Work Text:
Minho σ( ≧ ε ≦ σ) ♡
if you’re gonna stay awake anyway you may as well come outside
Chan let out a sigh but felt his face fall into its familiar smile when he sees the notification pop up on his phone, right under the 2:53 that’s burning his eyes, telling him to go to bed already. His brain argued that he’d just be lying in bed, unable to sleep, so he might as well make the most out of the time: And his brain normally wins the argument against his body. So here he was at his desk on his laptop.
A little part of him also melted at being known this well, even if it is for his bad habits.
Channie ☆
how did u know I was awake?
Minho σ( ≧ ε ≦ σ) ♡
HAHAHAHHAHAHA
Chan rolled his eyes.
Minho σ( ≧ ε ≦ σ) ♡
come outside tho. I’m bringing you on an adventure
Chan wasn’t going to mention how he had already saved his work and switched off his laptop after Minho’s first text.
Channie ☆
an adventure??? I’m excited
where are you?
Chan pulled on his coat—the warmest one he owns—and grabbed a scarf as he felt his phone buzz in his pocket.
Minho σ( ≧ ε ≦ σ) ♡
outside your building
Chan ran to his window immediately, just barely missing the corner of his desk with his leg for the hundredth time. Chan snorted to himself as he looked out.
Three floors below him, on the pavement, stood a figure—under the streetlight, his jacket shining a bright blue and his normally light-orange hair looking particularly neon. The man looked up and met Chan’s eyes through the dark and smiled.
In his rush to get out, Chan actually did hit his leg against his desk.
*
Arms soon wrapped themselves around Minho’s waist and he melted into Chan’s embrace.
“An adventure, huh?”
Minho nodded, swaying them slightly—maybe just as an excuse to prolong the hug.
“An adventure, because who else is going to keep you young.”
Minho let out a dramatic yelp of pain from the soft hit landed on his shoulder but then just laughed. Chan’s hand stayed there for a while and played with the fur of Minho’s jacket. The same thing happens every time he wears it.
“It’s your adventure, though,” Minho explained. “So where do you want to go?”
“Literally anywhere,” a small voice said right into the depths of Minho’s scarf, the arms around his waist squeezing him tighter. The silent ‘as long as it’s with you’ that was heard by both of them made a home in Minho’s chest.
Minho squeezed back. “I knew you would be indecisive, so I went ahead and thought of it.”
“You always do.”
Minho scoffed, pulling away from the hug to talk to him better. “Of course I do, where would you be without me?”
“Probably getting more work done—”
Minho sent him a glare, causing Chan to stop short. He threw his hands up in the air in surrender.
“It was a joke!” Chan assured.
“Yeah, I sure hope it was,” Minho tutted as he grabbed one of Chan’s hands above his head, letting them entangle as they fell between them. “There’s nowhere better to be than with me.”
*
Yeah, there isn’t, was all Chan could think.
He couldn’t help but steal glances as they walked: No destination in mind as far as he was aware, so he allowed his mind wander. Wander as far as a foot to his left and a few inches up as Minho never fails to remind him of.
He’s glad that Minho has been the one talking, because as well as enjoying just listening, the shine from the streetlights against his face has rendered Chan breathless and he’s not really sure he’d be able to speak.
The trail of a shiver reached his and Minho’s hands and shook Chan out of his daze enough to see the fog of breath from Minho’s lips in the cold and the white of his hands.
Chan lifted their hands and brought them to his jacket pocket, the warmth instantly surrounding them. Minho’s monologue Chan was just about registering cut off suddenly and despite the cold, Chan’s cheeks felt extremely hot.
Chan smiled shyly and went through all kinds of panic until he got a little smile in return, letting him know it’s okay. Minho’s smiles were so evident and honest that Chan had to look away.
Their hands shuffled around Chan’s pocket as they walked and they felt the tangle of wires brush against their fingers.
“Oh, yay! You brought earphones,” Minho said excitedly. He awkwardly reached around his body with his free hand to grab something out of the pocket closest to Chan. All to not stop holding Chan’s hand. He swallowed.
“This is my plan,” Minho explained as he waved the little wire contraption. It had one input and then split into two wires—wait.
“Is that a dual headphone jack?”
“Like from Begin Again, one of your favourite movies?” Minho continued, smirking at Chan’s shocked expression. “Why yes, yes it is. Would you care to—”
Chan launched at him with a hug. Their hands were still in his pocket but Chan hugged Minho tightly with his free arm before stepping back just as quickly. He nodded in answer to the question Minho didn’t even get to finish.
“Let’s go then.”
*
“I made a playlist we can listen to,” Minho said as he plugged in his phone. “But take it whenever and play something.”
Chan smiled and nodded.
“I know in the film it’s them sharing their favourites with each other and bonding, but it’s not like we don’t do that daily,” Minho laughed. He knows he can pull up plenty of receipts of Chan awake at ungodly hours sending him songs to listen to. Those playlists they’ve sent each other as background music to the words they don’t say.
“This is perfect,” Chan replied with such sincerity that Minho’s heart hurt and felt lighter all at the same time.
Minho took the end of Chan’s earphones and plugged them in next to his own and pressed play.
“NCT, huh?”
“Yes, Highway to Heaven is best walk-around-a-city-at-night song,” Minho declared.
“I agree,” Chan giggled. “Have you done this many times then?”
Minho snickered. “Yes, this is how I woo all the pretty insomniac boys I take a liking to.”
Chan blushed and looked at their feet, walking in tandem. Minho smiled proudly and looked ahead.
Chan hummed along to each song that played, sometimes slipping into a harmony line, and Minho just listened. The only other sounds around were the passing of cars every now and again, so Minho could latch onto Chan’s soft voice.
The first notes of the next song floated between them and Minho’s mouth broke into a grin.
“We gotta dance to this one, it’s the 1,” Minho said as he stepped in front of Chan, stopping them both in their tracks.
“Dance? Here?”
Minho looked around them, the road empty apart from them and the streetlights.
“Yes here! No one is looking.” Minho reached for Chan’s other hand. “And do you really think anyone still up would care about the two idiots dancing with each other on the street?”
Chan glanced around as if to try find anything or anyone to back him up, but as expected he saw an empty street. He looked back at Minho, desperation in his eyes.
Minho just stepped backwards, bringing Chan with him by his hands.
“Look, I’d dance myself but we’re sharing a headphone connection here so tough luck, you’re dancing with me,” Minho finalised.
Chan sighed and Minho giggled and picked up Chan’s hand to leave a kiss on the back of it. Chan’s cheeks turned the colour of rosé wine and Minho was tempted to kiss them too.
Minho started off by swaying and waving their arms up and down, Minho doing basically all the work.
“Hey, come here.” Minho said it as a demand but pulled the other boy towards him before Chan made a move. Minho repositioned an arm around Chan’s waist and continued to sway in a circle along to the music in a makeshift ballroom dance. After a moment, Minho had an arm wrapped around his shoulder and a head tucked into his neck; a familiar weight.
Chan’s humming was muffled by Minho’s scarf but the vibrations sent shivers through Minho’s body. He felt a fire in his heart, just west of where Chan had brought their hands to rest on Minho’s chest. Chan’s legs had stopped moving along with Minho, leaning more into the boy holding him up.
A breathy laugh dusted the top of Chan’s hair.
“You were shy about us dancing but you’re fine with us hugging this close in the middle of the street,” Minho commented.
Chan whined and Minho laughed loudly.
“This is nice,” Chan said simply.
Minho hummed in agreement.
“In my defence I have none, for never leaving well enough alone.”
Minho sang along for just the two of them.
*
“Where are we even heading?”
Chan had lost track of their whereabouts a while ago. He recognised the buildings and shops they had passed but he couldn’t figure out where their destination was to be. He hadn’t been out in the city freely in a while: He always had something to do.
“You haven’t figured it out yet?” Minho teased. Chan elbowed him softly. “You need to get out more.”
Soon, Chan’s mind promised.
Minho pulled them around a corner and they found themselves just outside a small park, the iron fence surrounding it being breached by the bushes through the gaps.
“You know now?”
Chan nodded. Minho smiled and sped up his walk, Chan quickly catching up to match his step.
“You remember here?” Minho asked.
Chan snickered. “I’m guessing it’s not about the time Changbin and Jisung got drunk and had a rap battle on that stand,” Chan said, pointing to the raised platform on his right as they stepped through the gate.
Minho laughed, “I forgot about that.”
“But yes, in a way,” Minho continued. “I loved hanging around here with everyone. Now we’re proper adults and hang around in each others apartments, but I miss it here sometimes.”
Chan nodded in agreement. He missed it too.
“And then that first time it was just us two when the others had to bail we sat on that bench,” Minho recounted, nodding to the bench as they made their way towards it.
Chan’s eyes grew wide, looking at Minho with both admiration and surprise. “I didn’t know you could be so sentimental.”
Minho shrugged. “It’s not particularly sentiment, just some things you end up remembering for reasons you don’t know yet.”
Chan would’ve sat on that for hours if not for a pull on his hand.
“Out of the past now, let’s be here,” Minho said as they sat down.
“I love this song.” Chan broke the soft silence between them as the song changed.
“Wings.”
Minho tilted his head back so that his face was towards the sky. His hair fell with gravity, leaving more of his forehead on show than usual, his eyebrows perfectly shaped and coloured. His lips were pursed and his neck stretched, half still nestled in his scarf. Chan watched as the puff of air from his nose danced over his lips and escaped into the wind. Minho’s eyes opened and collected little fragments from all the street lights, sealed in his irises.
“I wish you could see the stars,” Minho whispered.
“I’ll show you,” Chan said, freezing for a moment after he did. Minho looked over at him, his bright eyes telling him to elaborate.
“I-I’ll show you,” Chan stuttered. “Like, someday I’ll take you out to the countryside and you can see the stars.”
Minho just looked at him. “You’d want that?”
“Yeah, if you want it.” Chan had never felt so shy. Being under Minho’s gaze, having his full attention, was intense but Chan forced himself to not look away. “Maybe we won’t live there but we could drive—”
“You mean I could drive,” Minho cut in with a laugh.
Chan smiled. “You could drive us. We could spend a few days there or something. If you wanted.”
“I’ve never wanted anything more,” Minho said, lightly, as if it was the easiest thing he’s ever said.
Chan looked at him, his eyes to his reddened nose, to his fingers laced with his own, and realised he’s never felt so much love before.
“Soon, I promise.”
Minho replied softly, “I don’t mind, Chan. I can wait however long it takes.”
Chan had a suspicion this wasn’t about the trip any more, but really anything they do doesn’t come without that undertone. A never-ending drone running under everything else they sing.
“I don’t think I want to wait any longer,” Chan confessed. He took a breath. Stopped for just a moment. And waited the last few seconds of the millions that came before.
Minho spoke in the quiet. “You mean that?”
Chan looked at their hands, then up to Minho’s eyes. Trailed to his lips and then back up. He nodded, “Yes.”
Minho leant forward and caught his lips, slowly. Chan answered with subtle movements, his heart moving double the speed of either of them. Minho sighed as he kissed him, laughed as he pulled back for air, and smiled as he kissed him again. Chan held his arm and Minho held his cheek as they melted together.
In the comfort and familiarity, Chan felt his eyes fall further shut as exhaustion took over. He fell forward onto Minho with a sigh and Minho laughed as he held him up. He left a kiss on Chan’s forehead and spoke with his lips still brushing his skin.
“I’ll take you home, then.”