Work Text:
Utensils clatter against the dirty tiles of the kitchen. The edge of the counter sinks into Jeonghan's back, and he pushes forth. Mingyu stumbles backwards, own back hitting against the wall. Condiments fall from the shelves in the process – elbows and knees carelessly finding ways to catch themselves.
"Stop, stop," Mingyu mutters breathlessly against Jeonghan's lips. The latter does, gives Mingyu a questioning look. Mingyu inhales sharply when Jeonghan's lips move to trail along his neck instead. "Jeonghan," he tries again. "You have Jun."
Jeonghan mumbles against Mingyu's skin, "And you have Minghao."
"Speaking of which," someone from the kitchen door starts. They turn to see Soonyoung, blankly staring at a set of tangled limbs and bruised lips. Jeonghan and Mingyu fling themselves across each end of the room. "He's here."
"Th-Thanks," Mingyu replies, turns to a nearby hanging pan in a lame attempt to fix his hair. Jeonghan licks his lips, busies himself with picking up the utensils, and placing them in the sink.
Soonyoung stays for another beat before he raises both hands, and turns on his heels. The kitchen door swings at his exit. "I didn't see shit."
--
"It's happening!"
Skype sessions have always been exciting, twice as much with good news. Jeonghan was practically breathing against his laptop screen.
"I wanted to keep it a surprise, but," Seungcheol mused, elbow on his desk as he leaned toward the camera, grinned. "I thought I'd let my best friend know first."
"You already told Joshua, didn't you?"
The corner of Seungcheol's lips twitched. "Come on. He's from L.A. He needs to reserve tickets, like, right now. That's how it works, right?"
Jeonghan heaved out a sigh, a hand dramatically placed on his chest. "Because it's your special day, I'll let it go."
"Tell Jun, too. He's gotta know by default."
"Tell me what?" Jun interjected, bending down beside Jeonghan to peer at the screen. "Hey, Cheol."
"My restaurant's opening in a few months!"
Jun's jaw dropped. "That's great!" He wrapped an arm around Jeonghan's shoulder for balance. "Since when?"
"I've been working on it for half a year." He shook his hands. "I'm so stoked, I feel like my fingers are gonna fall off."
"We'll see what we can do, then." Jun grinned, straightening back up. He gave Jeonghan's back a gentle pat before he walked off. "Send us updates."
"So," Seungcheol pressed on. "Are you coming? You are, right? Please tell me you are."
Jeonghan smiled. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."
--
"How long has it been?" Joshua's eyes remained on the road as he drove Seungcheol's obnoxiously bright red convertible, a gift he bought for himself.
"That sounds dramatic." Jeonghan sat in the passenger's seat, grin unfaltering. They rode with the top down, wind making stray bangs partially cover his eyes. "It's only been a year."
Joshua volunteered to pick Jeonghan up at the airport, so Seungcheol could get the restaurant up and running for that night’s party.
"Feels like forever."
"How's your little Los Angeles café?"
"Doing good, really."
"Good?" Jeonghan's mouth opened in disbelief, hint of a smile still present. "Modest as always, I see. Come on, I saw you featured on TV."
Joshua chuckled, shaking his head. "That's nothing. You should have been here during the restaurant's grand opening last week."
An elbow settled on the edge of his seat. "Seungcheol's really something now, huh?" Jeonghan clicked his tongue. "Wish Jun was here to see it all."
"Hey, yeah, what happened?"
Jeonghan heaved a sigh. "It's been busy."
Joshua simply nodded, bottom lip jutting out in thought. He could only hope nothing in L.A. had been set on fire (yet). "How's it like?" Joshua asked instead. "In Shenzhen?"
"It's fucking amazing." Jeonghan turned to Joshua, a grin forming on his lips. Not entirely a lie "Jun's amazing."
--
"You sure you can’t come?"
It was two months before the flight.
Jun cupped Jeonghan's cheeks. He smelled of honey and pepper mixed with a scent that's distinctly Jun. He never wears cologne. "You know I want to."
"It just sucks not having a plus one."
"And a handsome one at that," Jun added with a grin. "Tell them I'll see them soon."
Jeonghan held a pinky out. "I'm sending this promise over to Seungcheol.'
Jun laughed lightly. He linked their pinkies before pressing the pads of their thumbs together. "Send mooncakes their way."
"My mooncakes?"
"Only the best for the best."
--
Early next day, Jihoon bursts into the kitchen before opening. “You, guys, fucking what?"
Jeonghan shakes his head, runs his tongue along his upper molars. Mingyu shouts, "Thanks, Soonyoung!"
Soonyoung, with the menus against his chest, scurries past the kitchen's glass window from the outside to avoid the scowls thrown his way.
Mingyu runs a palm along his forehead, unsure whether the heat is from the kitchen or the situation – or, really, the way Jihoon's expectant gaze pierces right through his skull. Mingyu is suddenly brought back to second grade, where the teacher told him eating sand wasn't a normal thing to do, and so was consuming glue.
"Look," Jeonghan starts pathetically, moving toward Jihoon. He held the other's shoulders, and Jihoon recoils slightly, mostly at the idea that these same hands have touched Mingyu. "It was a one-time thing."
"It better fucking be." Jihoon smacks Jeonghan's hands away. "It shouldn't even be a thing at all."
--
It was a week before the flight.
“Jun, come on.”
Jun had been trying to escape his parents’ shitty restaurant for most of his life, considered his acceptance into a prestigious culinary school in Seoul as his last resort. In comparison to his parents’ restaurant, however, The Four Dragons served high-class, gourmet dishes, and had been a hit when it opened a little over a year ago.
This had been the hardest Jeonghan had ever seen Jun work. So, Jeonghan made it a point to work twice as hard as well, baking and experimenting with new recipes to add to the already extensive, and increasingly popular, dessert menu.
Money came in easily.
( But at what cost? )
“Jeonghan, I’m really busy.” It’s been an hour after closing time, and, still, Jun continued to scribble into a logbook. “You can go home first, if you want.”
Jeonghan pursed his lips, reached out to place a hand on top of Jun’s. “Can’t you do that tomorrow?”
Jun merely pulled his arm back, barely sparing the other a glance. “I’ll see you at home, okay?”
Jeonghan’s face visibly fell, but he got up to get his jacket, anyway.
It wasn’t like Jun paid enough attention to see.
Jun passed out the moment he got home, and Jeonghan took it upon himself to take off the other’s shoes, and change him out of his clothes before their covers began to smell like spicy stir-fried noodles.
Two months back in Seoul would do both of them some good.
( If only they were going together. )
--
“This is Kim Mingyu,” Seungcheol began, proudly gesturing toward the taller male that stood high beside him. “My sous chef.”
“Oh, so I’m your sous chef now?” Mingyu teased.
Seungcheol laughed, turned to Jeonghan. “He was still my apprentice, like, last week.”
Jeonghan grinned, offered the other a hand. Mingyu took Jeonghan’s calloused hands into his own, gave it a firm shake. “Culinary school?” he asked.
“Same one,” Seungcheol answered, giving Mingyu a pat on the back. “My pride and joy.”
“I’ve never seen Seungcheol this proud of anyone but himself,” Jeonghan responded, playfully nudging Mingyu's side. Seungcheol scoffed. “You must be pretty fucking special.”
Mingyu smiled, blunt canines charmingly showing. “I sure hope so.”
--
Seungcheol reserved the restaurant for an entire Saturday to celebrate with his friends. For the next hour or so, they had Jun on a shitty, pixelated Skype session until duty called for him yet again.
( "Fix your goddamn wifi."
"Call the fucking company, Jihoon. Damn." )
"It's been busy." Hell, was more an appropriate term, with all their time together being taken away. Jeonghan couldn't count the amount of times he had to explain, enough that the word busy left a bitter taste on his tongue. "I feel bad leaving him to handle everything alone."
Joshua's hand settled on Jeonghan's shoulder, the other offering a glass of champagne. "You need a break, too. Jun will get his, yeah?"
"Yeah," Jeonghan replied under his breath, gratefully taking the glass. "You're right."
"Look who's here!" Soonyoung shouted.
"Minghao!" Seokmin shrieked, running toward the new arrival and almost toppling him over. "I haven't seen you in ages!"
"I live across the street."
"Exactly!"
"Alright, out of the way," Mingyu pushed past the rest to wrap an arm around Minghao's shoulder. "This one's mine.” Minghao elbowed Mingyu in the rib, making the other grimace and wince, “Asshole. Where’s the love?”
Minghao stepped further into the restaurant where he was enthusiastically greeted by the rest of their mutual friends. Jeonghan made eye contact when Seungcheol came to embrace Minghao, and he raised his glass in gesture of a toast. Minghao merely gave him a quick, upward quirk of his lips (a crack of a smile, maybe, or so Jeonghan would like to think), before turning away.
Jeonghan downed his glass in one go.
Jeonghan needed to take a breather, found temporary solace in the kitchen as opposed to finding excuses to head outside into the cold. The sound of background chatter, a set of familiar voices, calmed him down from an impending panic attack.
God, he missed Jun.
Mingyu stumbled into the kitchen, after being pushed by Jihoon, with an empty bottle of wine in hand. Seungcheol specifically told them the night before that Saturday was a time to have fun and relax, but leave it to Jihoon to still order Mingyu around. Jeonghan flinched at the sudden smashing of the kitchen door against the wall.
"Sorry. Did I scare you?"
Jeonghan gave him a tiny smile and a dismissive wave of a hand. "It's fine. I just needed some space."
"You should have seen last week's opening."
"I know." Jeonghan chuckled. "Joshua told me."
Mingyu placed the bottle on the counter before rummaging through the cupboards for another full one. The guests, an intimate number, had already gone through five.
Mingyu's head was starting to spin.
"You okay?" Jeonghan asked. "Need some help?"
"Don't worry. Just doing my job," Mingyu answered, adding just a tinge of sarcasm to his tone as his fingers wrapped themselves around the neck of a new bottle. "Hey, check this out." He popped the bottle open with a nearby knife, and champagne bubbled and spilled over the edges. "Cool, right?"
Jeonghan laughed, gave a slow set of applause in return, to which Mingyu playfully bowed. "Looks like you're all out of wine, though."
"You'd think Jihoon was a vodka uncle instead of a wine dad."
"Oh, Jihoon will drink anything."
There was an impatient knock on the door. "What's taking so long?" Soonyoung asked. "Jihoon's out here dougie-ing on the dance floor."
Mingyu turned to Jeonghan expectantly. The latter offered a smile in return. "Give me a minute."
"I'll keep you company," Mingyu replied, filling up two champagne flutes.
"You don't have to."
Mingyu grinned. "I want to."
--
Mingyu and Minghao have been neighbors since they were sixteen, and had been inseparable ever since Mingyu (literally) stumbled into Minghao’s front yard trying to sneak a peek.
“To know if the new neighbor was cute or not,” Seokmin, who lived across the street, explained.
“Damn, you’re a moron,” Jihoon said the first time they relayed their first meeting to the group. He turned to Minghao. “How do you tolerate this?”
“It’s too late to get rid of him now.”
Mingyu grinned, draped an arm around Minghao’s shoulder to pull the latter close. “Not that you’d want to, right?”
Minghao made a slicing gesture along his throat.
“Right? Right, Minghao?”
It wasn’t until Mingyu decided to go to culinary school, and Minghao to med school, that their time together had been limited to weekends, less during midterms and finals. Eventually, the lack of the sole constant figure in their lives became much too overwhelming that they decided that studying together – if Minghao reading through textbooks in Mingyu’s kitchen could be counted as such – was the best and only solution.
According to Minghao, anyway.
“He’s affectionate.”
They stood around the kitchen, slacking off during slow hours as they always did when Seungcheol wasn’t around, and Jihoon was left in charge.
"I mean," Soonyoung replied, peering over at Jihoon for support. "If it helps you sleep at night.”
“He is!” Mingyu defended, waving around a ladle. “When we’re alone, he is.”
“That’s called being a tsundere,” Soonyoung added.
“You’d know that, huh?” Jihoon said. “Fucking nerd.”
“Oh, I know that all too well.”
It took a good few seconds before Jihoon turned slack-jawed, and he subjected Soonyoung into a short staring competition.
Mingyu watched, waited, chewing on his bottom lip.
“Look, customers!” Soonyoung dashed out of the kitchen with menus tucked under his arm. “Duty calls. Love you. Bye.”
“Regardless,” Jihoon cleared his throat once the kitchen door swung closed, usually pale cheeks an odd shade of red. He hoisted himself up onto the counter behind Mingyu, legs dangling over the edge. “He’s clingy as fuck, isn’t he?”
“That counts as affection.”
“No, it counts as obsession.”
“So, who was that?”
“Who was what?”
“That guy staring at you all night.”
Mingyu could tell Minghao was trying to keep his voice even. He leaned against the doorframe leading to their bedroom, hands tucked into the pockets of his hoodie. “There was a guy staring at me all night?” A pause. “Did you mean Seungcheol? Probably just making sure I don’t break anything again. The last time, I broke two plates– ”
“Idiot,” Minghao muttered under his breath, arms on his hips as he turned to face the other, eyebrows raised expectantly. “The new guy. What was his name again?”
“Oh, Jeonghan!" Mingyu replied, a little too enthusiastic for Minghao's liking. "He’s nice. I like him.”
“You like him?”
“I mean, everyone does.”
“I don’t.”
“He’s Seungcheol’s best friend– ”
Minghao scoffed, shrugging off his jacket, and throwing it on the bed. “I don’t like him,” he repeated, holding Mingyu’s gaze. When Mingyu is stunned to silence, Minghao shut his eyes and sighed, walking over to close the gap between them. “I just,” he started, prodding at Mingyu’s chest with an index finger. “I don’t like the way he looks at you.”
“He wasn’t looking at me.” Minghao squinted. Mingyu added, “He spent all evening with Joshua.”
Minghao chewed on the inside of his cheek, contemplative. After a few beats, he took Mingyu’s hand in his, and pulled him into the room. “Alright," he said, finally. “Come here.”
What Minghao failed to ask, however:
Why were you looking at him?
--
"My best friend's coming home from Shenzhen next week," Seungcheol started, distracted. He carefully eyed the restaurant, newly refurbished and still free from patrons - for now. "Sucks he can't be here today, but you're gonna love him."
"What is this? A matchmaking service-"
"Everyone does."
Jihoon sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose.
Mingyu grinned. "I'm taken."
"So is he?" Seungcheol's brows furrowed. There was a pause on his part until his jaw dropped and his eyes widened. He waved his hands in front of him. "No, no! Don't listen to Jihoon." He muttered under his breath, "What an ass," then back to his regular tone, added, "I'm just saying. He's nice. You'll get along."
"He's pretty hot, too," Soonyoung added helpfully, passing by with a tray of plates. Seokmin nodded, leaning against the host podium with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Soonyoung," Jihoon warned.
"Sorry."
"Alright!" Seungcheol clasped his hands together, gave the restaurant another once-over. Pristine plates were set on the table, newly-washed utensils glistened under the light. "Man your stations."
Mingyu offered Seungcheol a two-finger salute. "Aye aye, Captain," before dashing into the kitchen.
Seokmin stood at the host podium with his ever-ready smile, while Soonyoung, in his apron, remained on standby with his pile of menus and trusty notepad.
Jihoon approached Seungcheol after giving the place one final, thorough check-up. He placed a hand on Seungcheol's shoulder, and, for the first time in awhile, smiled. "Congrats, Cheol."
"Wow, so many people."
"Joshua!"
"Seungcheol, you have not aged a day."
"It's been a year, my poor time-challenged friend.”
Joshua grinned, eyeing the restaurant with a satisfied nod, looking like he might as well have owned the place. He wrapped an arm around Seungcheol’s shoulder, gestured to the full house of patrons with an extended arm. “Everything the light touches is yours.”
Seungcheol playfully nudged him away, laughing as he did so. “Can I get you a seat, Mufasa?”
“Nah, it’s cool. I’ll be back once the you’re free to catch up. Meanwhile,” He gestured behind his back with a thumb. “I’m gonna go shopping for sunglasses since mine broke at the airport.”
--
“Hey, Jun!” Jeonghan began, phone pressed against his ear. “Just calling to check up on you. Everything oka– Oh. I know, I know. It’s a busy time, I just– Okay.”
Mingyu walked out of the backroom in his hoodie, ready to clock out when he overheard the conversation, peered behind metal racks to see Jeonghan pacing around the kitchen.
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I’ll see you in a month. Call me? I love-"
A click. A dead connection.
“I love you,” Jeonghan muttered bitterly to himself, fingers clutching onto his phone tightly. He stared at the screen, at his own reflection. “I love you.”
Mingyu, as he would, tripped over his two left feet upon approaching, and a set of metal trays fell onto the tiled floor, making both flinch at the clattering that echoed in the prior silence. “Oh, shit.”
“What was that?” Seungcheol was immediately at the kitchen door, gradually peeking through in hopes he wouldn’t see another set of broken plates. “Mingyu, I swear to God.”
“It’s nothing!”
“It better be nothing.”
Jeonghan helped pick up the fallen items, the cold pile of metal sending a slight chill up his arm. “It’s nothing, Cheol. Just trays,” he reassured. Seungcheol heaved out a sigh of relief, to which Jeonghan snickered, before leaving the two to clean up.
“You overheard?” Jeonghan asked under his breath, slipping the trays back onto the racks.
“Just… a bit.”
Jeonghan ran a hand through his hair, looking the most dejected Mingyu had seen him since he arrived. It’s a sad sight for such a handsome face. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing.”
It’s a spur of the moment decision. Mingyu had never been one to know how to bite his tongue. “Let me show you something,” he said. “I mean, if you’re up for it.”
“Don’t you…” Jeonghan replied, hesitant. “Minghao..?”
“He’s probably still at the library." He knew it sounded sketchy, but he tried, regardless, "My apartment is just a block away.” Mingyu started moving out the door before Jeonghan even had time to respond in any way. He didn’t bother looking back.
With little hesitation, Jeonghan followed.
“Where do you think they’re going?” Seungcheol asked after the two bid them good night. He glanced at the double doors of the restaurant.
“Who knows?” Joshua replied, lips pressed against a porcelain coffee cup. “Probably somewhere fun.” A sudden gasp. “Let’s do something fun, too.”
Jihoon anxiously ran his fingers along his lower lip. “I don’t like the looks of this."
“I haven’t seen the moon this up close since…”
“Since when?”
Jeonghan laughed breathlessly. “Ever.”
Mingyu grinned. He looked up, hands shoved into the pockets of his graying white hoodie. “I found this by chance,” he admitted. “Minghao and I... Sometimes you just need some space, you know? I thought the rooftop would be a safe space to hide for awhile.”
“I don’t think he likes me.”
“Jun?”
“Minghao.”
Mingyu’s stomach dropped. “Don’t worry,” he tried. “He’s like that with everyone.” Mostly, he wanted to add. “He’s a little wary.”
Jeonghan simply nodded, taking the last few strides toward the ledge. Elbows rested against the concrete as he looked down at the evening hustle and bustle of the city, neon lights too far below to pollute the sky. Stars shone down on them, the moon a guiding light.
“I wish I had somewhere to hide.”
Mingyu stood beside Jeonghan, watched the people shuffling below, ready to go home. “I’ll share.”
Jeonghan chuckled, shaking his head. “I don’t think Minghao would like that very much.”
“Minghao doesn’t know about this place.”
This made Jeonghan spare the other a glance. “For real?”
Mingyu hummed in response. “It’s cheesy, but if you miss Jun, feel free to head on up here to look at the moon. He’s looking at the same one.”
“It’s cheesy, alright,” Jeonghan teased, bumping their shoulders together. “Doesn’t make it any less true.”
“Don’t tell anyone about this place, okay?” Mingyu added. “Our little secret?”
Jeonghan nodded. “Our little secret.”
--
Jeonghan finds himself on the counter, legs wrapped around Mingyu’s waist. Fingers thread through Jeonghan’s hair and tugs. Mingyu’s lips easily find themselves on Jeonghan’s neck, trailing lower, and sucking on the other’s sensitive collarbones.
“Mingyu– Oh, Christ.”
Mingyu heaves out a sigh, forehead dropping onto Jeonghan’s shoulder. He throws a dirty dish towel Soonyoung’s way.
Soonyoung easily dodges, catching the towel with one hand. “What did Jihoon fucking tell you?”
“You’re not telling anyone,” Jeonghan dares.
“Oh, I'm not,” Soonyoung says, stepping aside to present Seokmin standing behind him. “But he is.”
Seokmin’s jaw drops. “Oh, damn.”
Mingyu sucks in a breath through clenched teeth. “Oh, shit.”
Seokmin can’t keep a secret.
He starts sweating bullets the moment Jihoon walks into the kitchen with Seungcheol prior to opening. Soonyoung is reading the morning paper beside him – or pretending to, the newspaper a mere prop to hide his face from Jihoon.
Seungcheol grabs a glass of water, curiously eyeing the other two. Seokmin busies himself with pretending to push buttons on an empty, not to mention, unplugged microwave. “Uhm,” Seungcheol starts. “Good morning–”
“Mingyu and Jeonghan are sleeping together.”
Seungcheol chokes on his water.
Jihoon slams his fist against a metal counter. Sets of cookware clatter above them. A pan falls off a rack, and Soonyoung flies across the room to catch it. “I fucking knew it.”
Mingyu enters the kitchen not a minute later, humming as he casually clocks in. When he finally turns, apron on and cap in hand, he notices that all present eyes are on him. Finally, his gaze lands on Seokmin’s guilty expression. “Goddamn it.”
--
The first kiss was quick and chaste and felt exactly that - a first kiss. All heightened senses, clashing teeth, and smiles pressed against each other.
It took a few weeks before the urgency kicked in, that they had limited time left before the walls of this little space they created for themselves, chaotic in its own right wrong, would crack.
And it did, quicker than they had hoped.
They wanted to forget that a life outside of this – a life beyond the two of them – even existed.
( But only for a dangerous moment. )
--
“I’m sad Jeonghan has to go back so soon.”
“He promised to drag Jun’s ass here in the next few months, but,” Seungcheol sighs, sliding two slices of chocolate cake Jeonghan made earlier across the table. “You’ll be in L.A.”
“I’ll take another break. Just say when,” Joshua replies. “Jeonghan and Mingyu, on the other hand, look like they could use some more time together.”
Joshua, the night prior, urged Mingyu to drive Jeonghan to the airport.
( Oh, sweet, sweet Joshua. )
“What exactly, pray tell, makes you think that?” Jihoon remarks, twirling a fork between his fingers.
“I mean, look,” Joshua grins, taking one of the available forks left on the table. “Good friends in under two months? It’s a Christmas miracle.”
Christmas is in eight months.
Joshua has no sense of time.
“Good friends, huh?”
“Don’t be a dick, Jihoon,” Seungcheol interjects, accusingly pointing a forkful of cake in Jihoon’s face. “It took you two years to like Joshua.”
“Who says I fucking like Joshua?”
“My point exactly.”
--
“Mingyu?”
He turns to see Jeonghan peering through the kitchen door. “Hey, come in,” he greets with a wide smile that almost immediately transitions into a concerned frown. It’s late into the night, and Seungcheol asked Mingyu if he could close up shop. “You okay?” He reaches out, cups Jeonghan’s cheek. He leans in for a kiss, only for Jeonghan to turn his head away.
“I’m leaving tomorrow.”
Mingyu sighs, takes a step back. He runs a hand through his hair. “Right.”
“I can’t keep coming back to this, Mingyu. I still love Jun.”
“And I love Minghao,” Mingyu replies, almost surprised at how easy it was to say that, how it’s still very much true despite the circumstances. “I shouldn’t have-” A pause, and then a sigh. “We shouldn’t have.”
Can you fall for someone this fast?
( They’ll never know. )
--
At the airport, Jeonghan throws a small box the other’s way.
Mingyu easily catches the item in both hands, forehead creasing as he slowly opens it.
“It's a mooncake," Jeonghan explains, a crack of a smile on his lips. He takes a step back, ready to leave, set on keeping this ordeal short. His bags are ready and waiting beside him. “Thanks for bringing the moon to me.”
Mingyu feels his chest tighten. “I’ll see you in a few months?”
Jeonghan chuckles breathlessly. “But not like this.”
Mingyu manages a lopsided grin - the same one Jeonghan’s grown fond of, the same one Mingyu offered him the first day they met, all blunt canines and bright eyes. “I can live with that.”
--
“Another lifetime?”
“Another lifetime.”