Chapter Text
This is Changbin’s favourite part of the day.
It’s 5pm, and he’s just finished his shift at the bookshop. He’s packed up, tidied, closed the shop and gone to the cafe on the street opposite, his habit after every shift. Now, the only thing standing between him and the best, creamiest vanilla milkshake he’s ever tasted is a short queue. No customers, no new stock to put out, no inane questions - just solitude, peace and the gentle background noise of the cafe’s evening crowd-
‘Hey!’
Someone steps in front of Changbin and stands there with their hands on their hips. Changbin pulls out one of his earphones and looks up to see a slim boy, about his age and height.
He’s got electric blue hair, shiny in the warm lights of the cafe, and his big brown eyes are rimmed with black liner and mascara. He’s wearing all black: soft, vintage-looking black t-shirt with a white, chinese-style dragon splashed across the front of it, a black oversized hoodie over the top, and baggy black combat trousers, tucked into tall, laced black boots with a thick sole. He’s carrying a huge black shoulder bag which is almost as big as he is.
‘Baby!’ he says loudly, stepping forwards, throwing his arms around Changbin’s neck and gazing at him lovingly. ‘Thank you for waiting.’
‘Um,’ Changbin says. ‘What?’
‘What’s wrong? Speechless at the sight of me?’ the boy asks, giggling, and then he leans way too close to Changbin’s face, thin silver chains around his neck falling forwards and gloss on his lips glinting, and murmurs, ‘I’m Jisung. You’re my date now. Play along.’
‘What? Why?’ Changbin mutters back, ears feeling a little hot.
Jisung sighs, and removes his arms from Changbin’s neck.
‘See that guy over there with the pink hair?’ Jisung asks, indicating with his head somewhere behind and to the left of Changbin. Changbin turns around, and catches eyes with a pretty, elfin boy with freckles and pink hair, who turns red and looks away immediately. He’s dressed in a similar style to Jisung, except with a lot more pastel pink, and he’s sitting at a table with a modelesque man with long blonde hair in an elegant navy blazer. ‘That’s my ex, on a date with the man he told me not to worry about. And I,’ Jisung hisses, jabbing a finger at himself when Changbin turns back. ‘Am petty . Now, grab my ass.’
‘Uh.’ Changbin blanches, yanking his hand away in case Jisung tries to put his own words into action.
‘Too much?’ asks Jisung, looking like he’s seriously thinking it over. ‘Alright, we can pretend like it’s our first date, then. Hold my hand.’
Jisung reaches out with his own hand, nails painted black and multiple rings on each finger, and grabs Changbin’s. His skin is warm and smooth but his rings feel cool. Changbin looks down at them dumbly.
‘ Act natural ,’ Jisung demands in a whisper, and then pulls him forward, adding, much more loudly, ‘It’s our turn to order, babe! What would you like?’
The female cashier looks at him expectantly, and Changbin turns to her, trying not to notice the way his hand is starting to sweat. ‘Vanilla milkshake, please. Medium.’
‘Of course,’ she says, tapping something on her screen.
‘And I’ll have a large chocolate milkshake and an extra large slice of strawberry cheesecake,’ Jisung says. He turns to Changbin and squeezes his hand. ‘You’re treating, right?’
Changbin squints at him. ‘Why-’
‘Come on, baby, isn’t this a date?’ Jisung says, blinking at him innocently.
Changbin looks at Jisung, then back at the cashier, who is smiling at them indulgently, and sighs. ‘ Fine , sure.’
He pays using his credit card, doing his absolute best to ignore the price - is the cheesecake here made of gold, or something? - and then follows Jisung as he walks over to the other end of the counter to pick up their order, still holding tight onto Changbin’s hand.
‘Woah, that looks so good ,’ Jisung says, mouth dropping open almost comically when he sees the milkshakes and - frankly enormous - slice of cheesecake, covered in lurid red strawberry sauce and sitting on a plate with a cute little silver cake fork-and-knife set beside it. He grabs a whole handful of napkins and places them next to it, before turning to Changbin. ‘Get the tray, would you?’
Jisung lets go of Changbin’s hand so he can pick up the tray, and then turns on his heel, leading them off towards his ex’s table.
Changbin gulps, wondering what he’s got himself into, and follows.
It’s clear that Jisung’s ex is expecting this; he turns as they approach and offers Jisung an uneasy smile.
‘Felix,’ Jisung says loudly, smiling at the boy as if he’s never been happier. He’s got a heart-shaped smile, Changbin notices. ‘What a coincidence.’
Felix nods awkwardly, eyes flitting to Changbin.
‘This is my date-’ Jisung says, and then cuts himself off and turns to Changbin, smile on his face frozen into a look of mildly masked panic.
Changbin realises with a start that Jisung hasn’t asked him his name. ‘Hello,’ he says quickly, doing his best to grin as naturally as Jisung. ‘My name is Changbin. Nice to meet you, Felix.’
‘Nice to meet you too,’ the pink-haired boy says, in a surprisingly deep voice. He looks uncomfortably between Jisung, Changbin, and his blonde companion, and then adds on. ‘This is Hyunjin.’
‘Nice to meet you,’ Hyunjin mumbles quietly. He glances up to give Changbin a small smile, but is apparently unable to look Jisung in the face and looks back at his lap instead.
‘Well,’ Jisung says brightly. ‘Good to see you again, Felix, but we wouldn’t want to get in the way of your lovely little’ - he waves his hand around at Felix and Hyunjin - ‘ thing . C’mon, babe, let’s go have our drinks.’
He slips his arm into the crook of Changbin’s elbow and tugs him away, leaving Felix and Hyunjin in an awkward silence.
They slide into a booth together and Changbin sets their tray of drinks and cake down on the table. Jisung grabs the cheesecake, cuts it in half with the little silver knife, and then shoves one half of it into his mouth.
‘Sorry about your ex,’ Changbin says quietly, watching and not quite knowing whether to be impressed or not as Jisung’s cheeks bulge with cake.
‘Hmph,’ Jisung says, spraying cheesecake crumbs at Changbin. ‘Whatever. That asshole broke my heart. I just want to beat him.’
‘Beat him?’
‘Yes, beat him,’ Jisung says, as if it’s obvious. ‘At being a couple. Open wide.’
‘Hm?’
Jisung spears the other half of the cheesecake on the cake fork and holds it insistently up to Changbin’s mouth.
‘Uh-’
‘Eat up, baby,’ Jisung says, leaning on his hand, voice taking on a sugar-sweet simpering tone. ‘I’ll feed you.’
Changbin’s mouth falls open, and then he chokes when the huge piece of cheesecake gets shoved down his throat.
‘Is it good?’ Jisung asks, smiling slightly manically.
Changbin swallows and takes a shaky breath. ‘Delicious.’
‘Good,’ Jisung says, and then his face falls. ‘We should have ordered another piece.’ He grabs his chocolate milkshake and starts drinking it, almost downing it all in one drag. Changbin, still not sure whether to be impressed or scared, sips at his own vanilla.
‘Can I try your shake, baby?’ asks Jisung when he resurfaces, a tiny puddle of milkshake left in his own glass.
‘Sure,’ Changbin says, and Jisung sticks his own straw into Changbin’s glass, leaning forwards so they can drink from it together.
The back of Changbin’s neck starts to prickle from their close proximity. He drops his own straw and digs into his pocket for his phone, nervously checking his messages. He can feel Jisung staring at him.
‘Hey, is that a Magical Mystic Lovely Ganbatte Idol School charm?’ Jisung asks suddenly, reaching over and pointing to the little blue-haired character charm hanging off of Changbin’s phone by a string.
‘Oh. Yeah,’ Changbin says, cheeks colouring. It’s a charm of Naomi, his favourite character from the mobile gacha card game he’s been a little too addicted to lately.
‘Oh my God, I play too!’ Jisung says, sounding delighted. He reaches into his shoulder bag and pulls out his own iPhone, which is covered in a black case with little multi-coloured neon daisies all over it. ‘Do you need anyone? I have a ton of extra Hanas, but I still don’t have any Mitsukis or Sayus…’
They add each other as friends - Changbin smiles at the little cartoon squirrel Jisung has set as his profile picture. He does kind of look like a squirrel, Changbin realises, as he steals a quick glance at the other boy, who is staring with single-minded concentration at his phone screen.
Changbin trades Jisung three cards he needs, and Jisung gives him an experience boost in return. They then play a couple of quick play rounds against each other, both of which Jisung wins - ‘Not fair, Sakura decks are so OP,’ Changbin complains, to which Jisung giggles triumphantly and sticks his tongue out.
They get so distracted that Changbin completely forgets about Felix and Hyunjin at the table across the cafe - until Jisung looks up and says, ‘Huh. Changbin, they’re gone.’
‘Mm?’ Changbin is confused at first, but Jisung raises his eyebrows meaningfully, and Changbin says, ‘Oh!’, turning around to see that the pink-haired boy and his blonde date have, indeed, disappeared.
‘Hm,’ Jisung says. ‘I guess we’re done here.’
Changbin fiddles with his straw. This feels awkward. ‘Yep.’
‘Well,’ Jisung says expectantly, waving his phone. ‘Give me your number.’
‘Huh? I…’ Changbin trails off, cocking his head. ‘Why?’
‘In case I need you again, duh,’ Jisung says. ‘What if I need to bring you somewhere to pretend to be my boyfriend? Or if I run into them again?’
‘What? You think I’m just gonna drop everything and run to you if you happen to see them again?’ Changbin asks, incredulous.
‘Do you have anything better to do?’ Jisung asks.
Changbin opens his mouth, and then pauses a little too long.
‘See?’ Jisung says, pleased. Then he softens a bit. ‘Look, we’ll figure out something I can do for you in return. I’ll - I’ll trade you my secret rare shiny rainbow Yuna card! Actually, no, I won’t do that, forget I said that. I love that card. We’ll think of something, ‘kay? I need your help, here, Changbin.’
He gives Changbin puppy eyes, and Changbin scoffs, looking away. ‘Okay, okay. Fine. But you will owe me.’
‘Of course I will,’ Jisung says happily, offering Changbin his phone. ‘Here, type your number in.’
Changbin taps his number in and then returns the phone, trying to pretend his sense of impending doom is just a sugar rush from the milkshake.
‘Thanks!’ Jisung chirps happily, pocketing his phone and slinging his large bag over his shoulder. ‘I’ll see you around, Changbin.’
‘Bye,’ Changbin says with a grimace, hoping he doesn’t see Jisung around again too soon.
It’s almost a week before he hears anything from Jisung again. The optimist inside him is nearly ready to believe that Jisung has moved on for real, or come clean and told the truth to his ex, and he would never hear from him again.
Naturally, the optimist inside Changbin has never been proved right.
The following Friday, while he is busy eating a gourmet lunch of instant ramyeon with some chopped chilis dumped inside and a can of Sprite, Changbin gets a call from an unknown number.
At first, he ignores it, but it calls again, and then again, insistently flashing on the screen.
Sighing, Changbin wipes his fingers on a napkin and answers the call. ‘Hello?’
‘Changbin!’ says a very loud voice in his ear.
Changbin gulps. He’s pretty sure he recognises that voice, but just to be sure, he asks, ‘Who is it?’
‘It’s me! Jisung! From the cafe. We had a fake date, remember?’ the voice asks.
‘Uh, yeah,’ Changbin says flatly. ‘Obviously I remember.’
‘So,’ Jisung says expectantly.
Changbin thinks for a moment. ‘So…?’ he says.
‘So! Are you free to be my fake boyfriend again?’
‘Huh?’ Changbin asks, nonplussed, looking down at his old white t-shirt that has been splashed with red ramyeon broth. ‘Now?’
‘Yes, now! Well, not now. But kinda now. This evening?’
‘This evening?’ Changbin sputters. He already has plans this evening - plans to sit in bed, wrapped up all cosy in his favourite soft blanket, and play some online Mario Kart for about 8 hours, give or take, before falling into a blissful sleep surrounded by empty snack packets and game controllers.
‘I know it’s short notice, but I really need you, Changbin! You see, my friends have invited me to a party tonight and I really wanna go, it’s been ages since I saw them all together - you know how it is, it gets so awkward when two people in a friend group break up, and then everyone feels like they have to take sides or whatever - and Hyunjin and Lix are gonna be there, and I don’t want to face them all by myself!’ Jisung says in one breath. ‘Besides, they’d be expecting me to bring you.’
Changbin struggles to come up with a polite way to say hell no . He already doesn’t like parties where he doesn’t know anyone, let alone where he has to pretend to be dating a stranger. ‘Look, Jisung, I really don’t…’
‘Don’t say no! Please, don’t say no, Changbin. I’ve been totally lonely lately, you know, since the breakup, and I was really looking forward to seeing everyone again, and I’m dying to just get drunk and have fun, I’ve been moping around for too long! All you need to do is come, stand next to me and look pretty - I’ll even provide the alcohol!’
Jisung sounds truly sad, and Changbin can feel his resolve breaking like deceptively thin frozen ice on a lake in winter.
He sighs down the phone. ‘What - what time is the party?’
‘Oh my God, yay!’ Jisung says, suddenly all happy again. ‘Thank you so much, Changbin! I owe you one, again! Okay, the party is supposed to start at 9, but you should probably arrive a bit later - I’ll send you the address. Wear something nice. Okay, see you then!’
‘Huh - okay?’ Changbin hears a beep, and he removes his phone from his ear and looks down at it - Jisung has already hung up. Huffing, Changbin starts shoveling the rest of the - now cold - ramyeon into his mouth, trying to remember where he put his only clean button-up. All he wanted was a peaceful summer, but he’s somehow landed himself with a fake boyfriend with no manners, instead.
When Changbin arrives at the address Jisung gave him - at closer to 10pm than 9pm - he can already hear the thudding of speakers from outside; they’re playing something very loud, and with a very heavy bassline.
Changbin lets himself in - there’s no way knocking or even the doorbell would be heard over that music - and is met with a dark room (the only lighting being a string of multicoloured lights that someone has strung up around the ceiling) that smells like alcohol and sweat and is packed to the brim with people in various states of intoxication - various being very intoxicated, extremely intoxicated, and catatonic. Changbin is fairly sure he sees someone climb up on a table and start stripping off their glittery sequined bikini - he swiftly walks in the opposite direction, dodging the throng of bodies and feeling around in his pocket for his phone so he can call Jisung.
He heads towards what seems to be the kitchen, hoping to find a slightly quieter place to speak on the phone, but just as he is lifting it to his ear, something very fast and very solid barrels into his side, almost knocking him off his feet.
‘Changbin!’
‘Jisung?’ Changbin coughs out, stumbling and catching Jisung around the shoulders.
‘In the flesh,’ Jisung giggles, managing to look up so that they can catch each other’s eye. Jisung’s eyes are lined with black liner again, mascara on his lashes making them look bigger. He has even more thin silver chains around his neck than last time - and this time they’re dangling from his ears, too. He’s wearing a cropped black t-shirt with a little embroidered white daisy on it, over a long-sleeved black mesh top, and a sliver of his tanned tummy is visible above his oversized belt and black plaid trousers.
Changbin may or may not notice that he actually looks pretty great. But, more importantly, he also notices that he smells like alcohol - strongly like alcohol.
‘Are you already drunk?’ Changbin asks.
Jisung giggles mindlessly again, eyes unfocused as he looks Changbin up and down. ‘Maybe. I had - a few . Couple drinks. Shots. Who’s counting?’
‘Fucking great,’ Changbin says. He hadn’t expected Jisung to already be this out of it. Now he has to be responsible for looking after him all night, in a house of strangers, many of whom are Jisung’s friends. Sounds like an absolute recipe to be caught out, and Changbin really isn’t ready for that kind of humiliation.
‘It is great! I just feel so great ,’ Jisung insists. ‘You know what else is great, baby?’
Baby again. The way that sounds in Jisung’s drink-slurred voice makes Changbin feel shy, makes the back of his neck prickle and grow hot.
‘Hyunjin and Lixie are here!’ Jisung cries, swaying on his feet and clutching Changbin’s forearms with a vice grip so that he doesn’t lose his balance.
‘Oh no,’ says Changbin.
‘Oh yes,’ Jisung says, laughing nonsensically. He grabs Changbin’s face and turns it, pointing over to the other end of the room.
Changbin squints, straining his eyes to catch a glimpse of Jisung’s ex. He doesn’t have to look long - within moments, he spots the telltale bright pink hair. Felix, who is covered in glittering jewellery, is leaning against a wall with Hyunjin, surrounded by a small group of other people, drinks in hand. Hyunjin’s arm is slung around Felix’s waist, and they’re smiling at each other - the hearts in their eyes visible all the way across the room.
Next to him, Jisung is still babbling away. ‘And I’m just so happy to see them! Not at all sad. Not even a little!’
‘Of course,’ Changbin says softly, cringing.
‘Alright, maybe I’m a little annoyed. A little... angry, you could say. But, y-you know, that’s normal, right? I mean, do they have to shove their perfect relationship down my throat and break my heart all over again? But that’s fine, anyway, Changbin, it’s all fine, absolutely no problems here - because I have you !’
‘Oh God.’
Jisung leans in conspiratorially. ‘Let’s give them a taste of their own medicine, see how they like it,’ he murmurs, eyes skittering over Changbin’s face. ‘Let’s be the best, most perfect couple ever .’
‘Um,’ Changbin says.
‘But first,’ Jisung says brightly. ‘There’s someone I want you to meet.’
‘Oh?’ Changbin says. ‘Uh… okay.’
‘Come here!’ Jisung says, tugging Changbin back towards the kitchen again. ‘Minho! Minho!’
‘Jisung?’
Jisung pulls Changbin over to another man, who is holding a cup in each hand. ‘Minho!’ Jisung calls again, letting go of Changbin to hug him around the neck.
‘Woah,’ Minho says. ‘Easy, there, Sungie.’ He gently pushes Jisung off and hands him one of the cups in his hand.
Jisung turns back to Changbin with a grin. ‘Changbin, this is my best friend, Minho!’
‘Hi,’ Changbin says awkwardly.
‘Minho, this is the boyfriend I was telling you about, Changbin!’ Jisung says (Changbin starts and turns red at the word boyfriend ), turning back to look Minho in the face again. Minho smiles back - he looks at Jisung how Changbin might expect Jisung’s best friend to look at him: so fondly, but also a bit like he might be looking for any given opportunity to smack him.
‘This is the new boyfriend, huh?’ Minho says, and when his eyes flick to Changbin, Changbin feels like he’s under an x-ray machine. ‘I honestly started to think Jisung had made you up.’
Jisung laughs extremely loudly, and Changbin does his best to arrange his face into a genuine smile. ‘Haha, didn’t we all?’ he says, which makes no sense. Minho gives him an odd look. Changbin quickly turns to Jisung and adds, ‘I need a drink.’
Jisung’s eyes widen. ‘Why didn’t you say something, baby! I’ll make you a drink! What do you want?’
‘Jack and coke. Make it 50/50,’ Changbin says darkly.
Jisung skips off to make the drink, leaving Changbin alone with Minho, who is still scrutinising him as if he can lay bare all of Changbin’s deepest, darkest secrets with his eyes. Changbin gulps.
Minho stalks forward. ‘You seem like a nice enough guy, Changbin,’ he starts.
Changbin nods, not trusting himself to speak.
‘Certainly not the type of guy who would ever hurt Jisung, right?’
Changbin shakes his head vigorously.
‘Great,’ Minho says with an easy smile. ‘Because, Jisung is going through a difficult time at the moment. I don’t know how much he’s told you exactly, but he’s been hurt before. So - no funny business. No playing games with his poor, fragile little heart. Otherwise, you’re going to have to answer to me. Got that?’
Changbin feels the blood drain from his face. ‘Of course,’ he rasps.
‘Lovely,’ Minho grins. Jisung chooses that exact moment to pop up, offering Changbin his drink.
‘Here you go, babe,’ he says happily. ‘Careful, I made it strong-’
‘Good,’ Changbin says immediately, grabbing it and downing half of it in one go. Jisung cheers.
‘Changbin, let’s go dance,’ Jisung says, pulling on Changbin’s arms.
Changbin lets himself be dragged away. ‘Have fun, you two!’ Minho calls after them, his face the picture of kind-hearted innocence.
Changbin finishes his drink, wincing at the burn of the alcohol, and tosses his cup off somewhere. He’s reluctant to dance at first, but Jisung pulls him in close, smiling without inhibition, and by the time the alcohol hits him, Changbin has forgotten most of his hangups.
Jisung laughs delightedly as Changbin spins him around, and when Changbin catches him around the waist, his tipsy brain can’t help but notice with satisfaction the way his hands span it.
Then, suddenly, Jisung stops laughing, and he focuses on something behind them, eyes widening, face falling.
Changbin, concerned, turns his head, and quickly spots the cause of the sudden change - Felix and Hyunjin, standing together in the corner of the room, softly illuminated by fairy lights. Leaning into each other, Felix’s arms looped around Hyunjin’s neck, and getting very cosy. Clearly, neither of them are shy about PDA.
‘Jisung, I’m so sorry-’ Changbin says, turning back, expecting an armful of very sad Jisung, maybe even some tears.
Instead, there’s a glint of sheer determination in Jisung’s eyes which is downright frightening.
Jisung grabs Changbin bodily and moves him over to a spot which Changbin knows is in direct line of sight of the other couple.
Jisung moves in close, so that Changbin can smell the alcohol on him again, and even something else beneath it; something clean, floral, under the salt of his sweat - a perfume maybe, applied right at the juncture of his jaw and neck. Jisung’s lips move to his ear, and the way he whispers into it makes Changbin’s spine tingle. ‘Time to beat them.’
Changbin carefully gathers up enough air to speak. ‘Beat them?’ he asks nervously.
Jisung winds his arms around Changbin’s and walks them backwards, until his own back hits the wall, pulling Changbin, encouraging him to bear down on him. ‘Yes, baby. You know what I mean. Beat them at their own game again. Do what you came here to do. Help me get back at my ex.’
Jisung gazes at him meaningfully with hooded eyes, his makeup a little smudged around the edges.
It’s like he’s become a completely different person suddenly, a little demon staring Changbin down in his smoky makeup and black clothes and clinking silver chains, daring him to do something.
Changbin knows what Jisung is implying.
He could play dumb, pretend he doesn’t understand what Jisung is getting at. He could step back, hold up his hands, and tell Jisung that there is such a thing as taking a charade too far.
But he doesn’t.
He threads his fingers into Jisung’s fluffy blue hair. He leans in, so close that he can feel the heat radiating off of Jisung, that he can sense when his lashes start fluttering. And he presses their lips together in a kiss, a kiss that tastes like whisky, a kiss that takes no time at all to get heated and desperate.
Changbin thinks he’s going to go insane when Jisung’s hands scrabble up his back and then clutch at his hair, tugging none-too-gently. He thinks he’s already insane when Jisung parts his lips and Changbin can press his tongue in between them, and his mind goes utterly blank.
They kiss until neither of them can breathe anymore, and then they part out of pure necessity.
Changbin pants into the air between them, staring into Jisung’s shocked, shiny eyes. His heart has sped up so much that he’s almost impressed he’s still alive.
Then, Jisung says, ‘Is he looking?’
Changbin feels like his heart plummets down to his kneecaps. Right , he thinks. Felix .
He takes a deep breath, slightly shaky. Then he turns his head, trying to subtly look to the right, to see if Felix is indeed looking at them. But Felix is nowhere to be seen - he and Hyunjin have disappeared.
Changbin bites his lip, hard, and the pain helps bring him back to the present moment. ‘They’re gone,’ he tells Jisung lowly. ‘Sorry, Jisung.’
Jisung sags against the wall, and Changbin takes a step back - so Jisung can have some space but also so Changbin can get some air in his lungs, which is something he’s normally good at but he’s finding oddly difficult at the moment.
Pull yourself together , he thinks, willing away the tingling in his lips.
‘Whatever,’ Jisung says, the determined light in his eyes dimmed. ‘It’s not like I care .’
Changbin sighs. It feels like the alcohol has all left his system suddenly, and he’s thinking clearly. He should never have kissed Jisung in the first place, and he certainly shouldn’t have gotten so carried away, so swept up that he almost -
This is all fake , he tells himself firmly. An act, to get back at Jisung’s ex. And Jisung, who is slumped against the wall, drunk and sad, really just needs Changbin to be a friend right now.
‘Changbin?’ Jisung asks, wiping his cheek with the back of his hand.
‘Mm?’
‘Call me a taxi,’ Jisung says. ‘I want to go home.’
Changbin puts a comforting hand on Jisung’s shoulder, squeezes just a little. ‘Of course.’
Changbin is jolted awake at just shy of 9am on the second day since the party, by his phone ringing loudly next to him on his nightstand. He groans, head thudding with exhaustion; he’d stayed up until the early hours of the morning, and had been hoping to sleep in until at least midday.
Disorientated, he fumbles for the beeping phone, knocking the empty packet of potato crisps he was eating last night out of the way.
He swipes the screen and holds it up to his ear, croaking, ‘Hello?’, voice still thick with sleep.
‘Changbin!’ says a bright, cheerful, far -too-loud-for-9am voice in his ear, and Changbin’s eyes fly open.
‘Hi, Jisung,’ Changbin says, trying not to sound too murderous - out of politeness, mostly.
‘Guess what?’ Jisung asks. He sounds completely different from when Changbin last saw him - helping him into a taxi with Minho, drunk and shaky with mascara tear tracks on his cheeks.
Changbin sighs. ‘Is it something I’m not gonna like?’
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Jisung says airily. ‘Felix texted me.’
‘Hm?’ Changbin says. ‘Your ex did?’ He furrows his eyebrows in confusion.
‘Yeah,’ Jisung says. ‘He texted me yesterday, to apologise and stuff. I was weirded out at first because, well, I was like, we have not texted in literally like two months, what are you doing? But he actually said he was wanting to check up on me and stuff and then when he saw me with you at the cafe and party and stuff, he decided to go for it. And we ended up talking for a while.’
‘Okay...’ Changbin said. ‘And?’
‘Well, he said a bunch of stuff, like he was happy that I was moving on and whatnot. And that he knows things are still weird and awkward and he wants to patch things up. And I was like oh, yeah, I’m just so happy and over you, haha. And then he said Hyunjin felt bad too, and that they were thinking of ways to make it up to me…’ Jisung trails off.
‘ And ?’ Changbin asks, suddenly nervous.
‘He invited us on a double date!’ Jisung says in a rush. ‘Isn’t that great?’
‘Uhhhh…’
‘You have to come, Changbin,’ Jisung whines. ‘He was saying all this really, like, mature stuff and making me feel like such an idiot. And now if I come clean, I’m going to look like this totally pathetic dumbass who panicked and grabbed the first person I saw and made them pretend to be my boyfriend just so I could get back at him!’
There’s a pause.
‘Okay, maybe I am a total dumbass. But I can’t let Felix know that! I can’t let him win! ’
Changbin thinks this is a terrible idea. ‘Jisung, I really don’t- at the party, you were-’
‘Come on Changbin, please?’ Jisung is bringing out his most wheedling, whining voice - Changbin can just imagine the puppy eyes he would put on if he were in front of him right now.
‘It just seems like a really bad idea, Jisung-’
Jisung barrels onwards as if Changbin isn’t even talking. ‘Are you free tomorrow?’
Changbin sighs in relief - he has an excuse. ‘Sorry, I actually do part time work at a bookstore and I have a shift tomorrow.’
‘Oh, how about the day after tomorrow?’ saying Jisung, who doesn’t sound at all put off.
Changbin makes a face. ‘Well, technically I am free then, but-’
‘Great! Day after tomorrow it is! I’ll tell Felix.’
‘Wait-’
‘We’re going to a rollerskating rink,’ Jisung says. ‘Felix and Hyunjin are paying. I’ll text you the address. Later!’
‘Jisung!’
But all Changbin gets in return is a lonely beep as Jisung hangs up. Changbin glares at his phone. He is so getting that shiny rainbow Yuna card.
His phone buzzes moments later with an address, followed by another text saying 16:30, day after tomorrow. See you then, baby!
Changbin lies back down and rubs his eyes miserably. He really is hopeless sometimes.