Coffee and Regrets (a min7en story): Chapter Fourteen
Title: Coffee & Regrets ♥
Chapter: Fourteen [R]
Author: wedspawn
Pairing: Min7en
Overall Fic Rating: NC-17
Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
Summary: A pair of lovers, worn and faded by time, hope to recapture what they once had… or walk away after bittersweet goodbyes.
Washing dishes never had been something Min liked to do. He avoided it at all costs and even bet the chore in video games against Junsu. Elbow deep in dish soap suds with Se7en standing next to him now was his idea of Nirvana.
They’d kissed, stroking one another’s faces and arms. An hour passed, then another, warmed by words and lips. Min’s stomach ended the interlude, rumbling loud enough to drown out their whispers. Laughing, Se7en rose to his feet, offering his hand out to the younger man. Taking that hand… touching those fingers… seemed like a rope thick enough to pull him out of the mire of his anger and despair. Changmin took it willingly, gripping Se7en’s fingers tightly as he slid off the bed.
There were dishes in the sink and Se7en ran hot water over them, intending to wash them while they waited for their food delivery to arrive. He squirted in soap and the lavender scent tickled Min’s nose. Moving closer, Changmin was surprised when his lover handed him a scrubber.
“Here, you wash,” Se7en said, opening a drawer to pull out a dish towel. “I’ll dry. It’ll go faster that way.”
“When did you get domestic?” Min grumbled, wrinkling his nose and snorting, trying to clear away the tiny bubbles that drifted near his face. “I remember when you didn’t even know where your pantry was.”
“Yeah well,” He shrugged casually. “In Los Angeles, I was left on my own a lot and not a lot of delivery places spoke Korean. I wasn’t near K-Town so… I ended up cooking a lot. And cooking means… cleaning.”
“Really?” Min eyed him suspiciously. “Then why did we just order food?”
“Because I’d rather spend my time with you than cooking.”
“Ah, but I’m washing dishes,” Changmin pointed out. “Or is standing next to me considered ‘spending time’ with me?”
“Faster you scrub, the sooner we can go sit down,” Se7en said. Rolling his eyes up, he sent a pleading look to the Heavens. “God, I sounded exactly like my mother. I opened my mouth and my mother fell out!”
“I do not want your mouth and your mother combined in one image,” Min growled. “Not if I’m going to be kissing that mouth later. I do not want your mother anywhere near there.”
The doorbell rang, saving Se7en from having to answer. Wiping off his hands, he grabbed his wallet and paid the delivery boy, taking the bags of food into the living room. A quick tug on the tie and the bags opened, releasing a fragrant meaty scent into the air.
“Come on, time for food,” He said, plucking out a branch of cilantro from a container and waving it in Min’s direction. “Look, I’ve even got your favourite.”
“It’s only my favourite when I’m stealing it from your mouth,” Min muttered to himself. Looking at the rest of the dishes, he frowned. “What about these?”
“Leave them,” Se7en called out, unpacking the bags. “The housekeeper can do it.”
“You have a housekeeper? Why the hell am I doing your dishes?!” A sponge flew past Se7en’s head, leaving a wet mark on the couch. He grinned at Min, winking as the tall singer stalked over to the couch. He flopped down and imperiously waved for the older man to serve him. “I want the shrimp. And all of the bean sprouts.”
“You can have half of the bean sprouts.” Se7en dished up the pho, adding the condiments. “But I’ll let you have all of the shrimp. There’s chicken for me.”
They ate in silence until Se7en held out a mouthful of noodles for Min to eat. Angling the chopsticks for the younger man, Se7en turned his head when Min slurped them up, splattering broth on both of their faces.
“You’re a mess.” Se7en leaned forward. Slowly, he trailed a finger over a spot of broth and sucked it off. “I think that would take too long. Maybe there’s a better way to do this?”
“Yeah?” Min rested his hands on his thighs, arching so their mouths were nearly touching. “Like how?”
“A napkin?” He held up the paper square, chuckling at Min’s answering frown. “No?”
“No.”
“Hold still then,” He murmured. “This is going to take some time.”
He traced the younger man’s mouth with the tip of his tongue, dabbing off the tiny spots of broth. Se7en studied Min’s face, making an elaborate show of kissing off each dot. He curled his lips over a beauty spot, sucking hard on the spot until Changmin pushed him away, laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe.
“That tickles. Stop.”
“Come here, one last drop,” Se7en cupped Min’s head and drew him in, taking pleasure in parting the young man’s lips with his and sliding his tongue against his young lover’s teeth. Suckling and kissing, Se7en stroked down Min’s sides, urging the man into his lap.
“Are we done eating?” Changmin asked, sliding his take-out container onto the table. “Because I think I’m full of soup right now and could use something… more substantial.”
“I don’t know if I’m substantial but maybe I could be a bit of sweet after your dinner?”
“Like a dessert?” Min curled his fingers into Se7en’s shirt, sliding over to nestle his rear into the space between his lover’s crossed legs. “I like cake. Dong-Wook cake but I’m on a diet. I promised I would ease back into eating my desserts.”
“Or we could talk…” He offered, moving his arm so Min could cuddle into the curve of his body. “And easing back in is a good idea. Even when I want to do less easing and more…back in.”
“We should talk,” The younger man agreed, settling into the warmth of the man’s embrace. “Tell me about America.”
“Aish, America,” Se7en leaned back, nesting further into the loose cushions. Stretching out his legs, he settled Min between them, pulling the younger man until his back rested against Se7en’s chest. “Let’s see, what do you want to know?”
“Did you do any signings there? Were there a lot of people?”
“A couple of signings. At phone stores, believe it or not.” Se7en shrugged when Min turned his head and gave him a curious look. “I just went where they told me. They held one after my launch party and I’d spent most of the night up and talking to people but it was nice. There were a lot of fans, more than I expected. I was kind of surprised.”
“Women?”
“A lot of them were women,” He conceded, chuckling at Min’s annoyed tsk. “They were different. Most of them were Asian and they brought gifts. It was… sweet. I was touched.”
“Because you weren’t expecting it?”
“No, I wasn’t expecting gifts. Hell, I wasn’t expecting there to be anyone but they were wrapped around the building.” Se7en sighed. “I was shocked and I thought maybe this would give the record company some idea that I could be promoted in the U.S. but it didn’t seem… it didn’t seem to matter.”
“It mattered to those people standing in line for you,” Min pointed out. “You got to meet them. I mean, they knew who you were. They drove to be there and you didn’t have a record out or anything.”
“Yeah, that was cool. I was…down,” Se7en admitted. “The party at the club… the night before… I spent the whole time trying to talk people up but it was hard. My English… wasn’t great but at the signing, people were.. excited to see me. It was nice. It made me feel better.”
“And the women?” Min poked at his lover’s ribs. “How were they?”
“American women are...louder? I don’t know the word.” He shrugged. “They’re not cheap or act like whores but they are… louder in personality. It’s hard to explain.”
“Brasher,” Min supplied with a not. “Bolder.”
“Bolder, yes,” Se7en agreed. “Not in a bad way but bolder. More… I don’t know… they weren’t shocking or outrageous, just larger personalities. And most of them were Asian - Korean… Chinese… a mix but they were all… American. That loudness. It was nice. It was like a loud hug from someone you know. Very different.”
“None of them came to the signing wearing torn jeans?”
“None of them came to the signings wearing torn jeans that should be declared illegal.” Se7en sighed. “God I love those jeans. Do you have any idea what your legs in those jeans do to me?”
“A little bit,” Min admitted then slyly looked at the older man. “I could wear them again.”
“Yeah?” Se7en kissed behind Min’s ear. “How about if we do something different?”
“Different how?”
“I think, Minku, that it’s time we went on a date,” Se7en declared, hugging the man from behind. “Why don’t we plan on having dinner out someplace. I’ll get a driver and you… wear those jeans. Let’s start this love between us at the beginning again.”
“If I remember,” Min narrowed his eyes. “You kind of took part of my virginity in the back of a limo.”
“Yeah,” Se7en grinned, fondly remembering the stars shining down on them thru the moon roof. “I really want to peel those jeans off of you… and take that virginity of yours all over again. And if you’re a good boy, I might even let you take mine.”