Sunshine [oneshot]
Title: Sunshine
Author: ixjaydee
Rating: PG
Pairing: OT3 (Jonghyun/Minho/Onew);; Jongyu;; broken!TofuHo
Genre: Angst (fail)
Disclaimer: No, not mine.
Summary: Though I wish I may, I wish I might. They won’t grant my wish tonight.
AN;; A request by reinyuu . Wrote this to Sunshine by The All-American Rejects. I miss listening to music I can understand. Partially inspired by a comment folkin_up_again shared with me about someone thinking that threesomes were ‘weird and wrong’.
I’m sorry the ending isn’t sad. I just thought the whole mood through this thing was doused.
--
Sunshine
--
There was something poetic about the weather that day. Lee Jinki looked to the sky from the curb, resting his elbows on his knees. A crowd of angry storm clouds gathered in the middle, threatening to drown the world in water. On the outer edge, Jinki could see white clouds in the distance with blue sky peeking out here and there. As a few drops landed on his face, he smiled, thinking only of the sunshine in the distance.
“Jinki! I’m sorry, did you wait long?” A voice behind him snapped him out of his thoughts as he looked up to see a young boy waving at him with a large smile on his face. Jinki returned the warm smile and got to his feet, brushing dirt off the back of his pants.
“It’s okay, Taemin. I didn’t mind waiting. The weather is pretty nice today.” Taemin gave him a strange look as he slowed and shook his head. “If you say so. C’mon. The store is this way.”
--
Taemin led him down some familiar streets. Jinki enjoyed getting lost in the crowd and feeling like no one was taking notice of him. As he walked, he suddenly felt someone grab his arm and pull him back, causing him to stumble and almost fall onto the ground. “You almost walked right past me,” Taemin said with a laugh. “It’s right here.” He pulled open the door and walked inside, holding the door open for Jinki. There was a small tinkle as a bell on top of the door shook.
Jinki stepped inside and took a deep breath. He loved the smell of records in the morning. “Yah! Jonghyun! Are you here?” Taemin noticed Jinki wander in between the aisles of the records and CDs out of the corner of his eye. Jonghyun stuck his head out from the back rooms and raised an eyebrow.
“Taemin. You’re here early.” Jonghyun stepped out of the back with a grin before shoving his hands into his pocket. “To what do I owe this honor?” Taemin gave him a sheepish laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh... I have to tell you something... And you’re probably not going to be too happy to hear it.”
--
By the end of his explanation, Jonghyun was shaking Taemin by his shoulders. “Why, Taemin, WHY?!” He wailed dramatically. “I’m sorry Jonghyun, but school is starting to pick up, and I just don’t have the time to come by and teach anymore. But I didn’t come here unprepared! Meet my piano teacher, Jinki!”
Jonghyun heard a loud crash as CDs were knocked to the ground and hung his head. “Sorry,” a voice called. “I’ll get those,” Jonghyun said with a sigh. Taemin followed the older man apologizing profusely still. He held up a hand to silence the other boy and shook his head. He sighed as he bent down to help pick up CDs and looked up to meet a bright, sheepish smile that took his breath away.
“Sorry. I’m really clumsy sometimes at the worst possible moments.” Jonghyun stared at him for a moment, his hand hovering over a CD. He didn’t even notice Jinki pick it up from under his fingers and stand up before Taemin cleared his throat. “Oh. Oh yeah. What did you say your name was?” He asked him lightly, putting the CDs back onto the shelves.
“His name is Lee Jinki. He’s a genius piano player. He agreed to take over my current students until you found a replacement.” Jonghyun regarded him with curiosity and extended his hand out to Jinki.
“Hi Jinki. I’m Jonghyun. Welcome to the crew.” Jinki grinned at him and shook his hand. “I can play for you if you don’t think I might be up to par with your standards.”
“No... I think you’ll be okay. That doesn’t mean I won’t be beating Taemin up anyway.”
“No worries. Go right ahead. I can’t believe I’m giving up my weekends for him.”
--
Jonghyun owned the small music shop. Business was steady, and he made a little bit of extra money on the side teaching guitar lessons as well in some of the practice rooms in the back of the building. Taemin was there teaching piano on the weekends to earn some pocket money, but lately, his school schedule gave him less and less time to prepare adequately for lessons like he used to.
Jinki had a nine to five office job in the office across the street. Somehow Jonghyun didn’t see him behind a desk crunching numbers all day, the way his fingers seemed to fly across the keys. His singing voice wasn’t that bad either. Jinki was all too aware that his new acquaintance was staring at him a little bit too much, but he enjoyed the attention for once.
--
That weekend passed with Jinki introducing himself to confused students. Taemin explained to his students the situation and someone of them were disappointed, and other seemed to be more excited, especially after they heard him play. Jonghyun got all of his information (“For safety purposes. In case you turn out to be a deranged murderer or something.”), and bid him goodbye until the weekend on Sunday afternoon.
Monday morning, he was back in a dress shirt and slacks, tie restricting his breathing as usual, typing away silently in his cubicle. The stormy weather prevailed through the weekend, dousing the office in a strange, unhealthy yellow glow from the overhead lights.
His work days always passed in peace whenever he didn’t have to see him. “Jinki.” Jinki looked up from his computer to see his supervisor beckoning him over with his finger before disappearing over into his office. It looked like this week wasn’t going to pass by peacefully after all.
He sighed before burying his head into his hands. He shook his head and stood up with a groan, making his way to the office. He opened the door and closed it behind him, turning to look at the man behind the desk looking through various files. He sat down into a chair and twiddled his thumbs, waiting for him to look up.
“How have things been, Jinki? It’s been a while since we’ve talked.” Jinki chuckled and sat back in the chair, looking off to the side with a small shake of his head. He looked down before answering him. “Things have been fine, Mr. Choi.” He heard the sigh coming from the other man.
“You never called me that before.” Jinki fidgeted in his seat and looked up with a blank expression on his face. “That was then. This is now.” He hid the fact his heart skipped a beat when his supervisor’s eyes met his with a sad expression. “Jinki... I-” Jinki shook his head.
“Did you have something important you wanted to talk to me about? Or did you just call me in here to torture me with your presence? Because if it’s the latter, I have some other important work I should be doing.” He stood up and turned to leave. His supervisor was fast though, standing up from his seat and rounding his desk, grabbing the sleeve of Jinki’s shirt. He stopped but didn’t turn around.
He felt arms wrap around his waist as his supervisor pulled him close enough so he could feel his breath on his ear. His heart was beating furiously, and he could feel the other man’s heartbeat on his back. “... Minho. What are you doing?”
“I miss you Jinki.”
“Yeah? Well I don’t.” He stepped out of Minho’s arms and left the office without another word.
--
The next few days were absolute torture for Jinki. Wherever he went, Minho was there. During his lunch breaks, during his water breaks, when he was working. He was called into his office to discuss important things, but the two of them ended up sitting there silently until Jinki couldn’t stand to look at him anymore.
One day, Jinki left the office for lunch, not being able to stand eating his lunch silently and awkwardly in the break room next to Minho anymore. Instead, he stepped outside, taking in a deep breath of moist air. His eyes fell on the music store across the street before a grin snuck onto his face.
The bell above the door let Jonghyun know someone was coming in. He looked up from his guitar behind the counter and grinned when he saw Jinki step in, loosening his tie and throwing it onto the counter.
“Hey there Mr. Fancypants. What brings you here on this lovely weekday?”
“Lunch break. You don’t mind do you?” Jinki asked, holding up his lunch box. Jonghyun’s stomach growled as he eyed it. “As long as you don’t mind sharing it.” Jinki laughed and pulled up a stool next to the counter. They two sat and talked amicably. They shared a few facts about each other until Jonghyun asked him about work.
“Work has been absolutely miserable,” Jinki said as he stretched, watching Jonghyun pick up his chopsticks and eat another bite out of his lunch. He’d already eaten about half of it himself already while Jinki only had a few bites.
“Do tell.”
“My boss. He... He and I used to date. Until I found him with his pants down and girl wrapped around him. I mean seriously. He doesn’t even like girls. It was a blow to my pride.” Jinki sighed and let his head fall down onto the counter. Jonghyun barely had time to pull away the lunch before Jinki’s head made contact with the counter.
He took another bite of food. “So you’re gay huh?” Jinki nodded his head on the counter. “That’s cool,” Jonghyun said, chewing his food thoughtfully. Jinki lifted his head off the counter and raised an eyebrow. “Why? Do you have a problem with gay people?”
“No. I’m gay too.”
“Oh.” They looked awkwardly at each other until Jonghyun took another bite of food. Neither of them could stop the smiles forming on their faces, and those smiles quickly turned into laughter.
“I think that was the most awkward declaration of sexuality, ever.”
--
Jinki had one arm on the door pulling it open slowly as Jonghyun fixed his crooked tie. “Would you just slow down. Your office building is across the street.” Jinki rolled his eyes, stopping there until Jonghyun finished. His fingers lingered on the tie for a moment before he dropped his hands and smiled.
“Now don’t be late for work, honey!” He said in a falsetto voice which made Jinki burst into laughter. He was out the door in a second. Jonghyun caught the door and peeked out. “Hey! Where’s my goodbye kiss?!” Jinki almost doubled over in laughter in the streets before blowing a kiss his way. Neither of them could understand it really, how they were so comfortable together after only meeting a few times. But no one was going to question it.
--
Jinki refused to look up from his computer, despite the fact that he could feel Minho’s eyes on his back. He just smiled to himself, thinking about the lunch he spent with Jonghyun. “Did you take your lunch break yet?” He heard Minho’s voice ask him. “Yeah, I did,” Jinki answered without looking away.
“When?”
“Earlier today. I stepped out for a bit.” There was silence, but Jinki knew he was still there. Suddenly, he felt an arm on his chair and saw another arm on his desk. Minho leaned forward and pretended to look at his computer screen.
“I found another box of your stuff in my apartment. Did you want it back?” Jinki’s typing slowed to a stop. “What’s in it?”
“Sheet music.” Jinki sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. I want it back.”
“Did you want to come by and get it, or did you want me to swing by your new apartment?” Jinki blinked a few times at the screen. He was contemplating an answer until Minho answered for him. “I’ll just bring it by. I’ll see you later tonight.” Minho pushed himself up and stepped out of his cubicle without another word.
“Oh god.” Jinki breathed out after he left. Minho was so unbearably close. He could still smell his cologne in the air. He would be lying if he said he didn’t have any feelings left for him. Jonghyun’s face loomed into his mind though, his lopsided grin squeezing Jinki’s heart.
It was a face he didn’t expect to see waiting for him when he got out of work that day. “Jonghyun. What are you doing here?” Jonghyun pushed himself off the wall and smiled at him. “Closed up a little bit early today. Wanna go grab dinner? I’ll pay since I practically ate all of your lunch today.” Jinki opened his mouth to say something along the lines of him being tired and just wanting to go home. But then he remembered that Minho would be stopping by later and changed his mind.
“Sure. Let’s go for dinner.”
--
Jinki was distracted all through dinner. Jonghyun only had to do a little bit of poking and prodding here and there until Jinki spilled the beans about why he was acting so distant.
--
Neither of them knew if it was the alcohol or the light brushes against each other as they walked towards Jinki’s apartment. But eventually, the two of them were kissing and grabbing at each other like the end of the world was coming. Jonghyun pressed Jinki against his apartment door, attacking his neck as Jinki struggled to find his keys in his pocket.
With all of his willpower, he pushed Jonghyun off of him, turning around and shoving his key into the lock. He felt Jonghyun lock his arms around him from behind and bury his face into the crook of Jinki’s neck. “God, you smell so good.” Jinki barely had time to unlock the door and flip on the lights before Jonghyun shoved him inside.
They made their way to the couch, lips locked together, tongues battling for dominance. In the end, Jonghyun ended up falling onto the couch first, Jinki crawling on top of him. A sharp rap on the door a few minutes later put a halt to their activities though. “Maybe you should answer the door,” Jonghyun said breathlessly in between kisses.
“I don’t really want to,” Jinki mumbled. But another sharp knock came from the door, this time followed by Minho calling his name. Jinki’s head dropped into the crook of Jonghyun’s neck before he pushed himself off of him, running his hand through his hair as he headed towards the door. He tore off his tie and threw it on the kitchen table as Jonghyun sat up on the couch, wiping his face.
He pulled open the door to see Minho holding a large box in his hands, dressed in casual clothes. He raised an eyebrow at Jinki. “You haven’t changed?”
“I went out for dinner with a friend and just got back. Just, put the box over there or something.” Minho stepped into the apartment and looked around. He saw another person sitting on the couch, twisted around, watching the two of them. When they locked gazes, he smirked and raised a hand in hello. “Hi. I’m Jonghyun. You must be Minho.” He stood up and made his way over to them.
Minho put the box down, looking between the two of them cautiously. “I’m... gonna go change real quick.” He let out another sigh and left the two of them there, hurrying into his bedroom and shutting the door. The two men stood across from each other, exchanging awkward glances.
“So. How do you know Jinki?”
“We met last weekend through a mutual acquaintance.” Minho nodded silently. Jonghyun didn’t ask about Minho. He’d heard enough about him over dinner. He had the sneaking suspicion that Jinki probably still had feelings left for him though, and that thought kept him grounded.
Minho regarded the other man silently. He saw how Jinki looked when he answered the door. His lips were swollen, eyes dilated. No doubt he was doing something with Jonghyun. And he was sure that since he didn’t ask about how he knew Jinki, that he already knew all about him, and the nonchalance that Jonghyun gave Minho irked him. Like he wasn’t worried or threatened by him at all.
Jinki came out in a loose t-shirt and some sweat pants, looking completely defeated. He rubbed the back of his head and looked back and forth between the two men in his kitchen. The hostility between them was palpable. Jonghyun grinned when he saw Jinki though. Minho’s eyes narrowed at the other man before he returned his attention to Jinki.
“Well. That was all. I’ll let you know if I find anything else lying around the apartment.”
“Yeah sure. Thanks.”
“I should probably get going too.” Minho tried to contain his jealousy as Jinki furrowed his eyebrows, clearly not wanting Jonghyun to leave.
“I’ll see you Saturday. Or during your lunch break,” he said with a smile. He nodded to Minho before heading towards the door. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow.” Jinki nodded tiredly and ushered him towards the door.
When the door closed, both men looked at each other, glaring.
“He still has feelings for me.”
“He likes me now.”
The two just looked at each other before walking away from the door slowly. A silent competition formed between them for Jinki’s heart.
--
Moonlight flooded through Jinki’s apartment, casting long eerie shadows. He sighed into his pillow. The red numbers on his clock read midnight. Jinki curled up on his bed, wrapping his blankets around him closer. Everything seemed so much colder alone.
He closed his eyes, trying to will himself to sleep until he heard a noise coming from his front door. His eyes snapped open, turning towards the noise. He heard the door close and lock. He gulped. Soft footsteps came closer to his bedroom door. He screwed his eyes shut, pretending to be invisible in his bed when the door opened and closed.
“Jinki?” He heard a soft voice say. Oh god, anyone but you, he thought in his head. He felt a weight on his bed before turning and opening his eyes, squinting them in the darkness. “Minho? What are you doing here? How did you get in?”
“You always left the spare key under the mat. You should pick a different place to hide it.’ Jinki groaned and pulled the covers closer to him. “Go home.”
“No.” Minho scooted closer to him and snuck under the blankets, wrapping his arms around Jinki. “Minho, what are you doing. It’s the middle of the night. I don’t want to deal with you.” Minho just pulled him closer to his chest, inhaling the scent of his shampoo. Jinki tried not to breathe, but took in a deep breath far too late. The smell of Minho sent his mind reeling.
Butterflies filled his stomach, his heart beat faster. It wasn’t anything like he felt with Jonghyun. He had a comfortable excitement with Jonghyun. But with Minho, he always felt nervous. Unconsciously, he buried his face into Minho’s chest and sighed. He was so warm. Maybe just for tonight. Just for tonight, he’d forget that they weren’t lovers anymore.
--
Jinki woke up to the sounds of shuffling in his kitchen. He could smell the coffee in the coffee maker and groaned. Minho came into the bedroom, holding two cups. “I have to leave and get ready for work. I’ll see you later.” Jinki’s stomach flipped at the familiar sight. His face didn’t reveal any emotion as Minho kissed him on the forehead before leaving.
--
Jinki called in sick right after Minho left. He couldn’t deal with this right now. The rainy weather reflected his mood perfectly as he wrapped a blanket around him before grabbing the cup of coffee Minho left for him and wandering out towards his couch.
He sat down ungraciously and almost spilled the coffee on himself. He stared out the window at the grey weather, taking a sip every now and then. He stayed that way for a few hours until he heard a knock on his door again. He turned his head towards it in confusion. Who would be coming around at this hour in the morning?
“Jinki, can we talk?” Jinki let out a huff of air. Of course. Of course he would come back after he found out he called in sick. “I know you’re not sick. Please. Let’s just talk.”
“Don’t you have to work?” Jinki called out.
“I took my lunch break. Please.”
--
Jonghyun drummed his fingers on the counter. He was starting to get tired of this dreary weather. He would glance up at the clock every couple of hours, sighing as the time passed by slowly. He didn’t see Jinki go into work in the morning either. He could always see him from across the street, stumbling with the door every morning. It was a little bit creepy on his part, but he didn’t really care.
When closing time came around, he closed up quickly and headed for Jinki’s apartment. He knocked on the door tentatively. He didn’t hear anything and turned to leave, assuming he was gone somewhere until he saw a key shining from underneath the mat. He grinned and picked it up, sticking it into the lock and unlocking the door.
He pressed inside and looked around before freezing at the sight on the couch. He saw Minho sitting on the couch, staring off into the distance. He didn’t even turn around as Jonghyun closed the door. As he approached the other man, he saw Jinki on the couch, laying in Minho’s lap, softly snoring while Minho played with his hair.
He felt Minho’s gaze shift as he walked by, falling onto his knees so his head was level with Jinki’s face. “What are you doing?” Minho hissed quietly. Jonghyun just smirked up at him. If Jinki weren’t on his lap, Minho would’ve kicked him away already. Jonghyun leaned closer, bracing himself on Minho’s knees and planted a kiss on Jinki’s forehead before moving down to his nose, then to his mouth.
Jinki groaned as his eyes fluttered open, completely surprised to see that it was Jonghyun kissing him. He pulled away with a smile and stroked his cheek gently. “Good morning sunshine.” Jinki blinked a few times before smiling. He seemed to have forgotten where his head was. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he sat up abruptly to see Minho staring at him with amusement.
He looked between the two of them wildly, not knowing what to say. Minho turned to Jonghyun who was still leaning on Minho’s knees. “You can stop touching me now.” Jonghyun leaned back with a smirk and held up his hands in retreat.
“Jonghyun. Minho. I... I...” Jonghyun moved to the other side of Jinki and pushed him over closer to Minho so he could make a space for himself on the couch. Jinki felt weird being crushed between those two. Minho was sending Jonghyun death glares, but Jonghyun took them all with a playful smirk.
“Umm... this is kind of awkward,” Jinki said from between them. “How is it awkward? I know you like me. And I know you still have feelings for Minho. And as much as I think he’s a complete and total dick to you, it’s not like I didn’t notice.”
“In what universe is that not awkward?” Minho drawled. Jonghyun just threw his arm over Jinki’s shoulder and pulled him in so he could kiss him on the cheek. “In a threesome universe.” Minho raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re kidding me.” Jinki gave him a weird look too.
“It makes sense. I like him, you like him, he likes us.”
“But we don’t like each other.”
“I don’t mind sharing Jinki with you as long as it makes him happy.” Jinki made a strangled noise between them. They’d almost forgotten he was there with them.
“I... I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said softly. Jonghyun was taken aback.
“I mean, I barely know you, Jonghyun. And Minho broke my heart so long ago, I just... I don’t know.” He stood up and ran his hand through his hair again, sending the hairs in all different directions. “I couldn’t choose between you two either... I just need to be alone right now.” Minho made the motion to pull him back but Jonghyun blocked him, letting Jinki walk over to the balcony and open the door, sliding it closed behind him.
“What do you think you’re doing? Are you crazy?” Minho nearly yelled at Jonghyun. “I don’t want him to suffer! What’s wrong with you? Can you not see him hurting? Are you that dense?!” Their yells came muted through the door as Jinki leaned on the balcony, staring off into the distance.
The storm clouds were spread all across the sky, no hint of sunshine anywhere. He sighed, holding his hand out to catch a few stray rain drops falling in the air. He missed the way his life used to be. When everything was rainbows and sunshine. Things were always so simple then. And now...
He heard the balcony door slide open. A hand reached out to grab his fingers, and an arm wrapped around his waist. Two heads leaned against his shoulders. Jinki let out a breath. “I don’t want to choose.”
“Then you don’t have to.”
“You don’t have to.”
Maybe Jinki should forget about the sunshine when it was gone.
Author: ixjaydee
Rating: PG
Pairing: OT3 (Jonghyun/Minho/Onew);; Jongyu;; broken!TofuHo
Genre: Angst (fail)
Disclaimer: No, not mine.
Summary: Though I wish I may, I wish I might. They won’t grant my wish tonight.
AN;; A request by reinyuu . Wrote this to Sunshine by The All-American Rejects. I miss listening to music I can understand. Partially inspired by a comment folkin_up_again shared with me about someone thinking that threesomes were ‘weird and wrong’.
I’m sorry the ending isn’t sad. I just thought the whole mood through this thing was doused.
--
Sunshine
--
There was something poetic about the weather that day. Lee Jinki looked to the sky from the curb, resting his elbows on his knees. A crowd of angry storm clouds gathered in the middle, threatening to drown the world in water. On the outer edge, Jinki could see white clouds in the distance with blue sky peeking out here and there. As a few drops landed on his face, he smiled, thinking only of the sunshine in the distance.
“Jinki! I’m sorry, did you wait long?” A voice behind him snapped him out of his thoughts as he looked up to see a young boy waving at him with a large smile on his face. Jinki returned the warm smile and got to his feet, brushing dirt off the back of his pants.
“It’s okay, Taemin. I didn’t mind waiting. The weather is pretty nice today.” Taemin gave him a strange look as he slowed and shook his head. “If you say so. C’mon. The store is this way.”
--
Taemin led him down some familiar streets. Jinki enjoyed getting lost in the crowd and feeling like no one was taking notice of him. As he walked, he suddenly felt someone grab his arm and pull him back, causing him to stumble and almost fall onto the ground. “You almost walked right past me,” Taemin said with a laugh. “It’s right here.” He pulled open the door and walked inside, holding the door open for Jinki. There was a small tinkle as a bell on top of the door shook.
Jinki stepped inside and took a deep breath. He loved the smell of records in the morning. “Yah! Jonghyun! Are you here?” Taemin noticed Jinki wander in between the aisles of the records and CDs out of the corner of his eye. Jonghyun stuck his head out from the back rooms and raised an eyebrow.
“Taemin. You’re here early.” Jonghyun stepped out of the back with a grin before shoving his hands into his pocket. “To what do I owe this honor?” Taemin gave him a sheepish laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh... I have to tell you something... And you’re probably not going to be too happy to hear it.”
--
By the end of his explanation, Jonghyun was shaking Taemin by his shoulders. “Why, Taemin, WHY?!” He wailed dramatically. “I’m sorry Jonghyun, but school is starting to pick up, and I just don’t have the time to come by and teach anymore. But I didn’t come here unprepared! Meet my piano teacher, Jinki!”
Jonghyun heard a loud crash as CDs were knocked to the ground and hung his head. “Sorry,” a voice called. “I’ll get those,” Jonghyun said with a sigh. Taemin followed the older man apologizing profusely still. He held up a hand to silence the other boy and shook his head. He sighed as he bent down to help pick up CDs and looked up to meet a bright, sheepish smile that took his breath away.
“Sorry. I’m really clumsy sometimes at the worst possible moments.” Jonghyun stared at him for a moment, his hand hovering over a CD. He didn’t even notice Jinki pick it up from under his fingers and stand up before Taemin cleared his throat. “Oh. Oh yeah. What did you say your name was?” He asked him lightly, putting the CDs back onto the shelves.
“His name is Lee Jinki. He’s a genius piano player. He agreed to take over my current students until you found a replacement.” Jonghyun regarded him with curiosity and extended his hand out to Jinki.
“Hi Jinki. I’m Jonghyun. Welcome to the crew.” Jinki grinned at him and shook his hand. “I can play for you if you don’t think I might be up to par with your standards.”
“No... I think you’ll be okay. That doesn’t mean I won’t be beating Taemin up anyway.”
“No worries. Go right ahead. I can’t believe I’m giving up my weekends for him.”
--
Jonghyun owned the small music shop. Business was steady, and he made a little bit of extra money on the side teaching guitar lessons as well in some of the practice rooms in the back of the building. Taemin was there teaching piano on the weekends to earn some pocket money, but lately, his school schedule gave him less and less time to prepare adequately for lessons like he used to.
Jinki had a nine to five office job in the office across the street. Somehow Jonghyun didn’t see him behind a desk crunching numbers all day, the way his fingers seemed to fly across the keys. His singing voice wasn’t that bad either. Jinki was all too aware that his new acquaintance was staring at him a little bit too much, but he enjoyed the attention for once.
--
That weekend passed with Jinki introducing himself to confused students. Taemin explained to his students the situation and someone of them were disappointed, and other seemed to be more excited, especially after they heard him play. Jonghyun got all of his information (“For safety purposes. In case you turn out to be a deranged murderer or something.”), and bid him goodbye until the weekend on Sunday afternoon.
Monday morning, he was back in a dress shirt and slacks, tie restricting his breathing as usual, typing away silently in his cubicle. The stormy weather prevailed through the weekend, dousing the office in a strange, unhealthy yellow glow from the overhead lights.
His work days always passed in peace whenever he didn’t have to see him. “Jinki.” Jinki looked up from his computer to see his supervisor beckoning him over with his finger before disappearing over into his office. It looked like this week wasn’t going to pass by peacefully after all.
He sighed before burying his head into his hands. He shook his head and stood up with a groan, making his way to the office. He opened the door and closed it behind him, turning to look at the man behind the desk looking through various files. He sat down into a chair and twiddled his thumbs, waiting for him to look up.
“How have things been, Jinki? It’s been a while since we’ve talked.” Jinki chuckled and sat back in the chair, looking off to the side with a small shake of his head. He looked down before answering him. “Things have been fine, Mr. Choi.” He heard the sigh coming from the other man.
“You never called me that before.” Jinki fidgeted in his seat and looked up with a blank expression on his face. “That was then. This is now.” He hid the fact his heart skipped a beat when his supervisor’s eyes met his with a sad expression. “Jinki... I-” Jinki shook his head.
“Did you have something important you wanted to talk to me about? Or did you just call me in here to torture me with your presence? Because if it’s the latter, I have some other important work I should be doing.” He stood up and turned to leave. His supervisor was fast though, standing up from his seat and rounding his desk, grabbing the sleeve of Jinki’s shirt. He stopped but didn’t turn around.
He felt arms wrap around his waist as his supervisor pulled him close enough so he could feel his breath on his ear. His heart was beating furiously, and he could feel the other man’s heartbeat on his back. “... Minho. What are you doing?”
“I miss you Jinki.”
“Yeah? Well I don’t.” He stepped out of Minho’s arms and left the office without another word.
--
The next few days were absolute torture for Jinki. Wherever he went, Minho was there. During his lunch breaks, during his water breaks, when he was working. He was called into his office to discuss important things, but the two of them ended up sitting there silently until Jinki couldn’t stand to look at him anymore.
One day, Jinki left the office for lunch, not being able to stand eating his lunch silently and awkwardly in the break room next to Minho anymore. Instead, he stepped outside, taking in a deep breath of moist air. His eyes fell on the music store across the street before a grin snuck onto his face.
The bell above the door let Jonghyun know someone was coming in. He looked up from his guitar behind the counter and grinned when he saw Jinki step in, loosening his tie and throwing it onto the counter.
“Hey there Mr. Fancypants. What brings you here on this lovely weekday?”
“Lunch break. You don’t mind do you?” Jinki asked, holding up his lunch box. Jonghyun’s stomach growled as he eyed it. “As long as you don’t mind sharing it.” Jinki laughed and pulled up a stool next to the counter. They two sat and talked amicably. They shared a few facts about each other until Jonghyun asked him about work.
“Work has been absolutely miserable,” Jinki said as he stretched, watching Jonghyun pick up his chopsticks and eat another bite out of his lunch. He’d already eaten about half of it himself already while Jinki only had a few bites.
“Do tell.”
“My boss. He... He and I used to date. Until I found him with his pants down and girl wrapped around him. I mean seriously. He doesn’t even like girls. It was a blow to my pride.” Jinki sighed and let his head fall down onto the counter. Jonghyun barely had time to pull away the lunch before Jinki’s head made contact with the counter.
He took another bite of food. “So you’re gay huh?” Jinki nodded his head on the counter. “That’s cool,” Jonghyun said, chewing his food thoughtfully. Jinki lifted his head off the counter and raised an eyebrow. “Why? Do you have a problem with gay people?”
“No. I’m gay too.”
“Oh.” They looked awkwardly at each other until Jonghyun took another bite of food. Neither of them could stop the smiles forming on their faces, and those smiles quickly turned into laughter.
“I think that was the most awkward declaration of sexuality, ever.”
--
Jinki had one arm on the door pulling it open slowly as Jonghyun fixed his crooked tie. “Would you just slow down. Your office building is across the street.” Jinki rolled his eyes, stopping there until Jonghyun finished. His fingers lingered on the tie for a moment before he dropped his hands and smiled.
“Now don’t be late for work, honey!” He said in a falsetto voice which made Jinki burst into laughter. He was out the door in a second. Jonghyun caught the door and peeked out. “Hey! Where’s my goodbye kiss?!” Jinki almost doubled over in laughter in the streets before blowing a kiss his way. Neither of them could understand it really, how they were so comfortable together after only meeting a few times. But no one was going to question it.
--
Jinki refused to look up from his computer, despite the fact that he could feel Minho’s eyes on his back. He just smiled to himself, thinking about the lunch he spent with Jonghyun. “Did you take your lunch break yet?” He heard Minho’s voice ask him. “Yeah, I did,” Jinki answered without looking away.
“When?”
“Earlier today. I stepped out for a bit.” There was silence, but Jinki knew he was still there. Suddenly, he felt an arm on his chair and saw another arm on his desk. Minho leaned forward and pretended to look at his computer screen.
“I found another box of your stuff in my apartment. Did you want it back?” Jinki’s typing slowed to a stop. “What’s in it?”
“Sheet music.” Jinki sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. I want it back.”
“Did you want to come by and get it, or did you want me to swing by your new apartment?” Jinki blinked a few times at the screen. He was contemplating an answer until Minho answered for him. “I’ll just bring it by. I’ll see you later tonight.” Minho pushed himself up and stepped out of his cubicle without another word.
“Oh god.” Jinki breathed out after he left. Minho was so unbearably close. He could still smell his cologne in the air. He would be lying if he said he didn’t have any feelings left for him. Jonghyun’s face loomed into his mind though, his lopsided grin squeezing Jinki’s heart.
It was a face he didn’t expect to see waiting for him when he got out of work that day. “Jonghyun. What are you doing here?” Jonghyun pushed himself off the wall and smiled at him. “Closed up a little bit early today. Wanna go grab dinner? I’ll pay since I practically ate all of your lunch today.” Jinki opened his mouth to say something along the lines of him being tired and just wanting to go home. But then he remembered that Minho would be stopping by later and changed his mind.
“Sure. Let’s go for dinner.”
--
Jinki was distracted all through dinner. Jonghyun only had to do a little bit of poking and prodding here and there until Jinki spilled the beans about why he was acting so distant.
--
Neither of them knew if it was the alcohol or the light brushes against each other as they walked towards Jinki’s apartment. But eventually, the two of them were kissing and grabbing at each other like the end of the world was coming. Jonghyun pressed Jinki against his apartment door, attacking his neck as Jinki struggled to find his keys in his pocket.
With all of his willpower, he pushed Jonghyun off of him, turning around and shoving his key into the lock. He felt Jonghyun lock his arms around him from behind and bury his face into the crook of Jinki’s neck. “God, you smell so good.” Jinki barely had time to unlock the door and flip on the lights before Jonghyun shoved him inside.
They made their way to the couch, lips locked together, tongues battling for dominance. In the end, Jonghyun ended up falling onto the couch first, Jinki crawling on top of him. A sharp rap on the door a few minutes later put a halt to their activities though. “Maybe you should answer the door,” Jonghyun said breathlessly in between kisses.
“I don’t really want to,” Jinki mumbled. But another sharp knock came from the door, this time followed by Minho calling his name. Jinki’s head dropped into the crook of Jonghyun’s neck before he pushed himself off of him, running his hand through his hair as he headed towards the door. He tore off his tie and threw it on the kitchen table as Jonghyun sat up on the couch, wiping his face.
He pulled open the door to see Minho holding a large box in his hands, dressed in casual clothes. He raised an eyebrow at Jinki. “You haven’t changed?”
“I went out for dinner with a friend and just got back. Just, put the box over there or something.” Minho stepped into the apartment and looked around. He saw another person sitting on the couch, twisted around, watching the two of them. When they locked gazes, he smirked and raised a hand in hello. “Hi. I’m Jonghyun. You must be Minho.” He stood up and made his way over to them.
Minho put the box down, looking between the two of them cautiously. “I’m... gonna go change real quick.” He let out another sigh and left the two of them there, hurrying into his bedroom and shutting the door. The two men stood across from each other, exchanging awkward glances.
“So. How do you know Jinki?”
“We met last weekend through a mutual acquaintance.” Minho nodded silently. Jonghyun didn’t ask about Minho. He’d heard enough about him over dinner. He had the sneaking suspicion that Jinki probably still had feelings left for him though, and that thought kept him grounded.
Minho regarded the other man silently. He saw how Jinki looked when he answered the door. His lips were swollen, eyes dilated. No doubt he was doing something with Jonghyun. And he was sure that since he didn’t ask about how he knew Jinki, that he already knew all about him, and the nonchalance that Jonghyun gave Minho irked him. Like he wasn’t worried or threatened by him at all.
Jinki came out in a loose t-shirt and some sweat pants, looking completely defeated. He rubbed the back of his head and looked back and forth between the two men in his kitchen. The hostility between them was palpable. Jonghyun grinned when he saw Jinki though. Minho’s eyes narrowed at the other man before he returned his attention to Jinki.
“Well. That was all. I’ll let you know if I find anything else lying around the apartment.”
“Yeah sure. Thanks.”
“I should probably get going too.” Minho tried to contain his jealousy as Jinki furrowed his eyebrows, clearly not wanting Jonghyun to leave.
“I’ll see you Saturday. Or during your lunch break,” he said with a smile. He nodded to Minho before heading towards the door. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow.” Jinki nodded tiredly and ushered him towards the door.
When the door closed, both men looked at each other, glaring.
“He still has feelings for me.”
“He likes me now.”
The two just looked at each other before walking away from the door slowly. A silent competition formed between them for Jinki’s heart.
--
Moonlight flooded through Jinki’s apartment, casting long eerie shadows. He sighed into his pillow. The red numbers on his clock read midnight. Jinki curled up on his bed, wrapping his blankets around him closer. Everything seemed so much colder alone.
He closed his eyes, trying to will himself to sleep until he heard a noise coming from his front door. His eyes snapped open, turning towards the noise. He heard the door close and lock. He gulped. Soft footsteps came closer to his bedroom door. He screwed his eyes shut, pretending to be invisible in his bed when the door opened and closed.
“Jinki?” He heard a soft voice say. Oh god, anyone but you, he thought in his head. He felt a weight on his bed before turning and opening his eyes, squinting them in the darkness. “Minho? What are you doing here? How did you get in?”
“You always left the spare key under the mat. You should pick a different place to hide it.’ Jinki groaned and pulled the covers closer to him. “Go home.”
“No.” Minho scooted closer to him and snuck under the blankets, wrapping his arms around Jinki. “Minho, what are you doing. It’s the middle of the night. I don’t want to deal with you.” Minho just pulled him closer to his chest, inhaling the scent of his shampoo. Jinki tried not to breathe, but took in a deep breath far too late. The smell of Minho sent his mind reeling.
Butterflies filled his stomach, his heart beat faster. It wasn’t anything like he felt with Jonghyun. He had a comfortable excitement with Jonghyun. But with Minho, he always felt nervous. Unconsciously, he buried his face into Minho’s chest and sighed. He was so warm. Maybe just for tonight. Just for tonight, he’d forget that they weren’t lovers anymore.
--
Jinki woke up to the sounds of shuffling in his kitchen. He could smell the coffee in the coffee maker and groaned. Minho came into the bedroom, holding two cups. “I have to leave and get ready for work. I’ll see you later.” Jinki’s stomach flipped at the familiar sight. His face didn’t reveal any emotion as Minho kissed him on the forehead before leaving.
--
Jinki called in sick right after Minho left. He couldn’t deal with this right now. The rainy weather reflected his mood perfectly as he wrapped a blanket around him before grabbing the cup of coffee Minho left for him and wandering out towards his couch.
He sat down ungraciously and almost spilled the coffee on himself. He stared out the window at the grey weather, taking a sip every now and then. He stayed that way for a few hours until he heard a knock on his door again. He turned his head towards it in confusion. Who would be coming around at this hour in the morning?
“Jinki, can we talk?” Jinki let out a huff of air. Of course. Of course he would come back after he found out he called in sick. “I know you’re not sick. Please. Let’s just talk.”
“Don’t you have to work?” Jinki called out.
“I took my lunch break. Please.”
--
Jonghyun drummed his fingers on the counter. He was starting to get tired of this dreary weather. He would glance up at the clock every couple of hours, sighing as the time passed by slowly. He didn’t see Jinki go into work in the morning either. He could always see him from across the street, stumbling with the door every morning. It was a little bit creepy on his part, but he didn’t really care.
When closing time came around, he closed up quickly and headed for Jinki’s apartment. He knocked on the door tentatively. He didn’t hear anything and turned to leave, assuming he was gone somewhere until he saw a key shining from underneath the mat. He grinned and picked it up, sticking it into the lock and unlocking the door.
He pressed inside and looked around before freezing at the sight on the couch. He saw Minho sitting on the couch, staring off into the distance. He didn’t even turn around as Jonghyun closed the door. As he approached the other man, he saw Jinki on the couch, laying in Minho’s lap, softly snoring while Minho played with his hair.
He felt Minho’s gaze shift as he walked by, falling onto his knees so his head was level with Jinki’s face. “What are you doing?” Minho hissed quietly. Jonghyun just smirked up at him. If Jinki weren’t on his lap, Minho would’ve kicked him away already. Jonghyun leaned closer, bracing himself on Minho’s knees and planted a kiss on Jinki’s forehead before moving down to his nose, then to his mouth.
Jinki groaned as his eyes fluttered open, completely surprised to see that it was Jonghyun kissing him. He pulled away with a smile and stroked his cheek gently. “Good morning sunshine.” Jinki blinked a few times before smiling. He seemed to have forgotten where his head was. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he sat up abruptly to see Minho staring at him with amusement.
He looked between the two of them wildly, not knowing what to say. Minho turned to Jonghyun who was still leaning on Minho’s knees. “You can stop touching me now.” Jonghyun leaned back with a smirk and held up his hands in retreat.
“Jonghyun. Minho. I... I...” Jonghyun moved to the other side of Jinki and pushed him over closer to Minho so he could make a space for himself on the couch. Jinki felt weird being crushed between those two. Minho was sending Jonghyun death glares, but Jonghyun took them all with a playful smirk.
“Umm... this is kind of awkward,” Jinki said from between them. “How is it awkward? I know you like me. And I know you still have feelings for Minho. And as much as I think he’s a complete and total dick to you, it’s not like I didn’t notice.”
“In what universe is that not awkward?” Minho drawled. Jonghyun just threw his arm over Jinki’s shoulder and pulled him in so he could kiss him on the cheek. “In a threesome universe.” Minho raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re kidding me.” Jinki gave him a weird look too.
“It makes sense. I like him, you like him, he likes us.”
“But we don’t like each other.”
“I don’t mind sharing Jinki with you as long as it makes him happy.” Jinki made a strangled noise between them. They’d almost forgotten he was there with them.
“I... I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said softly. Jonghyun was taken aback.
“I mean, I barely know you, Jonghyun. And Minho broke my heart so long ago, I just... I don’t know.” He stood up and ran his hand through his hair again, sending the hairs in all different directions. “I couldn’t choose between you two either... I just need to be alone right now.” Minho made the motion to pull him back but Jonghyun blocked him, letting Jinki walk over to the balcony and open the door, sliding it closed behind him.
“What do you think you’re doing? Are you crazy?” Minho nearly yelled at Jonghyun. “I don’t want him to suffer! What’s wrong with you? Can you not see him hurting? Are you that dense?!” Their yells came muted through the door as Jinki leaned on the balcony, staring off into the distance.
The storm clouds were spread all across the sky, no hint of sunshine anywhere. He sighed, holding his hand out to catch a few stray rain drops falling in the air. He missed the way his life used to be. When everything was rainbows and sunshine. Things were always so simple then. And now...
He heard the balcony door slide open. A hand reached out to grab his fingers, and an arm wrapped around his waist. Two heads leaned against his shoulders. Jinki let out a breath. “I don’t want to choose.”
“Then you don’t have to.”
“You don’t have to.”
Maybe Jinki should forget about the sunshine when it was gone.