Archive of Our Own

“Hyung when’s the new roommate gonna come?” Jeongin says, from where he is sitting on the couch.

“I'm not sure... Minho Hyung said he’d be here by noon...” Hyunjin replies, busy making the house look presentable.

“Y’know, you should probably get yo ass up and help me clean up a bit, considering you’re the reason the house is a mess Jeongin-ah...” Hyunjin seemed annoyed, well not a lot but just slightly.

“Can’t... I'm beat up after last night”

Hyunjin feels heat rush to his ears. "How are you tired when I’m the one who had to take it?" he questions.

Jeongin cocks an eyebrow. He replies, smirking, "I'm the one who does all the work, Hyung. You’re pretty much just a pillow princess—"

“I’m not!” Hyunjin retaliates, but he knows no matter how much he denies it, it's in vain.

“Yes Hyung, whatever you say Hyung” Jeongin says, giving Hyunjin his classic shit-eating grin, which he does whenever he wants to make fun of him.

Hyunjin doesn't say anything back, ignoring Jeongin’s presence and focusing on fluffing up the couch cushions.

Jeongin knows he’s won the argument.

“You said you know him, right? The new roommate?” Jeongin asks Hyunjin, who finally takes a seat on the armchair across from Jeongin, who’s sitting on the couch.

“Yeah, we were Neighbours when we were children, we went to the same school too, but he was in a grade above me.” Hyunjin seemed to get nostalgic, “We practically grew up together y’know. His parents weren’t around much, so he mostly stayed at my place."

Jeongin nods. He’s not particularly interested, but he figures it’s better to know a little about the stranger he’ll be living with.

“I don't get why someone would shift from Seoul to Busan... if it were me, I'd never leave Seoul,” Jeongin says huffing.

Hyunjin nods, agreeing.

After all, why would someone wanna leave Seoul? It’s the city of the ‘rich and successful’.

“He seemed desperate to leave, though. It was clear from his tone when he called last month, asking where I lived in Busan and if my flat was big enough for another roommate.”

"But why’d you say yes? You already have a roommate," Jeongin says, pointing at himself as if it wasn’t obvious who the ‘roommate’ was.

Hyunjin rolls his eyes, “Seungmin left only three months ago you know? It hasn't even been that long... This apartment is meant for three people.”

“Plus, how could you expect me to say no to him? He sounded so broken and vulnerable in the call... I couldn't bring myself to do that...” he adds.

Jeongin snorts, “Yeah that and also the fact that he said he’s willing to pay half of the rent instead of one-third like how he’s supposed to”

“Shut up, that wasn't the only reason!” Hyunjin says defensively as if his morals were being questioned.

“Yes Hyung, whatever you say Hyung”

Hyunjin resists the urge to smack that shit-eating smirk off Jeongin’s face.

“don't act like it's not benefiting you as well, you also get to pay just half the rent you’re paying now,” he says eyeing him.

“I know... that's why I agreed to it in the first place” Jeongin replies lazily, stretching on the couch.

“Can't he find a better place to stay? I mean I'm not sure what his job is but if he’s coming here from Seoul, I don't think he’s short on cash...”

“He doesn't wanna live alone, he’d rather stay with someone he knows,” Hyunjin says shrugging his shoulders, "Also, you're right about the ‘not poor’ part, he’s a scientist, he got his degree from SNU...”

Jeongin almost chokes on the air.

"Okay, there’s no reason to be this surprised," Hyunjin says, snickering.

“Are you kidding? You're saying that as if just anyone gets in SNU”

“Yeah, well he was always kind of a genius...”

Hyunjin’s not downplaying the difficulty of getting into that university, he knows how hard it is to get into SNU because he’s tried too. Obviously, he didn’t get in, but at least he tried—and that’s what matters.

“What’s he going to do here?” Jeongin asks, and even though he said in the starting that he’s not very interested, he really seems to be prying now.

“Who knows.” Hyunjin shrugs, “I doubt it's something work-related though” he adds, since they both know that Busan is definitely not a very science-y place, it barely even had a laboratory—which, in all honesty, is nothing but a school study tour spot now.

Jeongin just nods and they both end up sitting idly, in a comfortable silence.

Hyunjin stared out the window, daydreaming about God knows what, but he seemed content.

His peace is short-lived though, interrupted by Jeongin’s chatter.

“I hope he knows how noisy it is here,” he says casually, but Hyunjin knows, he knows that this is anything but an innocent comment.

“What are you trying to say?” he questions him, he notices how Jeongin’s smirk is back and he regrets entertaining Jeongin’s comments.

“Hyung come on... You’re not really very quiet y’know...”

Hyunjin feels his body temperature rise again, God how he wanted to shut the younger up.

“Seungmin Hyung complained about it so many times too—”

“Shut it,” Hyunjin says while throwing a cushion on Jeongin, who catches it and laughs.

Hyunjin knows his face is probably red by now but that doesn't stop him from justifying himself, or well... at least trying to.

“If you weren’t so rough, I wouldn’t have to be loud, y’know? If anything, it’s you—”

“Hyung, you wouldn’t really enjoy that now, would you?”

Hyunjin’s speechless again. What can he say after that anyway, so instead he decides to just curse Jeongin, the younger thought seemed to enjoy it, laughing shamelessly.

Hyunjin does feel bad for their former roommate though, “Poor Minnie,” he says sighing, after his little curse ramble.

He had apologized to seungmin every morning though, but he knew that was not enough for the hours of sleep and trauma they’d given him.

“Can’t blame him for moving out...” he says.

“Oh, please. We all know Seungmin Hyung moved out so that he could live with his Australian boyfriend” Jeongin scoffs, “plus he always had those expensive headphones on, he was doing just fine while living with us”

Hyunjin glares at him, “Still, it's basic etiquette”

“I don't remember you going on about etiquette when you were asking me to fu-”

“Jeongin!” Hyunjin stops him from continuing, oh how he hates it when Jeongin raises his hands in mock surrender, he knows he doesn't mean it one bit.

“Why are you getting all red and embarrassed?” he says teasing him.

Jeongin wasn’t really planning on stopping, but for once the gods pitied Hyunjin’s cringing heart when he heard the sound of the doorbell.

They both look at each other, getting up in sync and walking towards the entrance.

“He’s here, huh?” Jeongin says softly as he watches Hyunjin opening the door.

Hyunjin went to open the door, he seemed quite awkward.

It had been quite long since he last saw Minho, and he wasn’t exactly sure of what to say to him now.

He pulls the handle and immediately his eyes meet Minho's, only for a second though as Minho shyly looks away, holding his bags in his hand and dragging them inside.

Hyunjin and Jeongin help him, taking the suitcase from his hand.

“Ah… sorry for the trouble…” Minho says fidgeting while standing in one place awkwardly after they got all his bags inside.

“It's been a while, hm?” Hyunjin says softly, looking towards him.

Minho nods, “You really don’t call at all Hyunjin-ah…”

Hyunjin knew he should've called but he’s not the best at long-distance communication, he’s never really been a fan of phone calls or texting.

“I’ve been a little busy... sorry Hyung,” Hyunjin lies.

He’s not been busy, at least not busy enough that he wasn’t able to send a few texts to him every day. He could’ve, but he didn’t... and now he feels bad about it.

Minho nods, “It’s fine, of course, you’re busy...” he says smiling.

Hyunjin doesn't know why Minho was always so nice to him, he never even got mad at him—which is pretty rare because Hyunjin always manages to piss off everyone at some point.

Jeongin watches the two of them talk and he feels out of place, standing in the corner with his hands in his pockets.

He coughs awkwardly, clearing his throat in an obvious attempt to get Hyunjin to notice him until Hyunjin kindly decides to introduce him.

“Uh, yeah right... almost forgot about you” Hyunjin says sheepishly, “Minho Hyung this is our third roommate, Jeongin”

Jeongin scoffs at the half-assed introduction.

“Yang Jeongin.” He says reaching his hands out.

Minho shakes his hand shyly, “Lee Minho” he says in a small voice.

“Hyung so basically we cleared out this room for you,” Hyunjin says pointing at a small room, closest to the living room.

Minho just nodded, he honestly couldn’t care less about which room was his, as long as he got to stay here, far from Seoul.

“I can show you around the apartment while Hyunjin Hyung puts your bags in your room—”

“Shouldn’t you do the heavy lifting? What are you going to the gym for otherwise?” Hyunjin shot out at Jeongin.

“Come on Hyung, it’s just some bags... Are you really that much of a princess—”

Hyunjin elbows Jeongin in his ribs to get him to stop talking, it doesn’t really affect the younger much though, but he still pretends just to entertain Hyunjin.

“Uhh... I- I can put the bags in my room myself, you don’t have to trouble yourself Hyunjinnie” Minho mummers. He can do it himself after all, why should he ask others when he’s capable of doing it himself?

Hyunjin frowns.

“I’ll do it Hyung... I was just joking, of course, I’m going to help you.”

Minho hesitates, shifting on his feet. “I can handle it, really…” But Hyunjin is already lifting a bag.

“Jeongin can show you around in the time being”

It had hardly been a second since Hyunjin said that, and Minho feels a hand on his shoulder, pushing him to walk along.

“Right... So, here is the washroom, we already cleared out some space for you near the sink so don't worry about it, just had to throw out Hyunjin Hyung’s unnecessarily large amount of skin products” Jeongin says snickering, “As for the kitchen you’ve seen already, right? It was right next to the entrance...”

Minho nods. He’s not sure why he’s getting a tour though, the apartment’s pretty average-sized so everything is already pretty visible just from a glance. He can see the small laundry room in the corner, the shoe rack next to the main door, dishwasher in the kitchen.

If anything, it’d be more helpful to explain to him how these machines work since they’re different from the ones he had, although also he can just google or read the manual.

He’s contemplating whether he should ask Jeongin about the roommate rules... He doesn’t want to cross any boundaries or forget his turn to do the chores, but that could also be avoided if he just maintains his distance from the two and volunteers to do all the chores instead. It’s no biggie for him anyway.

So, he decides to not ask. Why bother Jeongin over his problems?

They circle back to the living room, Hyunjin’s almost done with all of the luggage too.

“Do you want to know anything else uh... Minho-shi?” Jeongin says in a gawky manner, his tone rather uncertain.

Will it be too soon to call him Hyung? It's not like Jeongin particularly cared about honorifics, but he didn’t want to make Minho feel uncomfortable.

Minho nods immediately, “No, thank you,” his tone is timid, like always.

“I- I don't mean to sound too forward... But you can call me ‘Hyung’ too...” He says rather shyly, “O-of course if you don't want to then you don't have to at all... I just thought that since we’ll be living together it might be more comfortable for you to not be so formal with me, although if it’s too sudden for you then I completely understand, I don't want to seem too pushy and—

“Okay”

Minho’s rambling is cut short by the unexpected response from the younger.

“Huh?” He says surprised.

“I said, sure Hyung. It’ll be more comfortable since we’ll be living together from now anyway”

He looks up for just a second, to see the younger’s dimples appearing on his face before his gaze drops to the floor again, an automatic reflex at this point.

Minho feels the heat rush to his ears, as he KNOWS that it must be visible. He gets his confirmation when he hears Jeongin snicker slightly.

How embarrassing.

It was cute, Jeongin thought, how Minho seemed to get flustered so easily and how his ears seemed to get red without Jeongin saying much too.

His amusement was, however, short-lived, when Hyunjin hit his shoulder.

Jeongin winced, well pretended to wince. Hyunjin’s noodle arms couldn’t do much damage to his hard-earned buff biceps.

Hyunjin glares at his painfully obvious act, and Jeongin winks at him in return.

“It’s his first day here and you’re already teasing him and giving him a hard time,” Hyunjin says wrapping his hands protectively around Minho’s shoulder.

“I didn’t do anything though, Hyung just gets shy easily,” he says smirking.

“Shut it” Hyunjin snaps at him, his words didn’t have any bite, however.

“Thanks...” Minho mutters in-between between their bickering.

Hyunjin and Jeongin both stare at him.

“Sorry I couldn’t hear you, Hyung can you speak up?”

“You’ve literally wrapped yourself around him and you still can’t hear him? Are you sure you’re not going deaf Hyunjin Hyung?”

“Yang Jeongin I swear to god, I’ll beat your ass up if you utter another word—”

“Please, we all know you prefer being on the receiving end”

“YAH!” Hyunjin screeches, he covers up Minho’s ears with his palms though, still not very effective but Minho is grateful, nevertheless.

Jeongin just laughs. He knew he’d really been pushing Hyunjin’s boundaries by teasing him more than he normally does, but his reactions were just so fun to watch.

Hyunjin sighs, tired and defeated.

Minho wonders if he should say what he wants to or not, he just wants to thank them... That wouldn’t disturb their conversation, right? At the very least he knows Hyunjin wouldn’t mind it, he looks like he’d pay millions to change the topic.

“I was saying thank you... For y’know helping me” Minho tries speaking again, this time a little louder for the other two to hear, and to save Hyunjin from the embarrassment (and himself too, his ears didn’t seem to be going back to their original shade, especially not after Jeongin’s offhanded comment).

The other two just smile, “It’s not a big deal Hyung” Hyunjin says, hugging him tighter, “Of course, I'll help you with the bags, they were pretty heavy so I’m quite shocked you got them till here...”

“Ah... I paid the driver extra money to get my bags on top...” He says truthfully, he couldn’t bear taking credit for someone else’s work.

“I would never spend even a single penny for something like that”

Hyunjin glares at Jeongin for saying, “Well you didn't, Minho Hyung did. Plus, your broke ass can't spend a single penny on anything”

Jeongin shrugs, “can't deny that”

Minho does feel a little bad for wasting money like that, and honestly, the driver offered to do it for free too, but he couldn’t just accept free help. Every fiber in his being screamed against doing that.

He felt weird just standing there, fidgeting with his hands. He wanted to get out of there and finally be able to relax fast.

“I’m gonna go unpack now...” Minho says, scratching the back of his neck.

“Do you need help, Hyung?”

“No, no... I’ll manage. Thank you for offering Hyunjin-ah"

Minho goes to his room, closing the door behind him before flopping on the bed.

He felt tired, physically and mentally. He’s not used to socializing so much, even in Seoul, at his job, he rarely talked to anyone, just did his work and went home straight. So, being here, having to talk with Jeongin and Hyunjin, who rarely ever shut up, was quite a task for Minho.

But he didn't hate it, in fact, no matter how awkward it felt talking to them, he still felt better with Hyunjin being here.

He was originally worried about Jeongin—he didn't know him, and he hadn’t heard much about him from Hyunjin either, but after meeting him, it felt natural. Jeongin was fine, he could live with Jeongin.

Minho eyes the bed; he wants to take a nap; he's exhausted and sleepy and he feels like throwing himself on the bed and taking a long, long nap and not waking up... but he has a lot to unpack.

Although it wasn't as though he had a time limit, or that he had to unpack NOW, he could take his own time and unpack peacefully, but if he did that then he’d go insane.

Minho needs to tick off the tasks on his list as soon and as efficiently as possible. He needs to get everything done fast and done right. No slacking off, no breaks, and no leaving things for later, because he knows ‘later’ never comes, and the task that he postpones for an hour at first gets delayed for days, and it's mentally taxing for him to look at his to-do list that he makes up in his mind and updates every hour, to have more than 5 things written down...

He needs to cross out every single item on his list, scratch it out, dispose of it, and never think of it again.

He couldn’t rest either. No matter how much he wants to, his brain is unwilling to let him rest until he’s done with his pending work—another reason Minho did great in the corporate world which demanded overtime work and for the workers to be life-deprived and do nothing except sit for hours in front of the computer, frozen, just typing away for the rest of their lives.

Minho moves around silently, putting everything in its place, cleaning his room, and organizing all his things. Placing his skincare in the washroom in order of what he uses first to last, his medicines kept on the bed side table, next to the photo frame of his cats sleeping. His devices were kept on his table, charging and ready to use, and his clothes hung perfectly in the closet and shoes arranged below them.

He’s done with the first session of unpacking.

He’s going to let these things stay in their current positions for a week, after which he’ll make the final decision to either let them stay there or change positions to a more easily accessible place.

Everything needs to be perfect; everything needs to be proficient.

Minho buries himself in his bed, the blanket practically swallowing him whole. He finally takes his long-delayed nap, finally resting after a day of tiring work, and a little more socialization than he was used to.

He passes out almost instantly, forgetting about lunch or anything else that requires him to get up from bed.

He wakes up after hours.

His ‘small’ nap turned into a 7-hour long deep sleep.

Minho stretches his limbs, stretches until he hears his joints popping, the slightly painful feeling of which gets rid of the little amount of sleepiness in his eyes.

It felt almost weird for him to take a nap; he wasn't used to sleeping during the day or sleeping much in general.

It didn't come as a shock to him that he slept past his dinner time, with the amount of sleep he’d given up in the past few months, he’d probably have to go into a coma to catch up.

He sat up, cross-legged, and pushed his hair back, getting it out of the way of his vision—not like he could see anything in the dark either, not one light or lamp switched on, he looked towards the window, pitch black outside too.

This wasn't Seoul, he realizes.

He’s not living in the middle of Seoul anymore, the people and the city here don't stay awake 24/7, there’s no noise from the cars, and there’s nothing except streetlights switched on.

He walks over to the balcony. He could hear everything distinctly—the sound of his footsteps, the slight screech the sliding door of the balcony made when it got stuck halfway before opening fully.

He steps out, resting his hand on the railings, it was so peaceful and serene, and weirdly overwhelming for him.

He wasn't used to this; he wasn't used to feeling so ‘in place’, rather than ‘out of place’.

He wanted to get used to this.

He stood out for some more time, letting the cold wind freeze him up, until he felt goosebumps rise, and could hear himself sniffling slightly.

He goes back in and wraps a jacket around himself, just for precaution, getting sick would be tiring and he doesn’t want to burden anyone with the task of looking after him.

After wasting some more time in his room, he finally decides to step out, only because he thought it was rude of him to stay holed up in his room on the first day of moving in, especially after his roommates helped him with his luggage—he doesn’t want to appear as ungrateful.

He opened the door softly, trying to be as silent as possible, but the creaking door had other plans for him. He cringes when he hears the door creek, breathes in, breathes out, and finally peaks his head out of the little gap.

Hyunjin and Jeongin are staring at him, sitting on the couch all cuddled up together.

Instantly, he pulls his head back in and shuts the door in a flash.

“Fuck” he exhales, “Why’d I shut the door?” he whines softly, slumping against the door.

This was rude. It was rude of him to just look at them for a second and shut the door (with a loud thud) on their faces. What the fuck was he thinking? Can't he just act normal for once!?

Spiraling over nothing was his specialty.

He needs to go back out again.

Minho rests his hand on the doorknob, but his body refuses to turn it and step out. What is he supposed to say when they ask him why he shut the door on their faces? He can't say that it was too much for him to have two men (pretty men—if he may add) stare at him, even if it was only for just a second.

It’s not like Minho’s not had men and women stare at him before, he’s had his fair share of - ‘I think you’re cute’, ‘My friend thinks you’re hot and was wondering if-’, ‘Could I get your number?’ - encounters, and he’s not a fan of them AT ALL.

Makes him want to crawl out of his skin, that everyone is for some insane reason he can't understand, attracted to. He wants to show everyone the real him so that they can finally leave him alone.

He doesn’t want to ‘fool’ anyone into liking him, he’s not likable.

And back to the situation at hand, he’s currently losing his shit.

“Minho Hyung?” he hears a comforting voice from outside the door, he stops thinking, like completely stops.

He forgets to answer.

“Hyung?” the voice tries again.

Minho reboots. Starts thinking again, not nearly as much as before, but for now, just enough.

He opens the door again, the soft creaking not bothering him as much as it did before.

Hyunjin was on the other side of the door, Jeongin right behind him.

Minho tries to not shut the door again.

“Sorry...” he finally manages to speak, “I don't know why I shut-”

“Let's eat dinner.” Jeongin stops him from speaking further, thankfully.

It’s obvious Minho didn’t want to explain his actions, for which he had no explanation to give, and he’s guessing Jeongin and Hyunjin have picked it up.

“Oh- uhm- yeah sure...” he mumbled. “You guys haven't eaten yet?”

Hyunjin holds his hand and walks him over to the table, Minho’s heart is beating fast, he just hopes no one notices.

The slight tone of surprise in Minho’s voice makes them smile, “we were waiting for you”

“Waiting for me?” he’s confused.

“But it's so late now... you shouldn't have...”

“that's crazy!” Jeongin says, looking at Minho like he’s said the most atrocious thing ever. “it's your first day here! Of course, all of us should eat together...” Jeongin’s hand flails in the air (dramatically), as he speaks, brushing away Minho’s feelings of guilt.

Hyunjin points at the table, “The two of us can't really cook...” His tone was awkward, “So dinner is just take-out"

Minho looks at the food spread out; Just a simple dinner but take-out has never looked so good before.

“All of it looks amazing,” he says smiling, feeling all giddy on the inside. It takes a lot for him to not just giggle like a little child right now, he’s not used to such thoughtfulness.

“Well, I tried to order whatever you like... or uhh ‘liked’ in the past, I'm not sure if your taste has changed or not...”

“It hasn’t,” Minho says looking at Hyunjin.

Minho’s clenching his hands, he feels stupid for getting overwhelmed by every little thing that's happening right now.

“We did cook the rice though” Jeongin spoke out of nowhere, he felt proud (rightfully so), he looked towards Minho as if asking for praise, and Minho cracked up; it’s been so long since he’d laughed genuinely like this.

He thought his mind was playing games when Hyunjin and Jeongin’s face lit up, looking at him mesmerized.

He had to be hallucinating, maybe the dopamine was getting to him.

Hyunjin makes him sit at the table, between Jeongin and himself.

“Eat up Hyung, you must be tired after such a long day”

Minho didn't even realize he was tired until he heard Jeongin say that. It felt wrong to be tired, how can he be tired after such a long nap? He's rested enough already...

Wait.

He should focus on the food, he should be thankful for this right now, it would be rude to think about something else when Hyunjin and Jeongin have set this up for him.

So, he shrugs, as if physically tossing his thoughts outside of his brain, for now at least.

“Thank you so much for the food,” he says genuinely, before taking a bite.

Eating’s never felt so nice either.

Hyunjin, Jeongin, and Minho all eat peacefully, with someone saying a few words here and there, talking about the most random things.

The orange light, the cold weather, the warm food, and the three of them sitting together and eating, all felt so domestic and calming.

Minho’s rarely ever felt like this.

It's such a simple moment of them just existing together, but Minho doesn't want it to end.

The next few days pass by similarly, the three of them living together easily.

Hyunjin and Jeongin didn’t force Minho to do anything, they all did their share of chores, or well tried to do their own share of chores.

Minho willingly kept on doing their work for them, and any extra work that was there.

He preferred it this way.

It’s easier for him to do the work and take on the load, especially right now, when Hyunjin and Jeongin come back home after work.

They HAVE a job and Minho DOESN’T.

They come home tired and exhausted, Minho just sits at home and does nothing (for now—he’s on a break) so it’s only RIGHT if he does their chores as well.

Since there wasn't anyone home for most parts of the day, no one could really stop him from doing his roommates’ part of cleaning as well.

They did, however, always TRY. But looking at Minho, who so desperately wanted to do work, made them give in, though they did help him as much as he let them.

They figured just how stubborn Minho could be (only at times like these), and even though they found it cute, they didn't want Minho overworking himself this way...

They were all sitting on the sofa, watching a movie late at night, it was the weekend, so Hyunjin and Jeongin invited Minho to unwind with them (not like Minho was exhausted—all he does is sit at home, and clean the whole house, and cook breakfast, lunch, dinner)

The first time he cooked for them was the day after he moved in.

He woke up the next day, quite early, and he COULDN’T just sit in bed, wide awake, even if he wanted to (obviously) so he got up and about and made his way to the kitchen for coffee.

Hyunjin and Jeongin have already left for work, he figures, looking at the plates on the table, with a half-eaten slice of toast and... instant ramen?

What kind of breakfast is this?

He should have realized that when Jeongin and Hyunjin said they ‘couldn’t cook’ they meant it with their whole heart.

Not like Minho, as a serial breakfast-skipper, could judge them for eating like this, but at least Minho skipped breakfast only because he was too busy not to.

Anyway, he can’t let this go on any longer.

He’s going to do something about this.

In the meantime, however, he cleans up the table, and then the whole house.

Inspects the fridge, filled with nothing but frozen food and an uncomfortable amount of heat-and-eat meals. Minho would rather not eat than eat like this.

How are they surviving off this?

Do they even realize half of this stuff has been on the fridge way longer than their shelf life? He hopes they do, but he believes they don't.

He threw away more than half of the fridge's contents, he’s only hoping he’s not overstepping any boundaries, but this is an issue involving health, so Minho HAD to.

He spends the rest of his time restocking EDIBLE food in the house. He enjoys this, it's peaceful for him to keep himself busy with something or the other, sitting idle is just... not for him...

Right before the two of them came back, he plated all the food (an insane amount) that he made onto the dining table.

Jeongin comes home first, eyes wide and full of shock as he sees the spread, “Hyung...” Minho’s heart still clenches every time Jeongin calls him that, after all, it’s still new to him.

“Hyung this is crazy... d-did you make this all yourself!?”

“I had a lot of free time... so I decided why not...” Minho says awkwardly, he doesn’t know what to do or say, he’d rather they just eat the food, like it, and then go to sleep.

But that’s not how things were going.

“Wow...” Jeongin muses, looking one-by-one at all the dishes, there were a lot, and he kept praising it. The smell, the plating, and most of all—the effort.

“This is incredible, Hyung I didn’t know you could cook so well-”

The door unlocks, and a tired Hyunjin appears...

Tired Hyunjin is in shock, tired Hyunjin’s mouth drops open.

“Is that home-cooked food?” Hyunjin acts like he hasn’t seen a home-cooked meal in forever (he hasn’t)

“Minho Hyung did you make all this for us?”

“No, I made it” Jeongin teases.

“Shut up, you rat” Hyunjin glares at him before his eyes turn into hearts again as he looks at Minho, “Thank you so much Hyung, you really didn’t have to, but we appreciate it a lot...”

“Really Hyung, I’m super grateful too” Jeongin adds, their words were sincere, and all Minho could do was just look at the floor, shyly, murmuring a small “It really wasn’t a lot of trouble” and “No need to thank me” here and there, he doesn’t know how to take praises and it shows.

It took quite some time for the three of them to sit down and start eating, Hyunjin and Jeongin making it incredibly hard for Minho since they wouldn’t stop talking and worst of all complimenting Minho...

Minho knew for a fact that his ears and neck were bright red by now, he was a mess until Hyunjin caught on and stopped, nudging Jeongin to do the same, he could hear the slight giggle Jeongin let out at the sight of Minho being so shy and blushing, it was frankly quite embarrassing, but he didn’t particularly hate it...

At least his efforts are being acknowledged, even if it’s quite hard for him to see his efforts getting acknowledged.

They eat silently, except for a few more praises Jeongin and Hyunjin let out after tasting the food, Minho just nodded shyly.

It was easier to just watch them eat; Minho was satisfied with just watching them enjoy the food. The sight was more than enough for him to be convinced to cook for them every day now.

Back to the current timeline—Hyunjin had pulled Minho to sit between himself and Jeongin, all of them cuddled up together, some random movie playing on the TV.

It wasn’t weird for them to cuddle up like this anymore, it’s happened quite some time since Minho came here, and he’s slowly getting used to it.

He’s gotten used to a lot of things—Hyunjin and Jeongin bickering, cooking breakfast and dinner for them, eating all together on the table, watching movies on weekends, having small overwhelming (good) moments once or twice a week...

He’s also getting used to ignoring his problems and responsibilities, he’s heavily procrastinating opening his work mail, particularly mail from the job he’s told the other two that he ‘quit’—but he really didn’t. He just took a break (kind of?).

He wished he would’ve quit it, but he couldn’t—couldn’t get himself to fledge and leave behind the only thing he’d put his mind on for the past years, he couldn’t just get up and leave and never look back at something that is probably 80% of his memories in Seoul.

His job, which he hated, was unfortunately a big part of him... which is why he couldn’t get himself to leave it.

So, instead, he took a ‘break’.

It was a toxic, complicated relationship this one—between Minho and his job.

One he’d rather avoid, but has made the most memories with, so not thinking about it was frankly impossible.

Minho’s pulled back from his aggravating thoughts about the current situation by listening to his roommates’ flirting (bickering—but he likes to call it flirting since it a weirdly romantic)

Minho knew that Hyunjin and Jeongin were a thing, but he never felt as though he was third-wheeling. Instead, it felt like he was a part of them, and this thought made warmth pool in his stomach. He liked it when Jeongin nuzzled into his side and when Hyunjin pulled him closer—it felt amorous.

It felt right like he belonged there.

He wants to belong there, for a long time.

Minho’s insides were burning.

He didn’t know why but it felt so... temporary, whatever he had right now. He wished it wasn’t. He really, really wished it wasn’t.

He liked this.

He liked whatever the three of them had right now, he’d be fine to have something more... more official, more real, more permanent, more... just more?

It’s quite a big deal for Minho to be thinking this way, for Minho to want something permanent, something that doesn't change...

Minho absolutely hates changes yet is always changing. Changing his house and his job and his general outlook towards life, he changes it so often that its exhausting.

For someone who believes in following a strict routine, Minho kept on changing his routine as well.

Change Change Change Changechangehangechange.

All he wants is stationary.

Even if what Minho has right now is not more, it was fine as long as it wasn’t less... and as long as it wasn't disappearing.

He's so insanely selfish. He hates himself for being this selfish.

But he continues being this selfish and also continues hating himself.

He didn’t want to mess this up. He wanted to belong here.

He wondered how long this would last, how long he could feel comfortable here before he decided this too, was too much for him that he NEEDED to leave, and that he NEEDED to change his life again.

It always happens.

A routine.

But this routine Minho wishes to not follow, this one routine he hates, this one routine is always, always, always fucking with him.

It always does but this time Minho is going to beg it to not.

He's followed this routine before, constantly changed houses and jobs and priorities and dreams and habits and beliefs and everything, his whole life.

But it never seemed to get better for him.

He always had to change it again, and again, and AGAIN.

It’s been impossible for him to be stationary, to be settled, to belong somewhere, even though that's all he wants.

He yearns to just... stay.

And staying HERE, particularly, is what he wants the most right now.

“Hyung? Hyung?” Minho sees hands flailing around in front of his eyes.

What?

Oh, he zoned out.

“Y-yes” he sits up straight, and feels calmer when he hears the other two snicker.

“Hyung are you even watching the movie?” Jeongin asks, poking his cheek.

“Sorry... got lost in thought...” he apologizes, he feels bad for not paying attention to the movie that Hyunjin and Jeongin were so excited to watch.

“it's okay” the youngest assures him, “yeah plus the movie’s not really living up to its hype...” Hyunjin adds, a little disappointed.

It wasn’t a surprise Hyunjin didn’t find sci-fci interesting... he’s more of a romantic guy, and prefers watching K-dramas and movies from the 2010-era anyways.

Jeongin on the other hand wasn’t much of a movie guy in general, which is weird because the three always spend their weekend watching movies together. Jeongin probably only agrees to it for the cuddle session, Minho figures.

“I’m hungry”

“We just had dinner like barely an hour ago?” Hyunjin eyes the maknae.

“Yeah, well an hour is too long, its 60 minutes for god's sake”

“You cannot be hungry; you ate like double of what I and Minho Hyung ate combined-”

“I'm not hungry as in the starving kind” Jeongin cuts Hyunjin off, “I'm hungry as in the bored kinda hungry” He explains it to Hyunjin, who’s definitely not understanding.

Jeongin’s hungry...  It’s Minho’s cue.

He gets up from the cuddle puddle, walking over to the kitchen almost instinctively, that is, until Hyunjin gets a hold of his hand, pulling him back slightly so he’s standing in front of the two of them.

He looks at them confused; they stare back.

“Washroom?” Hyunjin asks curiously, Minho has no idea why he’s been asked that question right now.

“uhh... no?” he says unsure of what to say, “kitchen...” he continues, not knowing what to expect. “Just gonna fix a snack for Jeongin since he said he was hungry...”

Jeongin and Hyunjin exchange glances.

Is he doing something wrong? What's with the sudden weird tension? He doesn’t know what he’s done but whatever it is, it doesn’t make sense for them to deny him to go to the kitchen for it.

He's pulled back to sit in between them again, but this time they're not cuddling... just sitting.

“There’s no need,” Jeongin says softly.

“But you’re hungry?”

“Yes but ‘I’m’ hungry... so I'll make myself something to eat. You can rest.” Jeongin says sweetly, his dimples appearing.

“Hyung, aren’t you bored being in the kitchen all day?” Hyunjin questions, “Like, aren’t you fed up looking at the ingredients and the utensils and everything? I know I would be...”

Minho just laughs at that because it was a joke.

Right?

“I’m not in the kitchen for that long y’know... it's just breakfast and dinner...” Minho says matter-of-factly.

“You are technically making only two meals a day, but that's 14 times in a week, and it's been three weeks so that's 42 times in total, and well considering you take an average of 3 hours for each meal that is 126 hours...”

“...”

Minho doesn’t know what to say to this.

“you’ve spent 126 hours in the kitchen since you’ve been here...” Jeongin goes on, finally finishing what he was saying.

“Okay...”

Okay. What does one say to this?

“Why did you just calculate this?” Hyunjin’s just as confused.

“Don't know,” Jeongin shrugs, “just thought adding numbers and all would make the talk seem more serious...”

Hyunjin face-palms himself.

Minho is lost. He’s so fucking lost right now.

“What talk?” he asks softly.

“The talk we’re about to have right now,” Jeongin says.

“And what is that...?”

Jeongin looks at Hyunjin for help, Hyunjin just glares at him.

“What and why are you even saying all this crap to him? Are you stupid?!” Hyunjin whispers and yells at Jeongin, rightfully so, going behind Minho’s back to get closer to Jeongin.

Minho can hear them, and ever since he found out they wanna ‘talk’ to him, his anxiety’s been skyrocketing.

After a few more minutes of Hyunjin scolding Jeongin, he finally sat back straight up and turned towards Minho.

“Hyung ignore whatever Jeongin just said right now...” he says pinching his nose bridge.

“we’re just worried about how much work you’re doing around the house...”

Minho was still confused, but now he’s also worried.

“Do you guys not like the way I do things? Like do you guys clean differently-”

“No Hyung no, you’re fine that way, great actually...” Hyunjin says instantly to prevent Minho from overthinking, “It’s just that you’re doing mostly all of the household chores y’know...” Hyunjin says awkwardly, “Cooking, cleaning, laundry, everything...” he continues, treading carefully, “and me and Jeongin are obviously very, very grateful, but... it’s really not necessary for you to do everything....”

Minho’s just listening. What else can he do anyway?

“Hyung trust me when I say that I never thought I'd have this conversation...  that I'd be telling my roommate to do LESS work...” Jeongin adds, and this gets a weak chuckle of out a stressed Minho.

“Like we’ve had uncomfortable conversations with our previous roommate and among ourselves too,” Jeongin says, pointing between himself and Hyunjin, “about the total opposite—no one willing to do the chores... so this is quite a new topic for us to talk about too...”

Minho just nods, to at least show that he’s listening, even though he’s not really understanding what the problem is right now.

He decides to be bold and just ask.

“W-what’s the problem...? Sorry, I don't seem to get it...” Minho says timidly.

So much for being bold.

But it's fine since he doesn’t have to be bold, Hyunjin and Jeongin take timid Minho just as seriously as they would bold Minho.

“there’s not really a problem per se... But we just feel it's unfair... to you.”

“I don't really mind although-”

“Yes, but we also don't want you overworking-”

“I'm not overworking though, after all, I don't do anything else at ho-”

“Then you should rest or go out and have fun... there’s no reason for you to spend the whole day just doing boring chores which you aren't even supposed to be doing alone-”

“It honestly doesn't take the whole day-”

“Please Hyung, you spend the majority of time doing chores and in the other few free hours you’re too tired to do anything else...”

The three of them keep on cutting each other off, going back and forth non-stop.

Minho’s getting more stressed by the way the conversation turns out.

“that’s not-”

“-and frankly I don't even get why you have to clean the whole house every single day, 'cause like honestly even once every three days is more than enough, not to mention we should take turns every week for the cleaning too...” Jeongin cuts him off, again.

“you guys are tired from your jobs-”

“That's not a problem; it's not like we haven’t done this before... we’re used to cleaning after coming back from work y’know... and really it's not something you should worry about-”

“But comparatively I'm more free so I should-”

“No Hyung no” Jeongin insists.

“Hyung even if we work jobs and you’re freer it doesn't matter, in fact, if anything we should be doing more chores since you’re paying double what you actually should for the apartment rent...” Hyunjin points out.

“you're already doing more than enough y’know...” The youngest adds, nodding at what Hyunjin said.

Minho can’t even count how many times he’s been cut off. They weren’t giving him a chance to speak at all and it was slightly frustrating.

Even more frustrating because he couldn't say anything to them, since technically, they were right.

Minho's doing more work than he’s supposed to, more work than he should. But that's because he’s used to it, used to doing more work.

His co-workers, his boss, his ‘friends’... They’ve given Minho their work so many times that at some point they forgot that it’s a favor that Minho’s doing, that it’s not his job.

Not like Minho ever said anything, forget confronting them about their actions, Minho didn’t even complain about not getting a ‘thank you’ in return.

He can’t say no, he can’t deny doing a favor for someone else, he finds himself offering to do the work most of the time, and he does not seem to understand when the line is crossed and when he’s overworking himself instead of just working.

It's a thin, blurred, line that Minho is never able to make out, that Minho always oversteps and then later finds himself tired and exhausted, and then ends up blaming himself for not being able to do even a little bit of ‘work’.

“I’m just doing enough... it’s not extr-”

“It is”

Can't they let him speak? Is it necessary for him to be cut off EVERY. SINGLE. TIME?

He feels targeted, Hyunjin and Jeongin are both staring at him.

He’s getting cornered.

He knows they don’t mean any harm to him but they’re still harming him.

Why do they have to bring this up anyway? Minho’s doing fine right now so why bring this up? He likes doing the work, why can’t they just understand that? He WANTS to do it so why can’t they just let him do it? Why is it such a big deal?

It's not.

They’re making it a big deal, and that’s pissing Minho off.

He tries again, calmly, “I like doing things-”

“Do you? Or do you just not know how to stop?” Jeongin says.

Stop cutting him off.

“I do, really I-”

“It’s not true, you know it’s not. You just can’t stop yourself, can you?”

Stop cutting him off.

Minho’s getting pissed, he’s getting erratic. He gets up from where he is sitting between them, moving to stand in front of them, slightly away.

He just hopes he gets a chance to speak this time.

“I do-”

“Hyung...”

Minho’s reached his breaking point.

“I DO!” his voice is loud, sharp, uncharacteristic, “If I don't then who will?” he continues, he’s losing it. “I like doing this!” lies, lies straight through his teeth, “I don't know what else to do other than this! How am I supposed to just not do things? How do I just depend on someone else to help make or do the work instead when it’s never gone right that way!” Minho feels his body heat up, he knows he’s messing everything up again like he always does.

He looks up to see Hyunjin flinch, while Jeongin stares at him wide-eyed.

He's messing things up.

Minho’s breathing is heavy, his shoulders trembling, he forces his voice to get lower, and his heart clenches the more they stare at him.

“I- I’m used to this, so you guys don't need to worry... just- just let me be and let me do things,” he says, burying his face in his hands, “please, just... please” he cringes over how pathetic he sounds, he hates this.

“Hyung...” Jeongin tries again, “Hyung calm down...”

Minho hates how he’s worrying them; he hates how he just spoiled the whole mood in a matter of minutes, only because he can’t accept the truth.

“Sorry...”

“there’s no need to apologize, we aren’t angry at you for lashing out...” Hyunjin says, his comforting voice making Minho’s skin crawl.

He just stands in front of them, head hung low, he feels terrible.

He shouldn’t have gotten angry, he shouldn’t have started screaming, he shouldn’t have taken out his frustration on them. They didn’t deserve this; they did nothing wrong.

Minho knows. He knows they’re right but just because he knows they’re right doesn’t mean he can just stop himself from doing what he’s always done.

It’s a routine.

Minho is a routine follower.

“c’mere” Jeongin says softly, pulling him back, settling him in between them.

They're holding him like he’s fragile, he's not but he doesn’t hate this... not as much as he normally would. Maybe because it's Jeongin and Hyunjin.

It’s fine to let himself feel weak occasionally... right?

“Hyung why’re you like this?” the directness of the question by the youngest makes Minho feel sick. He notices how Hyunjin glares at Jeongin too, but he knows he should just answer the question instead of beating around the bush.

Why is he like this?

Like what?

Are they asking how he turned out the way he is right now?

Well, there are many reasons why he is like ‘this’.

‘This’ as in the fact that he willingly does all the work? No.

It's not his willingness, if he thinks deeply about it, it’s more of a defense mechanism.

If he just does all the work, whether it's his or not, then the people around him wouldn’t bother him, wouldn’t think of him badly, maybe, just maybe even like him a little...

But he was wrong.

It caused nothing but problems, and Minho was taken advantage of by everyone in his office.

He worked overtime every day, working on projects that weren’t even his. Without any credit or gratitude whatsoever.

That is why he changed his job every time, changed the department in his office if not the job, but whatever it was, he always did change—leave, start anew, ‘help’ someone again, get caught ‘helping’ everyone in the office mandatorily.

He doesn’t know how it happens every single time to him. No matter how much he tries to not let anyone use him this time, it always ends up the same.

He must be the problem then, he figures. He must have the face of someone who’s used to people walking all over him, used to being taken advantage of, used to not fighting back.

Minho can’t even get angry at anyone for thinking this way because it's true.

He hates himself.

If only he was a bit more confident, a bit braver, and if he had even the slightest amount of courage to at the very least TRY to voice out his opinions then maybe things would be different for him right now.

And at some point, all of this got so overwhelming, the constant change and the work and the disrespect, that he was burnout.

Burnout, but he still couldn’t leave... at least not until he finished the current project he was working on. The project that belonged to his senior, that he was ‘helping’ him on.

He finished the 100-page thesis in less than a week, sacrificing his sleep and appetite, after all, it was his senior’s important research project which needed to be perfect, perfect so that he could get the raise he wanted.

Minho couldn’t say no to helping him, he couldn’t just tell him to do his own work, even though that's what he wanted to do... but since ‘a junior should always help his senior’ was given as the reason before he was dumped with the work, he had to do it.

Not like he wouldn’t do it even if he wasn’t given a reason, he would. But a reason made him feel slightly less of an object.

He just did as he was told and watched as his efforts helped his senior rise in his post, watched as he took all the credit and not once even mentioned Minho’s name, not like Minho particularly cared, but really even a thankyou would make him feel acknowledged, appreciated, happy, REAL.

He feels like an old machine in the corner of his office most of the time.

Maybe he just doesn't deserve even a simple, plain thank you.

He took a break from his job as soon as he got the chance. After he finished a big project, he begged his boss and professors to let him all the days off, which he’s saved up in the past 4 years, together, all at once.

That wasn't allowed. So, he resorted to begging, until they had pity on him and let him take 5 months off...

He shifted here knowing he had only 5 months.

He doesn’t plan on going back.

He doesn’t plan on leaving.

He'll figure out what to do when the time comes, but for now, he has no plans to move back to Seoul again, he’d rather quit his job permanently, no matter how hard that is, but he can’t go back.

So, back to Jeongin’s question of why he is like ‘this’, ‘this’ as in a pathetic pushover.

“It probably stemmed from my people-pleasing tendencies...” he replies finally, making them wait for quite some time while he figures out the things in his head.

“I’ve never had a lot of friends... like ever...” he continues, “Even in school, I only talked to Hyunjin and maybe a couple more classmates, but they weren’t really friends, they were just classmates... So, Hyunjin was my only friend...” Minho’s a bit embarrassed, because how does one have only a single friend for most of his school life?

He’s prepared to be mocked, prepared to hear a few snickers.

But he doesn’t. Of course, he doesn’t, Jeongin and Hyunjin would never make fun of him for something like this... out of everyone, he’s sure they wouldn’t.

Now he feels bad for even thinking that they’d be this cruel.

Great.

He can feel Hyunjin staring at him, he knows Hyunjin feels bad about not contacting him when Minho went to college, but he really doesn’t blame him. He knows it’s not rare for people to drift apart if they don’t see each other much.

He really doesn’t blame Hyunjin, he really doesn’t want Hyunjin to feel guilty, but... he doesn’t know what to say, whatever he says to Hyunjin right now would make things awkward... and that’s the last thing he wants.

So, Minho continues with answering the question.

“Then I went through college without having to interact with anyone, couldn’t get close to my roommate either since... well... we just didn’t click.” he doesn't say more about his college experience, Hyunjin and Jeongin don’t pressure him to speak either, this is the only time he’s ever felt comfortable to open up.

While in college Minho thought this was the worst it could get until he experienced working a job.

Working a job sucked out the remainder of his soul. The same seemed to happen to Hyunjin and Jeongin, as they continued listening to Minho.

“Hyung... are you okay?” Hyunjin asks him once he’s done.

Is he okay? Of course, he is.

So, he replies normally, “yeah”

He notices the concern etched across their faces—eyebrows furrowed, eyes widened, a frown creeping its way up to their mouths.

He knows why they feel like this, it makes sense for them to be worried about Minho after all that’s happened since Minho doesn’t realize what the problem is... But... he doesn’t really do much about it... in fact, he chooses to ignore it and do as much as he can to avoid more problems.

He's an avoider. A chronic avoider.

Hyunjin and Jeongin exchange glances, before practically ingulfing Minho into a hug.

Neither of them speaks or questions him more about it, he gets why they won't. Minho probably looks like he’s on the verge of a breakdown... so asking him to speak more would not be helping the situation much.

The three of them know they can talk about it later though, since they’ve got the time to, why bombard Minho with the heavy responsibility of speaking all at once... They wouldn’t be that heartless.

And anyway, they’d both much rather hold Minho like this in their arms, close to their body, and provide him with the comfort he’s lacked over the years.

They plan on giving him as much comfort as they can, as much as he deserves, and he deserves a lot.

“You don’t need to cook for us all the time y’know,” Hyunjin says softly, “I know you won’t listen, but Hyung really, we’d much rather have you rested and comfortable at home rather than have you move around so much and make us meals for an entire day, every day.

Minho normally gets defensive at things like these, but this time he doesn’t. This time he feels his shoulders lighten; burdens lifted.

“Hyung, as much as I love how attractive you look while greeting me each time I come home, wearing your cat apron... I'd rather you use it for a sexy housewife roleplay, than do so much housework and tire yourself out...”

Jeongin whispers into his ears, his voice hot and heavy, Minho feels a shiver go down his spine.

Minho’s blushing, he knows he is, and it’s confirmed when Hyunjin lightly pinches his very red ears, laughing along with Jeongin at how flustered Minho gets.

“You can’t say that and expect me to not react like this...” Minho whines, and then regrets, because now they’re just teasing him more.

“Aww... sorry is our Hyung all angry at us now...”

“Our cute little Hyung, we won’t tease you so much now, okay?”

Literally, they’re teasing him while saying that.

“You guys are such brats,” Minho says rolling his eyes, earning a smirk from both his younger roommates.

“Oh, are we now? And you think you’re not?” Jeongin replies, hooking his finger under Minho’s chin and making him look up at them.

“Wha-?” Minho’s quite surprised, “How am I a brat! I do everything you guys say, don’t I?”

He notices their smirk widen; their low snickering.

Oh-

It was a trap.

“Yes, you do everything we say...” Hyunjin says smugly, “So obedient...” The other one chimes in on the teasing as well.

Minho’s embarrassed, his already red face turning brighter, he feels Hyunjin’s hands snake up to his waist, holding him firmly, “Hyung... you look so cute right now... can I?” he asks, his gaze falling on Minho’s lips.

Can he what? Minho can guess but he’d rather hear him say it.

“Hm? What?” he asks softly, ‘innocently’.

Jeongin grins, “kiss you” he replies for Hyunjin, “he wants to, and so do I”

The oldest didn’t expect such a direct answer, and now he could feel his heartbeat fasten; he could feel the way his heart was pounding against his chest.

He nods without wasting another second.

Hyunjin leans in the second he gets the green light, his lips capturing Minho’s in a slow, enticing kiss which gradually turns deeper and more demanding as Hyunjin pulls him by the waist with one hand, the other one entangling in his hair.

Minho groaned softly, he’s never felt this way before, he’s never kissed anyone before and he was sure it was obvious, he could tell Hyunjin knew he was inexperienced by the way he was guiding him and not complaining about how sloppy the kiss was.

Minho likes this sloppy kiss.

Hyunjin tugged at Minho’s hair, pulling his head back to an angle more convenient for him, Minho’s breathe hitches, but he was calm again once he felt Jeongin’s hands holding Hyunjin’s which had a grip on his hair, making him loosen his hold.

“Jinnie Hyung your grip’s too tight” Jeongin’s voice was soft, so tender and caring, Minho felt heat rise within his body, “It’s okay I don't mind-”

“Sorry, got a lil too excited,” Hyunjin says smirking, pressing soft, warm kisses on Minho’s neck.

Jeongin shifts to face Minho too, his hands gripping his thighs and pulling him closer onto his lap, Hyunjin lets Minho go, moving to bury his face on Jeongin’s back, “Jeongin-ah let's move to the bedroom...” he says softly, Jeongin smirks.

“We will Hyung... but I need to get my share first...” he adds, eyeing Minho almost predatorily.

Minho gulps and Jeongin laughs at how nervous he is.

“Don't be nervous love, unlike Hyunjin Hyung here, I'm very gentle-”

“No, you’re not!” Hyunjin retaliates.

“To Minho Hyung, I am” Jeongin replies, “I can't be rough with him, he’s too precious...”

Minho’s heart beats faster, he feels giddy all over, and he wants Jeongin closer.

“Why the unfair difference in treatments?” Hyunjin pouts.

Jeongin’s attention is back on Minho from Hyunjin when he feels arms snake around his neck—Minho pulls him closer.

Jeongin smirks, “Another eager one, huh?” he grins, he loves how Minho’s acting, and he loves how Hyunjin’s acting.

Jeongin loves how they both cling to him for attention.

“Hyung, can I taste you?” Jeongin asks courteously, his hand resting on Minho’s thigh, as he sat on his lap.

Of course, Minho says yes, he’s been wanting to ever since the start.

Jeongin slowly moves closer to Minho, teasing him, unlike Hyunjin who dived in.

But Minho’s impatient, he whines softly until Jeongin finally gives in to his cute protests, joining their lips together, instantly deepening the kiss.

Hyunjin’s eager too.

His arms wrap around Jeongin’s, going from his back to his chest, as he presses soft kisses on his nape.

It's so intimate, the moment the three of them are sharing.

No jealousy, no malice, just pure mutual desire—desire that runs deep in their veins.

They need each other to a level that is beyond physical intimacy.

Their souls intertwine, merging and fusing until they coalesce into a shared existence.

Minho pulls back from the kiss after what seems like forever, gasping for breath while Jeongin turns to give his other Hyung some attention, petting his head softly and kissing his forehead.

Hyunjin groans softly, nuzzling into Jeongin’s back.

Minho does the same, resting his head against Jeongin’s chest.

The youngest just laughs affectionately, “Such a needy bunch...” his tone nothing short of fond amusement; he wraps his arms around his Hyungs', pulling them both closer, running his hand through their hair gently, his dimples appearing as he notices how soft they both grow in his touch.

“Am I really the youngest here?” he teases them, mostly Hyunjin since he knows Hyunjin’s going to get more affected by his comments.

“I am your Hyung, no matter what you say-”

“No, I am your Hyung-” Jeongin says just to tease him, he knows Hyunjin’s going to lose it.

“Yang Jeongin! How can you say something so disrespectful?” Hyunjin replies, shocked, as he smacks the youngest’s shoulder.

Jeongin doesn’t flinch even a bit, just laughing at Hyunjin. Minho joins him too.

Hyunjin gives up, going back to resting against Jeongin’s back.

The three of them stay cuddled up the whole night, shifting to Hyunjin’s room later, on his demand, sharing soft, slow, and messy kisses.

The first time the three of them felt complete, felt whole, felt like they belonged here and here alone.

It’s been more than 5 months, and like Minho had decided earlier, he didn’t leave. Instead, with his boyfriends’ (plural) support, he asked the company to let him work from home. And by ‘asked’ he means mildly blackmail his boss (Jeongin and Hyunjin’s plan obviously) by threatening to reveal to everyone how all his work was done by Minho, and that he’s done nothing but take credit for it—to which the boss finally agreed to his demand, slightly angry and nervous, but Minho really didn’t care anymore. He’s learning to prioritize himself now.

The three of their lives have become more domestic now, they eat breakfast together, take turns cleaning the house, and pick draws to decide who gets the TV, Minho still cooks them dinner, but instead of thinking of it as something he has to do, he does it out of his adoration with his two dosaengs. They spend the nights together, cuddled up on one of their beds, inseparable and so in love.

Minho would trade everything in his life for this, and them—Hyunjin and Jeongin.

He loves them, he loves them and they love him back and that’s all Minho ever wants.

126 hours too many got him here—and he wouldn’t change the exhaustion and pain for anything else, as long as it meant he’d end up with them.