Chapter Text
The sound of the large, creaking door cut through the otherwise silent lecture hall and 30 plus pairs of eyes turn to the startling noise. Among those eyes was Kwon Soonyoung, who was looking for any source of entertainment beyond scribbling doodles of tigers in the margins of his notebook.
When the door was urged open wide enough, a single man walked in, dark sunglasses covering his eyes. Soonyoung supposed the word ‘walked’ was giving this man too much credit. Stumbled was a far more accurate descriptor. Either way, the man had stumbled in an hour late to a 9 am class and went to the empty seat a row in front of Soonyoung. He can’t say he’d ever seen this man in the class before and it had already been in session for a week.
The professor looked up from his desk and towards the newcomer.
“Ah, Wen Junhui, it must be, how wonderful for you to finally join us. I wasn’t sure we’d be seeing you this semester,” The professor said, standing up and turning to the chalkboard behind him, erasing what he had previously written.
The man, Wen Junhui, apparently, did what Soonyoung could only describe as ‘jazz hands’ before leaning back in his chair, and the professor continued his lesson from where he had left off.
Soonyoung could hardly focus on what the professor was saying, he kept looking at the newcomer. He was beginning to nod off now, but Soonyoung couldn’t help but notice that he was quite pretty. His jawline in particular was certainly something-
Soonyoung shook his head. He really needed to focus and graduation was something he really didn’t want to push off any longer if he could help it, so he forced himself to keep his eyes on the board, doodling tigers as he saw fit.
The dim lights and the scent of alcohol and bleach were something that Soonyoung was intimately familiar with.
Ruby was a bar owned by his best friend Jihoon, who’d received it from his father as a gift for his early graduation from business school a year prior.
Soonyoung took a seat at the bar in front of Jihoon.
“So I guess I gotta get used to seeing you around here again?” Jihoon asked, drying a glass with a microfiber cloth.
“Oh you love me,” Soonyoung said with a cheesy smile.
“Think you can handle it?” Jihoon asked, face falling somber.
“Yeah I got this.” Soonyoung replied. “Can I get a coke zero please?”
Jihoon took the tall glass he was wiping and filled it with a scoop of ice and the requested soft drink.
“Thanks bestie,” Soonyoung said as Jihoon set the glass on a coaster in front of him.
“So what made you feel the need to come to Ruby on a weekday, you feeling alright?” Jihoon asked, turning away slightly to pour a shot for another patron further down the bar.
“Yeah dude, I’m great. I just missed my best friend.” Soonyoung said in a teasing tone. “But no, in all honesty, it’s weird not seeing you in school anymore.”
Jihoon chuckled. “Sucks to be you, doesn’t it. Anyways how is school going for you?”
“Boring since you and Wonwoo decided to be brainiacs,” Soonyoung began. “Oh but today, a guy showed up for the first time and he was stumbling and nodding off. It was wild.”
Jihoon hummed. “That so? Sounds like quite the character.”
“He really was,” Soonyoung was quiet for a moment. “He was kinda cute too.”
Jihoon set a bottle down loudly. “Soonyoung no. You don’t need that in your life.”
Soonyoung groaned, “I know, Jihoon. I’m allowed to think boys are cute without wanting to fuck them.”
“If you say so,” Jihoon said, wiping down the counter.
Soonyoung giggled. “Although if he asked…”
“Bitch you better be joking. Either way, I don’t want to hear about your sex life, no matter how nonexistent,” said Jihoon.
“Fuck you,” Soonyoung said, laughing and taking a sip of his coke.
The bell above the door rang, signaling the arrival of another patron into the small bar, causing Jihoon to look up.
“Hey Jun, Jeonghan isn’t here yet. He’ll probably come in with Cheol for his shift.”
Soonyoung looked in the direction that his friend was talking and whether by fate or coincidence, he could not believe his eyes.
“That’s alright, I’ll just have a drink while i wait for him,” the guy said.
Jihoon grabbed a short glass. “Whiskey?” he asked.
“You know me so well,” he said, taking a seat two stools down from Soonyoung.
After Jihoon served the drink, Soonyoung waved him over.
“What?” Jihoon asked.
“Dude that’s fucking him. The guy from my class,” Soonyoung said, voice barely above a whisper.
Jihoon looked over at Jun. “Yeah, that checks out actually.”
Soonyoung glared at his friend, offended. “You mean to tell me you know a guy this attractive and you just kept him from me?”
Jihoon’s face hardened. “No, Soonyoung. Not happening.”
“Why not. He’s so cute. Just something casual,” Soonyoung whined.
“Do you not remember what you said about him in class? He was clearly fucked up. That is not something you need right now, especially with everything else you already have on your plate, Jihoon said calmly.
Soonyoung pouted. “Fine, meanie.”
Jihoon scoffed. “Yeah I’m so mean for caring about your wellbeing.” he glanced at his watch. “Cheol should be here for his shift by now. I need to make sure he isn't dead. Stay here, don’t do anything stupid.” he said before walking into the back to make a call.
Soonyoung kept to his word and stayed in his seat, but if his eyes wandered to the pretty man drinking whiskey two stools down, then that was for him to know.
Well, for him and Jun, because apparently, Jun had chosen that exact moment to look up from his drink and at Soonyoung.
Soonyoung watched as Jun downed the rest of his drink and smirked, moving to the stool next to Soonyoung as Jihoon rounded the corner.
“Hey,” Jun said.
“Hi,” Soonyoung replied, turning away slightly, the smell of alcohol strong on his breath.
“What’s your poison? I want to buy for you.” Jun asked, the smirk still present on his face.
Soonyoung stuttered. “Oh. Uh, coke,” he said.
Jun chuckled. “A little wild, I’ll give you that but I can get you what you need,”
Jihoon shot them a glare from where he was on the phone, but said nothing.
“What?” Sooyoung asked, completely taken aback.
“Coke? I’m meeting with Jeonghan soon, I don’t think he has any but I’m sure he knows someone who does.” Jun explained.
Soonyoung choked. “Not like that! Coke Zero! Like the soda.”
Jun let out a full body laugh. “Who drinks coke at a bar?”
“I don’t drink,” Soonyoung muttered.
“Then why are you at a bar? Not that I’m complaining, you’re cute and I get to talk to you,” Jun said, finally calming his laughter.
“Jihoon is my friend so I hang out with him, Cheol, Mingyu and Wonwoo here,” Soonyoung explained.
“Oh no way! I’m friends with Cheol too! Well, more friends with his boyfriend but still.”
Soonyoung chuckled. “Which boyfriend? Jeonghan or Joshua?”
Jun smirked. “Last I knew he was only dating Jeonghan. But I’ll tell him you said that,” He said.
“They literally live together in a one bedroom apartment where they all share the same bed,” Soonyoung said, sipping his coke
Jun tilted his head, as if in thought. “I guess you have a point,” he said. “Hey Jihoon, can i get a refill on this?”
Jihoon walked over and took the glass back to where Jun was sitting before, refilling it and leaving it there.
Jun groaned and leaned over to grab the glass, but Jihoon stopped him by holding the glass in place.
“Leave it,” he said, sternly. “If you want to drink, you’ll do so over there.”
At that moment, a saccharine voice rang through the room.
“MoonJun my friend,” Jeonghan called from the front door, Cheol and Joshua on either side of him. They walked over, and Jeonghan took the seat on the other side of Jun.
“So what will it be today? You weren’t very specific when you texted earlier. ‘Need you today’ like okay you dramatic whore.” he said, pulling his backpack to the front. “So what? Oxy? Xanny? Lisinopril?”
Jun scrunched his nose, a gesture Soonyoung couldn’t help but find cute. “Why the fuck do you have lisinopril?”
Jeonghan scoffed. “My blood pressure is none of your business, MoonJun. I have your usual, unless you want something different.”
Jun shook his head and pulled out a wad of cash. “Nope that’s perfect, bless you.”
Soonyoung watched in disbelief. Was he really watching a drug deal right now? And Jihoon was just letting it happen?
Jeonghan handed a bottle to Jun, who opened it immediately and took one of the pills with whiskey.
Jeonghan zipped up his backpack and stood up. “Pleasure doing business with you,” He took hold of Joshua’s hand. “Let’s go, darling. Bye Seungcheolie, I love you.” he said, as Joshua blew a kiss to the bartender, who looked mostly just tired.
Jun stood after the other two had left and pocketed the pill bottle. “I’m gonna get going too,” He said, placing another wad of cash on the counter then glanced at the unfinished whiskey. “The rest is for you.” and with a wink to Soonyoung, he too left the bar.
Jihoon collected the money with a sigh and once again moved the glass away from Soonyoung and poured the contents down the drain.
“Still think that the popper is cute?” he asked Soonyoung before walking away.
The simple answer: yes.