Chapter Text
Finding out his ex-boyfriend is his current boyfriend’s best friend is not how Changkyun expected his day to go. He’s been dating Kihyun for around two months, but had never met his best friend before today, only heard his name when Kihyun mentioned him. Sure, the thought did cross his mind whenever Kihyun talked about Minhyuk, but there are so many people called Minhyuk that he thought there could be no way it was the same Minhyuk. Turns out he was wrong.
“Wait, Changkyunnie?” Minhyuk says, staring at Changkyun like he’s just seen a ghost.
Changkyun stares back at Minhyuk, his eyes wide. He can’t even speak, he’s too shocked that Minhyuk is actually standing in front of him.
Kihyun looks between the two of them, eyebrows furrowed. “Do you two know each other?”
Minhyuk visibly swallows. “Uh, yeah.”
He’s not sure if it’s a good idea to tell Kihyun the truth so early into their relationship, but Changkyun figures that the truth is always better than a lie. “Minhyuk’s my ex-boyfriend. I had no idea you two were friends.” He rubs the back of his neck.
Kihyun looks like he’s deep in thought, then a grin stretches across his face. Soft laughter escapes his lips.
Not knowing why Kihyun’s laughing, Changkyun looks at Minhyuk with an eyebrow raised, asking if he knows anything.
Minhyuk just shrugs.
When Kihyun recovers, he explains himself. “Well, Changkyun, looks like we share an ex.”
“You dated each other, too?”
Kihyun nods. “Years ago. We also dated another man, Yoongi, but then he had to move away and Minhyuk ended up finding someone new and told me it was getting serious and he wanted to be in a monogamous relationship with that person. I guess that was you.”
It feels like Changkyun’s brain has been overloaded with information. Not only is his ex-boyfriend his boyfriend’s best friend, but they’re also exes and were in a polyamorous relationship? It’s all too much. “Right, okay. Give me time to process. I already felt my brain die the moment I saw Minhyuk again. Sorry.”
Kihyun rubs his back comfortingly. “It’s overwhelming, I know.” He places a soft kiss on Changkyun’s neck, grinning when he feels Changkyun swallow, and then pulls away completely, setting some distance between them. “I want food. You coming?” It’s directed at Changkyun, so he nods, and intertwines his fingers with Kihyun’s outstretched ones. “What about you?” He looks to Minhyuk this time.
“Do I get to hold your hand, too?”
Kihyun rolls his eyes. “No. Fuck off.” He sharply turns and stomps off towards the food table, dragging Changkyun along behind him. He’s tense, Changkyun can tell by the stiffness of his shoulders.
Changkyun lets go of Kihyun’s hand and wraps his arm around Kihyun instead, pressing himself close so he can whisper into his ear.
“You okay?” he asks.
Kihyun’s inspecting a cookie like it’s offended him. “Just worried. Don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
“Why would I be uncomfortable? I dated Minhyuk, I know what he’s like.”
Kihyun breathes out, then shoves half of the cookie in his mouth at once. With his cheeks puffed out, he replies, “I didn’t tell you I was still best friends with my ex. Or that I’m poly.”
Changkyun rests his head onto Kihyun’s shoulder. “I don’t mind, Ki, you know that. As long as you haven’t killed a man.”
“Well…” Kihyun drags out.
Changkyun pulls back. He narrows his eyes at Kihyun, suspicious. “You haven’t killed a man, have you?”
“No! I was joking.”
“Hm.” Changkyun picks up one of the paper plates and fills it with an assortment of food. With a full plate, he plants a sloppy kiss on Kihyun’s cheek with a dramatic ‘muah’. He starts walking towards the tables, looking for an empty seat. The only one he finds that isn’t on a table full of strangers is next to Jooheon. The issue is Minhyuk’s also sitting on the same table. Changkyun debates running back to Kihyun, but he doesn’t want to come across as too dependent, so he sucks it up and marches over to the table. “Hey, guys,” he greets, joining the two at the table.
“Oh, hey, Changkyun,” Jooheon says with a smile. “I was just catching up with Minhyuk.”
Minhyuk nods. “It’s been a while. I missed you, Jooheony!” he exclaims, throwing his arms around Jooheon. Minhyuk always was a dramatic one.
Jooheon shoves Minhyuk off him and rolls his eyes. “It’s only been, what, two months? Don’t be so dramatic.” He slaps a hand over Minhyuk’s mouth when he sees him about to speak, pulling it away quickly after with a disgusted look on his face. “Don’t lick me. That’s gross.” He wipes his hand down Minhyuk’s arm. “Anyway, Changkyun,” Jooheon starts, “how do you and Kihyun feel about joining our secret santa? It’s only going to a few of us.”
Changkyun mulls it over. He’s done secret santa exchanges before and they’ve always been fun, but there’s also the chance he’s going to pull someone’s name that he doesn’t know very well and struggle with a present. Despite that, though, he figures there’s nothing to lose by joining in and he can always ask for help if he’s really struggling. “Yeah, sure,” he answers. “I’m sure Kihyun will join, too.”
As he says Kihyun’s name, said man sits down at the table with them. “What am I joining?”
“Secret santa,” Minhyuk answers.
Kihyun’s mouth is stuffed full with food when he says, “I’m down.”
Changkyun smacks the back of his head lightly, not wanting to cause him to choke, but still wanting to scold him. “Stop talking with your mouth full.”
“Sorry,” Kihyun mutters, his mouth still stuffed with food.
Before Changkyun can scold him again, Hyungwon, Hoseok and Hyunwoo decide to join them at the table. There’s a chorus of greetings, then Jooheon’s tapping on his glass to get everyone’s attention. “Now we’re all here, everyone write your name down on one of these,” he drops a rather crumpled pile of small pieces of paper into the centre of the table, “and put it folded in here.” He places a hat next to the bowl, except it’s a beanie so it doesn’t stand and lays flat and sad on the table.
Changkyun stifles a laugh at the sad looking hat and takes one of the pieces of paper. He has a pen in his bag, luckily, since Jooheon only brought one with him, and scribbles down his name before shoving it inside the hat. He passes his pen to Kihyun, who then does the same, before the pen then gets passed on again.
Once everyone’s added their name to a piece of paper and they’re all inside the hat (which takes longer than it should’ve due to the lack of pens), Jooheon holds the hat closed and shakes it around. Changkyun isn’t sure it’s actually doing much, but he keeps his mouth shut and lets his friend do his thing.
“If any of you pull your own name let me know and you can redraw.” Jooheon holds the hat out to Changkyun first and allows him to take a name.
Changkyun peeks at it, making sure that no one else can see. He spies the letters “Kih” and realises he’s managed to draw his boyfriend, thankfully. He gives Jooheon a nod.
Jooheon holds out the hat to Kihyun, and it repeats, going around their little circle until Jooheon’s the only person left to draw. He pulls out the name, reads it and then nods. “Looks like no one got themselves. So, we’ll do a $20 limit and presents will be done on Christmas eve eve at mine and my lovely boyfriend’s annual Christmas party.”
Hyungwon narrows his eyes at Jooheon. “We never agreed to holding a Christmas party.”
“Yes, we did.”
“No, we didn’t. Also, it’s not an annual Christmas party if this is the first year we’re doing one,” Hyungwon complains.
Changkyun tunes out their bickering. Jooheon will get what he wants, anyway, and Hyungwon would agree just to make his boyfriend happy.
He focuses his attention on his boyfriend instead. With his best puppy dog eyes, he taps Kihyun. “Baby,” he says, his voice dripping with honey, “whose name did you get?” He flutters his eyelashes, leaning close to Kihyun’s face.
Kihyun taps him on the nose. “Well, my Kyunnie, I unfortunately can’t tell you.”
“Please,” he whines, placing his hand on Kihyun’s hand and slotting their fingers together. “I want to know.”
Kihyun shakes his head. “Nope. Still can’t tell you.”
“I’m sad now.”
Kihyun turns to face Changkyun, their faces only a few centimetres from each other, and presses a soft kiss to the tip of Changkyun’s nose.
The pout on Changkyun’s face morphs into a content smile and he leans forward and plants a kiss on Kihyun’s lips in return. It’s only quick, but it makes Kihyun smile, too.
“See, now we’re both happy,” Kihyun says, his eyes turning to crescents.
“I love you,” Changkyun whispers, leaning his forehead against Kihyun’s.
Kihyun kisses Changkyun once again. “I love you, too.”
Changkyun can feel eyes on him, so he pulls back and looks across the table. Minhyuk’s watching them both. Instead of looking away or being embarrassed about being caught like Changkyun expects, he smirks. Changkyun doesn’t know what to make of it, but he decides to just ignore it. Minhyuk’s a hard one to figure out, and right now Changkyun doesn’t even think he wants to know what’s on Minhyuk’s mind.