[For the sake of the plot, HongSan is younger than Mingi]

3 years ago

San felt the room get hotter as he kept downing shots by himself at the bar. The air felt stiff and a surge of energy slowly bubbled up inside him. He stumbles off the bar stool, bumping into someone then laughed to himself.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry. Such a clutz" He shakes his head and tries to push past them.

The person laughs at his loopy, obviously drunk, behavior. "You're fine" They hold the sophomore up by his hips. San leans forward on the senior's taller more muscular physique. "I'm Paul by the way" They lean down to San's height then yells over the music. His lips linger on San's ear.

San smiles brightly, his hips swaying to the music. He turns around and presses his back to Paul's then he begins grinding on the taller's crouch. Paul squeezes San's slender hips then licks his lips in anticipation.

San's mind was foggy and he didn't think about anything he just let the alcohol in his system control him however it wished. The pair had migrated to the middle of the dance floor and just let loose. San jumping, hollering and sharing drinks with whoever offered him some as they danced.

He felt random hands roam all over him but for the most part, he didn't notice. Or cared.

"I want more drinks" San yells to Paul over the music. He didn't give the older time to respond because he began pushing his way through the crowd and back to the bar.

"Hi can I get a shot of the the strongest whisky you've got?" San slurs as he leans forward on the wooden bar, a playful smile on his lips.

"You wanna head out after? We can go to my place?" Paul whispers sensually in San's ear, leaning into his side and squeezing the exposed skin on his hips.

San shakes his head. "Nah, I just wanna dance and drink and dance some more" He laughs just as his shot arrives then he immediately downs it, the liquid burning his throat as it went down.

He spots Mingi at the stairway leading upstairs and his gasps like a child. "Oh it's Mingi" He slurs. "I have to go ask him if Hongjoong confessed yet. I'll be back ok" He pushes away from Paul's hold. Thankfully the senior doesn't follow him.

"Mingi" San calls out with a giggle as he approaches the taller.

Mingi, who was pacing back and forth at the bottom of the stairs, looks at San with confusion. "San?" He questions when the younger throws himself in Mingi's arms.

"Hi, so I don't think I'm supposed to say this but Hongjoong is supposed to confess his undying love for you tonight. Has he done it yet?" San blurts.

Mingi's face heats up at San's words. His eyes slightly widened. "Hongjoong likes me?" He reiterates.

"Wait I don't think he confessed yet. Nevermind. Ignore me" San laughs at himself, he sways to the side and nearly tripped over his own feet had Mingi not been quick enough to catch him.

"Woah, take it easy. You're totally wasted aren't you?" Mingi says with a small chuckle. That's when it dawned on him that whatever San just said could totally be made up seeing as the younger obviously wasn't in his right mind at that moment.

His earlier excitement at the fact that Hongjoong liked him back slowly simmered. I can't be too certain right now.. until I hear the confession from Hongjoong himself.

"Y'know, you've got really nice lips. I bet you're a great kisser" San says with a dark look in his eyes as he leaned into Mingi's hold. The taller's arms still on San's hips, preventing him from stumbling to his ass.

Mingi just looked down at him, not really knowing how to react to the 'compliment'. "Can you kiss me?" San suddenly commands.

"I need to know if you're a good enough kisser for my Joong" San inches up on his toes to meet Mingi's height.

Mingi thought about it for a moment. Would it be wise to kiss him? Probably not. But they were at a party, it's dark, San is obviously drunk off his mind and won't remember a thing by tomorrow, and I definitely don't like him like that. It'll just be a small kiss.

Is what he thought before he presses his lips against San's who hungrily kisses him back. The supposed 'small kiss' quickly escalates into a wet make out with San pinned against the wall in the dark stairwell.

San's hand sneaks down to Mingi's crotch and he palms the older's hardening member through his jeans. Mingi felt his head swim with the intense lust that hung in the air. He knew this was beyond wrong but somehow he couldn't bring himself to stop it.

Hands roamed each other's bodies, itching for more skin contact. Their hips moved sensually against each other, creating a hot friction in their clothed dicks.

"Let's go upstairs, I've got a couple rooms free" Mingi whispers against San's lips. San nods with half lidded eyes and a playful smile, his dimples making an appearance.

Mingi takes his arm and they practically run up the stairs together. They barge into the first room in the long hallway and immediately began stripping. Clothes thrown across the room as they continued their heated kiss.

San, now in his underwear, falls on the bed and Mingi, also in his underwear, crawls over him. Moonlight pours into the room from the open window. It was dark but they could still clearly see each other.

San's hand slides into Mingi's boxers and grips his half stiff dick causing the taller to moan into San's lips. He presses a kiss on San's red raw lips then began trailing kisses down his jaw and neck. He sucks harshly on a spot right on his shoulder and San moans at the feeling. The speed of his wrists as he jacked Mingi off increases.

Then the door opened.

"W-what... what the hell?" Hongjoong calls out with wide eyes. Mingi immediately broke away, his head snapped to the door and the second he saw who it was he wanted to kick himself.

"H-hongjoong, this isn't-"

Hongjoong doesn't give him time to explain, he immediately turns on his heel and sprints down the stairs. His vision blurring up. He felt like the world was spinning as he walked. The air became hard to breathe.

So that's why he left me on that cold balcony? To go screw my best friend? And San? He.. he.. how could he? How could he do this to me? He knows my feelings for Mingi. Fuck. The tears fell as he pushed his way past the crowd and towards the exit.

He had gotten tired of waiting for Mingi so he decided to go back inside and find him. Now he wished he hadn't. He wish he had just stayed put and never found out, at least then the picture of his crush on top of his best friend wouldn't be burned into his brain.

He got into his car, slammed the door shut and couldn't hold it back anymore. He bursted into tears, his loud cries racked his body and he leans forward on the steering wheel. His knuckles turned white against the wheel as each salty drop fell to his thigh and created a wet patch on his grey pants.

He felt so hurt and betrayed. It wasn't only the rejection that hurt but the fact that it was San of all people. His own friend. Yeah, that part made it hurt more.

"Shit, this is really bad" San curses out right after Hongjoong stormed away. He tries picking up his clothes from the ground but ended up stumbling to the floor. His head hurt and he felt nauseous. He holds his aching head and winces slightly from the pain. "I have to find him" He adds.

"This was a terrible mistake. Fucking hell. What was I thinking?!" Mingi rambled as he hurriedly slid on his clothes.

"I'm gonna throw up" San warns. He felt bile rise to his throat.

Mingi looks over at him then rushes to the bathroom and opens the door for San. The younger immediately ran to the toilet and began vomiting all the alcohol he had that night as well as who knows what else. His stomach churned painfully as he threw up, a sweat building up on his forehead.

Mingi simply pats his back once then turns on his mission to find Hongjoong and set everything straight. "Just stay the night here" He orders to San before leaving.

San emptied his stomach then rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand. He weakly made his way back to the bed. Still in his boxers, he fell on the sheets and knocked out almost immediately unknowing of how the next day would unfold.

Present time

"That'll be 34.59" Hongjoong mutters monotonously as he bags the last piece of clothing. The woman whom he was attending to quickly bends over to stop her toddler in the middle of his tantrum.

Hongjoong just stands and watches awkwardly as the child continued to fuss. He looks at the customer behind her and they too looked as awkward. God, I hate kids. He thinks to himself, a small scowl on his face.

"Sorry" She says with a laugh after finally getting the boy to stop crying. "I'll pay debit" She absentmindedly begins digging through her purse for her debit card.

Eventually she pays and left the store with her son who was now distracted with his toy car. Hongjoong helps the rest of the customers in the line then moved on to refold undone clothes and put them back in their original spots.

As he worked his mind kept drifting back to a particular person. The person he was sure he's starting to develop a little crush on. Every time Wooyoung even so much as texted him it made him feel a strange sense of warmth? Happiness? He knew he'd have to tell San about his emerging feelings sooner or later.

At first he figured it would just be surface level stuff but that clearly isn't the case anymore. The red haired male was so engrossed in his work that he didn't realize that there was someone checking out the stack of jeans right behind him. He bumps into them, startling himself back to reality then he turns to immediately apologise.

"I'm so sorry" He says earnestly. That face... it's him again. How could he forget? It's the cute boy that clearly doesn't know how to read a sign. The one that asked him where the change rooms were.

"It's fine" He respond with a gorgeous half smile. He pushes up his large glasses which Hongjoong was sure were just an accessory.

Hongjoong returns the smile with his own tight lipped one. He returns back to work, picking up a floral blouse and slipping it back on it's hanger. The pair move around that area in an awkward silence for a few seconds seeing as the store was relatively empty.

"So what, you like getting my attention or?" Hongjoong speaks up, an amused smile on his lips.

The taller, who was holding up a graphic tee to himself while looking at the mirror lined up on the wall, looks at Hongjoong with a raised brow. Then he laughs. His bright straight set of teeth was no surprise to Hongjoong. He couldn'thelp but wonder if cute boy was a model

"What makes you say that?" He asks after his laugh dies down.

"Well the last time you were in here you kept bothering me for directions to the change room even though the sign was right there" Hongjoong leans forward on the table with other neatly folded graphic tees.

"Ah, you caught me" He grins in response to Hongjoong's observation. "I guess I just wanted a reason to talk to you. Clearly you weren't in the mood at the time"

Hongjoong felt his cheeks heat up at the confession. He wanted to talk to... me?

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