from: big tiddy bin man
1:13am

outside dont forget ur keycard this time idiot

to: big tiddy bin man
1:13am

fuck u im omw

Hyunjin regrets choosing the top bunk on nights like this. They were notorious for sleepless nights back home, favoring skating through the empty streets with clunky headphones blasting mid 2010s fuck me jams and enjoying the wind on their face. Back then, they just assumed they couldn’t shut their brain off because they were bored to tears in a town where nothing happened, and everyone knew too much about each other, but alas, they’ve been in Atlanta for a year and a half now and the insomnia is as persistent as always.

Descending the rickety-ass stairs on the bunk never goes as seamlessly as Hyunjin hopes. They know there’s a step that creaks but somehow, they step on it every time.

“I’d literally rather you jump down than do that every night,” grumbles the bundle of blankets on the bottom bunk.

Hyunjin winces. “Sorry, Innie,” they reply.

The younger boy flips back the blanket that was over his head to dramatically glare at Hyunjin. The way his white-blond hair is sticking up kind of takes away the edge from the glare though, makes Hyunjin wanna squish his cheeks together.

“I don’t think you even try to go to sleep at this point, I don’t care anymore,” Jeongin says, flopping back down on his pillow. “You’re lucky I can fall back asleep quick, though. Otherwise I’d have to cuff you to your bunk or something.”

“Kinky,” Hyunjin snorts, sitting at their desk and pulling their shoes on. Hyunjin tucks the laces down into the sides even though everyone hates it.

“At least tie your shoes,” Jeongin whines. “Tired of cleaning your stupid face up after you bust your shit.”

Hyunjin scoffs in lieu of replying, runs their tongue over their bottom lip that has finally scabbed over from the incident on the stairs last week. Their chin is still pretty raw, but whatever. Hyunjin is still not tying their shoes.

“I’ll be fine, mom, you just get back to sleep,” Hyunjin says, standing up. They reach into the bunk to ruffle Jeongin’s hair and kiss his forehead, which earns them a few more whines and groans, and then grab their jacket and board.

─

“Freezing my balls off standing out here, what took so long?!”

Hyunjin drops their board, cruising down the path to where their friends are sharing a cig. Chris looks cool in that effortless way he always manages to pull off, black hoodie under black leather jacket, taking a long drag as his tousled hair moves in the breeze. Changbin looks like Changbin, standing pouting with damp bangs poking from his beanie and his puffer jacket zipped up to his chin. Hyunjin stops in front of Changbin, grabs both of his cheeks in their hands, and kisses his face.

“I missed you, too, Binnie dear,” Hyunjin says with a grin. “How are the girls tonight? Well protected, I see.” They start grabbing at Changbin’s pecs through his jacket. Chris throws his head back and laughs, cigarette discarded. Changbin makes a show of fighting back for a few moments, but eventually lets himself be back hugged by the tall and annoying youngest member of the group.

Hyunjin lucked out meeting Chris and Changbin. Well, to be fair, Hyunjin met their roommate, Felix, first but dammit if Hyunjin hadn’t lucked out meeting Felix too. Sure, they’d made out in a sweaty club after grinding on each other for twenty minutes and subsequently travelled to Felix’s off-campus apartment to see if any of their kinks lined up. The resulting threesome with Chris (Changbin was out of town and whines incessantly about missing the “sausage party”), and consequently the immediate breakdown and ooey gooey proclamation of feelings between Felix and Chris before the nut had even dried on Hyunjin’s stomach were all completely incidental. Hyunjin considers them all bros. Chan and Changbin both skating was an added bonus. Any residual feelings between Hyunjin’s asshole and thoughts of Chris’s mouth are strictly between Hyunjin and God.

“How high are you, scale of 1 to 10?” Chris asks, pushing his board back and forth under one foot.

Hyunjin ponders this. Their dab pen is on its last drops of oil and they’d been puffing pretty much constantly while lying in bed, counting the bricks at the foot of the bunk like a skid row inmate. But they’re still having conscious and coherent thought, so they figure they’re not that high. “Solid 3.5,” they reply, wrapping their arms around Changbin’s shoulders and trying to sneak their hands inside his puffer jacket.

“Dude, please stop fondling me in the middle of the street, we’ve been through this!” Changbin shouts, shaking his shoulders to fight off the long fingers violating his puffer jacket safe space.

“Yes, ‘wait until we’re alone to abuse my nipples, Jinnie.’ I remember now,” Hyunjin responds somberly. Changbin scoffs. Chris just shakes his head.

“Bin, you got your keys somewhere in that big ass jacket?”

─

“When are y’all gonna let me do a verse?”

Chris frowns, passing the blunt over his shoulder to Hyunjin in the backseat. They’re on the roof of the parking garage in Changbin’s rich boy car, blessedly alone and listening to the newest 2BASCO song. “Dear, you can’t rap,” he says. Exhales, cloud of smoke. “You could be in the video when your face heals, though.”

“We all know Jin’s just gonna bust their face again tonight,” Changbin snorts. He makes eye contact with Hyunjin through the rear-view mirror. “Ten bucks says their shoes are untied as we speak.”

Hyunjin frowns at him, scrunches up their nose and mimes licking all over the blunt. Changbin shouts in disgust. Hyunjin cackles in delight.

“Shhh, this is the best part,” Chris interrupts. He leans forward to turn the radio up. Hyunjin takes a hit, scooby snacks flittering into their mouth as the bass bumps and joins the smoke filling their chest. Then, Felix’s deep ass voice joins the bass and Hyunjin chokes.

“Unfair!” they shriek, pointing at the radio with the blunt. “Unfair, why does Lixie get to be in the song?!”

Changbin tuts and grabs the blunt. “Because Lixie can actually rap.”

Hyunjin pouts and crosses their arms. “You’re both assholes and roll shitty blunts.”

“I’m texting Felix and telling him you think he rolls shitty blunts,” Chris says in a deadpan voice.

“Y’all had Baby Hands roll the blunt? No wonder that shit’s loose,” Hyunjin scoffs.

“Voice message on. Keep going,” Chris replies, angling his phone towards the back seat. Hyunjin smacks it out of his hand and smiles when it falls between the seat and the center console.

“Ha, your phone’s in the abyss now,” Hyunjin giggles. Chris just stares at them, takes the blunt that Changbin is passing to him, and slides the passenger seat all the way back, crushing Hyunjin’s right knee in the process. The youngest yowls and Changbin groans.

“Explain to me again why we hang out with this loud ass bitch?” he asks no one in particular. Hyunjin takes offense and leans between the seats to get in Changbin’s ear.

“You wanna kiss me sooo bad, don’t you, Binnie? God, it’s eating you up how much you wanna kiss me right now. Come ‘ere,” they say, grabbing the side of Changbin’s face.

“I will bite your fucking nose off, I promise you,” Changbin growls, smacking their hands.

Chris has retrieved his phone and is back to whatever game he’s obsessed with this week. “Do either of you want the roach? I’m ready to skate away from both of you right now.”

─

If wheels on asphalt were a sleep sound, Hyunjin figures they would sleep like a baby. Box fan blasting their face with air, and the soothing sounds of wheels on asphalt. Maybe they’ll ask Chris to bring his little portable mic next time they skate. Yeaaaah, that’d be cool as fuck, just wheels on asphalt, the occasional metal grind for flavor—

“Hello?! Are you on cruise control, what the fuck?”

Hyunjin looks up and sees Chris and Changbin a good 30 yards ahead of them on Peachtree. Shit.

They push off. Push hard. Push, kick. Push, kick. Push, kick. Push, coast…Was that from a song? Hyunjin’s pretty sure they didn’t think that up, that’s good—

“Oh my fuckin’ god,” Changbin says, suddenly right next to Hyunjin. “They’re fuckin’ high.” Hyunjin scowls and skates ahead.

“Wasn’t that the point of hotboxing your Lexus?” they call over their shoulder. They’re approaching the underpass where one time, Hyunjin got so high, they nearly cried because the sidewalk was moving but they were, in fact, just walking on it.

“You can’t fucking see when you’re too high, Jin,” Chris calls out. “Slow down!”

“No, dad!” Hyunjin whoops. They feel wild, do a flip switch, and then hear it: rattling, and the release of pressurized air.

They scrape to a stop.

On a normal skate night, Hyunjin would have carried on on their merry way. Mostly, because Chris is right and Hyunjin really can’t see shit through their nearly fully closed and blurry eyes, but also because Hyunjin doesn’t give two shits about strangers. Call it main character syndrome, sue them, whatever, but they usually don’t bother with chatting up randoms because they’re only going to end up leaving the conversation misgendered and staggeringly annoyed. But, somehow, they zero in on a light grey beanie and a pair of tan, toned arms fully exposed in a muscle tee despite it being 40 degrees and windy and they’re…intrigued.

They can hear Chris and Changbin calling down the road, now probably so far, they can’t even imagine what Hyunjin would have veered off for, but they’ll figure it out and loop back eventually. Hyunjin skates closer and can see that the figure is also on a board, balanced on light feet in a crouching position next to the wall while they paint it with looping letters. A little closer and Hyunjin can see that it says phobia, big and bold. A gust of wind comes, icy enough for Hyunjin to feel it through their jean jacket and hoodie, and the figure gives a shiver that wobbles their board.

Hyunjin skates up next to the figure and stops quick.

“What are you afraid of?” they ask in lieu of greeting.

“Fuck,” the figure mutters and promptly falls off of their board and onto their ass.

Hyunjin rushes forward, muttering out apologies as they reach out to help the person up. Before they can touch them though, their hands are being slapped away.

“Don’t fucking sneak up on people like that, man!” the stranger snaps.

Hyunjin scoffs and feels their face grimace before they can help it.

“Are you fucking deaf or something?” they ask, pulling their hands back. “Wheels on Asphalt was definitely on full volume.”

By now, the stranger is standing, and Hyunjin notes that they’ve got a few inches on the new person. The streetlight illuminates their face and Hyunjin can see the color of their bangs now, indigo strands long enough to touch the dark makeup smudged around their eyes. Eyes that are looking back at them with reproach.

“Are you high or something?” the stranger asks.

“Yes, very, but what does that have to do with anything?” Hyunjin retorts.

The stranger just shakes their head and turns back to the wall. Hyunjin, not used to being ignored, decides to up the ante.

“I like your hair and your makeup a lot. I’ve never seen anyone pull off, like, ink blue hair before, it’s cool. What’s your name?” they ask, idly pushing their board back and forth. They’re met with nothing but the sound of more pressurized air, adding a dot over the i.

“Is that like, your signature or something?” they continue. They kinda wanna skate in circles but refrain. Somehow, trying to get this person’s attention trumps skating right now. “Very anarchic of you to do graffiti. My friend Chris used to, but his dumbass got caught and he went to jail. Did you scope out this spot for cameras? They’re super easy to miss sometimes and the fine is stupid high and then if you don’t pay it, you go to jail, which I think is, like—"

“You go to Tech, don’t you?” the stranger snaps, back still turned and shoulders tense.

Hyunjin nods, then realizing they aren’t looking at them, says a slow, “yeah” instead.

“Yeah,” the stranger repeats, side eyeing Hyunjin over their shoulder. They look Hyunjin up and down and then sneer. “I could tell by your Gucci hoodie and your obviously desperate need to be the center of attention.” Hyunjin feels their face contort, another grimace building, and the stranger tilts their head and keeps looking.

After a five second stare down that feels like an eternity of Hyunjin standing there with steam coming out of their ears, the stranger scoffs.

“You’re not the most interesting person in the world, pretty boy. And whatever you’re selling, I ain’t buying it,” they say, turning back to the wall. “So, kindly fuck off wherever you came from, please.”

And then they just… resume painting.

Now, Hyunjin does not consider themselves an angry person. Sure, they get angry, but never about miscellaneous things like a weirdo blue haired delinquent risking hypothermia to paint a singular word on a wall being rude to them. And they sure as shit have never felt angry enough to become physical with someone. It’s just never been that serious. However, something about the way the blue haired little shit sneered at them and made rather gross assumptions pisses Hyunjin off beyond belief, and they’re lunging forward to push the stranger off of their board and onto the pavement. The board rolls away quickly and the stranger falls to the side, shoulder hitting the ground hard as they cry out in pain. Hyunjin panics, turns just as quickly, and begins to skate off.

What the fuck, they think, pushing harder, wondering where the fuck Chris and Changbin are, wondering why they just incited violence at an underpass, when suddenly there’s a heavy weight on their back and they’re crashing into a puddle face first.

“What the fuck!” comes a far away voice, and Hyunjin faintly thinks no, that’s my line before they’re being flipped over and slapped across the face.

By the time Chris and Changbin have fully made it to the scene of the crime, Hyunjin has resorted to slap fighting the stranger straddling their waist while their hood and beanie and hair marinates in the gross pothole water that they were also just face first in and god, talk about being instantly sober and wanting to see a doctor immediately.

Chris drags the stranger off of Hyunjin, which doesn’t look hard because they’re tiny and skinny and Hyunjin can’t for the life of them understand where the force for that tackle came from. Changbin is next to them then, crouching down to help Hyunjin lean up on their elbows and slowly stand. Water is dripping down their back and completely soaking them down to the shirt under their hoodie. Absolutely miserable. Hyunjin fears they might die before sunrise.

“Jisung?” Chris asks, holding the stranger by the shoulders. “What the fuck, bro?”

“No, Chris, dude,” the stranger (Jisung apparently? Hyunjin’s brain adds in) says quickly. “He fucking started it, he pushed me for no reason!”

“No reason?” Hyunjin repeats incredulously. “You’re a mean little bitch, do you know that?”

Jisung lunges, but Chris’s hands are still on him.

“Okay, no, what the fuck. Let’s walk,” Chris says, and pulls Jisung away to, presumably, cuss him out in private. Hyunjin watches them walk away, head beginning to hurt.

Changbin tuts next to them, hand still wrapped around Hyunjin’s arm as he watches them walk as well. “Well that sure as shit wasn’t the meet-cute he had in mind.”

“Huh?”

“That’s Jisung Han,” Changbin sighs. “Chris has been talking to him for, like, two weeks now? They met at this songwriting workshop Chris went to in Midtown and he thought his lyrics were, like, insanely good.” Hyunjin thinks they vaguely remember hearing that name, but they’re not sure. “I’ve met him in passing at the apartment a few times, but we were actually all supposed to meet up at Waffle House later for like, formal introductions.” Changbin looks to Hyunjin then, smiling up at them. “We should have known our little chaos demon would find a way to wreck that somehow.”

Hyunjin pouts, whining, “Be nice to me, I’m injured.”

“I am being nice, my tone was fond,” Changbin replies easily. He takes Hyunjin’s face by the chin then, tilting it towards the streetlight to survey the damage. Hyunjin closes their eyes and focuses very hard on the friend in front of them, on the warmth that being doted on brings, and not the annoyance that’s still simmering under their skin.

“Verdict’s in,” Changbin says softly. “Good news or bad news first?”

“Bad,” Hyunjin decides.

“Well, he definitely re-split your lip. And your chin is scraped to all hell.” He sighs, touching Hyunjin’s cheekbone gingerly. “That’s probably gonna be a bruise.”

“Good news?”

“You’re still as ugly as you’ve always been.”

“Wow, thanks for that.”

Changbin smiles slightly, just one corner of his mouth turning up, but his eyes still look concerned. “What even happened?”

Hyunjin shrugs a shoulder. They’re not entirely sure, either, but do their best to explain.

“I was just trying to be friendly and ask questions,” they mumble. “But he was so mean and like, implied that I was a stuck up bitch or something, I think? So, I pushed him.”

Changbin sighs again. He’s done that a lot of times tonight and Hyunjin starts to feel bad. They don’t mean to be difficult, really, it’s just that difficult situations tend to present themselves to Hyunjin, and they’ve already lost enough friends for that reason in their opinion.

They swallow those feelings though and hope they don’t come back up. Changbin cups their cheek, sensing the storm in their mind, and that makes it a little easier.

“Okay,” comes Chris’s voice, and Changbin’s hand slides back to Hyunjin’s arm. Jisung is trailing behind, head down and torso adorned with Chris’s leather jacket. Hyunjin appreciates that he at least has the decency to look remorseful.

“Felix just texted me that the brownies are done. So, you two,” he points to Hyunjin and Jisung, “are going to have to learn how to get along quick. You can use the dryer for your wet clothes and borrow some of mine in the meantime.”

Hyunjin whines, “Why does he have to come?” at the same time that Jisung mumbles, “Oh, it’s fine, dude, really, I don’t have to come.”

“No,” is all Chris says, and it’s enough to shut them both up. “You’re both coming because you’re idiots and I’m not letting you out of my sight for at least the next three hours. Now, can we get a move on? Hyunjin’s face needs about fourteen antiseptic wipes.”

─

Hyunjin’s kinda pissed off.

They’ve always loved the apartment that Chris, Changbin and Felix share, love it even more now that Seungmin moved into the spare bedroom because he’s the only one that will watch sappy dramas with them and he’s a warm cuddler. But right now, the vibes are off because instead of being the filling of the Felix-Seungmin sandwich, they’re seething at the dining table watching Jisung take their place.

Hyunjin doesn’t understand how everyone knows and likes this kid except them. Like, sure, they were trying to be his friend at first, but that ship has sailed. Now the sound of Felix giggling at something on Jisung’s phone while knowing he has his head on the latter’s shoulder is making it very hard to focus on the creepypasta they’re trying to read.

They feel like they should feel ridiculous for this poorly concealed and entirely baseless feud they’re starting, but it’s the principle of the matter. For two weeks, everyone in their traitorous little friend group has been running around with Jisung Han, a kid that goes to State and is somehow still planted firmly in his emo phase at the big age of 20. And, like, of course they expect their friends to have other friends, they’re not that insane but why wait a fortnight? Are they that embarrassing? And maybe if they had actually been introduced, Hyunjin wouldn’t have shit the bed and gotten off on the wrong foot.

from: big tiddy bin man
2:54 am

your pissy mood is stinking up the room come here

Hyunjin looks to the sectional and sees Changbin looking at them with expectant eyes. The dryer is clicking softly in its little closet in the kitchen and the same episode of Black Mirror they always put on is playing but everyone’s preoccupied with a phone. Felix is their designated couch cuddler, the one that giggles at cute animal videos with them while Seungmin plays with filters on their other side, but apparently Jisung is the new replacement musketeer in the trio and Hyunjin is being paid dust.

They sigh and stand up, dragging themselves to Changbin’s section and flopping down dramatically to put their head on his lap. This proves to be slightly problematic as it gives them a direct view of the front angle of their friends’ betrayal over the half empty brownie tin on the coffee table. Seungmin is upside down, head dangling near the floor as he opens his mouth to take a surprised looking selfie. Chris is on the floor pillow between Felix’s legs, tapping away at his game that Hyunjin keeps forgetting to ask about. Felix is nuzzling his head under Jisung’s chin. Hyunjin scowls, turning onto their back, then yelps because Changbin is hovering over their face with a smirk that’s hard to place.

“The fuck are you looking at me like that for?” they ask.

Changbin pokes their cheek, asking softly, “are you jealous, Jinnie baby?”

Hyunjin scoffs. “Who exactly would I be jealous of in this room? You’re all lame.”

“I take offense to that,” comes Seungmin’s voice. He hears everything, always listening with his freakishly good singer ears.

“You say that, but you’ve been staring daggers at Lix and Ji for, like, a half hour,” Changbin counters. Like a sixth sense, Hyunjin can feel the two boys in question tune into the conversation but try to keep it subtle. Hyunjin decides they’re going to spit in Changbin’s drink at the first opportunity.

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” they reply, looking back to their phone.

“If you want to cuddle,” Jisung says without looking from his phone, “you can just come over here.”

“Why, so you can slap me in the face like a little bitch again?” Hyunjin asks. Chris sucks in a breath while Felix’s eyes widen. Seungmin utters out an “oop” and moves to sit upright.

Jisung locks his phone and narrows his eyes at Hyunjin. “I’m sorry, but are we forgetting the part where you pushed me like a little bitch then ran away? All because I wouldn’t kiss your feet or some shit?”

Hyunjin’s not sure what their face is doing, but they feel irate as they sit up from Changbin’s lap.

“What the fuck are you even talking about?!” they wail. “I was trying to be nice to you!”

“Bullshit!” Jisung yells back, dislodging Felix’s head as he leans forward. “You were trying to fucking patronize me.” Chris starts shaking his head.

“Please, stop,” he says, exasperated. “I don’t want to lock you in separate rooms, but I will if I have to.”

Hyunjin rolls their eyes and lays back down. “Well, tell your friend to stop acting like a fucking crazy person.”

“Takes one to know one,” Jisung mutters.

“I thought weed was supposed to, like, mellow people out,” Felix says, one hand under his chin while the other idly playing with Chris’s hair.

“They’re both fuckin’ feral, like cats,” Chris mutters, leaning his head back on Felix’s knee. “We’d need tranquilizers to mellow them out.”

“Hello?” Hyunjin says. “We’re still here?”

“And we’re all so thrilled about it,” Seungmin deadpans. Jisung sucks his teeth and flicks him on the forehead. Hyunjin would laugh at the action if it hadn’t been performed by their mortal enemy.

The lull in conversation forces the tv to become the main source of sound, just as the main character screams in terror at a gigantic spider with a human head crawling on the cabinets. Hyunjin has seen this enough to be desensitized to the loud noise, but they notice Jisung pull his legs up onto the couch, hugging them. Hyunjin smirks, ready to comment until the hand in their hair tugs.

“Ow, Binnie,” they whine and pout.

“You deserved it,” he says. “If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.”

“Preach,” Seungmin says.

“You’re literally rude as fuck unprovoked, shut up,” Changbin tells him. Felix snickers.

“Can’t we put something fun on tv?” Jisung whines. He’s nearly completely hidden behind his own legs.

“This is fun,” Hyunjin replies.

“It’s terrifying,” Jisung says. “Can we watch, like, Howl’s Moving Castle or something?”

Hyunjin chokes on a cackle, covering their mouth.

“What could you possibly have against a Ghibli movie, are you insane?” Jisung asks them.

Hyunjin shrugs. “I was told to say nothing at all if I had nothing nice to say.”

“This is exhausting,” Chris says.

“Can we still go to Waffle House even though they hate each other?” Felix asks. “I was kind of looking forward to that.”

“Yeah, I’m fucking starving, actually,” Seungmin says.

“Sure, we can,” Chris says. He stands to stretch and Felix claps excitedly. “Let me just grab the 2BASCO business cards really quick.”

Seungmin pauses in the middle of pulling his shoes on. “Okay, I might have to agree with Jin’s earlier comment because that was the absolute lamest shit I’ve ever heard.”

─

Hyunjin thinks their brownie hits right after they all order their food because the argument happening between Changbin and Jisung is amusing them to no end.

“How the fuck could you eat pork chops at 4am?” Jisung asks.

“Easy, you come to a lovely establishment like this that is open at 4am and you order it and then you eat it,” Changbin answers.

“So, what, you’re gonna get a waffle with it too?”

“There literally are no rules, Ji. I could order a cup of chili and pour it in my pants and no one could tell me no.”

Felix scrunches up his face. “Why would you ever do that?”

“It’s just a hypothetical,” Changbin mutters.

“Holy shit,” Seungmin says suddenly, ducking his head to the table and putting his arms over it.

“What?” Chris asks.

“I think my ex is over there,” he whispers, like somehow this ex would be able to hear him across the restaurant.

Hyunjin looks at the tables near the door, but notices someone that surprises them for a completely different reason.

“I know I’m fucking high, but I have to verify if that’s Jeongin over there on a… date?”

Everyone at the table looks in the direction Hyunjin is squinting. To them, it looks like the youngest member of their usual chaos party, the one that hisses when anyone tries to touch him and gags during Chris and Felix’s rather incessant PDA, is smiling across the table at a pretty stranger with bright red hair. They’re touching feet under the table, fingertips nearly touching near their plates, and Hyunjin really can’t believe their eyes.

“Holy shit, it is,” Changbin says in awe.

“Okay, yeah, wonderful, now behind that eighth wonder of the world,” Seungmin says frantically, “is the dude I ghosted last month because he kept calling me his ‘prey’ and it fucking scared me.”

Jisung whips around quickly. “Wait, you’re the fucker that ghosted Minho?”

Seungmin frowns. “How do you know Minho?”

“He’s my roommate and you’re a cuck for doing that shit,” Jisung spits.

“Jesus Christ,” Felix mutters.

Seungmin pulls a face that resembles a puppy that’s just been kicked.

“Party foul,” Chris calls. “Apologize, now.”

Jisung balls up his straw wrapper and mutters, “sorry.”

Chris huffs. “It’s like having kids,” he says.

Hyunjin giggles, finding all of this hilarious. Felix starts trying to balance his straw on his lips, puckering cutely as he places it under his nose. Chris takes the opportunity to swoop in front of him and kiss him. Changbin and Hyunjin have a PDA clowning pact, so they immediately start making kissy faces at each other, complete with obnoxiously loud smacking noises.

This is how the waitress finds them when she returns with their food. They continue until well after she’s walked away.

“That is so much food and literally none of it goes together,” Jisung says, looking at Changbin’s plate.

“I don’t even care, dude, I’ll eat anything,” Changbin laughs.

“Yeah, we can tell,” Jisung retorts, cutting into his pecan waffle. Something about his tone sounds straight up nasty, and Seungmin gasps. Chris is frozen in the middle of grabbing the syrup, and Felix is making his yikes face while he slowly drags his fork over the edge of his plate. Hyunjin looks to their right and Changbin has a carefully blank expression.

“I have been patient with you all night, Jisung,” he begins, voice low. “You begged us in the group chat for a literal week to meet Hyunjin, did he not?” he asks Chris, who softly adds, “he did indeed,” while pouring syrup on his entire plate.

“Okay, and yet this is how you act after one misunderstanding? Both of y’all are so stubborn it’s making me fucking insane.” He looks pointedly to Jisung, who’s looking like a squirrel caught in headlights with his wide eyes and cheeks full of waffle. “Grow up. Just because you’re too chicken shit to tell them you think they’re sexy and cool doesn’t mean you get to freely spew vitriol on everyone around you. So, figure it the fuck out or fuck off away from my table before I get mad.”

An awkward silence settles over the table. Seungmin has his lips poked out like that one meme of the guy walking away with the solo cup and Felix is actively trying to shove an entire waffle into his mouth. Chris has his lips in a line, looking like he’s trying to fully digest what has been said and ultimately revealed, and then breaks it.

“Good job on the SAT word,” he tells Changbin.

“Thanks,” Changbin says.

Hyunjin feels gob smacked by what they’ve heard; confused and weirdly excited and on the verge of hysterical laughter. All of this, and Jisung had been the one that wanted to meet them, not just for a friendship compatibility test, but because he thought they were sexy and cool. Having his tea very purposefully spilled seems to have had a water-on-fire effect on Jisung, and he looks embarrassed beyond belief as he just keeps stuffing his mouth. They try to make eye contact with Jisung, but he’s looking pointedly at his plate and chewing frantically. When he finally looks up, Hyunjin is smiling at him. He freezes, swallows in a dramatic fashion, and then stands quickly.

“I’m gonna go for a smoke,” he announces.

“I’ll come with you,” Hyunjin responds, smile growing.

Jisung visibly gulps, nods, and grabs the leather jacket from the back of his seat. He’s moving like a robot and Hyunjin finds it endearing.

They end up at the end of the parking lot at a chain link fence. Hyunjin leans against it, looping their fingers in over their shoulders and watching as Jisung lights his cigarette and shoves his hands into his pockets. He takes his drag hands-free, tilting his head back and pulling out a hand on the exhale. Hyunjin doesn’t smoke cigarettes, but now that they’re allowed to look they can’t help but find the action attractive.

But they’re still not talking, apparently. Hyunjin stretches out their leg, poking Jisung’s with their shoe.

Jisung looks to them. “You got something to say?”

“I should be asking you that,” Hyunjin says. “Since you think I’m so sexy and cool.”

Jisung groans. “I cannot believe he said that, fuck.” Hyunjin cackles.

“Don’t be embarrassed, it’s cute,” they say, drawing out the ‘u.’ “How did you even see me?”

Jisung rubs his eyes with his palms. “Um, in one of Chris’s stories? I don’t even remember what y’all were doing but you were like...fucking screaming and dancing and still managed to look hot. God, what the fuck did Felix put in those brownies? I’m so high.”

He’s flustered. Hyunjin finds it endearing.

“Very potent weed butter and lots of love,” they answer. “Explain why you were a fucking dick when I tried to talk to you.”

“Have you seen what you look like?” Jisung asks frantically. “I mean, I didn’t know it was you at first when you snuck up on me but then the light hit your face and I realized and you were like…reaching out to me and I freaked out! I thought you were fucking with me.”

Hyunjin scoffs. “So you think I’m sexy and cool and evil, too? Flattering.”

“People like you don’t find people like me interesting,” Jisung says softly.

“Nah, if you’re gonna hang with us, you’ve gotta cut that self-deprecating shit out,” Hyunjin says. “Clearly you’re interesting because you have friends. And, since we’re being honest, I thought you looked sexy and cool and insane with your arms all out vandalizing that wall.”

Jisung pauses in the middle of stomping out his cigarette.

“No bullshit,” Hyunjin adds.

Jisung blushes and Hyunjin can’t take it anymore. They reach out, grabbing the collar of the leather jacket and pulling him into them. He stumbles, catching himself by reaching for the fence, and this leaves him with arms on either side of Hyunjin’s head and scant inches separating their faces. Hyunjin holds his waist with one hand, brushing his bangs from his eyes with the other.

“So, are you gonna stop acting rabid and kiss me already?” they ask.

When their lips meet finally, Hyunjin is pleased to find that Jisung tastes more like pecan waffle than smoke. His lips are insistent, hungry in the way they capture Hyunjin’s at a steady pace, and they grip his waist as they kiss him harder. It’s syrupy sweet and warm, Hyunjin not even caring that it’s colder than a witch’s tit outside because they can’t feel it, can only feel Jisung’s teeth nipping their lip and the leather under their hands. Jisung’s hands cup their face and he’s pulling back to run his thumb over Hyunjin’s bottom lip.

“I’m sorry,” he breathes. “I fucked your face up.”

Hyunjin smiles lazily. “Don’t worry, it was already fucked up.”

Jisung snorts, tracing fingers over their cheekbone. “Still pretty.”

Hyunjin scrunches up their face. “That was pretty gay.”

“We just made out outside a Waffle House.”

“Mm hmm, and it was less gay than that comment you just made.”

Jisung huffs out a laugh, shaking his head. “You’re so fucking annoying.”

“Yeah, but that’s why you like me, isn’t it?” Hyunjin asks.

Jisung considers this. “You got me there,” he decides.

Hyunjin giggles and reaches down to link their pinkies. “Wanna head back inside?” Jisung nods and swings their hands.

They’re preparing themselves for the absolute circus that’s going to erupt at their table when they come back inside looking smitten. However, opening the door reveals that the circus has already moved into this Waffle House because everyone inside is singing a horrible rendition of Thinking Bout You by Frank Ocean. Like, literally, everyone ─ random people on the barstools, Jeongin and his mystery date, Seungmin’s scary ex (who points to them when he notices and yells, “fucking finally!” at the top of his lungs) ─ everyone participates in wailing out or do you not think so far ahead? Felix is standing on his chair, seemingly leading the charge, spreading business cards around the restaurant like dollar bills and Changbin is absolutely dying of laughter as he records the entire thing.

Jisung looks to Hyunjin. “You wanna just grab our boards and head home?”

Hyunjin can’t think of a better idea.