Work Text:
Minghao had a million other things he should’ve been doing.
It was the end of the semester. The end of the semester meant final papers, final projects, and last minute studying. It meant spending every waking moment out of class and work in the library and staying up late to the point his body ran on coffee. It meant not procrastinating and getting things done on time.
But, at the moment, those million other things didn’t matter. All that mattered was the item that was on his laptop screen.
Minghao had just got paid, and he had yet to buy his secret santa gift. The timing was too perfect, and on top of that, he knew his secret santa would love it.
Just then, Minghao heard the door of his dorm open. He turned away from his laptop and looked over to the entrance. He saw Seungkwan, his roommate and friend, walking in and closing the door behind him.
Already? He wasn’t supposed to be home for another half hour. He must have gotten done with song practice early.
Seungkwan set his backpack on the ground as he was taking off his jacket and putting it in their hallway closet.
“Hey,” Minghao greeted, closing his laptop.
Seungkwan looked up, his cheeks a rosy red as a result of walking across campus in the cold. He gave Minghao a smile.
“Hey.”
“How was song practice?”
“It was good. We did a soundcheck, and everything went according to plan, so we got out of practice early. Everything’s in place for my showcase.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Seungkwan smiled and nodded as he took off his shoes. He grabbed his backpack before he walked over to Minghao. He leaned over the couch, peeking over Minghao’s shoulder. He would’ve had the perfect view of Minghao’s laptop screen had Minghao not closed it.
“What were you looking at? You had your laptop open when I walked in.”
“I’m just looking at things I could possibly buy for my secret santa,” Minghao answered, “I haven’t bought my gift yet.”
“Me either,” Seungkwan said, sighing, “And I got Jeonghan. He’s going to be such a hard person to please.”
“Yeah, which is why none of us wanted to draw his name. We all know he’s going to be a hard person to shop for,” Minghao replied.
“Don’t remind me. I haven’t even started looking yet, and I’m already stressed about it,” Seungkwan said, exasperated, “Who did you get?”
“I can’t tell you that. We all swore to secrecy… except for you apparently. You’ve been complaining about getting Jeonghan since we got home the night we drew names.”
“Come on, please?”
Minghao simply shook his head, and Seungkwan huffed.
“Fine. I guess you don’t want my help finding the perfect gift.”
“Even if you offered, I wouldn’t even need your help. I know my person really well,” Minghao said, trying to hide his smile, “I know exactly what he wants.”
Seungkwan furrowed his eyebrows before his eyes widened in realization. He smirked.
“Oh… okay. I see,” Seungkwan said, “Maybe with your gift you should also include a love letter confessing your undying love.”
Minghao tried to hide his shock (but in retrospect maybe he did make it pretty obvious). He glared at Seungkwan.
“No, never.”
“Come on, Minghao. You’ve been pining after Jun for two years now. Isn’t it the time for you to tell him how you feel? How much longer will you be able to be around him and pretend that you’re okay just being friends?”
“Forever if I need to.”
Minghao then sighed.
“Besides… I… don’t know how he’ll react, whether he’ll accept my feelings or not. I’d rather have him close as a friend than scare him off and lose him all together.”
“But… if you don’t say anything, you’ll never know if Jun has the same feelings. What if he thinks the same thing as you but instead he decides to move on? You’ll lose him either way. Is this way really the better option?
Minghao stayed silent in reply. He knew Seungkwan was right, but his fear was overriding Seungkwan’s rational advice. Jun was his closest friend out of their friend group. Jun was the one that helped him transition when he first came to Korea. He was the first person to say hello, help him with his Korean, and introduced him to the rest of their friends. Minghao loved all of his friends, but Jun was the one that truly understood him the way no one else did. Jun was the one that spoke his mother language and the only one who could truly relieve him of his homesickness when it did hit him.
To Minghao, losing Jun because of his dumb feelings wasn’t worth it in the end, not when Jun meant everything to him.
“Yes, it is.”
Seungkwan sighed.
“Okay… if that’s what you believe,” he said, “I’ll leave you to do your Christmas shopping.”
And with that, Seungkwan stood up, grabbed his backpack, and walked to his room. Minghao waited until he heard the door close to open his laptop. The screen turned on, showing the item he was looking at. It was a set of rare Pusheen cat plush toys, each of the five cats holding a different Christmas-themed food or drink while it smiled cutely. They were limited edition and only on sale for a short time.
He thought back to the day Jun showed him the plushies in the first place.
They were in the library, taking a break from studying. Minghao was mindlessly watching Youtube videos while Jun was scrolling through the internet.
“Hao, look!”
The sudden burst made Minghao jump. He pulled out his earbuds as Jun leaned over the table and turned his laptop around, so Minghao could show him his laptop screen. There, Minghao saw the set of Pusheen plushies for the first time.
“What’s this?”
“The Pusheen plushies I told you about! There’s a different set every year around Christmas time. This year, Pusheen is eating and drinking different types of Christmas-themed foods.”
Jun then sighed.
“But they’re too expensive. Soonyoung and I just paid rent, and they stop selling the day after Christmas, so I don’t have enough money to buy them.”
He then gave Minghao a sad smile before he turned his laptop back around.
“But there’s always next year, right?”
Minghao returned the smile.
“Yeah, definitely.”
Jun sighed before he slouched back in his chair.
“Well, time to start studying again I guess,” Jun said.
Minghao nodded before Jun put his earbuds back in and started to read his textbook once again. And that’s when Minghao started thinking.
He debated whether he should actually buy them or not. It exceeded the budget for the secret santa gift exchange, not to mention Minghao’s Christmas gift budget. If he were a normal person that saw Jun as a friend, he would’ve decided no and closed the tab before he could debate it anymore.
But he wasn’t normal. He remembered Jun’s face from that day. He was so happy telling Minghao about it and how much he wanted them, but then sad when he said he couldn’t afford to buy them.
This would make Jun’s Christmas the best, and Minghao always wanted the best for Jun.
Yes, Minghao should’ve closed the tab and went looking for a more reasonably priced gift, but instead, he found himself adding the set of Pusheen plushies to his cart and putting in his dorm address and card information.
God, he was whipped.
___
“Minghao, ready to go?” Seungkwan called out.
“Yeah! Just give me a minute!” Minghao replied.
Tying the bow and putting down the last piece of tape, he sighed, satisfied. The wrapping paper was white with gold, shining Christmas trees on it. On top of the wrapping paper, Minghao had placed a gold bow on top.
He read the gift tag.
To: Jun
From: Your Secret Santa
Minghao smiled, thinking about the look on Jun’s face would be like when he saw the gift that was inside. In his head, it was adorable, and it made Minghao more excited to see it.
Pushing the thought away, he grabbed the gift and stood up. He grabbed his jacket before he walked out of his room and met Seungkwan at the door, who was ready to go with his gift in hand.
“Ready?” Seungkwan asked.
Minghao nodded. He quickly slipped on his shoes and put on his coat as Seungkwan opened the door. They walked out, closing the door behind them and took the elevator to the ground level. Once they were outside, they headed towards the apartment buildings off campus.
Once reaching the cluster of buildings, they walked to one that was towards the middle. There, they saw the right building, where they saw Jeonghan waiting in the lobby. Once he saw them approach the building, he stood up and walked over to the door to open it.
“Hello,” he greeted, “Everyone’s upstairs.”
Minghao and Seungkwan gave their greetings before they all walked to the elevator that would take them up. Once they reached the right floor, Jeonghan led them to his shared apartment with Seungcheol.
He opened the door, and immediately, they were greeted by the smell of fresh baked cookies, Christmas music playing through the air, and their friends chatting. Minghao looked around and saw there were snowflakes hanging from the ceiling. The island in the kitchen was covered with a red table cloth and was full of food, snacks, and a punch bowl. There was also a Christmas tree in the living room with gifts under it.
Minghao and Seungkwan proceeded to take off their jackets and hang them up in the closet before they took off their shoes. When they walked further into the apartment, their friends saw their arrival, they greeted them with hugs. They put their gifts under the tree with the rest before joining the conversations with their friends.
As Minghao was talking with Wonwoo, he felt the couch dip next to him.
He turned to see who it was, and his heart started racing a second later, seeing Jun next to him. He was wearing a red shirt with a white cardigan over with black jeans. His brown hair was laying flat on his forehead. He had a few cookies in his hand.
He was glowing.
“Hi, Hao! When did you get here?” Jun asked.
“Just a little bit ago,” Minghao replied, “Where have you been?”
“In the kitchen. Mingyu is making sugar cookies, so I went in to… you know, taste test a few of them.”
He held a cookie out to Minghao.
“Do you want one?”
Minghao nodded. Jun held out one of the cookies, and before Minghao could reach out and grab it, he put it directly in his mouth. Minghao’s eyes widened, but nonetheless, he took a bite.
As he chewed, Minghao smiled.
“They’re good.”
“Mingyu said he tried a new recipe. He was nervous about this one too. You should tell him how much you liked these: boost his confidence.”
Minghao nodded.
“I will.”
“Alright everyone,” Seungcheol said, stopping all of the conversation, “It’s nice to see everyone again for our annual Christmas gathering. We’ll eat first, and then we’ll go ahead and start our Secret Santa gift exchange.”
Everyone nodded before they got up to wash their hands and grab food. Once everyone was settled down with their plate of food, the conversations continued, most of it being a guessing game who everyone got for Secret Santa.
When everyone finished eating, everyone started grabbing a gift that had their name on it. Once everyone had a gift in their hand, they did a quick game of rock paper scissors to see who would go first. After the few rounds, Jun came out as the winner.
Minghao sat across from Jun, watching as he started to pull off the wrapping paper, anticipation drawn on his face. Once Jun was able to pull off all of the wrapping paper, all that was left was the box. Jun pulled off the top, and immediately, Jun’s jaw dropped to the ground, taking the gift out of the box.
He looked up, holding a Pusheen plush in his hand. He started pulling out more of them until he was holding all of the plushies in his hands.
“Really? Someone got me these?” Jun asked, his smile wide on his face. “I’ve wanted a set for years! Thank you so much!”
Minghao fondly smiled.
Yes, the look on Jun’s face was definitely worth it.
“Who do you think got you, Jun?” Joshua asked.
Jun looked at all of their friends. His eyes stopped at Minghao, who immediately looked away, and didn’t look back up until Jun turned away. Jun looked at everyone before he spoke again.
“I know who,” Jun said, “It’s Minghao.”
Minghao’s head snapped towards Jun. He looked up at Jun with eyes wide.
Lucky guess?
Nonetheless, Minghao nodded.
“Y-Yeah. It was me.”
Jun smiled.
“I knew it,” he replied, “Thank you, Haohao!”
Minghao gave him a smile and a nod.
“You’re welcome.”
“So who’s next?” Seungcheol asked.
Jun scanned the room again, looking at all of their faces.
“I choose… Chan to go next.”
Chan, beaming, immediately started opening his gift. As everyone laughed at the new razors in the box, and Chan hid his face in embarrassment, Minghao couldn’t keep his gaze off of Jun. The way Jun laughed and leaned onto Wonwoo made his heart skip a beat.
Jun was so beautiful, and he didn’t even realize it.
After everyone opened their gifts, Seungcheol and Jeonghan set up the karaoke machine, and they all started to decide on an order of singers and songs. After a few rounds, Minghao excused himself to the kitchen to grab something to snack on. He stood up and walked over to the kitchen, deciding on a snowman-shaped cookie.
He started to think.
Minghao couldn’t figure out how Jun knew it was him. It was no secret among their friends that Jun adored cats, so everyone must have known he wanted those Pusheen plushies. Anyone could have gotten him those. How did Jun narrow it down to him? It was a lucky guess; it had to be.
“Hey.”
Minghao was pulled from his thoughts. He looked up, seeing Jun walk into the kitchen.
He smiled.
“Hey.”
“Needed a snack?” Jun asked, walking over to stand next to Minghao.
“Yeah. The singing was tiring me out,” Minghao replied, “Plus, with Seokmin, Soonyoung, and Seungkwan getting ready to sing something, you know it’s going to get loud.”
“Yeah, you’re right there,” Jun said with a small laugh.
After Minghao shared the laugh, Jun spoke up again.
"Hey, thanks again for the gift. I love them. I'll set them by my bed and cherish them everyday."
Of course, anything for you, truly anything that'll make you happy, I'll do it for you.
"Yeah, you're welcome," Minghao said.
Minghao looked down, shuffling his feet, still puzzled.
“But how… did you know that it was me? You guessed pretty quickly.”
Jun furrowed his eyebrow before he mouthed ‘oh’ as he nodded understandingly.
“Because… I only told you that I wanted that,” Jun replied.
Minghao looked up at Jun.
“Really?”
“Yeah,” Jun replied, “I thought it was kind of embarrassing to tell anyone, so I only told you.”
“But it isn’t embarrassing. You like what you like, and that’s okay,” Minghao assured him, “But… why did you only tell me?”
“Because I knew you wouldn’t judge. You never do when it comes to my… childish interests.”
I would never. It’s cute; everything you do is cute.
“They’re not childish interests, as you call them. It’s what makes you… you, Wen Junhui: this friend group’s number one cat enthusiast.”
“Don’t let Wonwoo hear you say that. He’s still salty about the last time I made a joke about it,” Jun joked.
Minghao let out a soft laugh.
“I won’t.”
Jun laughed as well, but the joking tone almost immediately died down, almost nonexistent as Jun spoke up again, his tone serious.
“You actually listened? And remembered that conversation?”
“Of course I did,” Minghao replied, “I always listen to everything you have to say. You speak with so much excitement about everything, and I can’t not listen to you when you talk, especially with the way I feel about you.”
Jun’s head perked up before he turned his attention to Minghao, tilting his head, and Minghao quickly realized the words that came out of his mouth. They were the words he never meant to say, the words that he buried deep in his heart and swore would stay there, while watching Jun date other people, attending his wedding, and seeing Jun hold his first kid in his arms.
Those words were supposed to follow him to his grave, and he just said them out loud to the person who was never supposed to hear them.
“Shit, Jun I-”
“What did you mean by that?”
“N-Nothing,” Minghao insisted, stepping back, “I should go back.”
Minghao attempted to turn away, but Jun immediately grabbed his wrist and stopped him. He turned him around, so they were facing each other.
“Hao, look at me.”
Minghao, trying to calm his breathing, slowly looked up. And he was instantly captivated by Jun’s eyes, like he has been since he first laid his eyes on Jun.
“You clearly meant something,” Jun said, his voice soft, “So why don’t you tell me? I won’t judge you, like you didn’t judge me; I promise.”
Minghao looked away, sighing. He knew Jun’s pusheen plushies and his own feelings were on two entirely different levels, but Minghao knew that Jun was persistent. No matter what Minghao said to try to avoid the topic, Jun would always find a way to get back to it. And either way, he had already said some of it; he might as well say all of it.
He took a deep breath.
“I… I… I-I-”
“You’re… what?” Jun asked.
"I-I-um-"
Damn it, Minghao just say it.
"Minghao?"
“I’m in love with you,” Minghao blurted out, looking up at Jun, “I’ve been in love with you since we met.”
Jun’s eyes widened.
“Really?”
“Yes,” Minghao replied, “Ever since you helped me find my history class and ever since then. You were the only one who really understood the struggles of trying to transition. You were kind and patient with me and… and so sweet. Whenever I was homesick, you always made Chinese food and always insisted ‘I’m the piece of home here, so if you ever feel homesick, lean on me.’ And then we became closer friends and I saw that… that you’re the kindest, sweetest, most warm-hearted and joyful boy I’ve ever known. You're the only one who really knows me, the only one who truly understands me, and I only fell harder.”
Minghao paused.
“And I just happened to get you for secret santa, and I thought about when you said you wanted those Pusheen plushies, and… and I just wanted to make this a good Christmas for you… so I went over the secret santa budget as well as my own budget to buy them for you, because… because I’m so in love with you, and I would do anything to see you happy.”
Jun continued to look at him, shocked. Minghao couldn’t figure out what emotions were running through his head, but his head was immediately going to the worst case scenario. He tried to turn away again, unable to face rejection, but Jun knew and held Minghao’s wrist tighter. He looked back up at Jun, the shock still evident on his face.
“Are you being serious? You’re not kidding or anything?”
Minghao immediately shook his head.
“Of course I’m not. Why would I joke about something like this?”
Jun’s eyes then filled with hope.
“You know I’ve been in love with you since like… forever, right?”
Minghao’s eyes widened.
“What?”
“Yeah, since we met. When I saw you for the first time, you were the most adorable boy I’ve ever seen: still are. The first time we talked, all I wanted to do was get to know you more and be around you. We got to be closer friends, and I found out you’re kind, caring for others, and so passionate about what you love, and I just kept falling harder for you,” he said, “I didn’t want to tell you because… well, I wasn’t sure if you liked me back or not, and I didn’t want to ruin our friendship.”
“Oh…,” Minghao trailed off, “Really?”
Jun smiled and nodded.
“Yeah, really. I’m absolutely crazy about you, Minghao.”
Minghao felt his face heating up as he looked away. Jun, Wen Junhui, his closest friend, his crush for the past two years, actually liked him back? More than a friend?
Was he dreaming?
He pinched himself.
Ow. No, not a dream.
Then Jun really did like him more than a friend, and never told him because he was scared as the same thing Minghao was.
Huh, Seungkwan was right.
Minghao looked up, finding himself gazing into Jun’s eyes.
“So… where do we go from here?”
“Well… could I kiss you? I’ve been wanting to since… again, forever.”
Minghao nodded. Jun held Minghao’s chin, and they kissed. Minghao put his hands on Jun’s shoulders, immediately kissing back. Almost instantly, Jun made the push to deepen the kiss. He moved in closer, gently pushing Minghao back against the counter, so he was leaning back on it. Minghao moved his hands so they were around Jun’s neck. Their lips continued to move against each other, tasting what has been desired for years, and slowly becoming drawn to it, the desire growing stronger, making them wonder why they waited so long.
But now, it didn’t matter. They were in each other’s arms, after a long time of skipping circles around each other.
Jun pulled away, their foreheads continuing to rest against each other. They looked at each, smiling before letting out a quiet laugh.
“So… I think this is the part where I ask you to be my boyfriend,” Jun said.
Minghao softly laughed.
“Yeah… I think it is.”
“So… will you be?”
Minghao smiled and nodded.
“Absolutely.”
Jun returned the smile before he placed a quick kiss on Minghao’s lips, sealing their relationship.
“Hey Jun, Minghao! You’re missing all of the fun!” They heard Soonyoung shout from the living room.
They looked towards the living room before they turned their attention back to each other.
“Shall we?” Jun asked.
“Yeah, we probably should.”
Hand in hand, Jun and Minghao walked back, ending up with Jun on a spot on the couch and Minghao sitting on his lap, which was a shock to all of their friends. After telling their friends the news of their new relationship, they were not surprised, knowing all along of their feelings for each other, yet they still congratulated them on their new relationship.
To commemorate, they all suggested the new couple sing a mushy couple love song. Minghao wasn’t fond of the idea, but before he could even protest, Jun dragged them to the front of the tv, where Seungkwan, indeed, chose a mushy love song.
As the song played, Jun sang loudly and passionately, and Minghao did the same. The more he sang, the more he enjoyed it, and the more the reality set in.
He had a boyfriend, and it was none other than Wen Junhui; the boy he spent so much time pining after was now his.
With Jun as his new boyfriend, and spending time with his closest friends, he was happy. Nothing could ever beat this.