Aren't we all just people?

You’d complained at the idea after they sprung it on you, complaining that you were in no way dressed up enough for a first date.  Hoseok had blurted out that he’d never found you more beautiful than at that very moment, with dark circles reminiscent of a panda under your eyes, hair tied up in a messy bun with strands sticking out wherever they pleased, and uniform stained with a romesco sauce a toddler had thought funny to throw at you.  You’d gone silent after that, blushing, and Hoseok had been at a loss for words.  Again.

“So...Hoseokie,” you begin, trying to slow the rapid thumping of your heart, “how has dance practice been?  You’re still preparing for the showcase, right?”

Hoseok meets your gaze, fingers frozen on his earlobe, as his eyes begin to shine with a light that you find incredibly endearing, and he tells you all about how he had finally mastered a move that he’d been struggling with for weeks.

All the while, you listen to Hoseok, admiring the way all the tension seems to leave his shoulders, smiling and nodding as he prattles away.

“Maybe I could show it to you sometime?  If you’d like, of course, I’m not trying to pressure you into visiting me at the studio or anything--”

“Hobi, shut up, she wouldn’t have complained about not looking nice enough for your first date if she wasn’t interested in you.”  Seokjin’s voice carries across the restaurant as he comes back with your appetisers and drinks, expertly balancing them as he rolls his eyes.

You giggle at the blush that begins to creep across Hoseok’s beautifully sculpted cheekbones, making sure to hide your mouth behind your hand as you laugh.  “While Seokjin obviously needs work on his manners to dining guests, I’d be delighted to see your routine, Hobi.”

As you sat alone in the only diner this small town had to offer, you thought about your life last year and how different it had been. You had just completed grad school and had spent the first six months of your job learning, and more importantly, living in the big city. You missed the convenience of going to the seven eleven in the middle of the night to fulfill your kimbap cravings. You missed your friends who you could barely keep up with your busy schedule. You even missed clubbing, something you despised but had grown to love, if only because it let you rile up your boyfriend.

God, you missed your boyfriend. Missed waking up in his arms, and cuddling till your alarms screamed at you to get out of bed. Missed impromptu dates and sneaky PDAs. Nowadays, everything was planned, each moment alone, each phone call. It didn’t help that Hoseok had received a promotion to junior partner at his consulting firm at the same time as your relocation. He was busier than ever and even your video calls were getting shorter as time went on. 

You sighed as you poked at your half-eaten burger, a frown on your face. Deciding to break out your bottle of wine and spend the night binging the new drama on Netflix, you waved to the waitress to get the bill. The cheerful middle-aged woman reached your table with a grin, her strong accent adding an odd trill to her voice as she spoke.

“Don’t worry, hon. It’s all taken care of.”

“What do you mean my meal has already been paid for?” You had to work hard not to let your frown get deeper. You knew this was probably your fifth time in this restaurant this week, but you really didn’t need pity from strangers.

Laughing at your response, the woman picked up your plates, bending down to smile at your mischievously. “You should probably ask that handsome, young man there,” she said as she pointed behind you.

With alarm bells ringing in your head, you gingerly turned around, only to break into what could be most accurately described as a fit of laughter. Sat in the booth in the corner, was none other than Hoseok, dressed outrageously in a black turtleneck, skinny jeans, and a black trenchcoat. On his head, he had a black baseball cap, with sunglasses and a black mask adorning his features. If you didn’t know any better you would’ve guessed he was some sort of idol trying to hide from the paparazzi.

With a jump, you ran towards your boyfriend, who groaned as you all but hurled yourself into his arms. 

“What are you doing here?” You asked, removing his mask to see the face you had missed so much. His eyes crinkled as he smiled wide, his lips turning into a heart that made yours accelerate.

“I missed you, and I don’t have to work tomorrow so I thought I’d surprise you.” He chuckled as his grip tightened around your waist in response to your arms tightening around his shoulders. Your heart felt like it would just float out of your chest as you kissed him, enjoying the taste of him after being deprived for so long. He cupped your face as he deepened the kiss, a melodic giddy giggle escaping his lips and onto yours.

“I missed you so much, Hobi,” you whispered when you separated. You felt overwhelmed, the stress of the past week washing through you and presenting in the glassiness of your eyes.

“Aw baby, don’t cry,” Hoseok said softly as his thumb caressed your cheekbone, before leaning in to kiss your worries away again. He kissed you a few times, short forceful kisses in a fast staccato. You couldn’t help the little laugh that bubbled in your chest at his actions, and he smiled brightly, his eyes never leaving yours. “I’m here now and we have the whole weekend together,” he said in between kisses, before realizing the two of you were still in a very public diner and probably putting others off their meals.

Still, you couldn’t keep your hands off of each other as Hoseok continued his meal. His arm stayed around your shoulders as he finished his helping of clam chowder, and you nuzzled into his chest, inhaling the clean vanilla scent that never fails to calm you. 

“How was your day?” Hoseok asked as he rubbed little circles into your back, grinning at how you clung to him like a koala.

“So much better now,” you responded, learning up to peck his nose. 

You didn’t need the best job in the world, you didn’t even need to be in a big city, all you needed was to be in Hoseok’s arms to feel at home.

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