Work Text:
Soonyoung was sitting on the edge of the bed in his dimly-lit one-bedroom apartment, a frown on his face as he stared down at the missed call notification on his phone’s screen.
1 Missed Call: Mom
The call was six days old - from Christmas day - and Soonyoung had yet to decide if he was going to return it or not. His mom did not leave a voicemail, nor did she send him a follow-up text.
On the one hand, he knew that he should return her call - she was still his mother, after all, and this was not the first time in the six months that he had been gone that she had tried to contact him.
On the other hand…
On the other hand, Soonyoung thought that he had a pretty good idea of what she was going to say. She would chastise him for not coming home to see her and his father for their annual Christmas party despite Christmas not even being a familial celebration in South Korea (the soiree was purely for appearances, with many of his father’s millionaire CEO friends in attendance, as well as their gossiping wives who no doubt had a lot to say about Soonyoung’s absence to his mother).
She would mention how many of the women at their party boasted about their sons, who all no doubt were doctors or lawyers, engaged or already married, and expecting their first or second or third child. She would remind Soonyoung how her and his father had expected him to take over the family business despite Soonyoung’s protests for the last several years. How disappointed she was in him, and how he ran away. How he was wasting his time dancing.
She would also ask him if he was still, you know, or if he had, as she so eloquently put during their last argument before he skipped town, ‘come to his senses.’
Soonyoung would (as politely as possible, because he still has manners, damn it) tell his mother that he couldn’t make it back for Christmas because he couldn’t get out of work. His department had a big project that suddenly had to be ready before the new year despite its original early February deadline, so he and all of his colleagues were working overtime to power through and get it all done.
He would also remind his mother that he wasn’t currently looking to date anyone, he was fine by himself; that he wasn’t going to take over his father’s company; dancing was his passion; and he most certainly hadn’t ‘ come to his senses .’
Soonyoung could tell her all of these things, but he knew it would be pointless. As pointless as it had been the last time he spoke with her six months earlier.
Sighing to himself, Soonyoung switched over to his Kakaotalk where he had a spam of messages from his coworker and desk neighbor, Jeonghan.
Jeonghannie Hyung 😇
Soonyoungie, are you ready for tonight?? (7:36 PM)
I’m picking you up (7:36 PM)
Like, soon (7:36 PM)
By 8 at the latest (7:36 PM)
Remember to look hot (7:36 PM)
Only hot people are allowed at my New Years x Jisoo Birthday Crossover Bash (7:37 PM)
I won’t even let you in my car if I don’t at least see your collarbones (7:37 PM)
Soonyoung huffed out a laugh, somehow already used to his hyung’s antics despite only knowing the older man for a handful of weeks.
Soonyoung 🐯
yes hyung i’m getting ready (7:38 PM)
collarbones are out AND i’m wearing my slutty dangly earrings (7:38 PM)
Jeonghannie Hyung 😇
Okay well let’s not get too crazy (7:40 PM)
You can’t look hotter than ME (7:40 PM)
Soonyoung 🐯
noted, hyung (7:41 PM)
i’ll see u soon (7:41 PM)
Jeonghannie Hyung 😇
See you soon my baby 🥰 (7:42 PM)
Soonyoung turned off his phone’s screen and stood up, shaking out his clothes to dispel any wrinkles that may have formed while he was sitting down wallowing in his own self-pity. He needed to get his mind off of his issues with his mother, and what better way to do so than to go to a party?
When Jeonghan had invited him to said party days earlier, after their department had tied up all of the loose ends on their project and turned in the final product, Soonyoung had been skeptical.
While he has been living in this area of Seoul for the better part of six months, he spent most of that time being unemployed and living off of the small amount of money he had squirreled away under his parent’s noses the year prior. He hadn’t taken the time to explore the area or tried to meet anyone else outside of his already microscopic circle of friends. He spent the first four and a half months here huddled in his apartment, eyes glued to his laptop’s screen while searching for and applying to jobs, or at the dance studio down the street, dancing for hours until his legs literally gave out and he had to drag himself down the block and up four flights of stairs.
Finally, after what had to have been at least fifty rejection letters, he managed to land a job as a junior marketing manager for an advertising agency in the city. While it wasn’t his dream job, he knew he was more than qualified for the position (even without using his father’s name to get him the job), the pay was decent, and it was only two subway stops away from his building.
His first day on the job, he was immediately pulled under Jeonghan’s metaphorical wing. Jeonghan was personable, friendly, and did everything he could to make Soonyoung feel welcome.
(He was also gorgeous, which had Soonyoung sweating a little bit, but as soon as he noticed Jeonghan was wearing a ring on his left hand and had a plethora of framed pictures of a handsome man and a small white dog on his desk, Soonyoung waved his small office crush away and banished it for good before it even had a chance to fully materialize.)
Due to how affable Jeonghan was in the six weeks Soonyoung had known him, as well as how many times he had invited Soonyoung out for coffee or lunch in that time, he shouldn’t have been surprised when he was invited by the other to what he coined as “the best New Years Eve party this side of the Han River.” It was a combination New Years Eve and birthday party for his best friend, Jisoo, and despite Soonyoung’s initial hesitance to accept the invitation, Jeonghan had insisted that ‘anyone who is a friend of mine is a friend of Jisoo!’ and, well, Soonyoung couldn’t really find it in himself to say no.
Now, as he waited, standing in his kitchen munching on some cold leftover pizza from his fridge with a questionable expiration date, he couldn’t help but feel his nerves start to eat at him.
It’s been months since Soonyoung had socialized with anyone besides his friends at the dance studio, and while Jeonghan had been nothing short of an actual, literal angel in Soonyoung’s life thus far, Jeonghan was the one hosting this party, and likely wouldn’t stick by Soonyoung’s side for the entire night.
Soonyoung was soon startled out of his thoughts by three quick successive knock knock knocks on his front door. He quickly wiped his hands off on a stray napkin and tossed it in the garbage before opening the door, revealing Jeonghan in a flowy white top, skin-tight black leather pants, and a pair of chelsea boots that made his legs look miles long. He looked hot.
“Hi, Soonie!” Jeonghan greeted, giving the younger man a pleasant smile. Soonyoung couldn’t help the timid one he mustered up in return, and shook his impolite thoughts about his coworker away. “You look great. Just enough collarbone, but not too much collarbone.”
Soonyoung glanced down at his own outfit - a wide-necked black shirt tucked into a pair of dark jeans and some simple black loafers. He knew he looked good (he didn’t spend hours at the dance studio for nothing), but the praise from the other caused a blush to creep up his neck and tinge the tips of his ears a rosy pink color.
“Thanks, hyung,” he replied, pocketing his phone and switching off the lights in his kitchen quickly before joining Jeonghan out in the hallway. He pulled the door shut behind him, waiting for the telltale beep beep that let him know the door was locked. He still turned the handle to check, just in case. “You look great, too.”
“I know,” Jeonghan responded simply, turning and leading Soonyoung back towards the staircase and down the stairs.
Since they were taking Jeonghan’s car to his fiance’s bar where the party was being held, Soonyoung opted out of wearing a coat, a choice he instantly regretted as he stepped out into the chilling December air. He huffed out quick breaths of air as he jogged over to Jeonghan’s car that had thankfully been left running.
The two men entered the car quickly, shutting their doors and sighing in relief as they felt the warm air heating up their cold skin.
“You shouldn’t have come inside, hyung,” Soonyoung chastised the older man as he pulled his seatbelt across his chest and buckled it into place. “It’s too cold, you should have stayed in the car.”
Jeonghan waved his hand dismissively as he put his own seatbelt into place, shooing away Soonyoung’s concerns. “It’s fine, it’s fine, don’t worry about it.” He flicked the radio on, allowing some pop tunes to filter into the car quietly, switched the car from park to drive , and began driving toward their destination for the evening.
The two sat in amicable silence for a minute or two, but Soonyoung could feel the anxiety about the evening already clawing up his neck, so he broke their peaceful atmosphere to ask, “Remind me again if there’s anyone else that I’ll know at this thing?”
Jeonghan turned the music down a couple of notches so the two could converse easier. “Well,” he started, taking a moment to think,”you’ll know me, obviously.”
Soonyoung snorted, “Yes, hyung, I will.”
“Don’t interrupt me, brat,” Jeonghan scolded, flicking Soonyoung in the ear. As the younger pouted, Jeonghan continued speaking. “Seungkwan from the design team will be there - his boyfriend is one of the bartenders.”
Soonyoung nodded, allowing that information to settle into his brain. He had met Seungkwan a handful of times so far at work, and the two even briefly collaborated on a campaign for a small jewelry brand that Soonyoung had taken over the contract for back when he started. The two got along well so far, and Soonyoung felt relieved that there would be at least one other person that he at least somewhat knew there.
“Cool, anyone else?”
Jeonghan’s resulting silence answered that question. Soonyoung sighed, the brief relief from his anxiety disappearing as quickly as it came.
“It’ll be okay, Soonie!” Jeonghan instantly tried to soothe, sensing the younger’s discomfort. “You’ll get to meet Jisoo, the birthday boy. Plus Seungkwan’s boyfriend. Plus my boyfriend!"
“Your fiance, hyung,” Soonyoung corrected. Soon after he started working with Jeonghan, he learned that while Jeonghan and his other half, Seungcheol, had been dating for years, their engagement was a recent development, and Jeonghan often misspoke when referring to his future husband. He gave Soonyoung permission to clock him any time he did.
“Oh, yeah,” Jeonghan sighed dreamily, a pleased grin stretching across his face that caused his eyes to crease at the corners. “My fiance. That’s still so nice to say.”
Soonyoung let out a short chuckle, “I bet it is, hyung.”
“Don’t worry, Soonie!” Jeonghan patted his hand on Soonyoung’s cheek as he spoke, never taking his eyes off of the road. The younger tried to swat his hand away, but Jeonghan wouldn’t let up on his ministrations, so Soonyoung eventually gave up and allowed his hyung to comfort him. “You’ll find someone one day. Maybe you’ll meet someone tonight! I could introduce you to someone, I’ve got lots of single friends.”
“That’s okay, hyung,” Soonyoung rejected the other man’s offer, already knowing he wasn’t in the right headspace to even think about getting involved romantically with someone any time soon. “I’m not really looking to date anyone right now.”
“I didn’t say anything about dating ,” Jeonghan replied, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Soonyoung’s mouth dropped open, an incredulous laugh falling from his lips. “Hyung!”
Jeonghan cackled, and Soonyoung couldn’t help but to laugh along with him. He wasn’t wrong, he didn’t say anything about dating. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to let Jeonghan introduce him to some of his single friends.
As he was contemplating accepting the older man’s offer, Jeonghan pulled into a parking space on the side of the road outside of what Soonyoung presumed to be their destination for the evening.
Cherry Bomb was a bar settled on the bottom floor of a two story building. It boasted a set of double doors that were currently being manned by what appeared to be a security guard, as well as a large neon sign that bore the establishment’s name alongside a classic outline of a set of two cherries with a fuse on the end of their joined stem.
Soonyoung ooh ’ed at the sight before him. “This place looks cool! Your fiance owns it, right?”
Jeonghan nodded, touching up his makeup quickly in the small mirror on the underside of the driver side’s sun visor as he spoke. “Cheollie owns it, and his two best friends help him run it.” He snapped the visor shut and turned to look at Soonyoung, giving him an easy smile. “Are you ready to go inside?”
Soonyoung nodded, trying to remain collected on the outside, though inside his stomach was still in knots. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
The two men exited the car, with Jeonghan locking it behind them before they made their way towards the front doors. Soonyoung had his arms wrapped around himself in an attempt to stave off the cold while walking the twenty or so feet that stood between them and the warmth he knew he would find inside.
As they approached the front of the building, the bouncer outside locked eyes on Jeonghan and gave him what was quite possibly one of the dopiest grins Soonyoung had ever seen on a grown man before. “Jeonghan hyung!”
“Hey, Mingyu,” Jeonghan replied easily, giving the taller man a kind smile. “Anyone give you any trouble so far tonight?”
Mingyu shook his head, “A couple of drunk ladies came by earlier, but I explained to them that we were closed for a private party and they left pretty quickly after that,” Mingyu turned his attention to Soonyoung, which immediately had him flushing under the other’s gaze. “Who is this?”
“Mingyu, this is my coworker Soonyoung,” Jeonghan introduced the two. Mingyu held his hand out and Soonyoung took it, shaking it with a shy smile on his face, as well as a pink hue to his cheeks that he would blame on the cold if he had to. Mingyu was handsome, tall , much taller than Soonyoung, and was currently wrapped up in a puffer coat, a scarf, and a hat.
“It’s nice to meet you, Soonyoung!” Mingyu gave him a toothy grin, and Soonyoung couldn’t help but find himself comparing him to an overgrown, overexcited puppy dog.
“You, too,” Soonyoung let go of the other man’s hand, letting his fall back down to his side.
Jeonghan placed his hands on Soonyoung’s shoulders, turning his body to steer him through the front doors. “We’re gonna head inside, Gyu. Do you have everything covered out here?”
Mingyu confirmed, “Yep! And if anything happens, I’ll grab Seungcheol or Wonwoo hyung.”
Jeonghan nodded his head, accepting the other’s answer easily. “Awesome. Come inside by 10, though - I know you’re technically working, but I did invite you, too. You should have some fun. Plus, it’s cold as shit out here.”
“Will do, hyung!” Mingyu waved at the two men as they made their way inside.
The burst of heat on Soonyoung’s face as they entered through the bar’s entrance was jarring, but welcome. Soonyoung sighed as he felt the blood rushing under his skin, and the feeling coming back to his numbed limbs. He glanced around, taking in the layout of the bar while it was still relatively empty, only a few partygoers milling about the area this early on in the night.
Immediately to the right was the bar, a large, L-shaped counter nestled into the corner and stretching down the expanse of the wall. There were rows and rows of liquors sitting on shelves, many of which Soonyoung had never seen nor heard of before. Tall stools with low backs on them sat neatly around the entire expanse of the bar’s countertop, and small red lamps hung overhead about every four seats or so. There was a door towards the very end of the bar, in the back right corner, that presumably led to a kitchen or hallway of sorts.
There were tables and chairs dispersed throughout the room, some pool tables and dart machines to the left of the front door, and a few booths dotting the length of the left wall. A small, raised stage sat at the very back of the room, and was currently occupied by what appeared to be a DJ booth and a set of speakers.
While the decorations for the bar were minimal, some paintings dispersed along the walls but otherwise relatively bare, Soonyoung had heard from Jeonghan how much love Seungcheol put into this place, and it definitely showed.
“Hannie!”
Soonyoung turned his head towards the sound of a voice just as Jeonghan removed his hands from his shoulders. He stepped around Soonyoung and towards the man who had called his name, and holy shit, he was beautiful.
Did Jeonghan really only surround himself with other hot people?
“Joshuji!” Jeonghan exclaimed, throwing his arms around the other man and leaning all of his weight on him. Joshuji ( Joshuji?) laughed at Jeonghan’s antics, circling his arms around his waist and doing his best to hold them both upright.
“Get off of me, satan,” the newcomer shook Jeonghan off of him.
Jeonghan reluctantly let go, a small pout gracing his lips until he glanced back at Soonyoung. He placed his hand on the other man’s shoulder and directed his body to point towards Soonyoung. “Soonie, this is Jisoo! Our birthday boy!”
Jisoo smiled politely at Soonyoung, reaching out his hand to him much in the same way that Mingyu had minutes earlier. “Nice to meet you. I’m Jisoo, but I also go by Joshua. Thanks so much for coming.”
Soonyoung shook and released the other’s hand quickly, “Soonyoung. Thanks for inviting me. Is today your actual birthday?”
“Yesterday, actually.” Jisoo pushed some hair behind his ear, “I had brunch with some friends and got day-drunk on champagne. I spent most of today hungover and trying to prepare myself for tonight.” His lips suddenly curled into a devious smirk before he spoke again, “Jeonghan is a bad influence, Soonyoung, you should run while you still have the chance.”
Jeonghan let out a disgruntled noise in protest, “I am not a bad influence! The bottomless mimosas were your idea!”
The two began to bicker, though Soonyoung could tell from the teasing smirks on both of their faces that it was all in good fun. Jisoo was startlingly handsome, funny, and quick-witted. For every quip Jeonghan made, Jisoo had something just as clever to say in return. The two meshed well together, and Soonyoung could quickly see why they were best friends.
A sudden, high-pitched bark startled the three men, who all turned their heads to look towards the source of the noise. A tiny, shaggy white dog was bounding through the bar towards them, its tongue lolling out of its mouth as it ran.
“Kkuma-yah!” Jeonghan shouted, reaching down and grabbing the small dog off of the ground. He cradled Kkuma in his arms, the puppy reaching up to lick at his cheek. “What are you doing here? You’re a baby - babies can’t be in bars! Where is your father?”
Another man, who Soonyoung quickly identified as Jeonghan’s fiance, Seungcheol, jogged over to the trio. He stopped in front of Jeonghan, grabbing the dog from the other’s arms. “Kkuma! No! Bad girl!”
“Seungcheol, why is she down here? She’s supposed to be in her crate upstairs,” Jeonghan scolded, frowning at his fiance with his eyebrows furrowed and hands on his hips now that Kkuma was safely nestled in her other dad’s arms.
Seungcheol smiled sheepishly, “I was bringing her down to say hi before I put her away. She’s been missing you all day, almost as much as I have,” he pouted.
Jeonghan rolled his eyes, though the affection he had for the other man showed through the bashful smile that spread across his face. He ruffled the fur on the tiny dog’s head, leaning up on his toes at the same time to give Seungcheol a gentle kiss on his cheek. Seungcheol blushed, smiling shyly at his other half. Soonyoung could feel the green-eyed monster of jealousy rearing its head inside of him at the sight of the two, still so clearly in love with each other despite the multiple years they had already been together.
“You’re ridiculous,” Jeonghan told Seungcheol. He then gestured towards Soonyoung, “Cheolie, this is my coworker Soonyoung that I’ve been telling you about.”
Seungcheol gave Soonyoung a kind smile, though he didn’t reach his hand out since he was still holding a squirming Kkuma in his arms. “Nice to meet you, Soonyoung. Hannie has told me a lot about you.”
Soonyoung nodded, “Same here. He’s told me all about Kkuma, too. He’s got at least ten pictures of both of you at his desk.”
Seungcheol smirked over at Jeonghan, “You do? Aww, babe!”
Jeonghan groaned, “Thanks for exposing me, Soonyoung!” He glared at Soonyoung before cutting his eyes back to Seungcheol, who was currently talking in a baby voice to Kkuma about ‘how much her daddy loved them.’ “Go put her upstairs, Cheol, everyone is gonna start showing up soon, and I’m pretty sure having a dog in a bar is a health code violation.”
“Sure, baby,” Seungcheol replied, petting Kkuma’s head in an attempt to get her to calm down her squirming. “Wonwoo is setting up behind the bar, Jihoon is working in his office, and Hansol should be in around 9 to start up his set.” He gave Jeonghan a quick peck, promising to be back down in a few minutes after making sure Kkuma was settled in her bed for the night. Jeonghan walked with Seungcheol over to the door in the back that Soonyoung now assumed led upstairs, stroking his hand down the other’s back as they walked and spoke quietly to each other.
“They’re disgusting, aren’t they?” Jisoo suddenly asked, raising an eyebrow at Soonyoung. “They’ve been together for eight years and they never let up. It’s revolting.”
Soonyoung laughed, “They are disgusting. Jeonghan doesn’t stop talking about Seungcheol when we’re at work, so I expected it from him, but I didn’t realize Seungcheol was just as bad.”
Jisoo laughed, then suggested they grab some drinks. The two made their way over to the bar where a tall man with glasses, who Soonyoung quickly learned was named Wonwoo, was behind the counter drying some glasses. After they settled onto their stools, Wonwoo served them their choices of drinks, and they made light conversation as they waited for the party to commence.
Jeonghan eventually came back after disappearing for a bit, sitting next to Soonyoung at the bar. His hair was slightly disheveled, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out what Jeonghan had disappeared upstairs with Seungcheol for. Jisoo gave Soonyoung a pointed look, fake gagging, and Soonyoung couldn’t help the resulting giggles he let out at Jeonghan’s squawks of protest towards his best friend.
Speaking of Seungcheol, he appeared behind the bar minutes later looking much more put together than his fiance, and stood next to Wonwoo. He quickly mixed a drink and slid it in front of Jeonghan, earning a ‘ thanks, baby,’ and a sweet smile in return. Those two words put a dopey smile on Seungcheol’s face, and yeah, they’re disgusting.
· ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── ·
After a while of amicable chatter, a lull in conversation allowed Soonyoung the chance to take another look around the bar. It was a little after 9 o’clock, and dozens of people had filtered in during that time. The DJ, Hansol, had started up a playlist, a mix of western pop and k-pop music filtering in through the speakers that hung on either side of the stage.
Seungkwan had eventually made his way in as well, giving a polite greeting to everyone and a quick kiss to Wonwoo across the top of the bar. Jeonghan, already three drinks deep and a little tipsy, latched onto Seungkwan’s shoulders and chatted animatedly to the rest of the group about how great his recent project at work was. Seungkwan tried to shake the older off, giving everyone a desperate look to help him.
“Where is Jihoon?” Seungkwan pleaded, “I need him here so Jeonghan hyung will scream about how tiny and cute he is, and not about how my Instagram mockups were ‘god’s gift to social media.’”
Seungcheol let out a curt, loud laugh, walking back over to the group after serving some patrons at the other end of the bar. He was clearly amused by his fiance’s antics. “Jihoon is still in his office, you know it’s impossible to drag him away from his computer once he’s started on something.”
A devious smirk crossed Jeonghan’s face. “I’ll go get him!” He hopped off of his barstool and made his way towards the back and through the same door that he had disappeared through earlier. Soonyoung found himself wondering where all exactly that door led to.
“Thank god,” Seungkwan sighed, hopping up onto the stool that Jeonghan had just vacated. “I love him, but I need at least two drinks before I can keep up with Jeonghan. Wonwoo, honey -” Seungkwan didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence as Wonwoo sat an icy blue drink in front of him, accentuated by a lemon slice and a cherry on top. Seungkwan gave his boyfriend a sickly sweet smile over the bar, “My favorite. Thanks, Nunu.”
Wonwoo, who had been mostly silent throughout the night, gave his boyfriend a small smile in return, one that caused his lips to curl up at the ends. “Of course.”
“I’m surrounded by couples,” Jisoo cried, grabbing onto Soonyoung’s shoulder. As the resident birthday boy, Jisoo was being fed shot after shot and was a few drinks ahead of the rest of them. He evidently became much more affectionate than when he was sober, and Soonyoung found himself blushing furiously every time the older man put his hands on him. “Someone save me, it’s disgusting!”
“Like you’re not just as bad when you’re with Seokmin,” Jeonghan said, returning from the back and moseying up behind where they were all sitting. He snatched Seungkwan’s drink off of the counter and took a sip, ignoring the other’s protests and holding the glass out of reach.
Jisoo scoffed, “ Please, Seokmin and I aren’t even a couple, and even if we were, we are not like all of you -”
“You kind of are, hyung,” a new voice chimed in. Soonyoung turned from Jisoo to look at the newcomer, and - oh.
Oh.
This must be Jihoon.
Jihoon was - well, he was short , at least compared to the other men that surrounded him.
He was also undoubtedly the most handsome man that Soonyoung had ever seen in his entire 26 years of life.
Jihoon’s hair was long and dark, falling in soft waves and curling below his ears. His eyes were dark and sharp, not unlike a cat’s, with dark eyeshadow smudged around the corners. His skin was pale, though he still had a healthy red glow to his cheeks. His body was well defined, his black shirt stretching taut across the expanse of his wide shoulders, his biceps bulging out of the short sleeves, flexing even more as he crossed his arms across his broad chest.
The part of Jihoon that Soonyoung couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off of, though, were his lips.
Full, thick lips, tinted a deep red color, not unlike ones that had just bitten into a ripe strawberry and were left stained with the juice. Soonyoung couldn’t stop himself from wondering if they always looked like that, or if Jihoon was wearing some sort of lip stain.
He also couldn’t help but wonder if they tasted like strawberries, as well -
“Earth to Soonyoung!”
Soonyoung jumped, nearly knocking over his drink and tumbling off of his seat. Jeonghan was waving his hand in Soonyoung’s face, giving him a knowing look.
Soonyoung gave him an embarrassed grimace, “Sorry, hyung, did you say something?”
“I was introducing you to Jihoon, but it looks like you were getting yourself familiarized with him all by yourself,” Jeonghan smirked as he spoke, and Soonyoung felt a deep blush spread across his face and neck. Had he been that obvious?
Soonyoung heard a sigh from the other side of the bar, “Stop embarrassing him, hyung,” Jihoon defended, throwing the small dish towel that he had just been using to dry some freshly washed glasses over his shoulder. “You’ve been talking for weeks about how much you like him and wanted to be friends with him, you’re gonna scare him off.”
Jeonghan huffed, “I will not scare him off! Soonyoung is my baby!” He threw his arms around Soonyoung from behind, turning his attention and blabbering to Joshua and Seungkwan that yes, Soonyoung is my baby, and I don’t care if he’s a grown man, and Kkuma is my baby, too, that’s different!
Soonyoung smiled while listening to his new friends ( friends? Were they friends yet? He hoped they would be ) bickering, though he could still feel the heat on his face as a result of Jeonghan’s earlier words. He hadn’t meant to be that obvious with his staring, and he hoped he hadn’t made Jihoon uncomfortable.
“Hey.”
Speak of the devil.
Soonyoung turned his eyes toward Jihoon, who was standing with both arms braced against the bar. He was looking at Soonyoung with an expression that he couldn’t quite place, but it didn’t seem uncomfortable.
Soonyoung nodded his head, letting the other man know that he had his attention.
“Sorry about Jeonghan hyung,'' Jihoon started, rolling his eyes at Jeonghan’s affronted ‘ I heard that!’ “You were supposed to,” he said, which caused Jeonghan to huff and remove himself from hanging off of Soonyoung’s shoulders and move to stand next to Joshua. Jihoon fixed his eyes back on Soonyoung, dropping his voice slightly so the others would have a harder time hearing him, “He can be a menace, especially when he’s drinking, but he really does mean well. He’s been talking about how much he wanted us to meet you for weeks now.”
Soonyoung blinked dumbly, “He has?”
Jihoon nodded in affirmation.
Soonyoung gave an embarrassed chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Now the blush on his face could partly be blamed on Jihoon’s kind words about their hyung, and not just the fact that he had been caught staring so openly at the shorter man. “He’s been really kind to me ever since I met him. I haven’t lived here for long, and I was really nervous when I started at work, but he was so welcoming and has helped me a ton. I owe him a lot already.”
His words caused Jihoon to give a small smile, his lips barely turning up at the edges, and oh god, Soonyoung felt his heart skip at the sight. Jihoon really was beautiful, and Soonyoung could already tell that he was well and truly fucked.
“He’s like that. I’ve known him since college, and he’s always doing whatever he can to help other people, even if he acts like a demon sometimes,” Jihoon cut his eyes over to Seungcheol briefly, who was mixing two vodka cranberries for a couple of women standing at the other end of the bar. “I still wonder sometimes how those two ended up together.”
“Why is that?” Soonyoung questioned, tilting his head to the side in confusion. “They seem happy together.”
Jihoon shrugged, “Seungcheol’s been my best friend since we were kids. He’s this big, soft teddy bear, and Jeonghan hyung is… well, he’s Jeonghan hyung.” He let out a chuckle, oh fuck his laugh is so cute, and angled his body forward as though he was about to let Soonyoung in on a secret. “It’s funny, actually, Jeonghan hated Cheol when they first met.”
Soonyoung gasped, leaning his body over the bar and closer towards Jihoon so he could hear him better, “He did ?”
Jihoon nodded, a smirk crossing his face. Soonyoung took a sip of his drink in anticipation (and definitely not because his mouth dried out at the sight of Jihoon smirking, fuck ), “He did. They met because Seungcheol pelted Jeonghan with a soccer ball and spilled his coffee everywhere. Cheol claims he fell in love as soon as Jeonghan stomped his foot and demanded that he buy him a new coffee.”
Soonyoung laughed softly, staring down into his glass momentarily before lifting his drink to his lips and finishing the rest in one gulp. He returned the glass back to the coaster it was previously occupying, shaking his head slightly before he spoke, “That sounds very much on brand for Jeonghan hyung.”
“It is,” Jihoon agreed, eyes flickering down to Soonyoung’s empty glass, “Ready for another?”
Soonyoung nodded his head, telling Jihoon his drink order, and watched as he turned around and grabbed for the needed ingredients. Once everything was in the mixer, Jihoon lifted it up and shook vigorously, the veins in his forearm peeking out from under his skin, and oh god he’s so hot, oh my god -
Jihoon placed the new drink in front of Soonyoung, his fingers lingering on the glass long after it had met the countertop. Soonyoung’s eyes trailed from his fingertips up to his wrist, his forearm, his bicep, his shoulder, his smirk -
“Let me know if I can get you anything else,” Jihoon drawled out, and oh -
If Jihoon’s face at the beginning of their conversation was unreadable, then this expression was an entire open book, because -
Soonyoung had seen this expression before.
He had seen it on the faces of his past lovers, under the shadow of the night sky in the backseat of Soonyoung’s father’s car, the only light coming from the moon through the windows.
In late night ‘hangouts’ with his friends at clubs that bled into 3 AM rendezvous, sweat soaked bodies, hands fisting in sheets -
On his own face, only minutes earlier as he fantasized about the taste of the man in front of him’s lips.
Desire.
Jihoon’s face screamed desire. His chin was tilted down, his eyes hooded, glancing up at Soonyoung through his long, long lashes. His lips were tilted into that damned smirk -
Soonyoung’s mouth went dry again . He licked his lips to try to regain some of the moisture, but to no avail.
(He also pretended like he didn’t see Jihoon’s eyes dart down to follow the motion of his tongue, he could unpack that later.)
“I will,” was the reply he finally mustered once he was able to find his voice again. Jihoon’s smirk only grew. He looked like he was about to open his mouth to speak again, when -
“Soonyoung! Let’s go dance!”
Startled, Soonyoung yelped as he stumbled off of his chair. He was being tugged by a now thoroughly wasted Joshua on his left arm, and a slightly less wasted Jeonghan on his right. Once he regained his balance, he snagged his drink off of the bar, throwing it back quickly before setting the glass back down. He threw an apologetic smile at Jihoon before he was dragged over toward the stage where a newer pop song that he was sure he’d heard on the radio at least once before was playing.
While Soonyoung hadn’t had quite as much to drink as his two friends, he could still feel the warmth of the alcohol coursing under his skin. This, combined with the thrum of the bass under his feet, had him swaying his body, moving to the rhythm of the familiar beats that poured out from the speakers and surrounded him, swirling around him like the air was made of it.
Dancing, he could do. Dancing, he was good at.
Jeonghan and Joshua danced on either side of him, jumping and gyrating, laughing and singing along to the music. Seungkwan wandered over as well, moving less than the others, but yelling the words just as loudly. Even Mingyu had made his way inside at some point, stripped of his winter clothes and armed with a beer, bobbing his head to the beat.
Behind the bar, Seungcheol was watching Jeonghan with that same lovestruck expression that seemed to be a permanent fixture on his face. Wonwoo was more subtle, but his eyes trailed Seungkwan around the dancefloor, eyes sparkling with warmth as he watched his partner. Jihoon -
Well, Jihoon’s eyes were on Soonyoung.
All at once, Soonyoung felt a rush of gratitude, a rush of warmth . He was suddenly very, very glad that he came out tonight.
· ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── ·
A while later, a voice, Jeonghan’s, suddenly spoke very close to Soonyoung’s ear, his hands curling around the younger’s waist from behind, “ He’s single .”
Soonyoung glanced over his shoulder, placing his hands over Jeonghan’s on his stomach. He decided to play dumb. “Who?”
“Jihoon,” Jeonghan replied, gripping Soonyoung tighter and moving his body behind him. Soonyoung, eyes wide and panicked, glanced back over to where Seungcheol was watching his fiance dance very up close and personal with him, his front practically glued to Soonyoung’s back.
“Hyung, what are you doing -” Soonyoung started, trying to pry Jeonghan’s hands off of him, but to no avail. Jeonghan only tightened his hold. “Seungcheol is right there -”
“He doesn’t mind,” Jeonghan chuckled, his breath hitting Soonyoung’s neck, causing a shiver to roll through his body. When Soonyoung looked back over his shoulder at the older man, he realized Jeonghan was staring past him and towards his lover, the two maintaining heated eye contact. “He likes it when I make him a little jealous sometimes. He knows whose bed I’ll be in later. Besides,” Jeonghan moved his mouth somehow closer, his lips tickling the shell of Soonyoung’s ear, “I don’t think he’s the only one who’s jealous.”
Soonyoung’s eyes widened at Jeonghan’s words. He looked back over to where Jihoon was standing before, and - oh.
Jihoon definitely looked jealous.
His arms were crossed, eyes lowered, and he was glaring at the spot where Soonyoung and Jeonghan’s hands were tangled together.
Yeah. Definitely jealous.
Soonyoung let out a shaky exhale, “You sure this is okay?”
A breathy laugh. “Yes, Soonie, I promise.”
With this final confirmation, and one last look at Jihoon, Soonyoung turned around in Jeonghan’s hold and began to dance.
He didn’t only dance with Jeonghan; he danced with Joshua, as well, the other man winding his arms around Soonyoung’s shoulders as they moved together. At one point Soonyoung was even sandwiched between the two, dancing entirely too sensually for a bar before midnight, much more suited for a nightclub in Itaewon, but Soonyoung was having fun. He was making friends, and he was allowing himself to let loose for the first time in months; there was no guilt, no hiding, just fun and freedom and dancing and -
And there was Jihoon .
Jihoon, who came and stood next to Soonyoung once Hansol announced there was only a minute left until midnight.
Wonwoo had taken up his spot next to Seungkwan, while Seungcheol had his arms thrown around Jeonghan’s shoulders. All through the bar, people were coupling up as best as they could; friends huddling together, couples winding around each other’s bodies. Even Joshua had stepped up onto the stage behind the DJ booth, tugging on Hansol’s sleeve as the countdown began.
And there was Jihoon, standing next to Soonyoung, who he had only known for a couple of hours, and yet -
And yet -
And yet Soonyoung already wanted so, so much from him, and he could only hope that Jihoon felt the same.
“Ten seconds!” Joshua yelled into the mic, Hansol laughing jovially behind him.
“ Ten! ”
The crowd began to count down together.
“ Nine! ”
Seungkwan wound his arms around Wonwoo’s shoulders, clasping his hands together behind the other man’s neck.
“ Eight!”
Wonwoo smiled down at his boyfriend, placing his own hands gently on the other’s waist, leaning their faces closer together.
“ Seven!”
Seungcheol stood behind Jeonghan, arms around him in a back hug, nudging his lover’s cheek with his nose.
“ Six!”
Jeonghan turned around in Seungcheol’s hold, cupping his fiance’s face in both of his palms, smiling up at him as he touched their foreheads together.
“ Five!”
Joshua had his hand on the side of Hansol’s neck, his body pressed up to the other’s side.
“ Four!”
Hansol gripped the front of Joshua’s shirt, angling their bodies together.
“ Three!”
Even Mingyu had managed to find someone, a small blond girl next to him. The two laughed together jovially, arms around each other, as they cheered and yelled along with everyone else.
“Two!”
Soonyoung looked to his right. Jihoon was already looking back.
“ One!”
All at once, they moved. Jihoon’s hands scrambled for purchase on Soonyoung, one reaching up to curl into the collar of his shirt, the other cupping the side of his neck. Soonyoung’s own hands found their place on Jihoon’s hips, gripping tight and pulling the other man’s body against his. Their eyes closed, and their lips met just as the voices around them rang out -
“ Happy New Year!”