Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

"Hyung, you won't be able to tie it like that," Jisung says and laughs. He's lying on a sofa with his head in Minho's lap and Minho is attempting to tie his tie. Upside down. Jisung isn't entirely sure Minho even knows how to tie a tie.

They're both alone for the moment. The room they're in is comfortable with its dark wood paneling and big leather sofas. One entire wall is filled with books behind immaculate clean glass. Jisung is sure every last one of them is either leather bound or first editions. He never has been one for reading too many books. Manga sure, but not really books. They seem far away to him somehow. Like they were written by people he won’t understand or isn’t ready to yet.

They're recording the SKZ code halloween special today. Him and Minho are mostly ready to shoot but the others are still getting fitted and dressed up. The pearl earring dangling from Minho's ear catches Jisung’s attention and he fights the urge to reach up and flick it.

"There," Minho announces then and tightens the tie around Jisung’s neck with one pull. Jisung fakes it strangling him. Spluttering and clutching at his neck. But Minho’s clearly not fooled. He pears down at Jisung, his eyes wide and curious. "Was that too tight, Jagi?"

His voice is a little mocking, like he’s daring Jisung. To what he isn’t quite sure. Daring him to claim Minho would ever tie a tie too tightly or daring him to something else. Minho does this from time to time now. Looking at Jisung with a challenge in his eyes that Jisung’s never been brave enough to meet. Trouble is Jisung thinks he might have been the one that started this. He was pushing and Minho was pulling back. Now Minho is pushing and Jisung is pulling back.

Jisung sits up and pulls on the tie. "Not if you wanted to kill me," he says, trying to shake off the tingling feeling he feels running over his skin. He looks down at the knot Minho made of his tie. Jisung is no expert but he's pretty sure it's not a tie knot. Looks more like Minho tried to make a noose knot. He looks up at Minho, who's still watching him, his head tilted to the side. "Were you?" Jisung burst out, half chuckling. Minho laughs loudly at Jisung's expression.

Jisung hits his shoulder then just as Chan walks in. "No, violence until after shooting," he says. There is some food and snacks laid out on a big polished oak table. Chan goes over to look at the selection.

His red hair is styled widely and he has fake cuts on his face. He's dressed in a track suit everyone would recognise instantly now. Jisung and Minho is perhaps less instantly recognisable but Jisung secretly likes the couple outfits the staff picked for them.

"It's Halloween," Minho says. "A little violence is expected. Isn't that right Hannie-ah?" He looks at Jisung who puckers his lips like he’s asking for a kiss. Jisung does this all the time but this time something flashes in Minho’s eyes. It’s quick. Gone in the blink of an eye as he smiles. Jisung isn’t sure if he imagined it or not.

"It's not actually Halloween, yet," Seungmin says as he enters after Chan.

Jisung laughs out loud as he sees Seungmin. "What are you even supposed to be?"

Seungmin is dressed in a bright blue racing suit with an orange scarf and round yellow glasses. He joins Chan at the snacks table and grabs a bag while Chan is still deciding.

"If you can't tell, you don't deserve to know," Seungmin says and opens the bag, munching down on a candy.

"Fight me!" they hear someone call from just outside the room before they see Hyunjin backing inside.

He's traditionally dressed by the looks of it, with his dark hair tied back and a dark blue headband tied around his head. Warrior costume from the same drama as Jisung and Minho, Jisung is pretty sure. Hyunjin’s hands are raised, mimicking a fighting stance. As much as Jisung loves his friend he's pretty sure Hyunjin has never thrown a punch in his entire life. Not that you'd know by looking at him now. His back is straight and his stance stable. Even if Jisung heavily suspects Hyunjin can't fight he can definitely play the part. All that dancing has given him incredible body control Jisung would be jealous of if he didn’t know he’d never have the time to perfect it for himself the way Hyunjin has.

Hyunjin continues to back up slowly and Felix enters after him, hands raised in much the same way. Except he's dressed in a long blue and sparkly dress with a snowman plushie tugged underneath his arm.

Hyunjin keeps a serious face but Felix is laughing. It's throaty and deep and the contrast between his voice and his outfit is hilarious. Both Jisung and Minho laugh together at him.

"You will go no further," Hyunjin says, making some intricate gestures with his hands that look surprisingly like he actually knows what he's doing. "I will fight to the death."

"You look hot," Felix says and grins. "I think you need to cool down."

He throws his hand out as though shooting ice and snow from his fingertips. It confirms it for Jisung. The way he stands just like Elsa. Felix has seen Frozen one too many times. Hyunjin ducks gracefully and launches his counter attack.

Seungmin comes over to sit on the armrest next to Minho, eating his snacks.

"What video game is this?" he asks them both as they watch Hyunjin and Felix continue their fake fight.

"Jump force?" Jisung suggests.

Chan comes over then too, finally having chosen which snack he wanted. Crisps by the look of it.

"Always felt the world lacked a Naruto/Elsa team up," he remarked, sitting down on the other arm rest. "My money's on Felix."

"You're on, old man," Seungmin says.

"What are we betting for?" Minho wants to know.

"Honour?" Chan suggests.

"No way," Seungmin disagrees.

"You can't buy food with honour, hyung," Minho agrees.

Chan rolls his eyes. "Fine." He draws the word out as he shoves his hand into the pocket of his Squid Game track suit. "50." He tosses a 50 000 WON bill on the floor between them.

"Oooh," Jisung whistles. "Now that we know you're rich, hyung you're paying for dinner." Jisung leans forward towards Chan. "Forever."

Chan chuckles and eats another crisp before holding the bag out for Jisung who happily takes one. Seungmin and Minho are throwing their own bills into the pile on the floor.

Jisung leans towards Minho. "Who did you bet on?" he whispers.

"The snowman," Minho says, dead serious.

"His name is Olaf," Jisung points out.

"You know just because its animated doesn't mean it's good, Sungie," Minho points out with one raised eyebrow.

"Oh, I wouldn’t go there, Lee Know-ah," Chan chuckles. "You know how Lix and Hannie both love Frozen."

Minho taps Jisung on the shoulder and nods at Chan. Jisung doesn’t bother asking for clarification. He reaches over and snatches another crisp. Minho opens his mouth and Jisung feeds it to him. He doesn't chew it straight away but holds it between his teeth.

"Want some?" Minho asks around it.

"Jisung chuckles. "You need to stop doing that," he tells Minho who looks a little put out as he turns back to the fight and chews his crisp.

"What can you do?" Hyunjin is throwing at Felix. "Sing me to death?"

"Let it go! Let it go!" Felix starts belting out in his deep voice. Hyunjin doubles over with laughter.

Both Jeongin and Changbin enter then. Jeongin his quite authentically dressed up as the Joker from one of the Nolan Batman movies. Changbin is dressed like the Disney version of Peter Pan, complete with tights. Felix and Hyunjin have started circling each other in the middle of the room and Jeongin and Changbin try to stay clear of them. They make their way over to the others on the sofa.

"What on earth did we miss?" Changbin asks as he leans on the edge of the arm rest next to Chan. Chan holds a crisp out for him and Changbin eats it directly from his fingers.

"It sounds like a battle to the death," Jeongin jokes. He tries to skirt away as Seungmin reaches for him. Seungmin doesn't manage to snag him this time.

"What's with the money?" Changbin nods at the cash on the floor. "Are we betting on this?"

"My money is on the snowman," Minho announces, his eyes focused on Felix and Hyunjin.

They are both making gestures in the air and dodging imaginary ice balls and whatever it is Hyunjin's doing. All in slow motion. Felix swipes his leg out, the move too precise not to be something he learned from his Taekwondo days. Hyunjin slowly pretends to be falling. As he does he grips Felix's arm. Felix instinctively pulls Hyunjin back up. Olaf is lost in the scuffle and ends up forgotten on the floor.

Hyunjin dances around Felix and manages to grab him from behind, his arms wrapped around him. Felix laughs and tries halfheartedly to break free. Hyunjin leans down so that his nose brushes Felix's ear.

"Do you yield?" he asks.

"Never!" Felix announces and the others laugh on the sofa.

"Have we even decided how someone wins?" Jeongin points out. They all look at each other as they realise he's right. How do they decide who wins in a fake fight?

"Kiss him!" Jisung shouts out. Both Hyunjin’s and Felix's heads jerk up at the exact same time. "Whoever kisses who first, wins!" Jisung is shouting, rolling back and giggling. Minho is looking at Jisung.

"If I kiss you jagi, do I win?" he asks and for a heartbeat Jisung stops laughing and just stares at Minho. Then Minho grins like it was a joke and Jisung laughs. He hears how wobbly it sounds and he tells himself that the sinking feeling in his stomach is not because he wanted Minho to be serious.

Minho turns back to Felix and Hyunjin like he didn’t just rattle Jisung on purpose. Hyunjin still has his arms wrapped tightly around Felix and they stand frozen, staring at the lot on the sofa, looking like they can't comprehend at all what was just said.

"You heard him!" Minho bellows out. "Kiss!"

Neither Felix nor Hyunjin is moving.

"Come on you two," Seungmin joins in. "Chan has his life savings riding on this."

"Hey, now," Chan objects.

"What? Like on the lips?" Felix asks, looking properly horrified at this.

"With," Changbin says. "With your lips." Felix gives him a glare and Changbin laughs.

Hyunjin leans down then, his lips inches from Felix's neck and Jisung is sure he sees a shiver running through Felix and for just a moment his eyes drift shut.

"What do you say Yongbokkie?" They barely hear Hyunjin murmur, his breath against Felix's skin. "Think you can still beat me?"

Felix's eyes flip opened and he grins before he moves. He's fast. Fast enough that no one really catches what he does. One minute he is locked in Hyunjin's hold and the next he's free, having caught Hyunjin's arm in some kind of deadlock where Hyunjin can't move. They're face to face now, grinning at each other.

The rest of them cheer. Crisps fly as Jisung jumps up from the sofa and he knocks them out of Chan's hand by mistake. Jeongin crawls up on the arm rest behind Seungmin. He leans his hands on his shoulders and joins in the shouting. Felix manages to get Hyunjin’s arm close enough and he licks his hand.

Hyunjin squirms and laughs. “Eww, Felix.”

“Does not count!” Minho announces. He’s up in the sofa, squatting and waving an arm in the air.

Instead of trying to get away, Hyunjin is trying to reach Felix instead now. Felix dodges him. What area of Felix’s skin Hyunjin is trying to reach in order to win is very unclear but it is not his lips.

Chan is looking like he can't decide whether to cover his eyes or not as he laughs so hard his eyes are barely visable. Changbin is cheering behind him, louder than all of them.

"Alright!" A new voice breaks through the room like the crack of a whip. "We're all set up."

One of the staff walks in, Siwoo-ssi. She has her eyes on her iPad. Everyone freezes. Siwoo looks up, surveying the scene before her. Felix and Hyunjin are still locked together in the middle of the room. At this point no one can really tell if they're still fighting or just holding each other really closely. And the rest of them are cheering them on like it's some kind of baseball game.

Siwoo sighs. "What is it now?" she asks. "What are you doing?"

"Fighting," Minho says like this should be obvious.

"No, no, no," Siwoo says immediately. "No fighting and no-" Her eyes catch on Hyunjin and Felix. "-whatever it is you two are doing.”

“Kissing!” Jisung is screaming and giggling. Siwoo raises her eyebrows in question at Hyunjin and Felix.

“We are not kissing,” Felix assures so quickly he stumbles over the words and Hyunjin laughs.

“I should hope not,” Siwoo. “If you do it like that someone is bound to get injured.”

Felix and Hyunjin turn to look at each other. Felix has Hyunjin in headlock and Hyunjin looks like he’s trying to bend Felix backwards. Everyone bursts out laughing. Even Siwoo can’t quite keep a straight face.

“Come on, you lot,” she says. “Let's go. Everyone's ready. Come on."

Hyunjin and Felix finally let each other go, realising neither of them are going to win this. Everyone else shuffles up from the sofa. Minho stops, staring at the small pile of money.

"But who won?" he asks.

Jisung swipes the forgotten Olaf plushie from the floor and walks back to Minho. Minho looks up as he approaches. Jisung is smiling wide at him. That’s when Minho finally looks at Jisung that way he loves. Like Jisung is the only person he can see even if the room is filled with people. Jisung reaches out with Olaf and bumps him gently against Minho's cheek.

"You win," he says.