red

The stadium is sweltering hot, the crowd is screeching between innings, and if one more guy spills beer on you, you might actually lose it. You usually love baseball games, and have so much fun shouting for your favorite team and eyeballing the hot players in their tight pants. Usually.

Maybe you just haven’t had enough to drink. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be having fun with your friends, leaning into them and whispering about the game, or more commonly, the players you have a massive crush on.

Or maybe you’re sitting there thinking about your date from last night, the guy who talked way too much and didn’t ask a single question about you. You didn’t even want to go, he was a friend of a friend, and you owed her a favor, and he was kind of cute, so you figured, why not? Big mistake.

You haven’t sworn off dating, but your recent string of bad dates has become particularly exhausting. You love your friends, but there’s a part of you that wants to go to these games with somebody else. A partner. Preferably in a romantic capacity. 

There’s a group of guys on the right of you, and Mina keeps leaning forward, trying to make jokes with them. They laugh and joke back, and you try your best to laugh and play along. You catch a few of their faces when you glance over, and Jesus fuck, they’re all good-looking.

Your friends are on the other side of you, definitely drunk, and having the time of their lives. You resort to actually watching the game, trying to focus on something to drown out the chaos around you. A batter on the other team strikes out, so terribly that you almost feel bad for them.

“Ouch…that’s embarrassing," you mutter under your breath.

“It’s one strikeout,” a voice from next to you says, almost annoyed. “There’s plenty of game left to play.”

You whip your head to see the man sitting next to you, smirking as he sips his beer. There’s a Giants hat on his head, which makes you laugh. They’re losing pretty badly right now.

“Giants fan?” you ask, as if it isn’t obvious.

“I take it you’re not,” he observes.

“I don’t really have a favorite,” you say honestly. “But there’s at least 5 more teams I’d pick before the Giants.”

He scoffs at that, but you catch a faint hint of a smile as he turns back to watch the game. He’s really, really handsome. You turn to your friends to hide your smile as you sip your drink. 

You make snide comments as the game goes on, and he dishes them right back at you. One of the players on your team drops a ball, and you let out a groan.

“That’s your guy?” the man whispers next to you. 

“Hush,” you say back, because it’s the only thing you can think of without making prolonged eye contact and stuttering over your words. You try to hide your smirk but can’t deny the flirty edge that the conversation has. 

You’re only half listening to Sana drone on about how she hates her new boss when the giant screen above you flashes pink. Bold words appear on screen.

KISS CAM.

The camera bounces around from couple to couple, a series of cheers echoing throughout the crowd. Sometimes it’s cute, like when the people on screen are obviously dating, but half the time it looks so awkward when random strangers pucker up just because of a little attention from the camera.

It takes a second to register when your face pops up on the screen.

Your face. And the man next to you. The man you met today, the man whose name you don’t even know.

“Do it!” you hear your friends laughing beside you, egging you on.

You turn and see his friends doing the same, patting him on the back and hollering at him. You make eye contact with him and can’t help but laugh. 

You give him a shrug. “Why not?” you say. It’s harmless. Plus, he’s stupid hot, and you’d be dumb to turn down a kiss from a hot stranger, even if it is in front of thousands of people.

“Ah, what the hell.” He sighs, smiling, and leans forward.

Your lips connect, and you hear the crowd erupt around you. You feel the sound vibrate through your seat more than you can hear it. His lips are so warm and soft, and everything fades away for a moment. It’s tender, surprisingly so. 

You break the kiss first after a few seconds. Four seconds? Or ten? You lost count, honestly. You pull back in time to see his eyes flutter open. He smiles at you, warm and genuine. God, he is really handsome.

The crackle of the announcer over the loudspeakers catches your attention, and you remember where you are all at once. You feel your chest tighten, suddenly very aware of what had just transpired.

“I’m Seungmin,” he says, and you snap out of the panic you were about to enter. 

You introduce yourself. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“That’s one hell of an icebreaker,” he jokes. You both laugh, turning your eyes towards the field before the embarrassment sets in again.

You find it increasingly hard to keep your eyes off Seungmin as the game continues. He bumps your elbow every time he leaps out of his seat to cheer on his team, and you have to pretend you don’t notice. You smell his cologne when he leans in too close to make a snide comment, and you have to roll your eyes to avoid making eye contact with him. Trying to act cool, like he doesn’t do anything to you, is pure torture.

The game ends 6-5. You didn’t pay too much attention to the score, just enough to tease Seungmin when the Giants slipped behind. It didn’t matter though, they ended up pulling through and winning tonight.

“I never doubted them for a second,” he says smugly.

“You probably should have,” you say back, laughing.

Your friends get up to leave, and you turn to follow them, collecting your empty drink cup as you walk out. Just then, you feel a tug on your wrist.

“Wait! Uh…can I get your number?” Seungmin asks, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Your eyes light up as you look back at him and nod. The two of you exchange numbers, ignoring the way both of your friend groups snicker and tease behind you, before going your separate ways. 

The whole walk back to the train, your friends talk about the day, their plans, and their lives, but you’re not really listening. It’s hard to when your mind is full of the handsome stranger you’d just met minutes ago. And you especially can’t stop thinking about the kiss.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Mina says, nudging your shoulder. 

You shrug your shoulders and turn to stare out the window. “Just tired. We had a long day.”

She doesn’t buy it, leaning closer into your space to get a better look at your face.

“Are you thinking about the Giants guy?” she says, definitely teasing you. You shoot her a glare and roll your eyes, but you feel your face grow warm and hope it doesn’t show.

You get home, you shower, eat some leftover pasta that’s been marinating in your fridge, and collapse into bed. By this point, you’ve mostly convinced yourself that today was a one-off. A funny story to bring up at dinner. “Remember that one time…” your friends will say. That’s just what happens. You meet someone fun at an event, and then life takes over.

But as soon as your head hits the pillow, your phone buzzes on the nightstand.

Unknown: giants won btw. in case you needed a reminder.

You roll your eyes before saving the contact and typing a reply, smiling to yourself like an idiot.

You: a whole text JUST to brag? Seungmin: just making sure you knew Y: I was THERE S: yeah but did you watch or were you distracted Y: no idea what you’re talking about S: mhm… Y: congrats on the win, don’t let it get to your head!

You find yourself checking your phone more than you’d like to admit over the next few days. Your heart skips a beat every time you get a notification on your phone. Sometimes, he says good morning and asks about your day. Sometimes he just sends a dumb meme with absolutely no context. Or provides commentary for whatever game is on that night. 

Today’s message from him starts differently than usual.

Seungmin: hypothetically You: hypothetically… S: if I needed a date for a wedding Y: okay… S: would you go with me? Y: what’s in it for me? S: you get to feel REALLY GOOD about yourself for doing a favor for little old me S: and a free trip to Jeju…

Your eyes go wide at that.

Y: it’s in JEJU!? S: yeah my cousin’s loaded or something Y: hypothetically it would be a yes S: okay great! S: another hypothetical… Y: mhm S: ….i told my mom i was bringing my girlfriend? Y: you have a girlfriend? S: NO no no i don’t have a girlfriend, that’s the problem Y: i see… S: so uh would you also hypothetically pretend to be my girlfriend? Y: you can’t tell your mom you were lying? S: it’s…complicated. i’d rather not be lectured or have her try and set me up with all of the bridesmaids

You’d also prefer that, but you don’t mention it.

Y: hmm…hypothetically one weekend wouldn’t kill me S: oh my god you’re a lifesaver Y: hypothetically? S: super not hypothetically. very realistically actually Y: okay fine. when is it? S: next weekend Y: you’re good at planning things S: please? Y: if i say yes too fast does it make me look like a loser for not having any plans already S: if you say yes too fast it makes you look like an absolute saint for saving my ass Y: would you look at that! i’m free

You close your eyes, excited for the upcoming weekend. But not too excited. That would be too obvious.

The airport is crowded and much too noisy for this early in the morning. Seungmin finds you easily, waving you down by the check-in counters. He’s taller than you remembered, cleaned up nicely, but definitely sleepy.

“Hi, stranger,” you say as you walk up to him. He greets you with a sleepy smile, and you notice how cute he looks bundled up in a hoodie and his tousled hair.

“Ready to lie to my whole family?” he says, laughing, like he can’t believe he’s about to do exactly that.

To be honest, you’re not sure. You hardly know this man, but if there’s a chance you continue seeing him, the last thing you want to do is put on a false persona or lie about your guys’ history.

By the time you settled into your seats, Seungmin insisted on getting the window seat, and you had a couple of hours to get your story straight.

“How long have we been dating?” you ask as the plane steadies after takeoff. 

“Sorry?”

“In your hypothetical world that you told your family about. How long have we been together? Where did we meet? We need to get our story straight!”

“Ahh okay. So, we’ve been together four months.”

“Specific, believable, I like it. How did we meet?”

“The truth. Baseball game kiss cam. I literally couldn’t make it up if I tried,” he laughs.

“Okay, fair.”

You talk about his family and what to expect for the rest of the flight. Every family has its drama, quirky relatives, and secrets. The flight wasn’t long enough to cover everything, but you feel confident you know who to avoid and who’s safe to talk to.

The plane lands, and you find yourself hoping they like you. Hoping that after all this, Seungmin still likes you too.

The hotel is massive, spewing bright neutral colors and modern accents. You’re still marveling at the lobby, looking at the ginormous chandelier above you, when Seungmin waves a keycard in front of your face.

“C’mon, I want to shower before dinner.”

And the room is just as nice as the lobby. It’s large, with a balcony facing the ocean attached. You’re high up enough where the noise from the street won’t bother you when you try to sleep, which you’re grateful for. The giant king bed sits in the center, surrounded by beautiful artwork.

Giant king bed.

One bed. Singular.

You set your stuff down, frowning at the arrangement. “It’s a little soon to share a bed, don’t you think?” You try to come off as playful, but your heart is beating faster at the thought of sleeping next to a man you hardly know.

“I know, I’m sorry. I should’ve mentioned that.” His apology is sincere, and you can tell this weekend is already stressing him out.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, I’m just joking. I guess they wouldn’t really have believed us if you asked for separate rooms anyway, right?”

He relaxes his shoulders at your comment, nodding in agreement and putting down his stuff. He disappears into the bathroom, and you take the time to flop down onto the bed.

Everything’s going to be fine. People share beds all the time. Sana has slept in your bed more times than you can count after a night out, and you’re perfectly fine with her crowding your space or snoring in your ear.

You’re still thinking about a thousand different ways this weekend could go wrong when Seungmin comes out of the bathroom, showered and dressed. 

“We have a couple of hours to kill. Wanna go for a walk?”

And so you slip your shoes back on and head back down to the lobby.

The fresh air feels nice and warm with a hint of sea salt. The two of you make your way down to the beach and start to walk along the shoreline. Seungmin kicks off his shoes and rolls up his pantlegs before heading closer to the water.

You follow suit, slipping off your sandals and skipping towards the water. You flick a bit of water up with your toes, and it lands on him.

“Hey!” he shouts, laughing, flicking it back at you. You squeal and run, holding your pants up to keep from dragging them through the water.

The wet sand sticks to your feet as you pretend to run, only getting a couple of yards away before two arms wrap around you to stop you in your tracks. Your shrieks turn into laughter as you twist in his grip, trying to get away. Your feet kick in the air as he lifts you a couple of inches off the ground. 

“Put me down!” you cry out. He carries you a couple of steps before putting you down. You playfully push him, both of you still laughing. You notice the wrinkles around his eyes as he smiles, and your heart swells with joy. Just joking around like this just feels so comfortable with him. 

The two of you keep walking down the beach, commenting on the beautiful view or the temperature of the water.

“Thank you for coming,” he says after a while. “I know it’s weird and we barely know each other and—”

“Seungmin.”

“Uh…yeah?”

“Hush. I’m having fun.”

He nods, shoving his hands in his pockets and keeps walking, and you watch his worried face disappear into a smile.

The sun starts to set before he suggests you head back to change into clothes for dinner. You agree, and he loosely wraps his arm around you as you walk back to the hotel.

The rehearsal dinner is held in a banquet room just off the hotel’s main lobby. The room is draped in white fabric and well lit, the kind of setup that would cost at least three or four times your rent. You hardly have any time to admire it before you’re shuffled through conversations, meeting Seungmin’s relatives.

“This is my girlfriend,” he says about a dozen times before you have to remind yourself that that’s not actually true. You feel your heart flutter every time a relative comments on how cute the two of you are, though.

His aunt whispers something in his ear that makes his ears go red. His uncle tries to get the two of you to take shots with him before Seungmin eventually whisks you away from the conversation.

There are a few toasts, most of which drone on forever, with Seungmin fidgeting in his seat. You want to ask if he’s okay, but you have a feeling that he isn’t up to talking about whatever family-related issues are causing his stress.

“Almost done, I promise,” he says low in your ear as he guides you to what you’re hoping is the last group of people.

There’s a woman in a long white dress, not quite a wedding dress, standing at the front of the room towards the podium, accompanied by a tall man in a suit. You’re guessing the bride and groom.

“Seungmin!” The bride says warmly. “I’m so glad you came!”

“Hi, Yuri. Congratulations.” His voice is flatter than you’ve ever heard it before.

“Cousin!” his cousin exclaims as he pats him on the back. Seungmin introduces him as Jiho, his mother’s sister’s son.

“You must be the girlfriend! I’ve heard about you,” Yuri says. She flicks her eyes up and down, as if she’s assessing you. You’ve gotten it from most of his family members, but she’s been the most obvious one to do it tonight. Probably bride confidence, or one too many glasses of champagne.

“All good things, I hope,” you say, sipping on your glass of wine.

“We’ll let you get back to it,” Seungmin says quickly, leaving you almost no time to wish them a good evening before he guides you out of the room and to the elevators.

“Are you okay?” you ask. He’s noticeably stiffer, adjusting his clothes like they’re too uncomfortable now.

He makes eye contact with you and seems to realize that he’s sending a million different distress signals. “I’m fine, sorry. It’s just family stuff.”

You nod your head in understanding, not wanting to push it further. The elevator dings and you step into it, feeling the warmth of his hand on the small of your back.

“Do you think they suspected anything?” you ask as he unlocks the door to your room, trying to be lighthearted.

“Never, you did perfect,” he says, with a genuine smile you haven’t seen since earlier on the beach.

You sit on the bed, letting Seungmin use the bathroom to shower and change into pajamas first. This is possibly the strangest first date you’ve ever been on, if you can even call it that. You text your friends back, updating them on the day, and lock your phone before they can barrage you with questions you don’t feel like answering.

“All yours,” he says, stepping out of the steamy bathroom. He’s drying his damp hair with a towel, fully in his pjs, but he looks so handsome like this. You stop yourself from staring too hard before you take your turn getting unready from the day.

By the time you come out of the bathroom, Seungmin’s not in the room. You notice the balcony door is slightly open and see a figure standing outside, leaning against the rail. You slide the glass door open and join him outside.

“All good out here?” you ask.

“Yeah, just…thinking.”

“About?”

“I’m really glad you came with me.” He turns to look at you, sincerity written all over his face. He gently grabs your arm and pulls you in for a hug.

He smells so nice. You get a whiff of his shampoo mixed with his laundry detergent, but then catch something else underneath it all. It’s just Seungmin. A man you hardly know who has managed to weave his way through your every thought in just a few weeks.

You pull back a moment, offering a smile, and he tucks a damp strand of hair behind your ear. Your pulse quickens, the way it always does when he looks at you like that. 

“Can I…?” he starts, tipping his head down slightly, and you know what he’s asking.

You answer by closing the gap yourself.

It’s soft, much softer than the first. There’s no crowd counting down, no friends drunkenly cheering you on–just you and Seungmin, under the moonlight in a quiet moment. He wraps one arm around you to pull you tight against him, and you snake your hands around his neck to ground yourself. The ocean’s waves crash in the background faintly, and you feel the nerves from before fall away. It’s more comfortable than you were expecting, not that you were expecting anything.

When he finally pulls back, he keeps his forehead against yours. If he loosens his grip on you, you might fall over. You hope he doesn’t.

“Ready to lie to more people tomorrow?” he laughs sheepishly.

You laugh, kissing him again in response. If there’s something still unsaid between you, it can wait until tomorrow.

The morning is a bit of a blur. You get dressed and make your way over to the venue, a beautiful building that seems like it was made just for weddings. Seungmin is antsy the whole time, holding your hand through it all like letting go would mean certain death. The ceremony is beautiful, and you sit right beside him through it all. It’s been a lovely weekend being a plus one at a wedding for people you just met yesterday.

At the reception, you’re standing near the edge of the dance floor waiting for Seungmin to come back from the bar when Yuri comes over to you.

“Hi!” she says brightly.

“Congratulations again,” you say. “The ceremony was beautiful.” “Thank you so much.” She glances around, maybe looking for someone. “It must be so weird for you to be here.”

“Yeah, maybe a little,” you shrug. “I don’t know many people, but Seungmin’s been the best at introducing me to everyone.”

She takes a sip of her champagne. “You’re brave for showing up to your boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend’s wedding. I don’t know if I’d be able to handle it.”

Her voice replays in your head. Your boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend's wedding.

Your head tilts sideways, and your heart sinks to the floor. Maybe you misunderstood her. “Sorry, what?”

Yuri’s face flickers with surprise. “Oh, I’m sorry. He must not have told you…”

Your heart feels like it’s going to fall out of your ass. You excuse yourself, setting your glass on the nearest surface and high-tailing it out of there. You pass the bar on the way and catch Seungmin’s surprised face when you don’t stop.

The elevator doors close, and you realize how fast your heart is beating. Who cares if the bride is his ex-girlfriend? You certainly don’t have room to be jealous, he isn’t actually yours to be jealous over. Still, it would have been nice to get a heads-up.

You throw your shoes off when you get into the room and head straight for the balcony. Your stomach starts brewing something nasty, and you feel like you might throw up if you don’t get your breathing under control soon. The breeze feels nice against your face, and the ocean serves as calming white noise as you take deep breaths.

The balcony door opens behind you, and you hear slow footsteps behind you. You don’t turn around.

“You could have told me,” you say, trying not to cry.

“I know,” Seungmin says as he approaches the railing next to you. “I’m sorry.”

“Why? Why are you even here?”

“I’m here for my cousin, and my mother would have thrown a fit if I didn’t come.” You scoff. “But still, I should have told you. I just didn’t know how.”

You stay silent for a moment. “I get why you didn’t.” The words surprise you as they come out of your mouth. But it’s the truth. You do get it. “It still would’ve been nice to know.” “That’s fair. I really am sorry.”

You both fall quiet for a moment before you break the silence again. “She’s marrying your cousin?”

He laughs for a moment and nods his head. “Yeah. Like I said, family drama.”

“I’m really sorry, that’s a lot to handle.”

“It’s fine. It was years ago. We dated in college, they got together after we broke up. I’m pretty sure there was some overlap, but it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Do you…,” you start to ask a question, but hesitate. You’re not afraid of the answer, per se. You’re afraid of the insecure girl bottled up deep inside, afraid that revealing her means showing your true feelings. Leaving everything out in the open, vulnerable. 

“Do you still love her?”

“No.” He answers quickly and without hesitation. It eases the butterflies in your stomach, but now he knows. He knows that you’d been thinking about it, that you care. 

You nod slowly, accepting his answer. He takes a step closer, grabbing a hold of your hand as it dangles by your side. The air on the balcony shifts as he takes a step closer, dragging his hand up your arm before resting it on your cheek.

“Let me show you.” It’s a request that you gladly accept with a nod as he leans in to kiss you. It’s gentle yet passionate, showing you he means what he says. 

He walks you backwards back into the hotel room, sliding the glass door behind you as he guides you back into the room. The lamp lights are on, and your shawl and heels are kicked to the corner as you try not to trip on them. The fan humming does little to mask the noise of your heavy breathing between kisses.

Seungmin’s hands are everywhere. Cupping your face, sliding down your neck, gripping your waist, making good on his word. He kisses you deeper, tongue sliding against yours as he backs you further into the room.

He guides you down gently on the bed, and you can feel how hard he is through his dress pants. It makes the heat between your thighs grow, your mind suddenly filled with nothing but want. He snakes a hand behind you to unzip your dress and pull it down.

“You look so beautiful tonight,” he says, kissing down your body. “I’m sorry I didn’t say it before. I’ve been thinking about this all day.”

You’re left in your lace bra and panties, and his mouth comes down hot against your body as he leaves open-mouthed kisses all the way down. His hands cup your breasts, and you let out a moan when his thumbs brush against your nipples.

“Seungmin, please,” you breathe out as you pull him closer.

He unhooks your bra and drops it to the floor. His mouth closes around your nipple, sucking and flicking his tongue around it. You tug at his hair in response, basking in the feeling.

Your hands fight with his shirt buttons as he crawls back up your body to kiss you again. He takes off his dress shirt and peels off his undershirt, exposing his lean torso. He looks so hot all disheveled like this.

You reach for his pants next. “Off,” you demand. He sheds the rest of his clothes quickly, cock springing free. It’s hard and bright red, already glistening at the tip. You reach down between you to give him a couple of strokes, and he lets out a deep moan at your touch.

He hooks his fingers into your panties and rips them off next, grabbing at your thighs to spread them wide. You’re soaked, you can feel it. He stares in awe.

“So fucking perfect,” he mutters before situating himself between your thighs.

He places a kiss on your inner thigh before dipping between your folds, licking at your entrance. He works his way around your sopping cunt, and you feel the heat in your belly grow.

“Fuck, that feels so good,” you moan as he moves to pay attention to your clit.

He hums against you in response, sending shockwaves through your whole body. He finds a rhythm that makes your head spin and your muscles tighten as you head barreling towards your peak.

“I’m gonna—fuck, Seungmin!” You cry out, hips bucking and shaking against him as you come in his mouth. Your body is trembling, and he slowly works you through your orgasm.

You pull him back up once your body stops shaking and taste yourself on his lips. You kiss him sloppily, not bothering to stop for a breath. “Need you, right now.”

He positions himself at your entrance, pausing for a breath. “Ready?” he asks. You nod, feeling like you’re going to explode if he waits another second.

He pushes in slowly, keeping eye contact with you the entire time. You feel the stretch inch by inch, feeling so perfectly full as he bottoms out. He drops his forehead against yours when he’s fully buried inside you.

“I could stay here all fucking night,” he moans. “You feel so fucking good already.”

“Seungmin, please move.”

He starts with slow, steady thrusts that quickly turn rough and passionate. The bed creaks below you in time with his movements. You wrap his legs around him, making him hit deep inside. You let your nails rake at his back, and he lets out a deep moan.

As soon as he angles his hips and hits the sensitive spot inside you, you’re seeing stars. His movements quicken, and the room is filled with the slapping of skin against skin. You feel the heat come back, about to bubble over once again.

One of his hands slips between you, thumb making circles around your clit in time with his thrusts. You feel your body squeeze around him, cunt pulsing, and your vision whites out.

“Holy shit, Seungmin!” you cry out his name over and over as he fucks you through another orgasm.

He follows moments later, the feeling of you clenching around his cock throwing him into his own orgasm. His hips stutter as he buries himself deep inside you, choking out your name as he comes. He collapses over you, and both of you try to catch your breath.

After a minute, he rolls over next to you and pulls you close, tracing circles on your back. Your skin is slick with sweat, and you feel sticky, but it all feels so right.

“Please stay,” he whispers against your hair. “After this weekend. I want to take you out. Properly.”

You nuzzle your face deeper into the crook of his neck. The balcony door is still cracked open, letting in a gentle breeze that cools your warm skin.

“I’d like that,” you say, looking up to give him a gentle kiss. 

It may have been a weird weekend, but you have no regrets. Not when it brought you here, on an island in the middle of the ocean, in the arms of a ridiculously dorky, handsome man.

a/n: thank you all so much for your support! sorry again if this feels rushed, i had so much fun writing it i've just been SO busy!!

permanent taglist: @11racha @jisuperboard @kloversung @sourtae @binniebb @b4echo @hanjinology @eyyyylucieeee @bbyyuuu @viisstrayy @starlostjisung @stryscribbles @miniseungkimcami @embobema @sssoulesss @awkwardlyshawna @fuzzylard @0omillo0 @jup-exe @jaziona92 @cassie264 @chikmentendies @inlovewithstraykids

The End

For starters, triangles refuse to be just one thing.

There are equilateral triangles, where every side and angle is exactly the same because symmetry is beautiful. Isosceles triangles, where only two sides match because perfection is overrated. Scalene triangles, where every side is a different length and the same goes for their angles—each one unique, like humans.

Then there are right triangles, acute triangles, obtuse triangles...

There are spherical triangles, which exist on curved surfaces and have angles that add up to more than 180 degrees because geometry is awesome like that.

There are impossible triangles, too—Penrose triangles. Those irritating optical illusions that your brain can technically comprehend in a two-dimensional way but not three-dimensionally.

And that's before you get into everything triangles do.

There's the musical instrument, which has one job and it's to go ding!

They're the only polygon that can't change shape without changing the length of one of their sides. Push on a square and it happily becomes a rhombus. You do the same to a triangle and what does it become? That's right, another triangle.

That's why engineers adore them. Bridges use them, roof trusses use them, construction cranes use them, radio towers, bicycles, the beloved Eiffel Tower. If humans need something to stay upright, chances are they've shoved a large number of triangles into it.

Nature's pretty fond of them, too: mountain peaks, spiderwebs, shark teeth, the ears of most household cats. Even the humble pine tree looks quite triangle-like.

And then there's the Koch snowflake—a fractal made by repeatedly adding smaller equilateral triangles onto larger ones until you've created something with a finite area and an infinite perimeter (this is fascinating to a very specific niche of people, I promise).

Honestly, triangles have a pretty impressive résumé for such a simple shape.

It's sad that they get such a bad rap when it comes to romance, because you quite enjoy your own personal triangle.

You like waking up sandwiched between two furnaces who are just wearing pretty human skin.

You like that there is a clear majority in arguments (even if that means you have to sometimes be the lone opposition ).

You like that there are six hands available at any one time for... things.

You like that if one of you is having a bad day, there are two people determined to make it better. While those are few and far between lately, they still do happen.

Today, for example, has been one of those days.

It all started before sunrise.

You'd slept through your first alarm, spilled coffee down the front of the shirt you'd planned to wear, and spent fifteen minutes cleaning up broken ceramic after your favorite mug slipped from your hands and shattered against the kitchen tile. (You swear you aren't clumsy. In the wise words of Limp Bizkit, It's just one of those days.)

The only mercy was that neither of the boys had been home to startle awake, both leaving even earlier for their own schedules.

The time you spent cleaning all of that up was time you would have spent prepping something to eat on your lunch break, so you ended up lunch-less.

And from there, things had only continued downhill.

Your days at work were usually split between the lab and a computer. Today had been almost exclusively the former, which would've been fine had one of the testing machines not decided to crap out halfway through a week's worth of sample testing.

Hours of work prepping it.

Gone!

Not technically unrecoverable, but enough that you'd be repeating most of it tomorrow.

Your supervisor had taken the news well, at least. Better than you had.

By the time you finally left the lab, your shoulders ached from hunching over workbenches all day, your eyes burned from staring at messed up data, and your stomach had a great time reminding you that a vending machine granola bar did not, in fact, qualify as lunch. 

The commute home was worse than usual, too.

The train had been delayed twice, every seat had been taken, and the air conditioning had either broken or been turned off. It was hot enough to scald a lizard, and this meant that it was also humid in the car, and stinky, too.

By the time you reached your apartment building, you were running on fumes.

You punched the code into the keypad, except you punched in the code that was for the lab since you'd done it maybe fifty times that day. 

The light flashed red, of course. (Would have been extremely worrying if it unlocked.)

You let out a slow breath and rested your forehead against the door as it took a few moments to reset.

You closed your eyes. All you wanted was to get inside, curl up somewhere soft, and let the day-from-hell end as quickly as possible. Oh, and maybe eat something.

The keypad beeped once, informing you it was ready again.

You ignored it for a moment longer, inhaling slowly through your nose, counting to four (because years of stress had finally forced you to accept the fact that breathing exercises did, in fact, work).

Hold for some amount of time you couldn't remember.

Exhale for some other amount of time that felt right.

Again.

One more time for good measure.

By the third breath, your shoulders had lowered from somewhere near your ears, and the pressure behind your eyes had eased just enough that you no longer felt like they'd pop out of your head.

Slowly, one digit at a time, you entered the correct sequence.

The keypad flashed green, followed by the familiar click of the lock disengaging. You eased the door open and slipped inside, shutting it quietly behind you because a single loud noise might shatter your fragile composure.

The apartment was warm, which wasn't too welcoming considering you'd been in the pits of hell for the last 45 minutes, but you could at least control the thermostat here. So all hope was not lost.

Somewhere deeper inside, the television hummed softly, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of someone pattering around in the kitchen.

You barely had enough time to slip your shoes off before a pair of footsteps rounded the corner and Changbin popped into view. He'd been the one in the kitchen, you guessed, considering a chef's knife was in his hand.

"Welcome home—"

He didn't even get to finish the sentence before you closed the distance between you.

This wasn't unusual. One of you arriving home was almost always followed by a quick kiss hello, regardless of who had gotten there first.

"Whoa, whoa, knife in hand—!" he sputtered, holding it far away from your bodies even as he leaned in to accept your incoming kiss.

Historically, these kisses were always pretty chaste (if you exclude the ones after they left for weeks on end). You all liked to wind down and freshen up before smothering each other.

But there were exceptions....

He hummed happily in surprise as you refused to let him part from you. Instead, your hands had found the front of his shirt, bunching the fabric lightly between your fingers as you stepped closer still.

You felt him shift his grip on the knife, angling it even farther away before his free arm wrapped around your back.

"Welcome home, indeed," he murmured against your lips, which prompted the smallest of smiles from you for the first time that day.

Eventually, you did pull away only for your forehead to find its usual spot against the crook of his neck. The scent of garlic, sesame oil, and Changbin—whatever body soap he'd bought for this month—finally reached you. The smell of home... or part of it, at least.

He rested his cheek against the side of your head. "Long day?"

"The longest," you mumbled.

"I'm sorry, baby," he whispered, pressing a kiss right above your ear.

You stood there for another minute, listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing.

Somewhere in the kitchen, something sizzled.

...Hopefully not dinner.

A floorboard creaked down the hall, and the other half of home called out, "The front door opened like... five minutes ago," Hyunjin said. "Did one of you die?"

"No," Changbin answered.

"... Then why are you still in the foyer?"

Hyunjin rounded the corner, remote still in his hand, and he slowed as soon as he saw you.

"...Oh." His eyes lingered on your face for a second. "Tough day?"

You made a vague sort of groan-y noise which he echoed back to you sympathetically. Without saying another word, he walked over.

"Watch the knife," Changbin warned.

"I see it," Hyunjin said. He came to a stop beside the two of you, tilting his head as he took in Changbin's awkwardly outstretched arm. "... Can I?"

"Please." Changbin held the knife out handle-first, and Hyunjin took it before disappearing into the kitchen.

Changbin wrapped his newly liberated arm around you with a content little sigh.

You heard the soft thunk of the knife meeting the cutting board, followed by the sound of the television remote getting thrown onto the couch. When he came back, he merely lifted your arms and slipped into the little bit of space beside you and rested a hand lightly against the middle of your back.

You were likely about to overheat now that he'd joined the equation, but you decided you needed this more than you needed to cool down.

"We should do this everyday," Hyunjin sighed happily after a moment of basking in each others' presence, and you could feel him trying to coax the three of you into a gentle sway. "A group hug."

You certainly weren't going to be the one to tell him that what you guys did every night was essentially just a horizontal group hug. You'd never say no to adding this to your daily traditions. Changbin must have thought the same as he simply nodded in agreement.

Silence settled again for all of five seconds before your stomach growled loud enough to fill the small hallway. And due to their proximity, they got front row seats to the show.

They both both sputtered into laughter on either side of your head, nearly bursting both your eardrums.

"Agh," you groaned, cringing away.

"Sorry, sorry," they both apologized, trying to reel themselves in as you all stepped back for space.

Hyunjin didn't let you get far, though, fingers reaching out take your bag from you. As he put it in its designated spot next to the closet, he asked, "Did you eat anything today?"

"Very little," you answered honestly. Your stomach had already outed you.

"Baby," Changbin said, his expression immediately falling.

It wasn't an angry reaction. It wasn't even really disappointment. It was that very specific Changbin-ish expression you had come to recognize over time.

("There are very few things in the world that can make him look at you like that," Hyunjin had once told you, early on into your relationship. "One of them is you skipping meals."

The other things, apparently, included you insisting that you were "fine" while clearly being anything but, ignoring injuries and aches because they were "not that bad," and attempting to move furniture by yourself while they were away because you didn't want to bother anyone.)

There were very few things in the world that could make him genuinely frustrated with you, and forgetting to take care of yourself was high on the list.

And judging by Hyunjin's expression, he was thinking the same thing.

"Not on purpose," you defended, hands raised in surrender. "Didn't have time to pack anything and only had a little cash on me for the staff vending machine. Out of all the options, I made sure to get one of those fancy protein granola bars."

You could have been irresponsible and gotten candy, so really they should be proud of you.

"That's like a single bite," Changbin muttered.

"For you," you teased, hoping to steer him away from his mounting displeasure.

"Okay, smarty," he said. "Two bites for you. Not much better."

"You know you can text us, right?" Hyunjin asked gently, cutting in. "It's not a bother."

"I know," you said. You texted them constantly... when you weren't on the clock.

"We could have brought something by," he continued. "Or ordered something to the lab."

"I know," you repeated. They'd done similar things before, mostly as a spontaneous gesture, though.

"You don't have to wait until you're completely exhausted and starved before you let us help you," Changbin added.

He wasn't just talking about lunch anymore. You knew that.

You looked down, suddenly feeling a little guilty because it sounded like he'd been sitting on that one, and the last thing you wanted was for him—either of them—to worry about you. In fact, you spent quite a bit of effort trying to prove to them you were independent and capable (unfortunately, this had a tendency of somehow proving the opposite more often than not).

"I know," you said again, softer this time.

The two of them immediately eased up. They weren't trying to make you feel bad, you knew that. They just wanted you to remember that you weren't doing everything alone anymore. That they wanted to help you and do things for you.

"I was just a bit busy today, so I wasn't really thinking about food, anyways," you admitted. "But it's fine, because whatever you're making smells delicious."

Changbin finally cracked a smile as you tugged on his arm pointedly. Complimenting him was always an easy way of avoiding his scolding, but you had to use it sparingly, lest he catch on.

"Alright, alright," he said, giving in as he nodded toward the kitchen. "Let's go eat it then."

He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to your cheek before reluctantly stepping away and returning to his prep. You followed, spirits uplifted with the nice hug behind you and the promise of good food ahead of you.

You barely made it a few steps before Hyunjin's arms slipped back around your waist from behind, pulling you against him again. 

You laughed quietly.

"Hyunnie," you murmured.

"I wasn't done with the hug just yet," he whispered, nuzzling his face against the side of your neck.

The words were so sweet and earnest that you couldn't even bring yourself to argue or complain that you were too gross to get touchy with, so you let him stay.

The only problem was that walking while attached to another person—a much taller person—was difficult.

He adjusted after a little stumble, widening his stance so he wouldn't accidentally step on your heels, but the result was less of a normal walk and more of an awkward waddle where you were fairly certain you were carrying half of his body weight.

You chuckled as you shuffled slowly toward the kitchen.

You made him stop at the thermostat on the wall just before leaving the hall.

"Hold on," you said, reaching forward.

Hyunjin obediently loosened his hold just enough to let you adjust the temperature. But as soon as your arm dropped, he tightened his grip once more.

By the time you reached the kitchen, Changbin had returned to what he was doing, focused on finishing dinner. You settled on the opposite side of the counter from him while Hyunjin remained glued to you, his arms still comfortably wrapped around your waist.

His hands wandered absentmindedly over your midsection as he held you, occasionally shifting just enough to keep the two of you gently swaying together. You wondered if he always had a steady stream of music flowing through his mind that made him do this. You'd kill to get in his head and listen to it for yourself.

From this angle, you both had a perfect view of Changbin as he moved around the kitchen.

And maybe it was because you had spent the entire day surrounded by things going wrong and everything he did looked right, or maybe it was just because Changbin looked so, so good when he was concentrated, but your body felt a little limp and floaty watching him work.

Your eyes followed him as he reached across the counter, the muscles in his shoulders (the traps and delts, he'd once tried to teach you) rippling beneath his shirt as he moved. He turned back toward the stove, then toward the sink again, somehow managing to keep track of everything at once.

Hyunjin must have felt your body slowly relaxing against him and figured out exactly where your mind was at, because you felt the small curve of his smile through his chin on your shoulder before he even said anything.

"How can cooking be so attractive?" he whispered conspiratorially.

"I don't think it's the cooking," you responded wistfully.

Hyunjin hummed in a mix of consideration and agreement.

Your heads both tilted simultaneously as you watched Changbin flex his muscles to open a jar of something, you weren't even sure what it was. You were just sure that whatever it was didn't need all that muscle activation. 

"You think he does it on purpose?" you asked quietly, not even trying to hide the awe in your voice.

"He must," Hyunjin said, not even needing you to clarify. "I do the same thing when driving and getting dressed."

You glanced up at him, but he was still fixated on the man in front of you. "What do you mean?"

"You know, flex a little extra." He shrugged, jostling you slightly. "Show off a little."

No wonder, you internally gasped. Those ordinary things always managed to make you unreasonably hot and bothered, and now you knew it was all orchestrated. You should have known.

You stared at him a moment longer before rolling your eyes up and away in amusement. "You guys are so performative. Like peacocks."

"You know damn well I don't have to perform with my co—" he started to say before you flung a hand up to cover his mouth.

"Not in the kitchen," you scolded even as you couldn't help chuckling.

"We literally spit-roasted you in here the other day," he muttered in muffled confusion beneath your hand.

"It was for the irony," you stressed through your laughter, letting your hand fall to your side.

"I'm sorry," he said lowly, sounding so far from apologetic that it bordered on unrepentant, "I can't seem to recall you mentioning anything about irony when you asked over dinner if we'd ever fuck you on the kitchen table."

"Which you technically still haven't done," you breathed. The aforementioned spitroasting had occurred partially on one of the kitchen table chairs.

His fingers trailed a blazing path beneath the hem of your work shirt (when had he untucked it?), just above your waistband. You couldn't help your shiver, feeling anything but cold. When was that AC going to kick in?

"We can change that right now," he crooned, nipping at your ear.

Hadn't you been having a bad day up to this point? Hadn't you wanted nothing more than to eat and sleep just a few minutes ago? Had you truly forgotten about it all so easily, with just a few salacious words? Had he truly wrapped you up so completely in his web that you could not resist him?

Just as you were about to say something to taunt him right back, Changbin cleared his throat.

When you looked over, you found him staring at you both with his arms crossed (definitely flexing his biceps, the performative bastard), three beautifully plated dishes in front of him. No doubt he'd been watching for a bit.

"Dinner's ready," he said blandly.

"Ah," Hyunjin sighed, his arms dropping away from you, clearly sensing you both had some sucking up to do. He kissed your cheek before backing away and moving around the counter to kiss Changbin's with a loud smack. "Isn't our wife the best? Looks scrumptious, dear."

Changbin side-eyed him as he took a plate and walked to the table. He sent you a look that plainly spelt out Your turn.

You stepped around the counter and decided to take a leaf out of Hyunjin's book, hugging Changbin from behind. You dropped a kiss to the nape of his neck and said a quiet, "Thank you for dinner, Bin."

He huffed, dropping his arms so he could personally hand you your plate.

He followed you to the table, muttering an unserious, "I slave away for hours in the kitchen, providing for my family, and what do I get in return?"

"My endless love and adoration?" you simpered innocently at him as you took a seat.

"A premium show?" Hyunjin said.

"My partners having fun without me," he corrected goodnaturedly, feigning a pout.

"Didn't even let us get to the fun part," Hyunjin grumbled.

"And thank god for that," Changbin said, finally taking a bite. "It would have spoiled your appetite."

"Please," Hyunjin scoffed. "I can always eat."

"Who said anything about food?" Changbin smirked around a mouthful of rice, avoiding your eyes.

Heat rushed into your cheeks as you choked on your own bite.

"Seo Changbin," you blurted, unable to stop the laugh that escaped with his name. "You've been hanging around Hyunnie too much."

"I learned from the best," Changbin replied, infuriating smile still in place.

"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me," Hyunjin gushed, placing a hand over his heart.

"That makes me sound like a terrible boyfriend!" Changbin retorted. "I say nice things to you all the time!"

"You could stand to do it more often," Hyunjin said haughtily.

"Yah! You're just fishing for more compliments," Changbin said. "You should be grateful for what I give you."

Hyunjin looked at you instead.

"Baby?" he asked sweetly. "Tell me something nice?"

You set your chopsticks down thoughtfully, playing right into his hands (truly, where did all your resistance go where he was concerned?). "Just one thing?"

"As many as you feel are necessary."

Changbin groaned.

"I think your hair is beautiful," you began, counting on your fingers. "I think you're one of the most thoughtful people I've ever met. You're so incredibly creative. You're patient with me even when I'm short with you. You make me laugh every single day. You're gorgeous—like drop-dead gorgeous, I'm serious. I love listening to you talk about art because you get that sparkle in your eyes. You always remember tiny things about me that I forget I even told you. And I think you're a genuinely good person with a pure heart."

Hyunjin's smile grew wider with every sentence until he was practically glowing. He leaned back in his chair with a victorious raise of his eyebrows. Then, very slowly, he turned his head toward Changbin, as if daring him to do something.

Changbin looked at him for a long moment before setting his chopsticks down with exaggerated care.

"I've been too complacent," he declared. "Clearly I've been letting you get comfortable."

You looked between them, unable to stop smiling because this was not new to you.

Hyunjin had a habit—whether he was aware of it or not—of manufacturing a situation where Changbin felt compelled to dote on him, then spending the next however-long pretending he wasn't enjoying every second of it.

Changbin, for his part, fell for it with astonishing consistency.

"I'm waiting," Hyunjin said casually, taking another bite.

Changbin shook his head, a fond smile tugging at his mouth despite himself.

"You have the prettiest smile I've ever seen," he said matter-of-factly. "You also have an endless amount of talent. Every time you pick up a pencil, I wonder why you even bother making rough sketches when the first draft already looks finished. You somehow make every room feel lighter the second you walk into it. And..."

Changbin trailed off, and Hyunjin leaned forward just a little, clearly expecting another compliment.

Changbin narrowed his eyes. "... You're an absolute menace."

"Excuse me?" Hyunjin blinked.

"Don't 'excuse me' me," Changbin said. "You know exactly what you're doing."

To his credit, Hyunjin didn't try to lie and feign ignorance. He merely shrugged and stuffed another bite in his smiling mouth, looking eternally pleased with what he accomplished.

Changbin shook his head at himself.

"One day," he muttered, mostly to his rice, "I'm going to stop rewarding this behavior."

You knew that day would never come, no matter how vehemently he swore it.

The conversation drifted away after that, giving way to the comfortable clink of chopsticks against ceramic.

You hadn't realized how hungry you actually were until now. The food disappeared from your plate at a pace that would have embarrassed you any other day, but neither of them commented. If anything, Changbin looked very pleased every time you reached for another serving.

It was only after a minute or two that he finally spoke again.

"So," Changbin said, his voice softer than before, "tell us about today."

You let out a long breath through your nose. "... Do I have to?"

Hyunjin rested his chin in his hand as he looked at you.

"You don't have to," he said, matching your theatrics. "But I think you'd feel better if you did."

You stared down at your dinner for a moment, pushing a grain of rice around your plate with the tip of your chopsticks.

"... Well, it all started before I even left the apartment," you admitted dramatically.

If you were going to recount a miserable day, you were going to make it entertaining, at least.

"I slept through my alarm," you began. "Then I spilled coffee all over one of my favorite work shirts."

"The cream one?" Hyunjin asked in quiet horror.

"The cream one," you confirmed with a sigh.

"No," he whined in response, and you honestly appreciated how he was playing it up. That shirt deserved tears.

"I know. And then," you continued, "I tried to clean it up too fast, dropped my favorite mug, and shattered it all over the kitchen."

"Wait, I got you that mug," Changbin realized, his own face falling. "From—"

"From Rome, I know," you muttered. "Hence why it was my favorite."

"I'll get you another one," he promised, puffing out his chest. "Next trip. And then that one can be your new favorite."

"Thank you, Bin," you said, reaching across the table to squeeze his hand. "But you don't have to replace it. We have plenty of mugs here."

"But those all came in the dishware set," he grimaced. "They're bland and have no personality. Those are for our guests."

"Okay, okay." You chuckled, squeezing his hand one more time before pulling back. "I'll appreciate any mug you get me."

He seemed satisfied with that answer, though you could still see that little crease between his eyebrows. That mug had been one of the first expressions of affection he'd given you; you knew it meant a lot to him, too. You wouldn't be surprised if he tried to get an exact replacement straight from Rome.

"Anyway," you continued, "after that whole disaster, I had to rush to work."

You went on to tell them about how the machine you'd been working with all week had quit on you, and while they didn't understand why exactly that sucked so bad they could still understand the frustration of something setting you back.

And then you explained how you'd been packed like sardines in an oven on the train home. This one made them especially upset, because according to them, you could have called them to pick you up. They'd been making this case for a while, insisting you stop taking public transport when you had two perfectly capable chauffeurs at your beck and call who would be more than happy to drop everything and get you.

But your work was clear across the city and out of the way. You simply weren't going to expect them to make that trek consistently (no matter how much Hyunjin wanted to flaunt his muscles as he drove). They could continue fighting you on this till you were all blue in the face.

"So yeah, that was my day," you sighed.

Hyunjin pushed his chair back, and you looked up at the sudden movement, watching him stand and walk around the table. You were about to ask him where he was going before he moved behind your chair and placed both hands on your shoulders.

The second his fingers pressed into the tense muscles there, you practically melted.

Your shoulders had been aching since you left the lab, but it was one of those things you had ignored because there had been too many other things to be annoyed about. Now that someone was actually doing something about it, you realized just how much tension you had been carrying.

"Mm, you're heaven-sent, Hyunnie," you said, letting your head loll around.

"Ooh, more compliments," Hyunjin said, pressing into a particularly tight spot. "And I didn't even have to fish this time."

Changbin watched the two of you from across the table, shaking his head as he gathered up the empty plates.

You weakly held out an arm, watching him through half-lidded eyes. It was an established rule that whoever made dinner didn't do the dishes. "Stop, we can help."

"It's fine," he assured. "Just relax for a bit, baby."

You didn't need to be told twice.

You let yourself be fussed over, Hyunjin's hands migrating naturally from your shoulders to your neck, and from your neck to your scalp. You tried to complain about how your hair was oily after the day and he hadn't washed his hands after eating, but he just claimed that that made everything cancel out. You didn't have it in you to argue; it felt far too euphoric.

Eventually, the sound of Changbin rinsing dishes stopped and Hyunjin's ministrations slowed. His hands rested on either side of your head, long fingers stretching down beneath your jaw, just holding you.

"You should get cleaned up," he said. "We can call it early tonight?"

You opened your eyes slowly, blinking up at him. He smiled down at you, his thumbs brushing smoothly along your cheeks.

The idea was tempting.

A shower sounded amazing. A clean pair of pajamas sounded even better. The thought of crawling into bed and not having to do anything else for the rest of the night was probably the closest thing to a reward you could imagine.

But there were still things to do around the apartment.

"Come on," he said before you could reject his idea, gently squeezing your head one last time before letting go. "You've had enough excitement for one day."

He pulled out your chair as you stood, pushing it back into place once you had stepped away from the table. It was such a small, automatic gesture, one he had probably done a hundred times without thinking, but you still found yourself watching him for a moment.

After a day where you had spent hours feeling like everything was slipping out of your control, there was something incredibly heartening about being cared for in so many small ways.

When he turned back toward you, you didn't say anything. You didn't need to.

You simply reached out and lightly tugged at the front of his shirt, the silent request clear enough that Hyunjin immediately understood. His expression softened as he leaned down, one hand settling gently against your waist while the other brushed a stray piece of hair he'd mussed up away from your face.

The kiss was slow and gentle, carrying none of the urgency or playfulness that usually came with the two of you. It was just a quiet reassurance that you were home and that the day was finally over.

When you eventually pulled back, you stayed close, your forehead resting against his for a moment as you gathered your thoughts.

"Thank you," you whispered.

It was simple, far too simple for everything you were actually trying to say.

But Hyunjin seemed to understand without you having to explain. He always had a way of doing that, of catching the things you left unsaid and responding to them anyway. Likely thanks to all those books he read.

"Of course," he murmured, his smile softening as he brushed his thumb once along your side. "You don't have to thank me for that."

He gave your hand a gentle squeeze as he laced his fingers through yours to guide you toward the hallway.

"Come on," he said quietly. "Go get comfortable."

You let yourself be led, not putting up much of a fight this time. The exhaustion that had been sitting heavy in your bones all evening was finally catching up now that you weren't forcing yourself through it anymore.

At the end of the hallway, you glanced back toward the kitchen.

Changbin was still there, wiping down the counters and finishing up the last few things. The sight made something in your chest ache pleasantly.

Two people who had spent their own evening taking care of you without hesitation.

Two people who never made you feel like you were asking for too much.

Triangles were the best, right?

Your shower was indulgent, longer than normal.

You stood beneath the warm water until the last little bit of the tension in your shoulders finally dispelled, until the feeling of the crowded train and the stale air and the endless little frustrations of the day began to fade into something distant.

You washed your hair slowly, taking the extra time to massage your scalp and actually enjoy the feeling instead of rushing through it. The scent of your shampoo filled the small space, replacing the lingering smell of the day with something familiar and comforting.

After your shower, you took your time with the rest of your routine too.

You dried your hair properly instead of leaving it slightly damp because you were too tired to care. You moisturized. You tied a fluffy robe around your waist, trying to recall the last time you did this instead of just skipping to wearing pajamas.

By the time you finally stepped out of the bathroom, you felt like an entirely different person from the one who had walked through the front door earlier.

The bedroom door was cracked open, a soft glow spilling out into the hallway. You pushed it open slightly and instantly noticed the small signs that the boys had started winding down for the night.

The ceiling fan was already spinning above the bed, sending a steady breeze through the room. It was a necessity in this household; Hyunjin, the main culprit, radiated enough body heat to make blankets pointless. He was wonderful in many ways, but his ability to turn into a heat generator the second he fell asleep was something you had accepted as part of the relationship package.

The covers were already turned down, the pillows arranged in their usual places, and your water bottle sat filled on the nightstand within easy reach (well, easy reach if you asked one of the boys to grab it for you in the middle of the night).

The room itself had that familiar nighttime messiness that only came from three people sharing a space. Changbin was standing near the dresser in nothing but a pair of sweatpants, digging through a drawer for a specific shirt while muttering to himself about how he had sworn he'd folded it earlier.

Hyunjin was sitting at the edge of the bed, already changed into his sleep shorts, lazily scrolling through his phone while occasionally glancing over at Changbin's search, or maybe at Changbin's wide expanse of back.

Neither of them seemed to notice you immediately, too caught up in their own little routines.

You leaned against the doorframe for a moment, watching them.

Sure, your luck today had been shitty, but how could you possibly get hung up on that when you'd gotten so lucky in life?

It was something you had trouble believing sometimes. There was a part of you that still couldn't quite comprehend how you had ended up with something so good. How two completely different people could fit into your life so naturally, filling in spaces you hadn't even realized were empty until they were there.

You pushed away from the doorframe and shuffled toward the bed.

Hyunjin glanced up, smiling when he noticed you approaching. He lowered his phone to rest on the bed beside him as he looked up at you.

"Hi there," he said softly, the corners of his mouth lifting.

You didn't answer.

Instead, you climbed onto the bed and immediately leaned into him, letting him catch you. His arms opened automatically, wrapping around you as he laughed quietly at how little warning you had given him.

"Mm, you smell so nice," he complimented, his nose tickling the crook of your neck. "I could eat you up."

You thought back to Changbin's joke earlier, about an appetite for something that wasn't food. Honestly, you were a bit hungry. 

Hyunjin barely had time to process the heated look that crossed your face before you leaned forward and kissed him.

One of his hands instinctively moved up to cradle the back of your head, fingers threading gently through your hair as he held you close. The other moved behind him to help shift you both further up onto the bed till your legs could straddle his own properly. The tiredness that had followed you home all evening seemed to disappear somewhere between one breath and the next, replaced by the familiar comfort of him.

Kissing Hyunjin reminded you of a jack-in-the-box (perhaps not the most romantic of statements, but you had yet to come across a better analogy).

The two of you would start slow, almost lazy, with tongues kept politely to your own mouths. He would take his time, letting you enjoy the simple comfort of being close. He, too, seemed to savor the slow dance for a while.

And then, without warning, something would shift.

You could never quite figure out what triggered it or if there was a pattern to his madness. Maybe it was absolutely nothing at all and his brain simply decided that the current level of affection was no longer sufficient.

Whatever it was, there was always that sudden little snap, and the calm, gentle version of him would disappear into someone far more eager and insatiable.

He moaned as your lips parted around his prodding tongue, the hand he'd used to move you both around finding its home beneath the edge of your robe on your bare thigh, which only made him keen louder.

The sudden sound garnered Changbin's attention as you heard him say, "Really? Again?"

You smiled against Hyunjin's lips, using one of your hands to reach out to him blindly. In one of the very few opportunities Hyunjin let you pull away to breathe, you said, "Forget the shirt, Binnie. You won't be needing it."

You immediately heard the dresser drawer shut, and within a moment you felt more heat at your back.

Changbin's hands clasped around your upper arms, rubbing down to your elbows then back up to your shoulders soothingly. Your attention was near wholly captured by the way Hyunjin licked every inch of your mouth, but you spared a special consideration for the one at your back and his repetitive motions.

You eventually felt his hands diverge from their patrol, slowly rounding up and over your shoulders. At first, you almost believed he was going to start massaging your shoulders as Hyunjin had earlier—which you would have had no qualms with—but his fingers crept a little further over your collarbone and curled into the inside of the lapels of the robe.

Your breath caught and you couldn't help but shiver again as you felt him pull each side back until it slipped down and off your shoulders.

You dropped your arms from around Hyunjin's neck so you could free them from the sleeves with Changbin's help. You felt him drop the top half of the robe as it bunched around your waist.

Hyunjin needed no further direction at this new development, hand leaving your thigh to palm at your breast. You whimpered into his mouth, prompting him to grin and bite your bottom lip teasingly.

At your back, you could feel Changbin's breath skate across your shoulder blades, his own hands settled firmly at your waist. You rolled your shoulders back, hoping he'd understand your silent request to make some sort of further contact with you. You need more of him, whatever he would give you.

Thankfully, he seemed to get the hint and you felt his lips trace along your upper spine, placing a full kiss in even intervals along your vertebrae.

"Did Hyunjinnie make you feel good earlier?" he asked, nearing your nape.

Hyunjin backed off your mouth just enough for you to respond, looking equally as eager for your answer. His eyebrows were raised high, pupils blown wide as he looked between your eyes. 

Even with full control of your mouth, all you managed was a breathless, "Mhmm."

Hyunjin smirked, thumb brushing over your nipple pointedly to make you jolt.

"He's good at that, isn't he?" Changbin asked, chin moving to rest on your shoulder so you could both see Hyunjin below you, almost a mirror to earlier when you'd done the same to him in the kitchen.

"Yeah," you agreed, chest heaving as Hyunjin stared up at you both through his eyelashes.

Changbin's head tilted so his mouth brushed right up against your jaw as he whispered, "You want him to do it again?"

Hyunjin's eyes flickered in interest, daring you to reject.

As if you could.

You nodded, Changbin's lips brushing your cheek at the motion.

"I think you're going to have to ask him," Changbin said, glancing at the man below you once more. You hesitated, and his hands lightly tightened at your waist. "Go on, ask for his help. Or are you incapable?"

And now you knew where this all stemmed from.

Jerks, you thought, glaring between them both, but mostly targeting Changbin.

Both of Hyunjin's hands tightened where they were, the one at the back of your head gripping your hair and the other squeezing around your breast, bringing a little moan out of you.

"Come on," Changbin urged. "We'll just help each other if you don't. Right, Jinnie-ah?"

Hyunjin, you knew, would never leave you high and dry. It just wasn't in his nature to deny you anything, even unspoken. However, Changbin was quite the persuasive force when he wanted to be and you didn't doubt that he could get Hyunjin to hold out on you, at least for a little bit.

"Right," Hyunjin replied lowly after a moment. The hand he'd had on your chest reluctantly dipped and dipped till it dropped away to his lap.

Changbin's own hand that had meandered its way to your chest pulled away from you, as well, going instead to Hyunjin's face where he lovingly brushed some wayward strands of hair behind his ear.

Hyunjin leaned into the touch, welcoming it, but his eyes were still on yours, begging you to give in. And if you had been considering sticking to your guns (which you hadn't been), that would have been your undoing.

"Help me, Hyunnie?" you asked quietly, almost pleading.

By the ensuing reactions from each of them, you would have thought you'd asked them to marry you. While Hyunjin grinned beautifully from ear to ear, you only had a moment to appreciate it before Changbin took your face into his hands to bring your mouth crashing into his.

Hyunjin's hand within your hair released as your neck craned to face Changbin. Both of his hands now returned to your chest, along with his mouth this time. You mewled, hips rocking as all of those sensations hit you at once.

Changbin hummed against your lips, parting from you in between the long drags of his kisses to merely stare at you. To make sure you were getting the exact help you asked for.

While one of his hands continued to caress the side of your face, the other dropped between you and Hyunjin. You felt a slight tug at the robe's belt, and because you hadn't done anything more than a simple bow, it easily came undone.

After that, all six hands worked together to discard the robe somewhere on the ground, leaving you completely bare before them.

 "And you say I'm drop-dead gorgeous," Hyunjin breathed below you, his hands everywhere he could get them: your thighs, your stomach, your hips, your chest. "Actually, no, you're bring-me-to-life gorgeous."

You separated from Changbin with a giggle as you glanced down at him. "Was that an Evanescence reference?"

(It wouldn't be the first time either of them made song references in bed.)

Changbin giggled, too, head ducking to kiss lightly along your neck.

"No comment," Hyunjin said, grinning up at you.

You smacked his shoulder lightly, and he dramatically clutched your hand to where you hit him, dragging you forward as he went flopping back onto the bed. Changbin's lips disconnected from your neck with a pop and he made a cute sound of confusion. 

"Binnie, lay down," Hyunjin said, glancing over your shoulder at the man. "You must be tired of standing."

You looked back as well, seeing that Changbin had indeed been mostly standing and leaning down up to that point. It probably hadn't been the most comfortable.

You patted the space next to Hyunjin invitingly, and he wasted no time settling there.

You smiled down at them both as they looked up at you. It wasn't often that you got to be on top, at least not on top of both of them at the same time. It was a nice view.

And it only became better as Hyunjin brought a hand up and nudged Changbin's chin in his direction to kiss him. To devour him, really. You bit your lip, watching entranced as you saw the tongue that Hyunjin invaded your mouth with just a few minutes ago disappear into Changbin's over and over. Changbin's own tongue would rush to find his again whenever it retreated, both of them balanced in a game of give and take.

Your hips began to rock once more unconsciously, the only thing between you and Hyunjin's hardened cock now being his basketball shorts. He jerked beneath you, groaning into Changbin's mouth. Changbin merely grunted in response, swallowing it and continuing with more fervor.

You braced one of your hands on Hyunjin's abdomen while you placed your other on Changbin's upper thigh, needing the balance but also just needing to touch them both.

You felt Changbin tense at the sudden contact so near to where you could see the tent in his pants. One of his hands lifted up and encircled your wrist to keep you there as you continued to grind slowly, his thumb brushing over your pulse point where you were sure he'd feel your blood pumping overtime.

Your rhythm suddenly stuttered as your clit found the perfect ridge to grind against, and you chased it over and over, gaze never managing to leave the erotic sight beneath you.

"Fuck, you guys are so hot," you couldn't help but mumble, fingers clawing at each of them as pressure built in your gut.

They continued to practically inhale each other, picking up the pace just for you, you imagined. Their breaths turned heavy and wet, and you whimpered as Hyunjin bucked up into you after a particularly harsh roll of your hips.

Your hand on Changbin's thigh worked with a mind of its own as you moved to press on his obvious bulge.

His hand on your wrist did nothing to stop you as you palmed at him through his sweatpants, so you took that as his invitation to continue. Singlehandedly, you curled two fingers into his waistband and tugged, hoping he'd help you out with his spare hand. He understood you perfectly, they both always did, and he lifted his lips, using one hand to help you.

You managed to get his sweatpants down just down to his mid-thigh, which was just enough for you. You took his cock in hand and he hissed, drawing back from Hyunjin just for a moment to glance down at where you started working him from base to head.

Hyunjin followed his gaze, throwing his head back against the comforter with a carnal moan at the sight.

Changbin released your wrist to give you more freedom of movement, but he just used it to reach out and paw at the one breast he had within his reach. You gasped as he went straight to pinching your nipples between his fingers without build-up.

Hyunjin's own hands went to your hips, assisting in your grinding, pressing you down harder in certain spots that made him whine and thrash beneath you. You could feel his heels trying to dig into the bed to press against, but you weren't quite far enough from the edge. Instead, his back would bow off the bed and press up against your hand.

You could feel both of them pulsing, one through your palm and one through your cunt. You swore for a moment that they were in sync, and you only hoped your heart matched theirs in this moment.

Your hand on Changbin sped up as you could feel yourself getting close, and Hyunjin had likely been sitting right there for a while. His eyes were screwed up in concentration and the tendons in his neck were straining as his chin nearly pointed toward the ceiling. You could also see sweat dripping down his temples, drying up as the fan above continued to spin.

God, he was so fine. 

Wondering if you'd find him in a similar state, you glanced at Changbin. Instead, you found him open-mouthed and staring at where your hips connected to Hyunjin's. From your angle, every time you pulled back, the head of Hyunjin's cock would threaten to breach his waistband, and you were certain Changbin could see it all from his vantage.

The sight was so lewd and hot that you were sure to remember it in the deepest pits of loneliness when they were away from you. But that definitely wasn't something to ponder on at the present moment.

Your thumb swiped over Changbin's tip, smearing pre-cum around his head, and he jerked, eyes glancing up at you.

With the biggest boost to your ego ever, that seemed to push him right over the edge he'd been teetering on.

He convulsed, struggling through breathless moans as cum dripped down your hands and landed on his lower abdomen.

You stroked him continuously through his comedown, enamored with the sight just like you always were. Eventually, his hand lifted to tap yours, signaling any more would be too much. You released him, your fingers clinging together.

Hyunjin's eyes flicked open at the obvious sounds of Changbin finishing, and he just so happened to open them just in time to see you licking the remnants of your fingers.

"Oh shit," Hyunjin grunted, his hips faltering as he also seemed to lose the battle with his concentration.

You watched as a damp spot formed right at the cinched waistband of his shorts, some of it making it onto the few strands of dark hair that disappeared from view.

You preened, feeling mighty accomplished for outlasting the two, even if you hadn't been trying to. You were so close but perhaps not close enough to finish in the few seconds Hyunjin had before he got too oversensitive.

However, as you tried to pull away to let him have his space, he held you firmly down.

You looked at him with wide eyes, and even Changbin eyed him.

"You asked for help," he rasped. "And I am a man of my word."

While that was perhaps the hottest thing he'd ever said, you didn't want to torture him!

But his hands began pushing and pulling you against him, and though he groaned and whined in a way you'd never heard before (but hoped to hear again), he continued valiantly.

Your jaw dropped, sure this had to be the most obscene thing you'd ever seen. (Well, if by obscene, you meant attractive, of course.)

Changbin, in an effort to help out your boyfriend, sat up and attacked your neck once more, both of his hands going to pinch and tweak at your nipples. You leaned your head back to give him more expanse of neck, your eyes staring down at Hyunjin's strained expression.

It wasn't long until you felt the snapping point approaching once again.

"I'm so close," you gasped.

"You got it, baby," Changbin breathed in your ear.

Hyunjin nodded along, hair bunching up beneath him as he bit his lip. "Take it. Please, take it."

The coil in your stomach wound tighter and tighter as Changbin continued nipping at your skin and Hyunjin's fingers pressed literal bruises into your hips. You let yourself go as soon as the feeling crested, and stars or fireworks or a whole nuclear bomb burst behind your eyelids.

The top half of your body careened forward, going limp, and Changbin caught you before you could collapse fully on Hyunjin, who was ill-prepared for that sort of impact. With your shaky legs, Changbin helped pulled you up and off from Hyunjin's lower half, cradling you close.

You looked over to find Hyunjin trembling and breathing so hard you might have thought he'd just finished a marathon. He flung an arm over his eyes, mouthing something unintelligible to himself.

Changbin held you to his chest, brushing hair out of your face as you both looked upon him.

"Jinnie-ah?" Changbin started hesitantly.

Hyunjin made a low sound of acknowledgement.

"You okay?" he continued.

It took Hyunjin a few long moments to answer, but he let his arm fall to rest above his head as he smiled tiredly at both of you. "Never better."

You smiled, gathering just the littlest bit of your remaining strength to lean down and kiss him, soothing the lips he'd bitten to near-pieces. He responded weakly, lips puckering but nothing more than that.

"That was so hot," you whispered, pecking him again. "Thank you, Hyunnie."

He hummed sweetly, opening one eye to look at you. "How's that for peacocking?"

You laughed, leaning back up and into Changbin's awaiting arms where he attacked your cheek in kisses.

It occurred to you later that night, after showering once more and putting actual pajamas on, somewhere between Hyunjin's sleepy mumbling and Changbin's arm finding its familiar place around your waist, that the day had taken quite a lot from you.

Your patience.

Your favorite mug.

Most of your energy.

But somehow, between the two of them, they'd given every bit of it back.

You drifted off smiling, held safely within the shape the three of you had made together.

After all...

Triangles were strongest.