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The winter air that hits Jun when he walks outside makes him think:The world has never been this cold before. Which isn’t true, it’s only 30° out, but that’s the chilliest their winter has gotten so far. Jun pulls his knit scarf closer around his neck and his nose, attempting to cover up the exposed skin.
“I’m so sad there’s no snow,” Seokmin says from his left, pouting. It shows in his voice, slightly dismayed.
“Wouldn’t it be colder if there were snow?” Mingyu asks. He wiggles his shoulders as he tries to pull his coat on. He can’t seem to find his right sleeve, writhing around helplessly, so Jun picks it up for him. Mingyu punches his hand through with a little frown on his lips.
“Not necessarily,” Seokmin answers, breath coming out in curls, “but it would make it more bearable. Ah, imagine how much prettier this would be with snow on the ground.”
Jun hops down the stairs, skipping the last step. The field in front of them is ugly- and that’s being nice. Grass and dead trees span forward an unimpressive ten yards or so, framed by a circle of cement sidewalk that leads to an old, asphalt road. Houses line the other side of the street, accompanied by a few (living) pine trees and students who’ve parallel parked their cars.
I can’t parallel park, Jun thinks.
Mingyu laughs a little. “Okay but if it did snow, imagine how sad it would be when it all melts and turns to slush. ”
“I guess you’re right,” Seokmin sighs. Mingyu has a point, slush makes Jun sad. It makes everyone sad. Once, Jun stepped in it and ruined the cuffs of his favorite jeans.
“A first snow would lighten the mood, though,” Jun adds in, “I want snow.”
Jun and his friends have spent the last two hours being grilled by Professor Clio’s history exam, which is soul sucking. Jun isn’t going to be a historian- why does he need to know it? If it was up to him, exams wouldn’t exist. Like, who’s to judge an entire semester of classes off a couple of essays and tests? Who’s to say?
A couple of their classmates are close behind as they exit the building, also commenting on the temperature.
“I would be fine if it wasn’t windy. The wind makes it so much worse.” Seungkwan comments, his lips pursed together. He’s doing that thing he always does when he’s upset- mouth scrunched like he ate a lemon and eyebrows downturned. He and Vernon, who’s grinning in amusement, turn down the other sidewalk from Jun and his friends, towards the East Entrance for another exam.
“See you tomorrow! Don’t catch a cold!” Mingyu suddenly shouts, cupping his hands around his mouth. He doesn’t really need to do that, because he’s loud enough already, but Seungkwan and Vernon wave back- their pinks cheek, smiles bright. Jun blows a goodbye kiss in their direction, which Seungkwan playfully reaches out and grabs, clasping his hands tightly to his chest.
The three make their way to Mingyu’s car ( he can parallel park). Jun sits shotgun and Seokmin slips into the middle seat so he can see everyone, per the norm. Jun wiggles deeper into his seat, taking off his scarf but letting the fluffy rim of his hood envelop him.
Their backpacks are thrown into a chaotic pile on the old car’s floor, and a pencil comes loose from Seokmin’s front pocket. Just as he leans down to get it, Mingyu blasts the heat, and a puff of loose winter air hits Seokmin square in the face.
Jun giggles, watching him jolt back abruptly. “How did that feel?”
“Not great,” Seokmin says, but because he’s good-natured, there’s an eye-crinkling smile on his face. Mingyu, completely unaware of what he’s caused, cranks the car into drive and shimmies his way out of the parking space.
“Where do we want to go?” The driver asks, brown eyes bright and sparkling as he looks to Jun, who’s looking out the window. He’s never been the one to make the decisions- he’d rather just go with what the group says. Not out of lack of caring, but because he’s cool with most anything.
“Moon Jun,” Mingyu insists, “you choose.” Now Jun can’t just ignore that. Not that nickname, and especially not when his friend is looking at him with that dumb, puppylike grin on his face. Jun rolls his eyes, letting out a low hum.
“Hmm,” he clicks his tongue, “Ambrosia?”
“But it’s cold out!” Seokmin pipes up. Not in a how-dare-you-suggest-that way, but more a, dude-it’s-30-out-why-would-we-get-shakes way.
“But it’s close! It’s all I could think of.” Jun says, somewhat apologetically, before Mingyu butts in.
“And Jun likes sweets! We’re going, it’s tradition.” The brunette flicks on his turn signal and takes an abrupt right. Mingyu may be their driver of choice, but it doesn’t mean he’s a good one. Just the only one with a car.
Ambrosia, their local ice cream shop (and the best place for chocolate milkshakes) is only a 10 minute drive from campus. In a town like theirs, small and built completely to serve the students attending college, there isn’t much to do but drive around, eat food, and hit the bars. They don’t do that last one much, especially during finals, but the nearest mall is a 40 minute drive away, and interesting as it is, nobody has time for that.
So drinking it is.
Especially since their university- Muse College of the Arts- has such a small student body, it’s easy to hit the town on weekends because you always knew where everyone was.
Founded by the ancient grecian muses themselves- don’t tell them Jun said “ancient”- their school focuses on the arts: poetry, music, theatre, history, some sciences and mathematics, and so on. They still have directed areas of study, just like any other university, except they don’t call it “majors”. Rather, each one of them is training to become a “muse” of their own. Cheesy, yeah, but the most skilled artists in the universe have the right to be a little vain about what they call their students.
Seokmin takes private lessons with Euterpe to learn instruments and tune his voice, Mingyu learns how to chart stars with Urania, and Jun practices acting with Melpomene. Which was why Professor Clio’s relentless lectures were so difficult- only Seungcheol knew that stuff. And barely him, at that! Jun remembers seeing the older boy walk out of the exam room with sweat beading down his forehead and a dead look in his eyes.
Mingyu blasts the latest pop song on the radio, and Seokmin sings along loudly. Jun doesn’t know the lyrics- he can’t really understand what the hell the singer is saying in the first place- and he’s not built for belting out notes like Seokmin is. So he stays quiet and bops along in his seat, content to enjoy the song with his friends.
He’s glad the stars aligned to put them all in the same place. College is scary, and Jun doesn’t know where he’d be without them- without Minghao, or Jihoon, or any of their other friends. Jun thinks he’s especially lucky to have met them at Muse, of all places. Their college is competitive, to say the least.
It’s a privilege to be taught by greek legends in their expertise fields. Jun is fortunate enough to have mythical blood in him, allowing him to be admitted to the school in the first place. Not everyone did, after all.
In the past few decades, figures and deities that the public knew well from scripture and fables had revealed themselves. Even mythics like witches and wizards gained public legitimacy- actually, Jun and his friends would be considered “wizards”. But they weren’t the type that people usually picture, like in Harry Potter . Such an old series had been discontinued a long time ago for its factual inaccuracies and superstitions.
People weren’t walking around with the ability to fly, or spin fate, or cast curses. Hydras and the like weren’t just running amok- well, Jeonghan had convinced Mingyu and Jun once that he’d slain one, but how credible was that anyway. Maybe years and years ago, but not now.
They were “wizards” because they had a little magical blood working in their favor. Mingyu, for example, was thought to have a connection to the goddess Persephone far back in his lineage. He was really good with flowers- had a green thumb, more so than other people. So stuff like that.
For Jun, it was his theatrical skills. In addition to his magical qualifications, he was eligible to apply to Muse College, and- well- one thing led to another, and he earned the opportunity to study under Melpomene, the muse of tragedy.
She wasn’t nearly as dramatic as old literature made her out to be, Jun quickly realized, but that doesn’t make the experience any less surreal. He’s lucky, his friends are lucky. But they still drive to their classes just like everyone else, pay rent, and cry over the first ten minutes of Up.
Being mythical is normal to Jun. It’s just a part of him.
The heat is turned up so high in the car that it’s fogging up with windows, blossoms of white sprouting along the glass. Mingyu dispels the fog that’s clinging to the dashboard, and Jun draws a little cat on his window.
The ride to Ambrosia is short, it always feels short, and they zip their coats back up before exiting the car and running into the diner-esque ice cream parlor. Seokmin holds the door open for Jun and Mingyu before slamming it shut with a loud sigh of relief at escaping the outdoors.
“Hey! Quiet down you hooligans!” Hebe, the shop owner, called out from the kitchen.
Seokmin gives a sheepish, “Sorry!” in response.
Her daughter, a high schooler named Rhea, mans the counter. She smiles at Jun, Mingyu, and Seokmin when they enter, not strained or unfriendly like her mother, but still customer service-y. Jun suspects she’s only friendly with them because they’re very loyal customers of Ambrosia. They’ve come to the parlor too many times for Jun to count on two hands- this semester alone. Actually, not even two hands and two feet. That’s more than twenty times.
“Three chocolate shakes?” Rhea asks, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. She doesn’t even wait for their response, swiftly walking to the machines to throw three frosty glasses into order.
“Thank you!” Mingyu says politely, a smile on his face. Seokmin and Jun take a seat in a window booth, and Jun hikes his feet up on the weird, laminate vinyl so he can rest his chin on his knees. The booths are made of the same material you find in every diner: white leather trim on puffy bench cloaked in sparkling, cherry red vinyl. Jun hasn’t found a diner with different seating yet in his 22 years of living. And each one sticks to you when you try to move around, even if it’s squeaky clean.
It only takes a couple of minutes for the three to get adjusted before the shakes Rhea made are sat in front of them. Mingyu’s has a healthy helping of glossy, sweet smelling whipped cream, and each has a pink and blue striped, paper straw sticking out of it.
Seokmin takes a deep sip before anyone has a chance to breathe, letting out a satisfied, “Aah!”
“Tastes good?” Mingyu asks, somewhat mischievously.
“After that test I didn’t think I’d ever be able to experience joy again. This is better than ‘good’.” Seokmin gives his shake a stir before going in again.
“The Byzantine Empire was founded in 330 AD, right?” Jun asks, glancing at his friends across the speckled, plastic countertop. He raises an eyebrow when they don’t respond immediately.
“I thought it was 300 AD?” Seokmin says, eyes blinking wide and innocent, throwing Jun into a silent panic. That was the one question he was sure about- he and Professor Clio even went over it together.
“It is 300 AD.” Mingyu nods, using the end of his straw to swallow a dollop of whipped cream. Jun shakes his head, frantic.
“No way! I’m googling it.” He pulls out his phone, typing when was the byzantine emprie fonoug, okay, erasing… typing again… when was the byzantine empire founded? “Aha! 330 AD!” Jun announces, flipping his phone around so Mingyu and Seokmin can see.
“Shit!” Mingyu hisses, under his breath. Seokmin’s forehead meets the table with a smack! of despair.
“This is why I never think about the exam after I take it,” Seokmin mumbles, his voice muffled by the table and the cocoon of his arms. “Cursed.”
“Hey! Don’t hurt the furniture!” Rhea reprimands him tartly from behind the counter. Seokmin has a loud head, Jun thinks.
“Ugh, Clio loves doing stuff like that,” Mingyu complains, picking at the table’s metal lining. He’s pouting again, and Jun can’t help but laugh.
He’s right- Clio, being the literal muse of history, knows more about the subject than any mortal like them. She’s the expert in it. And although she’s merciful enough to make her tests multiple choice, her answers are enough to have even the most sure-minded student trip up. For example, their options on the Byzantine Empire question had been: “330 AD, 300 AD, 400AD, and 340AD.” … What kind of monster?
“Just wait for Thursday night. We’re doing our lab with Urania and you’ll ace it,” Seokmin says with encouragement, lifting his head up from the table. Just then, his phone buzzes, causing all three of them to jump.
Jun takes a sip of his shake, puffing his cheeks out to hold more of the smooth, creamy liquid before swallowing. He kind of feels like one of those stone fish that spit out water on fountains, and he lifts his head up to show Mingyu. But Mingyu- the bastard- leans over to slap his palms against Jun’s cheeks before the older boy knows what’s happening.
Mingyu giggles like a certified asshole as the chocolate shake (precious, precious chocolate shake) projectiles from Jun’s mouth onto- luckily- his napkin, just centimeters away from where Seokmin is typing on his phone.
“Guys, watch it!” he laughs, too taken aback by the sudden assault to do anything but laugh along. Mingyu hasn’t stopped chuckling, causing Jun to snort- which makes it even harder to swallow the remaining shake in his mouth- as he balls up his napkin and cleans off the countertop.
Mingyu offers a handshake truce, grinning, “Sorry, Moon Jun. Forgive me?” Jun takes his outstretched hand without hesitation, but instead of shaking on it, gives a squeeze tight enough to make Mingyu yelp. The tall boy retracts his hand quickly, giving Jun a kicked-puppy look.
All in good fun.
They enjoy their shakes after that- like, actually enjoy them, by consuming the products they paid for. Jun talks about the lessons Melpomene has been putting him through. She and Thalia, Seungkwan’s mentor, decided the two should start practicing together instead of on their own. They say it’s because Jun and Seungkwan represent tragedy and comedy- and that one cannot exist without the other.
Jun’s actually enjoying their sessions, because he feels like he and Seungkwan are really learning from each other. He decides to leave out the detail that Seungkwan always brings a fresh tangerine or two in his backpack, and is generous enough to share with Jun during their breaks.
Mingyu would steal that fruit in a minute if he knew.
“Hey,” Seokmin says, after an unusual stretch of silence. He finally looks up from his phone, at Jun and Mingyu. “Would it be okay if my buddy Soonyoung stopped by? He’s had a hard day and is looking for some advice.”
“Why not?” Jun asked. “I bet we can help him, right?”
“What’s on his mind?” Mingyu continues, taking a sip of his shake and looking at Seokmin with wide, curious eyes. An unexpected pang of gratefulness hits Jun. He’s glad to have friends like Mingyu and Seokmin- ones who truly care about the people close to them. It’s nice to be cared about in that way.
“Some guy,” Seokmin says, eyebrows wiggling. It creates a ripple effect- Mingyu wriggles his eyebrows, and then Jun, until they’re all wiggling at each other like spasming inchworms.
“Ah, I love romance. This’ll be fun,” Mingyu says, dreamily. Definitely something Urania instilled in him- forever the one to fantasize about love.
Jun sums up all his courage to say, “Why aren’t you good at it then?” To which Mingyu turns bright red, burying his face in his hands.
“You may love romance, but does romance love you? Minghao sure doesn’t.” Seokmin adds on, voice light and teasing. It’s like he’d break a bone if he tried to be genuinely mean, and luckily Mingyu doesn’t take it that way, because he lets out a snort.
“Touché, bro. Touché.”
Seokmin’s friend arrives about ten minutes later. He has plump, friendly cheeks turned pink by the wind, and black hair that’s definitely not his natural color, because Jun can see bleach damage even through the dark dye. Soonyoung- that’s his name- settles in comfortably next to Jun, offering him a bright smile even though this is the first time they’ve met. It makes Jun feel like they’ve known each other for ages.
“Everyone, this is Soonyoung. Soonyoung, this is Mingyu and Jun. We all take classes together at Muse.” Seokmin introduces everyone at the table, and Soonyoung waves brightly at Mingyu, who waves back almost immediately. Seokmin turns to Jun, “I met Soonyoung on the street at night. Sounds creepy, but he was coming home from dance practice at his studio as I was coming home from lessons with Euterpe. Funny thing, actually- I thought he was following me, and he thought I was following him , and, well, now we’re friends.”
“Oh, you dance?” Jun asks, interested. Soonyoung turns on him with a megawatt smile, his cheeks puffing up.
“Yeah! I own Highlight Studio. Have you heard of it?”
“I haven’t,” Jun says, feeling apologetic, “but our friend Chan might. Do you- do you know him? Lee Chan?”
Soonyoung taps his finger against his chin, before going, “ Yaha! He’s that young prodigy kid- from your college. I should’ve known.” He snaps, a loud, choreographer snap, and Jun laughs.
“Seokmin tells us you’re having love troubles?” Mingyu jumps right in, innocently sipping out the last of his shake. It makes an awful slurping noise through the straw and Jun scrunches his nose.
Soonyoung seems ready to talk as well, and catches them up to speed without hesitation. Apparently there’s this guy he’s known since elementary school (elementary school!) named Wonwoo, who he’s recently developed feelings for. According to Soonyoung, they’re inseparable friends despite whatever differences they may have. He also insists that, even though it seems like Wonwoo and he hate each other at times, that’s not the truth.
“I can’t tell if I’ve always had these feelings or if they’re, like, a new thing.” Soonyoung explains, making eye contact with each boy around the table as he speaks. “Like, it’s kind of weird to ask myself if I’ve liked him for longer than I thought.”
Jun is interested. He likes other people and hearing about their personal gossip, though he’s not one to poke around in the first place.
In terms of relationships, Jun knows he comes off as a guy who has experience. He’s not bad at flirting and has had a couple of flings, but in a small college town it’s hard to explore your options without everyone finding out about it. What’s more, Jun really only has his eye on one person, that pursuit is… futile, to say the least.
“For Christmas I bought him this video game he really wanted,” Soonyoung is in the middle of a story when Jun snaps back to reality. “And I swear, guys, the look on his face was priceless . Not, like, priceless where I played a prank on him but just… he was so happy.” Seokmin nudges over the last remainders of his chocolate malt so Soonyoung can finish it off.
Mingyu sighs, “You’re in deep.”
“I know,” Soonyoung huffs, sliding his face down in his propped up hands. It makes his cheeks squish more.
“So,” Seokmin starts, thinking over his words carefully. “Do you want this to be a venting session for you, or do you want advice?” Jun blesses him for asking, for being so kind.They all turn to Soonyoung.
“I’m totally up for taking action,” Mingyu interjects. “These two might disagree, but I’m kind of a romantic, and I think-” Jun and Seokmin discourage Mingyu by waving their hands. They both know about his crush on Minghao- one of their classmates and Jun’s close friend since before-Muse. It’s been three years since Mingyu started crushing on Minghao and he is yet to make a move.
Soonyoung laughs, bright and carefree.
“I wouldn’t mind your help! I just don’t know what to do with these... feelings . Believe me, I’m the guy to take action, but I just… Wonwoo is different.” Soonyoung wraps his hands around the emptied shake glass, and Jun notices how cute his fingers are.
“How so?” Jun asks. By the time the words are out of his mouth, he realizes how quiet he’s been the entire conversation. And Soonyoung- well, he actually looks a little taken aback, before recovering with a soft smile. He thinks, going quiet for a bit, and Jun can actually see him thinking.
“He’s the person I feel most comfortable with.” For the first time since their meeting, Jun sees Soonyoung being bashful. He ducks his chin to his chest, refusing to meet the eyes around the table. “I don’t want to mess that up.”
Like, really. Even though they’ve just met, Jun feels more than compelled to help. Mingyu seems to feel the same, too, from the looks of it. Soonyoung doesn’t even know them- he only knows Seokmin- yet he was brave enough to open up about such an emotional subject. In Ambrosia, no less. And Seokmin is his friend, so Jun knows he can’t be a bad guy.
Maybe it’s because they all have an unfinished love story of their own, and helping Soonyoung is a way to fill the void. To see someone succeed where they cannot. Wait- nope, too deep, Jun is far too tired to go down that road.
Seokmin brings up a good point, asking, “Didn’t the muses say we should start thinking of ways to actually apply our skills in real life?”
Mingyu nods thoughtfully. He says, “We have had a lot of practice in classes. And I’m sure the rest of the guys would be up for helping…”
“We can do this! What’s so hard about getting two people who are already in love,” Jun says, nudging Soonyoung, “to admit their feelings?”
“Let’s DO this!” Seokmin triumphantly declares, standing up in his seat. It makes the table shift and clatter, and Rhea looks over at them with a cautionary glare. Jun realizes they’ve been making a ruckus the entire visit, and that they’ve been there for too long. He starts to play with the zippers on his coat, tucking things away and hoping his friends will follow suit.
“What’s better is that, like, none of us know Wonwoo. So he won’t expect anything. Don’t worry about it,” Mingyu says, crossing his arms. Jun nods along. They’re being taught by the literal greek muses of the arts, if anyone should be able to help Soonyoung it’s them.
“Seriously?” Soonyoung asks, “But we just met.” The grin on his face is hesitant, yet excited.
“Why not?” Seokmin says, smiling so brightly Jun thinks the room gets warmer.
Soonyoung pauses. Then smiles ear to ear, letting out a whooping, “YEAH! Let’s DO this!” Mingyu, Seokmin, and even Jun cheer in response, their celebratory noise-making breaking the peace of the otherwise quiet parlor.
“Haven’t you been here long enough?” Calls Hebe from the back, the shrillness of her voice shaking all the boys. Finally, they get Jun’s cues to leave, and start gathering their belongings.
Jun finds something about this exciting. It’s like the world around him is moving. What’s life without a little drama? A little romance?
They promise to get Soonyoung and Wonwoo together by the end of the week, and part ways.
The next morning, Jun experiences the rowdiest car ride of his life. He, Seokmin, and Mingyu have never been so awake at 9:00am, especially during finals week. It’s like the world has turned upside down, Jun almost expects to see pigs flying. Or their exams being cancelled. Ooh, he’d like that one.
Mingyu and Jun live in the same apartment complex, so Jun always gets picked up first. If they’re running early enough, they get coffee and pick up Seokmin before getting to campus. This morning, some mysterious internal alarm must’ve gone off in each of them, because Jun gets to the car before Mingyu does, and right when they’re locked and loaded, they go to the Starbucks drive through and order ventis instead of their usual grandes. A black coffee for Mingyu, a latte for Seokmin, and a frappuccino for Jun.
But, yes, the car ride. Once Seokmin climbs in, all hell breaks loose. It was already loud between just Mingyu and Jun, the two of them banging on the dashboard to create a personal, percussion background while listening to various musical soundtracks. Seokmin gets in, grabs his latte, and lets out a deep whoop.
“My friends! My brothers! Brothers in arms!” he yells, and Jun cheers, pumping his fist up. He doesn’t know what’s gotten into them, but he loves it. “Today’s the day,” Seokmin continues, “After this exam, the Soonyoung Syndicate jumps into action.”
“Soonyoung Syndicate?” Mingyu asks, eyeing their friend through the driver’s mirror.
“What about the S.S. Soonyoung?” Jun says, turning around in his seat. “We set sail today!”
“Soonyoung Syndicate makes us sound like a gang, I like Jun’s idea.” Mingyu says, laughing. He flicks his turn signal on, waiting at a stoplight
“S.S. Soonyoung! S.S. Soonyoung!” Jun chants, Seokmin joining in. There’s so many ‘s’ sounds being made he almost forgets that ‘s’ is a letter, or that “Soonyoung” is a real name. It sounds just like noises after you say it for awhile.
Professor Erato’s final is today: the muse of lyrical poetry and love. She didn’t plan an exam, but rather asked the students to bring in a collection of poems they’ve been working on over the semester to read aloud. The collection was supposed to accumulative to put less stress on them, but who really sticks to deadlines if they don’t have to. Jun wrote three at 1:00am, and going by the retweets on Jihoon’s twitter, he wasn’t the only one to putting it off.
Minghao, Erato’s pupil, is probably the only one who did the work in advance. And maybe Mingyu, because Mingyu was a try-hard and liked to impress the muses.
Okay, Jun was also up late because he, Soonyoung, Mingyu, and Seokmin had started a groupchat together. They figured it was the easiest way to reach the dancer and get information. After all, Jun and Mingyu only knew him through Seokmin, so it was essentially like helping a stranger. Not that they minded.
Jun, Seokmin, and Mingyu had already decided on a first line of attack: a romantic poem. Something that Soonyoung could give Wonwoo to break the ice- something that had meaning, and Wonwoo would like. What confession was complete without waxing poetic, right?
The final goes by smoothly- Jun gets a chance to stretch his acting chops, as does Seungkwan. Minghao’s readings make Jun feel heavy in the chest, like a brick is resting on him. His words hold wisdom beyond his experience, painting a picture of emotion.
Jun looks over at the wistful expression on Mingyu’s face as their friend reads his pieces, and stifles a laugh. Erato is gazing at her student with proud, dreamy eyes. If only she knew.
Jihoon and Vernon are exceptional as well. It’s only expected, as they’re two mentees of poetry-focused muses. If Jihoon did anything less than deliver, Jun suspects Calliope would give him a strict talking-to. And even though his poems aren’t all about philosophies and love like Minghao’s, they still make Jun feel weird. He feels like he might float away while listening, so focused on the words coming out of Jihoon’s mouth- and Jihoon’s mouth.
Okay, moving away from that.
When class finishes, Mingyu, Seokmin, and Jun abandon their bags to corner Minghao before he has a chance to leave.
“Xu Minghao,” Jun says, hopping on top of Minghao’s desk. The younger raises an eyebrow at him.
“Yes?”
“We have a favor to ask of you,” says Seokmin, all too-politely, arms crossed. Minghao laughs a little bit, and Jun thinks he sees Mingyu blushing. Adorable.
“What’s up?” Minghao replies. He sets down his over-the-shoulder bag (which, of course he has), and leans against his chair. Today, Minghao is wearing a fuzzy tan and plaid sweater that’s a size or two too big on him, his honey hair curled on his forehead. Even on exam days, he looks nice.
“So we have this friend who needs some help. He wants to confess to his friend, but doesn’t know how, and we were hoping you could write a poem to get them going. Because you’re a romantic, and you can write, and.. You know.” Mingyu says, fast, and when Minghao looks skeptical he adds, “It’s for a friend. A good guy.”
“This ‘friend’ isn’t one of you, right?” Minghao asks. His eyes glitter mischievously, indulging in giving them a hard time.
“No,” Mingyu pouts.
“Yeah, okay.” Minghao says, but he’s obviously joking, and he bumps his shoulder up against Mingyu to make up for it. Jun tries to ignore the way Mingyu is internally fighting a smile from appearing on his face.
“Minghao, please? If anyone can do this, it’s you.” You can’t say no to Seokmin. Especially when he asks like that- so sincere and full of truth, and hope. Minghao smiles fondly, patting him on the shoulder.
“Yeah, I’ll help. Now that this final is over I can breathe.” He rolls his shoulders back and gives his hair a toss in typical Minghao-style. “So this is a romance-confession-thing?”
Jun steps in, “Yes! His name is Soonyoung, and he’s been in love with his friend, Wonwoo, for awhile. It’s a crisis, Minghao. A gay crisis. A gaysis. He needs your help.”
“Wonwoo really likes to read, but Soonyoung is no good at writing. He wants to do something special, just for Wonwoo, and we were hoping you could write it for him.” Seokmin explains helpfully. But Minghao just stares back at them, lips pursed in thought, and Mingyu gives him a, “What’s wrong?” look.
“I can’t just write a poem for someone I don’t know,” Minghao says, reprimanding almost like a teacher. “Even if Soonyoung can’t write, how weird would it be if I did it? I can help him, but he should be the one to come up with it.
“Hao, come on,” Mingyu whines, looking down at Erato’s student. “You write poems all the time for people you don’t know! Like those ones you just gave in class. We just need a general love poem, Soonyoung can customize it.” Jun sees a furious blush covers Minghao’s cheeks as he shakes his head. One can assume it’s because Mingyu just downplayed his entire craft but-
Softly, Minghao says, “Those aren’t generic. You have to have someone in mind. It has to mean something.” Mingyu sighs, not getting the answer he wants, so Jun takes the moment to interject.
“Sorry, Hao Hao. But we still would really appreciate your help.” Jun grins, taking the younger by the shoulders. “You’re the best at this stuff! Make this romance happen!” It seems to work, shaking Minghao out of whatever weird funk he was temporarily thrown into. The boy waves off Jun with a laugh, and looks to Seokmin.
“Fine. Give me this Soonyoung guy’s number and I’ll see what I can do.” Minghao is smiling now, looking at Jun and then Mingyu. What a cheeseball.
Seokmin texts Minghao the contact information and says, “Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“Whatever,” Minghao says, casually, waving off the praise. He finally gathers his bag, adjusting the strap on his shoulder. “Let me know if you need anything else, okay?” Jun winks at Minghao who ignores him- nothing Jun isn't used to, he knows it's all in good fun. The tall boy slips out of the room with a quick look back, and then he's gone.
“Soonyoung is really gonna appreciate this,” Seokmin says, basically vibrating from happiness. “Make sure to thank Minghao again for us later.” This is directed at Mingyu, who’s mouth falls open.
“W-what do you-” he sputters, before sighing, “I hate you both.
Step one is considered a success.
Later that night, they huddle in Jun's tiny apartment trying to hatch up the rest of their plan. Mingyu puts tea on the stove when he comes over, watching the water come to a boil as Seokmin taps his pencil against an empty notepad.
Jun hooks his phone up to the small stereo Minghao bought him as a move-in gift, and scrolls aimlessly through his Spotify, nothing catching his eye.
"What about country?" he asks, "Or this playlist called 'Ellen'."
"Like the talkshow host?" Mingyu asks, eyebrows knit with confusion.
"Like the talkshow host. Spotify has a playlist for her. Or- oh! There's a 'Focus' playlist! Maybe that'll help." Jun click on it and shuffles the music without waiting for a reply. Seokmin lets out a deep sigh from his place at the table, frustrated with himself.
"Do you think Wonwoo likes food? We could get Soonyoung to cook him dinner or something. That's romantic," Mingyu muses. He kneels down, folding over his long legs tightly, checking on the batch of chocolate chip cookies he put in the oven. Like with driving and romance, Mingyu isn't amazing at cooking. He's serviceable, by the average person's definition. One of the first things Jun learned about Mingyu is that he's good at making prepackaged stuff, like ramen or cookie dough, or a simple pasta dish.
But he's not a chef.
"Cooking is a good idea but... not for Soonyoung. Once he put instant mac n' cheese in the microwave without water and evacuated his apartment complex." Seokmin says, smiling despite how childishly tragic that seems.
"I did that once with popcorn," Jun jumps in, "but I was drunk so that probably had more to do with it."
"What should we do instead, then?" Seokmin asks. He sounds so earnest, voice open and asking for help, that Jun feels compelled to abandon his control over the music and give him a tight hug.
"Cheer up!" Jun says, draping himself over Seokmin's back. Has he been working out lately? Huh. "We promised we'd help so that's what we're gonna do."
"Yeah," Mingyu says, grabbing oven an oven mitt from above Jun's stove. They're baby blue with little cats on them. "Don't worry, Seok! Good ideas take time. We're just fried from finals, that's all. Plus, think about how proud the muses will be when we tell them about this. We’re actually putting what they’ve taught us to use." The brunette pulls his tray from the oven, almost catching the sheet of parchment paper in the door as he closes it. Jun detaches from Seokmin and scoots his way over, grabbing a fresh cookie and plopping it in his mouth. He ignores the fact that it kind of feels like molten lava on his tongue, because he's hungry.
Jun grabs a little plate and fills it with cookies, bringing it over to Seokmin, who's doodling smiley faces and weird little animals on their blank notebook page. He gives him another pat on the back.
"You're right. Ugh. Why is it that we come up with one good idea, and suddenly our brains don't work anymore? I wish I was more like Jihoon, that guy never stops working." Seokmin bites a cookie to drown his sorrows, flinching at the heat, and Jun stifles a giggle as Seokmin sticks out his tongue.
"That's not a bad idea, actually," says Mingyu. Jun and Seokmin look up to him.
"What's not a bad idea?"
"Asking Jihoon," Mingyu explains. "He's Calliope's student- he's, like, the perfect candidate for this kind of stuff."
"Jihoon isn't romantic at all," Seokmin says- which is not a lie.
"But he works hard, right? And he's talented. If we want to actually put what we're learning to the test, he'll be the most helpful. Like- you remember the lecture Calliope gave us first day, freshman year. The reason we go to this school is because we want to use our skills to make a difference." Mingyu says. He takes a threatening bite of his cookie, almost choking on it because he's talking so fast. His eyes are seriously invigorated and his cheeks are puffed out as he tries to speak and chew at the same time, and Jun lets out a snort.
"She helped Homer with the Odyssey or something, right?" Seokmin asks.
"It was Homer, but that was the Iliad. " Jun corrects him, softly.
"It was the Iliad . But what I’m trying to say is that Jihoon is going to be the most helpful. He already writes and composes songs that people actually listen to- which is a step ahead of any of us." Mingyu says matter-of-factly, like it's the best idea he's come up with.
Jun has to admit, it doesn't sound like an awful plan. Their attempt to ask Minghao had been successful in the end, after a little cajoling. He does feel a little bad thinking about asking Jihoon, though, because the boy is already so busy as it is. And this isn't exactly something Jun wants to go to him for advice on, either...
"Could we-" Jun starts, and Mingyu and Seokmin look to him immediately. "Could we come up with some ideas of our own and bring them to him? I mean, Minghao is already planning on doing some poetry stuff. I know Wonwoo likes reading but I don't think he wants only weird poems."
"Good point," says Seokmin, and Jun breathes a silent sigh of relief. Mingyu nods, going deep into thought once again. The kitchen is silent for a couple of minutes, besides the playlist drifting over the portable speaker, as the three plunge into their own minds.
"Flowers... how did we not think about flowers?" Mingyu mutters.
"Huh?" Jun asks. He feels behind, all of a sudden, like he should be helping out where he’s not.
"Flowers are romantic, right? What if Soonyoung picked out a bouquet for Wonwoo and gave it to him with the poem when he confesses?" Mingyu is getting excited. "I know a really good flower shop just outside of town I could drive us to."
"That's really sweet, Mingyu," Seokmin says. "I'm sure anyone would appreciate that.
Jun turns to Seokmin, "We should ask Soonyoung more about the things Wonwoo likes. That might help us understand better."
"I'm on it," Seokmin says, smiling. Mingyu is still standing by the oven, deep in thought, before snapping his fingers.
"They should go on a date! Yeah- if we get the flowers, and the poem, we can send them out on a romantic date. Does Wonwoo like stars? There's a meteor shower happening soon. Everyone loves a good meteor shower!" Mingyu is so detailed it almost seems like he's planned this out before...
"That sounds like something Minghao would like," Jun says, without thinking. From the color that immediately takes over Mingyu's cheeks, he's definitely planned this out before. "Sorry," Jun giggles, patting him on the shoulder.
"Those are still good ideas, Mingyu! Let's start there." Seokmin adds on, trying to lift up his embarrassed friend's spirits. Mingyu hides his face in his hands with a breathy laugh, hair flopping forward, and Jun ruffles it gently. Like a puppy.
"Has Soonyoung responded?" Jun asks, looking to the boy at the counter.
"Actually- yes. He says: 'I’ve told you everything I know, young one’." Seokmin chuckles. "He keeps texting in a bunch of little messages and I don't really know what these emoticons mean, but yeah."
So they're going to ask Jihoon, then. That's fine by Jun.
He probably knows the most about this stuff anyway, like Mingyu pointed out. What can they offer that he can’t? Jun feels like he hasn’t given a single helpful suggestion this whole evening.
The kettle starts whistling and Mingyu pulls down mugs from Jun’s cabinet, laying them out and popping a tea bag in each one. Smoke curls from the kettle spout, whining and hot.
“Do you want this mug?” Mingyu asks Jun, holding up a little tan, ceramic cup. It has a cute black cat fishing in a boat under the stars, but instead of using bait, he’s using a bright red magnet. Vernon gave it to him.
“You know it,” Jun says. Mingyu nods, a satisfied little smile on his face, as he finishes preparing their tea.
“Now that we’ve planned all that out,” Seokmin announces, “how about we watch a movie or something?” He slams shut the notebook he’s been scrawling on, finished writing their ideas for Wonwoo and Soonyoung’s date. Jun notices he titled the page ‘S.S. Soonyoung’.
“Nothing like avoiding the crushing weight of finals with a good ‘ole movie!” Mingyu says, handing Jun’s mug over and grabbing his and Seokmin’s. Jun balances the plate of cookies on his left arm, trying to hold it like one of those fancy waiters before setting it down on his coffee table with a flourish.
“Your dessert, sires. Fresh from the bakery,” he says, motioning for his friends to each take one. They settle down together, getting comfortable, and Jun turns on the television.
“Why thank you! This looks most exquisite.” Seokmin replies, in a kind-of British accent yet not quite. Mingyu giggles, throwing a blanket over the three of them.
“Ooh- can we watch
The Grinch
?”
Despite none of them planning to do so, Seokmin and Mingyu end up sleeping over at Jun’s apartment. They passed out on the couch about 40 minutes deep into
Elf
, and Jun slyly outfitted them with pillows, blankets, and water for the morning before slipping into his own room. He supposes they should be a little more worried about focusing on studies and going to bed at a proper time, given it’s finals and all, but who cares? Seokmin is the best at arguing against all-nighters. He reasons that,
‘We’ve learned all we can at this point. We won’t magically become experts overnight, so let’s save ourselves the stress.’
Jun wakes up before either of them do, winter sunlight filtering through the shades he forgot to close last night. Instinctively, he pulls out his phone and checks his social media and messages. There’s a new text from Minghao.
little eight (=｀ェ´=)
1:07 am
jun
1:30 am
jun
2:13 am
wen junhui
He laughs, stretching his fingers before typing out a response.
me
8:26 am
you called? ( ⓛ ω ⓛ *)
It doesn’t take long for Minghao to get back to him.
little eight (=｀ェ´=)
8:28 am
how do you know this soonyoung guy again
me
8:29 am
he’s seokmin’s friend! which means he’s a friend of ours!
little eight (=｀ェ´=)
8:30 am
okay just wondering
8:32 am
and you’re making us all help? are you asking jihoon?
me
8:32 am
maybe /ᐠ｡ꞈ｡ᐟ\
8:32 am
seok, gyu, and i thought it would be good practice
Minghao takes a little longer to respond, and Jun finds himself growing nervous. He writhes around a little bit in bed, kicking up the covers with his feet so he can bundle under deeper. His phone lights up again, almost giving him a heart attack.
little eight (=｀ェ´=)
8:40 am
if you and seokmin trust soonyoung then i trust him. he just texts like a kid. don’t meddle too much and get yourself hurt somehow.
Jun smiles as he reads that last part.
me
8:42 am
hao hao… are you worried about me?
8:45 am
/ᐠ ._. ᐟ\
He doesn’t get a response after that, which is fine. The text from Minghao leaves a warm feeling in Jun’s chest that lingers as he gets out of bed and goes to wake Seokmin and Mingyu.
Jun wears socks when he sleeps, much to his friends’ chagrin. But he doesn’t care because he doesn’t wake up with cold feet in the morning. Ha . Also, wearing them allows him to slide around the wood floors of his apartment and into the living room, where Mingyu and Seokmin lean against each other, fast asleep.
“Rise and shine,” Jun says, softly. He tiptoes over the carpet, resisting the primal urge to launch himself onto the two younger boys. Instead, he gently nudges Seokmin awake and pokes Mingyu until he shows signs of human life, because everyone knows how hard it is to wake Mingyu up.
It’s almost 9:00am, which means that the three of them have slept in a bit more than they should have. Normally, they’d all be getting ready in their own apartments at this time, waiting for the Mingyu carpool to make its stop. But Jun figures that, because they’re all in one place, they can get a bit more shuteye than usual.
They decide to skip coffee that morning. Seokmin and Mingyu wash their faces with water and Jun’s cleanser, because skin care is important, and they slowly come to consciousness and pile into Mingyu’s car about a half hour later.
The students have two exams lined up that day: a reading with Polyhymnia and a showcase with Terpsichore. The muses decided to spread out their finals over as long a stretch a time as possible, so that- according to Calliope- their creative minds had, “time to blossom like ripe fruit”.
Weird.
Vernon is Polyhymnia’s treasured pupil, adept at sacred poetry and, oddly enough, geometry. Much like the young boy, the muse herself is pretty laid back, and so she decided to have an open note exam on literature structure with a couple of mathematical questions thrown in.
They’re all very thankful for her.
Chan is in charge of getting all of them ready for Terpsichore’s evaluation. Over the semester, they’d learned three routines: one solo, one duet (or trio), and one as a group of nine. Jun knows he shouldn’t be nervous, he’s properly stretched and Chan has been simply drilling them the past few weeks on all of their steps and counts. But he can’t help but think of Soonyoung while he performs- the other dancer, the one he just met, the one he’s helping.
And now that he thinks of it (at this very convenient time), Jun can’t imagine what he thought he could do in the first place. He can’t wax poetic like Minghao, melt hearts with music like Seokmin, or chart the stars and look after souls like Mingyu. He can’t influence people like Jihoon or even brighten their days, like Seungkwan. That’s Seungkwan’s side of the coin, the happiness. Jun is supposed to make people think and feel- to look deep into their hearts, but he’s not sure he can do that in the first place.
Walking back to the dressing rooms after Terpsichore’s exam has Jun’s head and stomach in knots. He knows he should shake this off, but his pocket rumbles as Soonyoung texts their group chat yet again, and the nerves can’t seem to stop.
Jun thinks he sees Seokmin giving him a look, but that might not have been real.
“Should we go find Jihoon?” Mingyu asks, seemingly materializing out of nowhere. He buttons up a spiffy dress shirt that he grabbed from his apartment, last minute.
“He might be in the music room,” Jun answers immediately. Jihoon is always in the music room. Classic of the shorter boy to leave the exam right when it was done, without giving anyone a chance. He must be working on something.
“Let’s go, then.” Mingyu smiles as he says it, so warm and oblivious to Jun’s weird internal monologue he’s battling.
Nobody but Minghao knows that Jun has a crush on Jihoon. At least, that’s what Jun thinks, because Minghao is the only person he’s told, so that’s what he’s going with for now.
So it makes sense that Seokmin and Mingyu are unaware as to why Jun’s so nervous when they arrive at the music room door. But Jun is an actor, and Jihoon is his friend, and if he keeps telling himself that, he can do this.
Jihoon is immersed in the piano when they enter, staring at the ivory keys so intensely it’s like he expects them to start speaking. He’s wearing a black cap pulled down tightly over his head, probably because he hasn’t washed his hair in a while- that’s Jun’s best guess.
“Hey buddy,” Seokmin says, voice so sweet it’s like honey. Jihoon flinches and looks up at the offending party, trying to keep the surprised scowl off his face. Jun thinks he almost looks like a cat that’s been woken up from a nap.
“Buddy?” Jihoon asks, voice lifting in questioning. He sounds a little croaky, probably from lack of sleep and all other ailments and spiritual valleys that come with finals season.
Jihoon likes to act tough, Jun knows this, but he has a soft spot. It’s one that’s very easy to poke at if you’re careful enough, and pay enough attention- or if you’re Seokmin. Everyone has a soft spot for Seokmin.
“What are you working on?” Seokmin asks, walking over to prop himself on the piano. Jihoon discreetly flips his music sheets over, smirking. He lets out a husky chuckle that has Jun’s stomach churning.
“Oooh, is it secret?” Mingyu chimes in, sauntering over with a dumb grin on his face.
Jihoon sighs, “What do you guys need?” He has the audacity to look to Jun when he says that, like Jun is going to know what to say. He shrugs awkwardly. Jihoon raises an eyebrow at him.
“We were hoping,” he starts, cautious, “that you could do us a favor. Or give us some advice.” Jun laces his fingers together, hands clasped, like he’s praying that Jihoon will go along with it. Or maybe he’s praying to Jihoon. Who knows.
Jihoon scratches the back of his head, face screwed up, as he thinks. Jun is sure he’s going to say no, but then-
“Just say the word,” he says, quiet, like he’s trying to throw away the words as they leave his mouth.
“Really?” Jun asks, eyes wide. Jihoon looks up at him, obviously fighting the urge to let anything show on his face. Jun laughs a little at how his lips are pursed.
“Yeah. We’re friends, right? As long as it’s not hiding a body or something.”
“Lee Jihoon!” Seokmin says, dramatically clasping his hands over his chest. “What an honor!” His smile is megawatt and Jihoon lets out a gruff scoff.
“I can still take it back,” Jihoon teases. He’s met by a flurry of, “No!”s and waving hands, and he backs up slightly. “What exactly do you need? Finals are almost over so… as long as it’s not big.”
“So I have this friend,” Seokmin jumps in, and he explains the whole situation front to back. Mingyu elaborates on the plan they already have in place- which is the starlit date, flower bouquet, and romantic poem courtesy of Minghao and Soonyoung’s joint efforts. And, because Mingyu loves to ramble, he also takes it upon himself to include the muses- explaining to Jihoon how they would want them to exercise their skills, and this is the perfect opportunity.
Mingyu waves his hands as he talks, “We just need a way to pull it all together. We’re scared we’re missing something- a song, or the setting isn’t right, or-”
“It’s personal touch,” Jihoon says. As the others were talking, he twisted his cap backward on his head. Now he’s leaning forward, one knee propped across the other, hands working over his face. Jun knows it’s one of his habits when he’s trying to get an idea across.
“What do you mean?” Jun asks, head tipping to the side.
“Sure, you have all of us helping, but what does Wonwoo care about that?” Jihoon looks to Seokmin, then Mingyu, then- finally- Jun. “Won’t it be weird if Soonyoung, out of the blue, asks him out at night and does all these… romantic gestures? If they care about each other-” he’s still rubbing his face “-then the flowers and poems and stuff won’t matter. What should matter is that Soonyoung is honest. It should be true to them, not what we think is best.”
It’s so quiet that Jun can almost hear himself processing. Scratch that, he can hear Mingyu and Seokmin processing.
It feels like Jihoon has unleashed a beast. Doubt was something that was nagging at the back of each of their minds, Jun was sure- and probably Soonyoung’s, and even Minghao’s when they told him the plan. Seokmin and Mingyu had charged so fearlessly forward, though, that… Jun wasn’t scared to go along.
But it brings up the question: what is he really doing to help?
“Then what is best?” Jun asks. Three pairs of eyes snap to him, and he meets Jihoon’s.
“You know that better than I do,” Jihoon says, without hesitation.
“Huh?” Jun sputters back, astounded. It’s because Jun, Seokmin, and Mingyu don’t know what’s best that they’re here in the first place.
Jihoon shrugs a little, saying, “I’m no good with people. You are. That’s something I can’t do that you can.”
The words hit Jun like a bomb. He knows Mingyu and Seokmin are in the room with him, but all he can focus on is Jihoon. Firstly, he can’t believe that Jihoon actually said that- and secondly, he can’t believe he didn’t think about it before.
“Ah,” Jun sighs, “you’re right.” A rush of relief washes down his body, and Jun knows he’s hit it. He’s finally has his epiphany. “We should be guiding Soonyoung. We can’t tell him what to do.” Jun turns around to face Mingyu and Seokmin, whose faces are showing equal parts understanding and disappointment.
He gets it. They’re all so excited at the idea of bringing two people together- at the idea of actually putting their work to the test.
“It’s okay!” Jun encourages them, wanting to lift the mood. “We haven’t ruined anything, right? In fact- we’ve probably learned a better way. We should just talk to Soonyoung and figure out how he wants to do this. Don’t worry.” He places his hands on either side of Seokmin’s shoulders. Soonyoung is his friend, after all, and Jun can already tell by the crestfallen expression he wears that Seokmin is blaming himself. “Oh, you sweet boy. We still have the best intentions, yeah?”
“The meteor shower is soon,” Mingyu says, miserably. He’s pouting. “What are we gonna do? We have to tell Soonyoung a-s-a-p.”
“He’ll be okay,” Jun affirms. He takes his hands off of Seokmin to comfort Mingyu. “Actually, I bet he’ll be more excited now. We won’t be pushing him as much.”
“Soonyoung likes to be pushed, he’s an idiot,” laughs Seokmin, fondly.
“Exactly!” Jun exclaims.
He feels like he’s had a magical realization or something. He was excited before, of course, manning the S.S. Soonyoung with his friends. Setting sail. But now, Jun knows they’re doing the right things. He remembers how, the night before, Seokmin mentioned his amazement at Jihoon’s ability to create so many things in such little time.
But isn’t that just because Jihoon likes what he’s doing? And he can be confident in it?
Jun feels confident.
They’re still in the music room with Jihoon, who has turned back to the piano. He’s studying the keys with the same intensity as when they entered, and Jun doesn’t think twice before giving him a hearty slap on the back.
“Jihoon! You are a genius. Sorry if we bothered you.”
“You didn’t,” Jihoon says, fiddling with the keys. “But I will be bothered if I can’t work on this.”
It’s not rude by any means- it’s just Jihoon, being honest, and they get the message. Seokmin and Mingyu filter out of the room first, sending goodbyes and kisses because Jihoon hates that and they love it, leaving the door open for Jun. He sees Seokmin pull out his phone- probably to text Soonyoung and set up a meeting- and is about to follow when Jihoon clears his throat.
“You got that all handled?” He doesn’t look up when he says it, still trained on the piano. Jun smiles regardless.
“Yes. You okay here? Do you need anything?” Jun asks. Jihoon stills for a moment, then rolls his head to the right and left in a stretch. His shoulders shake with what Jun assumes is a laugh.
“I’m fine.”
“Okay!” Jun chimes, resting his hand on Jihoon’s shoulder with a couple of pats. “Do you know I can play the piano?”
“Yes,” Jihoon says, “you’ve told me before.” He doesn’t say this angrily, though. It more feels like a reminder- yes, I listen to you. Jun lets out a whistle.
“Then you know where to go if you need help.”
Jihoon laughs. “Yes, I do. Now go. Be Soonyoung’s… shining knight in armor, or whatever.” He waves Jun off, trying to get back to his work, but not urgently enough to make his dismissal believable.
“Thank you for being mine!” Jun trills back. He gives Jihoon’s shoulders one last smack before practically running out of the room. It’s not out of character for him to say at all- Jun’s weird, he knows that, everyone knows that. But saying it felt like being challenged to a dare.
“You ready?” asks Mingyu, who’s shepherding Seokmin down the hall.
Jun smiles.
“Yeah.”
It’s snowing outside.
“It’s snowing!” Seokmin yells, so happy and carefree. He flings his arms open to embrace the weather, basically tripping down the entrance steps. Seokmin spins around, head tilted back and mouth open, as he attempts to catch stray snowflakes that twirl to the ground.
Jun steps onto the grass, noticing how it gives and crunches underfoot. The snow looks like powdered sugar, daintily covering the concrete and lacing the tops of bushes. Next to him, Mingyu’s eyes are sparkling, breath coming out grey as he tries to puff like a dragon.
“This is a miracle! How are you guys not freaking out?” Seokmin asks, bounding over to them once he’s semi-collected himself. Flurries cling to his lashes and dark hair. He stands out against the snow in his tan coat like some model, innocent glee clear on his face.
“It’s the winter, it’s supposed to snow,” Mingyu chides. But he’s also smiling big and wide, clearly excited about the weather. While they’re distracted, Jun reaches down and grabs a huge handful of ground-snow. It’s powder soft, almost melting in his hands.
“Whoo!” Jun shouts, throwing it up in the air so it rains down on Seokmin and Mingyu. The downpour catches them in a quick whirlwind of white and cold that has them all giggling like idiots.
“It looks a lot prettier now, doesn’t it?” comes a fourth voice they were all unaware of. Minghao is exiting the building just behind them, along with Vernon and Chan.
“That’s what I said,” Mingyu says, before being elbowed harshly in the side by Seokmin.
“Hey! That was me. You made fun of me for saying that,” Seokmin pouts, causing Minghao to laugh. Mingyu turns around to face him, cheeks and ears pink with embarrassment- not the cold.
“Okay, whatever.”
“Well, it’s cold out. So I’m going. Enjoy the snow.” Minghao smiles as he says it, adjusting his scarf. He’s always told Jun that summer is his favorite season, and winter is the exact opposite of that. Mingyu and Seokmin like the cold. Mingyu especially- he can stand it because he’s built differently from the rest of them. Even now, all he has on for protection is a long jacket.
Minghao pulls his rimmed hood up over his head, and to Jun’s surprise, slips off his scarf. He pads over to Mingyu, draping it across the boy’s shoulders.
“I’m going home, so I don’t need it. You can use it for Urania’s exam tomorrow, since we’ll be out at night, and then I want it back. Got it?” Minghao asks, pointing an accusatory finger at Mingyu like he’s already let him down. Mingyu just nods dumbly, hair flopping on his head, looking more like a puppy than ever.
Minghao smiles and Jun resists the urge to cheer.
With that the other three head their separate ways. Mingyu snuggles the scarf closer to his neck.
“I love the snow,” he says. Seokmin and Jun burst into laughter.
After what seems like ages, they manage to get into Mingyu’s car. Snow makes Jun realize that he’s not friends with two young, adult men- but rather two grown children. Make that three, actually. He’s one of them.
Despite the fact it’s snowing, they decide to meet Soonyoung at Ambrosia, again. Oddly enough, Soonyoung texted the group that he has news of his own to share, and that he doesn’t mind meeting up immediately.
The parlor is empty when they arrive, aside from Rhea and her mother. She doesn’t even spare a glance as Seokmin, Mingyu, and Jun enter.
All Mingyu has to do is call out, “Hello!” in that friendly voice of his, and she’s already preparing chocolate shakes for them behind the counter. Jun feels guilty for a minute- for interrupting their peaceful day like this, but then he reminds himself that Rhea and Hebe are tougher than them in every sense of the word, and would have thrown them out by now if they wanted to.
Plus, they’re paying customers. That’s gotta make it a little better.
“Is Soonyoung on his way?” Mingyu asks as they slide into the familiar window booth. He strips off his coat and throws it onto the seat before carefully taking off Minghao’s scarf and placing that on top.
“Soonyoung is HERE!” announces the man, the myth, the legend himself. Soonyoung throws open Ambrosia’s doors much in the style Seokmin did when greeting the snow earlier, letting in a frosty blast of air.
“Hey! Keep those closed!” Hebe shouts from the kitchen.
“Sorry!” Soonyoung shoots back with a little wave. He’s got the same smile on his face that Jun remembers from a couple of days ago, except now there are little white snowflakes clinging to his nose and lips. If Jun looks close enough, actually, it looks like he’s… sweating?
“Is everything okay?” Jun asks, not even giving Soonyoung time to sit down.
“I- um, yes! Yes, we’re all good.” He’s so breathy. Rhea, finished with their milkshakes, makes her way over and plops the tray on their table. She’s added on an extra one for Soonyoung. “Thank you!”
Mingyu shoots a look at Jun, which he gladly returns. He’s glad they’re both confused on how Soonyoung is so sweaty when it’s so cold outside. That’s what Mingyu’s wondering too, right?
“How were your exams today?” Soonyoung asks suddenly, like that’s a normal thing to say. Seokmin is busy taking each chocolate shake off the tray and placing them on the tabletop, carefully putting Mingyu’s with the whipped cream in front of its consumer.
“Screw exams,” Mingyu says, taking a dollop the minute Seokmin hands it over. “There’s news to be shared.”
"Watch your language!” Soonyoung laughs, faking being scandalized. Mingyu smiles back, leaning over to tap him on the shoulder playfully. “There are children here.” Soonyoung tilts his head to motion at Jun.
“Hey!”
“Soonyoung,” Seokmin says, “we need to tell you something. We’ve been talking to the other guys, and-”
“Hey, bro, no worries,” Soonyoung cuts him off. “I actually have-”
“Wait, we have an idea,” Mingyu pipes in.
“You really don’t have to-” Soonyoung tries.
“But we want to!” Seokmin says, earnestly. Jun realizes they’ve all been talking over each other, and that’s not going to help anyone, so he holds up a hand.
“Soonyoung, listen. We were talking it out and we want to apologize. We’ve been looking at this entirely the wrong way- you should be listening to yourself, not us. We should be guiding you, not-” Jun lets loose, but notices how uncomfortable Soonyoung looks. He’s so ready to give his spheal, what is-
“Wonwoo asked me out!” Soonyoung blurts out, like he’s been physically holding in the words.
“ What?!” Mingyu sputters.
“You didn’t-” Seokmin’s jaw drops open and he can’t finish his sentence.
“He asked you out?” Jun asks, his words coming out harsher than he intended. But Soonyoung doesn’t seem to mind. Rather, he’s grinning ear to ear, basically bouncing up and down in his seat.
“He asked me out! Before I even got the chance to! Which means that’s one more thing he’s beat me to. So get this, I’m gonna need your guys’ help with the proposal.” Soonyoung practically throws the words at him, giggling the whole way. He’s so giddy it’s nothing short of adorable. Seeing him even makes Jun’s heart race.
“Wait- proposal?”
“Another round of shakes! Today we toast a marriage!”
Despite the cold outside, and the fact it’s finals, and that he’ll be paying for two shakes instead of one, Jun is happy. He looks at the people around the table- his friends, Seokmin and Mingyu, laughing freely, and his new friend- Soonyoung- whose ordeal has helped Jun in ways he doesn’t even know.
What a miracle indeed.