For context, it all starts with a fuck-up on Jake's end.

In Jake's mind, of course, fuck-up really just means sudden, enlightening epiphany, so clearly Heeseung's pain is Jake's gain. And Heeseung really wouldn't care if Jake kept his crazy ideas and habits to himself or projected them onto other crazy people (Like Sunghoon, for example), but it's always Heeseung receiving his apparently god-given role of being the damage control to Jake's uncontrollable spirit... every. Single. Time.

"It's because you're just the best person ever," Jake had said sweetly when Heeseung brought it up once back when they were high school students. He'd been sitting in the younger boy's room and looked dubiously up at him when he said this. "I mean, seriously... who else would put up with me as much as you have?"

Heeseung vividly remembers this moment because he'd let himself be privately sentimental for all of three minutes before Jake began hatching a plot to get them out of their upcoming Literature exam, all while begging for homework answers from a week ago. Good lord, he'd thought to himself even as he reached into his backpack for his folders.

Really, their years of friendship since they were children and Jake moved in from Incheon have revolved around this specific dynamic, which Heeseung can't exactly complain about because Jake's consistently cute puppy spirit is infectious, though no one will ever hear him admit this.

This specific case, though—Heeseung still isn't quite sure how it came to be. One morning, Jake had been in front of Heeseung's dorm building, ready to go for coffee like they normally did, and the next thing he knew they were at the university's main center, staring at the list of different existing student clubs.

"Damn, there's so many," Heeseung murmured, before squinting incredulously at one and leaning in. "Wait, what the hell is The Wheatgrass Club supposed to be about?"

"It's a club about wheatgrass, obviously," Jake replied matter-of-factly as he looked back and forth between his phone and the club listings, texting rapidly.

Heeseung sighed, shivering when the main doors opened and a blast of winter air blew in. "Jake-ah, what are we doing here, anyway? If I don't get my coffee soon I might die."

"Oh, relax," said Jake, rolling his eyes before turning to Heeseung and putting his hands on his shoulders. The look in his eyes was earnest, and Heeseung really wishes now that he could've figured it out sooner. "Okay, okay, but I've been discussing things with Soobin hyung—you know him, right?—and I've been thinking—"

"No," Heeseung said icily, trying to back away and cursing how Jake simply followed. From the corner of his eye, he saw the student at the front desk look up from her laptop confusedly and cursed Jake's ability to always pull this shit when other people were around. "I swear to god, Jake, if you're having another one of your lightbulb moments—"

"I'm glad you agree that my ideas are lightbulb moment worthy," Jake said with a wiggle of his eyebrows, "but hear me out! Seriously, I promise you will love this idea—"

Heeseung doesn't think he needs to recount that fateful day's events again for anyone to understand that no, Heeseung did not love the idea.

He blames Soobin, too, kind of. The two of them were always playing video games together and scheming behind everyone's backs, despite belonging to their own friend groups and rarely actually meeting up to talk. He's known Soobin long enough to know that the older boy's idealistic spirit blends with Jake's impulsive energy in the worst way possible (in Heeseung's self-proclaimed pragmatist eyes, anyway), so when Jake had brought up the idea of starting a club, he'd been thoroughly exasperated.

"It's not that I don't support you in all of your endeavors" Heeseung had protested later, trying to turn away from the puppy eyes Jake was valiantly continuing to give him. "Stop looking at me like that. I think it's very nice of you to start a video game-centered club here. Truly. I'm so happy for you—"

"That had such a heavy layer of sarcasm to it," Jake said, a pout clear in his voice. "You're the worst."

Heeseung dragged a hand over his face. "I'm not being sarcastic. You do what you want, but please don't involve me."

Jake didn't respond. Heeseung proceeded to make the grave mistake of peeking over his shoulder to gauge the younger boy's reaction, only to be met with the sight of Jake's hands clasped together, eyes wide and pleading and pout fully-formed. "Hyungie, please?" Jake begged as soon as he noticed him looking. "I promise all you need to do is bring snacks and be my emotional support. I'll handle everything else from there, I promise. Is it so bad to want my best friend of four years to be my vice-president? I'll buy you food as many times as you want!"

"I have more money than you, you idiot," Heeseung pointed out, though he could feel his proverbial shield already breaking down. He silently cursed his unfortunate inability to say no to Jake with a groan, and when he opened his eyes again Jake was already grinning in victory.

Hence the beginning of their university's very own Animal Crossing club. When Heeseung told his roommate about it, Jay had looked him up and down before hiding a laugh behind his hand. "I know," Heeseung had said wearily. "It's the dumbest fucking thing ever, isn't it?"

"Oh, no," Jay said, still smiling. "I think an Animal Crossing club would be super cute! Actually, I'm willing to join if you guys want. But—um, no offense, but you don't seem like the type to know what Animal Crossing even... is?"

Heeseung had scoffed. "Of course I know what Animal Crossing is. I just never bothered playing it."

"Kind of questionable of your friend to beg you to be his partner in Animal Crossing crime when you haven't even played the game, don't you think?" Jay pointed out. "I don't know, I just think it's cute. You guys seem close with each other."

Heeseung, predictably, had flushed red, burying his nose back into his textbook. "We've known each other for years now," he muttered flatly. "Of course we're close."

Which brings him to the biggest overall question—why the hell even bother doing this, anyway?

Jay had been correct in his assumption that Heeseung wasn't exactly the world's biggest Nintendo fanatic, past playing a little Fire Emblem and Mario Kart when he was younger. And it's not like he could use any excuses here—it's not as though he particularly owed Jake anything and still doesn't (in fact, it's actually Jake constantly begging for favors). He can't say he pitied Jake either, knowing his friend's sociable and convincing spirit well enough to be aware of how the older boy could easily have people lined up and begging to be his vice president within the day. And he definitely can't give the real reason, because—

Well, actually, what's the point? He's already pulled too many strings and followed Jake's silly ideas at this point to not call it a crush. It's simple, because Heeseung's been aware of it for years.

He just didn't think he'd jump through loophole after loophole to avoid legitimately confessing and get himself to this point—leading an Animal Crossing club with his best friend of four years, who also just happens to be his crush, when he hasn't even played the game yet.

Yeah, he's fucked. He knows.