Archive of Our Own

If you told Lee Minho that at the age of twenty-six, he would be sleeping on his (younger) best friend’s couch after finding his girlfriend of five years had cheated on him, he would not only laugh in your face – he would record it and show it to all his friends. 

Minho has considered himself put together. He was in what he thought was a strong, healthy committed relationship, and he has been working as a dance teacher for ages ten to seventeen for a little less time than that, but he thought he could consider himself an adult. 

Right now, though, as Minho blearily watches his best friend fumble around the room looking for his shoulder bag, he felt more like a burn out than he had at seventeen. 

“You left it at work, dumbass.” Minho resigns to the fact that he’s not going to get any more sleep today. He is definitely going to get off his ass and go apartment searching; on the comfort of Seungmin’s home computer, of course. 

“I’m not looking for that one,” Seungmin all but seethes, not at all apologetic to Minho waking up through his fussing. “I’m looking for the one that Hyunjin had given me for my fourteenth birthday. I never bring that to work.”

“I know where you should look,” Minho says, stretching out. Seungmin looks at him, a serious look on his face, and it almost stops Minho from saying his next sentence, “Up my ass.” 

“I’m evicting you,” Seungmin says, all deadpan that anyone who didn’t know him the way that Minho does would believe him. He throws a discarded can of Beer from the night before when Hyunjin had been here (and didn’t throw his trash away) at him, which he dodges. “Be out by ten.” 

“What the fuck time is it?” Minho usually is up before the sun, but after the breakup he’s been trying to relax and sleep more. Not because he is wallowing in his pain, and hurt ego, no. He is not letting himself go, this is just going to be his year of rest and relaxation. He grabs for the phone and looks at the time, 5:23 . He looks up at Seungmin, who has continued to search through his living room closet for his shoulder bag. “Why are you up this early?” 

“It’s not even that early,” Seungmin says, his voice muffled from the distance. He throws something out of the closet, his bag, and he quickly follows it out. “I have an interview with an artist. I probably won’t be back until later; don’t throw any parties.” 

That last part is unnecessary because Minho and Seungmin are alike on the party scale; they won’t go unless they have to, and they are very much the least likely to throw one at that. 

“Guess I have to cancel the two o’clock orgy between me and your mom.” 

“That’s not an orgy,” Seungmin says, because of course he would. “That’s just sex.” 

Minho decides he doesn’t have to be up, so he lays back down, flipping Seungmin off. 

Seungmin scoffs, but turns the light off as he heads back to his room. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

When Seungmin makes it back home, it is at four and he finds Minho is on his computer in his bedroom staring at a Craigslist ad. 

The words: $900/ 4BR – THREE YOUNG MEN LOOKING FOR ANOTHER ROOMMATE are glaring back at him in the dark room. He had long since pulled Seungmin’s curtains back when the sun kept on hitting him in the eyes at the worst time. 

“Are you a vampire?” Seungmin questions, turning the light on. Minho scrunches his eyes at the action. 

“Does this look legit?” He answers Seungmin’s question with another one. Seungmin leans over his shoulder to look at what he is looking at. 

The ad says: 

$900/ 4BR – THREE YOUNG MEN LOOKING FOR ANOTHER ROOMMATE 

We live in a loft, we are all between the ages of twenty-three and twenty-eight, we are looking mostly for other guys but will accept females. 

Utilities are split, pets are welcome, some of us are lgbt so you must be accepting of that, we are all Korean so if you are too, that’s even better. 

We will consider if we accept after meeting in person for an interview: you must have a full time job and no violent felonies. 

Contact Chan at XXX-XXX-XXXX

“Seems so,” Seungmin says, when he leans back after reading. “Wouldn’t hurt to try, you might as well contact him.” 

“I guess,” Minho mutters to himself. It wouldn’t hurt to do a complete one-eighty and live with three guys instead of one girlfriend like he had before. “I’ll text him.” 

“Cool,” Seungmin nods, before flicking Minho. “Now make me dinner, I had a long day.” 

“If I listened to your eviction you wouldn’t be getting dinner,” Minho says, but gets up nonetheless. He would always make dinner for Seungmin, no matter how insufferable he can be. Minho signed up for his insufferableness when he became friends with him when they were both too young to even think about rent. “I’m going to spit in your food.” 

“Yeah, whatever,” Seungmin says. 

He’s actually going to chew his food up and spit it out, just for the dismissive behavior. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Minho finds himself in the middle of the Arts District, not too far from Seungmin’s own apartment in the Fashion District. That is convenient, and the fact that his job is also nearby is even more convenient. 

He is on a brown ottoman in front of the three guys who are sitting on their curved loveseat that is a matching brown. He would feel insecure under their scrutinizing eyes if he didn’t have a job that requires exactly that. He has already answered a couple of their questions. 

“Oh, by the way, I’m Chan,” The one in the middle says. He has brown curly hair, a hoodie on and bags under his eyes like he hasn’t slept in five days. “This is Changbin and Jisung. Forgot to introduce us.” 

He promptly points to the guy to his left, Changbin, who is buff with a black undercut and, if Minho could be intimidated by anyone, seems intimidating. He looks at Minho with a straight face, not offering any sort of comfort. You’d think he was interviewing his young sister’s new boyfriend. 

When he points to the right, to Jisung, Minho is a little caught by how cute he is, and how different he looks from Changbin specifically. His brown hair is wavy and soft, layered and some of it has fallen in front of his eyes. Despite his hoodie, Minho could tell he was slimmer than the rest of them. He is looking back at Minho, but a bit more reserved than the other two. 

Chan is unfiltered friendliness, Changbin is protective, while Jisung seems to be guarded. 

Minho nods. 

They already have his name, considering how Chan uses it every time before he asks a question. 

He has already asked the standard questions, what Minho does for work, how old he is, sleeping habits etc. Changbin and Jisung have yet to speak. 

“What else should I ask?” Chan turns to his current roommates. 

“Are you homophobic?” Changbin asks him. His voice sounds exactly as Minho had expected. He stares at him as he waits for his response. 

“No,” Minho answers. “I’m bisexual, actually.” 

Changbin seems to crack a smile at that, his stoic appearance losing it’s shine as he does, “Yo, same. Bi gang!” 

That… was unexpected. Minho bumps his fist when he holds it out, anyway. 

“Do you believe in ghosts?” That is also unexpected, being asked by Jisung, who stares at him with the same seriousness that Changbin had looked at him with when asking about homophobia. “Jenny only approves of ghost believers.” 

“Who is Jenny?”

“Our ghost.” Jisung says, his tone suggesting that it should have been obvious. It wasn’t, by the way. 

Minho sends a look to Chan, to see if Jisung is fucking with him, but instead gets the same serious look. 

They’re crazy, but Minho can’t be picky, so he claims he does believe in ghosts. 

“Perfect,” Jisung smiles. His cheeks move with his smile, and Minho finds it super cute. 

Right, perfect. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Minho moves in three days later with the help of Seungmin and Hyunjin, who was hardly helping and doing more complaining. 

Chan also pitches in and helps, offering to do handyman work as he is “the handyman of New York City”. Minho has no idea what it has to do with their current place in LA, but he takes the help anyway, too lazy to hang up the floating bookshelf he had gotten from a random shop near Seungmin’s apartment. 

At six, Chan orders them all some pizza and Minho sits beside Seungmin and Hyunjin on the couch as Chan puts a movie on the TV. 

Jisung comes out of his room to grab two pieces of pizza and Chan introduces him to Seungmin and Hyunjin, who he already has seemed to become best friends with, somehow before Jisung nods, says hi, and goes back to his room that was beside the balcony. 

Changbin comes out moments after but he sticks around. 

Now that he seems to approve of Minho, knowing that he isn’t homophobic, he has seemed to ease up a lot. And by that, Minho means he has no problem sprawling almost practically over him as if they have been friends for life. Minho doesn’t mind it, just letting it happen. Hyunjin was the exact same way when Seungmin had introduced him to him, Minho had said all but two words before Hyunjin was wrapping himself around Minho and offering him to come to a party with him. He didn’t go to the party, but Hyunjin didn’t let that stop their blooming friendship. 

After dinner, Seungmin and Hyunjin went home, while Minho went back to his new room to finish unpacking. 

He finishes unpacking at eight and decides to head into the living room. 

Jisung, surprisingly, is relaxing on the couch, his legs up on the ottoman as he watches a documentary about the life of an octopus. He is fiddling with the strings of his hoodie. He also has glasses on, which is different, and Minho can’t help but find him even cuter. 

“Done unpacking?” 

Minho is a little surprised that Jisung is offering conversation. Even when he was moving in, Jisung had stayed sparse and kept himself tucked away into his room mostly. 

“Yeah, finally,” Minho says. He sits down on the couch, not directly next to Jisung, and watches what he is watching. “Do you like octopus?” 

“Like the animal or them as food?” 

Minho blinks at the TV. 

“No,” Jisung answers without Minho clarifying. “Just clicked a random doc. They actually freak me out a little.” 

Minho continues to watch in silence. They are a bit freaky. 

“I would have a panic attack if I had to be an octopus,” Jisung says. It’s like he is thinking out loud, and Minho finds it endearing. “Surrounded by all that water, and what if I got my suction cups stuck to something? I would scream and cry.” 

“Can octopuses have panic attacks?”

“Well, they can become stressed,” Jisung explains. “As most every living thing. I actually would hate being one even more because when they become stressed apparently sometimes they commit self-cannibalism.”

“Self– What?” This is not the conversation Minho was expecting to have tonight, but he can’t help but find it interesting. 

“Yeah, if they get stressed they usually resort to self-harm like hitting themselves against things, but they have oftentimes also eaten their own arms,” Jisung doesn’t look at him at all when he speaks. “Kind of hardcore, right?” 

“That’s one way to put it,” Minho replies. 

He watches the documentary with a whole new perspective and doesn’t go back to his room until it is over and Jisung heads to bed. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

When he is done teaching his set of ten year olds a new dance, Minho finds Changbin standing outside of his dance room. 

Minho is surprised, but at the same time not. In the month he has been living with the three of them, Changbin has already tried to pry his entire life story out of him, being completely different from who he had first portrayed himself to be. 

Changbin has a bag of takeout and he drags Minho to a picnic table he had found on his way here. The picnic table was near their cafeteria, it’s not exactly a hidden gem but he lets Changbin pretend it is.  

“Do you need something?” Minho asks him. 

“That’s an awful nice way to say thank you for lunch,” Changbin says. “When is your friend coming over again?”

Minho raises an eyebrow, “Which one?” 

“The one that looks like a puppy,” Changbin says. “I’m allergic to fur but he is awfully cute.” 

“He doesn’t actually have fur,” Minho says, opening the food. “And he bites. You sure you want him to come over?” 

“Who said I’m not into biting?”

“Okay, TMI,” Minho cringes. “I don’t know if you wanna mess with whatever the fuck he and Hyunjin have going on.”

It was interesting to him how quickly he was able to figure Changbin’s personality out and the type of jokes that would roll with him. It was rare that in his adult life he would find people he could click with; but Chan, Changbin and Jisung all seem easy for him. He has only known them for a month at this point but they’ve all quickly taken a place in his heart. Not that he would say it. 

“What do you mean?” There is a furrow between Changbin’s eyebrow. “Is he dating Hyunjin?” 

“No, but they’re something.” 

“ Something as in Seungmin is pining after Hyunjin and vice versa or something as in they’re together with no feelings,” Changbin hasn’t touched his food at all, obviously invested in this. “There’s an important difference.” 

“I don’t know, ask Seungmin,” Minho shrugs. “They are fucking. There could be feelings and there couldn’t, I’m not exactly the emotions investigator.” 

“He's been your best friend since childhood, he doesn’t talk to you about these things?”

“If there is one thing you should know about Seungmin, it’s that he keeps his inner most complicated feelings deep down,” Minho entertains him. He’s kind of surprised that Changbin is prying so much, considering that they only met once. “If I think he is struggling, I have to dig it out of him and that usually takes a week or two, but he hasn’t shown any signs of struggling lately.” 

“Oh,” Changbin physically deflates, looking down. “Alright.”

“What, are you sad he’s not struggling?”

“Don’t be dumb,” Changbin kicks his feet underneath the table and Minho giggles. “I was just hoping he would be available.” 

“You’re already that interested in him?”

“I mean, he was really cute,” Changbin shrugs. “It’s been a month but I still keep seeing his smile in my head.” 

“Gross,” Minho replies. “I’ll invite him over tonight.” 

Changbin perks up at that, before digging into their food. 

That night, Seungmin comes over and Minho makes him bring ingredients for Bibimbap after he realized just how empty and ingredient-less their refrigerator was. 

Seungmin is sitting at the island as he watches Minho prepare them all dinner. 

“Is there an occasion?” Seungmin asks him, sipping on one of Changbin’s flavored waters. Minho decided that if Changbin wanted to pursue Seungmin, then he would have no problem with Seungmin drinking one of his water bottles. “Are you about to tell me you're pregnant, getting married or moving to Chicago?”

“Why would I move to Chicago?”

“Why would you be pregnant?” 

“Touche,” Minho says. He notices Changbin enter from their hallway before backtracking when he notices Seungmin, and he goes into the direction of the bathroom. “No occasion. Just wanted to hang out here.” 

“Right,” Seungmin still looks suspicious. “Where are your roomies?”

“Their rooms,” Minho shrugs. “Is just me boring?” 

“You already know the answer to that,” Seungmin says. “Yes.” 

Minho throws a carrot at him. 

“Seungmin! You’re back!” Chan is the first one to come out, and Minho thinks he hears the shower turn on. Chan sits next to Seungmin, “We missed you.” 

“Thanks.” Seungmin is as bad at feelings as Minho is, so his smile comes out jaded. Minho hides his laugh behind his hand. 

Minho had somehow found two of the most outward emotional people that he could have, and Jisung seems to be the same way that Minho has yet to see personally, as Changbin had said. 

Chan doesn’t take Seungmin’s reactions to offense, probably used to Minho, and instead goes into a ramble about the group that he, Jisung and Changbin had to work with at the recording studio that they work at today. 

Minho was quick to find out that the three of them weren’t struggling with money, in particular, which is why his own rent was so cheap. They all had a producing group named 3RACHA that had even gotten some of their instrumentals sold to big names in music. They work nine to five, five days a week most of the time, but sometimes they work a lot of overtime. Luckily for them, that can be from home, because they have a small homemade studio in Chan’s room. 

Changbin finally comes out, obviously fresh out of a shower and he says, “Oh, Seungmin, you’re here?”

Minho schools his face and decides not to make fun of Changbin. He is embarrassing enough on his own as it is. 

“Just got here,” Seungmin nods. Chan nods with him. 

“Right,” Changbin glances around. “Hyunjin didn’t come, today?” 

“No, he’s in Italy.” 

“What?” Minho didn’t know one of his own best friend’s was in Italy at the moment. “That brat, why didn’t he tell me?” 

“Why is Hyunjin randomly in Italy?” Changbin asks, surprised. 

“He models for Versace,” Seungmin explains. Minho knew that, but Changbin didn’t. “He goes there for business a lot.” 

“Oh,” Changbin says, his voice mellow before he shakes his head. He looks at what Minho is doing, “Oh, honey, are you making us dinner?”

“Call me honey again and you’ll be the dinner.” Minho holds his knife up to prove his point, but startles just a little when he hears Jisung’s laugh. He didn’t know Jisung had come out of his room. 

Jisung, for the first time since Minho had moved in, is dressed up. He is wearing a black and white sweater, that’s crocheted wide with a white tank top underneath, and black jeans. 

Minho has already known he is attracted to Jisung, but he can’t help but check him out even more upon seeing him. 

He usually is cute to Minho but today he is hot. 

“Going somewhere?” Chan asks him. He gives a small smile to Jisung, like he is proud to see him dressed up like that. 

“No,” Jisung says and he covers himself up by folding his arms over himself. Minho selfishly wants to pull them away. “Just felt like getting dressed up. Haven’t in a while.” 

“You mean never,” Changbin snorts and Jisung sends a kick his way. “You look good, though.” 

“Yeah,” Minho agrees with Changbin, trying not to look as starstruck as he feels. “You do.” 

Jisung blushes, unraveling his arms in favor of pulling his sleeves down to make sweater paws. 

He instantly becomes cute to Minho. 

“Minho-hyung, do you need any help?”

Minho wants to melt, but quickly gives Jisung the job of getting the rice ready. 

The other boys soon find their places in the living room, still in view from the kitchen, getting bored of just watching Minho and Jisung cooking. 

“How was work?” Jisung asks Minho, who is currently cooking vegetables. “I heard Chan telling you about our day.” 

“Good,” Minho can’t help the fondness that shows on his face. While Changbin was easy to joke with and Chan was easy to talk to; Jisung was attentive in a different way. “Taught ten year olds today and only one of them kicked me when I told them they did a move wrong.”

“The kids kick you?” 

“Yeah, a lot, actually,” Minho says. They were still in that time of their life where they didn’t exactly know how to express their emotions, especially because a lot of them have rich parents who aren’t necessarily around to teach them such. It becomes Minho’s job, along with dance, to tell little Kimmy that kicking people when you are upset is not the way to go. “I’m getting beat up by kids almost everyday.” 

“Tell their parents to sign them up for boxing classes.” Jisung huffs. 

Minho wants to pinch his cheeks, but holds back. While he was on a physical affection level with Changbin and Chan, he had yet to reach there with Jisung. He will always ignore the little voice in the back of his head saying it’s because he’s attracted to him, so that makes it harder. 

“I don’t know if that would go over well with boomer Paris Hilton,” Minho replies instead. “I think she would get me fired, actually, and I kind of like this job.” 

Kind of is an understatement; despite being hit sometimes by students, he loves them and his job. He has always been in wonder and awe at how he could make a job out of the thing he has been most passionate about since as long as he could remember; dance. He could have done bigger and what other people would consider better things, he is confident in his skills, but he has always wanted to become a teacher for children because he has always been inspired by his first dance teacher. 

He doesn’t tell that to Jisung, but when he looks over, Jisung is staring at him with a knowing look. He doesn’t think he has to tell Jisung in order for him to understand. 

“Is the rice done yet?” 

That prompts Jisung to panic as he looks away, remembering the rice. 

When their cooking is done, they join the rest of them in the living room after everyone gets their serving. 

Minho sits beside Seungmin, who is squeezed between him and Changbin who is looking surprisingly polite, pressing his legs together to make sure Seungmin gets room. Princess treatment. 

“Minho’s pick for movie.” Chan says, reaches over Changbin and Seungmin to hand Minho the remote. Minho absent-mindedly picks a horror movie, and Seungmin groans. 

“Wimp.” Minho says to him. 

“I’ll remember that the next time we fly,” Seungmin says back. “I won’t even give you a Xanax.” 

“Why would you have Xanax?” 

“Just so I can rub it in your face and not give it to you.” Seungmin says, which causes Changbin to laugh next to him. In Minho’s opinion, it wasn’t that funny. But bi guys will be bi. 

“That’s not really fair,” Jisung says from his spot on the chair. “Horror movies can’t hurt you while being in the air can.” 

“Jisung is just saying that because he’s also afraid of heights,” Changbin tells them. “Who says the Ring isn’t real?”

“The millions of people who watched it and are still alive?” 

“He got you there,” Seungmin says. Changbin looks betrayed. 

Chan yells, being the only one who was focused on the movie and jumping at the first cheap jumpscare of the movie. 

Minho’s eyes meet Jisung’s when he does, amused. 

Yeah, he’s been having a good day. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Usually by two am, Minho would be fast asleep in his bed, not a care in the world. 

Today was a bad one, though. He got up late for work, having to basically rush to get dressed and had promptly forgotten one of his socks, which, how can someone forget one of their socks? On top of that, when the parents of the students came to pick them up, he could feel their unwanted judgemental gazes like they usually had given him, but today it hit worse. 

And on top of all of that, he saw Sumi, his ex-girlfriend happily cuddling up against the guy she cheated on him with at the coffee shop they used to frequent together. So, yeah, not a good day. 

He tosses and turns as he replays the look of surprise Sumi had in his presence, as if she wasn’t blatantly displaying her forbidden romance in the exact place they used to get coffee together after work. 

Now she was getting coffee together with someone else after work, while he was trying to keep himself together as he got coffee alone. 

It’s stupid because he shouldn’t be the one to feel ashamed, but somehow he does. 

He gives up on trying to sleep, and stumbles out into the living room. 

Jisung is there, watching a documentary about the Loch Ness Monster. 

Minho sits next to him. 

“Can’t sleep?” Jisung asks him. 

Minho nods before finding the courage to drop his head onto Jisung's shoulder. Jisung stiffens for half a second in surprise, before he relaxes. 

“Do you believe in that?” He mumbles as he watches the documentary with Jisung. 

“I believe it’s possible,” Jisung replies, keeping his voice almost as low as Minho’s. “Probably not in a lake like that, but the ocean. It’s possible there could be something like Nessie somewhere we haven’t looked. Many people think she’s a plesiosaur so I think it’s possible we could have one in our ocean and it just became good at adapting and figuring out when to stay hidden.” 

“The Loch Ness Monster isn’t real, but is?” 

“Not there, at least,” Jisung shrugs and Minho’s head moves with it. “It’s cliché, but most of our ocean isn’t looked at. If you were a creature that wouldn’t want to be found, you would go to the ocean, right?” 

“Good advice,” Minho says. “Do you wanna go to the beach?” 

“God, no,” Jisung says. Minho pulls back to give him a questionable look. Jisung points his thumb to himself, “This guy has Thalassophobia.” 

“Why do you watch all these water docs, then?” 

Jisung is an enigma, sometimes, Minho has come to find. 

“The best way to handle fear is to know everything about it,” Jisung says, profoundly. Minho blinks, not quite understanding. “It’s like, if you’re afraid of tornadoes, you watch a lot of things about it that way if it ever happens to you you’ll know exactly what to do.” 

“I don’t relate,” Minho says, leaning back against the couch. “When I fly I turn my volume up when the flight attendants tell us what to do if something happens so I can’t acknowledge something bad could actually happen.” 

Jisung pauses and looks at Minho before he shakes his head, “Why do you want to hide?” 

“When did I say that?”

“It was implied.” 

Minho contemplates if he actually wants to express his feelings, if he wants to tell Jisung about what he had gone through three months prior to meeting him. 

Jisung is looking at him, though, so expectantly, and Minho can’t stop his brain to mouth filter because of how much his eyes twinkle at him. 

“I got cheated on,” Minho tells him, shutting his eyes so he doesn’t have to see his reaction. “I feel ashamed and angry, and I wish she could never perceive me again.” 

Jisung huffs next to him. 

“If anyone needs to be ashamed, it’s her,” Jisung tells him. “There’s no possible way to live without shame when doing something like that to the one you love, unless she’s, like, a sociopath or something, even though I’m pretty sociopaths are able to perceive what’s right and wrong. Even a sociopath would break up with you if things weren’t right.” 

Minho snorts at his ramble, “I know. That’s what I told myself. But I ran into her at the coffee shop we used to go to together and she was with him and I just felt… Pathetic?”

“I don’t like her,” Jisung says. “That’s low, what the fuck, hyung? We should, like, go there together and act in love that way she knows that you’re not stuck on her.” 

“Would you do that for me?” 

Minho felt even more pathetic for asking that, but a part of him couldn’t help it. 

“Of course, hyung.” 

“That’s sweet,” Minho mumbles. He still hasn’t opened his eyes, and feels himself being tugged over to Jisung’s shoulder again. He listens to a Scottish accent lie about seeing a figure in the lake, and he starts to drift off before he even knows it. 

He wakes up the next morning with a blanket covering him and Jisung nowhere in sight, but there is a sticky note taped to a mug in front of him: even if you try to hide, i would scan the ocean for you, hyung. 

Minho can’t help but cover his face and giggle into his hands, smitten by the words. 

They do end up going to the beach, along with Changbin and Chan, and Seungmin and Hyunjin who came back from Italy two days ago. 

Jisung stays on his towel, bluetooth speaker blasting a YouTube video about the Top 50 Secrets You Didn’t Know About The Titanic. 

Minho lies next to him, on Changbin’s towel. 

As the narrator talks about crowds being a source of PTSD, Jisung looks at Minho and squints at him as the sun shines down on them. 

“That’s depressing, isn’t it?” 

“Swimming? It was kind of relaxing.” 

“The Titanic,” Jisung says. “That… Nevermind. I don’t feel as happy here as everyone else does.”

“Then let’s get out of here,” Minho feels brave for a second and tries not to back track as Jisung sends him an analyzing look. Usually, Minho had no shame in flirting, or putting moves onto someone he liked. Something about Jisung made him careful, though. “Let’s go somewhere you’ll be happy.” 

“You’re the one who wanted to go to the beach,” Jisung tells him. 

Minho shrugs, “I changed my mind. Forgot how much I don’t like the sun.” 

It was true, unfortunately. The sun blinded him and it was all too hot at the moment. 

He lets Jisung think as he looks out into the ocean where their roommates and his friends were. Changbin had somehow gotten time with Seungmin alone, as they were just talking face to face as they floated. Hyunjin and Chan were a little bit away, playing with the ball that Chan insisted on bringing. 

“Do you like ice cream?” 

“Who doesn’t?” Jisung says, sitting up and stretching. Minho pointedly does not look as his white shirt rises when he does. 

“Let’s get some ice cream and ditch,” Minho says. 

So, that’s what they do. 

They get back to the loft and eat ice cream together, as Jisung lets Minho pick the documentary this time. 

He finds one about drug trafficking when Seungmin calls him. 

“Hello?”

“Where are you, dumbass?” 

“Wow, you’re just noticing we’re missing,” Minho says, clicking onto the documentary. “We’re at the loft.” 

“Why didn’t you tell us you were leaving?” 

“Aw, are you worried about me?” 

“No,” Seungmin deadpans. “Chan went into fatherly panic about Jisung, I didn’t know he was protective of him like that. It took Changbin telling him that you had to be with him for him to calm down.” 

“Oh,” Minho says. “Let him know we just went back here because the sun was a bit too much. Sorry for not telling you guys.” 

“Okay, see ya.” 

Seungmin hangs up.

Jisung looks at Minho, “Is Chan freaking out?” 

“You knew he would,” Minho says. He, to be honest, did not. He wasn’t aware that Chan was that protective of Jisung, that he would freak out if they went home without telling them. Sure, they should have mentioned it, but he kind of thought they would take a hint. Jisung seemed to know it would stress Chan out, though, “We should have told them.” 

“Chan forgets I’m an adult,” Jisung tells him, and despite the words, pouts. “He still hasn’t seemed to learn that I can go off on my own sometimes.” 

“Is there a reason he freaks out?” 

Minho wasn’t normally one to pry, but, like with all things, when it came to Jisung he seemed to be a bit different. 

“He sees me as a little brother,” Jisung shrugs. “I have anxiety, and he gets a little bit protective because he’s seen me during a panic attack. I’m medicated now, and the panic attacks are definitely fleeting but it seems like he thinks I’m going to get hurt if I’m on my own.” 

“Have you talked to him about that?” 

“I guess I haven’t,” Jisung says, after thinking. “I guess I will.”

“Don’t guess, do. ” 

Minho knows he’s being hypocritical, but he knows that it will help Jisung in the long run. He doesn’t know what it’s like to have someone to be so protective over him and can only imagine how suffocating it could be. He’s sure Chan means no harm by it, which is why Minho can tell the best course of action is to just tell him how it makes him feel. 

“Okay,” Jisung says, a bit of his vanilla ice cream dripping off his spoon. He yawns, putting his bowl down. “Why does the sun make me so tired?” Minho can’t help but follow with a yawn, too. 

“I only started watching documentaries because of you and we haven’t watched one about the sun, so I can’t answer that.” 

Jisung chuckles before leaning back and yawning yet again. Minho, yet again, does too. 

“Why did you choose a drug doc?” 

“Seemed interesting,” Minho shrugs, before placing his own bowl down. “Is it boring?” 

“I’ve been paying more attention to you than it, so I don’t know.” 

It’s true, but Minho feels his heart jump over the words, like he had meant them romantically. He didn’t, obviously, because neither of them have been paying attention to it. 

Minho yawns first this time and Jisung follows. 

He places his head on Minho’s shoulder, and falls asleep. Minho leans his head against his, and does the same. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

It’s been five months since Minho has moved in and he was yet to experience what he is now; a party in the loft, hosted by Chan. 

He had told him that occasionally they host parties, the three of them have a lot of friends which they liked to invite over for parties like the one now. 

Minho didn’t care, despite not being a partier himself, as long as his room is off limits. 

The party is small, anyway. As small as an LA party can get, at least, and there’s about twenty people in their home. 

Minho had come out to grab a drink, nothing alcoholic because he has work the next day and didn’t want to deal with that, and he found himself dragged into a conversation with Changbin and a kid he called Jeongin. 

Seungmin, surprisingly but unsurprisingly, is here with Hyunjin and he is tucked onto the couch, Hyunjin’s arms around his shoulder as some guy is passing a joint to him. You learn something new about your best friend everyday. Seungmin denies it, before standing up and heading to him and Changbin when he notices them. 

“Hey, Binnie,” He says, and Changbin’s eyes dot with figurative stars as he looks over at him. “Have you been drinking?”

An odd question to ask, but Changbin shakes his head. 

“Awesome,” Seungmin says, and he gets a flirty smile on his face before he asks, “Can you take me to McDonalds?” 

“Sure,” Changbin nods. “Do you want to come, Minho?”

“No, he doesn’t,” Seungmin answered. 

He got the clue; Seungmin was coming onto Changbin in a way that wasn’t obvious and Changbin is almost ruining his plans. It’s like he had back in high school, when he liked a guy in his own grade and subtly asked him to hang out at his house. The guy, of course, had asked Minho if he wanted to, too, to be polite, but Seungmin answered for him and came to Minho’s house that night to tell him how he got his first kiss. 

Minho isn’t a cockblock. 

“No, I wanted to find Jisung,” Minho replies. 

Changbin shrugs as Seungmin pulls him to the door. 

“He is smitten for him,” Jeongin says. “Almost like how Jisung is smitten for that —”

His words get cut off by the man himself as Jisung clings over him, and rubs his head, “Hi, kiddo. Let’s not go around telling secrets.” 

“Sorry, Sungie,” Jeongin sing-songs. “I’m a little drunk.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Jisung rolls his eyes, before placing a fat, sloppy kiss onto Jeongin’s cheek. “Go drink some water.” 

Jeongin does as he is told, stumbling to the direction of the cooler. 

Minho stamps down the ugly green feeling that begins to rise in his belly; he isn’t dating Jisung so he has no reason to be jealous. 

“Hi, hyung,” Jisung says, his eyes warm when they meet his. “Enjoying the party?”

“I wanted to get some Coke,” Minho explains. “Changbin wrapped me up in convo.” 

“Ah, that’s why you wanted to watch the drug doc,” Jisung quips. When Minho gives him a deadpan look, he laughs openly, “I’m kidding! I have a mini-fridge in my room, if you want to hang out with me there? I came out here to see if you were at the party.” 

“Oh,” Minho says. He contemplates if he should go with him to his room. What if Jisung has been drinking and only offered because of that? In all the time he has lived here, he has yet to be in Jisung’s room, only ever hanging out with him in the living room and watching documentaries together. “Have you been drinking?”

“Ew, no,” Jisung nose scrunches in distaste. “Not that anything is wrong with drinking, it's just… not for me, you know?”

Minho nods in understanding and almost asks if he’s been smoking, but stops himself. 

He starts in the direction of Jisung’s room, and Jisung follows behind him to his own space. 

Jisung's room is like him; informative. 

He has posters on the wall of musicians he likes, and even some that are just facts about different animals. He has a calendar above his desk that has cats on it, but it’s still turned to March despite them being in August. 

His desk is messy, papers scattered across it to the point you can’t even see the wood underneath it. 

He has a fort made near his bed, and a bookcase filled with all kinds of books and comics beside it. 

There are instruments hung on the wall, too. 

Minho was fond of this room, because it’s just so Jisung. 

“Sorry it’s messy,” Jisung says, before dropping on the floor and opening the “door” to his fort (which is a big throw blanket). “An invitation to my kingdom.” 

“Organized mess,” Minho says. “It’s nice.” 

He drops next to Jisung and crawls behind him to the fort. The fort is tall and dark but Jisung has LEDs on the ground, outlining it which he turns on as they settle into it. 

He keeps it orange. 

“Orange offers warmth,” He explains. “You know, like color psychology and stuff.” 

Of course even the color of his lights has a reason. 

He is just so… endearing. 

Jisung isn’t dressed up, despite there being a party, and Minho watches as he burrows himself deeper into his hoodie. 

“Do you choose the color of your hoodies based on the feelings you want to invoke?” 

“No, but I should now that you said that,” Jisung looks like he was just told a spectacular secret. 

“What is red meant to invoke?” 

“What do you think it’s meant to invoke?” 

“Anger?” 

“Close,” Jisung says, his red hoodie sleeves cover his hands. “Passion. So, anger, hate, excitement. Love. Am I making you angry today?”

“No,” Minho snorts. He is most definitely not thinking about ‘Love’, neither. “Are you angry today?” 

“No,” Jisung replies. “I’m in a good mood today, if you couldn’t tell.” 

“Did something extra good happen today?” And does it have to do with the person you are smitten with? 

“Not in particular,” He shrugs, but he looks at Minho extra soft. His stomach turns as he thinks the look is not meant for him. “Just… happy, I guess. Nothing else to it. Do you want to play KartRider?” 

Minho and Jisung have recently been playing games together, KartRider being one of them. 

Minho doesn’t press Jisung about his feelings any further and pulls his phone out, ready to lose to Jisung because he likes the smile Jisung gets on his face when he wins. 

The party is over by twelve am, they can tell how quiet it starts to get, so they head out to see if everyone is gone. 

What they are not expecting to see, at least not Minho, is Seungmin straddling Changbin, attached to his lips on the couch. 

Jisung yelps, and for some reason Minho’s reaction is to cover his own eyes, and Jisung’s too, as if they were two middle schoolers seeing a couple making out. Minho has done much worse, and maybe Jisung has too, so the reaction is completely unfound. 

“Changbin, you have a room here!” Minho calls out. 

“Why aren’t you asleep? Chan is!” 

“Chan’s a grandpa!” Jisung says this time, his words muffled from Minho’s hand. 

“And you guys are acting like children,” Seungmin says. “What, you’ve never seen two guys make out before?” 

“Bitch,” Minho sends a finger his way, or at least the way he assumes he is still at. “We don’t know if you have clothes on or not.” 

“Why would we shed clothes in the living room?” Seungmin questions. 

“You guys thought we were asleep, who knows what you would have done.” 

Minho finally takes his hands away from his and Jisung’s eyes. 

Changbin is blushing, but Seungmin looks shameless, as he usually does. 

“You can take it to your bedroom now,” Minho says, sitting his way between them on the couch. Jisung sits next to Seungmin on the right side of him. “Unless you want to watch the Dolphin documentary we have scheduled for tonight with us.” 

“Is that what you guys do out here every night?” Changbin asks as Seungmin promptly stands up and eyes him. “Nevermind, I don’t wanna know.” He goes with Seungmin. 

“It’s about time,” Jisung says, turning the TV off of the episode of Friends they had running. “I was getting tired of Changbin constantly whining about how pretty and untouchable Seungmin is.” 

“I think he became pretty touchable for him.” Minho jokes. 

Jisung chuckles at that. 

They quiet down when the dolphin documentary starts, and they watch it in silence until a part about dolphin’s showing affection comes up. 

Jisung chuckles quietly to himself, “They’re holding hands.” 

“Actually, they’re holding pectoral fins,” Minho says. He is hit by the sudden urge to hold Jisung’s hand. “Or… rubbing it.” 

“You made it sound dirty!” Jisung whines and Minho purses his lip, holding back a laugh. “They’re showing that they like each other through touch, it’s normal.” 

“Yeah,” Minho chuckles. He leans his head against Jisung’s shoulder as if he was subtly trying to tell him something. Maybe he is. He yawns, and Jisung does too, and he sits up. He has work in the morning, so sleeping on the couch wouldn’t do him any good. “I should head to bed.” 

“Yeah, you work at eight tomorrow, right?” 

“Yeah,” Minho shouldn’t be surprised that Jisung knows that. He stores information he deems valuable in his head the way he does with food in his cheeks. Cutely, he does. “Goodnight, Sung.” 

“Goodnight, hyung.” 

Minho heads to his room to find Hyunjin asleep in his bed, laying across it like a starfish out of water. 

He should have expected that, and he sighs, pushing Hyunjin over so he could get some room. 

Maybe he and Jisung should have watched a doc about starfish. That way he would know how to get this one out of his bed. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Saturday is his day off, and he spends the morning wrangling Jisung, Chan and Changbin into his car and forcing them to go grocery shopping with him. 

He was tired of their fridge having the whole of three foods; oranges, seaweed and string cheese. He is a cook at heart, hating to get takeout unless it was a restaurant, to sit down and eat at. But he didn’t want to be the only one to decide what to buy, so he made them come with him to H-Mart. 

He stood in the meat aisle with Changbin as Jisung and Chan went to look at veggies. 

Changbin is quieter than usual, though. 

“Everything okay?” Minho asks him. 

Changbin hums, looking at the three packs of Bulgogi that are in front of him. 

“Is it… Seungmin?” 

“How did you know?” Changbin said. 

“I assume you don’t want to talk about it because it has to do with my bestie,” As Changbin would say. “But, let me tell you, if anyone is understanding of Seungmin’s rights and his wrongs, it’s me. We have a no-bullshit relationship. He does something shitty, I will tell him he did. So, did he do something shitty?” 

“It’s me,” Changbin says, finally deciding on which Bulgogi. “I misunderstood.” 

“How so?” 

“I… thought us getting together at that party would be us… dating, but,” Changbin shrugs. “He went home with Hyunjin the next day.” 

“As in, they were on top of each other as they left, or they left like friends?”

“The second one, but come on,” Changbin says, pushing the buggy. “You said they do stuff. I think I’m just another person to do stuff with.”

“Even if you are, Seungmin is strictly monogamous even with friends with benefits,” Minho tells him. “The moment he kissed you is the moment he and Hyunjin stopped being what he and Hyunjin are. Seungmin can’t put his focus on two people at a time, he doesn’t see a point in it. Ask him on a date because I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Believe me when I say you’re the first person he has been with other than Hyunjin since his thing with Hyunjin started.” 

“Really?” Changbin looks hopeful and Minho nods. 

He may not talk feelings necessarily with Seungmin, but he knows how things work for him; relationships being one of them. Minho doesn’t know exactly why Seungmin and Hyunjin never wanted to be more than just fuck buddies, but he did know that while Seungmin was with him; he was with no one else, and there is definitely a reason that Hyunjin was asleep in Minho’s bed that night, and not at home with Seungmin. 

“Okay,” Changbin nods. “I’ll ask him on a date. When are you asking Jisung?” 

At that, Minho accidentally runs the cart into a pyramid of cans, cringing as they fall. 

It takes three workers and Minho to put all the cans back up, and he is apologizing profusely as they do. They look more and more annoyed at his apologies, so he soon shuts up and just focuses on stacking the cans. 

Jisung and Chan come across them, and Chan stands, slack jawed. 

“How did you of all people do that?” 

“What is that supposed to mean?” 

“You’re so… cool,” He says. “That’s so… clumsy.” 

Minho does not look at Jisung and does not notice the look of concern that should have been amusement the way it had been on Chan and Changbin’s face.

“I think it’s time to go home,” Minho says after they finish fixing the pyramid. The worker that kept glaring at him the entire time mutters an agreement. “Yeah, I should go before I face a lifetime ban.” 

They get back to their loft soon enough to put all the groceries away. 

“That was successful,” Chan says as Minho sits on the couch, putting his legs up on the ottoman. Jisung had gone to his bed to sleep longer, and Changbin sits next to Minho before he lays down, putting his head on his lap. Minho thinks to push him off, but he doesn’t. He’ll be nice. “What even happened?”

“Minho freaked out because I-” He knew he shouldn’t be nice. He pushes Changbin off and falls on the floor with a thump. Changbin groans. “Dude, not cool.” 

“ Dude, not cool,” Minho mocks. “Shut up.” 

“You could have just said that!” Changbin stands up and dusts himself off even though he didn’t land on any dirt and Chan had deep cleaned the floors just last night because a text he sent out to a girl he found cute was left on read. “No need to get physical.” 

“No need to be dumb,” Minho lets Changbin lay back down. He found him brave for that, honestly. “I lost control of the buggie when I got surprised by something Changbin had said. That’s all.”

“I’m not going to pry because your business is your business,” Chan says. “But just know I am desperataely intrigued and this will probably keep me up at night.” 

“Are you trying to guilt trip me?” 

“And we have work early tomorrow, too, so,” Chan continues. “But it’s fine, if you don’t trust me. That’s fine. You don’t have to tell me, honestly, it’s chill.” 

“It’s not working,” Minho cuts him off. He feels a little bad, though, to keep Chan out of the loop. He didn’t even know Changbin could see his big, fat crush on their roommate, though, so he didn’t even left Changbin in the loop. “Fine. Where’s the chalkboard?” 

“Why don’t you just text it?”

“Whiteboard is erasable.” 

“So is the phone,” Minho sends a glare to Changbin. Changbin rolls his eyes but stands up and goes to the kitchen where they have their whiteboard hanging up. Nothing is written on it, though. 

Chan pushes Minho to the middle of the couch while he writes on it and Changbin sits to his right. 

Changbin asked me when I’m asking Jisung on a date. 

“That’s it? I thought it would be more juicy,” Chan says. “Everyone knows the giant boner you have for Ji-” 

The whiteboard hits him on the top of his head before he can finish his sentence. 

Minho erases the confession and replaces it with, Chan drawing a penis and having an arrow from Chan’s name to the drawing. 

“Very mature,” Chan says. “When are you, by the way?”

“I’m not,” Minho mumbles. Even if he would like to ask Jisung on a date, he couldn’t. Jeongin said he was smitten for someone and it couldn’t be him because why would Jeongin try and tell him? He’s sure if Jisung liked him he would at least describe Minho as his roommate not “that” whatever. Selfishly, he wishes Jisung didn’t cut him off, but the other half is glad he did. “I’m not keen to getting my ego hurt anymore and he doesn’t like me.”

“Where-” Changbin’s sentence gets cut off by Jisung opening his door. 

Minho was grateful he’ll at least try and keep it secret from Jisung. 

“You guys are loud,” Jisung whines, and he plops on the couch next to Changbin. “I can’t sleep.” 

“Sorry, your highness,” Changbin says. “I’m going to my room.” 

“Oh, yeah, me too!” 

Minho thinks the two of them are not subtle at all, but doesn’t say anything. 

“Is everything okay, Minho?” Jisung looks at him, concerned. “I was surprised you knocked into that thing, you’re not usually clumsy like that.” 

“Yeah? You should see me in Walmart,” Minho tries to deflect. “Those ballpits are no match for Lee Minho.” 

“The Heirs guy?” 

“Ha-ha,” Minho says and smiles at Jisung’s shit-eating grin. “You’re so funny.”

They’re quiet for a minute, before Jisung stands up. 

“Do you want to go to the park?” Minho is surprised, not really expecting Jisung to want to go outside. He usually likes to stick inside and stays close to his room. “It felt nice out today. We could grab some little snacks and a blanket and do a little picnic, or something. Only if you have nothing to do, of course.” 

“I’d love to,” Minho can’t help the smile that goes onto his face. “Just let me get dressed. I mean, in a park outfit, you know what I mean?”

Minho wants to facepalm. It’s not a date, but part of him wants to pretend it is by dressing to impress Jisung. He just doesn’t want Jisung to know that he is dressing to impress him. 

“Yeah, I need to get dressed too.” 

The park is quiet when they get there and after they eat the snacks they had picked up from the gas station on the way there, they lay down and look at the clouds. 

“Did you know there’s a word for seeing things in the clouds?” Jisung says after Minho points at a cloud and says it looks like a cat fighting a dragon. “Pareidolia, more-so it’s being able to perceive objects or visual patterns out of something that is obviously not it. Like seeing the little happy face on a light socket.” 

“Perception is interesting, isn’t it?” Minho asks him and Jisung nods next to him. “No wonder people can mistrust their own perception; we do it everyday.” 

“How so?” 

“Like… Say you like someone, right? And you see them and you think, maybe, possibly, they could like you, too,” Minho starts. “But then you second guess yourself because that’s your perception and until the person you like tells you they like you it will continue to only be your perception. When I can perceive that there is a cat in the cloud, when there really isn’t a cat in the cloud, I can see something entirely wrong, which can make you nervous to express that feeling. Does that make sense?”

Jisung is a quiet for a minute, only looking at the clouds until he says, “I don’t know. I think that cloud does look a lot like a cat. Even if the perception might feel wrong, it doesn’t mean you can’t express it because someone else can say it back, like I did.” 

Minho is deemed speechless by that. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Minho and Jisung have taken to texting while Minho or Jisung are at work. 

It came out of nowhere, really, Jisung had texted Minho a random article about the weirdest fish which divulged in a conversation about fish they don’t like and just somehow carried on. 

Today is no different, as Minho takes his lunch break and his coworker sits next to him, and he smiles at his phone as Jisung tells him to enjoy his lunch. 

“Did you get a new love?” His coworker, a Ballet teacher from France named Claire who is about twenty years older than Minho asks him. Becoming friends with her was out of nowhere, like his texts with Jisung. He sat alone for lunch one day and she sat with him and told him about her kids and he told her about things in his life, and the kids in his class. She was actually the first person after Seungmin he had told about Sumi cheating on him. “I recognize your love smile.” 

“No,” Minho shakes his head and shuts his screen off, putting his phone in his pocket. “I mean, no, but… yeah, kind of. I have a… crush.” 

“Is it that roommate boy?” Claire asks, she grabs one of his fries off his plate. “What was his name? The one you watch documentaries with?”

“How did you know?”

“You talk about him a lot,” Claire says. “A lot more than the two others and… a lot more than you had talked about Sumi near the end of your relationship.” 

Sumi and Minho’s relationship was bound to end, and he knew Claire could see because he didn’t talk about her that much during lunch time. He would usually talk about the kids or Seungmin, even Hyunjin, but he could notice Sumi slipping. Sometimes he thinks she wouldn’t have treated him the way she had if he had just manned up and broken things off with her when he could tell it wasn’t the same anymore. 

“I’ve just gotten around to admitting it,” Minho says. He puts his head back, almost falling off the chair before he sits upright again. “Our other roommates could tell I like him, and I was thinking of asking him out especially after Changbin mentioned it but… One of his friends said he was smitten for someone and I’m almost one hundred precent sure it’s not me.” 

“It doesn’t hurt to try,” Claire says, as if it’s so simple. 

It’s not so simple because Minho is the fourth of the house. What if Jisung feels so bad that he doesn’t return his feelings that he becomes distant from everyone and Changbin and Chan end up kicking him out because of it? He wouldn’t think Jisung would hate him, but knowing Jisung, he would feel horrible for not being able to return his feelings. He doesn’t want to put Jisung through that, and even more he wouldn’t want to lose what they have going on. Everytime he sits on the couch next to Jisung, if he had a bad day he feels that slip away. He can’t lose that. 

“It could,” Is all Minho says. “How is Mary doing?” 

He brings her daughter up to distract her and he knows she can tell, but she lets it go in favor of going into a rant about her second eldest daughter and how she’s been sneaking out of her bedroom window at night. 

Girls will be girls and Minho will be Minho, so he absentmindly listens as he thinks of all the ways he won’t confess to Jisung. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

When Minho comes home from work a week later, he finds all of the guys at the dining room table with a boy he doesn’t recognize. 

Jisung excitedly calls Minho over as he hangs up his bag. Jisung’s eyes are wide and pretty and Minho would continues looking at them if Jisung didn’t obviously want to direct his attention to the boy who is sitting next to him. 

“Minho-hyung, this is Felix! Felix, this is Minho-hyung,” Jisung says. “Minho is the one who replaced you after you ditched us.” 

Minho has heard of Felix before. 

They never went into depth about who he is, instead he came up casually between all of them and sometimes Jisung would talk about “This one time Felix did this,” or “This reminds me of Felix.”. 

Felix, to Minho’s frustration, is insanely pretty. His eyes shine as they meet Minho’s and his mouth curves into a gorgeous smile as he stands up and offers Minho a hug. Minho takes it because he would feel like a dick if he didn’t, and then tells them he needs to take a shower. He did need a shower but he also felt like he would suffocate if he saw Jisung’s starry eyes directed at the guy he replaced any more. 

“Ah, can you hang out for a couple of minutes?” Jisung asks, and Minho can’t say no to him so he sits down. 

“I hope the Jisung isn’t driving you too crazy,” Felix tells Minho. “He used to wake me up in the middle of the night and beg me to walk outside with him because he was afraid of the dark but needed a walk.” 

“He hasn’t done that,” Minho kind of wishes he has. Well, not kind of, he does. He wishes Jisung would go to him when he is afraid and stick by his side and have Minho protect him. “I think the only one who drives me crazy is Changbin.” 

“Uncalled for,” Changbin says. “I’m just drinking my La Croix.” 

“Exactly.” 

“That’s funny,” Felix says. Jisung nods as Felix looks back at him, an amused smile on his face. “Changbin has that tendency.” 

“Fuck you guys,” Changbin says, not heat to his words. “At least I never crawled into your bed at two am because Jenny was messing with the lights.” 

“Jenny wouldn’t quit!” 

“Who is Jenny?”

“The ghost,” All of them say in unison, including Felix, and Minho suddenly feels like he’s outside of his own place. 

Right, Jisung mentioned her in the interview. He was a little too distracted by the fact that Jisung was close enough to Felix that he would crawl into his bed at night. 

Minho purses his lips, “Well, I would love to stick around more but I really need to shower. I feel every piece of dirt on myself right now.” 

“Oh, what do you do for work?” Felix’s asks him. Minho guesses they told him he was at work, but they didn’t tell him what it was. 

“I work as a dance teacher for kids,” Minho tells him and Felix’s eyes light up. 

“That’s awesome! I’m a background dancer for JYP,” Felix is excited to share his information and Jisung looks just as happy for him. Minho, though, feels even more threatened. Not only is Felix good looking and closer to Jisung than Minho is, but he also has a job that Jisung obviously finds amazing. Minho has never felt insecure about his job, he still doesn’t, but a tiny piece of him wishes he could impress Jisung the way Felix is right now. “That’s actually why I moved out. I went to Korea to work there.” 

“That’s cool,” Minho says. He can’t seem to fake excitement and he’s sure that all of them can tell. “I’m sorry, I’m distracted, let me just take a shower.” 

“We’re going for dinner at this restaurant Felix and I used to go to all the time,” Jisung tells him. “Do you want to come with us?” 

Minho does, but he doesn’t. He doesn’t want to intrude on their ex-roomie bonding time, so he tells Jisung he just wants to stay back and relax. 

By the time he gets out of his shower, they’re all gone so he calls Seungmin up and asks if he can come over. He says no, and is there twenty minutes later. 

They stay in Minho’s room as Seungmin stretches out on his bed and Minho fumbles with his speaker on his floor.

“I’m surprised you’re this jealous,” Seungmin says. “You never got jealous with-” 

“Don’t even say her name,” Minho cuts him off. He is trying a new thing where he doesn’t even think about his ex. It’s not working, of course, because he’s still feeling betrayed by someone who he dedicated so many years of his life to. “You should have seen them. Felix hung the stars and Jisung stares at them like they’re their more than that.” 

“What could be better than the stars?”

“I don’t know, maybe your mom.” 

“Get better content,” Seungmin says, throwing Minho’s own pillow at him. “Listen, you might think Felix hung the stars for Jisung but the way I’ve seen him look at you is like you handcrafted the world for him, so. I know everyone has been telling you to, and I’m going to be a broken record, but just tell the guy you like him.” 

“Do you like Changbin?”

“Huh?” Seungmin looks taken aback. “What? Where did that even come from?”

“You slept with him, right? Don’t hurt his feelings,” Minho says, and Seungmin still has the same look on his face. “If we’re talking about feelings right now. What are yours?”

“Did Changbin ask you?” 

Minho nods. 

Seungmin rolls his eyes, “He should just ask me himself.”

“I’m not asking for him,” Minho says. “I’m asking as your best friend. We never talk about this shit but suddenly I have to? It’s your turn.” 

“We’re talking about your shit because you invited me here to do just that,” Seungmin says, and Minho can recognize the tinge of annoyance in his voice. “I’m not offering that up.” 

“Then what makes me different from everyone else? How can I even know I’m your best friend?”

“Are you seriously trying to self-sabotage right now?” Seungmin is sitting up now, and a real look of disbelief is on his face. “Stop that. What happened? You don’t even have proof that Jisung likes Felix but you’re freaking out over this one little thing.” 

“I… don’t know,” Minho gives up at that. He doesn’t know what he was doing, maybe he wanted to get the one ugly feeling he isn’t used to out of him and replace it with something he is used to. He’s not best friends with anger, but he’s no stranger to it like he is with jealousy. “Sorry.”

“Dumbass,” Seungmin says, and he gets off of the bed to sit next to Minho. He sighs, and awkwardly pats Minho on the arm. “I do like Changbin. I’ve been dropping hints. This feels weird.” 

Minho huffs a little chuckle out. 

“But maybe I should just tell him, because he’s a bit oblivious.” 

“He thinks you just wanted to be friends with benefits with him,” Minho tells him. “That’s why.” 

“Oh,” Seungmin says. “Yeah, I’ll tell him later. I know he likes me, so I’ve been confused as to why he hasn’t asked me out.” 

“Good,” Minho tells him. “Changbin’s a good guy. He deserves a boyfriend like you.” 

“That’s…” Seungmin gives a look that’s a half-grimace and half-smile and Minho returns it. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said about me. Never do it again.” 

“I promise I won’t,” Minho says, and he feels comfort in knowing that Seungmin, no matter who changes on him or cheats on him, he will always be the same. He has trust in that. “Thanks. I got angry so I could stop being jealous. He used to slip into Felix’s bed at night and sleep with him.” 

“And you’ve slept on the couch with him,” Seungmin reminds Minho. “Just saying, he didn’t have to slip into your bed because you were already there with him. I’m sure it’s not unnoticed.”

Oh. Seungmin is right, as he usually is, but Minho won’t tell him that because his ego is so high if you jumped off it you would splatter on the ground. 

“This is going to sound crazy,” Minho tells Seungmin. “But do you want to go to the club?”

“That does sound crazy,” Seungmin says. “Sure.” 

Minho gets back from going out with Seungmin on his arm, or more so, on Seungmin’s arm because Seungmin quickly decided to play babysitter after Minho drank one too many drinks. 

He stumbles as Seungmin opens the door and he goes in behind him, and they find all of the boys on the couch. Felix isn’t there, so Minho quickly slurs his words to as where he is. 

“He’s at his hotel,” Jisung tells him, and even through Minho’s drunken gaze he can tell that Jisung looks concerned. Just like at H-Mart. “How much did you drink?”

“Oh, I thought he would sleep with you,” His brain to mouth filter isn’t working and Seungmin tugs him a little. “Not like, sexually, you know what I mean. Like the good ol’ days.” 

“Ignore Minho,” Seungmin tells them. “He had a bad day at work and he’s a lightweight.”

Minho lets all his weight go to Seungmin just to prove that wrong and Seungmin is too nice tonight to let him fall, so he struggles to keep him up. 

Changbin, of course, quickly jumps up to help him. 

“Let’s get you to bed, buddy,” Changbin tells him, and he and Seungmin drag him to his room. Minho faintly tells Jisung goodnight as they help him to bed and he knocks out pretty quickly. 

His hangover is terrible the next day, and his head that already feels like shit begins to hurt even more when Changbin tells him that Jisung and Chan were spending the day with Felix. 

He doesn’t ask why Changbin isn’t with them when Seungmin comes out of his room. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Felix leaves five days later, and Minho feels himself slowly go back to normal. 

During his time there, Felix had definitely adopted Minho as a friend and even though Minho really didn’t want to spend much time with him, he couldn’t help but find the boy endearing. He even ended up staying up late one night when Felix stayed over (on the couch) and he showed Minho his favorite brownie recipe while Jisung sat at the island and watched. 

During the whole time Felix was here, though, Minho and Jisung never watched documentaries during the night and going through the week without his newfound favorite routine, he felt on edge because of it. 

He is relieved when on Friday night, he walks out and finds Jisung laid on the couch on his phone after Changbin and Chan already went to bed. 

“Wanna watch a doc?” 

“I was waiting for you,” Jisung confesses, putting his phone on the ottoman and sitting up. “Took you long enough.”

“What are we watching?” 

“I was reminded of this show I used to watch when I was younger,” Jisung says as Minho sits down next to him and he starts to search on the TV. He clicks onto a show called Truth or Scare. “It spooked me out a lot, but I saw a TikTok of it and remembered how much I loved it. I wanted to watch it with you.” 

“Are you sure you won’t get scared when you try to sleep?” Minho says. 

“This show was for kids,” Jisung defends himself. “Besides… You would protect me if I got scared, right, hyung?” 

Minho feels seethrough and he swallows deeply as Jisung continues to look at the TV, “Of course. Even ghosts are scared of my big strong arms. You can go to me anytime.” 

“Even when you’re asleep?” 

“Even when I’m asleep.” 

“That’s good to know, then,” And Jisung clicks onto the show while Minho can feel like he can finally breathe. 

Later, when he is asleep he wakes up to his door creaking open. 

“Hyung, are you asleep?” He hears Jisung whisper and he sits up. 

“Yeah,” Minho says, sleepily. “I mean no. I’m not. Come here, Sungie.” 

Jisung doesn’t say more, following his voice over to his bed, and because Minho is half asleep he has no problem wrapping his arms around his roommate when he lays down next to him. Jisung doesn’t say anything about it, instead he whispers a thanks into the crook of his neck and Minho falls asleep quickly, even more comfortable than he was before. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Jisung visits Minho at work Monday, and Claire is delighted to meet Minho’s “new love”. Luckily, she doesn’t say that to him. 

She is quickly super fond of him and ends up sharing half her sandwich with him. 

On Tuesday, Minho comes home to find that both Changbin and Chan are gone, and Jisung is in the kitchen trying to cook. Keyword: trying. He apparently was trying to make some Jokbal (which is conveintenly Minho’s favorite) but he seemed to burn it so much that the pig became charred crisps. Minho helped him clean it up before ordering them so Jokbal takeaway. 

Jisung texts Minho about a movie playing at the theaters on Wednesday and asks him if he wants to go see it. Minho says yes, of course, and they spend that night at the theater and almost end up being kicked out because they started to get the giggles over something that had nothing to do with the movie. 

On Thursday, Minho has to stay at the school later than usually to help the other teachers set up for a the school dance they were having on Friday, and Jisung calls him when he doesn’t make it home by the time he usually does. He disguises it as wondering what he wants for dinner and when it would be, but Minho took the hint and told him he would be home before eight. 

Friday, Minho chaperones the dance after school. He already told Jisung about it, so he doesn’t get random Jisung calls but he does get texts from him through the night about how bored he was. He gets home at ten, and Jisung is waiting on the couch on his phone. They watch a documentary about penguins, this time with Chan and Changbin who came out of their rooms after they heard Minho’s voice. The two got bored quickly, and ended up going into their rooms early.

Minho and Jisung fall asleep on the couch and wake up the next day to Changbin pushing them off the couch. 

Saturday, today, Minho and Jisung are home alone. 

Chan scored a date with the girl he kept trying to shoot his shot with while Changbin is over at Seungmin’s house. 

Minho and Jisung instacart some groceries so Minho can teach Jisung how to properly make Jokbal. 

They’re in the kitchen now, and Jisung watches as Minho starts making the seasoning. 

“Are you going to just stand there and watch me or are you going to help?” Minho asks him and Jisung continues watching, not saying a word. “You won’t learn at all that way.” 

“But… You’re so pretty to watch,” Jisung drops onto Minho, and Minho drops the pouch he was putting the seasoning into on the ground. He watches as his progress falls onto the floor. “Good job.” 

“You can’t just say something like that,” Minho says, bending to pick up the pouch. “Ah, look what you do.” 

“I’m pretty sure I just watched you do that,” Jisung says, and he gets up from his place at the island to grab the broom and sweep. He waits for Minho to step out of the way, “Did you know of the superstition with brooms?” 

“No, what is it?”

“If your feet get swept, jail is in your future,” Jisung says. “If you ever get swept, spit on the broom.” 

Minho snorts at Jisung empties the dustpan. 

“Do you believe that?” 

“Who knows,” Jisung shrugs. “I’ve never let my feet get swept so I haven’t fucked around and found out.” 

“Fair,” Minho says and he turns to go back to trying to fix the seasoning up again, but Jisung grabs his arm. “Huh?”

“The day before I met you I fell going up the stairs,” Jisung tells him when he has Minho’s full attention. 

“I’m sorry you did?” Minho’s eyebrows furrow at that. 

“You shouldn’t be, it’s good,” Jisung says. “You know, falling up the stairs has a superstition too.” 

“There is?” 

“Yeah,” Jisung nods, before he pulls back and lets Minho go. “We should just order in again. We already had one mishap.” 

“What is the superstition?” 

“I want to watch cat videos,” Minho realizes Jisung is not going to tell him, so he sighs and puts the ingredients he had out back to their rightful place. “I’ll go grab food while you clean up, okay?” 

Jisung grabs his keys, and gives Minho a pat on the shoulder as he goes to the door. 

After Minho is done cleaning up, he googles about superstitions about falling up the stairs. He pauses when he sees on a site, clear as day it says if you fall up the stairs, you should expect an arrival of a new romantic interest. Minho refreshes the page, looks at it again, and repeats, stunned.

He hurries to his room and finds a red hoodie before he goes back to the living room and finds some cat videos to put on when Jisung gets back. And he gets to googling. 

When Jisung does get back, he has two big bags of food. 

“How much food did you get?” Minho asks him. He helps Jisung set the food down. “What’s the occasion?” 

“There was a deal going on, okay,” Jisung defends himself. “I got stuff for Chan and Changbin, too.” 

He drops down onto the couch before he eyes Minho. 

He must have noticed his hoodie, but he doesn’t say anything, instead he sits upright and helps Minho take the food out. 

When Jisung leans back as Minho does the same, Minho peeks over at him and chuckles, nervous, but he starts to talk anyways, “I never realized until recently how much we mirror each other.” 

“Huh?” Jisung stares back at Minho, his eyes wide as if he already knew what Minho meant. Knowing Jisung, he probably does. “Do you know– Was that? Did you do that on purpose?” 

“Mirror you or tell you I love you?”

“Hyung!” Jisung pops up, turning so he could face him completely. Minho sits up with him. “Completely unexpected! You finally took my hint and you got to the confession before me? Not cool!” 

“You confessed to me first, basically,” Minho tells him, before grabbing his hand that was swinging around. “I’m sorry, I thought… you liked Felix.”

“What? Where would you get that?” Jisung shakes his head. “No, Felix and I have always been best friends but strictly that. Ew, that would be like liking my brother.” 

“Jeongin was going to say smitten for that guy who,” Minho says, “But you cut him off. I didn’t think it was about me because… why would he say it like that?”

“Smitten with that guy who amuses me by watching all the nerdy things I watch,” Jisung tells him. “Nobody but you will watch documentaries with me.” 

“Not even Felix?”

“Definitely not Felix,” Jisung says. “Hyung, I’ve liked you since you left the beach with me.” 

“Hm,” Minho fakes a pout. “I think I’ve liked you longer.”

“You think ?”

“To be honest,” Minho starts, and he begins to play with Jisung’s fingers as he talks. “I can’t tell exactly when I started liking you… or more so, fell in love with you. It just… happened. It’s felt this way forever.” 

“Who would have known you were this romantic?” 

“I can be even more romantic,” Minho says, before he leans forward a little, pressing his forehead against Jisung’s. “Did you see what color my hoodie is?”

“You should see what color my underwear is,” Minho gets startled into a laugh at that, and accidentally bumps his forehead hard into Jisung’s. “Ow. I was trying to be sexy.”

“You’re so cute, though,” Minho lifts his hand to Jisung’s hair to run it through it. “Can I kiss you, Jisung?” 

“You should have, like, six months ago,” Jisung answers. 

Minho wastes no time in pressing forward and seals his lips onto Jisung’s. He can’t help but sigh as if his stress has physically lifted from him, and he smiles into the kiss. Jisung does the same, and Minho unattatches himself to press their foreheads together again; Jisung whines. 

“I’m so happy,” Minho whispers to him. “I love you.” 

“I love you, too,” Jisung says. “And I would love you even more if you kiss me more.” 

Minho answers to him, leaning forward and pressing his lips against his some more. He is languid this time, taking his time with Jisung and somehow he ends up on top of him. He pulls back when he realizes, out of breath, and he looks down to see Jisung looking up at him, his hair messy on the couch. 

“Will you go on a date with me, by the way?”

“I think we’re doing it backwards,” Jisung says. “But yes, I will.” 

“Awesome,” Minho gets off of Jisung, before pulling him up. “Let’s eat.”

“Is this our date?” Jisung asks. “What if I wanted you to wine and dine me?” 

“Do you need me to get some wine?” 

Jisung looks at Minho, deadpan, and Minho grins at him before giving him a quick peck on the lips. 

“I’m joking,” Minho says. “Tomorrow, let’s go on a date. Tonight, let’s eat, watch cat videos, and make out until Changbin gets back to pay him back for making out with Seungmin on the couch.” 

“Oh, I’m so in.”

That’s what they do, and when Changbin gets back, he throws a bag at them and tells them to get a room, Seungmin booing them from behind him. 

Later that night, Jisung tucks himself into Minho’s arms before he even pretends to try and sleep. 

“Jenny is misbehaving,” Jisung tells him. 

Minho obviously lies to him and says he believes that, before he kisses his forehead and cuddles him to sleep. 

Lying about believing in the ghost got him this far, and he was glad to do it again.