He had been the one to ask.

This was his idea, and yet he was the one freaking out about it.

Yes, for the first time in his life, Kim Seokjin, ladies man, felt nervous about a date.

Then again the date wasn't with a lady, so perhaps that had something to do with it.

He didn't want to back out of it. Not in the slightest, in fact it wasn't even an option, because with how long Jin had spent contemplating before actually asking Namjoon out, it would be nothing but a waste and a heartbreak if he chickened out.

He had since stopped denying his interest in the boy, so the only obstacle now was overcoming nerves.

Pacing back and forth in his room, sadly, didn't do much for him. After about forty-five minutes he caved in and decided to contact an expert.

"The gaylord himself."

He pulled up Yoongi's number.

It rang five times before he picked up.

"Jin? What's up?"

"Took you long enough to answer."

"...it didn't. And I'm with Jimin."

"Oh?" He winked even though Yoongi couldn't see him. "And what were you two up to?"

"Making out, Jin, do you really want me to go into detail—ow, Jimin, I'm sorry..."

"I'll pass on the details," Jin said, his nerves suddenly reminding him why he had called Yoongi in the first place. "Question, I had a question—no, I need help, like serious help, Yoongi, and you usually have good advice, and I'm panicking??"

"Whoa, okay, just calm down, Jin, what's wrong?"

"My date is tonight."

"Your date?"

"With Namjoon??"

"Oh." A lightbulb seemed to go on over the boy's head as he hummed thoughtfully in response. "Right. Now I remember."

"Yoongi, this isn't like me, I don't freak out about dates," Seokjin blurted, "I didn't even feel nervous about my first date with my first girlfriend, but now all of a sudden it's hitting me?? Like, what if I go overboard and overdress, or I show up to his house lookin' all casual and Namjoon's there wearing Louis Vuitton?? Or what I stutter too much and make myself look like an idiot? Worse, what if I make him feel awkward?? I don't wanna screw this up for him, he's the one who wanted to go on a date with me so bad before I came to my senses..."

There was silence on the other end of the line.

"...Yoongi put you on speakerphone, this is Jimin."

Seokjin felt his face grow warm in embarrassment. "Wow, thanks. You coulda warned me."

"Jin, for what it's worth, you really don't need to worry about Namjoon," Jimin said, softly but in an encouraging tone of voice. "Friendly reminder, he's kinda head over heels for you."

"Regardless," Seokjin quickly interjected, "that somehow makes me feel worse. If I screw up, he could lose interest."

"Mm. Doubtful."

Jin made a face he wished the other boys could see. "Why?"

"He probably won't like that I'm saying this," Jimin began, "but this morning Joon called me to rant about how excited he was about this. He's a little nervous, too, but he knows it's normal."

"Yeah," Yoongi added. "I mean, even I was nervous on Jimin's and my first 'official' date."

"Despite having made out several times before confessing to each other?"

"...despite that."

Jin could hear Jimin's flustered sigh in the background. Oddly enough, he did feel somewhat more reassured now, but not enough to feel comfortable hanging up just yet. "Help," he whispered. Yoongi couldn't resist laughing, much to Seokjin's distress. "It's not funny..."

"I'm sorry, Jin," his friend said in earnest. "But I mean it, and Jimin said so, too, you heard him, you've got nothing to worry about. It's okay to be nervous, but don't freak out, okay? And just wear something casual. Namjoon won't be there in a Louis Vuitton tailored suit, Jimin said the most expensive thing he owns clothing-wise is a pair of Nike sneakers. Besides, it's just a family diner, right? You're not taking him to Ryunique, for goodness sake."

"Oh, heavens, no, I couldn't afford that place even if I wanted to."

"Right. You'll be fine. It's just a date."

"Right. Just a date."

"You're gonna enjoy yourself. It's gonna be fun."

"Right. I'm gonna enjoy myself. It's gonna be fun."

"Talk to you later, Jin. Let us know later how it goes."

"I know Joon will," Jimin added.

"Okay. Okay, yeah. Talk to you guys later."

***

Seven. That was the time Seokjin told Namjoon he'd pick him up, and to avoid making a bad impression, Jin made absolutely sure he left early enough to be there by then.

At 6:50 p.m. he pulled up into an empty parking spot beside Namjoon's house. He took out his phone, preparing to send a text to let the boy know he was here, but before he could do that Jin heard the front door to Namjoon's house open and close.

His heart dropped to his stomach.

"Relax, relax, relax, relax, relax, relax, relax, relax, relax—is he wearing Louis Vuitton? No, you idiot, stop that."

Jin tensed as the passenger's side door to his car open, and Namjoon climbed inside.

"Punctual." The blond said with a smile. "And you look nice."

"Ahaha."

Namjoon snorted at the boy's odd laugh. "You okay, Jin?"

"Me??" Seokjin forced another laugh, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. "Perfectly splendid, good sir. Ready to indulge in some fine delicacies, aren't you?"

His behavior was off, and Namjoon could so obviously sense this, having grown so accustomed to seeing Seokjin's hilarious confidence in action, whereas now, if he weren't mistaken, Namjoon could detect anxiousness.

"You sure you're okay?"

Less teasing, more concern now. Jin panicked more at this than he had the first time the question was asked. He attempted forcing a smile but gave up the moment he made eye contact with Namjoon.

"Nervous," he muttered. "I've been nervous," he said a bit clearer. A sigh of exasperation passed through his lips. Carefully, he rested his head on the steering wheel while avoiding hitting the horn. "I wanted to be cool, calm, and collected about this...I'm not used to...to this..."

"Well, I'd imagine," came Namjoon's voice, soft and encouraging, which shouldn't have surprised Seokjin. "You've only dated girls before...and I mean, so have I. This is a change for both of us. But change isn't always bad, right?"

"Yeah, I guess. Not really fond of the whole 'heart trying to escape through the mouth' thing, though."

"I'm sorry, do you feel sick?"

"N-no, not like that, just-..."

"You really do look nice, Jin."

He didn't bother finishing his sentence - rather, Seokjin wasn't entirely sure what he was going to say, or perhaps the thought abandoned him as warmth settled on his face.

"It's...just a button-up shirt and jeans," he said, looking down at himself. "Nothing special..."

"Yet you still look handsome."

"Stop being such a smooth-talker, you're already making me look bad."

"No one could make you look bad. That'd take some serious talent."

"Okay, okay, that's enough..."

***

It was only about a twenty-minute drive to the restaurant; however, being a Friday night, finding parking didn't prove to be the easiest task, and the two had to wait a bit for a table, but Namjoon, for one, didn't mind at all.

He had the privilege of listening to Jin ranting about everything till the moment they finally sat down at their table.

Almost in tears from laughter, and the two hadn't even gotten their food yet. Namjoon didn't know how the other felt but he was already having an incredible time.

"And another thing, the guy who just seated us? Attitude. You know what I'm saying?? Like, I know this isn't Chic-Fil-a but you can at least pretend to be a little pleasant. Do you agree with me? I'm not being dramatic, am I? No, of course I'm not. Don't even answer that. Also, bigger parking lot. They could use one. Well, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt there, maybe that's not something they can help, but still-"

He had fallen into a laughing fit - Namjoon, that is. Seokjin only stared at him, puzzled as to what he could have possibly said to trigger such a strong reaction from the other boy, whose face had by this point grown noticeably red.

"Jin, please-" He had to pause to breathe, which seemed a struggle. "You're too funny, oh my gosh, my stomach hurts so bad, how am I gonna eat?"

Jin wasn't entirely sure how he should respond to this, so he default-pouted and crossed his arms. "Fine, don't eat, neither will I. We'll just order water. In nice little tea cups. It'll be cute."

This only made Namjoon laugh harder. For some reason, Seokjin felt embarrassed by this, the blush returning to his cheeks but darker this time.

To his relief, moments later, the man who had seated them returned with a small notepad in hand. This reminded both boys that neither of them had even glanced at the menu. Luckily they had both been here before and knew the selections enough to quickly make their orders. Three minutes later and the server was gone again.

"...maybe he doesn't have teeth. Maybe that's why he won't smile."

"Jin, oh my gosh..."

"Namjoon, when he comes back again, show him how it's done, won't you?" Seokjin huffed, gesturing at his date. "You've got a great smile, show him, he needs to learn."

No laugh this time. Just a fond look which at first, Jin didn't register, but once he did, he panicked again and looked away. Catching himself doing so, he urged his gaze to shift back over to Namjoon again.

The way that boy looked at him...

"I've never had this much fun on a date before."

"Boring girlfriends," Jin blurted, pursing his lips as the other chuckled.

"Not really, they were nice girls, but you're something else..."

"I've just been blabbering since I picked you up."

"Yeah. Please don't stop talking."

***

"Yoongi, he actually told me 'please don't stop talking'."

"You have to marry him. You don't even have an option."

*

*

a/n:
LOL i didn't know how to end the chapter so 🤷‍♀️