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Johnny didn't particularly believe in love at first sight. It wasn't that he wasn't a romantic. He often fantasized about potential relationships and holding hands and cuddling someone to sleep. But he rather liked the process of getting to know someone, understanding who they were, learning to love all the new parts of them, so naturally, he was skeptical of love at first sight. How could you love someone if you didn't know them?
Ten, of course, challenged that view. To be honest, Ten challenged a lot in Johnny's life. When Johnny had first laid eyes on ten, he fell just a little in love.
It wasn't Ten's looks, though they were certainly worthy of attention. Glossy skin on a well-structured face, symmetrical and eerily beautiful. He was compellingly good looking like Johnny could stare at him for hours and never tire, always finding new things to be in awe of.
But what struck Johnny the most, what made him pause on his way home and then stop in his tracks, was what Ten was doing.
He was crouched beside a rubbish bin, hand reaching out, making kissing and meowing noises.
"Here, kitty kitty," He said, adding kissing noises for more potential acknowledge. "Come to Ten. Please come out. You can keep the food, I just need something from it."
What kept Johnny's attention was the English, not incredibly common in the streets of Seoul, less so in its dirty alleyways. It was accented but a pleasure to listen to, the soft silkiness of it endearing Johnny.
"Are you alright?" Johnny asked, approaching. Normally, he would have sped past. He had places to be, people to meet that weren't strangers squatting beside dumpsters.
"I'm fine," The man Johnny now knew as Ten said mindlessly, not even looking up. "This cat has my friend's engagement ring."
“What?” Johnny asked curiously.
“Yeah, I know,” Ten continued, sarcasm dripping from his voice. “My dumbass friend had this amazing idea to propose: a picnic! Put the ring in the food!”
“What if his partner swallowed the ring?”
“That’s what I said! But does Doyoung listen to me? No! Why would he?” Ten said, each word more aggravated than the previous, slapping his hand on the gravelly concrete at the mention of his friend’s name.
“Hey, careful,” Johnny warned and Ten finally looked up at him. A moment passed as Ten took him in, tilting his head.
“I don’t know if you’re naturally tall or if you just look like that because I’m on the ground,” Ten noted and Johnny snorted.
“A little bit of both. If you want to bring the cat out, use food,” Johnny advised.
“I don’t have any, Mr Whatever Your Name Is,” Ten said slowly as if he thought Johnny was stupid. “The cat took the food .”
“There’s a convenience store right across the corner,” Johnny said, pointing at the brightly lit store.
“I’m aware- Can I have your name, it doesn’t sound condescending enough without it,” Ten sighed.
“Johnny,” Johnny provided kindly.
“Thank you. I’m aware, Johnny ,” Ten said, condescension packed into his voice. “But I cannot leave this cat because it has a ring that’s worth a thousand dollars .”
“Well, it’s your friend’s fault for putting a thousand dollar ring in food,” Johnny said, shrugging and Ten threw him a withering look before going back to trying to coax the cat out. From his height, Johnny could see a mangy tail flicking.
“I’ll go get you a can of tuna,” Johnny said and Ten looked back up in surprise before narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
“Why?”
“Just say thank you,” Johnny rolled his eyes before walking away to cross the street. Truthfully, he did have somewhere to be but he couldn’t just leave the man there now. When he came back, he found him conversing with the cat.
“-better not have eaten that ring somehow,” Ten was saying. “You wouldn’t do that, though, you’re not a dumb dog.”
“What do you have against dogs?” Johnny asked, wondering if he should give help to a dog hater.
“Give me the food, you giant,” Ten whined. “Nothing, I have dogs at home, okay? I know first hand they eat every fucking thing.”
“Doyoung really owes me, big time. So big time. He’d better name his first child after me,” Ten was muttering to himself as he opened the can. The rummaging behind the garbage stopped when Ten brought the tuna nearby.
“Leave it there and give it space,” Johnny said and Ten did as he was told, coming to stand by Johnny. He was tiny in comparison and Johnny unwittingly smiled. His eyes were wide as he stared apprehensively at the tuna and Johnny’s eyes fell to his lips when he gasped softly.
“There it is!” He whispered and Johnny blinked before shaking himself and following his line of sight. The cat had emerged and it was as mangy as its tail had suggested, cautiously stepping forward, eyes on Johnny and Ten. Once it was satisfied the humans weren’t moving forward, it started attacking the food.
“The ring is on its ear, oh, my god, how did it get there?” Ten whined softly. “Is it Fuck With Ten Day today? Give me a god damn fucking break.”
“Just grab the cat,” Johnny said and Ten jumped, as though he had forgotten Johnny was there at all and looked up at him.
“God, disgusting,” Ten said.
“It’s just a stray cat,” Johnny replied, rolling his eyes.
“No, not the cat, you . Why are you so tall?” Ten said, wrinkling his nose.
“Is that really any way to speak to someone who just helped you?” Johnny asked with a laugh. Ten sighed, turning his attention back to the cat.
“I’ll try to grab it once it finishes eating,” Ten said. He turned to look at Johnny. “You got my back?”
“Sure,” Johnny said to the person he met less than 15 minutes ago. “I got your back.”
They didn’t have to wait long, the cat wiping its face in no time, barely noticing Ten stealthily approaching it. Johnny had to grant it to the smaller man, he moved gracefully and quietly, the cat being none the wiser until Ten’s shadow cast over it and it froze.
“Hi, kitty,” Ten said. He reached out a hand only for it to be swatted at with claws. “Oh, god, I hate Doyoung so much.”
The cat made a run for it once it thought it had incapacitated the human, jumping back into the garbage and on top of the lid with ease as Ten scrambled behind it. Ten swatted his hands over the lid as much as he could reach but the cat just hissed and walked backwards. The ring was hanging on by the tip of the ear and soon, it would fall and Ten was not going dumpster diving for Doyoung of all people. He’d just have to buy another god damn ring and propose to Kun in a restaurant like a normal person.
Ten was in the process of pleading with the cat desperately, only to be greeted with hissing, when the cat was swooped up with a meowl. Johnny held the writhing cat away from himself, wincing when its claws came too close.
“Grab the ring,” He told Ten, who swiftly moved to do so. Johnny dropped the cat as soon as Ten had secured the ring and the car flopped at his feet. It got up, glared at Johnny and swiped at his leg, at the bare space between his socks and his rolled up pants viciously before running off.
“Was that necessary?” Johnny called out after it. The cut stung but it wasn’t too deep. In front of him, Ten was exhaling slowly, staring at the ring with contempt.
“This is so dumb,” Ten said. “Why would you spend so much money on a ring to announce you’re engaged . Like, you’re not even married. What the fuck?”
“It’s a way of showing love for some people,” Johnny said, shrugging. Now that he’d done his duty, he wasn’t really sure what to do. Say goodbye? Never meet this beautiful little man again? That didn’t seem right. Ten looked at him with stars in his eyes, a soft smile playing on his lips.
“I suppose. Thank you, by the way,” Ten said sincerely. “Um, you really helped.”
“Just being a good person and all,” Johnny said airily, trying not to let the bubble of happiness in his chest show. He took a step back and winced at the cut on his leg, drawing Ten’s attention to it.
“Oh, no,” Ten wailed suddenly, making Johnny startled. “You got hurt.”
“I’m fine,” Johnny said, bewildered at the sudden distress Ten was in over a cut. “It’s just a scratch.”
Ten crouched down at Johnny’s leg, pouting at the cut like it personally offended him while Johnny looked on confused.
“You should put antiseptic! And bandage it!” Ten said earnestly. “There’s a convenience store right there, come on, I’ll fix you up.”
“That’s really unnecessary,” Johnny shook his head.
“Do you have somewhere to be?” Ten asked.
“No,” Johnny started but stopped when Ten grabbed his arm and started dragging him. They got strange looks from people on the street. Why was the tall man letting the small one drag him through the pedestrian crossing so awkwardly? “What about your friends ring? Isn’t he going to, like, propose?”
“ He can suffer for a little while longer,” Ten said petulantly, sitting Johnny down on a chair outside the convenience store forcefully. “Stay here, I’ll get supplies. Do you want something to drink? I’ll get you something to drink. Hydration is important, as Kun says every fucking day of his life.”
Ten waltzed into the store, the chiming of the bells at the door and Ten’s bright greeting reaching Johnny’s ears before the door closed.
He probably should get up and leave. He had groceries to get and he needed to work on the latest draft of the script for the radio show. There were a million things he could be doing, a shallow cut on his ankle wasn’t going to hinder him too much but instead of getting up and getting on with his night, Johnny watched Ten through the window as he danced between aisles, cradling the things he was going to buy like a baby in his arms. Johnny didn’t believe in love at first sight but maybe fondness at first encounter was a thing because Johnny really didn’t want to leave.
The bells at the door chimed again and Ten plopped down next to Johnny with a handful of supplies.
“Drink this for the blood loss,” Ten said, shoving a bottle at Johnny.
“Yes, the 3 drops of blood are really going to hinder me,” Johnny replied but did as he was told.
“You never know,” Ten shrugged, opening up the first aid supplies. “There could be a vampire in the streets and it’s like so hungry that the sight of a single drop of blood is going to drive it wild and attack you! You’re welcome in advance for saving your life.”
“Oh, no, a vampire wants to drink my blood, how awful,” Johnny said in a deadpan voice.
“So you’re a monster fucker,” Ten said, rolling his eyes before patting his lap. “Leg.”
“I don’t reveal such information until the second date, at least ,” Johnny winced when the alcohol touched the cut and Ten petted his knee comfortingly.
“Love how you said that like a brag but the fact that you’re exposing your kinks on your second date is actually super weird, dude,” Ten said absentmindedly, blowing at the cut before opening up a band-aid.
“I mean,” Johnny mused. He watched Ten gently place the band-aid on the cut. “What’s the point of going on more dates with them if they can’t accept your weird sides, you know? The whole point of going on dates is getting to know someone.”
“Yeah, stuff like, I don’t know, what they studied in college or their favourite dessert or whatever,” Ten insisted. “Not whether or not you’d fuck a vampire.”
“Okay, what did you study in college, then?” Johnny asked serenely, biting back a smile when he saw Ten freeze momentarily before recovering.
“Fashion management and marketing,” Ten said. “What’s your favourite dessert?”
“Fruitcake,” Johnny said before leaning forward. “Would you fuck a vampire?”
“If you call this a date, there isn’t gonna be a second one,” Ten said primly, shoving Johnny’s leg off his lap.
“You’re right, my bad,” Johnny said with remorse. “We should go on a real date.”
“We should!” Ten agreed automatically before realizing what he’d agreed to. “You’re on thin fucking ice with your fruitcake, though.”
“Thank you for bandaging me up,” Johnny was sincere in his words.
“It’s fine,” Ten waved the gratitude away. “You saved Doyoung like a thousand dollars, which I’m not sure he deserves. I would sell the ring if it wasn’t meant for Kun, the light of my life.”
“He’s lucky to have a friend like you,”
“God, I know ,” Ten groaned. “I’m such an amazing friend. Chased a fucking cat across the block because Doyoung didn’t want Kun to know he was proposing.”
Ten patted himself on the back.
“Why were you even there?” Johnny asked. He’d always imagined proposals as intimate occasions.
“Resident photographer,” Ten replied. “Also so Kun wouldn’t get suspicious. The surprise factor is really important to Doyoung for some reason.”
“Oh! I’m a photographer too!” Johnny said and Ten’s eyes lit up. “Well, I take pictures.”
“Yes, that’s literally what photography is, Johnny,” Ten said with a grin. His attention got stolen away by his phone, which started ringing. “Uh, it’s Doyoung. Guess his little picnic is over. I wonder how much he’s panicking. Should I hang up?”
“I mean, you could but that would be really mean,” Johnny said. Ten stared at the call before looking up at Johnny.
“We should talk more about photography on our date,” He said, a smile colouring his voice. “Put your number in.”
The phone had stopped ringing when Ten unlocked it and handed it to Johnny but Johnny was only halfway through typing his name when it started ringing again. Ten ended the call without hesitance, letting Johnny continue. Johnny had barely handed Ten the phone back before it started ringing again and Ten huffed and picked it up.
“I run across this entire godforsaken city for you and you can’t let me get a cute guy’s number in peace?” Ten complained loudly instead of just saying hello.
“What’re you doing getting number, Ten, did you get the cat? ” The voice on the other end was so loud, Ten had to remove the phone from near his ear. He looked apologetically at Johnny, mouthing a sorry and gesturing that he’d call him later before replying to his friend in an equally loud voice as he walked away.