➼ han river

@♡﹕ lee minho. seungmin made a face as minho denied his offer, but he wasnt wrong, he asked first. so instead, the boy grunted and shrugged, then carried on their way. he didnt want it to end, but all good things had to. this time, it was just one date, they had plans for another, maybe even more. so he allowed this, the little walk back to his place, to be the end of this time. there was time for more.

thankfully, the walk wasnt too far, but really that's what made it so bittersweet. with minho's question, seungmin felt a cocky little smirk rise up on his lips, no matter how hard he try to suppress it. instead, he turned his attention to minho, scrunching his nose and giving a small shrug. "wouldn't you like to know? suppose we'll have to discuss more another time," there was a small scuff in his step as seungmin lifted a hand to point just ahead. "im right up there, lee minho. im afraid i cant spill all my knowledge in that amount of time."

@♡﹕ kim seungmin. it was like a game of freeze tag, minho's offer being the thing to unfreeze the two from their spots, with seungmin moving first. seungmin had taken minho up on his offer, and for that, minho almost thanked the younger. minho caught himself before he said such a funny thing, then caught up to seungmin (rather easily). "are you offering? how sweet," minho replied, tongue-in-cheek. "but too slow; i asked first," he added, because something told him that seungmin might have meant it.

and with the extension of their non-date, minho could pick up where their conversation had left off, let this moment with seungmin last a little longer, tease seungmin just that bit more. "so, what other knowledge about me do you have kept up there?"

@♡﹕ lee minho. seungmin took a moment, scrunching his nose as if in contemplation of the situation. on one hand, let lee minho read everything he had jotted down, initially as a joke but then in all seriousness? embarrassing, he'd be embarrassed, maybe to the point of no return. but then again, it was something to share. a little cute, even. "fine, for the sake of no misinformation, you can take a /peek/ into my notebook of minho knowledge," seungmin lifted a hand, gently tapping the side of his head. "i've got lots of knowledge up in here, anyway."

then came the goodbyes. a little nod, a quiet 'sure' when minho suggested they part ways, a smile on his own lips. except... neither of them moved. they both kind of just stood there, maybe a little awkwardly, but reluctant. or at least, seungmin was reluctant.

so he let out a sigh of relief (what he hoped to be a very quiet one) as minho offered to walk with him. with a tip of his head, seungmin lead the way, his stride slow to keep the moment dragging on a little longer. maybe, just maybe, he was selfish. "are you sure you dont want /me/ to walk /you/ home?"

@♡﹕ kim seungmin. “i think i'll have to proofread this notebook of yours once you're done,” minho said with a shake of his head, “to make sure there's no misinformation.” his gaze searched seungmin's face for any resistance to his proposition, but all he found was the pretty tint of pink covering seungmin’s cheeks, and in an instant, the same pink decorated minho's own. “no takebacks,” minho turned away to let out a small huff of laughter, as he slowly folded the picnic mat.

with all of their belongings now in his hands, minho rose to his full height again. "it's alright, i can manage." a pause. this was it, wasn't it? it was the end of this non-date; it was time to send seungmin off. until the next time. a soft exhale, before minho broke into a small smile. "i'll see you soon, kim seungmin."

but why wouldn't his feet move? fiddling with the empty cup in his hand, minho looked at seungmin. minho didn't have to send him off just yet; minho didn't want to. "how are you going home?" he asked. "i'll walk with you."

@♡﹕ lee minho. minho may have made an attempt to hide his smile, but seungmin saw it. he saw the way he bloomed under the idea of being happy with this... non-date. that pleased seungmin immensely, and not just because it was with him. no, minho had a beautiful smile, usually hidden behind sarcasm and banter, but when real and genuine joy took over, it was prettier than anything he'd ever seen. oh, he needed to curb those thoughts. seungmin was not going to be a silent hopeless romantic on their first date. non-date.

"excuse me, wasnt that the entire premise of this non-date? you were going to be manhandled," seungmin paused, as he had been beginning yo help clean up their mess, and now a -eating grin was blooming across his features. "and you liked it. lee minho enjoys being manhandled. that one's going in the book," with a nod, he sipped the remains of his own drink, turning his gaze to minho. he was willing his cheeks to stop burning: what if they turned pink, and gave away his excitement at minho's words? "in that case, i look forward to it. anything you want, my treat," and he meant it. all of it. but maybe he was just stalling the real end of this non-date of theirs. "do you want me to take the cup?"

@♡﹕ kim seungmin. the stars in seungmin’s eyes should have been enough for minho to infer an answer, but he wouldn’t let himself believe it too easily, not until seungmin said it with his two lips. and when seungmin did, minho’s heart might just have done a flip inside. seungmin had enjoyed this non-date. /a lot/. “that’s good,” minho said, the upturn of his lips something he couldn’t quite hide no matter how hard he tried to school his expression. before his smile could threaten to grow any wider, and before seungmin noticed, minho bent down to start cleaning up the area.

“for the record, i agreed to let you pick me up, /not/ to let you threaten to toss me into the river, kim seungmin,” minho retorted as he gathered his lunchbox and the takeaway box. he picked up the drink seungmin had bought for him, then, as if he had hoped to find courage at the bottom of the cup, he drank the last of the drink. perhaps minho did find it, or perhaps he knew he’d regret it if he never said what he wanted to say. “you’ll just have to make it up to me next time we meet,” minho finally got out as he turned to look at seungmin, empty cup in hand, sweet taste lingering in his mouth. it must’ve been the honey in the drink.

@♡﹕ lee minho. seungmin stood very, very still when minho's fingers came up to brush through his hair. it wasnt a bad thing, no, not in the slightest, but part of him feared that if he moved, if he reacted, it would stop. so instead, it was just the big puppy dog eyes watching minho's expression, a silent thanks for his actions. "oh please, you'll need to do more to prove it to me," the temptation to ruffle up his hair again, ask for minho to fix it again, was strong, but luckily he held out a bit longer.

unfortunately, seungmin was very good at goodbyes, and not so used to the idea of 'see you later', and yet there he was, contemplating how to make sure this non-date would end in a 'see you later' rather than the 'goodbye' he began to detest. but minho confessed to enjoying their time together. seungmin perked up at that, eyes bright and a smile etching its way onto his face, and then he nodded, hair flopping a little like puppy ears on his head. "i did, a lot. im glad we did this," he went the extra step, confessing a little more than maybe what was needed. "so... thank you, for letting me pick you up and threaten to toss you into the han river, lee minho."

@♡﹕ kim seungmin. minho couldn’t tell if it was as an apology or for his own personal motive that he reached out to adjust seungmin’s hair. hell, he had barely realised what he was doing until his fingers started carding through the fluffy locks. it must have been those puppy eyes. “i’ve unhanded you; is that not enough for you to believe in the good of the world again?” minho scoffed, only removing his hand when seungmin’s hair was all neat and tidy once more. maybe minho was a cat. he could give affection, a few and a headbutt, but he’d have to include a little nip in between.

seungmin’s question felt so genuine that it almost caught minho off guard, making him falter for a moment. “yeah,” he replied, right after. his lips curled into a small smile. “i did.” minho hadn’t even realised how quickly time had passed, until seungmin’s question signalled that they were approaching the end of this non-date. still, minho made no attempt to reach out for the emptied food boxes or the picnic mat, instead choosing to stand before seungmin. “you?” minho asked gently, wanting to hear seungmin’s answer as much as seungmin did his. and maybe, hoping seungmin’s answer was the same.

@♡﹕ lee minho. there was something about hearing a very contented giggle leave minho's lips that left seungmin feeling glad that he let the other win. eh, a loss for him in terms of being yoinked off his feet, but a win for him in general: minho was happy. and minho being happy meant their first official non-date was a good one. even if seungmin was slung over the older's shoulders and paraded around leisurely, seungmin counted it successful.

seungmin let out a whine to play his part as an unwilling victim, a pout on his lips despite minho clearly catching on that he was playing around. maybe seungmin was a dog. he was content to be picked up and handled like a sack of rice, glad to have any attention on him from the person he wanted it from the most. "you have no proof of such things," he started, giving minho's shirt a tug with his tone flat. "unhand me you fiend."

and yet he was a bit sad when his feet were on the mat again, his back straight, no longer just slung over minho's back. he dusted himself off for show, a sigh coupled with his actions, and shook his head. "what a cruel, cruel, world..." seungmin reached up to fix his hair, though his pouty eyes ended up falling on minho's face once more, eagerness in his gaze as he voiced his question, one that had been weighing on him before they even met up. "did you have a good time?"

@♡﹕ kim seungmin. "mhm," minho answered, a giggle leaving his smiling lips. "very proud." however, that was all the teasing he'd allow himself to indulge in (though the noise that seungmin had made was begging to be mimicked). seungmin had let him win; the stark contrast in their responses was enough to tell him that. aside from the initial surprise, seungmin still kept his cool, a far cry from the mess minho had been. but if seungmin had so generously given him this win, minho would take it.

as if to parade the boy over his shoulders, minho began his leisurely steps towards their picnic mat, chest puffed out. "you challenged me with full knowledge of that, so really, this is on you," minho said with a roll of his eyes, though he sneaked a sideways glance right after. with that confirmation that seungmin was alright, even looking a little comfortable there, minho returned to looking straight ahead, the smile on his face a bit wider. "i'm starting to think this was what you wanted."

minho's footsteps slowed as they reached their mat, and he let seungmin down, gently lowering his feet onto the picnic mat before letting him go. "okay, ride's over," he declared with a huff, subtly catching his breath.

@♡﹕ lee minho. seungmin saw a plethora of emotions scatter across minho's face in the few seconds he had to admire the man he had just lifted and carried. it wasnt an easy feat (maybe seungmin skipped arm /and/ leg day at the gym too often) but it was fun. the beaming smile on his face was a proud announcer of that fact. it was a little funny to see how minho could lose his cool and calm composure so quickly when, quite literally, swept off his feet.

but seungmin only had those few seconds to process everything. in fact, he was in mid laugh, head ready to back in his glee, when suddenly he was the one being hoisted up. the noise that left him was enough to over, and if not that, then how quickly one of his hands shot to hold onto minho's clothes. his grip was tight, and the world spun for a second before he turned his head to look at the man oh-so-pleased to have his revenge.

"are you proud of yourself?" seungmin was limp, not enough to be dead weight but clearly putting on a show of being unimpressed, even if his death grip on minho's shirt said something else. in his position, his hair flopped over his face, and blowing at the strands did nothing to help it get out of his vision, so he had to hold it back and out of his face with his own hand. "non-date turned wrestling match... except you've got /way/ more muscle than me. you win, lee minho, i surrender," and with that, seungmin slumped in minho's hold, draped over his shoulders and sighing (playfully) in defeat.

@♡﹕ kim seungmin. seungmin was laughing. minho was fighting for his life, yet seungmin was laughing. seungmin was a maniac, minho was sure of it. this mania must have been contagious, because even in the hands of his captor, minho found that damn laugh endearing. only in the slightest, of course. “kim seungmin,” minho repeated, exasperated. and as if he had said a magic word, minho found himself gently lowered to the ground.

the moment his feet touched the ground, minho instantly came back to his senses. if minho knew seungmin as well as he thought he did, seungmin wouldn’t have dropped him into the water. embarrassment finally caught up to minho, face burning up, especially when he knew seungmin, with his hands on minho’s waist, was looking right at it. minho /had/ to do something about it, and fast.

“is that how you want to spend your last five seconds?” minho asked. without waiting for an answer, his arm had snuck between seungmin’s legs, around a thigh, and just like that, he had easily hoisted seungmin up in a fireman’s carry. now it was minho’s turn to wear a eating grin, blush slowly fading away now that it was out of seungmin’s sight. “ah,” minho smacked his lips in satisfaction. “revenge is sweet.”

@♡﹕ lee minho. the fact that minho wasn't arguing with him meant that seungmin was winning, one way or another. maybe not conventionally, or in a way minho would have agreed to later on, but he was a winner. he'd likely get his whopped later, but that was a price he was willing to pay. his grip on minho tightened as he hoisted the boy a little.

an absolute eating grin was decorating his features by the time he started walking toward the river. sure, he had no intention of actually tossing his elder into the water, but oh was it fun to see, and feel, the way he squirmed upon realization. a bright laugh started up in the bottom of his throat, bubbling up while minho flailed around. seungmin tightened his hold again, making sure that minho wouldn't magically fall out of his hands and actually tumble into the water.

"so do you want to be put down, or not? you're giving me mixed signals, lee minho," seungmin cooed the words between bubbles of laughter. but with a little grunt, and a roll of his eyes, seungmin sighed and slowly lowered minho to the ground. grumbling something about minho fighting, the younger's hands sat on the other's waist. a little squeeze, a little wiggle. he tilted his head, holding minho still. "are you done, or am i about to die?"

@♡﹕ kim seungmin. seungmin was the worst kind of smart: a smartass. minho knew how to pick his battles, and debating with a smartass with big, brown eyes (though currently out of sight) would not be one of them. no, he would play the waiting game. although seungmin was strong, minho would give him that, he wasn't stronger than minho's resolve.

however, minho had placed his bets under the assumption of ceteris paribus, and seungmin, being the smartass he was, had to change up the rules, again. seungmin's first step hadn't rung any alarms. in fact, it had given minho some assurance, having mistaken the movement to be seungmin adjusting to accommodate his weight. but the younger took a second step, and then a third, and minho realised seungmin wasn't making readjustments. turning his head, looking past seungmin's body, minho realised the punk was making a beeline for the river.

"you did not!" minho hissed. how true that was, he couldn't recall, but absolute truth wasn't of importance at that moment, self-preservation was. watching the water approach like a death sentence, minho's once lifeless body began to flail in seungmin's hold. "kim seungmin, let me down right now!" fuelled by desperation, evident in his tone, minho began to spout empty threats. "or don't, because once you do, you'll only have five ing seconds left to live, do you hear me?"

@♡﹕ lee minho. "did we actually have rules set in place? or did you just agree to being tossed over my shoulder. you know, technically, being hoisted over my shoulder is a form of being picked up, and since i just... picked you up... i didnt really break any 'rules' of yours," seungmin was rambling a bit, sure, but it was all very matter-of-fact and he was very pleased with his reasoning. he could be a smartass when he wanted to, and at the expense of minho... yes, yes he did want to.

but yet again minho was surprised when seungmin lifted him back up, this time in the position he had originally expected. his knee wasnt bothering him too bad -- perhaps he had been worried about it -- and so he really, really wasnt all that put off by picking minho up in the first place. except... now, minho was most definitely exhibiting cat-like tendencies.

a quiet 'oof' left him when minho went slack in his arms, weighing a little heavier in his hold if only because of his deadweight. his hands shifted, trying to get a better hold on his elder, groaning with a roll of his eyes. "guess we'll just stay here..." seungmin started, but then he glanced over toward the river. with a small smirk, he took the first step, tentative, testing. then another, and then more as he lead them over toward the water. no, he wouldnt /really/ throw minho into the river... but it might be fun to see his reaction, watch him worry it would really happen. "if we wanna talk rules, i /did/ say i'd throw you into the river... no?"

@♡﹕ kim seungmin. minho actually let out a scoff this time, though it was once again interrupted as soon as he felt his body sway. the sheer audacity! "'technically'?" he sputtered, whipping his head back to the perpetrator of it all, though he did pull himself closer to seungmin's body. for survival, of course. "this is completely breaking the rules." just when minho had settled into the position, he felt seungmin lower his legs, signalling minho's approaching freedom. that was more like it, minho thought as his feet touched the ground, albeit amidst other thoughts about the time in seungmin's arms having been a little... short.

the regret of ever having such a thought kicked in immediately, hand in hand with the not-too-unfamiliar sensation of being lifted. this time, it took minho only one second to go through the surprise, the disbelief, and the initial resistance, before he gave in. minho had completely and utterly lost. he had been proven wrong, he was now helpless in seungmin's hold, /and/ he could hear that trumphiant giggle from behind him, leaving him to picture the smirk that was undoubtedly on seungmin's face.

oh, he could hear that stupid smirk in seungmin's taunting. but minho would not give him that satisfaction. "fat chance," he said flatly. "i'm going to stay here, and watch how long it takes before you collapse." to prove his resolve, minho let his body hang limply off of seungmin's shoulder, smacking his lips twice. he would not lose any more than he already had.

@♡﹕ lee minho. seungmin laughed, a very open sound that echoed in the moment while he kept minho hoisted in his arms. he was very proud of himself, seeing and hearing how shocked the older boy was at such an action. it made his laughter subside into giggles, especially as minho was grappling for something to hold onto (which happened to be his neck). his arms gave the other boy a squeeze.

"yes, lee minho, i know i technically didnt follow the rules," seungmin mused, swaying a little on his feet as if to tease the other. he liked the surprise that came from minho, it made him smile. he liked the sounds, and definitely liked the way he was being held onto. not that he'd admit it, not yet, at least. "but i think this was a better route anyway.

for a brief moment, it seemed like seungmin would actually just put minho down. he lowered the other's legs first, slowly slid his arm down to support him to stand again. but another swift motion, aided with him catching minho by surprise, had him quite literally lifting minho back up. this time, he /did/ hoist him over his shoulder, one arm wrapped just behind minho's knees and the other hand clamped on one of minho's calves. he was giggling again, adjusting how he was standing, squeezing gently at minho's leg. "say the magic word and i'll put you back down."

@♡﹕ kim seungmin. minho waited with his eyes closed. yet, there was no movement from seungmin. perhaps seungmin had back-pedaled, though it just didn't seem... very 'seungmin' to do so. anyway, it wasn't like minho /needed/ seungmin to manhandle him. minho opened his mouth, ready to tease seungmin with something along the lines of 'chickening out' and 'knowing your place'. but he didn't say it, not because he wanted to spare seungmin. no, because in an instant, his feet were off the ground and he let out an embarrassing yelp instead.

hands scrambling for purchase, minho opened his eyes, only to see seungmin's face. and on it, a -eating grin. minho wasn't even given the time to scoff, another yelp leaving him as seungmin adjust his hold. "kim seungmin," minho said, his panic subsiding slowly and incredulity increasing exponentially. "this... is definitely not tossing me over your shoulder." with a sigh, minho resigned to his fate: seungmin was carrying him, bridal style, firm arms supporting the whole of minho's weight. still, like his life depended on it, minho's arms clung tightly around seungmin's neck.

"you aren't getting a point for this, by the way," minho huffed, turning his reddening face away from seungmin. in a smaller voice, he said, "you can put me down now. can't have you hurting your knee, or something."

@♡﹕ lee minho. seungmin was rather pleased with himself, knowing he didnt have to argue with anything or try to get his point across. he was right, at least in some respect, which was good enough for him. standing up with minho's help (and a quiet thanks murmured as well), seungmin snorted softly at the way he was all reluctant, raising a brow at the show being put on. he didn't let go of minho's wrist yet, though. he actually quite liked the warmth of his thumb on the other's pulse.

while rolling his eyes, seungmin took the second to squeeze minho's wrist, letting go as the other made the move. right. this entire non-date was to toss minho over his shoulder. that was the reason. seungmin, perhaps, was a bit distracted from the main goal, especially once minho was so close. the older boy was pretty, even prettier up close like that, his eyes scanning the features of the face before him in the safety of closed eyes and relaxed vulnerability.

tossing. right. with a scoff to pull him out of his thoughts, seungmin acted without thinking too much further about it all. he bent down, one arm slipping down behind minho's knees while the other came up to his shoulders to support the sudden movement. one sweeping motion had minho off his feet, seungmin regained his momentum and pulled minho up, cradling him in his arms. "not so much over the shoulder, but--" he hoisted minho up again, grinning proudly in his stance. he still had some sort of strength in him. "sweeping you off your feet."

@♡﹕ kim seungmin. minho was thankful that he had already swallowed that mouthful of coffee, or he might have just spit it out at seungmin's postulation. whether it was because it was too far-fetched, or because it hit too close to bullseye, minho would worry about that later. schooling his expression, he focused on the second reason instead. "hm, fair point," minho said. "you do seem like an upright citizen. i'll trust you, for now."

lending his wrist for support, minho waited for seungmin to get up completely before sluggishly rising to his feet, making a show of his supposed reluctance, as if he wasn't the one who had provoked seungmin first. "let me thank the weather then," minho said in amusement, leaving his wrist in seungmin's hold and using his other had to dust himself off instead. but minho did thank the weather in his heart, for saving him from having to admit he could /not/ swim. he could inform seungmin of that tiny little detail another time.

"no, i was confident in you trying," minho explained, keeping his face neutral in response to the smallest of smirks on seungmin's face. "i have no doubts about your willingness, but i can't say the same about your ability." taking a step to close the already narrow distance, minho spread his arms slightly away from his body and closed his eyes, fully surrendering his body to seungmin. with an air of relaxed confidence, he taunted, "come at me."

@♡﹕ lee minho. lifting his drink, seungmin sat in silence as he waited, listened. he nodded in thought, pleased with the answer as well. he took his time sipping, blinking a few times before swallowing his mouthful of drink, turning his attention up to minho once more. "one, i think you like me too much to turn away too soon," he started, gesturing to minho with his drink before setting it down in favor of another piece of chicken. "two... i dont like lying. pulling your leg, teasing, maybe, but i wouldnt lie to you, let alone enough times to make you leave."

honesty, and this much of it all in one go, almost made seungmin feel vulnerable, and yet it wasnt the uncomfortable kind. a whole new venture for him, and he didnt mind it. he snorted at the single response he got, rolling his eyes as a laugh bubbled up. "you have such little faith in me! its almost like you're /asking/ me to pick you up and toss you, right now," once again, seungmin's foot shifted, his shoe lightly bumping minho's once more. it was affectionate, his own response to the thanks.

minho's next dramatics had him sighing, finishing off his piece of chicken and wiping his fingers clean, making a point to drop the items once he was finished. dusting his hands off on his pants, seungmin pushed himself up, catching minho's wrist as he was getting up, tugging on it as well. "come on then. if it were hotter outside you'd be tossed /into/ the river itself, just for your stubbornness." pulling minho to his feet, seungmin tugged the boy closer, a small smirk ticking up the corner of his lips. "did you think i wouldnt actually try?"

@♡﹕ kim seungmin. seungmin's reply was no answer to feed minho's curiosity and was instead another question. it seemed like it would only be fair to exchange a piece of his honesty for a piece of seungmin's, so minho took a sip of his drink as he thought. "depends on how far down the line we get," minho decided on his answer, after pulling the straw away from his lips. "it's not like the townspeople turned away the first or second time."

minho set his cup down on the picnic mat again. he'd be getting a different one the next time, and it would be seungmin's usual. minho looked forward to tasting it already. it was funny, how looking forward to things seemed to be a recurring detail with all things to do with seungmin. an interesting commonality, probably by coincidence. "i've been looking forward to seeing the look on your face when you fail, kim seungmin." the usual cheekiness had found minho again, but it couldn't hold up for long in the face of seungmin's sincerity. "and it's nothing much," minho replied. "but thank you, too."

discarding the remaining chicken bone from his hand into a napkin, in a louder voice, minho continued, "whenever you're ready. it's not like i'm actually getting tossed."

@♡﹕ lee minho. oh, did minho like to ask questions. and good ones, at that. seungmin wanted to eat his words, where did he get the confidence from, truly? what /made/ him think something like that? he had an idea, a theory, but to throw it out so suddenly, so soon, felt like walking into a trap he set himself. so instead, he tossed another bone. maybe he was like the dog minho compared him to, once before. "well, first thing's first: would you, turn away from me? honest answer."

seungmin was gagged by minho's response, honestly. he had confessed something that felt almost... embarrassing to him, and yet minho wasn't really all that bothered by it. good. rather than say anything more about it, though, seungmin just cleared his throat, took another sip, and mumbled; "i think i'll get my usual next time."

next time. next time, next time. the words bounced around in his head, he liked the sound of next time. they had planned 'next time' before 'first meeting' had even happened. he liked it. a lot. which made it a little more scary, too. hiding his smile (which seemed to grow despite seungmin's best efforts) behind a piece of chicken, he finally turned his gaze to the older, even if the other wasnt looking at him anymore. "i have been /so/ looking forward to tossing you over my shoulder, lee minho. just you wait, once this food has settled..." seungmin trailed off, shaking his head a little, dipping it to laugh softly. "thank you, for coming to this han river non-date with me."

@♡﹕ kim seungmin. there was a certain confidence in seungmin's assumption, greater than the faith minho had in himself in following the plot of the age-old story. wondering where seungmin's confidence came from, minho asked, "and what makes you think that?"

minho waited expectantly, though he wasn't sure what to expect. a truth, a lie or something in between? minho wouldn't have blamed him for choosing something less than honest, he'd just tease the younger about something else. but it seemed that seungmin had chosen to say the truth. "changing up your drink often is as interesting as sticking to your favourite drink. both can say something about you," minho replied simply. "so just do you. i'll decide whether something's boring by myself."

again, seungmin's answer was a surprise. minho eyes widened in the slightest, his chewing of the chicken becoming slower and much more deliberate. whether seungmin was being honest or just playing along, minho couldn't be sure. not until he noticed a smile, more obvious than the earlier glimmers, and so much cuter. and curses, because if seungmin was just kidding, minho could've just kept it up too. but now, he could only let out a soft laugh, blinking at his iced drink. "you... must really have been looking forward to tossing me over your shoulder."

@♡﹕ lee minho. "you're suggesting you'd be like the townspeople and eventually turn away from me," seungmin hummed in thought, recalling the story. he shrugged, giving his leg a little wiggle, and it made the toe of his shoe gently bump minho's. "nice try, buddy."

then he was more direct. seungmin couldnt skirt around the reasoning behind his choices, not when minho was direct. stubborn. fitting, but a nuisance. "getting the same drink over and over again makes me feel, seem, like im boring," he paused, taking another sip of the drink he got this time, noting that it was good but not his usual, his favorite. then he confessed quietly. "i dont want to seem boring to you."

seungmin busied himself with eating, after setting down his drink, promptly avoiding any sort of eye contact with the older. humming at the first question, he attempted to get away with a nod, but he was soon followed up. he didnt mind being cornered, it really just meant minho cared a lot more than he let on. lifting a napkin to dab at his lips, he murmured behind it. "but it is because im meeting you, lee minho. an iced drink for the first time i got to meet you in person..." this time, when he smiled, he was a little more open about it, even if he still didnt look directly at the other. "it seemed fitting."

@♡﹕ kim seungmin. despite his suspicions, minho still eyed seungmin's leg. finding no signs of pain, and with seungmin's snort as further confirmation, minho tutted. "you read to children. you know what happens to the boy who cried wolf."

minho hummed, taking in the information and making sure to store it safely in his brain, shelved behind some file about dirty chai lattes. with seungmin choosing not to comment on the choice of getting a new drink despite minho throwing out the bait, minho decided a change in approach was necessary. "so why'd you get it?" he asked, straight to the point.

looking up, minho noticed that hidden behind the chicken thigh, was a small smile on seungmin's face. minho suspected another reason for the smile, but he wouldn't assume just yet. "any specific reason? you like chicken a lot or something?" he asked with a snicker as he took a piece for himself. not wanting to seem like he was fishing for a certain answer, minho made it known the only way he knew how to: with sarcasm. "and don't say it's because you're meeting me. i already know that."

@♡﹕ lee minho. "what if i said my knee suddenly cramped and i needed help?" seungmin pouted a little, a feigned expression dancing across his features before it was followed by a short little snort. his knee was fine, but it didnt hurt to tease a little. besides, it was all tossed aside at the sight of the chicken. what a man lee minho was, bringing his favorite food for their non-date. he really did deserve all good things.

he was distracted for a moment, straw resting on his lips as he watched minho take a sip of his drink. he waited for the verdict, nodding once as he glanced away. he wouldnt admit that he wanted to make sure he didnt seem boring for choosing the same drink over and over again. he wouldnt admit trying something new was to impress. "mm, its a honey-based drink instead of regular sweetener. with almond milk," seungmin paused, then took another sip before glancing over to minho again. the question had him fighting back a smile, one he combatted with picking up a piece of chicken to begin nibbling at. "yeah, its a pretty good day. dont make me eat this by myself."

@♡﹕ kim seungmin. seungmin's grunt received a quirk of minho's eyebrow, as well as an upward quirk of his lips, though he kept the latter to himself. "needed me to you to your seat? or did you want a welcome?" minho teased, while his hands busied themselves with helping seungmin arrange the items before the two of them. with how close the two of them were on minho's very modest mat, seungmin's whisper hadn't gone unnoticed. and minho was thankful for that, because when he glanced up at the sound, on seungmin's face was visible joy. a rather pretty look on him, minho thought, for just a moment.

after letting go of seungmin's cup, minho brought the one remaining in his left hand to his face again, then finally, the straw to his lips. "pass. it's sweet enough," minho gave his verdict with an approving nod. "i'm surprised you decided to choose something new. what is it?" he took a peek at seungmin's drink, comparing its contents with his own. after a brief moment of contemplation, he carefully threw out his conjecture. "and it's iced. does that mean it's a good day?"

@♡﹕ huh yunjin. the smirk on his features gave away the fact that he's enjoying this moment a little too much, but as soon as they step further into the park, it fades slightly. in a swift movement, mingi stops right in front of yunjin and slightly waves in front of her the smallest basket. "you can carry this one, if you'd like. but also from now on you'll have to close your eyes until we make it to our spot, is it okay? i'll lead the way though, will hold your hand and be right in front of you."

@♡﹕ lee minho. seungmin was, in all ways, horribly stubborn. once he had his mind set on something, then he was going to do it. and so nabbing the mat from minho was something he was very, very proud of. perhaps he was a bit of a puppy, eager to please, eager to do something to help. curse his eagerness.

with a grunt, maybe a bit dramatized for show, seungmin slumped onto the mat with minho, careful not to disturb any of their objects. he didnt say anything for a moment, simply taking the food and setting it neatly between them, taking his time to delicately unwrap their meal. he very clearly perked up when he noticed what it was, even whispering an excited 'chicken' under his breath. but his gaze snapped back up to minho, drawn to the sound of his voice easily.

"one on the right is mine, left is yours," he said after taking a quick second to look over the drinks, leaning over to carefully take said drink. with a scrunch of his nose, seungmin gestured to the drink with a small tip of his head. "tell me what you think. i got something new, hopefully its not too... sweet," seungmin paused, making a face at the drink, but then he shrugged. "not the worst i've had. does the pre-tossing drink pass?"