you could serenade him with ‘Boyfriend’ next time you take him out to one of your not-a-date lunches,” Chanyeol hollers over his shoulder before disappearing around the corner.
Later that afternoon, the quiet tapping of fingers against keyboards is disrupted by the stomping down the corridor of none other than Byun Baekhyun. Kyungsoo looks up first when the sound begins, and even he is a little terrified by the sternness of Baekhyun’s face. He’s also very curious as to what the box Baekhyun is holding contains….
Kyungsoo doesn’t have to wait long to figure it out, because as soon as Chanyeol utters his usual “Hey Baek,” with that sweet tone he only uses for his boyfriend, Baekhyun turns the box upside down and dozens of ballpoint pens fall into Chanyeol’s lap.
Chanyeol looks about as confused as Kyungsoo feels as he watches his friend gape up at Baekhyun.
“What’s this?” Chanyeol finally manages to verbalize as Baekhyun scowls down at him.
“This,” Baekhyun begins, “is every pen I’ve ever borrowed from you.” Well, at least Chanyeol finally has all his pens back.
“Uh, is something wrong?” Chanyeol asks hesitantly, pushing a few stray pens from his lap.
Baekhyun huffs in annoyance before a quick flash of hurt crosses his eyes. “I can’t believe you, Park Chanyeol. I thought you were serious about us.”
“I am! Baekhyun wha--”
But Chanyeol’s question is cut short by another shout of “Park Chanyeol!” from the entry to their floor. All eyes turn to the newcomer.
It’s Luhan, and if possible, he looks even more angry than Baekhyun.
“How dare you hit on my boyfriend,” Luhan says sternly, taking up the space next to Baekhyun to wave an accusatory finger at Chanyeol.
Poor Chanyeol looks so, so confused as his eyes shift between Baekhyun and Luhan. “What? When did I --”
“You know Jongin and I are together,” A sharp jab to Chanyeol’s chest., “And you still thought that sleazy line would work on him? Really Chanyeol?”
“What are you, oh.” Realization seems to dawn on Chanyeol at the exact same moment it does for Kyungsoo. “Oh my God, there’s been a misunderstanding.”
“I’d sure hope so.” Luhan crosses his arms, still giving Chanyeol his best death stare. “Were you actually asking Jongin to play board games with you?”
The air is too tense for Kyungsoo to pretend like he’s busy with the files on his computer. As much as he wants to help Chanyeol out, he’s a little too afraid of the ire in both Luhan and Baekhyun’s eyes. He figures this might be best left to Chanyeol to explain, preferably from a distance where he won’t catch whatever reference Chanyeol makes to his ignorance of contemporary slang.
So, he slides out his desk chair as discreetly as possible while Chanyeol attempts to formulate a coherent sentence.
Apparently though, the little scene has already drawn it’s own mini crowd -- Joonmyun popping his head out of his office and Soojung and Amber whispering together in the corner. This kind of scene is exactly the reason he avoids office hook-ups and gossip.
“Why is everyone in this office dating?” Kyungsoo asks himself as he claims sanctuary near the water cooler.
“A group of reasonably attractive single people, all seeing each other in an office for forty hours a week. Seems kind of inevitable, really.” A familiar voice chimes in from over his shoulder.
He turns be greeted by the smirking face of Oh Sehun, who’s also watching the scene with amusement from a safe distance.
“Please don’t tell me you’re dating Zhang Yixing from payroll or something,” Kyungsoo half-jokes, shifting his eyes to Chanyeol and his very emphatic arm waving.
“Nope,” Sehun says the word with extra emphasis -- his eyes zeroed in on Kyungsoo in a strange way -- and it makes Kyungsoo’s stomach do funny things. “Very much single.”
“Hmm. That’s kind of a shame though,” Kyungsoo says before he can stop himself, “You have such soft sheets.”
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing.”
“Okay, hyung.” Sehun laughs before tilting his chin in Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s direction. “Think they’ll be okay?”
“Oh, yeah. They’re crazy about each other. It was just a misunderstanding. Unfortunately, it was a misunderstanding that brought out Luhan’s crazy as well.”
Sehun chuckles and shakes his head. “Oh, you’ve never seen real Luhan crazy. One time, Minseok changed the language on his computer to Japanese just for kicks. I honestly thought Minseok was going to meet his end at the hands of Luhan and his electric stapler when he found out.”
The image is enough to make Kyungsoo laugh outright. Now that he’s seen Luhan’s crazy face, it’s all too easy to imagine that same expression on his face as he wields office supplies like weapons. Sehun, too, is still laughing -- his eyes scrunched shut as his smile lights up his face. He has such an innocent, almost childish laugh, that Kyungsoo gets caught up in the melody for a moment before his attention turns back to the lovers’ quarrel.
He’s relieved to find Baekhyun now propped in Chanyeol’s lap, running his fingers through his hair as Chanyeol continues to spill apologies. Well that was resolved quickly.
“Kind of cute, isn’t it?” Sehun observes as Baekhyun places a quick kiss to Chanyeol’s lips.
“Yeah, it is,” Kyungsoo acknowledges. He wonders when the last time was that he looked as smitten as Chanyeol is when Baekhyun pulls away. “Wanna wager on how long it will be before Joonmyun has a conniption and shoos Baekhyun away citing ‘office indecency’?”
“You’re on.”
Following his initial ‘thank you’ meal, lunch with Sehun has become a semi regular thing over the past three weeks. Kyungsoo chalks it up to the fact that they have the same schedule and a compatible taste for cheap food. It only helps that Sehun always comes prepared with stories of the latest antics in the marketing department, and doesn’t bat an eyelash when Kyungsoo accidentally spills his water down the front of his shirt from laughing.
Today though, instead of his usual smile and ‘hey hyung,’ Sehun barely manages a nod as he approaches Kyungsoo in the lobby. Upon further inspection, Kyungsoo can see how frazzled the man is -- his hair slightly disheveled, stress showing in the dark circles that have formed under his eyes, the pen marks on his hands and cheek.
“Long day?” he asks delicately.
Sehun grimaces, and releases a heavy sigh. “You don’t even want to know, hyung.”
But Kyungsoo does, he realizes. He wants to know what makes Sehun tick the same way he wants to know what aftershave he uses. Maybe he just wants to know Sehun a little better all around.
“You still up for lunch?” Kyungsoo really hopes Sehun doesn’t say no, because he’s had bad days before, too. He knows the best thing to do is take a moment away from the office, to breathe a bit and not think about the unfinished business on your desk.
He also hopes Sehun is still interested in lunch because a small part of him wants to be the one to help Sehun feel better.
“Of course I am, hyung.” Sehun smiles, and it’s genuine. Both the statement and Sehun’s brightened countenance make Kyungsoo release a small sigh of relief.
“Good, because I saw a noodle house down the road that looks promising.”
Sehun opens the lobby door, motioning for Kyungsoo to continue ahead. “Then, by all means, lead the way.”
Kyungsoo doesn’t want to push Sehun, but also wants to know what has him so worn down. He can only come up with anecdotal stories for so long before he sets down his chopsticks to get Sehun’s attention.
“So, tell me about what’s got you so stressed out.”
Sehun purses his lips for a moment, setting down his chopsticks in favor of rubbing his hands together. It must be one of his nervous tics.
“You know I only got hired on a few months ago, right?”
“Right.”
“Well, Luhan’s given me my first big project. And I’m really excited, but I’m also going a little crazy trying to make sure it’s perfect,” Sehun confesses in a rush.
“Because you want to prove yourself?” Kyungsoo had been there once -- freshly hired and feeling the need to show Joonmyun that he was capable. It’s only natural to feel that way, after all.
“Exactly. I dunno, I just don’t want Luhan to be disappointed in me. Or Minseok. They both mentored me back when I was an intern...” Sehun is always one for snarky remarks, or over-confident innuendo. Kyungsoo doesn’t think he’s ever seen him look so vulnerable. And while he wishes that Sehun weren’t so stressed, he also feels a tiny bit proud that Sehun trusts Kyungsoo enough to open up to him like this. “I just… don’t want to let them down, you know?”
“I know,” Kyungsoo tries to smile reassuringly. He reaches across the table to squeeze Sehun’s hand, surprising both of them -- though neither makes a move to retreat. “And I’m sure you’ll do great. You might just need to take a step back and recalibrate to stop yourself from tugging your hair out.”
Kyungsoo playfully grimaces at the messy mop of hair on Sehun’s head. He wants to reach out and fix it, but Sehun beats him to it.
“That noticeable, huh?” Sehun laughs in self deprecation as he tucks the few stray hairs back into place.
“If the hair didn’t give it away, the pen marks on your cheek would have,” Kyungsoo teases.
Sehun’s hand immediately flies up to feel at his cheek.
“Oh my god,” he groans, ducking his head down in shame before gazing back up a Kyungsoo through his lashes. “I’m a mess, aren’t I?”
“Yeah, a little.” Kyungsoo giggles, watching Sehun try, in vain, to rub the ink off his cheek. His eyes are drawn to the way Sehun’s brows furrow in concentration while his nostrils flare ever so slightly. It shouldn’t be attractive, but it is. “But it’s okay, it’s kind of cute.”
Kyungsoo should be mortified by the words, but the embarrassed smile Sehun gives him is all too distracting.
They return to the office a half hour later, stomachs full and Sehun looking much more human than before. Pride bubbles in Kyungsoo’s chest knowing that he had helped a little bit, and he’s relieved to see Sehun smiling at him thankfully during their ride up in the elevator.
It’s when Sehun turns to go to his department that Kyungsoo realizes pride isn’t the only feeling welling inside of him. Sehun, and the image of his butt as he walks away, make an entirely different sentiment build inside of Kyungsoo.
He likes Sehun’s laugh, and the way he can say such flirtatious things so casually. He likes the way Sehun has seen him at his messiest and doesn’t hold it against him. He likes eating lunch with Sehun and watching the way his eyebrows are so expressive while he tells stories that make Kyungsoo curl over with laughter.
But most of all, he likes Sehun. Just Sehun.
“So…” Chanyeol sing songs as Kyungsoo settles himself back in his cubicle.
“Go ahead,” Kyungsoo groans, knowing what’s coming, “what did your little birdie tell you this time?”
“My little birdie didn’t have to tell me anything,” Chanyeol gloats. “You’ve got ‘I have a crush on Oh Sehun’ written all over your face.”
“Crap crap crap.” Kyungsoo pouts. If Chanyeol -- Captain Oblivious to feelings -- can see it, then everyone else probably can, too.
“If you need help, I know a great pick up line.”
Over the course of the next week, Kyungsoo remembers why office crushes are horrible. He swears he sees Sehun more often than usual, and each time all he can manage is an awkward wave and a comment about the weather. He turns down two of Sehun’s invitations to lunch in an attempt to give him time to talk himself out of an office romance.
It’s no use though, because each time Sehun passes by his cubicle with his confident smile and the routine “hey, hyung,” Kyungsoo’s heart goes a little haywire.
Byun Baekhyun holds both the titles of HR Manager and Office Busybody for a reason. Given his current ties to Chanyeol, it’s almost inevitable that Kyungsoo is ambushed during his mid morning coffee break on Wednesday.
“So, a big birdie told me you have a little office crush?” Baekhyun asks over Kyungsoo’s shoulder as he’s stirring his instant coffee. Kyungsoo is caught off guard not only by the question, but the the sickeningly sweet tone Baekhyun uses, causing his coffee to splatter all over the counter.
“What?” He stutters out. His suspicion as to who Chanyeol’s informant has proven to be correct.
Baekhyun takes no notice of the mess Kyungsoo has made. Instead, he leans his back against the counter to smile wryly at Kyungsoo.
“Oh Sehun. Not bad. Not bad at all. ” He must have picked up the eyebrow wiggle from Chanyeol.
“Oh my God.” Kyungsoo wants no part in this conversation. He grabs a tissue from the dispenser and tries to wipe up the mess and quickly as possible. Baekhyun continues to nod along to himself as if he doesn’t see Kyungsoo trying to fasten the lid on his termos and escape.
“As manager of Human Relations, I do have to warn you about the potential consequences of intra-office dating, though.” Baekhyun holds up an authoritative finger that Kyungsoo immediately scowls at. “You know the company highly discourages it. You’re going to have to be discreet.”
Kyungsoo gapes for a moment. “You cannot be serious, right now. You had your tongue down Chanyeol’s throat two weeks ago inside his cubicle!”
“I know. I had to reprimand myself for that.” Baekhyun purses his lips forlornly. Kyungsoo almost feels a little bad for him.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Baekhyun suddenly perks up, “I actually let Chanyeol do some of the reprimanding, and let me tell you--”
Kyungsoo’s hands fly to cover his ears, which is a little difficult considering he’s still holding his termos. “Baekhyun. I do not want to know about that.”
Baekhyun pouts and cocks his head in a way that makes Kyungsoo think that Baekhyun has no idea that his sex life is not exactly normal water cooler conversation. How he’s managed to work his way up to the top of the HR department is truly a mystery.
“All I’m saying is, who knew? That man is full of surprises.” While Baekhyun appears elated by that fact, Kyungsoo grimaces.
“Byun Baekhyun. Stop talking. Now.”
“Okay, okay,” Baekhyun relents with a small-- but devious -- smile that tells Kyungsoo that he knows what he’s been doing all along, and is shameless about it. “All I’m saying is: discretion is the name of the game.”
“Discretion. Right.” Kyungsoo nods his head in agreement, hoping it will bring this conversation to a quick conclusion without any further mentions of Baekhyun’s private life.
“Good. Glad we have an understanding. Now, go get your man!”
Kyungsoo wishes Baekhyun’s encouragements came without a very enthusiastic slap to his ass as he exits the break room.
Chanyeol, like his boyfriend, has taken to giving Kyungsoo little pep talks at every opportunity. Kyungsoo has a sneaking suspicion Chanyeol does it more because he enjoys watching Kyungsoo flush with embarrassment than because he actually has any useful insights to share.
He’s also pretty sure Chanyeol and Jongdae have some kind of bet going…. Which explains why they call the group together for another happy hour on Friday -- and why Jongdae is the one who invites Sehun along.
Joonmyun also appears to have been invited. He wanders into the bar behind Sehun looking like he’s half expecting a prank to be pulled on him at any moment. This explains why Kyungsoo had spotted Jongdae skipping out of his supervisor’s office this morning. Jongdae’s probably gotten bored with the usual crowd and needs a new companion for debauchery -- new target, more like. Joonmyun is the perfect candidate, Kyungsoo supposes: overly agreeable, horrible taste in sweaters, a pressing need to please, dad jokes that are only funny with alcohol in your system, a penchant for following the rules.
He’s always been a little curious about how Joonmyun lets loose, and he’ll have to keep an eye on him throughout the evening. Especially if Jongdae is already welcoming him with a pat on the back with one hand, and a shot in the other -- wry smile in place all the while. This could be a truly beautiful mess; one that might give him some leverage over Joonmyun for the next time he dozes off in their weekly department meeting.
He can only occupy his mind with thoughts of Joonmyun for so long though, because following his initial round of greetings, Sehun zeroes in on Kyungsoo with a warm smile and begins to make his way over. Kyungsoo reminds himself to act normal as Sehun approaches his end of the table. It’s just Sehun, after all: a co-worker, his occasional lunch companion. There’s no reason for Kyungsoo to act strange.
“Busy week, hyung?”
But Sehun smells really nice -- as always -- and his shirt today is a little tighter than usual. He smiles at Kyungsoo like he’s missed him and it’s not fair.
“Uh, yeah. Quarterly reports.”
Sehun nods in solidarity before calling over the server and ordering himself a beer. Kyungsoo decides one won’t hurt -- it could help calm his nerves -- and orders one on Baekhyun’s tab (partially in revenge for the buttslap, partially because Chanyeol’s doing the wiggly eyebrow thing from the other end of the table).
Kyungsoo attempts to dispel his own awkward energy by asking Sehun about his week. Sehun smiles so brightly while he excitedly tells Kyungsoo of Luhan’s praises on his first solo project, and Kyungsoo’s heart swells a little with warmth. He really does like Sehun’s smile, and the slight lisp that breaks through when he gets too excited about something.
All is well until Sehun’s face drops a little and he tells Kyungsoo, “But I missed going to lunch with you.”
Now would be a perfect opportunity for Kyungsoo to suggest a dinner to make up for it, he opens his mouth ready to do just that... but Jongdae -- of course -- chooses the same exact moment to bounce over to their end of the table and tug Sehun out of his chair.
“You’re my darts partner this week, and I’m claiming you before Chanyeol does.”
Sehun shrugs as he is pulled, very unceremoniously, away from their table by Jongdae. The night is still young, Kyungsoo’ll have another chance to ask. That fact, however, doesn’t stop Chanyeol from shaking his head in disappointment and clicking his tongue at Kyungsoo.
From there, the evening does not go quite as planned. But somehow it goes exactly how Kyungsoo should have seen it going. He doesn’t get another chance alone with Sehun, because one darts round turns into another, and another. Jongdae’s doing it on purpose, Kyungsoo can tell by each of the cute winks he’s thrown after a game.
It’s a relatively tame evening, on all accounts, and Kyungsoo appreciates that much. Yet, somehow, Kyungsoo ends up babysitting a very drunk Joonmyun and Baekhyun about two hours in. Both are quite chatty with a few drinks in them, and he can’t wait to bring up Joonmyun’s Star Wars obsession at a later date.
Before he knows it, it’s nearing midnight and the group is beginning to disperse. Kyungsoo squints his eyes suspiciously as Jongdae waltzes up to hoist Joonmyun out of his seat. His eyes then widen in horror when Jongdae whispers something in his ear that makes Joonmyun giggle. Well, he certainly hadn’t seen that coming.
Their office has officially become a dating agency that operates under the guise of the Tech company.
Sehun lingers on the periphery, waiting for the rest of the group to file out ahead of him and Kyungsoo. The gesture makes Kyungsoo’s stomach flutter with something silly, because he can tell Sehun is waiting for him.
Kyungsoo knows tonight is his chance -- a fact Chanyeol has been reminding him of all afternoon. It shouldn’t be difficult to ask Sehun out, they go out for lunch together frequently enough. All he has to do is propose an after-hours lunch date. Which would technically be a dinner date. And while there shouldn’t be a huge difference between the two terms, there is, because dinner would be a real date... and there’s no guarantee Sehun will agree.
“Walk me to my car?” Kyungsoo shuffles his weight nervously.
One side of Sehun’s mouth pulls into a gentle smile. “Okay, hyung.”
Kyungsoo likes to think himself a confident enough man. Asking someone out, however, is uncomfortable territory. The kind that makes his palms sweat while his eyes look anywhere but at Sehun, who’s silently walking next to him.
He doesn’t manage to verbalize much of anything during the walk to his car, and all too soon, he’s leaning against his driver’s side door, taking his sweet time pulling his keys from his pocket.
“So, here we are…” Sehun’s voice trails off as he steps closer to Kyungsoo. His hands are shoved in his pockets, and he looks nearly as nervous as Kyungsoo feels. There’s clearly something in the air between them, and it has Kyungsoo biting his lip, trying to think of the right words to say to keep Sehun closer for a moment longer.
Instead, all that comes out is a simple, “Thanks for walking me to my car.” He instantly grimaces.
“It’s no problem, hyung. I’m actually parked right next to you.” Sehun nods his head towards the car behind him. Kyungsoo realizes he has absolutely no memory of what Sehun’s car looks like, even if he had been a passenger in it.
Silence hangs between them for a few breaths before Sehun purses his lips and begins to turn away from Kyungsoo. His goodbye is halfway out of his mouth before Kyungsoo interrupts him.
“Hey Sehun, do you maybe want to…” Kyungsoo trails off once Sehun’s attention turns back to him. Sehun’s gaze is so focused, so intent as Kyungsoo’s mouth opens and closes a few times.
“Do I want to what, hyung?” Sehun asks, barely above a whisper. Kyungsoo’s glad he isn’t too tipsy to miss the flash of anticipation in Sehun’s eyes.
But alas, Sehun is kind of distracting with the scent of his cologne and the way he’s looking down at Kyungsoo so attentively, so sweetly. Kyungsoo’s brain short circuits.
“...Play Battleship... with me... this weekend?” Apparently, his brain’s malfunctioning has resulted in Chanyeol’s awful pick up lines taking over his tongue.
He watches Sehun’s brows scrunch in confusion -- and maybe a little disenchantment -- as he takes a step away from Kyungsoo. “Uh. I don’t really like board games. Sorry.”
Kyungsoo shakes his head at himself, wishing he could rewind and have Sehun back in his personal bubble. There’s a very good chance Sehun is rejecting him; yet, there’s also the possibility Sehun is as clueless as he had been when Chanyeol had asked him the same question.
He has to make sure.
“It’s, uh, code,” Kyungsoo almost whispers, like it’s a classified secret and not an invitation into his pants.
“For what?” Sehun raises an incredulous brow.
Kyungsoo’s mouth opens and closes a few times. Chanyeol didn’t exactly go into details of what ‘playing Battleship’ entails, but Kyungsoo has a pretty good idea. He isn’t quite forward enough to elaborate, though.
“I don’t really know exactly… Chanyeol said --”
“Are you trying to ask me out?” Sehun cuts him off, a disbelieving smile on his lips but a warm flush on his cheeks.
“Yes.” Though caught off guard by Sehun’s sudden remark, Kyungsoo nods his head resolutely. “I’m doing a crap job at it, but yes.”
A full smile fills Sehun’s face as he rolls his eyes at Kyungsoo. A small exhale of relief comes out in the form of a chuckle. “See, that, I can agree to.”
“Yeah?” Kyungsoo is suddenly filled with hope.
“So, tomorrow, say seven pm, let’s play Battleship at the new galbi restaurant in my neighborhood?”
“I don’t think that’s what the express--”
“Hyung?”
“Yes?”
“Just agree to go on a date with me,” Sehun crowds a little closer, his most charming smile on his face. Really, how could Kyungsoo say no?
“I’d love to,” Kyungsoo says firmly.
Sehun wiggles his eyebrows, and Kyungsoo never has thought he’d want to kiss someone who does that.
“Who knows…” Sehun whispers, leaning in a little closer, “Maybe this time I’ll actually sink your Battleship.”
part one ❀ | part two ❀