Two friends, Niki and Sunghoon, both have a crush on Sunoo. When Valentine's Day comes, both of them have plans, but how can they resolve this without ruining any friendships?

-

Maybe it was a blessing. Maybe it was a curse.

But mostly, Sunghoon just considered it a major hindrance. Call him dramatic, but was there anything worse than sitting next to the guy who has a crush on your crush, and your crush is on the other side of them? It was like torture, a disaster just waiting to happen.

He still got along with Niki, and he couldn't exactly say that they were competing for Sunoo, as neither of them had the confidence to even tell him how they felt.

Though that may change soon, as it was Valentine's Day today. Sunghoon had plans, and he would bet all of the money to his name - a whopping 18,000 won - that Niki also had plans.

A ball of paper flew through the air and hit Niki on the back of the head, and Sunghoon heard someone behind them snicker as Niki glanced around and slowly reached down to pick up the paper.

He read it with a frown and turned around to talk to Daniel, who was sitting at the desk right behind them with a slight grin on his face.

"No, I'll do it later," Niki whispered, and Daniel shrugged as he looked back down at his textbook.

Sunghoon leaned over and read the note: hey, better ask sunoo out before its too late

Sunghoon internally panicked. Was Niki planning to ask Sunoo out today? Sunghoon hadn't prepared himself mentally for that, even though it was Valentine's Day, he was just hoping to give him something anonymously to make him happy.

But if Niki was asking him today, so was Sunghoon.

“Who threw that? What does it say?” Sunoo asked, glancing over Niki’s shoulder to try to read the note. Niki panicked and threw it back to Daniel, while Sunoo pouted and got on with his schoolwork.

-

Sunghoon went to the shopping mall after school that day, still wearing his uniform as he browsed through the many Valentine’s Day themed gifts in every shop window he walked past.

He may have been foolish for buying something last minute, but he had been debating whether he would even give Sunoo a Valentine’s gift in the first place. It was only now that he had to compete with Niki that something had awoken within him to claim Sunoo first.

In the end he decided to buy him some overpriced chocolate and a Disney movie for them to watch together, but he was relying on the fact that Sunoo would be willing to go on a date with him.

He was also mentally preparing to get rejected. Sunoo had never shown any sign of liking him, and Sunghoon's self-esteem wasn't exactly high enough to make him think that people would like him.

Just as he was leaving the shop, he spotted Niki coming in. He pretended he didn't see him, looking awkwardly in the other direction in the hopes that Niki would just walk past and not question why he was here.

But then he saw Sunoo.

Both of them seemed to have spotted him approaching at the same time, his eyes glued to his phone as he walked slowly past the shop. The pair of them panicked and hid behind a shelf inside the store, trying to ignore the awkwardness of them both finding each other in the same shop.

Peeping around the side to check if he was gone, Sunghoon let out a sigh of relief and continued to exit the shop, not speaking a word to Niki as he left.

Sunghoon had bought everything he needed, so he left the shopping mall and headed home, still a little stunned from the close encounter.

He got home and lay in his bedroom, trying to build up the confidence to call Sunoo. It was easy, all he needed to do was call him, and ask him to meet up like a normal human being.

But it didn't feel that easy.

It felt like he was being forced to break his own limbs. He physically couldn't make himself do it, no matter how hard he tried.

Eventually he just picked up his phone and called Sunoo. He wasn't even asking him out yet, he was just asking to meet up. They do this all the time.

The sound of the phone ringing was unnerving, and Sunghoon bit at his lip in anticipation.

"Hey Sunghoon, what's up?"

Sunghoon's palms were sweaty and he just prayed that he wasn't going to give it away by stuttering.

"Oh, hey, do you, um, you wanna meet up and go out somewhere? I don't mind where, but I mean I can decide where if you don't want to-"

"Oh, that would be great," Sunghoon internally relaxed, but there was more, "But I already told Niki I'd let him come over. I can ask him if it's alright to invite you over too?"

"No, no that's okay. Thanks," Sunghoon sighed, ending the call before he could embarrass himself anymore.

He dropped his phone onto his pillow and collapsed backwards onto his bed. Great. Sure, great. Sunoo was going with Niki. That's fine.

For a second, he was filled with loathing for Niki, but he quickly threw the thoughts away. He wasn't going to ruin any friendships over this.

He rolled over and buried his face in his pillow, tempted to scream and just release the demons from his mind. Instead he rolled over again and sat on the edge of his bed, sighing as he held his head in his hands.

"Jesus Christ, I thanked him," Sunghoon groaned, throwing his head back and expecting it to hit his pillow but instead it hit the headboard of his bed. He swore and lay down, picking up his phone as a notification came through.

Sunoo texted him asking if he was okay. Well, fuck, no he wasn't. But he was not about to say that to Sunoo.

He texted back a quick 'yes' and chucked his phone across the room, wanting to scream because of his own stupidity.

Of course Niki was going to get Sunoo, he shouldn't have even tried. He's supposed to be happy for them, but now he was just being selfish. He was an awful friend, he would make an even worse boyfriend, so how could he have ever expected he would get to date Sunoo?

He couldn't help but beat himself up over it in his head, as he sat in the middle of his bed and brought his knees to his chest.

If he fucking cried right now, he was going to hate himself so much.

He demanded that he didn't cry, and it only tipped him over the edge. It almost hurt to breathe and his hands were shaking, as tears ran down his face. He wiped them away, making his cheeks and eyes turn pink as his sobs choked him.

He lay across his bed, wanting to smack his head against the headboard again to get some sense into himself. Instead he placed his face against his pillow again and his tears sunk into it, but he didn't have the willpower to care.

It didn't take much longer for him to exhaust himself and fall asleep, his head aching with all of the painful thoughts.

-

A quiet buzzing woke him up again, and he sat up with slight fogginess in his mind. His phone was still on the floor on the other side of the room, but he didn't feel like he had the energy to stand up and answer it.

His face was burning from dried tears, and he tried to wipe the remnants off his cheeks with the back of his hand as he stood up with his legs trembling.

He picked up his phone and sat on the floor, hesitating when he saw that the call was from Sunoo. What if he knew and he was going to make fun of him?

He answered the call, waiting for Sunoo to say something.

"Hey, Sunghoon. I kind of… can you come over? I think I need to vent to someone. Daniel's got a test tomorrow, I don't want to bother him. When Niki came over…" Sunghoon sighed, at least he wasn't being made fun of, but he wasn't sure if he was emotionally ready to see Sunoo.

"Oh, yeah. Sure, I'll come over," Sunghoon said, trying his best to make it sound like he hadn't just cried himself to sleep.

"He asked me out, Sunghoon." He almost said, yeah I know, well done, but he resisted the inner demon in him, "I said no."

Now that was something Sunghoon was not expecting. He was wondering if Sunoo was pranking him, but he could hear the panic and sincerity in his voice.

"Oh. I'll be over in a minute," he said, ending the call.

He got changed out of his school uniform and put on some casual clothes, then he put his phone in his pocket and put on a random pair of shoes from the corner of his room. He checked in the mirror, making sure there was no trace of tear tracks on his face.

In the corner of his vision he spotted his backpack, containing the gifts he had bought for Sunoo. He picked up the bag and put it on his back. He may as well bring them, just in case.

-

When he arrived at Sunoo's house, it was beginning to go dark outside. Sunoo's mother answered the door, immediately letting Sunghoon in once she recognised him.

He went upstairs and knocked on Sunoo's bedroom door, and Sunoo quickly opened the door to let him in. Sunghoon placed his backpack on the floor as he went and sat on the bed next to Sunoo.

"Are you okay?" Sunghoon asked, and he could see that Sunoo's face looked a bit red and puffy from crying. At least Sunghoon wasn't the only one.

"I guess so… it's just, I don't want to ruin any friendships. I think Niki was really upset. He didn't show it, but I know."

It was true, Niki probably was very disappointed. He had even managed to get there before Sunghoon and still he got rejected. Sunghoon couldn't help but feel bad, knowing that Niki probably liked Sunoo just as much as he did.

"I think he's reasonable," Sunghoon finally said, "He wouldn't stop being friends because you rejected him. He might be upset for a while… but he'll always come back."

Sunoo nodded hesitantly.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Or at least I hope so. I can't afford to lose any of you."

They sat in silence, with Sunghoon occasionally glancing at Sunoo. He couldn't ask him out while he was still upset. Maybe he'd ask another day, he could afford to skip out on Valentine's Day, for Sunoo's sake.

"What did you bring your bag for? Do you plan on staying over?" Sunoo asked, wiping his eyes so Sunghoon didn't see the last few tears that spilled out.

"Oh- no, I… it's just a gift for someone."

"A gift? You mean a Valentine's Day gift?" Sunoo teased with a grin, leaning closer to Sunghoon, "You can tell me who it's for."

Sunghoon hesitated. If he was acting like this, Sunoo already knew, right? Surely, Sunoo didn't think that Sunghoon would buy a gift for anyone else?

He sighed, feeling like his entire mind was exposed. It was as if Sunoo could read his mind and he felt pressured to give him an answer. Maybe he owed Sunoo an answer, after what Sunoo had gone through tonight.

"It's… it was meant to be for you," Sunghoon said quietly, but he was sure that Sunoo heard because of the silence that followed.

He glanced up to see Sunoo's reaction, and he was met with a cold stare, all playfulness gone from his expression. Sunoo's gaze hardened, and Sunghoon's hands were shaking.

"Are you joking? Because it's not funny, after what happened tonight," Sunoo finally said. Sunghoon could hear his heartbeat, and feel his blood pulsing through him.

"I'm not joking."

Sunghoon couldn't bear to look at Sunoo anymore, but he could still sense the glare that was burning through his very being. He had so many regrets that were piling up all in this one moment, all making his head hurt and his eyes sting.

"Get out."

It was quiet, a mere mumble, and Sunghoon wasn't sure if he heard him right.

"What?" He heard a tremble in his own voice. His nose hurt, his throat was burning.

Sunoo stood up and opened the door to the corridor.

"You aren't here to help me. I thought I could trust you, but I've been humiliated again. Am I going to have any friends left by the end of the night, or are you all just in it for laughs? I don't want you here, I don't want to even look at you."

Sunghoon had never heard him so bitter. Every word hit him hard in the gut, a reminder of the mistake he'd made.

"Sunoo-"

"Go home! I didn't think my night could get any worse but you continue to amaze me, Park Sunghoon. You all just fucking walk all over me like I'm just here to be your cute high school crush. Get the fuck out of my room."

Sunghoon nodded and left the room, his heart aching as he swiftly went downstairs and left the house, into the darkness of the streets outside.

-

He got home and lay on his bed again, chest tight with self-hatred and regret. He hadn't just let himself down, he'd ruined everything. Sunoo would never forgive him.

There was nothing he could do. He'd built up something so precious and fragile, so unique, and he placed one wrong piece and it all came crashing down. It would never be the same again. How could he ever put the pieces back together?

Hot tears ran down his face, leaving streaks down his skin and a wet patch on the front of his shirt where the tears had dripped down.

He took out his phone, hands shaking, but he didn't have the nerves to do it. He had been so wrong. How hadn't he seen it? How had he been so selfish? His idealistic hopes had gotten the best of him, and driven him to absolute devastation.

It took him nearly ten minutes to calm down, and even as he did he felt like the ground was going to swallow him whole and send him to hell. His face was sticky with the remnants of tears, as he clicked on one of the contacts on his phone. They answered almost immediately.

He had to take a deep breath to try to keep his voice somewhat stable, and the boy on the other end already didn't seem pleased judging from the sigh.

"Daniel, I fucked up," he eventually admitted. He didn't think those words could really describe the regret he felt.

"I know, I just got off the phone with Sunoo."

Sunghoon almost winced at the thought. He'd ruined everyone's night. Daniel was meant to be studying, and now he was going over to comfort Sunoo because Sunghoon was such a terrible friend.

"Was he… mad at me?" Sunghoon asked, his voice beginning to tremble again. Of course he was mad, what was he expecting?

"It seemed like it," Daniel told him, "He sounded mostly upset though. I'll talk to him, but I can't defend you. He's been through enough tonight, he just needs comfort."

"It's okay, you don't have to defend me anyway. It was my mistake. Just make sure you take care of him, I'm sorry I did such a shit job."

Sunghoon let Daniel go and they finished the call, and Sunghoon wiped the tears from his face only for them to be replaced by more. He felt like he'd done too much crying that night, but he could hardly control the sobbing and the tears.

-

Sunghoon woke up without the memory of falling asleep, and assumed he had exhausted himself from crying again. Pain was still gathered in his stomach and his limbs felt stiff as he rubbed his eyes and sat up.

He checked his phone and found that it was past midnight. At some point he tried falling asleep again, but he couldn't now that the dullness in his mind was back.

He put on a hoodie and put his phone in his pocket, then slid on the closest pair of shoes he had and left the house in silence. He couldn't stay inside his room, crying all night. If he did, he wouldn't be able to get up and face himself in the morning.

The streets were eerily quiet at night, with some lampposts flickering on as he passed them, the cold biting his skin. His footsteps echoed, and he watched his shadow move across the ground while he walked to the park.

He sat on a bench to one side of the field, staring out towards the trees in the distance. It didn't feel like anything was real, and he began to question whether he was even awake. The cold was real though, and he realised he was not dreaming.

A figure moved nearby, and a shiver ran up Sunghoon's spine. It was dark and late at night, could you blame him for getting scared? The figure moved slowly as the person strolled across the field, and as they did their features were slowly lit up by the lamppost, and Sunghoon's heart stopped. Maybe a murderer would have been better.

It was Sunoo. He seemed to have noticed Sunghoon, and made no move to leave. For a moment, Sunghoon had a thought that maybe he would die that night. He couldn't see Sunoo's face properly, but he could imagine the intense glare that he was probably giving him right now.

But he didn't yell at Sunghoon, or run away. He walked closer, slowly to not startle him, until Sunghoon could see him better in the light, and he still kept getting closer. There was a shine in Sunoo's eyes that told Sunghoon that he had been crying not too long ago too, but his expression wasn't cold like before.

He sat on the bench, a few feet away from Sunghoon. Even with the distance, Sunghoon was nervous.

"Hey, Sunghoon," Sunoo said, his voice soft and quiet despite it only being the pair of them in the park.

Sunghoon nodded, too nervous to speak.

"So I know it seemed like I was mad at you before, and believe me, I really was. But I'm not… mad at you. That doesn't make sense, I'm sorry," Sunoo sighed, neither of them having the bravery to make eye contact.

"I was just annoyed, and it was easy to take it out on you. I guess I was stressed out from what happened with Niki and I wasn't prepared for you to do that, I was thinking selfishly and I only wanted you there to comfort me."

"You don't need to apologise," Sunghoon said, "You didn't do anything wrong. I chose the wrong timing, I should have known it would stress you out."

"I guess so, but I still overreacted, and I'm really kind of mad at myself about that. Because I'm not angry that you like me, I was angry that I couldn't handle it," Sunoo admitted. Sunghoon glanced at him to find that Sunoo was watching him now, his sincere gaze fixed on him.

"Don't be angry at yourself, I know you didn't mean to overreact."

"But Sunghoon," Sunoo said, placing his hand on Sunghoon's wrist and making him seemingly melt under his gaze, "It's not just that I embarrassed myself. I felt stupid, because I… I like you too, Sunghoon. And I handled it stupidly."

Sunghoon felt his palms become sweaty, and suddenly his face felt warm despite it being cold all around him. The corner is Sunoo's lips raised as he saw the blush that covered Sunghoon's cheeks.

Sunoo shuffled closer to him and intertwined their freezing fingers, and Sunghoon could have sworn he felt his heart skip a beat.

"You could say something, you know?" Sunoo teased, but he quickly became sincere again. His tone was calm and soft against Sunghoon's ears as he placed his finger under Sunghoon's chin, and gently tilted his head up.

"Or you don't have to," Sunoo continued. Sunghoon new this was the perfect opportunity. He should make the move. But he still hadn't cleared the guilt of how he made Sunoo feel, and he didn't want to make Sunoo any more uncomfortable. Even if it meant missing a one-time opportunity.

But even as he committed to keeping his ground, Sunoo's eyes were so calming and kind, and full of adoration, his skin was pure with rare but beautiful flaws, and he was smiling so innocently with his beautiful pink lips just begging for Sunghoon to kiss them.

"You don't get hints, do you?" Sunoo grinned, his thumb gently pressed against Sunghoon's jaw as he closed his eyes and inched his face closer to his until their noses were touching, and Sunghoon could feel his warm breath hitting his lips softly.

Slowly, and with his heart thumping loudly in his ears, Sunghoon tilted his head to the side slightly, until he was just close enough to feel Sunoo's lips brush against his. It felt so intimate and Sunghoon could feel an electric sensation in his fingertips as he placed his hand on Sunoo's neck.

Sunoo pressed their lips together and a gasp got caught in Sunghoon's throat as he felt Sunoo's plush lips move smoothly against his. If he were standing, he was sure his legs would be shaking.

Their noses rubbed past each other gently and Sunoo smiled into the kiss, heat radiating from his cheeks. Their ears and fingers were cold and bitten by the wind, but their faces were lit up with joy and warm blushes.

Sunoo pulled away first, and Sunghoon chased his lips to press a chaste kiss against them. Sunghoon had never felt something so comforting and yet so exciting in his life, and he didn't want it to end.

"Sunghoon… is it okay with you, if we just… you know, try this? Like, try being more than friends?" Sunoo said, and Sunghoon didn't hesitate to nod, "I promise I'll sort everything out with Niki, I don't want this to interfere with any friendships."

Sunghoon nodded. He placed a kiss on the tip of Sunoo's nose, and he smiled cutely and genuinely.

-

Admittedly, the next day was strange. It was a whole new level of awkwardness and nervousness, and also a little bit of complete shock on Sunghoon's part that the previous night hadn't been a dream.

Niki took it well. He was upset of course, but he had gotten most of his emotions out of the way the night before when he was first rejected. He may have been a bit jealous of Sunghoon at first, but he assured the pair that as long as they were happy with each other, he was happy that they were together.

Niki hung out with Daniel whenever Sunghoon and Sunoo went on dates, which was often since Sunoo was ridiculously clingy, and Sunghoon was, as much as he didn't want to admit it, a very romantic person by nature.

Maybe it wasn't the smoothest start to a relationship, but it was certainly memorable.

--

Hi guys!! This is my first shipfic, kindly requested by juana_pedra!

I proof read the first half and didn't with the second half since I need to go to my dad's really soon but I wanted to get this out today. I hope you enjoyed it!