you're here pt.ii [exo]
title: you're here [pt. ii]
author: himawarixxsandz
rating: pg-13
pairing(s): xiuhan, lukai, xiuyeol
summary: would we have changed?
a/n: i said it would only be 2 parts i was kidding haha /cries/
[ part one] [part two] [ part three]
Luhan always goes out for drinks with Zitao and Sehun on the first Saturday night of every month, and tonight, Zitao brings Jongin. Sehun and Jongin are all over each other, laughing and hugging and flirting, from not having seen each other in at least two years because of Jongin’s move. Zitao watches the two of them in amusement, chatting in rapid Mandarin to Luhan on the side. They drink until the busy hours of the bar dwindle down to just them and a few other quieter groups in each of the corners.
There’s no one else at the bar, only a few of the tables are occupied, by the time Zitao and Sehun are drunk enough to start hanging off of each other.
“It’s always those two,” Jongin smiles, as he and Luhan send Zitao and Sehun off in a taxi with the address to Zitao’s apartment. If a friend who hasn’t seen Sehun in two years and has only recently been reunited with Zitao can tell how obviously those two love each other, Luhan thinks that Jongdae’s previously ridiculous predictions might just turn out to be true after all.
“Even back then?” Luhan asks, and Jongin seems surprisingly steady even after the younger man had kept pace with Zitao earlier at the bar. Jongin insisted on walking Luhan home since the younger man said his apartment was nearby anyway.
“Especially back then,” Jongin grins. “My first day at the office, I asked Zitao if he was dating Sehunie yet.”
Luhan laughs. “Is that why he was screaming at you across the floor?”
“You heard?” Jongin hid his widening smile behind his hand sheepishly.
“The entire company heard,” Luhan blinks.
Jongin grins again.
He walks Luhan up all the way to the older man’s door, pausing as Luhan presses in the code and unlocks his door. Luhan isn’t that drunk. Jongin doesn’t seem that drunk. And yet, the older man turns in his doorway, looking up into Jongin’s eyes, and asks simply, “D’you want to come in?”
(and all Luhan can think about is Park Chanyeol and how easily Minseok answered I like him)
“Sunbaenim-” Jongin swallows, suddenly nervous, one step back.
Luhan catches the younger man by the hand before he can take a second step back. “Hyung,” Luhan instructs with a smile full of intent-the sort of smile that Luhan knows will have Jongin curled around him, warm and sleepy tomorrow morning while Luhan thinks about what to cook for breakfast.
“Luhan-hyung,” Jongin says faintly, and Luhan easily pulls the younger man in through the doorway.
The door slams shut with Luhan pressing Jongin’s back against it.
There’s no one else on the floor, and Minseok is just packing up when Chanyeol kisses him.
Minseok has just turned in the last of the papers for next week’s trial to the senior partner he’s working with-late, late at night, with most everyone else having already left to go home. Even the senior partner is already gone, and Minseok can only put the papers in the woman’s office for her to look over Monday morning. There isn’t supposed to be anyone else left on the floor, but Chanyeol is there, and Minseok doesn’t have time to blink or breathe, hands hovering over his briefcase, when Chanyeol’s lips catch his-warm and unfamiliar.
When Chanyeol pulls away seconds later, the first thing Minseok does is collapse over his desk because, “Fuck-I think I shit a brick, Park Chanyeol.” Minseok clutches a hand over his heart, and tries to calm his terrified heart. He literally thought there was no one else on the floor other than himself, and Chanyeol has always had a habit of sneaking up unnoticed.
The younger man is just laughing (fuck him).
“You like me that much?” Chanyeol grins.
“You scared me that much,” Minseok snaps, but all he has to do is look at the other associate-nose wrinkling, every single tooth on display with how wide he always grins, deep eyes curved and amused-and it’s hard to stay irritated.
Chanyeol takes Minseok’s briefcase into his own hand as soon as the older man closes the latches. The younger man’s hands are so large, he easily holds his own briefcase and Minseok’s in a single hand. “Since I’m really scary,” Chanyeol says, and they start on their way towards the elevators, “how about I keep away the monsters until you get to your car, and then you can tell me your address so I can pick you up for our café date on Sunday.”
The elevator doors close with Minseok pressing the button for the garage level with his elbow. He leans close to Chanyeol against the wall, their sides touching and Minseok likes how much he has to tilt his head up to meet the other man’s eyes at this distance. “We have a café date on Sunday?”
“That’s what boyfriends do, right?” Chanyeol’s grin is challenging and playful and teasing and coy, and Minseok does like him.
fall for me the way i can’t fall for you
He loops his arms around Chanyeol’s neck, on his toes slightly to press their lips together again for a bit longer than before-a little bit deeper, a little warmer. “Among other things,” Minseok says, and gives a smile that’s more gums than teeth-one that has his cheeks bunching and eyes curving.
Luhan catches Minseok around the waist the moment the lawyer steps through Luhan’s door. They tumble to the floor and Minseok just barely avoids landing face first on Luhan’s sandals. He’s not lucky enough that he can prevent scraping his elbow against the front of Luhan’s sneakers right beside the sandals though, and Minseok appropriately punches Luhan in the stomach, shoving him away with feeling for tackling the lawyer like that. “What if I was holding doughnuts?” Minseok snaps, rolling away from Luhan until he’s a safe enough distance to brush himself off and stand up.
“Why would you be holding doughnuts?” Luhan stays seated on the floor.
“What if,” Minseok challenges again anyway and plops down onto Luhan’s couch.
Luhan snorts, getting up and walks to the kitchen, rummaging around the fridge for drinks. “You have a boyfriend,” Luhan singsongs when he emerges, carrying a bottle of raspberry tea for Minseok and a glass of Pepsi for himself.
“You deserve to be carded,” Minseok says, opening the tea. “Mentally, you’re fifteen.”
Luhan sighs, sprawling his legs across Minseok’s lap. “At least I’ll always be young and beautiful.”
Minseok shoves Luhan’s legs off, pressing the icy condensation of the tea bottle against Luhan’s bare arm. The journalist lets out a short screech, reflexively punching out with his free hand in Minseok’s direction. “And annoying.”
“You keep me around a lot for someone you think is so annoying,” Luhan says, purposefully blinking his lashes in the way that Minseok knows the journalist knows makes the lawyer want to splash sticky iced tea all over his face.
“Same reason Jongin seems to want you around,” Minseok says around a sip of tea, “you’re pretty.”
Luhan laughs. “Ouch-I almost believed you there for a second.” Their eyes meet and Minseok smiles back, reaching out and slapping Luhan’s face with the back of his hand lightly. Luhan’s laughter bubbles out again at that. “You tell me about Chanyeol-I’ll tell you how Kim Jongin has sex.”
Minseok raises his eyebrows. “So-”
“Yeah,” the journalist shrugs, an absent sort of half-smile on his face. “I mean-we don’t really know each other. And ‘m not really in for it these days.” Minseok doesn’t know if Luhan’s next words are because of the confused concern on the lawyer’s face or if Luhan just wanted to bring the conversation away from dangerous waters. “C’mon,” Luhan says playfully, “now that you’re all committed, I need to find someone else to spend my lonely nights with.”
“What about your lonely days?” Minseok teases, and he doesn’t like the ripple of familiar emotion that runs through him at those words.
But Luhan just looks into Minseok’s eyes, something hidden and intent in the journalist’s gaze. Minseok feels the smile on his face falter as Luhan continues to gaze at him like that, before looking away and lowering his eyes, an odd smile twisting the journalist’s own lips. Luhan glances over again at Minseok. “The days aren’t too bad.” And with the way Luhan covers that with a smile, it’s supposed to be as light as Minseok had voiced the question but Minseok can’t stop the way his heart tightens in his chest.
He watches the way Jongin’s bronze chest rises and falls, a tangle of sheets and blankets covering him from the waist down. Luhan lies on his stomach, chin pillowed on his arms as he waits for Jongin’s eyes to flutter open, taking in the sights of Luhan’s room-the soccer posters, the framed articles, the scattered draft prints, numerous files stacked on the desk, his laptop in a chair. He supposes that these are all considerably familiar to Jongin now. It’s been at least a month since they started sleeping together.
Luhan hasn’t been to Jongin’s apartment.
He likes sex with Jongin. He likes palming Jongin’s supple skin, the younger man’s wiry muscles. He likes kissing Jongin’s full lips, likes feeling them around his cock, mouthing at the base of his throat. He likes Jongin above and over him, hips thrusting into Luhan slow and maddening. He likes wrapping his thighs around the younger man’s waist, riding Jongin with the younger man leaning back against the pillows, one large hand gripping Luhan’s hip. He likes sex with Jongin-likes being fucked by Jongin because it’s so vastly different from sex with Minseok that Luhan doesn’t have to worry about calling out the lawyer’s name.
They’re closer at work now. Luhan drops by Jongin’s cubicle even when Zitao isn’t there nowadays. Jongin keeps asking if Luhan wants to join him for a lunch break, and Luhan wishes he could say yes every single time because of Jongin’s smile-broad and open and attractive and warm and friendly. But Luhan finds that he can only eat lunch with Jongin when a particular lawyer from the firm across the street is too preoccupied with an upcoming court date.
When Jongin’s eyes open, they find Luhan staring at him and the younger man bursts into embarrassed laughter. “That’s creepy, hyung,” Jongin says.
“Mm,” Luhan hums, sitting up and stretching, arms over his head, bending from side to side. He feels Jongin’s warm gaze on him. “What do you want for breakfast?”
Minseok notices that whenever Chanyeol reads, he has to have something between his teeth-the eraser on the tip of a pencil, the end of a pen, one of his own fingers, a bookmark, a highlighter cap. The younger man’s eyelids are getting heavy by just the fourth hour of their research, and admittedly, they’re going at this early on a Saturday morning right after a late night of driving around town, drinks, and sex on Minseok’s living room floor. Chanyeol had been promptly incredulous and being shoved out of Minseok’s bed, still naked, and dragged into the shower, where Minseok thoroughly convinced the younger man that it really is beneficial for them to get a head start on the research they need to do for the partner heading this case on a Saturday.
To be honest, Minseok isn’t even sure Chanyeol actually consented, but Chanyeol’s mumbles around Minseok’s cock sounded close enough to agreement.
“Do we need to take a break?” Minseok asks, playfully poking Chanyeol’s cheek.
Chanyeol vigorously shakes his head like a dog, and his eyes struggle to look awake when he glances up at Minseok with a grin. “You kidding me, hyung? Let’s do this nonstop ‘til Monday.”
Minseok grins back. “That’s a shame,” he says. “Here I was hoping we could do other things ‘til Monday.”
Chanyeol blinks as Minseok rests a leg against Chanyeol’s beneath the table. “Like that thing in the shower?”
The older man laughs at the way Chanyeol’s deep voice cracks a little on thing. “I did a lot of things in the shower.”
“The thing with your thighs,” Chanyeol says, face straight as his ears turn scarlet, “and the shower head and the wall.”
Minseok pushes up against his chair with one foot, palms on the table and mouth pressing against Chanyeol’s. He kisses the younger man long and slow, waiting until Chanyeol parts his lips, head tilting and deepening it until Minseok is pushed back. Chanyeol catches the other man’s face with one large hand, holding their lips together and Minseok lets his tongue flicker into Chanyeol’s mouth. Minseok pulls away just as Chanyeol starts climbing onto the chair to lean over the table even further.
Their breaths are a little short now, and Chanyeol looks somewhere between amused and confused. “See if you can find anything else in that,” Minseok points to the book Chanyeol still has open, “and then we can take a shower.”
Chanyeol plops back down in his seat looking forlorn and determined.
Minseok laughs.
And Chanyeol is young and fun and funny and fun to be with and fun to kiss and fun to have sex with, and he’s nothing like Luhan and that’s all Minseok wants.
Minseok notices that something isn’t right when he nearly trips over Luhan’s laptop in the entryway of the journalist’s apartment. The lawyer had let himself in, a bag of piping hot, fried fishcake in one hand and a tray of bubble tea balanced in the other, for a late Sunday afternoon pig-out before the work week began. Both of them have a hard few days ahead with Minseok heading to court on Monday, and all the departments turning their final drafts into Luhan before the new issue is sent out to print.
“Luhan-ah?” Minseok calls, toeing off his shoes and stepping over the various piles of paper stacked and scattered all over the hall leading into the living room and kitchen. He drops by the dining room, and has to shove away two large binders onto a chair before there’s enough room for him to put the food down. Luhan’s apartment has never been neat-Luhan’s side of his dorm had never been neat, and when they lived together, Minseok could finish off an entire bottle of aspirin during spring cleaning week.
Luhan was never organized, but he was never this messy either.
Minseok sees socks in the kitchen sink.
He’s debating whether it’s safe to be breathing the air in the apartment when Luhan emerges from the bathroom, the door bouncing off the wall from the force that Luhan slams it open with. The journalist has another laptop balanced in one arm, and a thick sheaf of papers held in the other. There’s blue toothpaste in the journalist’s hair and Luhan is living up to his name more than ever right now, looking literally like a deer caught in headlights. “Minseok-ah,” he breathes. “Hi. Did you text? Didn’t know you were coming.”
The lawyer digs his teeth deep into his bottom lip, swallowing down the laughter and settling for an amused smile instead as he comes forward and takes the laptop and papers from Luhan’s hands. Luhan blinks dazedly, squinting slightly as if he hasn’t seen proper sunlight in a few days-judging from the closed blinds and curtains, he probably hasn’t. The journalist is wearing one yellow ankle sock and one red crew sock. His gray t-shirt is rumpled, half of it tucked haphazardly into his mesh shorts. It looks like he hasn’t shaved for at least two days.
He looks terrible and adorable, and Minseok turns away, putting the laptop and papers down before he does something stupid.
kiss him
During university, Luhan would spend weeks at a time locked in his dorm, editing and writing before a big deadline, only emerging when absolutely had no more food or water left. He’d look like a survivor story, eyes unfocused but expression utterly content as he waved his finished prints in one hand and his battery-dead laptop in his other. It hadn’t changed when they’d lived together, and by then, Minseok easily navigated through the weeks that Luhan ceased to be a fully functioning human being. He’d have ramen and coffee on the table by the time Luhan came out of his cave, ready to brush his teeth and shave and they’d kiss until Luhan’s stomach grumbled too loudly to ignore.
Wufan couldn’t stand it, being Luhan’s roommate. It drove Junmyeon and Kyungsoo mad with how Luhan wouldn’t eat for days at a time. And Baekhyun’s judging glower was neverending when Minseok had sheepishly admitted, “It’s kind of cute.”
“C’mon,” Minseok says, and struggles to keep the laughter from bubbling up as he guides Luhan into a seat at the dining table. Luhan stares down the box of steaming fishcake Minseok opens up in front of him. “Eat.”
Luhan uses the chopsticks that came with the takeaway, digging in and stuffing his mouth with the burning pieces as Minseok pushes the bubble tea to him as well. The lawyer perches on the edge of the table and watches Luhan scarf the food down. “Why is this so good?” Luhan asks, mouth so full that he’s barely comprehensible. “New place?”
“When was the last time you ate?” Minseok snorts.
Luhan shrugs, swallowing down an entire fishcake in one go with a gulp of bubble tea. Minseok watches the dark pearls go up the straw and grimaces at the thought of fake fish meat and tapioca in one mouthful. “Dunno, but,” Luhan sighs contentedly as the food starts to settle in him, and his bites slow down, “you’re my lord and savior.”
Minseok sips at his own bubble tea. “I know.”
Baekhyun invites everyone over for something a little less than a party but a little more than just getting drunk at the architect’s house. It’s finally a night that they can all make it, and Baekhyun has Minseok bring Chanyeol so the two childhood friends can catch up. Baekhyun hasn’t seen Chanyeol in years, so the moment that Chanyeol crosses the threshold with Minseok, Baekhyun attacks the young associate in a crushing hug around the taller man’s middle. Luhan watches all this, leaning against the doorway of the living room. His eyes catch Minseok’s and they laugh together, the lawyer kissing Chanyeol’s lips before leaving him and Baekhyun to it.
“Here already?” Minseok asks with a grin, stepping to Luhan and they walk together into Baekhyun’s kitchen to dig for drinks.
Luhan opens the refrigerator for the lawyer, holding the door as Minseok rummages around until he comes out with two beers. “Least I could do after ignoring everyone’s calls for the past few weeks.”
“You were in your deadline hibernation cave,” Minseok shrugs, handing one of the bottles over. “They understand.”
Luhan laughs, leaning back against the counter as Baekhyun pulls Chanyeol in for introductions towards the couch in the living room where Wufan, Junmyeon, and Jongdae sit. “Is that what we’re calling it now?” Luhan asks, popping the cap of the bottle off as he meets Minseok’s eyes. The lawyer grins, eyes bright and playful underneath the warm lighting of Baekhyun’s apartment. Minseok’s hair is a little darker than Luhan remembers last seeing it a few weeks ago, and the journalist wonders if the lawyer had it dyed or maybe even cut-there’s something different in the way it brushes the tops of his eyebrows.
Jeans and a t-shirt underneath an open sweater and Minseok looks tousled and warm and messy enough to kiss, so Luhan turns away, pretends to be looking for new arrivals to motion over into the conversation. He catches sight of Sehun, Zitao, and Jongin coming through the doorway, all greeting Baekhyun first and introducing themselves to Chanyeol, before Sehun and Zitao head off towards Yixing at the pool table. Jongin walks towards Luhan.
“Wow,” Minseok whispers as Jongin approaches them. Luhan is startled into glancing at the lawyer, and Minseok is grinning cheekily up at him. “Good job.”
“Hyung,” Jongin says, smiling hesitantly as he looks from Luhan to Minseok and then back to Luhan.
Minseok holds his hand out before Luhan can open his mouth. “Kim Minseok,” the lawyer says, shaking Jongin’s hand firmly and Jongin bows his head.
“Kim Jongin,” the younger man says.
Minseok grins. “I know.”
Jongin blinks, sheepish, and he looks at Luhan. “You talk about me?”
Luhan blinks back, unsure of exactly where he’s supposed to look. Minseok is smiling, amused and teasing, and Luhan laughs out loud. Jongin steps back slightly, startled, but Minseok just shakes his head and Luhan knows the lawyer is holding his own laughter back. “Here,” Minseok pushes his own unopened beer to Jongin. “I’ll get another.” Minseok pats Jongin’s shoulder, flashes Luhan a playful grin, mouths have fun and heads away to where Chanyeol is on one of the sofas.
Luhan doesn’t know what his expression is right now, but he can hear his own heartbeat in his ears-drowning out the sound of the chatter around him, drowning out Jongin’s voice hyung, you talked to Minseok-shii about me?
The journalist can’t seem to take his eyes away from the sight of Minseok sitting across Chanyeol’s lap, one arm around Chanyeol’s neck, laughing and kissing Chanyeol’s lips, taking sips from Chanyeol’s can of beer, whispering into Chanyeol’s ear with a smile, grins filled with pink gums and tiny teeth and half-moon eyes all for Chanyeol.
have fun
Minseok presses himself close to Chanyeol, curling in the younger man’s long arms, and doesn’t really talk to Luhan for the rest of the night. He knows that Luhan has said Jongin is just a sex friend, just a dongsaeng from work, much less than Chanyeol is officially to Minseok, but somehow Minseok can’t stop watching the way Luhan smiles and laughs with Jongin from the corner of the lawyer’s eye. He lets and leaves Luhan alone for the rest of the night because sometimes sex friends amount to more, and he doesn’t want to bother Luhan if the journalist actually feels something more for Jongin.
It just hurts a little, and Minseok doesn’t like the way it hurts, so he cocoons himself in Chanyeol’s deep laughs and broad grins and warm arms and young kisses.
Luhan is glad for the silent way Jongin pushes him onto the bed that night. The older man doesn’t want to be in his own home alone, so he goes home with Jongin after the party-after watching Minseok happy without Luhan-happy with someone else.
He’s glad that Jongin presses him into the mattress and grinds their hips together, desperate and needy-that Jongin’s full lips are gentle and warm whenever he kisses the older man. Luhan is glad that Jongin’s hands are hot and insistent and shy and daring all at once as they strip Luhan of his clothes, piece by piece, shirt and belt and pants and underwear falling soundlessly onto the bed and floor. He’s glad for the way that Jongin’s hands are always a little hesitant to take Luhan by the hips and slide their bodies closer together-glad for Jongin’s sweet smiles, perfect teeth against tan skin and full lips.
He’s glad that none of it reminds Luhan of Kim Minseok.
(of the way Minseok tumbles into bed first and pulls Luhan along with him, demanding and teasing as he bites along Luhan’s jaw and throat. Of the way Minseok’s lips are small and selfish against Luhan’s mouth and tongue, taking everything that the lawyer wants in a kiss and leaving Luhan dizzy and breathless-of how light dances in Minseok’s eyes, wicked and playful whenever Luhan peels the clothes from their bodies. Of how Minseok’s arms twine around Luhan’s neck firmly, tightly, pulling their heaving chests together, slick skin against skin.
of smirks that give into full, flushed cheeks-pretty, curved eyes)
He sits between Chanyeol’s bent legs, back leaning against the younger man’s chest, head resting on Chanyeol’s shoulder. They’re still both sweaty and sticky, bare skin sticking to the sheet covering both of them to the waist, naked bodies pressed together warm and flushed even after their breaths have evened out. The sun is just beginning to set outside the window of Chanyeol’s bedroom, orange rays of sunlight playing against the white sheets and the paleness of their skin. It’s getting dark but they don’t make any move to flick the lights on.
Chanyeol has arms around Minseok’s waist and chest, large hands over Minseok’s smaller ones, fingers intertwined from the back. Minseok holds up their joined right hands up against the fading light, turning his head so he can watch the younger man’s expression. He watches Chanyeol swallow, throat flexing as his eyes gaze into the distance, narrowed and thoughtful before they find Minseok staring at him. Chanyeol gives a small smile, leaning in and kissing the older man, open-eyed and holding the back of Minseok’s head softly, fingers in his hair.
As they kiss, Minseok’s hand comes up to find the side of Chanyeol’s face, fingertips stroking along the younger man’s jaw. Chanyeol shifts, angling in so his tongue slips into Minseok’s mouth, warm and slow, and Minseok nips at the other man’s lower lip. They pull away for a breath and Chanyeol just looks at Minseok, a little crease between his eyebrows and his expression is so suddenly different from the nose-wrinkling grins that the younger man usually wears that Minseok is disconcerted for a moment.
He frowns back slightly, confused, about to ask what Chanyeol is thinking about when the arms around his waist squeeze him lightly. The younger man buries his face between Minseok’s shoulder blades, short hair tickling the older man’s skin. “Good luck at court tomorrow, hyung,” Chanyeol says, and Minseok feels the low voice vibrate against his spine with how Chanyeol’s lips move on the skin of Minseok’s back.
Minseok swallows, closing his eyes because suddenly he doesn’t want to look into Chanyeol’s face. “Thanks, Chanyeol-ah,” he whispers.
[ next]
author: himawarixxsandz
rating: pg-13
pairing(s): xiuhan, lukai, xiuyeol
summary: would we have changed?
a/n: i said it would only be 2 parts i was kidding haha /cries/
[ part one] [part two] [ part three]
Luhan always goes out for drinks with Zitao and Sehun on the first Saturday night of every month, and tonight, Zitao brings Jongin. Sehun and Jongin are all over each other, laughing and hugging and flirting, from not having seen each other in at least two years because of Jongin’s move. Zitao watches the two of them in amusement, chatting in rapid Mandarin to Luhan on the side. They drink until the busy hours of the bar dwindle down to just them and a few other quieter groups in each of the corners.
There’s no one else at the bar, only a few of the tables are occupied, by the time Zitao and Sehun are drunk enough to start hanging off of each other.
“It’s always those two,” Jongin smiles, as he and Luhan send Zitao and Sehun off in a taxi with the address to Zitao’s apartment. If a friend who hasn’t seen Sehun in two years and has only recently been reunited with Zitao can tell how obviously those two love each other, Luhan thinks that Jongdae’s previously ridiculous predictions might just turn out to be true after all.
“Even back then?” Luhan asks, and Jongin seems surprisingly steady even after the younger man had kept pace with Zitao earlier at the bar. Jongin insisted on walking Luhan home since the younger man said his apartment was nearby anyway.
“Especially back then,” Jongin grins. “My first day at the office, I asked Zitao if he was dating Sehunie yet.”
Luhan laughs. “Is that why he was screaming at you across the floor?”
“You heard?” Jongin hid his widening smile behind his hand sheepishly.
“The entire company heard,” Luhan blinks.
Jongin grins again.
He walks Luhan up all the way to the older man’s door, pausing as Luhan presses in the code and unlocks his door. Luhan isn’t that drunk. Jongin doesn’t seem that drunk. And yet, the older man turns in his doorway, looking up into Jongin’s eyes, and asks simply, “D’you want to come in?”
(and all Luhan can think about is Park Chanyeol and how easily Minseok answered I like him)
“Sunbaenim-” Jongin swallows, suddenly nervous, one step back.
Luhan catches the younger man by the hand before he can take a second step back. “Hyung,” Luhan instructs with a smile full of intent-the sort of smile that Luhan knows will have Jongin curled around him, warm and sleepy tomorrow morning while Luhan thinks about what to cook for breakfast.
“Luhan-hyung,” Jongin says faintly, and Luhan easily pulls the younger man in through the doorway.
The door slams shut with Luhan pressing Jongin’s back against it.
There’s no one else on the floor, and Minseok is just packing up when Chanyeol kisses him.
Minseok has just turned in the last of the papers for next week’s trial to the senior partner he’s working with-late, late at night, with most everyone else having already left to go home. Even the senior partner is already gone, and Minseok can only put the papers in the woman’s office for her to look over Monday morning. There isn’t supposed to be anyone else left on the floor, but Chanyeol is there, and Minseok doesn’t have time to blink or breathe, hands hovering over his briefcase, when Chanyeol’s lips catch his-warm and unfamiliar.
When Chanyeol pulls away seconds later, the first thing Minseok does is collapse over his desk because, “Fuck-I think I shit a brick, Park Chanyeol.” Minseok clutches a hand over his heart, and tries to calm his terrified heart. He literally thought there was no one else on the floor other than himself, and Chanyeol has always had a habit of sneaking up unnoticed.
The younger man is just laughing (fuck him).
“You like me that much?” Chanyeol grins.
“You scared me that much,” Minseok snaps, but all he has to do is look at the other associate-nose wrinkling, every single tooth on display with how wide he always grins, deep eyes curved and amused-and it’s hard to stay irritated.
Chanyeol takes Minseok’s briefcase into his own hand as soon as the older man closes the latches. The younger man’s hands are so large, he easily holds his own briefcase and Minseok’s in a single hand. “Since I’m really scary,” Chanyeol says, and they start on their way towards the elevators, “how about I keep away the monsters until you get to your car, and then you can tell me your address so I can pick you up for our café date on Sunday.”
The elevator doors close with Minseok pressing the button for the garage level with his elbow. He leans close to Chanyeol against the wall, their sides touching and Minseok likes how much he has to tilt his head up to meet the other man’s eyes at this distance. “We have a café date on Sunday?”
“That’s what boyfriends do, right?” Chanyeol’s grin is challenging and playful and teasing and coy, and Minseok does like him.
fall for me the way i can’t fall for you
He loops his arms around Chanyeol’s neck, on his toes slightly to press their lips together again for a bit longer than before-a little bit deeper, a little warmer. “Among other things,” Minseok says, and gives a smile that’s more gums than teeth-one that has his cheeks bunching and eyes curving.
Luhan catches Minseok around the waist the moment the lawyer steps through Luhan’s door. They tumble to the floor and Minseok just barely avoids landing face first on Luhan’s sandals. He’s not lucky enough that he can prevent scraping his elbow against the front of Luhan’s sneakers right beside the sandals though, and Minseok appropriately punches Luhan in the stomach, shoving him away with feeling for tackling the lawyer like that. “What if I was holding doughnuts?” Minseok snaps, rolling away from Luhan until he’s a safe enough distance to brush himself off and stand up.
“Why would you be holding doughnuts?” Luhan stays seated on the floor.
“What if,” Minseok challenges again anyway and plops down onto Luhan’s couch.
Luhan snorts, getting up and walks to the kitchen, rummaging around the fridge for drinks. “You have a boyfriend,” Luhan singsongs when he emerges, carrying a bottle of raspberry tea for Minseok and a glass of Pepsi for himself.
“You deserve to be carded,” Minseok says, opening the tea. “Mentally, you’re fifteen.”
Luhan sighs, sprawling his legs across Minseok’s lap. “At least I’ll always be young and beautiful.”
Minseok shoves Luhan’s legs off, pressing the icy condensation of the tea bottle against Luhan’s bare arm. The journalist lets out a short screech, reflexively punching out with his free hand in Minseok’s direction. “And annoying.”
“You keep me around a lot for someone you think is so annoying,” Luhan says, purposefully blinking his lashes in the way that Minseok knows the journalist knows makes the lawyer want to splash sticky iced tea all over his face.
“Same reason Jongin seems to want you around,” Minseok says around a sip of tea, “you’re pretty.”
Luhan laughs. “Ouch-I almost believed you there for a second.” Their eyes meet and Minseok smiles back, reaching out and slapping Luhan’s face with the back of his hand lightly. Luhan’s laughter bubbles out again at that. “You tell me about Chanyeol-I’ll tell you how Kim Jongin has sex.”
Minseok raises his eyebrows. “So-”
“Yeah,” the journalist shrugs, an absent sort of half-smile on his face. “I mean-we don’t really know each other. And ‘m not really in for it these days.” Minseok doesn’t know if Luhan’s next words are because of the confused concern on the lawyer’s face or if Luhan just wanted to bring the conversation away from dangerous waters. “C’mon,” Luhan says playfully, “now that you’re all committed, I need to find someone else to spend my lonely nights with.”
“What about your lonely days?” Minseok teases, and he doesn’t like the ripple of familiar emotion that runs through him at those words.
But Luhan just looks into Minseok’s eyes, something hidden and intent in the journalist’s gaze. Minseok feels the smile on his face falter as Luhan continues to gaze at him like that, before looking away and lowering his eyes, an odd smile twisting the journalist’s own lips. Luhan glances over again at Minseok. “The days aren’t too bad.” And with the way Luhan covers that with a smile, it’s supposed to be as light as Minseok had voiced the question but Minseok can’t stop the way his heart tightens in his chest.
He watches the way Jongin’s bronze chest rises and falls, a tangle of sheets and blankets covering him from the waist down. Luhan lies on his stomach, chin pillowed on his arms as he waits for Jongin’s eyes to flutter open, taking in the sights of Luhan’s room-the soccer posters, the framed articles, the scattered draft prints, numerous files stacked on the desk, his laptop in a chair. He supposes that these are all considerably familiar to Jongin now. It’s been at least a month since they started sleeping together.
Luhan hasn’t been to Jongin’s apartment.
He likes sex with Jongin. He likes palming Jongin’s supple skin, the younger man’s wiry muscles. He likes kissing Jongin’s full lips, likes feeling them around his cock, mouthing at the base of his throat. He likes Jongin above and over him, hips thrusting into Luhan slow and maddening. He likes wrapping his thighs around the younger man’s waist, riding Jongin with the younger man leaning back against the pillows, one large hand gripping Luhan’s hip. He likes sex with Jongin-likes being fucked by Jongin because it’s so vastly different from sex with Minseok that Luhan doesn’t have to worry about calling out the lawyer’s name.
They’re closer at work now. Luhan drops by Jongin’s cubicle even when Zitao isn’t there nowadays. Jongin keeps asking if Luhan wants to join him for a lunch break, and Luhan wishes he could say yes every single time because of Jongin’s smile-broad and open and attractive and warm and friendly. But Luhan finds that he can only eat lunch with Jongin when a particular lawyer from the firm across the street is too preoccupied with an upcoming court date.
When Jongin’s eyes open, they find Luhan staring at him and the younger man bursts into embarrassed laughter. “That’s creepy, hyung,” Jongin says.
“Mm,” Luhan hums, sitting up and stretching, arms over his head, bending from side to side. He feels Jongin’s warm gaze on him. “What do you want for breakfast?”
Minseok notices that whenever Chanyeol reads, he has to have something between his teeth-the eraser on the tip of a pencil, the end of a pen, one of his own fingers, a bookmark, a highlighter cap. The younger man’s eyelids are getting heavy by just the fourth hour of their research, and admittedly, they’re going at this early on a Saturday morning right after a late night of driving around town, drinks, and sex on Minseok’s living room floor. Chanyeol had been promptly incredulous and being shoved out of Minseok’s bed, still naked, and dragged into the shower, where Minseok thoroughly convinced the younger man that it really is beneficial for them to get a head start on the research they need to do for the partner heading this case on a Saturday.
To be honest, Minseok isn’t even sure Chanyeol actually consented, but Chanyeol’s mumbles around Minseok’s cock sounded close enough to agreement.
“Do we need to take a break?” Minseok asks, playfully poking Chanyeol’s cheek.
Chanyeol vigorously shakes his head like a dog, and his eyes struggle to look awake when he glances up at Minseok with a grin. “You kidding me, hyung? Let’s do this nonstop ‘til Monday.”
Minseok grins back. “That’s a shame,” he says. “Here I was hoping we could do other things ‘til Monday.”
Chanyeol blinks as Minseok rests a leg against Chanyeol’s beneath the table. “Like that thing in the shower?”
The older man laughs at the way Chanyeol’s deep voice cracks a little on thing. “I did a lot of things in the shower.”
“The thing with your thighs,” Chanyeol says, face straight as his ears turn scarlet, “and the shower head and the wall.”
Minseok pushes up against his chair with one foot, palms on the table and mouth pressing against Chanyeol’s. He kisses the younger man long and slow, waiting until Chanyeol parts his lips, head tilting and deepening it until Minseok is pushed back. Chanyeol catches the other man’s face with one large hand, holding their lips together and Minseok lets his tongue flicker into Chanyeol’s mouth. Minseok pulls away just as Chanyeol starts climbing onto the chair to lean over the table even further.
Their breaths are a little short now, and Chanyeol looks somewhere between amused and confused. “See if you can find anything else in that,” Minseok points to the book Chanyeol still has open, “and then we can take a shower.”
Chanyeol plops back down in his seat looking forlorn and determined.
Minseok laughs.
And Chanyeol is young and fun and funny and fun to be with and fun to kiss and fun to have sex with, and he’s nothing like Luhan and that’s all Minseok wants.
Minseok notices that something isn’t right when he nearly trips over Luhan’s laptop in the entryway of the journalist’s apartment. The lawyer had let himself in, a bag of piping hot, fried fishcake in one hand and a tray of bubble tea balanced in the other, for a late Sunday afternoon pig-out before the work week began. Both of them have a hard few days ahead with Minseok heading to court on Monday, and all the departments turning their final drafts into Luhan before the new issue is sent out to print.
“Luhan-ah?” Minseok calls, toeing off his shoes and stepping over the various piles of paper stacked and scattered all over the hall leading into the living room and kitchen. He drops by the dining room, and has to shove away two large binders onto a chair before there’s enough room for him to put the food down. Luhan’s apartment has never been neat-Luhan’s side of his dorm had never been neat, and when they lived together, Minseok could finish off an entire bottle of aspirin during spring cleaning week.
Luhan was never organized, but he was never this messy either.
Minseok sees socks in the kitchen sink.
He’s debating whether it’s safe to be breathing the air in the apartment when Luhan emerges from the bathroom, the door bouncing off the wall from the force that Luhan slams it open with. The journalist has another laptop balanced in one arm, and a thick sheaf of papers held in the other. There’s blue toothpaste in the journalist’s hair and Luhan is living up to his name more than ever right now, looking literally like a deer caught in headlights. “Minseok-ah,” he breathes. “Hi. Did you text? Didn’t know you were coming.”
The lawyer digs his teeth deep into his bottom lip, swallowing down the laughter and settling for an amused smile instead as he comes forward and takes the laptop and papers from Luhan’s hands. Luhan blinks dazedly, squinting slightly as if he hasn’t seen proper sunlight in a few days-judging from the closed blinds and curtains, he probably hasn’t. The journalist is wearing one yellow ankle sock and one red crew sock. His gray t-shirt is rumpled, half of it tucked haphazardly into his mesh shorts. It looks like he hasn’t shaved for at least two days.
He looks terrible and adorable, and Minseok turns away, putting the laptop and papers down before he does something stupid.
kiss him
During university, Luhan would spend weeks at a time locked in his dorm, editing and writing before a big deadline, only emerging when absolutely had no more food or water left. He’d look like a survivor story, eyes unfocused but expression utterly content as he waved his finished prints in one hand and his battery-dead laptop in his other. It hadn’t changed when they’d lived together, and by then, Minseok easily navigated through the weeks that Luhan ceased to be a fully functioning human being. He’d have ramen and coffee on the table by the time Luhan came out of his cave, ready to brush his teeth and shave and they’d kiss until Luhan’s stomach grumbled too loudly to ignore.
Wufan couldn’t stand it, being Luhan’s roommate. It drove Junmyeon and Kyungsoo mad with how Luhan wouldn’t eat for days at a time. And Baekhyun’s judging glower was neverending when Minseok had sheepishly admitted, “It’s kind of cute.”
“C’mon,” Minseok says, and struggles to keep the laughter from bubbling up as he guides Luhan into a seat at the dining table. Luhan stares down the box of steaming fishcake Minseok opens up in front of him. “Eat.”
Luhan uses the chopsticks that came with the takeaway, digging in and stuffing his mouth with the burning pieces as Minseok pushes the bubble tea to him as well. The lawyer perches on the edge of the table and watches Luhan scarf the food down. “Why is this so good?” Luhan asks, mouth so full that he’s barely comprehensible. “New place?”
“When was the last time you ate?” Minseok snorts.
Luhan shrugs, swallowing down an entire fishcake in one go with a gulp of bubble tea. Minseok watches the dark pearls go up the straw and grimaces at the thought of fake fish meat and tapioca in one mouthful. “Dunno, but,” Luhan sighs contentedly as the food starts to settle in him, and his bites slow down, “you’re my lord and savior.”
Minseok sips at his own bubble tea. “I know.”
Baekhyun invites everyone over for something a little less than a party but a little more than just getting drunk at the architect’s house. It’s finally a night that they can all make it, and Baekhyun has Minseok bring Chanyeol so the two childhood friends can catch up. Baekhyun hasn’t seen Chanyeol in years, so the moment that Chanyeol crosses the threshold with Minseok, Baekhyun attacks the young associate in a crushing hug around the taller man’s middle. Luhan watches all this, leaning against the doorway of the living room. His eyes catch Minseok’s and they laugh together, the lawyer kissing Chanyeol’s lips before leaving him and Baekhyun to it.
“Here already?” Minseok asks with a grin, stepping to Luhan and they walk together into Baekhyun’s kitchen to dig for drinks.
Luhan opens the refrigerator for the lawyer, holding the door as Minseok rummages around until he comes out with two beers. “Least I could do after ignoring everyone’s calls for the past few weeks.”
“You were in your deadline hibernation cave,” Minseok shrugs, handing one of the bottles over. “They understand.”
Luhan laughs, leaning back against the counter as Baekhyun pulls Chanyeol in for introductions towards the couch in the living room where Wufan, Junmyeon, and Jongdae sit. “Is that what we’re calling it now?” Luhan asks, popping the cap of the bottle off as he meets Minseok’s eyes. The lawyer grins, eyes bright and playful underneath the warm lighting of Baekhyun’s apartment. Minseok’s hair is a little darker than Luhan remembers last seeing it a few weeks ago, and the journalist wonders if the lawyer had it dyed or maybe even cut-there’s something different in the way it brushes the tops of his eyebrows.
Jeans and a t-shirt underneath an open sweater and Minseok looks tousled and warm and messy enough to kiss, so Luhan turns away, pretends to be looking for new arrivals to motion over into the conversation. He catches sight of Sehun, Zitao, and Jongin coming through the doorway, all greeting Baekhyun first and introducing themselves to Chanyeol, before Sehun and Zitao head off towards Yixing at the pool table. Jongin walks towards Luhan.
“Wow,” Minseok whispers as Jongin approaches them. Luhan is startled into glancing at the lawyer, and Minseok is grinning cheekily up at him. “Good job.”
“Hyung,” Jongin says, smiling hesitantly as he looks from Luhan to Minseok and then back to Luhan.
Minseok holds his hand out before Luhan can open his mouth. “Kim Minseok,” the lawyer says, shaking Jongin’s hand firmly and Jongin bows his head.
“Kim Jongin,” the younger man says.
Minseok grins. “I know.”
Jongin blinks, sheepish, and he looks at Luhan. “You talk about me?”
Luhan blinks back, unsure of exactly where he’s supposed to look. Minseok is smiling, amused and teasing, and Luhan laughs out loud. Jongin steps back slightly, startled, but Minseok just shakes his head and Luhan knows the lawyer is holding his own laughter back. “Here,” Minseok pushes his own unopened beer to Jongin. “I’ll get another.” Minseok pats Jongin’s shoulder, flashes Luhan a playful grin, mouths have fun and heads away to where Chanyeol is on one of the sofas.
Luhan doesn’t know what his expression is right now, but he can hear his own heartbeat in his ears-drowning out the sound of the chatter around him, drowning out Jongin’s voice hyung, you talked to Minseok-shii about me?
The journalist can’t seem to take his eyes away from the sight of Minseok sitting across Chanyeol’s lap, one arm around Chanyeol’s neck, laughing and kissing Chanyeol’s lips, taking sips from Chanyeol’s can of beer, whispering into Chanyeol’s ear with a smile, grins filled with pink gums and tiny teeth and half-moon eyes all for Chanyeol.
have fun
Minseok presses himself close to Chanyeol, curling in the younger man’s long arms, and doesn’t really talk to Luhan for the rest of the night. He knows that Luhan has said Jongin is just a sex friend, just a dongsaeng from work, much less than Chanyeol is officially to Minseok, but somehow Minseok can’t stop watching the way Luhan smiles and laughs with Jongin from the corner of the lawyer’s eye. He lets and leaves Luhan alone for the rest of the night because sometimes sex friends amount to more, and he doesn’t want to bother Luhan if the journalist actually feels something more for Jongin.
It just hurts a little, and Minseok doesn’t like the way it hurts, so he cocoons himself in Chanyeol’s deep laughs and broad grins and warm arms and young kisses.
Luhan is glad for the silent way Jongin pushes him onto the bed that night. The older man doesn’t want to be in his own home alone, so he goes home with Jongin after the party-after watching Minseok happy without Luhan-happy with someone else.
He’s glad that Jongin presses him into the mattress and grinds their hips together, desperate and needy-that Jongin’s full lips are gentle and warm whenever he kisses the older man. Luhan is glad that Jongin’s hands are hot and insistent and shy and daring all at once as they strip Luhan of his clothes, piece by piece, shirt and belt and pants and underwear falling soundlessly onto the bed and floor. He’s glad for the way that Jongin’s hands are always a little hesitant to take Luhan by the hips and slide their bodies closer together-glad for Jongin’s sweet smiles, perfect teeth against tan skin and full lips.
He’s glad that none of it reminds Luhan of Kim Minseok.
(of the way Minseok tumbles into bed first and pulls Luhan along with him, demanding and teasing as he bites along Luhan’s jaw and throat. Of the way Minseok’s lips are small and selfish against Luhan’s mouth and tongue, taking everything that the lawyer wants in a kiss and leaving Luhan dizzy and breathless-of how light dances in Minseok’s eyes, wicked and playful whenever Luhan peels the clothes from their bodies. Of how Minseok’s arms twine around Luhan’s neck firmly, tightly, pulling their heaving chests together, slick skin against skin.
of smirks that give into full, flushed cheeks-pretty, curved eyes)
He sits between Chanyeol’s bent legs, back leaning against the younger man’s chest, head resting on Chanyeol’s shoulder. They’re still both sweaty and sticky, bare skin sticking to the sheet covering both of them to the waist, naked bodies pressed together warm and flushed even after their breaths have evened out. The sun is just beginning to set outside the window of Chanyeol’s bedroom, orange rays of sunlight playing against the white sheets and the paleness of their skin. It’s getting dark but they don’t make any move to flick the lights on.
Chanyeol has arms around Minseok’s waist and chest, large hands over Minseok’s smaller ones, fingers intertwined from the back. Minseok holds up their joined right hands up against the fading light, turning his head so he can watch the younger man’s expression. He watches Chanyeol swallow, throat flexing as his eyes gaze into the distance, narrowed and thoughtful before they find Minseok staring at him. Chanyeol gives a small smile, leaning in and kissing the older man, open-eyed and holding the back of Minseok’s head softly, fingers in his hair.
As they kiss, Minseok’s hand comes up to find the side of Chanyeol’s face, fingertips stroking along the younger man’s jaw. Chanyeol shifts, angling in so his tongue slips into Minseok’s mouth, warm and slow, and Minseok nips at the other man’s lower lip. They pull away for a breath and Chanyeol just looks at Minseok, a little crease between his eyebrows and his expression is so suddenly different from the nose-wrinkling grins that the younger man usually wears that Minseok is disconcerted for a moment.
He frowns back slightly, confused, about to ask what Chanyeol is thinking about when the arms around his waist squeeze him lightly. The younger man buries his face between Minseok’s shoulder blades, short hair tickling the older man’s skin. “Good luck at court tomorrow, hyung,” Chanyeol says, and Minseok feels the low voice vibrate against his spine with how Chanyeol’s lips move on the skin of Minseok’s back.
Minseok swallows, closing his eyes because suddenly he doesn’t want to look into Chanyeol’s face. “Thanks, Chanyeol-ah,” he whispers.
[ next]