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Beomgyu was dying.
Okay, that was an exaggeration. But it sure as hell felt like it. The fever was making his brain muddled and his skin sweaty. To top it all off he had a pounding headache that made it hard to keep his eyes open.
He groaned.
“This is why I told you to stay home.”
Soobin, his best friend, unhelpfully offered. As always.
“Shut up, Soobin,” he mumbled from where he was laying down forehead first on the cafeteria table, trying desperately not to think about the last time it was clean and how many more germs he was injecting into his body.
“Why don’t you just go back home and sleep it off, Gyu?” Soobin asked annoyingly. He was becoming increasingly more annoying by the minute simply because he was making sense. Beomgyu who was trying to become one with the table did not need sensibility at the moment. “I’ll get you some medicine after my lectures finish. You’re making it worse by not resting.”
Technically, Beomgyu knew he was right. If his mother knew what he was doing right now she would kill him just so she could revive him and kill him again. But again, Beomgyu really didn’t need another reminder of the poor decisions he made since entering college.
“Stupid professor,” Beomgyu mumbled again because it was the only mode of talking his body was capable of at the moment.
“You mean the professor who didn’t give you an extension even when you showed her your doctor’s notice?”
Beomgyu groaned in response.
Listen, he was a nice person. There were rarely any people he truly wished harm upon. He was a person who even if he was the one being wronged would get over it after a suitable amount of time. But Professor Lee was really testing the good manners his parents taught him. The stupid presentation which counted for half of his grade which he had worked hard for but then he had to go and make another Beomgyu Poor Decision™. Believing he had a strong immunity system and walking home in the rain after his shift at the convenience store.
Soobin being the empath he is, sensed his turmoil and patted his head through his hoodie. “I’ll convince Yeonjun hyung to make you a good homemade meal after your lecture."
Beomgyu managed yet another eloquent groan that represented, “I love you.”
“I know,” Soobin replied because he was his best friend and they were telepathic like that.
“He’s still not gone home?”
“Hi, baby.”
Beomgyu was suddenly glad he was trying to become one with the disgusting cafeteria table as it meant he would not have to witness his friends being stupidly in love and disgusting. Reminding the rest of the human population how single they were, even the couples because Yeonjun and Soobin were just that infatuated with each other.
“Hi, love.”
With the silence that followed Beomgyu didn’t even have to look to know that the two were making out. He was beyond grateful for the loudness of the cafeteria.
“He’s insisting that the presentation is more important,” came Soobin’s voice again.
“Hey, Choi Beomgyu!” A knock to his leg from the side of the table. “If you make my boyfriend sick I’m killing you.”
Beomgyu flipped him off with the little energy he had left.
He was far too exhausted to listen to Yeonjun’s response as the fuzziness in his brain was getting worse making it hard to think. With the added thickness of his hoodie and the summer breeze because they were outside, he was suffocating. The hoodie over his head made it so that no one could see his face from where it was planted onto the table but it also made the heat emanating off his body stuck in the small space.
Again—Beomgyu was dying.
He didn’t know how much time had passed until another voice spoke out again but this time Kai’s. Which was good for Beomgyu because it meant actual sympathy instead of whatever the fuck Soobin and his boyfriend was doing.
“Hey, Gyu hyung.”
Beomgyu groaned. He was becoming quite good at that now.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s sick because he walked home in the rain last night and refused to stay home cause he has a presentation or something.”
“Aw, that’s too bad. I brought Taehyunie over to introduce you all to him today.”
“Oh, hi, Taehyun!”
“Hi, Yeonjun Sunbaenim.” A new pleasant voice spoke. Momentarily soothing his headache.
“Geez, no need for that. Just call me hyung.”
“Me too!” Soobin added.
A laugh sounded and it sounded so sweet that Beomgyu was convinced he had passed over to the hallucination side effects from his fever now. Dreaming of angels with sugar like voices and laughs.
“Beomgyu,” another kick to his leg, if Beomgyu was in a better state, Choi Yeonjun would be six feet under now. “Be polite enough at least to look at Kai’s new friend.”
“Oh, no, that’s okay. He seems quite sick.”
It was the voice that made Beomgyu push past the heaviness of his body and lift his head up. The first thing that Beomgyu saw was big, round, brown eyes that sparkled in the afternoon sun. That itself was enough to take Beomgyu’s breath away—if he wasn’t hyperventilating from simply raising his head. Then it was dark blue hair that contrasted beautifully against the tan, almost glowing skin, and fell just shy from his eyes. His sharp features and the plump lips made a pathetic noise escape Beomgyu’s mouth. His eyes slowly trailed downwards to take in the black tank top leaving the greek god like muscles on display.
Essentially—the person in front of him was hands down the hottest human being he’d ever seen. Unfortunately, the fever had also made his brain to mouth filter non-existent.
“Fuck, you’re hot.”
For a moment no one said anything. The boy—Taehyun—only blinking in surprise and then blushed prettily. Making Beomgyu want to slam his head against the table repeatedly.
“You’re pretty too,” Beomgyu whined.
Yeonjun was the first to burst out laughing. “Oh my god, I can’t wait till he gets better so I can remind him of this and make him want to die again.”
On better circumstances when Beomgyu had full control over his body he would have had half the mind to feel embarrassed. But now, with the fever making his brain into a pile of goo, all he could focus on was the way Taehyun blushed even further and avoided eye contact.
“T-thank you,” Taehyun stuttered out.
“Has anyone ever told you you have the voice of an angel?” Beomgyu asked seriously, paying no attention to the way Yeonjun was cackling.
“Well, I mean, Taehyunie’s majoring in singing and minoring in Biological science,” Kai helpfully offered.
“Pretty and smart. Are you perhaps interested in marriage?” Beomgyu leaned slightly forward.
“Oh my god.”
As Taehyun stuttered in front of him, Soobin suddenly stood up. “Okay. As your best friend I feel morally obligated to take you away so when you have enough sense to regret this moment you won’t lock yourself away in your room.”
Beomgyu protested when Soobin hooked his arm through him and stood him up, almost falling back down from the lack of energy in his body. When he passed out after taking one step away from the table it was safe to say no one was surprised.
ʕっ•ᴥ•ʔっ
When Beomgyu came to, it was already dark out. His body felt as if it had been through two car accidents at the same time and his head felt as if a chainsaw was trying to cut through it but at least the fever seemed to have gone.
He heard faint clatter and talking through the open gap in his door and forced himself to get out of bed. More because he felt disgusting and immediately wanted a shower and less because he was eager to get right back into his sorry life.
The smell of cooking that hit him as soon as he opened his bedroom door made him moan inappropriately. Dragging his feet to the kitchen he was faced with Yeonjun and Soobin cooking with practiced ease. A domestic sight that greeted Beomgyu more often than not as he was living with Soobin. But at least he got free food out of watching the two be disgusting and making him feel miserable and alone.
“Good, you’re up!” Soobin glanced up from where he was chopping vegetables and flashed a warm but worried smile. As much as his best friend pretended to not care, Beomgyu knew in the end it was he who cared the most. “Are you feeling any better? I tried to feed you some medicine but I doubt you remember. You were really out of it, Gyu.”
Beomgyu smiled at him weakly, seating himself on one of the dining table chairs. “My head is still in pain but the fever seems to have gone.”
Yeonjun sidled up next to Soobin then and— ugh . They were in matching sweats and aprons. If Beomgyu had one wish in the world it would be to find someone that looked at him the way Soobin looked at Yeonjun. “You look like shit.”
“Soobin, tell your boyfriend to lay off. I’ve been through the gates of death like twice in the past twenty-four hours. Of course I look like shit.”
Soobin picked off the onion Yeonjun was threatening to throw at him with a kiss to his temple making Yeonjun immediately melt to his side. Pft, whipped .
“I suggest you be more nice to my boyfriend as he’s the reason why your professor is not on your ass and your due date has been delayed for three days.”
That made Beomgyu perk up. “Really? How?”
Yeonjun crossed his arms with a smug look on his face. “I have my ways.”
Soobin rolled his eyes fondly at that. “He had that professor last semester. He was one of her favorite students.”
Beomgyu gaped. “Professor Lee doesn’t have favorite students.”
Yeonjun just scoffed, turning back to the stove. And really Beomgyu should have known better. He had long since stopped trying to understand the way the world just bent at Choi Yeonjun’s will.
“Choi Yeonjun I fucking love you.”
Yeonjun turned back to him while Soobin picked up the vegetables and turned towards the stove. He was smiling softly at Beomgyu with a glint in his eyes. “You owe me.”
He enthusiastically nodded his head. “Of course.”
“Good. Now go wash up. We’re not feeding you while your face is still covered with drool.”
ʕっ•ᴥ•ʔっ
It’s when they’re on the couch watching a tv show after eating that Yeonjun brings it up.
“Hey, so how much do you remember from lunch?”
This makes Beomgyu frown from where he’s covered in his own cocoon of blankets and pillows on the couch with Soobin and Yeonjun on the loveseat with Yeonjun on Soobin’s lap and a blanket thrown over their legs like the heathens they are.
“Lunch?”
Honestly the whole day was a sort of blur to him. He remembers bits and pieces from here and there but that too was hazy. The evil glint in Yeonjun’s eyes isn’t necessarily making him feel better though.
“Well, I mean not much. You were there and I’m pretty sure Kai was too and then there was this hallucination of the hottest guy I’ve ever seen in my life who I’m pretty sure I proposed to..” Beomgyu trailed off with a laughter that died out when he saw the pity in Soobin’s eyes and the way Yeonjun was barely containing his laughter.
Beomgyu felt his entire body pale. “ No .”
Yeonjun bursted out laughing. “ Yep .”
“I—No, I mean— Fuck, he was real?!” he sputtered.
“You know that ace of the medical building everyone was talking about?” Soobin questioned, fastening his hand around Yeonjun’s waist so he wouldn’t fall off from how hard he was laughing.
“Yeah?” Beomgyu whimpered.
“That’s Kang Taehyun. The childhood friend Kai had been wanting to introduce us for months.”
He shot up from the couch. “You mean to tell me that the guy the entire campus was talking about since like Yeonjun hyung enrolled witnessed me looking like fucking death and I proposed to him like a fucking maniac?”
There were tears streaming out from Yeonjun’s eyes now while he gasped for breath. Beomgyu did not get how all of this was funny when he was planning how to flee the country and preferably change his name.
“It’s not that bad, Gyu. Taehyun is a really nice guy.”
Beomgyu flopped back down onto the couch face down and screamed into it. Wishing desperately he was at death’s door again.
ʕっ•ᴥ•ʔっ
Through some rare stroke of luck Beomgyu managed to avoid Taehyun for the next two weeks. It might have been because they’re respective buildings were on two opposite sides of the campus but Beomgyu chose to believe that the universe was just being a little kind to him after the shit he’d been through.
Kai had invited him again for lunch again with the other boy which Beomgyu turned down as fast and gently as he could before Kai could whip out his puppy eyes that no one was immune towards.
All in all Beomgyu was glad he wouldn’t run into Taehyun again. Did it mean that he had absolutely no chance with the one single person that checked off every single box for him? Yeah. But that was guaranteed even before Beomgyu went ahead and acted like a maniac when they first met.
Taehyun was simply perfect . The bullshit regarding that no human being was perfect simply didn’t apply to Kang Taehyun. He had a voice of an angel—literally he was on top of his batch in his Music Major. He was smart. He was athletic. He had the looks of a greek god and was an actual decent and nice person because no way in hell was Kai friends with someone who wasn’t.
Beomgyu just didn’t have a chance. Not that he was being self deprecating or anything, he knew well enough that if he wanted to he could get some. But Kang Taehyun was just in another league of his own. A league that was moons away from Beomgyu’s own.
He sighed as he tapped away in notes app relating a bit too much to Heather by Conan Gray playing in his wired earphones. All he wanted to do was go home and eat a bit too much ice cream while cuddled in between Soobin and Yeonjun. Which they would let him do if he so much as sniffled and looked pitiful the right way. But here he was stuck with yet another shift at the convenience store because he needed money or something.
It was when an energy drink was placed in front of the conveyor belt in front of him that he realized a customer was there.
“Good evening. Welcome to—” Beomgyu shrieked when he made eye contact with none other than Kang Taehyun in front of him looking like every bit of the greek god he was in the harsh lights of the convenience store as much as he did in the sun. It was safe to say his flight or fight response activated and doing yet another Beomgyu Poor Decision™ he ducked under the counter.
“Beomgyu-shi?”
It was when Taehyun spoke out he realized that ducking under the counter unfortunately didn’t make Taehyun suddenly forget he was there. He silently flipped off the universe for being so cruel.
After evaluating the choices he had left Beomgyu closed his eyes in a wince when he realized he had to get up. He cleared his throat once he did so, blushing and avoiding all eye contact as much as he could.
“Sorry, I dropped my phone.”
Even they both knew he hadn’t but Taheyun being the saint he was didn’t call him out on it, simply hummed in affirmation. As soon as hope seeked in thinking he could go through this interaction without any further embarrassment, the universe being the bitch it was decided to prove him wrong.
“So no marriage proposals today?”
Beomgyu snapped his eyes to Taehyun in surprise, those eyes making him drop the energy drink he had which knocked against the table harshly and burst out on the floor. “ Fuck .”
Beomgyu reached down to pick up the can before it could make more of a mess but he slipped on the drink that was on the floor and pushed him off balance and backwards to the floor making him scream like a banshee.
As he lay there on the floor with his butt hurting and the stupid energy drink sinking into his clothes Beomgyu concluded that he was the most unluckiest fucking person alive.
“Oh my god. Are you okay?”
Somehow Taehyun had found his way over the counter and was now blocking the light of the convenience store with his head hovering over Beomgyu’s. Staring into those darn eyes that he was sure held the bloody universe Beomgyu decided this wasn’t such a bad way to die.
“Fuck my life.”
Taehyun laughed. If it were any other person he would have felt annoyed but it was Taehyun and some part of Beomgyu felt warm over the fact that he made him laugh. He sighed when he accepted the fact that he would not be dying any time soon and pushed himself forward. Thankfully Taehyun had his hand on the small of Beomgyu’s back so he would not slip down and fall once again while standing up. It was when they maneuvered to a space where the energy drink wasn’t spilt on that the action made Beomgyu’s whole body flush.
“Your clothes are soaked.”
Beomgyu laughed awkwardly while he turned towards Taehyun, his side of not wanting Taehyun to be faced with his soaked clothes overpowering his side of not wanting to make eye contact with him. “This happens more than you think so I have extra clothes in the back.”
Taehyun hummed again, a slight smile still on his attractive lips.
When the atmosphere threatened to turn awkward Beomgyu sputtered out, “Le—Let me get you another drink.”
Without waiting for Taehyun’s response he squeezed past Taehyun holding his breath while he did so and to the drinks aisle.
He closed his eyes for a moment when he got there, safe from Taehyun's eyes and chose not to revisit all that had happened in the past five minutes or else he would have had a mental breakdown then and there.
Beomgyu surveyed the drinks up and down, not really sure about the drink Taehyun picked earlier, ready to just randomly pick one. He froze when a hand reached past him to pick off the bottle right next to his shoulders, immediately turning around only to regret his decision when he comes face to face with Taehyun.
He hadn't had the chance to look at the other properly before, not that it mattered as Taehyun still looked breathtaking as ever with his hair a bit faded and in a faded white t-shirt and gym shorts. He's wearing silver piercings thought which makes Beomgyu's throat run dry as images flash by his head on how it would feel like to tug on it with his mouth and the pretty noises Taehyun would make—
Woah. Nope. Nuh-uh.
“Uh,” Beomgyu eloquently says, turning red once more. “Let me—let's go—I'll ring that up for you!”
He turns around to duck under Taehyun's arm but is stopped when he steps in front of him.
“Beomgyu-shi,” Taehyun drawls, his voice a tad bit lower. "Are you embarrassed?"
Beomgyu's laughs because he doesn't know what else to do. "Pft, embarrassed? Who me?”
Taehyun raises his eyebrows at him.
Beomgyu closes his eyes in a grimace and tries to calm his heart down with a deep breath in. “I just,” Beomgyu looks down at his feet because there is no way he can do this while looking at Taehyun. “I wanted to apologize for making you uncomfortable that day. I was really so out of it and I swear I don't go randomly proposing to every hot guy I see.”
“I wasn't uncomfortable.”
“Yeah, I'm sorry, I'll try my best to be out of your way from now—” he snaps his head up to Taehyun who's watching him with a sick little smirk on his face and his eyes alit with amusement. “You're not uncomfortable?”
“Not at all,” Taehyun removes his arm and takes a step back, probably noticing how Beomgyu was overheating. “Don't get me wrong it's not as if I'm not flattered when the prettiest guy I've ever seen proposes to me but I would at least like to get to know you a little better.”
It's safe to say Beomgyu stops functioning right then and there.
“Prettiest—Me? I— oh my god .”
Taehyun laughs again and oh all the bad luck Beomgyu had been through up until that point is all worth it. It's such a pretty laugh, almost a giggle. His cheeks curving up to let his cute little fangs show and his eyes in half crescents. It's so darn pretty and Beomgyu wants to scream.
He takes a step forward again making him take one back. “What I mean is, hyung, I would love to take you out on a date.”
“A date?” Beomgyu squeaks out, trying to become one with the shelf with how hard he was stepping back on it.
“Yes,” Taehyun nods adorably. “If you want to of course.”
“I literally proposed to you when I first saw you, of course I fucking want to."
Taehyun laughs again and Beomgyu wants to spend the rest of his life making him do that. "That's settled then. Maybe we can start by me walking you home after your shift?"
Beomgyu melts to the floor right then and there.
Yeonjun laughs for five minutes straight when Beomgyu recounts the story that night.