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It wasn’t easy but every so often even someone as recognisable as Seungri could manage to slip away and just be . That was likely due to the distraction of the festivities going on rather than particular skill on his part, but whatever the reason it was nice to have a bit of quiet.
He was actually rather surprised that no one else had managed to claim this particular spot. It was off the main path that wound through a particularly dense thicket of cherry trees but the dirt under his feet was packed hard, suggesting he wasn’t the first to end up here. It involved picking one’s way over tangles of exposed roots and rocks but if you were persistent enough you were rewarded with peace, quiet, and a rather lovely view of the river in the distance. The air was heavy with the scent of the delicate pink blossoms but the cool breeze that gently shook the branches kept it from ever getting too oppressive.
Seungri sat down and leaned against the trunk of one of the trees, pulling off the mask that hid everything but his eyes. The breeze carried with it the sound of people elsewhere -- children playing around, the rough laughter of men who were likely getting into their soju early. He leaned his head back against the tree and looked up, letting his eyes unfocus a bit. True, one could say it wasn’t what one might expect him to be doing but even the loud, energetic ones took a little quiet time for themselves.
Or maybe he was just getting old.
The random thought made him laugh out loud all of a sudden, the sound bubbling up and out before he could catch himself. Oh, please .
“... That’s really creepy, you know,” a familiar voice said from behind him. Despite the fact that it was entirely unexpected, Seungri didn’t even startle. If anything, he smiled a little.
“Well, I’m supposed to be here all by my lonesome. Meaning if I want to laugh out loud, I should be able to. Freely and without commentary from the peanut gallery!”
“The ‘peanut gallery’? Where did you even-..?”
“I don’t know I heard it once when we were in the States!” Seungri’s response came out in a rush and he could feel his cheeks burning now but only because at some point Youngbae had ended up leaning on the tree oh so very casually , looking down at him with a smirk.
Stupid, smirky, attractive smug face.
Only Youngbae could manage to fluster him that way. But only when they were alone like this. Put them on stage or with the others and Seungri was his usual unflappable self, ready with some snappy remark. When it was just the two of them the maknae had all the composure of a teenage schoolgirl trying to make conversation with her crush.
“So why exactly are you all the way out here by yourself? I figured you’d be running over five year olds to get a shaved ice.”
“That was one time. I didn’t see him there!”
“My point stands..”
Seungri pursed his lips and glared -- or tried to, at least -- at Youngbae, who simply sat down with a quiet sigh beside him, nudging Seungri with his shoulder until he scooted over a little so he had a little bit of tree to lean against.
“You don’t have to be shy. You could just say ‘I wanted to sit and appreciate the flowers for a little while’.”
Seungri scoffed. “Why? So you can laugh at me?”
Youngbae said nothing, simply looking at him patiently with a little half-smile. A comfortable, self-assured Seungri could be snippy but so could a flailing, defensive one. There was just an entirely different energy behind the words that Youngbae had gotten quite good at picking out by now. Seungri looked away from him with a frown, picking at a loose thread on the cuff of his jacket for lack of an idea of where to go from here.
The dilemma was solved when Youngbae reached over and took his hand, lacing their fingers together. “You’re a brat, you know.”
“Hnn..” Seungri neither confirmed nor denied and simply leaned his head against Youngbae’s shoulder. “And you love it, hyung.”
“No.. that’s just acceptance,” the older said, snickering.
Seungri picked his head up again. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Youngbae answered in the form of a kiss, starting out slow and soft enough to ease that tension out of the maknae. Seungri started to respond then himself, shifting in place to face him better and Youngbae could feel it the instant Seungri truly relaxed and all but melted against him. He was warm even through his clothes, especially with the slight chill in the air from being in the shade. It wasn’t long before Seungri parted -- with reluctance -- to come up for air and he was certain he was bright red to the tips of his ears now. It was difficult to look his hyung in the face now, especially since that little smile had grown. Maybe it was odd to be dazzled by the appearance of someone he’d seen almost daily for more than a decade but at some point something had shifted. It wasn’t like he was entirely shallow either. It wasn’t just Youngbae’s looks -- although those definitely counted for something; it was a lot of other, more subtle things that in some cases gave Seungri such a warm, happy feeling that that little part of him prone to doubting himself would rear its head and make him wonder what he’d ever done to deserve it.
“... It means I love you , so I accept what comes with the territory.”
It felt all a bit too perfect, too cliche. Confessions of love while sitting under a tree, the delicate pink blossoms fluttering down to the ground around them. It was something that happened in dramas, not in real life, but here he was.
Seungri was nervous because it always felt so perfect. Compared to him, Youngbae was so calm and assured. Surprisingly patient, even when Seungri was deliberately trying to press his buttons. It was almost like he was a skittish animal Youngbae was just waiting out, willing to sit by quietly until he learned to trust him.
He pressed closer and Youngbae moved his arm so Seungri could tuck himself under it. His head settled on Youngbae’s shoulder again and their hands -- still linked -- rested between them on his chest. Seungri’s lips curved in a little smile, daring to allow himself to actually just enjoy it. There was no point in fighting if he was just going to keep beating his head against a wall that seemed intent on waiting for him to tire himself out.
It dawned on him what the meaning of the whole occasion was in the first place now. It wasn’t just to look at the pretty flowers. Their moment, like the blossoms, was only temporary. But the trees didn’t worry about the moment the petals would fall, they just were . Seungri wanted to believe that he and Youngbae weren’t anywhere near as ephemeral as the cherry blossoms, but even if that was what fate had in store he was at the very least going to live well in the moment, while they had the chance.
“... I love you too,” he said quietly, Seungri’s smile brightening when he felt Youngbae kiss the top of his head gently.
“I kinda still want a shaved ice though..”
“ Brat .”