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The guy was hot, that was for sure. Jisung didn’t even realize he was staring, practically drooling, until he heard a familiar voice say, “Oh good, he’s here. That’s the guy I was telling you about.”
Turning around to face Changbin, his boyfriend, he whisper-shouted, “This is the guy?! You think we actually have a chance with him?!”
The corners of Changbin’s mouth pulled downwards in a salty frown, his brow pinching. “First of all, I’m hot as fuck, thank you very much—”
“No, you are, that’s not what I—”
“And second of all,” Changbin continued, “You are a nutjob if you think you’re anything other than an incredible catch too. Although I guess you could stand to be a liiiittle better looking…” Jisung’s expression went cold and unamused as Changbin mussed his hair, cheesing hard until Jisung batted his hand away.
Their names were called by the barista, and Jisung went to collect their drinks, sparing a few more glances towards the total babe waiting in line. His face was hard to look away from—high cheekbones and a perfect nose, pretty cat-like eyes and a natural pout to his soft-looking lips. He looked like something only an artist could have come up with; Jisung found it hard to believe that human genes could produce someone who looked as otherworldly as this. He wanted to go over and talk to him, try flirting a little, if he could even remember how to do so with anyone who wasn’t Changbin. Suddenly it all seemed far too daunting, so Jisung headed over to the table Changbin had snagged by the window and sat down instead. The two of them sipped their beverages with their eyes glued to the pretty man.
After a couple minutes, Changbin reached his hand under the table and gave Jisung’s knee a little squeeze. “I’m relieved we’re on the same page about him. Actually, it shows I still got it, knowing your taste and all.” He sounded proud of himself.
Eyes unwavering from their topic of interest as the man moved to wait by the bar for his order, Jisung said, “How could we not be on the same page about him? Bro’s like a fucking masterpiece , oh my god. Someone carved him out of marble, I swear.”
Changbin laughed, straw hanging out of his mouth. The sound of his endearing little gremlin giggle finally got Jisung to break his trance, turning to watch his boyfriend fondly. He sighed, looking down into his drink, moving the ice around with his straw as doubt crept in.
“I just. I feel like I don’t remember how to approach a guy anymore. You and I have been together for so long, I haven’t had to think about it. Plus…” he trailed off. Changbin raised an eyebrow.
“Plus?”
“What if he doesn’t want to date us because we’re a couple? I’ve never done this before.”
Jisung leaned his cheek against his fist. He had been dating Changbin for a little over two years, and while Changbin had been adamant from the start about hoping to eventually find a third partner, Jisung had been a little more hesitant. He loved the idea of having another boyfriend, loved the idea of giving and receiving even more love. Having two guys who gave him butterflies…to hang out with, cuddle with, share his life with… It was something he had hoped he’d feel ready for one day, but a couple years passed and he still hadn’t been quite there.
That is, until he kept catching himself imagining cute guys around them taking Changbin by the hand, feeling warm and fuzzy at the idea of being able to watch someone else love and appreciate Changbin as much as he did. He had initially worried he’d feel jealous, but now he felt like if they found the right person, it would all just come into focus, snap into place. A missing puzzle piece more than a new, additional person.
Jisung had finally brought up his interest in beginning the search for another boyfriend, and Changbin’s face had lit up like there was a lightbulb illuminating over his head.
“I know the perfect guy to ask out,” he had said, and Jisung couldn’t tell if he was more surprised or excited by the immediacy of a prospect.
Now though, being faced with the reality of having to actually approach the so-called “perfect guy” and hope that he was potentially into the idea of dating an already established couple….it was an entirely different beast than Jisung was used to.
Changbin hummed in thoughtful consideration of Jisung’s fears, giving his foot a little nudge to reassure him.
“Worst case scenario is he says no, and we get some ice cream and feel sad for like. A day. We don’t even know him yet.”
Shrugging, Jisung took a big sip from his drink. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Is he really here like every weekend?”
“Every weekend,” Changbin confirmed with a nod. “Or at least, he’s been here the past couple months straight. Why do you think I’ve been trying so hard to get you out of bed these past few weeks? I’ve been trying to get you to come with me so you could see him yourself.”
Jisung laughed. “You should have just told me there was some majestic stud you wanted me to see! If I hadn’t been ready to date before seeing him, I definitely would have been after seeing him.”
When Changbin smiled, rolling his eyes affectionately, Jisung reached out and stroked his arm gently, just his fingertips brushing against Changbin’s wrist.
“Can we wait until next week to talk to him?” Jisung asked. “I feel too shy now, I need to psych myself up, I think.”
Moving his arm to take Jisung’s hand in his, Changbin let his thumb run over his knuckles as he said, “Of course, baby. We can take it at whatever pace you feel good about.”
“Thanks,” Jisung said, eyes crinkling up as he smiled sheepishly. Then, in a near-whisper, “Hey. I like you.”
There was a pink hue shading in Changbin’s cheeks as he squeezed Jisung’s hand and said, “Not as much as I like you.”
Minho wasn’t sure how he ended up listening to a comparison of the wandering albatross and the prehistoric quetzalcoatlus northropi—the current largest flying bird and the original holder of the same title—but it didn’t matter. Birds were at least cool, and Minho was convinced he could listen to a live reading of an air fryer’s instruction manual if it was coming from the mouth of the excitable, hot stranger yapping his ear off as they waited by the coffee bar.
It must’ve been Minho’s lucky day, because he had already been pleasantly surprised to see his recent crush sitting at a table in the corner when he first got to the cafe. He had spoken to the guy just for a quick few minutes a couple weekends in a row recently. Their time always ran out too soon, the barista calling one of their names when Minho could have happily chatted with the buff, funny man for another hour, easily. But one of them was always on their way somewhere else, and Minho hadn’t even had a chance to catch his name yet. He had thought, when he first spied him across the room, that maybe today he’d finally get a chance to learn it, but then he had gotten distracted by a different man, the little weirdo spouting bird facts at him.
Nothing about this guy was unwelcomed though; Minho was still listening to the man go on, but he took every split second opportunity he had to notice a new detail of his face or his physique that he liked. His eyes were cute and round, his gummy smile practically in the shape of a heart. He had accidentally dropped his straw when he was peeling off the paper wrapper, and Minho tried to be as subtle as possible when he had bent over to retrieve it from the floor. So that was cute and round too. Nice.
“So anyway, can I get your name? I’m Jisung,” he was saying to Minho as he straightened back up, flicking his dark bangs out of his eyes and popping the straw into his iced americano, even though it had been on the floor.
Eyes glued to the sullied straw, trying not to let the disgust show on his face, Minho said, “Oh, I’m Minho.”
The gummy smile re-appeared, and Minho’s heart gave a kick. “I have something I wanted to ask you, but first I guess I should ask if you’re single. Um, that is…if you’re even into men…”
Minho’s eyes widened, wondering if he was really about to get asked out on a date by someone he actually found attractive. It didn’t happen very often, to be honest.
“I am,” he was quick to say—then realizing he hadn’t specified which part he was answering, “Or—yes, I mean! To both parts, uh. Single and into men.” He felt his cheeks warming with embarrassment. Eager, much?
The guy—Jisung—opened his mouth to inhale intensely, reminding Minho of Kirby by how wide his mouth went, how powerfully he sucked air in. He could easily see a watermelon flying into Jisung's mouth. But then would he take on the watermelon's...powers? Minho had to restrain himself from trying to stick his entire hand into Jisung’s mouth, just to see if it would fit.
“Okay there’s another layer to this, but,” Jisung blurted out, throwing his thumb over his shoulder to gesture at something behind him. “That guy over there? That’s my boyfriend. We are a couple, but we’re poly and have been wanting to ask you on a date for a while.”
Jisung must have blinked a million times, all nerves and eyelashes smashing together over and over when Minho’s eyebrows shot up to the top of his head as he took stock of this supposed boyfriend.
There was a man standing right where Jisung’s thumb was pointing to, but…it was certainly a different type of person than Minho would have expected. This man must have been like…70? Actually, no, more like 80? Minho was stunned. He would have pegged Jisung to be about 25 years old, so the age gap was more than a little surprising, to say the least. In all honesty, Minho was downright creeped out. He could see a decade age gap maybe being sexy— maybe— but wow. This was….something else. And love was love, sure, but….ehm…
Dragging his thumb back to the front of his body, eyes raking over Minho’s face, clearly trying to analyze his reaction, Jisung asked, “So what do you think? Would you, like, ever consider going on a date with both of us? Our treat, of course!”
Fuck, Minho thought, This is so fucking awkward. He averted his eyes, looking off to the side as he cleared his throat and said, “I’m sorry. I don’t think so.”
When he flicked his eyes back over, he felt nearly crushed at the palpable disappointment on Jisung’s face. It seemed he had really thought this would go a different way. It was mind-boggling to Minho.
“Oh,” Jisung said, his eyebrows threading together as he forced a little smile. It was like he was trying to play it off as nothing, though it didn’t seem like it was. He waved a hand in front of him like he could wave off the discomfort. “Yeah, no worries. Um. I know dating two people at once isn’t like, everyone’s thing.”
Minho blinked back at him, wondering how someone this charming could have been suckered into dating an elderly person. How did someone so bursting with life get tethered to an old geezer like this?! It made Minho want to shake him and say, You deserve to live your young, hot life!!! You don’t have to shack up with someone who has already lived their entire life! And you definitely don’t have to have sex with someone knocking on death’s door!! Ugh, it was so hard to not say all that to Jisung. So much so that he decided to be blunt, thinking maybe he’d be doing him a favor.
“It’s not that,” he said, hand feeling clammy where he held onto his coffee cup. “I think I could date more than one person. Although…I never have. I just am not into your boyfriend.”
Taken aback, Jisung screwed his face up like he couldn’t believe that was even an option. Which was, Minho supposed, um. Sweet of him? To feel so very into his elderly partner that the idea of someone not being into him was truly inconceivable?
“Seriously?” Jisung asked, trying to make sense of the situation—like attraction always made sense, anyway. “You don’t think he’s cute?”
Making a point of looking him directly in the eye, Minho said, “I’m really not into age gaps like that. It’s way too much.”
A look washed over Jisung’s face like he was doing some kind of complex mathematical calculation, and Minho worried he’d gone too far. He didn’t mean to be rude, but. Oh well.
“Listen, I’ve gotta go. If anything changes…if you break up, and you see me around…ask again? Sorry.”
With one last apologetic wince, Minho turned and left the coffee shop.
He hadn’t even realized he let out another sigh until Changbin’s muscular arm tightened around him, and then he was being dragged over to lay across his lap.
“Baby,” he said to Jisung, “Don’t be so sad about it, we don’t even know the guy really. We’ve probably spent a collective fifteen minutes talking to him between the two of us.”
Hours had gone by since Minho, his fixation for the past week, had turned Changbin and him down, effectively crushing his dreams. It was true though, Changbin was right. They really didn’t know him.
Changbin had seen him at the coffee shop and chatted him up a couple times, that’s what he had told Jisung when the topic of finding another boyfriend arose. He had said Minho seemed smart and like he had kind of a strange, dark sense of humor. It all had only made him that much more attractive to Changbin, and when Jisung approached Minho and they had an easy conversation, Minho’s pretty lips pulled into a lopsided grin as they spoke for the first time, Jisung felt like he was talking to someone he had already met. But impressions from three different conversations that all lasted a few minutes each didn’t really give you the best glimpse into who someone really was as a person, that much was true.
It just sucked, because since Jisung had laid eyes on Minho the previous weekend, knowing this ‘perfect guy’ Changbin had described to him was mouthwateringly handsome with thick thighs he wouldn’t mind wrapped around his head…he had started to daydream about it all. About flirting with Minho, romancing him. He was instantly charmed by Minho’s voice, felt his heart flutter when he made Minho laugh, because wow, talk about music to his ears. He was curious to see what Minho would be like on a date, what he’d be like as a boyfriend. Would he be a hand-holder? A cuddler? Would he make Jisung do the work in terms of making a first move between the two of them, or would he surprise Jisung and back him up against a wall, kiss him hard as his hands trailed up and down his sides, pressing his body into Jisung’s until their groins were grinding together and—
“Jisung?”
Changbin’s voice brought him out of his garbled, disappointed thoughts turned garbled, disappointed fantasy.
“Mm, sorry. You’re right, I know. I’m just bummed still.”
He had put all his eggs in one basket, it seemed. Because he kept picturing Minho leaning in to kiss Changbin sweetly at the end of a night out, Changbin’s face flushed, shy with his affection and desire, and it just felt right—like he could just see it, and it made sense. And okay, honestly, he didn’t care if it made him seem like a shallow perv that he wanted to see Minho go to town on his boyfriend. They were both so fucking hot it drove Jisung crazy to have been rejected by him.
But he couldn’t really say all of that to Changbin without rubbing salt in the wound that Minho didn’t find Changbin attractive enough in the first place.
When Minho had practically sprinted away from him earlier that day, clearly eager to be rid of him, Jisung dragged himself back over towards Changbin in a daze. He had nearly knocked over an elderly man standing in the way of the table, he was so out of it. The old man had glared at him, but Jisung merely muttered an apology while he tried to figure out how to word it all to Changbin so as to protect his feelings.
“I just don’t get it,” he said with a groan, throwing his arms around Changbin’s sturdy waist. He smushed his cheek against Changbin’s stomach and looked up at him with wobbly eyes. “I don’t get his issue with your age. I thought for sure he was like, I dunno…my age? And I guess you do look a tiny bit older than me? But if he has such a problem with your age, then he must be significantly younger than we thought… Like, maybe he’s 18 and we’re just creeps by accident?”
Changbin busied his fingers in Jisung’s hair, giving his scalp a nice little massage. “He definitely looks around our age. There’s no way he’s any younger than 20.”
“Then what the fuck? He can’t date someone who’s a measly five years older than him? That’s nothing!”
Huffing out a laugh, Changbin shook his head. “I dunno, baby. Everyone’s different. Maybe he had a bad experience or something. Or maybe five years feels crazy to him, who knows.”
Jisung sighed. “Yeah. Who knows.” He moved to sit up, letting Changbin situate them so they were leaning against the arm of the couch, his back against Changbin’s chest. Changbin hooked his head around Jisung’s shoulder and gave him a smooch on his ear.
“We’ll find an awesome boyfriend one day, don’t worry,” he murmured. “And anyway, he’s the one missing out on how fucking cool you are, you big nerd.”
Giggling while Changbin delivered another kiss onto his ear, Jisung thought back to how the conversation had gotten away from him, devolving into him obsessing over birds.
“Gawd,” he cringed, “Maybe that’s actually what did it. Maybe I was too much of a nerd and he was just trying to let me down easy.”
Changbin wrapped his arms tightly around Jisung, and Jisung let his warmth engulf him.
“His loss. Truly,” he said with a third ear-smooch.
After a long couple of weeks, Minho was finally back at the cafe he frequented on the weekend. Work had been a nightmare the past few days, but things started to look up when Minho realized his beefcake crush was just ahead of him in line by a couple of people. Maybe today he’d finally learn his name, he thought.
His eyes trailed after the guy, moving over from the register to wait by the bar for his drink. Minho felt grateful that the person in front of him ordered as fast as lightning, because Minho didn’t want to have to run out onto the sidewalk to try and catch this guy if he didn’t have to. Though he probably would, if it came to that. Once he paid for his drink, he moved over to where his target was standing, their gazes meeting and a flicker of recognition showing behind his eyes.
“Hey,” Minho said with a slight grin, “You just can’t stay away from this place either, huh?”
The man matched Minho’s friendly smile. “Nah, the addiction keeps me tied down.”
Something inside Minho kicked into autopilot, and he could hardly believe it as he heard his voice say, “Are you, though? Tied down?” As soon as the words slipped past his lips, Minho felt heat crawling up the back of his neck, shocked by his own boldness. “I mean, do you have, uh.” He dropped his eyes down, unable to hold eye contact as he stumbled his way through this. His shoes were suddenly fascinating to look at. “Are you seeing anyone? I mean, are you single, by any chance? I’ve been thinking, I’d love to get to know you more.”
When he let himself look back up, he was surprised to see a confused expression plaguing the guy’s face, like he was thinking hard about how to respond. Surely that wasn’t a good sign.
“I’m Minho, by the way,” Minho hurried to tack on. “Sorry, maybe I should have led with that.” He laughed, a bit uncomfortable.
“Changbin,” the hunk responded. “And no, I’m not single.”
Minho felt himself deflate a little. Ah, damnit, he thought, Figures.
“But my boyfriend and I have been talking about dating. We’re hoping to find another boyfriend, when the right guy comes along. If you’d be open to dating two people, that is.”
Well, this was an interesting turn of events, Minho thought. Minho was surprised that this kept coming up recently, and he couldn’t help but wonder if it was some kind of sign. He had only been in monogamous relationships, and he’d enjoyed them. But ever since that cute guy had asked him out a couple weekends ago, he couldn’t stop thinking about how great having two boyfriends might be, if he could find more than one guy worth his time. If only Jisung had been dating someone like this guy. He couldn’t stop thinking about it for days afterwards. It had been such a massive disappointment, seeing Jisung’s boyfriend…manfriend? What did you even call your partner when they were old enough to be your grandparent? Minho shuddered at the thought, and then realized it looked like he was shuddering at Changbin.
Sure enough, Changbin was eyeing him with an air of apprehension.
“Can you show me a picture of him or something?” Minho asked, tilting his head. “Or tell me about him? Cuz I think I could be open to it for the right guys, but I’ve gotten some strange propositions before.”
A smile crawled across Changbin’s face right as the barista called his name. He grabbed his drinks—two of them, Minho noted—and said, “Why don’t you just come say hello? He’s here with me.” He gestured with his head in the direction just past Minho’s shoulder, and he felt his pulse speed up; he was going to meet Changbin’s boyfriend, and he was so hopeful Changbin would have good taste in men. He had to! Nothing could be as bad as last time, anyway.
He nodded, excited despite his nerves, and held up a finger to signal to wait as he hurried to grab his drink as soon as his name was called. Changbin just smiled as he waited for him, Minho hot on his trail as soon as his coffee was in his clutches.
They wound through the tightly packed room—the cafe was always kind of chaotic on weekends—and Minho’s eyes widened as he saw the table they were approaching, or who was seated at the table, anyway.
Looking up at him, eyes as big as saucers, Jisung asked him, “What are you doing?”
Changbin motioned to the chair opposite of Jisung, and Minho sat while Changbin politely asked a neighboring table for use of their extra chair.
“Jisung? Wait, you broke up with your grandfriend? I mean that old guy??” Minho asked excitedly, surprised by how quickly Jisung moved from man to man if he was already in a committed relationship with Changbin post break-up with his grandfa— ahem —his elderly partner.
His eyebrows pinched together in the center of his forehead, seemingly confused. “Umm, no? Changbin and I are still together…”
Right then, Changbin hobbled over with a third chair and took a seat between them, turning to Minho. “Oh, right,” he said, leaning his elbows onto the table, “Minho—how old are you, actually? Because I’m 25, but Jisung says you said something to him about our ‘age gap’ last time?”
Looking between the two of them, Minho tried to figure out if he was being pranked. They both looked so serious, though. So very sincere.
“Wait,” Minho said, his eyes settling back on Jisung’s. “You and Changbin have been together this whole time? Like when you asked me out a couple weeks ago, he was the boyfriend you were pointing to?”
Jisung shrugged. “Yes? I’m confused. Was that somehow unclear?”
It clicked into place, suddenly. Minho could see it now, thinking back to two weeks prior. When he had clocked Changbin at the coffee shop that day, he had been sitting at a table in the general vicinity Jisung had pointed towards. So maybe the old guy Minho thought he had been pointing to….was simply blocking his view of the real guy Jisung had been pointing to?
Minho clapped a hand over his mouth, muffling a crazed laugh as it erupted out of him, to the surprise of the others.
“Oh my god,” he said, removing his hand and beaming at how suddenly hilarious everything was to him. “I totally thought you were pointing to this like, crypt keeper looking motherfucker who had to be about 80 years old. I was so shocked, I can’t tell you how disappointed I was, because I thought, wow! This adorable dork is asking me out! And then I thought you were like, into some kinky shit that just is so not for me.” When he realized the other two were just blinking back at him, he added on, “No offense, if that’s your thing or whatever.”
Changbin broke first, a crazy little cackle ringing out that surprised Minho with how goofy it sounded. Jisung was right behind him, though, his deep laugh almost comically different from Changbin’s. The two of them were laughing so hard, bending forwards to hold their sides. Minho couldn’t help but join in, the three of them all wiping tears from their eyes once the laughter began to finally subside.
“Okay, wait,” Jisung finally said once he caught his breath, his dark eyes shimmering as he asked, “You think I’m adorable?”
Changbin and Minho burst into another fit of laughter, Jisung looking between the two of them like he had missed the joke.
“Yes,” Minho finally said, turning his gaze towards Changbin. “I’d had a crush on you since the first time we talked, and I had been hoping to talk to you again the day this guy,” he pointed at Jisung, “asked me out. I was so excited that you were interested in me too, Jisung.” He laughed and shook his head. “I thought it was just some crazy coincidence that both my coffee crushes were in separate poly relationships, both of which were looking for a new boyfriend.”
He looked between them. “But it wasn’t a coincidence. And I feel excited knowing that the two of you are together, because you both seem so fun.” He looked down into his drink, feeling his face turning red. “And, um. I find you both very attractive, too. Like. Yeah. Very attractive.”
It was hard not to laugh at how every feature on Jisung’s face doubled in size—his eyes, his smile, his cheeks somehow. Changbin leaned his chin into his hand and asked, “Can we take you on a date sometime, Minho?”
His heart beating rapidly, Minho was so very glad he hadn’t made any plans this afternoon. He pursed his lips, trying to suppress his excitement, as he asked, “Can we just do the first date now? Here? I don’t want to wait, if you don’t have anywhere to be right now.”
He knew the other two were on the same page as him by the way their eyes sparkled with delight.
A couple hours of the most natural, enjoyable conversation passed, Minho getting to know the couple and vice versa. Jisung and Changbin had exchanged a look when they found out Minho was a dancer, and Minho’s brain lit up when Jisung asked to see a photo of his cat. Eventually, looking at the time with a pout, Changbin announced that he and Jisung were due over at a friend’s house to help her pack for a move. It was cute seeing Jisung throw his head back in anguish, seeing that he and Changbin were just as disappointed as him that they’d have to part.
“It’s okay,” Minho said, “I should probably knock out my grocery shopping anyway.”
The three of them got up, throwing their trash away and exiting the cafe. Once out on the sidewalk, Jisung was shoving his phone at Minho with his eyes squeezed shut, asking for his phone number.
“That is,” he said, opening one eye up to peek at Minho, “If you’d see us again.”
He and Changbin both watched as Minho put his number in Jisung’s phone, feeling cheeky and adding a black heart emoji next to his name. Looking up at both of them, Minho felt excited for what the future might bring. Changbin and Jisung both seemed so cool, so easy and sweet, and they were both devastatingly handsome.
“I’d love to. As soon as you guys want,” he said, and after an awkward beat of the three of them staring back at one another, Minho stepped forward and dipped his head down just slightly to kiss Changbin on the cheek, then Jisung on his.
He took a step back, his heart slamming against his ribcage as he watched two sheepish smiles grow across both of the faces that looked back at him.
“Um. Text me!” He turned on his heel and threw a slightly awkward wave over his shoulder, hurrying away from them because his nerves wouldn’t let him just walk at a normal speed.
He beamed to himself as he heard Jisung call out, “Bye Minhoooo!” from where he left them, and his pace quickened, far too much excitement flowing through him to slow down.
He practically ran the whole way home, only realizing when he closed the door behind him, his cat greeting him with a chirp from the couch, that he completely spaced on going to the grocery store. When he saw he already had a text from Jisung, and a group chat made with another number—Changbin’s, no doubt—he flopped down on his couch and kicked his feet.
“Who needs food, Soonie?” He asked, reaching over and giving the orange and white cat a little scratch behind his ears. “Surely love will feed us enough!”
Minho smiled at his cat expectantly, and when Soonie stared back, unblinking, Minho sighed deeply, dragging himself upwards and trudging back towards the door.
“Okay,” he said in a defeated voice, “I guess even the prospect of new boyfriends isn’t gonna be enough to feed you, huh, my little garbage disposal?”
“No,” said Soonie. “Feed me or I’ll kill you. I’ll kill everyone you love. You pathetic mortals are but mere ants to me.”
Staring at his phone, Minho hadn’t heard a single word his cat uttered. He was too busy smiling like an idiot at his most recent messages.
jisung
when can we see you again???
tomorrow???
we’re kind of obsessed with u btw
“Okay, bye my little baby! I’ll be right back with dinner.” Minho wrote back an immediate yes!! and i’m kind of obsessed too :) and knew that something great was just beginning.