sunflower → HWITAE/TAEHO/HWITAEHO

☆

Taeyang lays on his bed, staring at the ceiling as the warm summer air drifts through his window, the stillness of the night silencing the dorms. It was Thursday, the last night he'd have with the calming quiet before three nights of screaming, pounding music from every room around him at once. He rolls over, watching the wall tiredly.
He'd had plenty on his mind recently. Finals were coming up quickly, and he'd been working every night at the campus cafe for a week straight. His paycheck was fantastic, but fuck, was he tired. He hadn't expected to have a night rush, but he supposes it would make sense what with all of the tests students always complained about staying up late to study for.
And, well, Youngkyun and Juho were two other problems he faced, spending most of his free time thinking of one of the two (or, in some situations, both).
Juho, who he'd gone on a date with a month before, kissing him gently underneath the fluorescent lights of some outdoor mini golf course. His ebony hair was soft under Taeyang's fleeting touch, and, when he'd pulled away, he'd done so with flushed cheeks and a pair of wide eyes, almost shocked he'd initiated anything in the first place. Taeyang had laughed, resting his head sleepily on his shoulder as he had recounted the experience.
And, then there was Youngkyun, who had been introduced to Taeyang a week ago by their mutual friend Seokwoo. The two hadn't stopped talking since the moment they saw each other for the first time. Even now, Taeyang watched his phone's display light up with an incoming message, not doubting from a second it was from the shy brunette.
He'd wondered if he had feelings for the younger, but, his relationship with Juho obligated him to remain just friends with Youngkyun. Though, Juho hadn't spoken to Taeyang since their date, and Youngkyun was constantly asking if he could take him out to see a movie sometime... The situation stressed him out beyond belief, and every moment he spent worrying about the two was another year taken off of his lifespan, he was absolutely sure.
He hadn't been able to fall asleep anyway, so he reaches over to grab his phone, reading over the new text with a soft smile on his face.

KYUN:
Are you falling asleep? You always answer so fast but now you're being so slow...
If you're tired you should sleep ♡ !
And, hey, I know about a party tomorrow night... Sanghyuk's dorm, he's a senior; you should come!
You'd love him. He's so fun

Taeyang found it overwhelmingly easy to talk to Youngkyun, and is able to send a response instantly. With most of his other friends, he left them on read or didn't get back to them for hours. However, Youngkyun didn't receive that treatment, and Taeyang hoped he never would.

ME:
i'm sorry!! i'm not too tired, haha, just thinking

He notices the heart for the first time as he rereads over the message, eyes widening at it. The heart stage, already? Fuck, this friendship moved along quickly.

ME:
but if ur tired, u should sleep ♡
oh, that sounds kind of fun... maybe you'll see me there?

Youngkyun starts typing an instant later, and Taeyang leans back, sighing as he closes his eyes. "What am I going to do?" He whispers, contemplating on how to handle this situation. Did he want to wait for Juho, or go for it with Youngkyun? Obviously, Youngkyun was a much better choice, but... Juho was so cute.
The other stops typing, the little popup at the bottom of their chat slipping away. Taeyang pouts, setting his phone down. He should sleep, he had classes in the morning. He turns over to watch the wall once again, blinking tiredly until at one point his eyes drift shut and stay that way, slipping off into a dreamless sleep that leaves him tossing and turning during the night. He doesn't wake when his roommate comes home around two, laughing a bit too loudly as he speaks into his phone, not bothering to quiet down though he knows Taeyang is asleep in the next room over.

Sitting in class the next day, Taeyang twirls his pencil around his fingers tiredly, watching Youngkyun from across the room. He looks comfortable, with his hair tied back loosely and his puffy white hoodie, which hung down a bit past his thighs and had sleeves that dangled drastically past his fingertips.
Youngkyun looks up a moment later, meeting the other's gaze quickly. He blushes, turning to look in another direction before setting his elbow on his desk, cupping his cheek in his palm before taking another peek at Taeyang.
The brunette raises an eyebrow at Taeyang, and the older suddenly realizes how fucking weird it must be that he's just staring.
Either way, class is dismissed a moment later and Taeyang tries to pack his things up quickly, but, a hand comes down onto his notebook from behind him. Turning around, Youngkyun flashes him a grin, pulling his hand back. "Hey, T'yang."
"'Kyun," Taeyang smiles, feeling his heartbeat lurch into his throat, pulse thrumming loudly in his ears. It's cliche, but he's terrified that the other can hear it. "What's up?"
Shaking his head, Youngkyun shrugs. "Nothing, nothing..." He turns around, glancing at somebody leaving the room. Taeyang can't see them from under their hood, but he assumes it's one of the younger's friends. "Are you coming tonight?" He turns back around, grabbing one of Taeyang's hands. How he can do so with such a calm expression makes Taeyang want to faint. "It'll be so much more fun if you're there..." His fingers, wrapped around Taeyang's lazily, make the older suddenly really, really want to go to Sanghyuk's party.
Before he can respond, Youngkyun brings his free hand up to brush through Taeyang's hair, whistling quietly. "The blonde really suits you, have I said that before?" He laughs, pulling his hands away to shove them into his pockets. Taeyang tries to not sigh in relief, feeling himself slowly relax, his heart dropping back to where it belongs. "It's so nice..."
"Ha!"
Taeyang blinks, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks. The last word he said repeats over and over in his head, and Youngkyun cocks his head and smiles at him with a confused expression.
"You're weird," he giggles, eyes crinkling in the corners when he laughs, "but it's kind of cute." He starts to turn around, but pauses, saying a small "I'd better see you tonight."
"You... You will..." Taeyang nods, blonde hair flopping down into his face. "You definitely will."
"Great! I'll let Sanghyuk know you're coming, okay?" Youngkyun smiles, pulling his phone out of his pocket. Catching a quick glimpse of the case on it, Taeyang notices a puffy cat sticker and pink glitter. Why was he so fucking cute?
Taeyang watches him leave, frowning. He was ready to move on from Juho, right? He'd ghosted him, after all.
Determined to make a good impression on Youngkyun, Taeyang leaves to go back to his dorm. He deserved this, and he'd be damned if he didn't go for it.
The walk back is short, but eventful. Seokwoo finds him in the hall, quickly walking him back while expressing his excitement for the night ahead of them.
"So, I'm going," Seokwoo states as they go into Taeyang's dorm, setting their bags down against the wall. Taeyang's roommate, Jaeyoon, glances up from where he's sitting on the couch, waving at them.
"Hey."
"Shut up." Seokwoo cuts him off immediately, causing Jaeyoon to scoff. "Nobody wants to hear about your-"
"-Let's stop this here before it progresses." Taeyang stops them, glaring. The air sparks between the two with tension, but, at Taeyang's opposition to their fight, they back off of each other. The blonde nods, going into his bedroom. Seokwoo follows him, grabbing his bag from the floor.
Tossing it onto the bed, Seokwoo unzips the bag and pulls out a small box, opening it up excitedly. "Nobody ever lets me do their makeup..."
I'm target practice, Taeyang realizes a moment too late as he sits on the edge of his bed, as Seokwoo's already advancing on him with the box. "How heavy do you want it?"
"Very light." Taeyang says nervously, brushing his hair out of the way. The brunette crouches in front of him, grabbing a tube from the box before applying a bit of liquid to his fingertip. "Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Mm.."
He's not sure if he wants to ask out Youngkyun so quickly. They've only been talking for a week, and every time Youngkyun's invited Taeyang out it's been specifically as friends. "Should I ask out Youngkyun?"
Seokwoo shrieks, dropping the brush he was blending the makeup with. It bounces on Taeyang's lap, and he stares at him, stunned. "A-are you alright?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," he comes back to reality, grabbing his brush to continue applying the makeup to Taeyang's face. "I'm sorry," he repeats, "I got excited."
"So..?"
"Oh! Yes, I really think you should," Seokwoo nods, swapping out brushes for a smaller one. "Close your eyes, love."
Obliging, Taeyang lets his eyes drift shut. Seokwoo begins letting the soft brush drift along his eyelids, humming quietly. "The party starts in a few hours," he switches eyes, "do you want to watch a movie before we go?"
Shrugging, Taeyang hums out a quick "sure," opening his eyes at Seokwoo's request. He tears himself away when the taller comes at him with the mascara wand, gasping. "I can handle that!"
"But-"
"You'll fucking blind me." Taeyang hisses, snatching the utensil from Seokwoo before looking up to the ceiling, hesitantly applying it. "I trust you, but not this much."
Seokwoo huffs. "If you heard something cracking into pieces, that was my fucking heart."