Work Text:
"So- what you're telling me is...you can taste... sounds?"
Minkyun let out a small uneasy grunt as he slumped back into his chair. He looked over at his friend. Changyoon was pointing at him. An abject expression of confusion and horror slapped across his face. Never one to be subtle, Changyoon's response was painfully blunt, at least that much hadn't changed.
"Not just taste." He ran an idle hand through his hair in a futile attempt to push the long dark bangs out of his eyes.
"Sometimes I can... smell- or see. Rarely, very rarely... I can even... feel... them," Minkyun mumbled as he strained to keep his expression neutral.
He was trying to act like he had just been reciting totally normal information about normal human behavior. Not something absolutely insane.
But tasting sounds was absolutely insane.
He was absolutely insane.
Hopefully Changyoon wouldn't mind though.
Minkyun heaved a big sigh and continued, "But yeah, basically I can taste sounds..."
"That… is crazy… you know that sounds crazy, right?" Changyoon's eyes were bugging out of his head almost as much as he was. He took a step towards Minkyun, gesturing wildly.
Changyoon spluttered and skipped over himself like a scratched CD. "Wha- ...I mean??? how???? Do y-...uuuhh???" he stopped to take a deep breath and recalibrate his dumbstruck brain.
"Yo. How is that even possible?" He pointed one of his small fingers at Minkyun in an accusatory manner. "What? were you like... exposed to radiation as a kid???"
Minkyun snorted and wheeled his chair back and forth absentmindedly with his socked feet as he watched Changyoon lose his little mind. Well, his animated reactions were amusing to say the least.
"Naw man, I think I was just born with it?" He shrugged nonchalantly. Trying to play it off like it was a totally chill thing to be able to taste sounds. You know, normal people stuff. Absolutely. Maybe if he kept his cool Changyoon wouldn't think he was a total freak.
"I mean, synesthesia? You said it's called synesthesia right? I didn't know that was like.... a real thing that could ACTUALLY happen. I thought it was like... a weird mutant power? Shit Kyun, that's like something from an X-Men comic."
Changyoon moved away from the standing mic and slumped over into the worn out computer chair beside him.
He blinked rapidly, staring at Minkyun like he was some sort of bizzaro alien and not just his close friend of several years. Changyoon shook his head, snapped out of his trance and used his legs to awkwardly scoot the rolly chair next to Minkyun.
They had spent the better part of the day messing around in Minkyun's makeshift recording studio. It wasn't so much of a studio as it was just a shittily soundproofed corner of his messy bedroom in the drab apartment they shared.
Minkyun grumbled, "Stop staring at me like that you ass. I'm not a mutant." He swiveled his chair away to face his computer monitor.
Telling Changyoon about his secret synesthesia probably wasn't one of his smarter ideas. What the fuck had he been thinking? Had he been thinking? He supposed going three days fully caffeinated with less than five hours of sleep might have impared his already poor judgement. Whatever the reason, he was feeling pretty embarrassed about it now, especially under Changyoon's intensely scrutinizing gaze.
"So like, can you taste sights and hear smells too?" Changyoon leaned in, his eyes wide with curiosity.
"It doesn't work like that for me." Minkyun kept his gaze glued to the monitor in front of him as he fiddled mindlessly with audio files.
"Sooooo... hypothetically speaking... If I were to… ah ha. Play a bunch of... fart sounds... from the soundboard on my phone, would you... taste them?"
In the time it took Minkyun to turn his head and look over, Changyoon had already opened the app on his phone and was hovering a finger over a giant red button that said FART.
"...Bruh." Minkyun deadpanned
"What?! INQUIRING MINDS NEED TO KNOW MINKYUN!!"
They both burst out laughing as Changyoon incessantly spammed fart noises from his cell while Minkyun fought and struggled to grab the device from him.
"No. I don't taste your stupid fart soundboard sounds as... farts… holy fuck," Minkyun wheezed as he slapped the phone out of his friend's hand to stop the onslaught of noise pollution. He threw it across the room and it landed on his bed with a soft fwump.
After several minutes of roughhousing later, they managed to stop laughing at each other and fell into a comfortable silence.
"So… What do I taste like?" Changyoon hummed softly. His eyes flickered up to meet Minkyun's gaze through his dark lashes.
Minkyun choked on his own spit in surprise.
"No homo?" He laughed, but it came out strained and slightly panicked.
Yah sure… No homo...
On the inside though, there was homo. Very much homo. God, Changyoon's eyelashes were so pretty, and Minkyun was so gay and so screwed.
It had been Changyoon's idea to 'roommate up'
It made sense.
They were both single, fresh out of college with no 'real' job prospects yet. The recession had been hitting hard and it was difficult to find steady full time employment. Rent in the city was also crazy expensive.
Minkyun's part time job working at an ice cream shop and his gig doing freelance audio work didn't really pay for shit. He knew Changyoon worked full time at a really bougie high end shoe store, but if it did pay well, most of that money went back into funding Changyoon's fashion obsession. God he was such a hypebeast. Minkyun assumed Changyoon's side hustle, an online novelty t-shirt shop, was more a labour of love than a sustainable financial venture.
It was a great arrangement though, they both had a lot in common and got along well enough. The only problem was that Minkyun had been crushing hard on Changyoon ever since they first met back in college.
He had hoped living with his friend and seeing all his nasty habits and whatever would be enough to spurn his affections, but it had backfired. Even the dumb gross shit Changyoon did Minkyun found oddly adorable and endearing.
This crush was terminal.
Changyoon yelled "YAH! YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN ASSWIPE!" Punching Minkyun in the arm several times before settling down.
"Tell me what my voice tastes likeeeee," he whined impatiently. His small hands kneaded the fabric of Minkyun's sleeve like dough, trying to provoke an answer from him.
Minkyun bit his lip and looked back at the monitor again. "It's...ok," he mumbled.
He couldn't tell Changyoon the truth. He would be so busted if he told him the truth. Not to mention that if he did, Changyoon's bitchass would probably lord it over him with relentless teasing for the rest of his pathetic existence.
That wasn't even the worst possible outcome though.
The worst thing would be if Changyoon was disgusted by him and his dumb gay feelings and stopped talking to him.
That would be the literal worst.
Because to Minkyun,
Changyoon's voice was the single most beautiful thing he had ever experienced in his life.
Hands down.
Ever.
He'd probably rather die than admit that to Changyoon though.
The first time they met he was just a freshman in college and Changyoon was drunk as hell at frosh week on campus.
Minkyun was a music Major and Changyoon was studying fashion design. There had been games, competitions of different faculties in seeing who could build Ikea furniture the fastest or some shit. After, there was a huge party at the campus bar.
Minkyun had stumbled in and been slapped in the face with the resplendent glory that was Changyoon drunkenly belting out a shockingly impressive cover of "I Will Always Love You" on an archaic karaoke machine.
He immediately became hyper focused on the sound. The feeling of the notes Changyoon sang reached out to him like gentle fingers caressing his body in waves of pleasure. Felt like all his muscles had convulsed at once and the resulting friction had started fires under his skin. His tone was warm, so warm that Minkyun swore he felt the heat of it coiling around him, binding him in place. Like the other's voice was warming his goddamn soul.
He had experienced synthesia before, for most of his life he could remember having it. The sensation was especially strong when he listened to music. Minkyun would feel and taste and smell the songs, he would experience it with his whole being.
But this. This stranger's voice. In a cramped college dive bar with shitty acoustics. He had never experienced something like this.
It was otherworldly.
The way his falsetto vibrated around Minkyuns head almost drove him insane. It felt like a pin being dragged softly on the ticklish fleshy underside of his thighs. Airy light but still sharp.
He could physically feel the sound-waves flow into his ears and drip down the back of his throat like warm tea with too much honey.
Sweet. His voice was so sweet. Minkyun felt like he was drowning in it.
He had also just smoked like... insane amounts of weed so thinking back that could have probably had something to do with the effect this stranger's voice was having on him.
From that point on it was game over. Minkyun was addicted. He needed to know who this guy was. But he was incredibly high and awkward and didn't really know how to go about saying, "Hey your voice? Orgasmic." Without sounding like a fuckin psycho.
He just creeped near the dude's friend group and listened till he heard a name.
"Changyoooooon!!! You beautiful bitch! Can't believe you sang an english song that well when your english marks are always so fuckin trash!" A skinny dark haired boy draped his arm around the singer clapping him aggressively on the shoulder.
Bingo. Minkyun had a name to go with that face. He whipped out his phone and began stalking him on social media. Totally less awkward and creepy than going over and introducing himself.
He had just found his Instagram and was looking through it when he was bumped into by none other than Changyoon himself, who then proceeded to spill an entire beer all over Minkyun and also Minkyun's phone. His phone slipped from his hands and fell facedown on the ground.
"Yooooo my bad dude!!! Oh fuck man I'm ss-orry!!" Changyoon spluttered as he clumsily bent down to retrieve the fallen phone.
Minkyun let out a panicked yelp, "NO! IT'S ALRIGHT" and dropped down to the floor to try and grab the phone before the other could see his own face all over it.
This however, resulted in Changyoon standing up and smashing his head into the soft parts of Minkyun's face. Specifically his nose and lips. Which in turn resulted in Minkyun's face being busted open. Now he was covered in beer, blood and Changyoon's tiny hands as he drunkenly tried to stop the flow of his nosebleed.
"Oh fuck! Oh damn! Oh shit! Oh piss!" Changyoon cursed as he held tight to Minkyun's nose. "I'm so fuckin sorry bud, I'm gonna fix this, I promise!" He stomped a foot down in what was supposed to be determination but was in fact, the death rattle for Minkyun’s iPhone. Which if it wasn't already broken from the beer and the fall, was definitely now very broken from Changyoon's powerful stomp.
"Holy balls can this get any wors–" Minkyun slapped a hand over the man's mouth to stop him before he could finish.
"PLEASE… just.... don't. if you say that, it totally will." Minkyun lowered his hand from the other’s mouth. Man, he never noticed before, too busy getting his face smashed in, but Changyoon had really soft lips. Really full and wet and pretty.... That was probably the weed talking. He always got really tactile when he was stoned.
"Ok, fuck. Ok, let me just… drive you to a hospital? O-or the dry cleaners, or the apple store, or… something? Shit, let me help you, I feel SO fuckin bad dude!!"
Minkyun scoffed and rolled his eyes so hard they almost didn't come back around. "You are incredibly drunk. The only thing you're driving– is me crazy."
Changyoon snickered, "Heh, good one. Naw man I can't drive, that's what Jaeyoung's for. AYE JAEYOUNG! LIL HELP HERE, I MAIMED A MAN!" He turned back towards his friend group and waved a guy over, who honestly, kinda scared the shit outta MK. This man was beefy.
"Oh my god, hyung, that's a lot of blood! What the hell did you do?! Leave you alone for one second and this happens." The man's body may have looked hard, but his face softened with concern when he addressed Minkyun.
"Hey, dude, you ok? That's a nasty break." His voice dripped with empathy.
"Yeah, yeah I'm a mess we all know. Now can you help me drive..." Changyoon looked over towards Minkyun, eying him up and down carefully for the first time.
"Minkyun. Park Minkyun." Minkyun supplied.
"Can you help me drive Minkyun to the hospital?"
"I don't think I need to go to the hospital, I think I just need to go home and take a shower." Minkyun didn't want to go to the hospital, hospitals scared the shit outta him, and also, he was high as a fuckin kite. He didn't particularly want some doctor poking around and stealing his blood or whatever.
"Ok then let me help you with that!!" Changyoon grabbed onto his arm excitedly.
Minkyun pulled back and narrowed his eyes "...with my shower?!"
"Yes?" Changyoon paused a moment to absorb his thoughts and the implications of his words. Minkyun felt like he could see the literal buffering circle whirring above his head. "I mean, no?"
"Why don't you sound so sure of that?" He quipped.
"I'm not! I MEAN I AM SURE? fuck!" The shorter man waved his hands wildly and almost knocked Jaeyoung in the face.
"Woah now! Ok. Cool it hyung, you have definitely had enough to drink for one night. How about I drive both of you home?"
Minkyun was only too happy to take him up on that offer and get the fuck outta there. He gave his contact info to Jaeyoung because Changyoon was so drunk he lost his phone (it happened quite often apparently) and Changyoon pulled a purple sharpie outta God knows where and wrote his number onto Minkyun's arm. It was large and barely legible.
The next day he was somehow able to swing it with the Apple store employee that the phone had been run over by a car, and because he kinda looked like he had been hit by one, it totally worked. Thank God he had been suckered into buying some kinda stupid intense warranty before, the replacement was completely covered under it.
As soon as he got the new phone, he texted Changyoon.
mk: hey it's the dude who's face u smashed the other night
mk: still alive, got a new phone
To which Changyoon replied:
changyoon: i don't remember kissing anybody last night???how drunk was i???
mk: very.
mk: but no,
mk: u smashed my face with the back of ur head
mk: ... not with ur face
mk: u also dumped an entire beer on me
mk: and stomped on my phone
changyoon: OMG UR REAL??? lol thought i dreamed u up bro
mk: yeah im real.
mk: look, i was able to get a new phone under my warranty because i looked like i was in a car accident
mk: so u don't owe me anything.
mk: really i should be thanking u
mk: my old phone was p much trash anyway lol
changyoon: naw man, i totally ruined ur night plz let me make it up to u somehow??!?
Minkyun's grip on his phone tightened. He thought back to the other night, remembering Changyoon's voice singing into that shitty microphone. If he sounded good then, just imagining how he would sound through the mic at the campus recording studio.... Fuck. The idea gave him literal goosebumps.
mk: aite i guess there is something u could do for me
And that's how it started. Minkyun and Changyoon met up regularly to record and talk music. For a fashion major, Changyoon really knew his shit. They became fast friends.
It was easy, becoming friends with Changyoon was easy.
Comfortable.
But Minkyun's secret sometimes weighed heavy on his conscience.
He had felt guilty, when he would get the overwhelming synesthesia from Changyoon's voice. He tried to keep his expression neutral but it was so hard to not look completely blissed out when it happened.
Well, he didn't have to hide his synesthesia anymore, but he still really didn't want to fuck up his friendship by bringing feelings into the mix. Didn't want to throw off the balance.
He was comfortable.
Admitting his feelings? Uncomfortable.
Minkyun shook himself out of his memories and regarded the current Changyoon who seemed very much in a haughty mood.
Changyoon snapped his jaw closed and huffed "Wow, for an artistic type, you really suck at descriptions man." He crossed his arms and turned his nose up at Minkyun in disdain.
"What does 'ok' even taste like? Try using a fuckin' adjective. You know what those are right? Yeah, you weren't a language major but shit, Kyun, work with me here." Changyoon rolled his chair closer and bumped his knees into Minkyun in protest.
Minkyun scowled and knocked his knees back in retaliation. "I dunno, it depends..."
"Depends on what?" Changyoon grumbled, still looking slightly peeved.
"On what kinda noise you're making I guess? It doesn't trigger all the time, and it's usually different each time."
Minkyun's mind flashed back to the other night when he had woken up to the muffled sounding moans of what he assumed was his roommate getting off.
Oh lord, that definitely had a flavour. It had filled his mouth with the taste of pure dark chocolate and chili peppers. Tart, yet smooth. Deep and rich. With an overwhelming heat. It rippled through his body like a wave of radiation, heating him up from the inside like he was a cheap microwave dinner.
He cursed the thin walls that separated their rooms. Minkyun felt so guilty that he couldn't go back to sleep. He had to go to the bathroom to brush his teeth several times in a useless attempt to get the phantom taste of Changyoon's moans out of his mouth.
Out of his mind.
God. He couldn't get the feeling out of his mind.
He shook his head, as if the motion could physically remove the embarrassing memory from his brain. If only that shit worked like an Etch-a-sketch, Minkyun lamented bitterly.
A blush started to creep it's way up from the base of his neck and spread across his cheeks. He brought a hand up to cover his mouth as he coughed awkwardly.
"W-Why do you want to know so badly?"
Changyoon shrugged. "I dunno, it's interesting. How often do you think I'm gonna meet someone who can tell me what my voice tastes like?" He turned his attention away from Minkyun and towards his fingernails which he picked at absentmindedly.
Changyoon let on like he didn't give a fuck, but Minkyun could tell he really wasn't going to let this go until he got a somewhat satisfying answer.
Minkyun let out a defeated huff of breath, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye.
In the darkened room the blue glow from the monitor washed over Changyoon's features, blurring him out, making him look impossibly soft.
"Your voice–" He started but faltered.
The internal voice of reason in his head chimed in:
Keep it brief, keep it simple, he doesn't need to know the depth of your pining. Just use a fucking adjective and go.
But the irrational voice whispered seductively:
'risk it all.'
"Your singing voice tastes sweet and smooth, like ribbon candy. It blooms like wildflowers. Feels soft as sea mist. Smells like fresh grass after a summer rain—"
Oh shit.
Minkyun sucked in a panicked gasp and held his breath. That was far more extra than he had meant to be.
Way to go. Subtle like a train wreck, Park Minkyun. He wanted to punch himself and his inner voices in the face.
Changyoon couldn't help the nervous laughter that bubbled out of him like soda all shaken up, sticky and sweet.
Minkyun wondered if he sealed their lips together in that moment, would he actually be able to taste it?
No.
Nononono.
Those thoughts were not allowed. If Minkyun kept thinking like that, he was going to do something reckless. Which in turn, would freak his friend out. Then he would lose Changyoon, his voice, and their apartment.
He'd end up homeless or even worse– living with Seungjoon's noisy ass.
Thankfully the 'self preservation' part of his brain took over and swerved his train of thought back on track before he could crash and burn.
"Ahaha, wow… ok. Uh, t-thanks?" Changyoon fiddled with the string of his fluorescent orange hoodie, eyes downcast, mouth in a tight line. Minkyun wasn't an expert at reading body language, but he didn't have to be to notice how uncomfortable Changyoon was.
Minkyun grimaced slightly and tried to play it off with a pained laugh. "Well, you mocked my artistic description abilities– so I went all out. Used adjectives and everything. You said you wanted to know, so there, I told you."
"And I thought you said no homo bro?" Changyoon smiled back at him, like he hadn't just thrown Minkyun's feelings into a goddamn wood chipper.
"Fuck you," Minkyun groaned as he angrily clacked away at the keyboard in an attempt to ignore Changyoon.
Changyoon however, would not be ignored. "That was some romance novel level bullshit you just said my dude."
"I'm not your dude, bro." Minkyun snorted
"I'm not your bro, dude." Changyoon scoffed as he hit Minkyun's arm. They both started laughing again while slap battling and trying to shove each other off their respective chairs.
Gay crisis averted. They were still bros.
Changyoon tried to stop giggling as he wiped his eyes, teary from laughing so hard.
"But honestly, thank you. That was single handedly the most beautiful compliment anyone has ever given me."
He grinned big in the way Minkyun loved. The way that made his eyes crinkle into tiny sparkling crescent moons. It was beautiful, he was beautiful, and Minkyun was thankful to be the reason Changyoon was smiling like that.
Their eyes met. The only sounds in the room were the ragged breaths they both drew. Hard and heavy from their roughhousing.
A moment of palpable silence blanketed the air, thick like oil and just as dark.
Neither of them blinked. Just stared for what felt like aeons.
Minkyun could feel his skin crawl, like it was lined with restless worms instead of muscles.
The spell was broken when Changyoon jumped suddenly from his chair.
"You want some soup? Man, I could go for some soup! I'm gonna go out n' get some soup."
Changyoon's voice fluttered out of him like a swarm of moths started from a lamp. It was shrill, prickled Minkyun's ears and tasted faintly metallic.
"Uh...sure?" was all Minkyun could mutter dumbly before Changyoon had rushed out of his room, down the hall and out the front door.
He sat there for a moment, trying to regain his composure.
What the fuck just happened?
Did he just have a moment with his best friend?
Did that moment make Changyoon just as anxious and cotton mouthed as he now was?
Was that why he needed to go out and buy soup so damn badly?
No. It wasn't a moment, it was just a regular moment. His brain decided to go into full denial mode in order to cope with it.
The not moment that is.
Nothing happened.
Just dudes being bros who were apparently gonna eat soup. Whatever.
A small rectangle of light started buzzing from his bed. Changyoon had forgotten his phone. Minkyun slipped his headphones on and turned his focus to the audio mixing he was doing. He'd just ignore it. No big deal. Changyoon would be back in like ten minutes tops.
But the phone kept buzzing
He could see it flashing out of his peripherals and it started to annoy him.
The only friend they had that would text 10 times in a row like that was Seungjoon. And if it was him, Minkyun knew he wouldn't stop anytime soon.
He took his headphones off, stood from the chair with a groan and stretched his arms out above his head; trying to rid his stiff muscles of their near rigor mortis. Minkyun made his way over to the bed and grabbed the glowing vibrating device.
He had just meant to turn the volume on silent and flip it face down. Really. Honest. He didn't mean to accidentally read the flood of messages that kept streaming in across the lock screen.
Seungjerk: bro
Seungjerk: broo
Seungjerk: brooooooOoOOOOo
Seungjerk: changyooooon
Seungjerk: yooooon
Seungjerk: how'd it go today with MK?
Seungjerk: WERE U IN HIS BEDROOM ALL DAY HMMM
Seungjerk: u tell him yet?
Seungjerk: that why u wont reply 2 me
Seungjerk: cuz y'all r suckin face rn
Seungjerk: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Seungjerk: oh my~
Seungjerk: hope u told him
Seungjerk: hope u didnt bitch out AGaiN
Seungjerk: if u cry 2 me n hyojinnie bout how much u wanna bang MK 1 mOrE TiME eYE STG
Seungjerk: imma call Dr. Phil on ur gay ass.
Seungjerk: he will send u 2 da RANCH
Seungjerk: where u belong
Seungjerk: u animal
Seungjerk: k well
Seungjerk: i feel like ur ignoring me
Seungjerk: ...i hope it's cuz ur getting some
Seungjerk: use protection
Seungjerk: cuz y'all would make dumb babies
Seungjerk: xoxo
Minkyun felt like all the blood had been sucked out of his body and replaced with dry ice. He felt like he was both burning and cold at the same time. Frozen in place but shaking steadily. Sweating and clammy.
What the actual fuck did he just read.
u wanna bang MK
HE WAS MK. MK WAS MINKYUN. THIS MEANT CHANGYOON LIKED HIM TOO.
Liked him enough to apparently cry about it to Seungjoon and Hyojin.
More than once.
What
The
Fuck
Minkyun was vibrating harder than the phone in his hand.
He wasn't sure how long he stood there like a stupid sculpture, but it was long enough for Changyoon to return home.
A jingling of keys at the front door jarred him from his thoughts.
"Hey! I'm back!" He could hear Changyoon bustling around the kitchen and the crinkling of plastic bags.
Minkyun threw the phone onto the bed like the thing had bitten him. Those messages were not meant for him, but he had seen them nonetheless. He wasn't really sure what the hell he was meant to do with that kind of loaded information.
What would Changyoon have done if their roles were reversed? If he had been the one to find out Minkyun had been harbouring a heated crush.
He'd probably mess with him. Tease him incessantly.
"I got soup, but I also got ice cream and chips and coffee and cookies and–"
"Are you doing that thing again where you get anxious and eat your feelings?" Minkyun said with a knowing smirk as he entered the kitchen.
"What? No. What? W-why would you think that?" Changyoon's nervous laughter rang in his ears. It left a peculiar acidic taste in his mouth. Like the reflux Minkyun sometimes got when he was anxious.
"I was just hungry as hell. You know my mom always said you should never shop on an empty stomach cuz you'll end up buying all kinds of crazy stuff ahahaha." He fumbled around with the groceries, mindlessly unloading them.
"Can you get a pot ready for the ramen?"
If it were up to Minkyun he would have just filled the cups with tap water, stuffed the ramen in the microwave and been done with it. But he knew Changyoon was extra as hell and therefore liked to do everything extra, so he humoured him by getting a pot out to boil water. The ramen always tasted better when Changyoon made it anyway.
Once he finished setting up, he stood back and leaned against the counter with a soft smile, watching Changyoon chop green onions clumsily.
"You need any help with that, Yoon?"
"I'm fine." Changyoon shot him a glare across his shoulder that only made Minkyun's impish smile widen more.
As he prepared the ramen, Changyoon hummed a quiet song.
Minkyun leaned over and placed his chin on Changyoon's shoulder, snaking his arms around his waist. He felt his friend tense for a moment before relaxing into the embrace.
"I wish I could eat your voice."
"Ok, weird, but not that weird considering you can taste it."
Minkyun laughed softly, "No, I'm serious, you don't understand what it does to me, what it feels like."
Changyoon went still in his arms. "Tell me." it fluttered over his lips in a breath, light as helium. The delicate sound tickled Minkyun's ear.
"Can't," he mumbled as he buried his face into the crook of Changyoon's neck. "It's embarrassing."
"You're embarrassing," Changyoon scoffed as he reached up to flick Minkyun's forehead. "Plus it's not like you didn't already say the most disgustingly romantic thing I've ever heard in my life earlier."
Minkyun winced and withdrew his hands from their spot on Changyoon's tummy.
"I did do that, huh. That was pretty dumb of me," He mumbled sulkily as he stepped back and scratched his neck.
Changyoon turned away from the stove to face him
"It wasn't dumb, it was..." He gestured vaguely with his free hand. "Endearing."
"Don't patronize me you jerk. I was trying to be nice and you ruined it." Minkyun stuck his tongue out and poked Changyoon in the chest.
In one swift motion Changyoon had reached up and pinched Minkyun's tongue in a vice grip with his two fingers. "Don't stick your tongue out at me unless you want me to rip it off."
"Waht eff eye hwant ewe tew bhite eet awff?" Minkyun raised his eyebrow playfully as he challenged his friend.
Changyoon's eyes went wide and shone like the sun. Minkyun wanted to soak them up like photosynthesis.
He took a bold step towards Changyoon, crowding his personal space and forcing the other to look up at him. His tongue was still firmly clamped in Changyoon's death grip. He brought a hand up to cover the one holding his tongue, using it to guide Changyoon's fingers into his mouth.
"W-what are you doing, Minkyun?" Changyoon whispered breathily.
"If I can't eat your voice, I'm just gonna eat you instead," He said as he boldly started to suck on Changyoon's fingers.
"N-now that's weird AND illegal."
"Not if you say it's ok." Minkyun smirked as he rolled his tongue around, coating the digits in a trail of saliva.
"I'm p-pretty sure you can't consent to cannibalism," Changyoon quipped. He was putting on airs, but Minkyun could see it in his eyes that he was shaken by the brazen actions.
"I'm pretty sure you know I'm not talking about cannibalism."
"I'm not sure what you are talking about."
"I'm talking about you… and me." He pushed forward, leaning into Changyoon's space, breathing his hot recycled air.
Their faces were mere centimeters apart now. Changyoon was almost cross eyed as he tried to focus on Minkyun's face. Minkyun however, was hyper focused on the other's small circular lips.
"In what context?" Changyoon's tongue darted out and grazed his bottom lip, making it slick and shimmer in the kitchen lighting.
Minkyun leaned in, closer still. He pushed his lips to the shell of Changyoon's ear, brushing against the fine hairs there. "The sexy kind," He whispered with a chuckle.
"Oh......OH!"
Minkyun pulled back in time to see Changyoon turn fluorescent red like an LED Christmas light. He could almost feel the heat that radiated off of Changyoon's blushing face from this distance.
"A little birdy might have let it slip that that's the kinda context you wanted me in." Minkyun flashed him with his 1000 megawatt smile. Dimples out on display.
Changyoon's face soured considerably. "Was that little birdy actually a rooster, loud as shit, and Seungjoon?"
"Yeah. You left your phone here and I saw his rapid fire messages on your lock screen when I went to put it on silent." Minkyun laughed heartily as he dodged a flurry of angry pinches from Changyoon.
"He's not a rooster... He's a stupid… Loudmouthed COCK!!!" Changyoon shrieked in unbridled rage as he chased Minkyun around the kitchen, trying to pinch him like a bloodthirsty lobster.
"He said you wanted to fuck me~" Minkyun sing-song'd mockingly as he lept over the back of the couch that divided the kitchen from the living room.
Changyoon growled with frustration. "I'm going to wring his spindly neck!"
"Do you want to though?" Minkyun stopped deking him out and stood still. The barricade of the sofa between them.
"YEAH I WANT TO KILL HIM!!" Changyoon yelled as he vaulted over the couch and tried to tackle Minkyun.
Minkyun however, side-stepped him easily. He grabbed Changyoon arms to stop him from falling on his face and spun Changyoon to face him. "No. I mean... Do you want to fuck me?"
Changyoon rolled his eyes and huffed. "The only fucking you'll be doing is fuckin' dying if you don't eat something other than handfulls of Captain Crunch and Monster energy drinks, you idiot." He pried himself from Minkyun's grasp and stomped back to the kitchen where he started chopping onions again. This time with decidedly more aggression.
"Now shut up and help me finish making this ramen."
"Yesssir!" Minkyun gave him his biggest most overly enthusiastic salute.
Changyoon struggled to keep the smile at bay that was tugging at the corner of his lips.
Minkyun sauntered back into the kitchen and hopped up on the counter next to Changyoon.
"Pretty gay of you to want to fuck me tho–"
He didn't even have time to defend himself before Changyoon had started viciously beating him with a large bundle of green onions.
"SHUT! YOUR! HELL! HOLE! PARK! MIN! KYUN!" Changyoon screamed inbetween blows.
"OW?! OWW! WHAT THE FUCK?! YOU'RE GETTING ONION JUICE IN MY FUCKING EYES!!" Minkyun yelped and tried to shield himself from the spicy hits.
He slid off the counter and backed away till he hit the wall on the opposite side of the kitchen. Changyoon's beating was relentless. He landed blow after blow… just layered them on like.... Well, like an onion.
"Stop being horny and start being helpful!" The smaller man finally stopped his tirade of green onion flavoured lashings and shoved the now limp and fucked up bundle into Minkyun's arms.
"I think you fucking blinded me for real dude?!" Minkyun's eyes were watering. Equal parts from laughter and onion. He squinted and blinked trying to see where Changyoon was at.
He clumsily made his way in the direction he knew was the kitchen. Fumbling around like he was in the dark. He kinda was, seeing as he couldn't fully open his eyes on account of all the onion juice burning his retinas.
After crashing into several things and knocking over a couple grocery bags, Changyoon finally took pity on him and guided him to the sink.
He wet a wad of paper towel and smacked it over Minkyun's eyes like a giant spitball.
"There. Don't say I never did anything for you." Changyoon scoffed as he returned to his chopping.
"I'd never say that," Minkyun mumbled sulkily, rubbing the sting out of his eyes.
After a few minutes he pulled the paper towel away to see Changyoon staring at him with... this look.
Something inside Minkyun softened like chocolate in the sun.
Changyoon blushed and went back to cutting, but he was so flustered, he slipped and cut his finger. "Ow piss!"
"Uh oh. How badly did you get yourself?" Minkyun asked as he slid over and made to grab for Changyoon's little hand to inspect it.
"It's not that bad don't worry," Changyoon said as he pulled away slightly. The action kinda pissed Minkyun off, he reached out and snatched Changyoon's hand, bringing it closer to see.
A small bead of blood pooled to the surface of the delicate skin on Changyoon's finger. Minkyun saw it and just kind of moved on instinct, bringing the cut digit into his mouth.
"What that fuck bro? Being a mutant isn't enough for you? You're a vampire now too?" Changyoon laughed as he tried to pull away again. Minkyun wouldn't let him this time. He kept his hand gripped tight and tugged him closer.
Minkyun snorted and raised an eyebrow suggestively "No, just any excuse to put a part of you in my mouth is a good one."
"Gay." Changyoon deadpanned.
But his face betrayed him. He was blushing again, bold scarlet.
"Only for you. Always for you." Minkyun answered honestly, eyes searching the other's face for confirmation, acknowledgement... something.
Changyoon met his eyes and quickly looked away, biting his lip. He was blushing so hard now the tips of his ears were dusted pink.
"Can I kiss you?" Minkyun whispered, soft and shy.
There was silence again. Changyoon squirmed slightly, hand still secured in Minkyun's hold. Minkyun could see the gears of his mind working, turning slow like he was buffering, trying to assess the situation and what he should say next.
The silence was killing him.
"No~" Changyoon finally said in a far too cheery tone. He smiled back at Minkyun with all his teeth.
Little shit.
"Why nooott!" Minkyun whined. "I like you, I know you like me too! Come oooonnnn dude kiss me!!" He stomped his feet and pouted like a petulant child.
"I'm old school, bro. I expect a full and proper courting before you're getting any of thissss," Changyoon hissed the last of his s' as he gestured all over his body. He smirked back at Minkyun, but his eyes were full of fondness.
If befriending Changyoon was easy, comfortable. Loving him was going to be challenging, but rewarding.
Minkyun couldn't wait to rise to that challenge.