Through the Window
Through the Window
Rating; PG-13
Pairing; XiuKai
Genre; Humor, Romance, AU
Summary; Minseok maybe had too much to drink. And also maybe broke into a stranger's apartment.
Word count; 3367
Notes; Written for this prompt. (Oh dear, my apologies for changing cats to dogs..) Comments are always appreciated.
Minseok held his pounding head gingerly. "Luhan..." he croaked out softly, then winced. A floorboard creaked. He almost sighed in relief. "Lu, can you get me-"
"Who the fuck are you?"
A deep, unfamiliar voice asked the question with a tremor, and Minseok's eyes shot open. He sat up from the oddly comfortable couch, very unlike Luhan's now that he noticed, and looked around in alarm to see a guy standing in the doorway with a baseball bat over his shoulder, seeming ready to strike.
"Oh holy shit." Minseok scrambled off the couch he'd been sleeping on, feeling like he could fall over any minute. "Oh, this isn't good."
"Answer me!" The deep voice belonging to the frightened-looking guy was pushy and too loud but, Minseok thought to himself, he totally deserved it.
"No, I'm... really sorry. My- my friend, he lives somewhere near here." Minseok squinted his eyes past his headache and took a look around the room as though the walls would give him answers. "I think." He gestured a little desperately at the window. "I sneak into my friend's window to crash on his couch sometimes, that's how I got in here, I'm..."
The guy looked a little less frightened but still very confused. "You snuck in through my window?" he asked unsurely.
"Uh... yeah." Minseok scratched lightly at the back of his neck, extremely uncomfortable and very aware of his own shirtlessness all of a sudden. "I was really, really drunk. I thought your window was his window."
The guy put down his bat. "Where's your shirt?"
Minseok thought about the question for a short while, trying to remember the events of the night before. "Outside on the sidewalk, though it's probably gone by now," he finally informed the stranger. "It was hot and I decided I didn't need it. I think."
"You said your friend lives near here?"
"Yeah!" Minseok winced again. "Um... uh, yeah. His name's Luhan."
"Oh, Luhan?" The guy laughed then. "He lives in the apartment next to mine. One window over." He pointed toward the wall presumably separating his apartment from Luhan's.
"Ah. Well. I'm... sorry. This must have been a really bad thing to wake up to for you."
"What's your name?"
Minseok had been edging toward the door but stopped at the question, a little confused and thinking the guy would probably just want him out as soon as possible. "K-Kim Minseok."
He nodded. "Kim Jongin," he told him in turn. He considered Minseok for a few moments, making Minseok squirm a little under the scrutiny. "Do you need to borrow a shirt?"
"I, um, I was thinking I'd just go to Lu's and see if-"
"What if he's not even home or something?" Jongin insisted. "Just wait one sec."
The guy disappeared from the room, then returned a few moments later. "It's one of my smaller shirts, I hope it fits okay."
He held out a black tee shirt, which Minseok took gingerly, still not sure he knew exactly what was going on. When he pulled the shirt on, he found it actually fit well. "Um..." He tugged lightly at the shirt, then looked at Jongin again. "I mean, uh, you know, thanks. And I'm sorry again. I didn't mean to break into your place."
Jongin just nodded. "You scared me. But it's an understandable mistake."
"Well..." Minseok finally made it to the door. "Have a good day, I guess."
There was a hint of laughter in Jongin's expression. "You too, Kim Minseok."
Minseok left before the conversation could last any longer.
*****
"Your friend Kim Minseok is really interesting."
Minseok had heard that voice for the first time earlier that morning, and the sound of his name made him get up to walk around the corner and see for himself that Luhan's neighbor was at his door.
"He was just telling me about meeting you," Luhan informed him, looking back over his shoulder at Minseok, then taking a step back to give Jongin a view of him.
"Oh. I thought you'd be here and gone by now," Jongin confessed.
"No, I... went home and slept some more before coming back here." He didn't know why he was bothering to tell this stranger - could he consider him a stranger anymore, though? - about his boring daily activities.
Jongin laughed lightly. No longer feeling beyond confused and having slept away most of his hangover, Minseok could actually take in Jongin's appearance. He was really handsome when he laughed like that. "Good, you looked like you could use some more sleep this morning. Feel any better?"
"A lot, actually." He was relieved that Jongin didn't hate him, though honestly he hadn't given much thought to what Jongin would think of him since he hadn't counted on meeting him again.
"Did you want to come in?" Luhan asked suddenly, taking another step back from the doorway to give Jongin room.
"Oh... yeah, sure." He was still smiling at Minseok as he entered the apartment. Minseok silently cursed Luhan. He had to know how awkward this would be for him.
"Now I can hear both sides," Luhan said excitedly. He clapped his hands once and led the way back to the living room.
"I didn't know you guys were friends," Minseok said quietly beside Luhan. Apparently, Jongin overheard.
"Yeah, I've known Lu-hyung since he moved in here last year," Jongin confirmed.
"I'm surprised." Minseok sat on the loveseat. He was taken off-guard when Luhan opted to sit on the armchair, leaving the other cushion on the loveseat for Jongin. "I've never seen you around and I visit Luhan a lot." He tried to feel comfortable sitting beside Jongin.
"Well we don't see as much of each other as we used to. Mostly texting, even though we live so close." He laughed.
"No, enough about that," Luhan interrupted. "Tell me about this morning." He turned his eyes toward Jongin.
"Oh." Jongin cleared his throat. "Yeah, alright, well, I hear this rustling from the living room. At first I thought it was one of the dogs." He paused and shrugged, and Minseok took the opportunity to add in, "I remember wondering when you decided to get a couple dogs, Lu."
Luhan just chuckled. "But obviously it wasn't the dogs."
"No, I heard human sounds. Like... moaning and a loud cough. And then someone saying something, I thought maybe it was a name but it was too quiet for me to make out, so I grabbed my bat and went to the living room, and there's this little shirtless guy in there, and my first thought is that some crazy dude on drugs just busted in or something." He shook his head at the memory. Luhan kept chuckling. Minseok blushed. "So I'm asking who he is, and he just looked so confused and upset, apologising and everything. Helpless. So of course now I feel bad for reacting like I did but I mean, what else was I gonna do, he could've been anyone. But he wasn't there with bad intentions, so I offered him a shirt, and he practically ran out the door once he had it."
Luhan laughed openly about the whole thing.
"I figured you would want me gone," Minseok explained, head hung low.
"I won't lie, it was pretty weird having you there. I don't think I've ever met anyone under stranger circumstances."
Minseok looked up at him again. "Me neither." He offered a small smile, and Jongin's smile grew wider.
"But strange isn't necessarily bad."
That made Minseok smile more, mostly out of relief. "No, I suppose not." Minseok thought to himself that Jongin was doing a very good job of making this far less embarrassing than it could have been.
*****
Despite Jongin doing his best to make the interaction as normal as possible, Minseok was relieved when he decided to take his leave and return to his own apartment. Luhan had been giving him and Minseok weird looks the entire afternoon, and Minseok needed to talk to him about it.
"Is there a reason you like watching me squirm?" Blunt was always best with Luhan.
"Hm? I don't know what you mean."
"Yeah? You don't know about forcing us to sit practically touching each other and begging us to retell how weird this morning was, right in front of each other?"
"I don't see anything wrong with that, it's an interesting story."
"And the looks you've been giving?"
"Looks? I'm not giving looks."
"Luhan." Minseok was exasperated.
Luhan sighed a little, but still didn't look at Minseok. "He's cute though, right?"
Minseok furrowed his brow. "What?"
"Nice body. Weird that one of his shirts fit you so well, since his chest is bigger than yours."
"Uh... I guess so?" He stepped in front of Luhan so the Chinese man wouldn't have a choice about looking at him. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"I thought he was cute when I met him too. Asked him out, even." Luhan twisted his mouth into a slightly pained smile. "I mean, based on who he was bringing home some nights I knew he was into guys, but I guess he just wasn't into me. Like someone else I know, might I add."
Minseok at least had the decency to look a little shamed. Luhan waved him off.
"I mean, not that I would change anything you and I have now, or me and him for that matter. But I know he's not seeing anyone."
When Luhan was quiet for a short while, Minseok just gave him a blank look.
"And I know you're not seeing anyone."
Minseok blinked twice. "I met the guy by breaking into his place and you want to hook us up." He nodded. "Right. I think you need more sleep."
Luhan laughed. "You think he's good looking, don't even try to deny that. And I mean, why not?"
"Because I snuck into his apartment drunk and shirtless?!"
Luhan gave a brushing motion of his hand again. "He doesn't seem to mind, I don't see why you do." He wore a conspiratorial expression and leaned closer. "In fact I think he kept looking at your chest this afternoon like he liked what he saw and wanted to see more."
"You're crazy. You need help." Minseok headed for the door. "I'm going home."
Once outside Luhan's building, Minseok realized as he touched vaguely at his chest, wondering if what Luhan had said had been true, that he still needed to return that damn shirt.
*****
"Please just give this to him, I'll feel so weird seeing him again knowing you're just thinking about us fucking." Minseok practically shook the shirt at Luhan the next day in the doorway of his apartment, keeping his voice low.
"Hang on." Luhan stepped into the hallway, walked to the next door, and knocked.
"No!" Minseok more or less screeched, lunging at Luhan in an attempt to stop him. He'd barely reached his friend when the door swung open.
Jongin wore a warm, friendly expression. Minseok wished he could say the same of himself, but he knew he probably looked half crazed, his hand curled into the shoulder of Luhan's shirt. He released Luhan and straightened up. "Ah. Kim Jongin. I just..." He lost his thoughts temporarily, then realized he was still gripping the black shirt and held it out. "I needed to return this. I washed it."
Jongin took it. "Oh, you didn't have to do that. Thanks though." He looked over at Luhan curiously. "Did you guys want to come in?"
Minseok took a moment to try to figure out how to say no without sounding rude, and Luhan took the silence as his opportunity to say, "Oh, sure! Minseok said he doesn't have plans at all today so I'm sure he doesn't have to rush off on you like he did yesterday morning." He laughed, Jongin chuckled, and Minseok scowled. Jongin stepped away from the doorway so they could walk into the apartment.
"Oh, this must bring back memories for you," Luhan gushed as Minseok sat on the couch.
Minseok looked up at him, practically begging him with his expression to sit beside him on the couch. Luhan grinned and sat in a chair. Jongin sat beside him on the couch instead, closer than absolutely necessary given the size of the couch but not so close they'd bump knees or anything.
"At least this couch is comfortable, unlike yours," Minseok bit back.
"Then sleep here instead of at my place," Luhan suggested with a raised eyebrow that meant he was implying something lewd. Minseok wanted to murder him.
"Shouldn't you ask the tenant of the place first?" Jongin laughed.
Luhan waved him off the way he'd waved Minseok off before. "Nobody minds having Minseok over for a night." He stood. "Anyway, I forgot I have something cooking that I have to attend to. You guys behave."
Neither Jongin nor Minseok tried to keep him from leaving. Once he was gone, the two remained silent for longer than Minseok was comfortable with.
"I'm sorry about him," Jongin said finally, not looking at Minseok as he scuffed his toes against the carpet. "He uh... told me last night that he was going to hook us up and I kind of figured if we just bear with it eventually he'll stop but you know it's almost impossible to make him quit once he gets going." Jongin was blushing and his voice was soft.
"Yeah, he's- he's definitely persistent." Minseok had always been shy, but he hadn't thought Jongin was until just then. When they were around Luhan he seemed so outgoing. "I tried to tell him he was being weird and needed a head doctor."
Jongin nodded. "Maybe we can trick him into going to see someone." He looked back over at Minseok, smiling. "Usually I have to deal with his insanity alone. At least for right now we can take it on from two sides."
Minseok finally began to relax a little. "Do you think he's coming back at all or is he just leaving us to do... whatever he thinks we'll do?"
Jongin chuckled. "Pretty sure he's left us alone."
"It's so strange. I mean if two of my friends had met under the circumstances we met I would help them avoid each other."
"Well, as far as that's concerned, I'm glad he didn't. You're... interesting."
Minseok didn't expect the words. "Interesting how?" he asked very quickly.
"Good interesting, don't worry."
"Oh." They lapsed into silence again. "You're interesting too. Lending a shirt to a stranger who broke into your place, that's interesting."
"Well you weren't an enemy, just confused." Jongin shrugged. "I would hope someone might do the same thing for me if I was ever in that position."
"How often are people in that position?" Minseok asked with a laugh.
"I don't know, but you know, just in case. Building up good karma."
"It had nothing to do with wanting me to get a shirt on as quickly as possible?"
"Oh, no, definitely not that." Jongin seemed to realize what he was saying only after he'd said it, and Minseok had to admit it was surprising to realize Luhan had been right about something for once.
"No?"
"I-I mean, like, I don't mind. If you're shirtless. I mean, or if you're wearing a shirt or whatever. Whatever you wanna do, is all I'm saying."
Minseok just looked at him with a faintly amused expression. "I think for now I'll keep my shirt on," he said to try to help Jongin out of the hole he was digging.
"Oh. Um, yeah, that's-" Jongin stood. "Do you want a drink? Water? Or I have..." He stepped into the kitchen. "Beers somewhere, or wine? Do you like wine? And vodka. That's kinda strong for early evening though."
Minseok laughed to himself and shook his head a little. "A beer is fine."
Jongin returned with his cheeks significantly less red than they'd been when he'd headed for the kitchen and handed Minseok his beer, holding one of his own. "Sorry, I'm kinda strange sometimes."
Sipping his beer, Minseok reminded Jongin, "Strange isn't necessarily bad."
At that, Jongin gave him a grateful smile. "I'm glad we met."
"Me too."
*****
Minseok knew it wasn't a coincidence that he and Jongin ended up at Luhan's apartment together nearly a dozen times over the next two weeks. The would always laugh at Luhan's persistence, and each time they were a little bit more comfortable, a little bit further removed from the reason they met in the first place.
"Good God, this is getting tedious," Luhan finally burst out after dinner one evening at Jongin's place as they stood in the living room. "Can you guys just date please? I'm going crazy here."
"Do you know that you have this real special ability to make things awkward?" Minseok asked him.
"What's awkward? He's cute." He pointed at Jongin. "You're cute." The finger came around to point at Minseok. Minseok and Jongin looked at each other with faint amusement. "That's it, that's all there is. Cute single guys should date cute single guys."
Minseok wrapped an arm around Luhan and led him toward the door. "If cute single guys are interested in cute single guys, maybe you should let those cute single guys figure it out themselves. Meddling has a tendency to backfire." He looked over his shoulder and gave Jongin a small wave before leaving with his insane best friend.
*****
It would be a lie if Minseok said he wasn't thinking of Jongin. Luhan had - for the first time ever, probably - actually taken his advice and stopped meddling. It had only been four days since their last dinner together but after seeing Jongin almost every day, that felt like a long time. He was strongly considering going back to see him.
His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he took it out, expecting some message from Luhan about the three of them getting together. He should have known the guy couldn't keep away for long.
From: Unknown
Hey its Jongin. I realised I don't know where you live and I never managed to get your number so I asked Luhan for it. Is that okay?
A little surprised, Minseok saved the number in his phone, then hit reply.
It's fine ^^ I was thinking of stopping by today anyway.
He pocketed his phone, but he may as well have kept it out with the speed the next notification came in.
From: Jonginah
Oh okay! How about dinner? Mine or yours? Seven sound good? I'll see you soon, hyung.
Minseok smiled at his phone, glad to see Jongin seemed as eager as he did.
Mine. Seven's perfect. See you then.
*****
"I knew it," Luhan gloated as he seemingly floated around Minseok's living room.
"Yeah, yeah," Minseok grumbled, but he wasn't upset at all. "Still, like I said, you needed to leave us alone about it first. Now get out of here, he'll be over soon."
Luhan stopped in front of Minseok to straighten the shorter man's shirt out. "Oh, my Minseokie, my Baozi, all grown up and dressing fancy to impress boys."
"Yah," he batted at Luhan's hands.
There was a knock at the door. "Come in," he called out, knowing Jongin would be on the other side.
As Jongin walked in, Luhan told Minseok, "Behave." Then he kissed his cheek and stepped away.
"Hey, I thought that was my job now," Jongin protested happily, replacing Luhan in front of Minseok.
"I'm leaving before things get gross in here," Luhan decided, then left.
"You look amazing," Jongin told Minseok. Minseok blushed. "You didn't have to get so dressed up just for me." He kissed him lightly, and as far as first kisses went, Minseok couldn't have asked for anything better.
He did his best to seem unaffected but knew he'd failed when his response came out to breathless. "I wanted to look good for you."
"You looked just fine shirtless when I first met you," Jongin insisted before kissing him again. Minseok returned the kiss, thankful for the first time that he'd accidentally broken into Jongin's apartment.
*****XXX*****
Rating; PG-13
Pairing; XiuKai
Genre; Humor, Romance, AU
Summary; Minseok maybe had too much to drink. And also maybe broke into a stranger's apartment.
Word count; 3367
Notes; Written for this prompt. (Oh dear, my apologies for changing cats to dogs..) Comments are always appreciated.
Minseok held his pounding head gingerly. "Luhan..." he croaked out softly, then winced. A floorboard creaked. He almost sighed in relief. "Lu, can you get me-"
"Who the fuck are you?"
A deep, unfamiliar voice asked the question with a tremor, and Minseok's eyes shot open. He sat up from the oddly comfortable couch, very unlike Luhan's now that he noticed, and looked around in alarm to see a guy standing in the doorway with a baseball bat over his shoulder, seeming ready to strike.
"Oh holy shit." Minseok scrambled off the couch he'd been sleeping on, feeling like he could fall over any minute. "Oh, this isn't good."
"Answer me!" The deep voice belonging to the frightened-looking guy was pushy and too loud but, Minseok thought to himself, he totally deserved it.
"No, I'm... really sorry. My- my friend, he lives somewhere near here." Minseok squinted his eyes past his headache and took a look around the room as though the walls would give him answers. "I think." He gestured a little desperately at the window. "I sneak into my friend's window to crash on his couch sometimes, that's how I got in here, I'm..."
The guy looked a little less frightened but still very confused. "You snuck in through my window?" he asked unsurely.
"Uh... yeah." Minseok scratched lightly at the back of his neck, extremely uncomfortable and very aware of his own shirtlessness all of a sudden. "I was really, really drunk. I thought your window was his window."
The guy put down his bat. "Where's your shirt?"
Minseok thought about the question for a short while, trying to remember the events of the night before. "Outside on the sidewalk, though it's probably gone by now," he finally informed the stranger. "It was hot and I decided I didn't need it. I think."
"You said your friend lives near here?"
"Yeah!" Minseok winced again. "Um... uh, yeah. His name's Luhan."
"Oh, Luhan?" The guy laughed then. "He lives in the apartment next to mine. One window over." He pointed toward the wall presumably separating his apartment from Luhan's.
"Ah. Well. I'm... sorry. This must have been a really bad thing to wake up to for you."
"What's your name?"
Minseok had been edging toward the door but stopped at the question, a little confused and thinking the guy would probably just want him out as soon as possible. "K-Kim Minseok."
He nodded. "Kim Jongin," he told him in turn. He considered Minseok for a few moments, making Minseok squirm a little under the scrutiny. "Do you need to borrow a shirt?"
"I, um, I was thinking I'd just go to Lu's and see if-"
"What if he's not even home or something?" Jongin insisted. "Just wait one sec."
The guy disappeared from the room, then returned a few moments later. "It's one of my smaller shirts, I hope it fits okay."
He held out a black tee shirt, which Minseok took gingerly, still not sure he knew exactly what was going on. When he pulled the shirt on, he found it actually fit well. "Um..." He tugged lightly at the shirt, then looked at Jongin again. "I mean, uh, you know, thanks. And I'm sorry again. I didn't mean to break into your place."
Jongin just nodded. "You scared me. But it's an understandable mistake."
"Well..." Minseok finally made it to the door. "Have a good day, I guess."
There was a hint of laughter in Jongin's expression. "You too, Kim Minseok."
Minseok left before the conversation could last any longer.
*****
"Your friend Kim Minseok is really interesting."
Minseok had heard that voice for the first time earlier that morning, and the sound of his name made him get up to walk around the corner and see for himself that Luhan's neighbor was at his door.
"He was just telling me about meeting you," Luhan informed him, looking back over his shoulder at Minseok, then taking a step back to give Jongin a view of him.
"Oh. I thought you'd be here and gone by now," Jongin confessed.
"No, I... went home and slept some more before coming back here." He didn't know why he was bothering to tell this stranger - could he consider him a stranger anymore, though? - about his boring daily activities.
Jongin laughed lightly. No longer feeling beyond confused and having slept away most of his hangover, Minseok could actually take in Jongin's appearance. He was really handsome when he laughed like that. "Good, you looked like you could use some more sleep this morning. Feel any better?"
"A lot, actually." He was relieved that Jongin didn't hate him, though honestly he hadn't given much thought to what Jongin would think of him since he hadn't counted on meeting him again.
"Did you want to come in?" Luhan asked suddenly, taking another step back from the doorway to give Jongin room.
"Oh... yeah, sure." He was still smiling at Minseok as he entered the apartment. Minseok silently cursed Luhan. He had to know how awkward this would be for him.
"Now I can hear both sides," Luhan said excitedly. He clapped his hands once and led the way back to the living room.
"I didn't know you guys were friends," Minseok said quietly beside Luhan. Apparently, Jongin overheard.
"Yeah, I've known Lu-hyung since he moved in here last year," Jongin confirmed.
"I'm surprised." Minseok sat on the loveseat. He was taken off-guard when Luhan opted to sit on the armchair, leaving the other cushion on the loveseat for Jongin. "I've never seen you around and I visit Luhan a lot." He tried to feel comfortable sitting beside Jongin.
"Well we don't see as much of each other as we used to. Mostly texting, even though we live so close." He laughed.
"No, enough about that," Luhan interrupted. "Tell me about this morning." He turned his eyes toward Jongin.
"Oh." Jongin cleared his throat. "Yeah, alright, well, I hear this rustling from the living room. At first I thought it was one of the dogs." He paused and shrugged, and Minseok took the opportunity to add in, "I remember wondering when you decided to get a couple dogs, Lu."
Luhan just chuckled. "But obviously it wasn't the dogs."
"No, I heard human sounds. Like... moaning and a loud cough. And then someone saying something, I thought maybe it was a name but it was too quiet for me to make out, so I grabbed my bat and went to the living room, and there's this little shirtless guy in there, and my first thought is that some crazy dude on drugs just busted in or something." He shook his head at the memory. Luhan kept chuckling. Minseok blushed. "So I'm asking who he is, and he just looked so confused and upset, apologising and everything. Helpless. So of course now I feel bad for reacting like I did but I mean, what else was I gonna do, he could've been anyone. But he wasn't there with bad intentions, so I offered him a shirt, and he practically ran out the door once he had it."
Luhan laughed openly about the whole thing.
"I figured you would want me gone," Minseok explained, head hung low.
"I won't lie, it was pretty weird having you there. I don't think I've ever met anyone under stranger circumstances."
Minseok looked up at him again. "Me neither." He offered a small smile, and Jongin's smile grew wider.
"But strange isn't necessarily bad."
That made Minseok smile more, mostly out of relief. "No, I suppose not." Minseok thought to himself that Jongin was doing a very good job of making this far less embarrassing than it could have been.
*****
Despite Jongin doing his best to make the interaction as normal as possible, Minseok was relieved when he decided to take his leave and return to his own apartment. Luhan had been giving him and Minseok weird looks the entire afternoon, and Minseok needed to talk to him about it.
"Is there a reason you like watching me squirm?" Blunt was always best with Luhan.
"Hm? I don't know what you mean."
"Yeah? You don't know about forcing us to sit practically touching each other and begging us to retell how weird this morning was, right in front of each other?"
"I don't see anything wrong with that, it's an interesting story."
"And the looks you've been giving?"
"Looks? I'm not giving looks."
"Luhan." Minseok was exasperated.
Luhan sighed a little, but still didn't look at Minseok. "He's cute though, right?"
Minseok furrowed his brow. "What?"
"Nice body. Weird that one of his shirts fit you so well, since his chest is bigger than yours."
"Uh... I guess so?" He stepped in front of Luhan so the Chinese man wouldn't have a choice about looking at him. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"I thought he was cute when I met him too. Asked him out, even." Luhan twisted his mouth into a slightly pained smile. "I mean, based on who he was bringing home some nights I knew he was into guys, but I guess he just wasn't into me. Like someone else I know, might I add."
Minseok at least had the decency to look a little shamed. Luhan waved him off.
"I mean, not that I would change anything you and I have now, or me and him for that matter. But I know he's not seeing anyone."
When Luhan was quiet for a short while, Minseok just gave him a blank look.
"And I know you're not seeing anyone."
Minseok blinked twice. "I met the guy by breaking into his place and you want to hook us up." He nodded. "Right. I think you need more sleep."
Luhan laughed. "You think he's good looking, don't even try to deny that. And I mean, why not?"
"Because I snuck into his apartment drunk and shirtless?!"
Luhan gave a brushing motion of his hand again. "He doesn't seem to mind, I don't see why you do." He wore a conspiratorial expression and leaned closer. "In fact I think he kept looking at your chest this afternoon like he liked what he saw and wanted to see more."
"You're crazy. You need help." Minseok headed for the door. "I'm going home."
Once outside Luhan's building, Minseok realized as he touched vaguely at his chest, wondering if what Luhan had said had been true, that he still needed to return that damn shirt.
*****
"Please just give this to him, I'll feel so weird seeing him again knowing you're just thinking about us fucking." Minseok practically shook the shirt at Luhan the next day in the doorway of his apartment, keeping his voice low.
"Hang on." Luhan stepped into the hallway, walked to the next door, and knocked.
"No!" Minseok more or less screeched, lunging at Luhan in an attempt to stop him. He'd barely reached his friend when the door swung open.
Jongin wore a warm, friendly expression. Minseok wished he could say the same of himself, but he knew he probably looked half crazed, his hand curled into the shoulder of Luhan's shirt. He released Luhan and straightened up. "Ah. Kim Jongin. I just..." He lost his thoughts temporarily, then realized he was still gripping the black shirt and held it out. "I needed to return this. I washed it."
Jongin took it. "Oh, you didn't have to do that. Thanks though." He looked over at Luhan curiously. "Did you guys want to come in?"
Minseok took a moment to try to figure out how to say no without sounding rude, and Luhan took the silence as his opportunity to say, "Oh, sure! Minseok said he doesn't have plans at all today so I'm sure he doesn't have to rush off on you like he did yesterday morning." He laughed, Jongin chuckled, and Minseok scowled. Jongin stepped away from the doorway so they could walk into the apartment.
"Oh, this must bring back memories for you," Luhan gushed as Minseok sat on the couch.
Minseok looked up at him, practically begging him with his expression to sit beside him on the couch. Luhan grinned and sat in a chair. Jongin sat beside him on the couch instead, closer than absolutely necessary given the size of the couch but not so close they'd bump knees or anything.
"At least this couch is comfortable, unlike yours," Minseok bit back.
"Then sleep here instead of at my place," Luhan suggested with a raised eyebrow that meant he was implying something lewd. Minseok wanted to murder him.
"Shouldn't you ask the tenant of the place first?" Jongin laughed.
Luhan waved him off the way he'd waved Minseok off before. "Nobody minds having Minseok over for a night." He stood. "Anyway, I forgot I have something cooking that I have to attend to. You guys behave."
Neither Jongin nor Minseok tried to keep him from leaving. Once he was gone, the two remained silent for longer than Minseok was comfortable with.
"I'm sorry about him," Jongin said finally, not looking at Minseok as he scuffed his toes against the carpet. "He uh... told me last night that he was going to hook us up and I kind of figured if we just bear with it eventually he'll stop but you know it's almost impossible to make him quit once he gets going." Jongin was blushing and his voice was soft.
"Yeah, he's- he's definitely persistent." Minseok had always been shy, but he hadn't thought Jongin was until just then. When they were around Luhan he seemed so outgoing. "I tried to tell him he was being weird and needed a head doctor."
Jongin nodded. "Maybe we can trick him into going to see someone." He looked back over at Minseok, smiling. "Usually I have to deal with his insanity alone. At least for right now we can take it on from two sides."
Minseok finally began to relax a little. "Do you think he's coming back at all or is he just leaving us to do... whatever he thinks we'll do?"
Jongin chuckled. "Pretty sure he's left us alone."
"It's so strange. I mean if two of my friends had met under the circumstances we met I would help them avoid each other."
"Well, as far as that's concerned, I'm glad he didn't. You're... interesting."
Minseok didn't expect the words. "Interesting how?" he asked very quickly.
"Good interesting, don't worry."
"Oh." They lapsed into silence again. "You're interesting too. Lending a shirt to a stranger who broke into your place, that's interesting."
"Well you weren't an enemy, just confused." Jongin shrugged. "I would hope someone might do the same thing for me if I was ever in that position."
"How often are people in that position?" Minseok asked with a laugh.
"I don't know, but you know, just in case. Building up good karma."
"It had nothing to do with wanting me to get a shirt on as quickly as possible?"
"Oh, no, definitely not that." Jongin seemed to realize what he was saying only after he'd said it, and Minseok had to admit it was surprising to realize Luhan had been right about something for once.
"No?"
"I-I mean, like, I don't mind. If you're shirtless. I mean, or if you're wearing a shirt or whatever. Whatever you wanna do, is all I'm saying."
Minseok just looked at him with a faintly amused expression. "I think for now I'll keep my shirt on," he said to try to help Jongin out of the hole he was digging.
"Oh. Um, yeah, that's-" Jongin stood. "Do you want a drink? Water? Or I have..." He stepped into the kitchen. "Beers somewhere, or wine? Do you like wine? And vodka. That's kinda strong for early evening though."
Minseok laughed to himself and shook his head a little. "A beer is fine."
Jongin returned with his cheeks significantly less red than they'd been when he'd headed for the kitchen and handed Minseok his beer, holding one of his own. "Sorry, I'm kinda strange sometimes."
Sipping his beer, Minseok reminded Jongin, "Strange isn't necessarily bad."
At that, Jongin gave him a grateful smile. "I'm glad we met."
"Me too."
*****
Minseok knew it wasn't a coincidence that he and Jongin ended up at Luhan's apartment together nearly a dozen times over the next two weeks. The would always laugh at Luhan's persistence, and each time they were a little bit more comfortable, a little bit further removed from the reason they met in the first place.
"Good God, this is getting tedious," Luhan finally burst out after dinner one evening at Jongin's place as they stood in the living room. "Can you guys just date please? I'm going crazy here."
"Do you know that you have this real special ability to make things awkward?" Minseok asked him.
"What's awkward? He's cute." He pointed at Jongin. "You're cute." The finger came around to point at Minseok. Minseok and Jongin looked at each other with faint amusement. "That's it, that's all there is. Cute single guys should date cute single guys."
Minseok wrapped an arm around Luhan and led him toward the door. "If cute single guys are interested in cute single guys, maybe you should let those cute single guys figure it out themselves. Meddling has a tendency to backfire." He looked over his shoulder and gave Jongin a small wave before leaving with his insane best friend.
*****
It would be a lie if Minseok said he wasn't thinking of Jongin. Luhan had - for the first time ever, probably - actually taken his advice and stopped meddling. It had only been four days since their last dinner together but after seeing Jongin almost every day, that felt like a long time. He was strongly considering going back to see him.
His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he took it out, expecting some message from Luhan about the three of them getting together. He should have known the guy couldn't keep away for long.
From: Unknown
Hey its Jongin. I realised I don't know where you live and I never managed to get your number so I asked Luhan for it. Is that okay?
A little surprised, Minseok saved the number in his phone, then hit reply.
It's fine ^^ I was thinking of stopping by today anyway.
He pocketed his phone, but he may as well have kept it out with the speed the next notification came in.
From: Jonginah
Oh okay! How about dinner? Mine or yours? Seven sound good? I'll see you soon, hyung.
Minseok smiled at his phone, glad to see Jongin seemed as eager as he did.
Mine. Seven's perfect. See you then.
*****
"I knew it," Luhan gloated as he seemingly floated around Minseok's living room.
"Yeah, yeah," Minseok grumbled, but he wasn't upset at all. "Still, like I said, you needed to leave us alone about it first. Now get out of here, he'll be over soon."
Luhan stopped in front of Minseok to straighten the shorter man's shirt out. "Oh, my Minseokie, my Baozi, all grown up and dressing fancy to impress boys."
"Yah," he batted at Luhan's hands.
There was a knock at the door. "Come in," he called out, knowing Jongin would be on the other side.
As Jongin walked in, Luhan told Minseok, "Behave." Then he kissed his cheek and stepped away.
"Hey, I thought that was my job now," Jongin protested happily, replacing Luhan in front of Minseok.
"I'm leaving before things get gross in here," Luhan decided, then left.
"You look amazing," Jongin told Minseok. Minseok blushed. "You didn't have to get so dressed up just for me." He kissed him lightly, and as far as first kisses went, Minseok couldn't have asked for anything better.
He did his best to seem unaffected but knew he'd failed when his response came out to breathless. "I wanted to look good for you."
"You looked just fine shirtless when I first met you," Jongin insisted before kissing him again. Minseok returned the kiss, thankful for the first time that he'd accidentally broken into Jongin's apartment.
*****XXX*****