Chapter Text
The regular trips to the bar may seem sad to some, but it's just something that makes these boys happy. They weren't necessarily heavy drinkers. There's just something that's oddly charming about this bar. It's more exciting than a coffee shop. Although, it has it’s flaws. No one cares for the insanely loud drunkards or annoying people attempting to hook up with someone of their friend group. But, they try to look at the bright side.
From across the table, Soonyoung snatches Minghao’s phone from his hands, checking the screen briefly to confirm his suspicion.
“Hey!”
“No texting Chan tonight. This is your first trip to the bar after your birthday party and you're not spending the whole night texting your secret lover.” The bright-haired boy next to him stifles a laugh. From Minghao’s side of the table, Mingyu watches idly as he stirs his drink.
“Okay, first, we’re not ‘lovers’ and you all know that, cut it out.” Minghao was getting defensive again, making everyone at the table laugh. Needless to say, the teasing about the two boys has been going on for a while. “And second, it's not wrong for me to want to check in on a friend. He can't even go to bars yet. I feel a little guilty, sue me."
“Minghao, there's no reason for you to feel guilty at all. He’ll get here in a few years,” Jihoon adds. The other two nod. “Normally I disagree with Soonyoung’s dumb actions, but I think he’s making sense right now. Just, relax tonight, okay?”
The youngest sighs in defeat. He at least wants his phone back, but he knows that's not happening. Mingyu thinks it's cute.
He loves hanging out with his friends like this. It's a nice get away from everything else. It's nice that they could all schedule time to get together like this almost every night. He was worried that he’d lose touch with his friends after graduation, especially the ones who are different ages, like Jihoon and Seungkwan. He always knew that Vernon and he would be okay; being best friends and all. So it feels nice to have the people who saw him at his worst to still be next to him, with a few additions.
“Oh hey, by the way, Soonyoung,” Jihoon starts, changing the subject. “How are things with you and that guy?” The boy in question shrugs.
“Ended it.” The entire table reacts sadly.
“What? I really liked him,” Mingyu asks, still spinning the straw in his drink. Soonyoung shrugs again, more exaggerated this time.
“I kinda did too, but I was pretty sure he was still in love with his ex.” He takes a drink while his friends react loudly another time.
“Booo, that's the worst. Sorry, man.” Jihoon patted his friend on the back, who just shook his head lightly, eyes down on the glass in his hands.
“It’s alright. We only went out a few times. I’ll be good.” He appreciates the sentiments from his friends, but three sets of eyes glaring down on him with pity is a little too much. “Okay, enough about me. Mingyu, how's your love life? Boyfriend search going well, or…?” Everyone turns toward him.
The thing about Mingyu’s friend group is that personal lives aren't really a thing. Sure, sharing the things that you're doing is what all friends do, but with these guys, everyone gets involved with everyone. Each person could write an entire novel on the others. Soonyoung pretty much knew the answer, due to stringing together Mingyu’s behavior and their constant texts, but he wanted to hear Mingyu to speak for himself.
“Uh, pretty bad. My mom set me up on a blind date, so that speaks for itself.” The group tries not to laugh. “To add to it, the guy was honestly the ugliest man I've ever seen and his personality matched. He tried to kiss me at the end of the date and I just. Ran away. I literally ran away. And before you laugh–” They were obviously almost bursting out with laughter. “We were at my house.” That set his friends off loud enough to earn a few stares from people at the bar. As his friends enjoy Mingyu’s failure of a date, Mingyu looks at the people around them. An obvious bleach-blonde girl. A line of friends doing shots. A guy experiencing the cliche of getting a drink thrown in his face. A pretty boy sitting all by himself.
Wait.
Why is such a handsome guy drinking alone at a bar? Maybe it’d make sense if he was sitting in front of the actual bar itself, but he’s in a booth. Was he waiting for someone? A friend? Date? More importantly, why did Mingyu care so much?
Minghao snaps in Mingyu’s face to get his attention. Jihoon and Soonyoung were in their own little conversation, so Minghao doesn't speak to avoid bringing attention to them. They speak without words. He gives Mingyu a confused look. He’s a little embarrassed, so he just shakes his head to dismiss it. Minghao doesn't let it go, and follows where Mingyu’s eyes were.
“Whoa.”
Minghao finally spoke up, gaining Soonyoung and Jihoon’s attention, along with an angry look from Mingyu.
“Dude.”
“What?” Soonyoung asks.
“Look at the guy Mingyu was checking out.” He nods his head in the aforementioned man’s direction.
“I was not–” The two quickly turn to see him. Mingyu puts his face in his hands. Jihoon and Soonyoung coo in amazement, bringing warmth to Mingyu’s face. “Guys, stop it.”
“Hey, Kim, I think the boyfriend search is over.” Jihoon raises his eyebrows before bringing a bottle to his lips. Minghao nods in agreement.
“Absolutely not.”
“What? You saw that guy, he's drop dead gorgeous,” Minghao chimes in. Mingyu looks back over to him. Yeah, he's definitely beautiful. In fact, Mingyu finds himself practically swooning over him from their booth. This mysterious, lonely man has strangely fluffy-looking hair, big but soft hands, peeking through shirt sleeves that are a little too long, clear, smooth skin. He wants to see those eyes close up.
“Dude. You're literally humming right now.” Minghao laughs, poking his friend’s cheek. “Go talk to him."
“Yeah man, don't wuss out. What's the worst that could happen?” Soonyoung asks, before taking another drink.
“He could be on a date, he could laugh in my face, I could accidentally offend him, I could humiliate myself, and who even knows if he's into guys, anyway? Straight people are everywhere.” There are groans, along with a some laughs from Minghao. It’s quiet for a moment, since no one really has anything to say. Jihoon leans around Soonyoung again to glance at the man, still all by himself.
“What if he is?” Everyone looks at him, but no one speaks again. “Maybe he's the love of your life. You don't know.”
“Ahh, Jihoon, don't get all deep on me.” Mingyu buries his head in his arms.
“I’m not being deep, I’m being real. Don't miss out on something potentially incredible just because you're afraid.”
“Totally getting deep,” Soonyoung and Minghao say at the same time. Jihoon glares at them both.
“Okay, but what if he's not? Which is way more reasonable.” Mingyu raises his head just enough to not have to sit upright but still make eye contact. “What if we meet, start dating, maybe even fall in love, but end up breaking each other’s hearts? What if we ruin each other? It's not always so nice.” Before Jihoon can respond, Soonyoung interrupts.
“Oh my God.” He chugs what’s left of his drink and slams the empty glass on the table. He pushes himself up from the booth and stands over Mingyu. “Get up.”
“What?”
“You've been moping for weeks now about not being in a relationship. This is your chance. You have got to start stepping your game up. Come on.” Mingyu is pulled up against his own will. “Go talk to him and then tell us how it goes.”
“Wait, no no no, I–I don't even know what I’m going to say, I–”
“You got this, man.” Soonyoung pushed him not-so slightly toward the man’s table, taking Mingyu’s old seat. “Here goes nothing.”
Mingyu sort of stumbles his way over to the legendary table. Before the man sitting there notices him, another man sits down across from him. The guy that Mingyu was practically drooling over smiles upon making eye contact with the other guy. Mingyu quickly turns to look at his friends for help (he knew they'd be watching), and all three of them wave at him to keep walking, not to assume anything. With more reluctance than before, Mingyu turns to walk to the table, still unsure of what to say. The pretty man sees him.
Oh God, he's looking at him. And those eyes, oh, Mingyu knew they'd be as beautiful as he was when he saw them for real. Mingyu offers a polite wave, which is returned. He arrives at the table while their eyes are locked. The new guy eyes Mingyu up and down, an unreadable expression on his face.
“Hey.” He’s greeted by both. Oh no, what does he say. He can't let there be an awkward silence. He wants to look back to his friends again, plead for help through a glance. But he can't. “Um, my name is Mingyu.” Great. Just wonderful. Super casual. Pretty Guy seems polite enough to ignore his failed attempts at common conversation.
“I’m Wonwoo.” Finally he has a name. He’s heard the name around before, but now it already has so much more meaning. Before Mingyu has to time embarrass himself in front of the beautiful Wonwoo, his friend introduces himself.
“Hey, I’m Seungcheol.” He looks at Mingyu smugly at him. He knows exactly why he came over to this table, and really wants to make Mingyu embarrassed because of it. “And for the record, Mingyu, I’m not an idiot, so I can tell you came over here to make a move on my dear old friend here, so I’ll excuse myself.” Mingyu’s face burns red instantly. Wonwoo seems like he couldn't tell, and is very surprised at this news, cheeks a little pink himself.
“Wh– Hey, I–” Seungcheol holds up a hand. That grin is beginning to piss off Mingyu.
“Don't worry about it, man. He’s single, very kind, very fun, and very gay. You’ll love him.”
“Seungcheol .” Wonwoo smacks his friend’s arm. Mingyu smiles a little when he see how embarrassed he is. The newly wounded man laughs, standing to make space for Mingyu.
“Well, anyway. If you don't mind, I’m gonna go sit with your friends. They're all pretty hot and I haven't gotten laid in three weeks. See ya later, kids. Be safe.” Mingyu gapes at the man as he walks away, turning to see him approach Mingyu’s friends. Minghao seems very confused, Soonyoung seems suspicious after his introduction, and Jihoon seems a little too invested in Seungcheol’s appearance.
“Wait, what the f–” Mingyu spins back to look at Wonwoo, who's shaking his head, face hidden by fabric-covered hands.
“Oh my God, I’m so so sorry, he's… Yeah, he's always like that. I should really stop bringing him out in public places.” Wonwoo laughs as he says that last sentence. Hearing his voice is insane. It’s way lower than what Mingyu expected and he absolutely loves it. The real reason he sat down was because he thought that voice was going to make him pass out.
“It's… It's okay,” Mingyu laughs as he speaks. “Oh no.” He looks back to his friends and sees Seungcheol leaning over the table to stroke Jihoon’s face and run his fingers through his hair. Jihoon seems to like it. “Oh my gosh. Um, hey Wonwoo, I know we’ve just met, and I don't want to say anything to offend you, but I really don't want your friend hooking up with mine.”
“Hey look, we already have something in common.” The two look at each other and laugh together. Mingyu is going to have to try to not look over at that table all night. Considering how stunning the man is in front of him, especially when smiling, it shouldn't be a problem. He’s trying to think of anything to keep that smile going.
-----
“Hey guys!” The dark-haired man from the distant table approached theirs, and no one knows why. He sat down next to a very confused Minghao, being eyed by Soonyoung and Jihoon. “My name is Seungcheol, and I’m kinda Wonwoo’s bitch. Or best friend, whatever.” Everyone is shocked by his openness. Jihoon quickly develops an attraction toward him. “Oh, and if you couldn't tell, that hot piece of ass over there is Wonwoo. Y’know, the one your friend is trying to get with.” He smiles harmlessly, as if what he’s saying is totally normal.
“Wow, you're really… Social, aren't you?” Soonyoung says, leaning on the palms of his hands. Seungcheol mimics him.
“Yes, indeed.” He fixes his posture quickly after. “Now this is the part where you guys introduce yourselves.”
“I–I’m, Minghao,” the boy speaks up. Seungcheol directs his smile at him.
“Oh, Chinese?” He nods. “Ha, nice. You're cute, how old are you?”
“I'm… I’m nineteen.” Quite honestly, he's a little intimidated by this man, a little embarrassed from the compliment. Seungcheol gasps, putting his hands to his mouth.
“My God, you're so little! First time in a bar?” Minghao holds up two fingers. “Second! Oh, welcome to the world, young one.” The older shakes up the younger’s hair, causing him to close his eyes and smile just so slightly.
“I’m Jihoon,” he said, just wanting to get Seungcheol’s attention. He wasn't smiling, but you could definitely see the attraction in his expression. Soonyoung rolled his eyes. The tall man leans in closer to Jihoon.
“Well, Jihoon, I like the way you're looking at me.” He reaches over to place a hand on his face, making sure to touch his hair. Jihoon continued not to smile, but instead parts his lips with warming cheeks. Annoyed, Soonyoung stands up again.
“Just switch places with me, for Godsake. At least try to be a little more discreet.” Seungcheol doesn't refuse, bowing to Soonyoung before switching places. He’s sort of regretting to offer to switch seats– Already they're being very affectionate. Seungcheol straps an arm around the smaller boy, placing a kiss on his cheek. Jihoon’s lips were finally tugging toward a smile. Minghao taps his glass with his fingernail as his glances away, blushing himself. Soonyoung just looks irritated.
“Very appreciated, kind sir. What's your name?”
“Soonyoung,” he almost spits, crossed arms, obvious annoyance. Seungcheol spins his hand as if he was bowing.
“Nice to meet you as well.”
“No one said ‘nice to meet you,’ though.” Soonyoung wanted to make sure his bitterness was well known. The two lovebirds both look to him.
“Oh, a little feisty, I see.” This is when Minghao excuses himself to the bathroom. Soonyoung moves over to center himself. “Sorry, is Jihoon your boyfriend? Ex-boyfriend? Secret crush?” Soonyoung squints at him.
“No. I just think it's a little ridiculous that you've known us for less than five minutes and you're already trying to bang one of us.” Jihoon rolls his eyes this time.
“Well, baby, that's just how I work.” Soonyoung is winked at. He wants to throw up. This is going to be a long night.
-----
From across the room, Mingyu watches as Soonyoung angrily stands up from the table and switched spots with Seungcheol. He feels his stomach turn when Jihoon is kissed on the cheek.
“Well, this is great.” Wonwoo was also watching them.
“Does he always try to pick up guys? Like, wherever you go?” Wonwoo nods slowly, obviously used to this and disappointed from it.
“Once, he got laid from someone he met at the grocery store.” Mingyu couldn't help but laugh at that. “He hasn't had a boyfriend in about a year. It ended terribly and ever since, he’s been going home with random guys for a one night stand.” Mingyu’s face scrunches up as he looks back to his friends. Minghao is just leaving the table, probably due to the PDA. He’s a really shy kid. “So I really hope he doesn't end up hurting your friend, I’d feel awful.”
“Don't worry.” Mingyu shook his head. “Jihoon is smart enough to understand. I think.” Wonwoo doesn't say anything, removing his gaze from their direction as well. “But hey, enough about them. Why don't you tell me about yourself?” Mingyu can feel generic rolls off his tongue, but he doesn't know what else to say. Wonwoo smiles, though.
“Well, I’m twenty-one years old, I’m in school for law, I’m roommates with that idiot, and I’m very passionate about music.”
“Oooh, a musician studying law. Contradictory, I like it.” Wonwoo shrugs as Mingyu laughs.
“What about you?” He reaches over to tap the other’s arm. Mingyu wishes it wasn't winter, so that he could wear short sleeved shirts with ease and have felt that man’s touch.
“Well, I’m twenty years old, I’m in school for culinary arts, I live with this little American boy, and I’m also very passionate about music.” Wonwoo gasps with delight.
“We should start a band.”
“Ah, yes. The Chef and the Lawyer.” Wonwoo laughs this time. “Let's start writing music right away.”
“Sounds like a plan, babe.” They both stop for a second, but they're both smiling. Mingyu can see the other is a little embarrassed. “Hey, let's pretend I didn't say that.”
“Sorry, your honor, I don't think I can do that.” Wonwoo rolls his eyes playfully before taking a drink. This is actually going pretty well. Mingyu is praising himself for not becoming an embarrassing, stuttery mess. He had been really nervous about talking to this guy, especially after the awful dates he had been on in the past few weeks. He’s thankful that a man so pretty can be so pleasant.
Upon Wonwoo putting his glass down, Mingyu notices something.
“Oh my gosh, let me see your hand.” Wonwoo seems a little confused, but let's Mingyu take his right hand anyway. “What happened?”
“What?” He looks down and remembers the small cuts on the back of his hand. “Oh, right. Well, my friend just got a cat, and I don't really think she’s fond of me.” Mingyu chuckles a little. “Don't worry, it looks a lot worse than it is.” Yup, these were definitely cat scratches. The consecutive, deep red lines along his hand. Mingyu knows his all too well.
“You probably should've cleaned it up, or something. A Band-Aid, at least.” He rubs his thumbs over the cuts cooly. Wonwoo likes the sensation.
“Wow, I thought you were studying cooking, not medicine.” They both laugh lightly. There are a few more seconds of silence before Wonwoo links their hands together. Mingyu smiles, but avoids eye contact.
Unfortunately, before the conversation can pick up again, Soonyoung pops up from nowhere, his hand around Minghao’s wrist. Soonyoung looks annoyed, while Minghao looks very, very red.
“We’re leaving.”
“What?” Mingyu doesn't separate his hand from Wonwoo’s. Soonyoung uses his free hand to gesture to their old table. “Oh… my God. Oh my God.”
Seungcheol and Jihoon are blatantly making out in their seats. How can two people be so shameless? Jihoon’s arms are around Seungcheol’s neck, Seungcheol’s hands run through Jihoon’s hair, and Mingyu doesn't want to know what he can't see. Wonwoo pulls his hand back to rub his temples, sighing loudly.
“This is humiliating, please forgive him.”
“Hey Wonwoo, our friend is just as bad.” Minghao has been looking the other direction, silent the whole time.
“Who wants to help me separate them?” Wonwoo volunteers immediately. Soonyoung nods, having the other follow his lead. The two march over, going to either side respectively, count to three, and pull the their friends apart. Seungcheol pushes his friend angrily, who just laughs in return. Jihoon simply punches Soonyoung in the arm. Mingyu can hear, “Control yourself,” whispered from one to the other. They walk around to join the rest of the group. Mingyu notices how uncomfortable Minghao is and drapes an arm around him. He exhales, as if he was holding his breath for whatever reason. As long as Mingyu could comfort him, he doesn't care.
“Again, really sorry.” Wonwoo bows slightly to the tallest of the group. “I gotta get this dumbass back. But I’ll see you around, okay?” Mingyu nods with a smile, waving as they walk away.
“I hate you guys. Let me enjoy myself,” Jihoon says grumpily once the pair had left. Soonyoung hits the back of his head. “Hey, I didn't even get his number. That should be punishment enough.”
His number. His cell phone number. Mingyu reviews the brief conversations that he had with Wonwoo.
“Fuck ,” Mingyu mutters under his breath. Minghao tries to gain his gaze.
“What?”
“I didn't get his number. Wonwoo’s.” It's quiet for a moment, everyone looking at him. Soonyoung then throws his hands in the air.
“Great. This night ended well for all of us, huh?”