ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡
─◌✰್ 𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗀－𝖺𝗌𝗌 𝗅𝖾𝗀𝗌

minniemouse- mint chocolate chip is the only correct answer
> nomnominnie for once, you're right
    > ramenoodlaska @minniemouse- @nomnominnie okay how can you both be so wrong??

ryerye anything with chocolate 🤪
> changaroo97 i know, riles, i know 😁
    > ryerye @changaroo97 well, buy some for me then!
        > the.official.hwang @changaroo97 you still owe me ice cream, christopher.

huats.up what if i'm a sorbet girl?
> mymymy does that mean you're fruity? 🥺
    > bin.there.done.that @mymymy don't make me fight you
        > huats.up @bin.there.done.that bin she's like two feet tall don't be mean

If Changbin thought he'd spent a lot of money on The Golden Trio, he was wrong.

"I can't believe you actually bought me these gloves just because I picked them up. Once," you groaned, checking out the fuzzy white item for the fifth time.

"Hey, you wanted them, didn't you?" He grinned. "Besides, they were like ₩9,000, that's nothing."

"Yeah, if you'd only bought me the gloves, I wouldn't be complaining." You shot him a reproachful look. "You also bought me, what was it... eight smoothies, five bags of frozen fruit, three bags of sour skittles, two more bouquets of flowers on top of the ones you got me yesterday, and... oh yeah, two pairs of fuzzy slippers??" You thrust the pair of gloves towards him. "I might have given in to you buying it at the store, but I can't accept all this stuff, you know that. I'm gonna make you take it back."

Changbin shook his head, the smile still ghosting across his lips. He grabbed the gloves out of your hands, before snatching your hand too, pulling you close. "Well I'm gonna make you wear them, because I think they'll look amazing on you."

Your cheeks dusted pink, but you didn't respond. You didn't even pull away as he slid the right glove onto your hand with the utmost care, silently marveling at the softness of your skin, the elegant length of your fingers. He felt the sudden urge to lean down and kiss each one.

"Just as I thought," he declared, shoving that inappropriate thought from his mind. "Only, I think you make the gloves look amazing, not the other way around."

As he finished pulling the other glove on with equal slowness, you examined your hands with a skeptical eye.

Looking up at him with a warning glare you said, "fine, I will keep the gloves. But you're sending back at least one of those pairs of slippers."

He chuckled, finally conceding. "Deal. I will send back one of the slippers. But you're keeping the others. They match perfectly with the hat I bought!"

"Hat??" Your eyes widened. "What hat??"

He smirked. "I am not telling you, or you'll try and make me return that too."

He supposed spending all that money was entirely worth it, this time.

You rolled your eyes, but a smile peeked out from your tight mouth. He stared at your lips for much longer than was acceptable. His hand twitched, a gut reaction urging him to grab you. Ever since the first time you'd met, he was always dying to touch you.

"Sure, ya goof."

His hand snapped back to his side at your words. He knew you didn't mean it but...

You'll see that men like him don't have their shit together, and you'll come running to me.

Namjoon's words echoed in Changbin's head like a curse. Internally berating himself for letting that douchebag's insults get to him, he stalked over to his friends, pushing those thoughts from his mind.

————————

"Whatever you're making in there smells amazing."

The kimchi jjigae bubbled away happily in the large black stone pot that sat over the roasting fire. A cast-iron skillet filled with slices of meat cooked in tandem with the hardy stew.

"Thanks." Chan grinned at Riley, who had come to sit next to him as he stoked the fire. "Minho isn't the only good cook in this group!"

"I'm still better," Minho called from his spot by the fold-out table. He was cutting veggies to add to a salad. Tessa and Renee were getting out sixteen plates and pairs of silverware so everyone could sit around the fire together.

"Yeah yeah, we know how good your food is." Tessa rolled her eyes.

"Let Channie take some credit!" Riley chimed in.

"Yeah, I bet you wanna give him all the credit, huh?" Alaska smirked from her spot by the fire. She and Felix were busy marveling at the rice bubbling on the gas-powered stove next to them.

"I will push you into the fire," Riley warned, her cheeks pink, and not just from the warmth of the flames.

"Okay okay, the food is ready!" Chan shook his head at the group, a small smile appearing on his face when he looked at Riley. Unfortunately, she wasn't looking at him, because she was incredibly interested in the cooking meat.

Mya and Alaska shared an eager glance, but for once, neither of them said anything to make fun of their friend.

Everyone gathered around the fire, some sitting on tree stumps, others in the fold-out chairs they had brought with them.

Changbin offered you the gray fold-out chair, and you reluctantly accepted. He sat next to you with a smile, before handing you a plate.

He wasn't quite sure what to say to you. Every time he looked at you, his chest both swelled with excitement, and seized with insecurity. And that was a feeling that, while he was used to it, he was beginning to despise more and more.

"You need a blanket?" Han snatched one from the bag he'd brought out of the cabin, and offered it to Robin. "It's getting cold now that it's dark out."

"I'd love one, thanks." Robin smiled at her boyfriend as they took a seat together on a log. She offered him half of the blanket, and he accepted gratefully.

"I hate that it gets dark so early now." Mya wrinkled her nose as she sat between Alaska and Jeongin.

"I don't care, as long as we get to eat," her friend said, snatching a piece of meat from the skillet and popping it into her mouth. The sleeve of her baggy gray sweatshirt almost fell into the fire as she did.

"Hey, hey watch out!" Felix laughed, snatching her hand back right after she ate the food. "From now on, I will be serving you, and you will be sitting here with your hands in your lap."

"So protective," Seungmin snickered, and the couple simultaneously glared at him.

The entire group served themselves, and the laughing and chatting slowly faded away, to be replaced with contented slurping and chewing noises that came with the territory of eating good food.

"That was amazing Chan, really," you said earnestly, beaming at him. "Can you send me the recipe? I can't cook for shit, but I'd love to try."

"Yeah, sure I can send it to everyone in the group chat," Chan smiled, before standing up. "I can help with the dishes, does anyone want to dry?"

"Oh hell no, you're not doing the cooking and dishes!" Robin stood up, shaking her head at Chan. "Ji, you wanna help me?"

"Do I have to?" he whined, as he shoved another piece of meat with rice into his mouth. Everyone else, even Alaska and Tessa, had stopped eating, and yet he was still going. At a warning glare from Robin, he hopped up, the blanket falling onto the dirt. "Okay, okay, fine! But afterwards, we're gonna play hide and seek, whether you all like it or not."

You nudged Changbin with a slender arm, rolling your eyes with a playful smile. "Oh, I bet that's gonna be a delight."

"Yeah," Changbin grunted, not making eye contact.

You glanced over at him, a hurt expression on your face, before turning away and talking to Renee instead.

He knew the was being an asshole. He supposed insecurity made him like that. Turned him into a grumpy, grumbling douchebag. He would have to apologize to you later, but he couldn't bring himself to do it just yet.

So instead, he just sat alone, listening to your and his friends joke and laugh, stomachs and hearts full. He wished he could join in, have fun on this second night of vacation, but it just didn't feel right.

When he was a kid, he'd been funny, confident, popular. Everyone wanted to be his friend because he was talented, and could make anyone laugh, even the teachers. But when he got into middle school, kids started making fun of his appearance, calling him "stick figure" and saying that he was ugly. And when he hit high school, and most of his friends were either getting girlfriends, or at least messing around, he was stuck making jokes to an ever-thinning crowd.

Ever since he could remember, all hed wanted was someone to love, someone who would appreciate and accept every piece of him, even the weird, nerdy ones. Starting in his early twenties, he began to go to the gym more, bulking up. Because if his efforts to look attractive for someone else wasn't working, then he might as well do it for himself.

He thought he'd gotten used to being seen as the "ugly friend", the "funny friend", and nothing else. And while he had never given up on finding love persay, he had stopped actively looking for it.

And that was when you'd fallen into his lap. You were everything he had ever wanted, and more. You were perfect. But now, there was some hot, rich, successful douchebag, trying to steal your heart. And even though you didn't seem interested in him right now, would you?

The real question was why wouldn't you? He was better than Changbin in every way, that was obvious.

But that wasn't what really bothered him. No, it's was the fact that Namjoon was the complete opposite from him. And he was way more your type than goofy, lovestruck Changbin.

"Okay, I call being it!" Han announced. He and Robin had just finished the dishes, and clearly, he was determined to have as much fun as possible.

"I dunno if I wanna do this!" Mya said doubtfully, glancing at Han with thinly veiled suspicion. "I don't like the forest at night."

"I'm down, I wanna see how good he is," JJ said, standing up from her chair, a smug look painted across her face.

"Me too!" Tessa laughed. "Then I want a turn."

"Hey no, I get to be It after Han!" Minho argued. "I'm the best seeker in the world."

"Okay how about we have two people be It at the same time?" Alaska suggested. "The buddy system, so people who are scared, won't be?"

"I like that idea!" Jeongin agreed, his hand landing on top of Mya's with a thud. The girl stared at him with wide eyes, but he didn't shy away.

"Alright, it's decided!" Han grabbed Robin's hand. "How long do we count for?"

"Sixty seconds?" Hyunjin asked, glancing around at everyone. "We need time to run."

"Says you with your long ass legs." Alaska rolled her eyes. "One minute is fine."

"Okay!" Robin clapped her hands. "One... two... three..."

As she started counting down, everyone began running towards the woods.

"C'mon Bin!" you giggled, wrapping your hand around his wrist and tugging, giddy from the brisk autumn air. "We gotta find somewhere to hide!"

"Together?" he protested, his feet ignoring his brain as he followed her into the trees.

"Yes, together you weirdo!" She rolled her eyes as she ran faster. "This is meant to be fun, don't you wanna hang out with me?"

"Of course I do, Hua," he sighed, giving up. No matter how he felt right now, he could never say no to you.

"Thirty... thirty-one... thirty-two..."

Lanhua yanked the two of you into a bush, squatting down low enough that no one would be able to see her. "C'mon, get down!" she said with a playful smile. "You're acting like this is some medieval form of torture, and not a fun game of hide and seek."

"Well, we're sitting in the middle of a thorny bush, and branches are stabbing me in the ass." Changbin sighed, his cheeks burning. Why couldn't he just put on a brave face, and push through his insecurities? He'd been doing it for years.

Something just felt different, now that he'd met you. He cared about you. And he was finally coming to realize just how much.

"Just sit down." You tugged on his hand, and he relented, trying to ignore the painful stabbing in his side. Damn, you were taking this game seriously.

When sat down, you scooted right next to him, a cheeky grin painted on your face. "Well, would ya look at that. This is cozy." You wiggled your butt so close that you were practically sitting in his lap.

Changbin swallowed thickly, all the moisture suddenly gone from his mouth. Dear lord, you were testing his self control. Did this mean you actually liked him? More than that Namjoon guy? Could he actually be enough, for the first time in his-

Before he knew it, you were leaning in closer, those mesmerizing brown eyes fixed on his, before drifting down to his mouth.

Were you... going to kiss him?

And was he going to let his guard down enough, forget about Namjoon - screw that guy - and kiss you back?

You were so damn close, he could smell the spicy kimchi jjigae on your breath, mixed with your earthy matcha perfume. Those long lashes fluttered as your grip on his wrist tightened, and ohgodhewasgoingtokissyouagain, the first one after all those months apart...

The bush you were hiding in rustled, then shook, then positively rocked, back and forth, as if something - or someone - was trying to rip it up by its roots.

Your head snapped around, eyes changing from flirty and fun to wild and scared.

Son of a bitch. Changbin groaned, running a hand down his face. Of course a girl like you wouldn't pick a guy like him.

But right now, he had more pressing matters to take care of.

laska's note —
aww, our insecure bin is having some trouble admitting his feelings! i wish he would be confident in himself and know that lanhua really likes him! it's pretty obvious that  she doesn't like namjoon at all, but he just doesn't see that yet. ooh, and what about the bush? is it a wild animal? one of their friends? a violent storm? whatever it is, damn them for ruining an almost perfect moment! what do you think? will changbin get up the confidence to tell lanhua how he feels, and stop acting like a jerk? i really hope so!

𝖭𝖤𝖷𝖳 𝖴𝖯：
𝟭𝟮 - 𝗯𝗼𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸
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