Work Text:
Honestly, Seungmin wasn’t too sure how he had gotten to this point.
People considered him a rule follower. A good-two shoes even. But the foundation of that was a strong moral compass. Adhesion to the rules only went as far they aligned with his standards.
So when Seungmin’s friends asked if he wanted to join them downtown for the protest against the stagnant minimum wage, he quickly agreed. Things had started off just fine. He met up with Hyunjin, Han, and Felix around 1pm and they headed towards downtown. Upon arriving at the starting point meeting place, volunteers handed them yellow hard hats to wear as a symbol of the movement. Everything was going well when the protest officially started. They marched along with the crowd, holding signs and chanting out their dissatisfaction with the government’s policies.
It wasn’t until about two hours after they had been marching that things started to go awry. It was at that time they came across a group of counter protesters who seemed to have a lot of police on standby. Seungmin was in the rear middle of the group, so he didn’t see it happen, but he heard shouts that were not the organized chants from before. He felt panic quickly spreading through the crowd. Suddenly, the sound of police sirens pierced through the air. The effect was immediate.
Seungmin and his friends ran as fast as they could as the crowd dispersed. Seungmin wasn’t sure where he was heading, but he figured that was a problem for later. He looked over his shoulder periodically to double check that his friends weren’t too far behind, but on the seventh check they were no longer there. Seungmin tried to stop and go back to look for them, but the push of the escaping crowd didn’t allow it.
He was going with the flow of people when he spotted it.
Slightly hidden in an alleyway was a motorcycle. Not just a motorcycle, but a person just about to get onto said motorcycle. Without thinking, Seungmin pushed his way out of the masses and sprinted towards the vehicle. He jumped on the back of the bike, understandably shocking the motorcycle man who jolted and tried to twist around to face Seungmin.
“Who the fuck are you!? Get off!” he shouted, words slightly muffled from the full helmet he was wearing. Seungmin was about to explain the situation when the volume of police sirens increased exponentially. There was no time.
“DRIVE BITCH DRIVE” Seungmin yelled over the sirens. Whether spurred on by Seungmin’s poetic command or the growing clarity of the situation, the motorcycle man promptly turned back and revved the engine. Seungmin barely registered the words hold on tight before they were zooming off.
They sped out of the alleyway and weaved down side streets as the sound of sirens faded behind them. While it felt like an hour, after 10 minutes they came to a stop in front of a large apartment building.
“Please let go.” Seungmin heard the motorcycle man say. He realized he had been holding on for dear life and was possibly crushing his savior. He let go, quickly getting off of the bike. He turned towards his hero to properly explain and thank him, when the words got caught in his throat.
Motorcycle man had taken off his helmet to reveal the most gorgeous man Seungmin had ever seen. Hair dyed a deep purple, with sharp eyes and an even sharper nose, Seungmin wondered if he had gotten on the back of a model’s bike.
“Why are you cosplaying Pororo?” Seungmin snapped out of his thirsting at the question from the maybe model motorcycle man who was now standing in front of him. He looked down at his outfit. He had was wearing a blue denim set, his jacket and jeans matching. With his everyday round lens glasses paired with the yellow hard hat from the protest, he was only an orange handkerchief away from making it look intentional.
“I’m not. Unless you are into that.” Seungmin didn’t want to kink shame. Motorcycle model raised an eyebrow at that.
“So do you hop onto stranger’s motorcycles often?”
“Nope, only handsome stranger’s like you.” Seungmin replied with a wink. Motorcycle man didn’t react beyond blinking rapidly a few times.
“You didn’t even see my face.” he replied deadpan. As he turned to put his helmet in the storage under the seat of the motorcycle, Seungmin noticed the tips of his ears turning bright red. So maybe Seungmin’s words did have some effect. Perfect.
“Maybe I could just sense it, ya know? Or maybe it was fate? I’m down for a date with destiny. That is your name, right? Destiny?” Motorcycle man closed the seat with a loud click and turned back to face Seungmin.
“Minho, actually.” Face still deadpan but now with fully blushing ears. Seungmin couldn’t believe how this was all playing out.
“I’m Seungmin.” he said, bowing slightly.
“You’re paying.” Seungmin tilted his head, confused at the sudden insistence.
“What?” Seungmin watched as the corner of Minho’s mouth turned up into a smirk.
“Our date. You’re paying.”
……………………………………………
They end up going to a ramen shop that’s about a minute walk away. The ahjussi takes their order and they sit down at a table. Seungmin looks across at the man in front of him who he has known for less than 30 minutes.
“Are you insane? It’s ok if you are. I’d just rather know sooner than later.” Minho inquires, his gaze so strong Seungmin thinks he’s looking directly into his soul. Seungmin laughs at the question.
“Maybe a little. I could see how you might think that with the whole jumping on a stranger’s motorcycle to avoid the police thing.” Minho nods, acknowledging it was definitely that. “I should probably ask you the same question.” Minho once again raises an eyebrow.
“And why is that?”
“Well, I’m not sure how many people would allow a stranger on their bike, participate in a getaway, and then allow said stranger to take them on a date.” Minho shrugged.
“Touché. Maybe I’m a little insane as well.” he admits. The conversation is interrupted by the arrival of their order. Minho grabs a pair of chopsticks and hands them to Seungmin before grabbing a pair for himself. Seungmin thanks him, to which Minho waves him off and reminds him that he is still paying at the end. The first minute is silent as they both dig into their respective bowl of noodles.
“So what exactly did you do that you were running away from the police?” Minho asks in-between bites. Seungmin shrugs, giving himself a moment to swallow his mouthful before answering.
“Well, it wasn’t something I did per se. I was at the protest downtown when things started going awry. One thing led to another and before I knew it people were running away and I wasn’t about to stick around to find out the details.” Seungmin explained, taking another bite of ramen.
“I think one of my friends and his partner went to that. Did you happen to see two gym bro gays wearing matching black workout gear?” Seungmin almost choked on his noodles.
“Shit! I need to check if my friends are okay.” he said, rummaging around for his phone before remembering he had left it at home. He said as much to Minho, who silently unlocked his own phone and handed it over to Seungmin, not even looking at him as he kept eating with the other hand. Seungmin took the phone with a sense of awe. He mumbled a thank you as he started typing.
Hey Felix! It’s Seungmin. I left my phone at home so I’m borrowing someone’s. Are you okay?
The response was almost immediate.
???
seungmin???
???
wait how do i kno its really u???
Seungmin sighed. He opened the camera and turned around so Minho was in the picture.
“Say cheese.” Minho did nothing of the sort, choosing instead to glare at the screen as the shutter sound went off. Seungmin sent it off without reviewing.
[image]
who tf is that???
and why is he so hot and angry
My date
???
how tf are u on a date rn??
It’s a long story, I’ll explain it later.
Seriously, are you guys okay?
we're ok
hyunjins a bit shaken but jisungs on boyfriend duties helping calm him down
we are at my place btw
they also don’t have their phones so if you
want me to pass on any message lemme kno
Just tell them I’m okay
hyunjin says good luck on the date :smiling_face_with_hearts:
Thank you Hyunjin
jisung says good luck on the date :winking_face:
…Thank you Jisung…
i say ill leave u to enjoy the date ^^
and that u BETTER spill everything later
Don’t worry I will
ttyl!
Byes
Seungmin looked up from the phone to see Minho still eating, barely paying him any mind. He reached out to hand the phone back.
“Thanks for that. They are all safe at one of their apartments.” Minho nodded before looking over at Seungmin’s outstretched hand.
“Did you put your number in there?” Minho asked, directing his attention back to his bowl.
“Oh, no I didn't.” Seungmin hesitated.
“Why not?” Minho asked, quickly taking another bite. Seungmin smiled as he could already tell this was about as clear of permission he was going to get with Minho. He went to the contacts to add his name and number to the list.
He debated back and forth what the name should be, before deciding on a sensible ‘LOML Seungmin’. He then opened up the chat to send a heart emoji to himself.
Handing back the phone, Minho took a quick glance at the new contact.
“Your last name is LOML?” he asked locking his phone and looking back up at Seungmin.
“It’s actually Kim. What’s your last name so I know what I’ll be changing mine to in the future?” Seungmin said, sending a wink Minho’s way. Minho seemed to short circuit, blinking quickly again.
“Lee.”
……………………………………………
Seungmin paid for their meal as instructed.
Outside the restaurant, the two of them stood in silence for a moment. Seungmin genuinely wasn’t sure what was going to happen next. He was really enjoying spending time with Minho, more than he probably should considering how little he knew of the man. But how could he not enjoy the company of the gorgeous tsundere man who isn’t put off by Seungmin’s flirting and seemingly crazy antics.
“Do you like cats?” Seungmin was oddly grateful for the question.
“Yeah, I like cats. I’m more of a dog person though.” Seungmin watched as Minho looked him up and down.
“That checks out.” He said, before turning around and walking away. Seungmin shook his head a little, confused by the sudden departure of his date. Minho didn't get far away before Seungmin sprung into action, following the other man.
“Where are we going?” He asked when he caught up.
“I’m going to introduce you to my cats.”
Unsurprisingly, Minho lived in the apartment building they had parked in front of earlier. The elevator ride was silent, Seungmin following Minho’s lead since he had no idea where he was going.
Getting off on the correct floor, they didn’t have to walk far before Minho stopped in front of the door bearing a placard of ‘801’. He took out his keys and opened the door, allowing Seungmin to enter first. He did so, taking off his shoes before going further into the apartment. He walked out from the entryway and into what must be the living room.
There was a medium sized couch sitting opposite a TV which was displaying a Mario Kart race. On the couch was a man with cotton candy pink hair facing away from the entrance, understandably engrossed in the video game. They must have made enough noise on their arrival for the man to hear.
“Oh you’re back finally? I keep telling you to stop working overtime, especially since they barely pay you enough anyways. I promise you the cats will be there the next day. Who the fuck are you?” Seungmin was affronted with the question as the man had glanced away from his video game and finally saw that the person he was addressing was not Minho. The poor Koopa Troopa on the screen was bypassed as the man on the couch abandoned the game in order to stare down the newcomer.
“Kim Seungmin.” Minho said as he made his way into the room. “Yang Jeongin.” he said towards Seungmin, gesturing at Jeongin. He left the room almost immediately, leaving Seungmin and Jeongin to look at each other.
“How do you know Minho? I don’t think he’s mentioned a Kim Seungmin before.” Seungmin rubbed the back of his neck, knowing how odd the explanation was going to sound.
“I met him today. I may have jumped on the back of his motorcycle to escape the police and then took him on a date to eat ramen.” Jeongin looked at him skeptically before shrugging.
“Cool.” he said, turning back to his game.
“Ya! Kim Seungmin. Come here!” Seungmin heard Minho shout from a room down the hall. He walked towards where he thought the sound came from, poking his head into the only room with the door open.
He assumed this was Minho’s bedroom considering the bed and said man being there. He was standing next to a cat tree, petting the cat that was curled up on the closest ledge.
“Oh!” Seungmin startled a little as he felt something brush up against his leg. Looking down, the culprit was a grey cat with dark stripes. Seungmin bent down, holding out his hand for the cat to sniff. It came closer, giving Seungmin a tentative smell before rubbing its head in request for pets.
“Hmm, seems like Dori approves of you.” Seungmin looked up to see Minho watching the interaction with careful eyes.
“I’m glad.” Seungmin replied, standing back up as Dori had walked towards Minho and climbed up the cat tower. Seungmin followed Dori to stand next to Minho.
“Soonie.” Minho said gently booping the cat he had been petting. “Doongie.” he gestured to the cat sleeping a bit higher on the tree. “They must also approve, seeing as your presence didn’t disturb the force enough to wake them.” Seungmin never thought he would be overjoyed by cats thinking he’s a decent person, but then again, today really seemed to be full of the unexpected.
He looked over at Minho, who was still focused on Soonie.
“What about you?”
Minho slowly turned to face Seungmin. “What about me?”
“Do you approve?” Seungmin asked, smirking.
“I guess so.” he shrugged nonchalantly, but Seungmin noticed the tips of his ears turning red. Seungmin reached out to gently take Minho’s hand. When Minho easily allowed him, Seungmin took the other hand so they were both fully facing each other. He quickly realized that was the closest they had been since the motorcycle ride that had started it all.
“So you wouldn’t mind spending more time with me? Say another date?” Minho looked pensive for a moment before locking eyes with Seungmin. He felt them both leaning in slowly, allowing each the other the time to back away. Tilting his head, Seungmin's lips met Minho’s. His lips were so soft, the kiss short but sweet. Seungmin felt like he had gone to heaven. He pulled away just slightly, eyes searching Minho’s for an answer. The wide smile that graced Minho’s face was unmistakable.
“You’re paying.”