Chapter Text
“Minho! Look over here!”
Minho was sitting on his porch with a suitcase in his hands and multiple boxes placed around him. He heard the sound of Changbin’s voice and looked up to see his friend in his car, trying to open the door on the passenger’s side.
His eyes lit up and a big smile appeared on his face. “Coming!” he yelled back.
He grabbed his suitcase and started walking towards the back of the car and opened the trunk.
“Binnie, a little help please.”
“Oh, right!” the younger jumped out of his seat and started picking up boxes from the porch. Suddenly he felt something soft rub against his leg.
“Oh look, it’s a cat.” he said happily. He was about to pick up another box when he felt another thing rubbing against leg.
“And another one,” he said in surprise.
He started walking back towards the car and as he looked at Minho he noticed another soft creature standing next to him.
“Aaand another one apparently.” he said, scratching his head.
“Yeah about that, thanks again for letting me keep them.”
“You said there would only be one though.” the younger said.
“I know I know I'm sorry, I was just scared that you wouldn’t let me take them with us.” Minho replied sheepishly.
“Oh and telling me about it five minutes before you’re moving in with me makes you think it’s a better idea?” Changbin raised his eyebrows.
Minho’s eyes bulged out in panic. “Hey no listen, I promise I will take care of them! They’re angels really, I mean just look at them!” he screamed, pointing at his cats.
“And look, if it’s that bad, they can stay in my room, it’s fine, it will be like there’s no one else in the apartment but us two. They’ve also never peed or pooped inside so you don’t have to worry about that and they don’t meow loudly either and I promise I'll clean everything after them in case anything happens,” he continued pleading.
“Are you done now?” Changbin laughed lightly, “don’t worry, i like cats, i don’t mind the extra company.”
Minho released a big breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Thank you,” he sighed.
“You really love them huh?”
“I do, they’re my everything. I don’t want to leave them here alone with my aunt, I mean what if they started forgetting about me once I started visiting them less frequently? Besides, it’s not like my aunt is gonna be lonely, she still has her fish.” said the older.
“Woah, fish, that screams like a really good company!” Changbin giggled.
“Shut up,” the older replied, hitting his friend’s shoulder, “can we get everything inside the car now? I kinda wanna see what my new place looks like.”
______
Once the boys packed everything up and managed to get Minho’s cats inside the car without them protesting they were ready to head back to Changbin’s apartment.
“Aren’t you gonna say goodbye to your aunt?”
Minho shook his head. “Nah, she’s still at work, she told me to give her a call before I go to sleep so she knows everything went fine.”
With that being said, Changbin started the car and they were finally on their way.
Minho was looking through the window, sparing his old home one last glance. He knew moving out was something that he wanted and he wished for a new start, however he still felt some sort of sadness knowing that he was leaving his home with so many memories behind.
He quickly pushed negative thoughts away and turned his eyes towards Changbin.
“What’s that Chan guy like?” he curiously asked.
“Ah, you’ll love him, I can promise you that,” the younger replied, “I have never met anyone who would dislike Chan. He’s a really nice guy and he’ll make sure you’ll feel at home.”
Minho nervously bit his lip. “But do you think we’ll get along? I just don’t wanna cause any problems, I still feel bad for just joining you two like that.”
Changbin rolled his eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous, I already told you we were looking for another roommate anyways and you showed up at the right time. We’re both really happy you get to be the person living with us.”
“You can’t say you’re both happy about it, he hasn’t even met me yet Binnie.”
“Shut up, he already loves you.”
“Okay.” Minho replied quietly.
The rest of the ride was peaceful and filled with silence, but not the awkward one. The only time the boys raised their voices was when Minho’s youngest cat, Dori, started scratching the car seat and Changbin started freaking out and yelling while the older boy lightly scolded his cat.
Soon they arrived at the place. Minho unbuckled his seatbelt, got out of the car and took a second to observe his surroundings.
There was a small house with red walls that made it really stand out among the neighbouring houses. It had a small yard in the front decorated with some trees and a few chairs with a small barbecue in the middle. The whole thing was covered with a fence, which Minho thought was a good thing because that would mean his cats wouldn’t get lost somewhere.
He got completely lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice someone opening the front door and stepping out of the house.
“Hey! You must be Minho!”
Minho looked up and saw a man, around the same height as him. His hair was dark and a bit curly and he had a big smile on his face with his dimples showing.
The man started walking towards the car, offering his hand to Minho.
“I’m Chan. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” he said kindly.
Minho smiled shyly and shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you too.”
Chan’s eyes moved their direction towards the car and he gasped. “We’re getting kittens?” he asked excitingly.
“Oh um yeah,” Minho replied, turning around to look at his cats who were still in the car, “I hope it doesn’t bother you, I’ll make sure they’ll be nice.”
“Yeah like how they almost destroyed my car seat.” murmured Changbin.
Minho glared at him while Chan just laughed. “It’s fine, I love cats.”
The boys decided to get Minho’s stuff inside the house and show him around. He was following them around the house like a lost puppy. The inside looked cozy and beautiful, pretty minimalistic, but he didn’t have a problem with that. The living room seemed like a place where the other two boys seemed to spend the most time in. There were all sorts of books lying around, there was a guitar in the corner, someone’s laptop was on the couch and there were some food leftovers on the table. Apart from that they didn’t seem like messy people who don’t clean up after themselves.
The kitchen looked lovely too and everything seemed to be working fine. The bathroom was pretty small, but it’s not like Minho needed a spacious place where he had to take a shower.
They were walking down the hall and Changbin pointed at the door on the left. “That’s gonna be your room. I’ll give you some time to check it out on your own and then you can tell me if there’s anything missing and then we’ll continue getting all of your stuff out of the car, okay?” he patted his shoulder.
Minho nodded and called his cats to follow him. He opened the door and stepped inside of his new room.
The walls were blue and there was a bed in the corner with two shelves above it. There was also a desk in the other corner of the room with a window right next to it. The whole thing was pretty small but it was perfect, it was all Minho needed. His cats didn’t seem to mind it either considering they already made themselves comfortable on the rug that was right next to Minho’s new bed.
“Guess this is our new home now huh?” he said quietly while petting Dori.
He opened his suitcase and started putting his clothes in the drawer. He also grabbed his laptop and placed it on the desk. He tried to make himself as comfortable as possible. The feeling was weird, it still felt surreal knowing that this was now his new home, but a change was needed.
After a couple of minutes he decided to get back to Changbin and Chan who were waiting for him in the living room.
“Is the room okay?” asked Chan.
“Yeah it’s perfect really, thank you.” Minho replied.
Changbin was sitting on the couch, patting on the spot next to him. “Why don’t you sit down, we should go over some rules.”
“Oh, right.” Minho rushed and sat down next to Changbin.
“Okay so first of all, this one is pretty obvious, but we’re all gonna pay an equal amount of rent,” Chan started, “and in case any of us is gonna be running short on money the other two will take care of it. It’s really not a problem but since we’re living together it’s only fair we all contribute to the rent.”
Minho nodded.
“Second of all, Changbin and I aren't exactly neat freaks and I don't care if the house is messy sometimes, but just make sure to clean up after your shit at times okay?”
Minho nodded again, “Don’t worry, I was living with my aunt for 22 years and she nearly lost her shit every time I forgot to do any of my chores so I’m pretty good at that and I don't leave things messy.” he giggled.
Chan smiled at him,“That’s good to know.”
“Oh and also,” Changbin suddenly jumped in, “not really a rule or whatever, but Chan and I often have our friends coming over, this house is like our hang out spot because we’re the only ones who don’t live with our parents or with any other people we’re not close with. So, they’re gonna be here often and in case they’re gonna bother you or you won’t like the noise or whatever just let us know, we’ll hang out somewhere else. They’re really good people though and you’re free to chill with us any time.” he said reassuringly.
“Okay, thanks for letting me know.” Minho replied.
It was quiet for a while before he spoke again. “Actually, can I ask something?”
The other two nodded. “Sure, what is it?” asked Chan.
“Well you mentioned having your friends and I was wondering if it’s okay if i ever invite my friends over too,” he said shyly, scratching his head, “well to be honest it’s only one friend, she’s my only friend actually, but yeah would it be okay if she ever comes over?”
“Of course, this house is now just as yours as it’s ours,” Chan replied, “she can come whenever she wants to, just let us know in advance.”
Minho nodded in agreement. “Thank you. Is there anything else I should know about?”
Chan sighed, thinking, “Um well, I’m not a great cook and neither is Changbin so i already apologise for that, I’m a producer and i’m usually most focused on my work during the night so if you ever hear anything at 4am just know that it’s me, we have hot water however it doesn’t work for a long time so remember not to take showers right after someone else cause you’ll be showering with cold water,” he kept listing things, “uh what else? I think that’s it, but if you’re wondering about something, feel free to ask.”
“Got it.” Minho replied.
“Oh and also, Chan and I are both bi so if that’s a problem for you..” Changbin added, waiting for Minho’s reaction.
The older boy just giggled. “Well I’m gay, so I don’t see a problem with it.”
“Sweet.” added Chan.
After going through all the house rules they fell into a nice conversation and got to know each other a little bit more. Minho already knew Changbin a bit so most of the things they were talking about weren’t a surprise for him. He found out a lot of things about Chan though. He had two younger siblings, a sister and a brother, he was studying music production just like Changbin, he liked watching movies and working out, he also loved animals just like Minho.
Chan seemed like a really good guy, just like Changbin described him and he wasn’t surprised why these two got along so well. He was easy to talk to and he always knew what to say to lighten up the atmosphere and make people around him feel comfortable. Minho appreciated people like that, because he wasn’t very outgoing himself. He often struggled to make conversations with people and he was grateful for those who made him feel less shy.
The boys decided to order some take-out food and stay in the living room for the rest of the afternoon. None of them had any plans later so they didn’t mind being lazy and having fun. After they were done with their food and got lazier Chan suggested watching a movie together and that’s how they spent another two hours together. They didn’t have the energy to talk anymore so they watched the movie in comfortable silence, giggling at some of the scenes occasionally.
After the movie ended Minho found himself yawning. “I think I’m going to bed now.” he mumbled.
“Already?” asked Changbin in surprise, “it’s pretty early.”
“Yeah I just think today exhausted me you know with all the packing and unpacking and i still have to call my aunt.” the older explained.
He said goodnight to both of the boys and headed towards his bedroom. His room felt a bit hot so he decided to open the window.
He was hit with cold, fresh air and he took a deep breath. He suddenly felt ten times freer and he felt like he could finally breathe properly after the whole day. He closed his eyes for a second and let himself enjoy the sound of crickets and cars passing by.
Suddenly he felt something soft brushing against his hand. He opened his eyes and noticed Soonie sitting on his desk, craving Minho's attention.
“Hey baby,” he said softly, his voice suddenly becoming ten times higher than usually, “are you enjoying yourself here, hm?” He was gently petting him. The cat only purred in response and Minho cooed at the sight.
He noticed he smelled bad so he decided to take a shower and get ready before bed.
Chan wasn’t kidding when he said the house quickly ran out of hot water, after five minutes Minho had to get out of the shower because cold water started pouring out of nowhere. He quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face before he headed back to his bedroom and threw himself on the bed. He sighed, staring at the ceiling.
Suddenly, he felt his phone vibrating. It was his aunt calling him. He immediately accepted the call and pressed his phone next to his ear.
“Minho sweetie!”
He smiled softly after hearing her loving voice, “Hello to you too Eunji.”
“I know i told you to call me first, but i got off work early today and i spent two hours waiting for your phone call and now i just got impatient, i needed to hear your voice.”
“It’s okay, I was actually just about to call you.”
“How are you, how’s the house, is Changbin treating you well, tell me everything!” she insisted.
Minho smiled once again, “I’m okay, great actually. The house is beautiful, it’s even better than what i expected. I met my other roommate, Chan, he’s really cool and just, I don't know, everything is perfect, I’m really satisfied and the cats are not complaining much either.” he giggled.
“Ah, I'm so glad to hear that! What are you doing now?”
“I’m lying in my bed, I don’t have much energy left.”
“Are the other boys next to you?” she asked curiously.
“No, they’re in their rooms, I’m all alone.” Minho replied.
“You have your own room?!” she screamed excitedly and Minho had to move his phone away from his ear,
“Yeah, I was surprised too,” he giggled, “and it’s a great room too, it’s all decorated with furniture and paintings and shit.”
“Language!”
“Sorry,” he said sheepishly.
“Not even a day has passed since you left my house and you already think you can talk like that.”
Minho laughed again. He loved his aunt. She was the one person who made him feel loved and accepted. Even when she raised her voice at him he didn’t take it personally because that’s how their relationship looked like. She was the biggest sweetheart, she truly had a heart of gold. And she was so selfless too, she always put Minho’s well-being first, with no hesitation.
His eyes saddened realising he wasn’t gonna see her everyday anymore. It’s not like he wasn’t gonna see her ever again, she lived ten minutes away and he could see her any time he wanted, but it was still different. Partly losing someone he was used to talking to daily.
“Don’t worry, Changbin and Chan will make sure I’ll behave properly,” he said proudly.
There was a slight silence for a few seconds.
“I’m really proud of you, you know?” she said sincerely, Minho could tell.
“Don’t be cheesy, I didn’t do anything.” whined Minho, covering his face with his left hand from embarrassment.
“Lee Minho, don’t you dare say that ever again! I know this is a huge step for you, you’re finally stepping out of your comfort zone. And based on what you’ve told me you’re making new friends and that makes me incredibly happy. With time, more and more people will be able to meet the treasure that is Lee Minho. I’ve been with you ever since you were a baby and I've witnessed all of your ups and downs and I’m finally seeing you grow into this beautiful mature man. There are plenty of reasons to be proud of you and I want you to be proud of yourself too. You’ve experienced so much pain, too much for someone as young as you and you’re such a strong person. Remember that, okay?”
Minho felt his eyes watering and he tried to get rid of them. “Thank you Eunji, I really appreciate it.”
He wanted to say so much more, but he couldn’t find the right words to express himself. But his aunt understood.
“How are you?”
She already asked him this at the beginning of the phone call, however Minho could tell the difference in her tone this time. She was expecting an honest answer.
“Yeah, I'm fine it’s just.. nighttime.” he mumbled quietly, trying to hide his shaking voice.
“I know sweetie, I know. It’s always when the night comes.”
“No but I’m actually feeling okay, today was really great. I’m just having some thoughts.” he told his aunt reassuringly and he meant it.
“Do you wanna talk about any of those thoughts?”
“Nah, it’s fine. I think I’m gonna go to sleep now if that’s okay.”
“Okay sweetie. Make sure to give me a call sometime soon. Scratch that, I’ll probably call you first.”
Minho smiled, “Deal. I’ll visit you soon, don't worry.”
“Yeah you better!” she screamed teasingly again.
“Goodnight Eunji.”
“Goodnight Minho, sleep tight.”
Minho ended the phone call and decided to set his alarm for the next day at 8am. He was used to sleeping till noon, but he didn’t want his new roommates to know about that habit yet.
He covered himself with the blanket and closed his eyes. He was already tired so he let himself drift to sleep without letting his usual thoughts bother him at night. Tomorrow was gonna be a great day. At least that’s what he hoped for.
______
He woke up at the sound of his obnoxious alarm going off. He slowly opened his eyes and that’s when it hit him. It was real. He woke up in his new bedroom, in his new house. His window was still open from the day before and the fresh, morning air was filling the entire room. It felt nice. He wasn’t used to waking up so early, but surprisingly he didn’t feel sleepy. He assumed it was because he actually went to sleep at a reasonable hour.
He yawned and stretched his arms before he got out of the bed and headed towards the kitchen to make himself something for breakfast.
He was wondering if the other two boys were already awake. He wanted to check if they were in their rooms but he felt like they weren’t close enough and he didn’t want to invade their privacy.
One thing he didn’t expect when he entered the kitchen was seeing a stranger sitting on the couch and petting Dori.
He stopped on the spot and stared at the boy. He was scared to say anything so he just continued to do nothing. He also felt betrayed for a second, Dori wasn’t used to letting strangers pet him, however he didn’t seem to mind being petted by the stranger.
The said boy finally looked up and noticed Minho staring at him. His eyes widened.
Minho took a second to look at the boy. His face is gorgeous, that was his first thought. He looked like an actual painting and his hair was a bit long and blond, reaching his shoulders.
“Shit, hi, hope I didn’t scare you,” the boy said, a smile appearing on his face, “you’re the new roommate, Minho right?”
Minho nodded, still not knowing what to say.
“I’m Hyunjin. It’s nice to meet you.”
Minho gulped. “A-are you friends with Chan and Changbin?” he asked shyly.
Hyunjin smiled, “Yup, that would be correct. Again, i hope i didn’t scare you, i’m just always hanging out here, i probably spend more time here than at home.”
“Oh I see,” Minho replied.
An awkward silence came next. Minho hated himself in moments like these. Why did he have to be so awkward around people?
Luckily, Hyunjin spoke again.
“I’m assuming this is your cat?” he pointed at Dori who was still cuddling up to him.
“Yeah, there’s two more somewhere around.” Minho replied nervously.
Hyunjin laughed lightly. “Yeah I've met them too. They didn’t like me as much as this one though.” he pouted.
“Yeah they’re not really fond of people they don’t know.”
Hyunjin looked like he was about to say something, but he stopped himself when he and Minho both heard footsteps coming closer to them. Suddenly Chan appeared, yawning, his hair still messy.
“Good morning.” he mumbled to Minho and then stopped when he noticed Hyunjin sitting on the couch. “Oh, I guess you two have met each other.”
“Yup,” Hyunjin replied while Minho just nodded.
“How did you sleep?”
Minho shrugged, “Okay i guess, the bed is pretty comfortable, thanks for asking.”
“Hm, good to know.” Chan replied, his voice still sleepy. “Oh by the way, I think you two are gonna get along well.” he added, pointing at Hyunjin and Minho. “Minho is a dancer too.”
Hyunjin’s eyes widened in shock and excitement. “You dance too?!” he screamed.
Minho smiled shyly, “Uh yeah.”
“Oh my god, are you in like a dance team or something?” Hyujin asked, genuinely seeming interested.
“Kinda yeah, I study dance and i also tutor kids with one of my friends once a week.” he said proudly.
“Woah that’s so cool, we should totally dance together someday.” Hyunjin suggested.
“T-that would be nice.” Minho replied.
Suddenly he heard someone open the front door and he heard multiple different voices laughing and talking over each other.
“Oh that’s the rest of our friends. Don’t worry Minho, they’re really nice.” Chan said reassuringly.
Three men entered the room. Their eyes immediately landed on Minho who looked like he wanted to crawl somewhere and stay there for the rest of the day.
“Uh guys, this is Minho.” Chan pointed at him and Minho could feel his face getting red. “Minho, this is Felix, Seungmin and Jeongin.”
All three boys gave him a friendly smile and waved at him.
“Nice to meet you.” Minho managed to say.
One of the boys, Felix, sat down right next to Minho and put his arm around his shoulder. Minho flinched at the touch.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Felix said, “i’m just really comfortable around people and I like physical touch.” he smiled brightly.
“That’s fine,” Minho replied.
Seungmin was the next one to speak up, “We brought breakfast!” he said, raising a plastic bag with food in it, Minho guessed.
“Nice!” Hyunjin said, letting go of Dori.
“Cat!” screamed Felix.
“Ah yeah, it’s mine. I have two more.” replied Minho.
Felix continued to talk about how much he loves cats while the other boys started to eat their food. Felix was nice. Minho liked him. He looked like a ray of sunshine and he had this weird positive energy surrounding him.
Seungmin and Jeongin seemed nice too. Minho didn’t have the courage to talk to them and he also didn’t want to bother them while they were eating so he just looked at them and tried to find out what their personalities were like. Dori rubbed himself against Jeongin’s hand and he didn’t hesitate to pet him. That was a good sign, Minho thought. Everyone who was nice to his cats was trustworthy.
Hyunjin seemed interesting too. He didn’t know him well yet, but he liked that he now knew someone else who also dances. But he was nice to talk to too. He wasn’t surprised why Chan and Changbin hung out with these guys, they all had this same strange energy that made them become so close with each other.
At last, Changbin joined everyone too after he woke up. He looked at Minho and gave him the are you okay look and Minho nodded.
He decided to stay quiet for some time. It’s not like he was talkative anyways, but the boys started to get louder and more energetic while he was still feeling shy so he just followed the conversation and tried to laugh with them every time someone said something funny.
One thing he also noticed was how comfortable the boys were in someone else’s house, which made sense since he was told that they often hang out there. Still, it was nice seeing how close the boys were with each other.
With all the noise and screaming and laughter Minho gradually grew more and more anxious. Don’t get him wrong, he had nothing against the boys, but the whole situation was overwhelming for him.
He was always the quiet kid, he never had many friends growing up. Of course he was bothered by it and he wanted some company, but he just never knew how to approach people. He was hoping things would get better in high school or college, but he always stayed the same. The only friend he had was a girl named Momo.
He met her in high school when they both joined the dance team and they immediately clicked. They were both shy kids who had similar interests. They ended up going to the same college and helped tutoring kids in dance weekly.
Momo was his only real friend and they spent most days together. But because it was always just them, Minho didn’t know how to deal with situations where he was surrounded with many people.
That’s why listening to the boys talking and having fun started making him nervous. They started talking over each other and Minho didn’t know whose voice to follow anymore. He didn’t even feel like he was still present, it felt like he was watching a group of strangers from afar.
The voices started to sound muffled, he didn’t understand a word they were saying anymore.
Suddenly he stood up and all eyes landed on him.
“I-uh, I’m gonna go to my room.” he said in a hurry and was about to run off, but Changbin stopped him.
“Are you sure? You’re totally welcome to hang out with us, you don’t have to go.” he said, sounding worried.
Minho shook his head. “No, it’s not that, I’m just tired so I'm gonna go back to sleep for a bit.” he said with a smile that didn’t seem convincing, but before anyone could say anything he started walking towards his room.
The moment he threw himself on the bed he started to feel tears running down his eyes. He was so exhausted.
And it was his own fault this time too. He could’ve easily stayed there and at least sat on the couch in silence.
He didn’t even say goodbye to the boys before he left. They probably thought he was rude. So much for a good first impression.
_____
Minho woke up a few hours later. He struggled to open his eyes, probably because of all the crying. He looked at his phone to check the time.
11 am.
He didn’t even remember falling back asleep. Whatever.
He could still hear voices coming from the living room, which meant the others were still there. He sighed, getting up from bed to go to the bathroom to wash his face that probably looked like a mess. He was hoping he wouldn’t get noticed by any of the boys, his plan was to stay in his room until they all left.
His plan went horribly wrong just a few seconds later when he opened the door and was about to go to the bathroom that was right next to his room when he felt someone’s body bumping into him.
“Shit, sorry.” Minho murmured.
He didn’t get a response and when he looked up he was struck with another unfamiliar face.
There was a boy looking at him, he looked confused. Minho looked at him up and down. Based on first glance, he looked like the typical frat boy who gets with a new girl every single day. His face looked a bit softer though and his hair was blue. He was also wearing a beanie.
“I’m sorry, do I know you?” the boy asked in confusion.
“I-i’m Chan and Changbin’s new roommate.” Minho replied, trying his best not to stutter like a fool, but he couldn’t help himself, the boy seemed too intimidating.
“They have a roommate?” the boy asked, looking even more confused than before.
“Y-yeah,” Minho choked out, surprised that neither Chan or Changbin never mentioned anything to him, “I was already friends with Changbin and i told him i’m looking for a new place to stay and he invited me to move in with him, because he and Chan were already looking for another roommate, so that the rent could be cheaper for everyone.” he managed to say, but immediately feeling like he was oversharing.
The boy didn’t seem to be weirded out though, not at all. He smirked at Minho.
“Nice, so I’ll be seeing more of your pretty face from now on.” he said.
Minho could feel his face getting red, he didn’t know what to say.
He didn’t have to, because the blue haired boy shook his hand.
“It’s nice to meet you..”
Minho looked at him in confusion only to realise the boy was waiting for him to say his name.
“Oh, I’m Minho.” he said.
“Minho,” murmured the other, “I’m Jisung.”