[fic] part one
Title: Walk All Over You
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: SHINee
Pairing: Onew/Minho
Wordcount: 15,855
Summary: The thing Jinki does best: embarrass himself. This is that story.
Notes: So I haven't written properly for a loooong time and this is my first attempt at SHINee fic, needless to say I am extremely nervous on both counts. This started out as a silly ficlet because no one was writing what I wanted to read, and somehow it morphed into a really long onho fic. I don't know how, I don't know why, but here it is, for anyone who likes onho!
This fic is dedicated to everyone who helped and encouraged me with this, you know who you are ♥. And it is also dedicated to Minho's fuck-me boots. ( this is the perf that inspired this whole fic!)
This is very silly, I am very rusty, and I am very new to this fandom, I am sorry ;~;
“Oh, thank god. Officer! Hey, Officer!” Jinki called out as he jogged across the street, waving a hand wildly as well, as if shouting wasn't attention grabbing enough. Although it didn't seem to be, because the police officer he was calling out to didn't stop or turn. Frowning, Jinki sped up a bit, calling again.
“Excuse me, Officer Sir!” He stopped in front of the police officer, who still didn't stop, and looked up at him. Jinki was struck with surprise, as he looked up into the face of a man seemingly as young as he was, if not younger. He looked him over quickly; hat, boots, coat and badge, he definitely looked like police, to Jinki. “Excuse me, my friend needs help, you are a police officer, right?”
The man seemed surprised by Jinki's sudden appearance, and there was a moment where Jinki wondered if you weren't supposed to run up and shout at policemen like that, did it make them nervous? Would he pull a gun on Jinki? He looked around, no gun in sight, and let out a little sigh of relief.
“Um,” the policeman said, not very helpfully.
Jinki ploughed on regardless, because police were meant to help, and Kibum needed help!
“You're very young for a police officer, aren't you?” Jinki blurted, saying what was on his mind instead of what he meant to say. “Not that there's anything wrong with being young!” He added quickly, smiling in apology. “I'm young myself, I'm a big fan of it. And I'm sure you're very good at all the, uh, police stuff that you do!” He was a very tall person, Jinki noted, and he looked more like a television cop than a real one, he was far too handsome, surely. Jinki didn't know real people, with real jobs outside of television, came made that handsome.
He shook his head, trying to gather his thoughts again, as the police officer was looking a little bemused and he didn't want to annoy him; could you get a ticket for annoying a policeman?
“Uh, I'm sorry, Officer...?”
“Choi,” the officer said. “What, uh, seems to be the problem?”
Jinki nodded, and rushed on. “My friend, he's right over there,” he waved in Kibum's general direction, trying not to think about how annoyed he would be by Jinki's useless sputtering delaying things, “he was just robbed! His wallet, his favourite scarf, everything! Please come quickly. Sir,” he added, for good measure.
The officer seemed to hesitate for a moment, looking a bit confused, but Jinki didn't give it much thought because Kibum was waving in their direction; he really wanted that scarf back, it seemed.
They jogged across the street to where Kibum stood, and Jinki offered an apologetic smile to his friend; he received a glare of death in return.
“Officer Choi, this is my friend, Kibum.”
Kibum wasted no time in useless sputtering, and launched instantly into an account of the incident, complete with a description of the robber's face, general appearance, and what brand of shoes he had on. He paused in the middle of his account, looking up at the officer, who stood there kind of awkwardly, tall and awkwardly, looking between Kibum and Jinki.
“Is this your first day, or something?” Kibum asked, clearly annoyed. “Shouldn't you be writing this down, or calling someone in, or maybe chasing the guy? It happened only five minutes ago, and the guy ran that way,” Kibum said, pointing in the direction. He looked at Officer Choi, one eyebrow raised.
“Oh, um. I don't have any paper?” The officer said, and he really was starting to look out of his depth; maybe it was his first day.
“Where did you find this guy, Jinki,” Kibum said, turning to his friend, “straight out of the academy? I really want my stuff back!”
Jinki was a bit confused himself now. He supposed that real cops didn't do what they did in the television shows, like leap over fences and have shoot outs in abandoned warehouses and spend ten years of their career chasing that one criminal who got away from them, but he would have expected, well, more than this from a real life policeman.
Officer Choi, one hand reaching up to rub at the back of his neck, looked first at Jinki, and then at Kibum. “I'm really, really sorry, but I think there's been a bit of a misunderstanding here,” he said, and the embarrassment was clear to see in the way he shifted from one leg to the other. “Your friend pulled me over before I could explain, but I'm not actually a cop. Uh, you should probably call this incident to the police station, so they can sort this out for you. I'm really sorry,” he added.
“But, if you're not a cop, then why the uniform?” Jinki asked, surprised. “And the badge! You have the badge, too.”
“I...” Officer (or not-Officer) Choi began, not knowing what to say.
In that same moment Kibum, who had been eyeing the pseudo officer, exclaimed, “Oh, god!”
Jinki looked between them, even more confused now, and feeling stupid; he hated when he didn't understand something.
“This is actually kind of embarrassing now, but I was on my way to work...” Not-Officer Choi said. He looked over at Kibum again, apparently getting the idea that his glare meant he was annoyed. “I'm sorry for wasting your time, really. Um, hold on.” He paused, rooted around in his pockets (and only now Jinki noticed that his trousers seemed unusually tight for an actual police officer) and pulled out a small card. He gave one each to Jinki and Kibum, the apologetic smile still on his face. “I don't know how else to make it up to you, but if you bring this to the address and tell them Minho invited you, you'll get in free. Thursday is Ladies Night.”
Jinki was staring down at the small business card, hardly taking the words in, and definitely not understanding what they meant. “Thanks!” he said, smiling politely.
“Okay, I won't hold you two up any more. I'm sorry again, and please find a real police officer.” Another awkward smile, and the not-officer gave a little wave and walked away.
“Well, that was weird,” Jinki commented, still staring at the card in his hand. It was black and on it, written in pink text, was the name: SHINING HEAVEN. In smaller text in the bottom corner was a street address and a phone number. Turning the card over Jinki saw, written in small, neat handwriting, the name: Choi Minho. “Uh,” he said, looking up at Kibum. “What's this all about?”
Kibum stared at Jinki for a moment, mouth open in disbelief, and when nothing further was forthcoming from Jinki, threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. “Jinki, could you just get a clue for once?” He huffed. “Never mind, come on, I need to report this to someone real, and I won't believe they're a real cop unless we're in a station full of real cops.”
It took fifteen minutes, and a few blocks, before Jinki pulled to a sudden stop, his eyes widening in realisation. “Kibum!” He said, reaching out to grab hold of his friend's arm, staring at him. “Oh my God, Kibum! That guy, the cop! He was a stripper!”
With a groan, Kibum smacked Jinki on the arm, before yanking him forward to continue walking. “You're the biggest idiot in the world, you know that?”
In that moment, Jinki couldn't disagree with him.
**
A few days passed, and Jinki still had hold of the little business card he'd been given. It was sitting there on his desk, half hidden by some books because he didn't want just anyone to walk in a see it - even if 'just anyone' was only ever Kibum, who had the same card. He wondered if he should accept the invitation and go. It was Thursday, and it might be fun...right? Jinki had no experience with this kind of thing, and no interest really, which was why he'd been internally debating this issue every now and then for the past few days.
Wondering into the kitchen, he found Kibum in there, rooting through their fridge. “Hey, Kibum?” Jinki said, leaning against the door frame. “Do you think we should accept that, um, guy's invitation? You know, from the other night.”
Kibum paused in his foray long enough to glance back at Jinki briefly, an eyebrow raised. “Who, the stripper?” He laughed, and turned back to what he was doing. “You seriously want to go to that. Why?”
Jinki shuffled his feet, and then reached out to grab hold of the door frame, as he nearly slipped over. Luckily, Kibum didn't see. “Uh, well, he invited us, right? Wouldn't it be rude not to go, when invited to something?”
There was a loud laugh, and Kibum finally pulled himself out of the fridge, brandishing a bottle of water in one hand. The look on his face, Jinki thought, was very much his 'oh God Jinki you are so stupid' look, the kind that always made Jinki want to hide away in shame and embarrassment for not understanding something.
Kibum looked like he was about to say something, probably something mean and mocking of Jinki, so he spoke up quickly instead. “And, he said tonight would be Ladies Night. That would be fun, wouldn't it?” Well, pretty ladies were always fun, Jinki reasoned, even if the situation, and the setting, was a bit unusual to him.
Kibum gaped at him for a moment, before firmly closing his mouth. He shook his head, before starting out of the kitchen. He patted Jinki's cheek on the way out, and smiled; one of his suspicious smiles, Jinki thought. “You're precious sometimes. Go out tonight, have fun! Take some photos for me if you can.”
“But, aren't you coming with me?” Jinki asked, staring after Kibum as he walked down the hall.
A loud, amused, bark of laughter followed, and then the firm closing of Kibum's bedroom door.
Feeling a little deflated, Jinki tried to pick himself up. “Okay, fine,” he said to himself, screwing a fist up. “I'll go! It would be rude not to. And I'll have fun! Lot's of fun, with sexy ladies.”
Kibum's voice called out from behind his bedroom door then, “I can hear you, you lunatic.”
**
Jinki glanced down at the address on the card he still kept hold of, and at the building right in front of him. It wasn't that he was lost, he couldn't be, when the name on the card was lit up brightly in front of him. He stood nervously in the queue, and looking around himself he noticed there were a lot of women also in line, which struck him as kind of strange. When it was his turn to enter he showed the bouncer the little business card. “Um, Choi Minho invited me?” He added a dazzling smile to this.
The bouncer looked Jinki over, frowning at him for a moment; he didn't know why, he was sure he at least looked great, Kibum had helped after all, but there wasn't much time to think about it because the bouncer ushered him in with a nod, and Jinki found himself pushed through into the building.
He was suddenly enveloped in soft, dark lighting and a seedy, seductive atmosphere. There were even more women inside the actual club, and Jinki was hard put to spot any other men in there. A feeling, a nagging suspicion, began to gnaw at him then. Pushing it to the side, he made his way over to the bar; he would be safe at the bar, and a drink would help, definitely. He really, really wished Kibum would have come with him. Maybe he should have stolen Kibum's card and asked Jonghyun, or Taemin...no, not Taemin, definitely not, but Jonghyun might have come along, he liked sexy ladies.
And there were many ladies, of all kinds, but they were all sitting down and walking around, and not on the stage. The gnawing deepened.
After ordering a drink, Jinki perched himself on a stool at the bar and tried not to feel very, very awkward. Maybe he should leave? Maybe Choi Minho, the not-officer, wasn't even here. Kibum, he bet, was probably laughing his ass off at Jinki's expense right now, wherever he was tonight, which wasn't here, by Jinki's side to keep him company and to talk to him.
He sipped at his drink, wondering when the show was going to start and tried to ignore some of the strange looks he seemed to be receiving from the people around him.
“It's because you look great, and sexy, and very, very attractive tonight, Lee Jinki,” he told himself quietly, trying to bolster his courage. He glanced at his watch, and wondered when he should leave.
Looking up then, Jinki spotted what looked to be another man, and his heart leapt that he wasn't the only one here who didn't also work there. And then all of his hopes and dreams were dashed and emptied, like his drink. It was Choi Minho, the not-officer. He was dressed more casually this time, not as a police officer, and Jinki couldn't help but notice how good he looked all the same, and how tall he was, he was very, very tall. How long were his legs? Long enough to make Jinki feel short, and jealous.
He came up to the bar then, standing some way away from Jinki as he ordered a drink.
Plastering a smile to his face, despite his sudden nervousness, Jinki looked over at him. “Um, hello!” He said. There was a moment, when Choi Minho looked over at him and a frown creased his face, that Jinki felt his smile fade. He ploughed on ahead, anyway, glad for the dim lighting in case he was blushing in his embarrassment. “I decided to take you up on your invitation. It's, uh, nice to see you dressed normally!” He gestured at the casual outfit, and then promptly wanted to die; why was his drink empty, he really, really need another one right about now.
And then, that blessed look of recognition crossed not-officer Choi's face. “Oh, from the other night. Yeah, hi. I'm a bit surprised to see you here, actually.” He looked Jinki over, a bemused expression on his face, and smoothly slid another drink across to him.
“Oh, really?” Jinki asked, picking up his glass and clutching tightly at it. “Why is that? You did invite us after all and I thought it would be rude...” that look didn't leave the guy's face, and Jinki desperately gulped at his drink, gasping at the sudden sting of alcohol to the back of his throat a moment later; this wasn't what he had ordered! He coughed, embarrassingly, at the sudden sting, and managed to spill a little of his drink across the bar top. He was sure, by now, that his cheeks were flaming, but Choi Minho just stood there, leaning against the counter top, watching Jinki now with an amused look on his face.
It was right about now when Jinki really could have done with the ground opening up and swallowing him, really.
Another cough, and he thought he could talk again. “Well, I mean, not that it was that kind of invitation, just, you said we'd get in for free so I thought I may as well come check it out, you know? Kibum - the friend who was with me - didn't want to come tonight though.”
“Ah, did he ever get his stuff back?” Minho stood there, leaning, tall, and sipped at his drink, and for a moment all Jinki could do was stare at his hands, those long fingers wrapped around the glass and...
He pulled his gaze away, and smiled up, awkwardly, at him. “Oh, uh, only his scarf and bag. All his cards and money were taken, but at least they got the guy.”
“That's something,” Minho said, and still there was that little smile on his face, as if he were enjoying a joke at Jinki's expense. He probably was, Jinki reasoned. “But I was more surprised that you showed up tonight, of all nights. Didn't I tell you it was Ladies Night?”
And there it was. The thing Jinki had been dreading, the truth, the thing that had escaped his notice and had been slowly dawning on him, as more and more women filled the club tonight. His ultimate embarrassment, and here it was being witnessed by this impossibly tall, impossibly good looking man. It was his finest hour, indeed, Jinki thought. And he dearly, dearly wished that Kibum had been a better friend and warned him about this, because Jinki was certain that was the reason Kibum hadn't come, but had insisted upon Jinki's going anyway. Oh, he must be howling with laughter, wherever he was.
“Um. Thursday was my only free night?” Jinki offered, because nothing else that didn't imply his own stupidity was coming to mind.
This earned him a raised eyebrow, and Jinki knew that Minho was not at all fooled, by anything he had said. Well, there went his reputation forever, and he would never be able to run into Minho ever again for the rest of his life. He smiled weakly.
Minho downed the rest of his drink, and looked at Jinki with a smile. “I have to go get ready. Watch a bit of the show, before you bolt off. It'll be a good one, tonight.” With that, Minho walked off, looking all tall and attractive and confident, and Jinki felt ridiculous, ridiculous and short. With a groan, he lowered his head to the counter, trying to hide his very existence.
The counter top was still wet with the alcohol he had spilt, and he really was very, very ready to die right then and there.
After he had done trying to hide himself whilst still in full sight of the rest of the world, and tried to mop up the alcohol from his face, Jinki pulled his phone out and sent a furious text message to Kibum; there was much fury, and many exclamation points! A moment later he received this in reply: The shoe finally dropped, huh. Have fun! Idiot~
Jinki could have throttled Kibum.
It was then that the lights dimmed further, and everyone still milling around went to find a seat, and there was a buzzing of excited chatter throughout the room. Jinki decided he liked it at the bar, right where he was, by the supply of alcohol. He should have left, he knew, he should already have just gotten up and left the club and never thought about tonight, or Minho, ever again. But he was kind of curious...
Music came blasting out then, enough to make Jinki jump in his seat. A bunch of the women shrieked in excitement. Oh God, why was he still here? Why?
A spotlight came on in the centre of the stage, illuminating a tall, masculine figure. It was Minho, and he was dressed in the cop outfit Jinki had seen him in the other night. Now that he was seeing it again, in this setting, he wondered how, how, he could have mistaken him for a real cop. The white trousers he had on looked so tight they could have been painted onto his skin, and did a good job of, uh, highlighting his assets. Jinki's eyes followed the length of Minho's legs, down to the tall, black boots, making him look taller still, if that were possible, and he was wearing a policeman's hat, pulled low over his forehead.
Jinki tried to force his gaze away, long enough to send Kibum another message: I hate you!!!!!!!!!
Kibum's reply was simply: ;)
When Jinki looked back up, the music was really going now, with some funky, sexy dance beat in the background, and Minho was moving across the stage, smoothly. He was all legs and tallness, the kind of man that made Jinki feel very, very inadequate in comparison.
Minho seemed to gaze out at the audience, a teasing little smile curving his lips, and Jinki could have sworn that, just for a moment, Minho had turned that steady, teasing gaze onto him. Jinki felt weak at the knees, and thanked all the gods that he was sitting down.
When a number of other men came out onto the stage then, spinning and dancing and gyrating to the music and the screams became louder and the clothes became less, Jinki stood up from his seat and made his way, stumbling and red-faced, to the bathrooms where he promptly called Taemin to talk about anything other than what he had just witnessed.
“Are you out at a club?” Taemin asked, when he could finally get a word in between Jinki's endless babbling. “Why did you go without me? You know I love dancing. Who's with you tonight?”
“Nnnnnnnggh,” Jinki replied, eloquently explaining the entire situation.
“Ah, are you drunk? I'll pick you up, where are you?”
At the idea of anyone else finding out about this terrible, embarrassing night, Jinki instantly came to his senses again. “No, no, I'm fine, don't worry! Not drunk at all, and I'm leaving soon anyway. I'm sorry, I'll take you with me next time I go out somewhere, okay? We'll go dancing soon. This was kind of, um, spontaneous tonight and I don't know why I came out in the first place. I'll talk to you soon, okay?”
Jinki got off the phone as quickly as could be done politely, and resisted the urge to bash his head against the wall. And then he realised, as much as he was trying to stop anyone else from finding out, because Kibum knew, all of their mutual friends would soon know, too.
He could have cried.
**
That night, after his semi-breakdown in the restrooms, Jinki had left the club as quickly as was humanly possible (or Jinki-ly possible, as was usually the case). He'd tried to avoid any more watching of the show, but just as he'd been walking back through the club again it just so happened that Minho had been front and centre stage, and...and... Jinki's cheeks flushed just at the memory. There had been almost a wall of excited screams, because in that moment, that last moment that Jinki chose to look, Minho had ripped his extremely tight trousers off, and he'd been down to just underwear, hat, and boots by then.
Jinki vowed never to think about it ever, ever again. Except sometimes, in the middle of the night, the image of Minho in underwear, hat and boots popped into his head, and wouldn't go away. He had a horribly stubborn brain sometimes, he thought.
But some time had passed since his embarrassing incident at the strip club, and though the night he had come home Kibum had laughed, long and loud, at Jinki's not knowing what Ladies Night meant, it was behind Jinki now. If only Kibum would stop making references to it.
Life was normal, work was normal, and, just like normal, Jinki found himself being dragged out, against his will, for drinks with Kibum and some other friends one evening. He never could work out just how Kibum managed to get Jinki to agree and go along to these things, especially when Jinki usually had much better plans for his own evenings, plans that usually involved himself, a bed or a couch (he wasn't fussy) and some sleep.
“Who did you say was coming along tonight?” Jinki asked, taking a last look in the mirror. They were meant to have left twenty minutes ago, but he'd spent a good portion of those twenty minutes running around like a headless chicken, not sure what to wear or what to do with his hair. He didn't much care for himself, but Kibum would be annoying if he went out looking less than the best he could manage for himself. And, well, after a long string of bad luck, Jinki wanted the confidence boost that could come with looking good, and knowing you looked good.
“Oh just a few of us, it's just a low-key evening. Taemin, Jonghyun, and I think he said he was gonna bring a friend or two? And will you hurry up, however long you spend you can't make your face look any better.”
Jinki turned from the mirror, and stuck his tongue out at Kibum, who just rolled his eyes, before dragging Jinki out of the apartment with him.
They were the last to arrive at the bar they'd agreed to meet at, which was already quite full of people so it took them a few minutes of manoeuvring through the crowd to locate their friends. There at a table sat Taemin, Jonghyun, and... no, Jinki thought, no, it couldn't be. He must be dreaming. He pinched himself, and felt nothing.
“Hey, ow!” Kibum turned and smacked Jinki on the arm, glaring at him. “Why are you pinching me?”
Jinki's face fell. “Oh, I was trying to pinch myself, and see if I was awake.”
This earned him a strange look, until Kibum noticed what it was Jinki was freaking out about, and then he let out a loud, amused laugh. “Ah, tonight is gonna be fun,” he cackled, and dragged Jinki over to the table with him, seeming to predict Jinki's sudden urge to run away and never come back.
Jonghyun smiled brightly at the sight of them, and waved them over. There were already a couple of empty glasses on the table. A general shuffling and search for more chairs ensued, and as soon as possible Jinki took the opportunity to seat himself next to Taemin, and as far away from Minho as possible. He tried to hide himself behind Taemin, as well, but Taemin was skinny and not a very good shield.
“This is my friend Minho,” Jonghyun said, pointing to the tall, handsome man who plagued Jinki's nightmares. “Minho, this is Kibum and Jinki.” Was there a knowing smile on Jonghyun's face? There was no way Kibum hadn't told him, no way.
“Ah, we've already met,” Minho said with a smile, nodding politely at both of them in greeting.
Jinki glanced over at Kibum, wondering if this was some kind of horrible prank concocted by him and Jonghyun. There was a bit of a smile on Kibum's face, he was sure.
“Oh, really?” Jonghyun looked between them and Minho. “Well, I thought I'd bring him along because he's been moping about his lack of a love life. How'd you know each other, anyway?”
Jinki stood up like a shot, accidentally upsetting the table and nearly knocking all the glasses over. “Drinks! Who wants drinks?” he asked, a bit wildly, hoping to steer them from this topic of conversation forever. “I'll go get us some more drinks.” A moment later and he rushed off towards the bar, trying to fight his way politely through the crowd.
“Oh, someone go and help him,” Kibum said. “He's going to spill everything. He's such a disaster sometimes, I don't know why we take him out anywhere.” His eyes fell on Minho, who was sitting quietly, and politely by Jonghyun, observing their antics with a bemused expression on his face. Kibum's eyes lit up, and he leaned towards Minho, a smile on his face. “Why don't you go help him? You seem reliable.”
Minho's eyes widened. “Me? Oh, sure, alright.” He stood up, and was soon lost in the crowd around the bar as well.
Jinki was trying very hard to catch the bartender's attention, and get them all something to drink, but he never seemed to look over in Jinki's general direction.
“You might have to try and be a bit more noticeable,” a voice offered from beside him, making Jinki jump in surprise.
He turned his face, nearly knocking his head into Minho's. “Oh. Oh, hello,” he offered, trying not to blush at just how close Minho's face was in that moment. What was he doing here? Why did he have to come over, with all his tall, handsome, in control-ness, and turn Jinki into a mess again.
“Hello again,” Minho said, a smile curving his lips. He used his height to his advantage, leaning over Jinki, and somehow managed to capture the bartender's attention. Jinki missed how Minho did this, because he was too busy staring up into his face.
“So, um. Um...I didn't know you knew Jonghyun?”
Minho nodded. “Yeah, we've known each other for awhile now. We worked at the same place once, and just stayed in touch afterwards.”
Jinki's eyes widened in surprise, he'd never heard about that.
Seeing the expression on his face, Minho quickly shook his head, laughing a little. “Ah, no, this was a different job. We used to work at the same supermarket.”
“Ohh,” Jinki said, drawing the sound out.
Thankfully the bartender finally deigned to turn his attention to them, and with almost perfect ease Minho ordered a round of drinks for them all, paid for them, and picked up three out of the five glasses. Jinki took the remaining two, and was secretly thankful that someone had come to help him, even if it had been Minho.
When they made their way back to the table - and Jinki was secretly relieved that he didn't spill anything - Jonghyun, Kibum and Taemin were laughing about something together, and Jinki had to force down the paranoid idea that it was at his expense.
“You seem really tense,” Minho noted, looking a little concerned, before the rest of the table could hear them.
“Oh, no, no, I'm fine,” he said, shaking his head, and offering up a smile.
Minho seemed unconvinced. “If you're worried about that night, just tell them it was my mistake, okay?” And with a smile, Minho took Jinki's glasses from his hand, and set them down on the table with the rest of the drinks, before returning to his seat.
With a drink in hand, and four other people to do the talking for him, Jinki felt better able to cope with the evening ahead. When the subject of Minho's job, and Jinki's embarrassing night, didn't crop up, even jokingly into conversation, he found himself relaxing a little more. He berated himself for thinking it was a bigger thing than it apparently was, and assuming people (Kibum) would make a big deal out of it. None of that happened. There was a lot of laughter, and a lot of chatter between Kibum and Jonghyun. Taemin would throw in a joke sometimes, and Minho would smile and laugh at everything, and occasionally add a joke, at Jonghyun's expense.
It was fun, and after another drink or two Jinki felt a warm, pleasant lightness fill his head. His worries were gone, his cares and anxieties were gone, and all he felt was an empty, hazy fuzziness. He laughed too loud at Jonghyun's jokes, and he stopped hiding his eyes and blushing, every time he caught Minho looking at him. Jinki didn't even worry that Minho kept looking at him because he was secretly laughing inside about what an idiot he was.
“Ah, Taemin, didn't you want to go dancing?” Jinki said, turning to look at his friend. His head was beginning to feel thick and heavy, and Taemin's shoulder started to look like a very comfortable place to rest it. “We should go dancing!”
“Here?” Taemin laughed, bemused. There was no dance floor, the bar was packed, and there was music but the buzz of voices and laughter was louder than the beat of whatever was playing.
“Sure!” Jinki declared, beaming brightly up into Taemin's face. “As long as there's music you can dance, right?” Taemin's shoulder really was very comfortable, solid and warm.
When Taemin looked down a moment later, it was to see Jinki with his eyes closed, snoring lightly on his shoulder. “Uh, Kibum?” He said, drawing Kibum from the conversation he was having with Jonghyun. Taemin pointed at Jinki's sleeping form. “Is this normal for him?”
Kibum rolled his eyes, and sighed loudly. “What the hell, how many drinks has he had?”
Taemin went to shrug, and then realised he couldn't, and pointed helplessly at the obscene amount of empty glasses scattered across the table. “I have no idea, some of what's there at least.”
“That's him done for the night, then. I'll take him home.”
“What,” Jonghyun said, looking crestfallen. “But the night is young! We've hardly just begun!”
Kibum pointed at Jinki, who wasn't stirring at all during this. “He's not going to make his own way home tonight.”
Minho, who had been quietly watching this whole time, spoke up then. “I'll take him home,” he offered, looking between them all.
Kibum turned, narrowing his eyes at Minho, studying his face. “Are you sure?”
He nodded, an easy smile forming on his face. “Yeah. You guys carry on with your night, I'll make sure he gets home safely. Just tell me where to take him.” Already, Minho was gathering his things together, and pulling some cash out of his pocket for the next round, leaving it in Jonghyun's care. He moved over to where Jinki still snoozed quietly on Taemin's shoulder, and in a fluid, easy, movement lifted Jinki up, wrapping an arm around him to keep him propped up.
“Text me once you've got him home,” Kibum demanded more than asked.
Minho nodded in affirmation. “Sure, enjoy your evening.” He smiled politely, and made his way through the bar, one arm around Jinki, and one of Jinki's arms slung around his neck. He was heavy with the dead weight of sleep, and even people jostling into them now and then didn't do anything to alter that.
Once he'd made their way outside, Minho didn't have to wait for long to pull a cab over, and he was grateful he didn't have to try and carry Jinki all the way back to his place. It was a little awkward, trying to get Jinki into the car when he really wasn't co-operating, or doing anything at all, but soon Jinki was settled and Minho was settled next to him. Almost instantly, Jinki's head seemed to gravitate towards the nearest shoulder, and a moment later Minho felt a warm weight settle against him. He could hear the soft sound of Jinki's breathing, feel warm breath flutter against his neck.
He really wasn't sure why he'd offered to make sure Jinki got home. Minho only really knew Jonghyun, after all. Maybe, in a strange way, he thought he was trying to make up for the obvious embarrassment he'd caused Jinki, although it wouldn't have mattered to him who was taking him home, if he was going to sleep the whole time. Minho sincerely hoped Jinki and Kibum's place had an elevator, if Jinki wasn't waking up any time soon.
They were nearly at their destination, and the cab ride was quiet. There was the soft sound of jazz coming from the radio at the front, but the driver didn't talk, Jinki of course didn't talk, and they'd turned onto a quieter street; Minho felt strangely alone.
The peace was broken, quite suddenly, but what seemed to be a cross between a sneeze, a sputter, and a snort, exploding from Jinki's face. He woke up abruptly, and looked blearily around himself, eyebrows creased together in confusion.
Minho, subtly, pulled his shoulder away.
“Ah, sleeping beauty has arisen,” he said, turning to look at Jinki, a slight smile playing on his face. As Jinki seemed to register who was in the car with him - and it took him a moment of frowning stupidly up at Minho - the effect was quite sudden, and astonishing, and a red flame crept across Jinki's cheeks. It was the look Minho was most familiar with seeing on Jinki's face, and he wondered what about him made Jinki blush so much.
“Um,” Jinki replied. Clearly, he was still not quite with the land of the living.
Minho decided to take pity on him. “You fell asleep on Taemin. They all wanted to go dancing or something, I think, so I offered to drop you off home.”
“Oh.” Jinki's face seemed to crumple into something resembling sadness, maybe, or illness, Minho couldn't quite tell, and he shifted a little further away, just in case.
“Are you feeling alright? How much did you end up drinking?” He asked, trying to gauge the possible damage.
Jinki looked up, and he really didn't seem like he was quite with it still. “Oh, no. It's just, I like dancing,” he said, sadly.
Minho couldn't hold back a quiet laugh. “Well, I don't think you'd be doing a lot of dancing in the state you're in right now.”
“I promised to take Taemin dancing.”
Minho, a bit confused because this wasn't making a lot of sense, nodded in understanding all the same. “I'm sure he'll understand.”
The cab pulled up outside Jinki and Kibum's apartment, and after paying the driver, Minho climbed easily out of the car, and moved to the other side to help Jinki. He seemed to be struggling to get the door open, and when Minho pulled it open for him Jinki nearly fell out of the door and onto the street. But for the steadying hand Minho had to Jinki's shoulder, he would have.
“Ah, thanks,” Jinki said, and another of those blushes seemed to grace his cheeks, as Minho helped pull him out of the cab in one piece. “Well, this is me.” He stared up at Minho, unsure of what to do next.
“I promised Kibum I'd get you home safely, and from all I've seen, nothing short of actually seeing you step inside your apartment can be considered 'safe'.”
It was a joke, really, but Jinki's face fell into a sad frown. “I'm not that clumsy,” he protested, even as he wobbled a little as they walked up to his building. “I don't know what Kibum's been telling you.”
Minho reached out to place a steadying hand to Jinki's arm as they climbed up the few steps to the main door. “Kibum hasn't told me anything,” he said lightly, “I meant how drunk you are. But,” and a small smile curved his lips, as he looked across at Jinki, “a drunken klutz doesn't sound very good either.”
Jinki huffed in protest, but seemed unable to find any words to defend himself with; maybe it was true.
They stood there at the doors for a minute, and Minho looked over at Jinki, who was just standing there, frowning at the doors. “Um, you have a key on you, right?” he asked, trying to prompt him into some action, he looked very much like he might just fall asleep again.
“Oh! A key, yes. Yes, I have my key, of course.” Jinki rooted around in his pockets, and a moment later brandished his door key triumphantly, a wide, stupid smile spread across his face, and aimed directly at Minho.
“Well done, now stick it in the keyhole, and push open the door.”
Even as Jinki did exactly this, he narrowed his eyes at Minho. “I might be a little bit tipsy, but I'm not stupid, Mr. Choi, and I know how to unlock a door. Your mockery is not appreciated.”
It seemed a lot of the anxiety he had seen in Jinki the whole - two? - times he'd seen him had receded for now, perhaps numbed by the alcohol, and Minho thought it was an interesting change to witness. Not the drunk part though, because Jinki couldn't get the key to fit in the lock, no matter how many times he cursed the lock or tried to coax the key into behaving for him. With a sigh Minho took the key from Jinki and unlocked the door, holding it open so they could both pass through.
“Now, which is your apartment? Once you're safely inside, my job for tonight is done.”
To Minho's relief there was an elevator, because he really didn't want to have to half-carry Jinki up any stairs. It was quiet in the small, enclosed space, just the two of them, and Jinki was so quiet that Minho might have thought he'd fallen asleep standing up.
So Jinki's voice, suddenly breaking the silence, surprised him a bit.
“Why did you invite me, that night?”
Minho turned, and found Jinki staring up into his face, his brown eyes wide and curious, if a little bleary.
“I, uh, didn't really invite you?” Minho said, awkwardly. The look on Jinki's face didn't help Minho's feeling of awkwardness, but he reminded himself that Jinki was kind of not with it right now. “I was just trying to make it up, to you and your friend for the misunderstanding.” In retrospect, he might have picked two of the least likely men to really appreciate it, and to appreciate the female strippers he thought they would come to enjoy for free. He really had been surprised, when he'd realised Jinki had come on one of his own nights on stage.
“Oh,” Jinki dropped his eyes, and Minho was sure he could see red colouring his cheeks again. “Of course, that's what I meant. Um, never mind. I'm a bit drunk, I don't know what I'm talking about.”
Minho opened his mouth, to say what, he wasn't sure, but the elevator doors slid open then, onto Jinki's floor. He followed Jinki out of the elevator and down the corridor, already pulling his phone out of his pocket ready to keep his promise to Kibum. And then he realised he didn't have Kibum's number, so he shot a text off to Jonghyun instead, asking him to pass the message on to Kibum that Jinki was alive, and well, and arrived home safely. Beyond that, it wasn't any of Minho's business.
“Thanks for getting me home,” Jinki said, standing by his apartment door. He looked up at Minho, and offered him a smile, a little wobbly, a little too big, but entirely sincere. “You didn't have to, I appreciate it. I'm sorry I spoiled your night.”
Minho waved a hand. “Don't worry. I was probably going to bail soon anyway, before Jonghyun started setting me up with anyone who walked by.”
Jinki let out a laugh, a strange, high-pitched titter, which faded off into an embarrassed chuckle when he realised how it sounded. “Okay, well, thanks again. Um, bye?”
“Night,” Minho said, unable to stop himself from smiling in return.
He waited a few moments, even after Jinki was inside, to make sure he didn't hear any sounds that might mean klutzy, drunken accidents and deaths. All seemed well.
He got a text back from Jonghyun, giving Kibum's thanks. Minho sent one back: Tell Kibum he owes me one for this!
**
"Why did I drink?" Jinki wondered, holding his head and looking the picture of pathetic.
"Because you're an idiot," Kibum supplied. He had his phone out and seemed to be texting furiously as he wandered around the apartment. "You need to build up your tolerance. How old are you? It's shameful, you need to learn to handle your drink."
Kibum's voice, Jinki decided, was very unpleasant in that moment. He was like a loud fly, with his high-pitched buzzing beating a constant irritation against the inside of his skull.
Jinki groaned. "I don't want to drink, ever again."
Kibum looked across at him, and rolled his eyes in disdain. "You're hopeless."
And yet, really, Jinki knew exactly why he had drunk a little more than usual, because the alcohol had actually settled his nerves, numbed his anxieties, and let him enjoy himself without feeling like the biggest idiot on the planet, which could sometimes hinder a good time. Of course, that hadn't actually stopped him from making an idiot of himself, and he was sorely disappointed that Minho had been the one to witness that and take him home, instead of Kibum, who would still make a mockery of him, but wasn't tall and handsome and had composure and self-control that Jinki envied.
Still, what was done was done, and maybe he wouldn't have to see Minho again.
Unfortunately for Jinki, Minho started coming along a little more regularly to some of their evenings out together, seemingly being dragged along by Jonghyun, but Minho didn't look like he minded too much and neither did anyone else. And it seemed to Jinki that the more often Minho was around, the less of an idiot he was beginning to make out of himself, which was nice. He was never going to escape his mortifying moments of wanting to die, but Jinki would take what he could get.
It was his turn to buy the drinks, and Minho had followed Jinki along to the bar. Jinki strongly suspected that it was under Kibum's orders, but he really didn't need a chaperone just to get a few drinks and take them back to the table. Well, there had been that one time...but it had only happened once!
“Is there a reason Kibum seems to think you can't be trusted with anything?” Minho asked as they stood at the bar. It wasn't so crowded tonight, but Jinki noticed that Minho still seemed to be standing quite close to him.
“Oh, he's just trying to embarrass me. Feel free to ignore everything he says. Please,” he added, glancing across at Minho, a smile on his face. “Can I ask...?” he started, and then shook his head, deciding better of it.
“Hmm? What is it?”
They'd been talking a little bit more, those nights when Minho joined them, and when Kibum managed to convince Jinki to come along, and it was definitely getting easier for Jinki now. “I was just wondering what Jonghyun meant, when he said he was bringing you out to fix your love life?” He ducked his head, a little embarrassed at asking what he thought might be too personal a question to ask.
Minho didn't seem to mind, though. He shrugged his shoulders, and looked quite calm. “He's being over dramatic. I just haven't dated for awhile, really. Nothing seems to stick, you know?” Minho was leaning easily against the counter, showing off just how long his legs really were, and Jinki felt his mouth dry up with the realisation.
“What? Then they must all be mad,” Jinki declared, speaking his thoughts without even realising. “I mean, look at you, what idiot wouldn't want to date you?” As soon as he realised what he had said - and Minho's amused smile and raised eyebrow helped this along - Jinki's cheeks flamed, and he glanced away, mumbling awkwardly. “I mean, well I mean, there's nothing wrong with you or anything!” He said, vainly trying not to sound like he was some kind of advocate for Minho's ridiculously handsome face, because he wasn't. Really.
“Thanks,” Minho said, and there was a note in his voice to match the amused smile on his face. “I've never been told that there's nothing wrong with me before.”
The teasing note in his voice made Jinki look up, and he huffed. “Don't tease me.”
“But it's so much fun.”
Jinki pouted, and nudged Minho with his hip, about the most he could bring himself to do in retaliation. “Not for me! And for that, you're paying for this round of drinks,” he declared.
Minho shrugged, “Sure, but I'm still going to tease you.”
Jinki opened his mouth to protest this, when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out, puzzled, until he read the message. It was a text from Kibum: You two look like you're having fun up there. Think you could hurry up your mating ritual and get drinks, so we can all enjoy ourselves?
Jinki sent back an angry face in retaliation, it said everything he wanted to say to Kibum, that, and he couldn't actually think of a nice, scathingly witty response.
At Minho's curious look, Jinki explained, “Kibum's asking us to hurry up.”
“Sure.”
A few moments later and they returned to the table, drinks in hand. Kibum had a very pleased looking little smirk on his face, and whilst Jinki wasn't a violent person at all, he very much wanted to throttle that expression off his friend's face.
When Jinki tore his murderous gaze away from Kibum, he found Minho looking at him, a smile on his face, and he shook his head a little, as if he could read Jinki's wishes on his face. Maybe Minho could, but whatever it was, Jinki found himself smiling back, and relaxing a little bit.
**
part two
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: SHINee
Pairing: Onew/Minho
Wordcount: 15,855
Summary: The thing Jinki does best: embarrass himself. This is that story.
Notes: So I haven't written properly for a loooong time and this is my first attempt at SHINee fic, needless to say I am extremely nervous on both counts. This started out as a silly ficlet because no one was writing what I wanted to read, and somehow it morphed into a really long onho fic. I don't know how, I don't know why, but here it is, for anyone who likes onho!
This fic is dedicated to everyone who helped and encouraged me with this, you know who you are ♥. And it is also dedicated to Minho's fuck-me boots. ( this is the perf that inspired this whole fic!)
This is very silly, I am very rusty, and I am very new to this fandom, I am sorry ;~;
“Oh, thank god. Officer! Hey, Officer!” Jinki called out as he jogged across the street, waving a hand wildly as well, as if shouting wasn't attention grabbing enough. Although it didn't seem to be, because the police officer he was calling out to didn't stop or turn. Frowning, Jinki sped up a bit, calling again.
“Excuse me, Officer Sir!” He stopped in front of the police officer, who still didn't stop, and looked up at him. Jinki was struck with surprise, as he looked up into the face of a man seemingly as young as he was, if not younger. He looked him over quickly; hat, boots, coat and badge, he definitely looked like police, to Jinki. “Excuse me, my friend needs help, you are a police officer, right?”
The man seemed surprised by Jinki's sudden appearance, and there was a moment where Jinki wondered if you weren't supposed to run up and shout at policemen like that, did it make them nervous? Would he pull a gun on Jinki? He looked around, no gun in sight, and let out a little sigh of relief.
“Um,” the policeman said, not very helpfully.
Jinki ploughed on regardless, because police were meant to help, and Kibum needed help!
“You're very young for a police officer, aren't you?” Jinki blurted, saying what was on his mind instead of what he meant to say. “Not that there's anything wrong with being young!” He added quickly, smiling in apology. “I'm young myself, I'm a big fan of it. And I'm sure you're very good at all the, uh, police stuff that you do!” He was a very tall person, Jinki noted, and he looked more like a television cop than a real one, he was far too handsome, surely. Jinki didn't know real people, with real jobs outside of television, came made that handsome.
He shook his head, trying to gather his thoughts again, as the police officer was looking a little bemused and he didn't want to annoy him; could you get a ticket for annoying a policeman?
“Uh, I'm sorry, Officer...?”
“Choi,” the officer said. “What, uh, seems to be the problem?”
Jinki nodded, and rushed on. “My friend, he's right over there,” he waved in Kibum's general direction, trying not to think about how annoyed he would be by Jinki's useless sputtering delaying things, “he was just robbed! His wallet, his favourite scarf, everything! Please come quickly. Sir,” he added, for good measure.
The officer seemed to hesitate for a moment, looking a bit confused, but Jinki didn't give it much thought because Kibum was waving in their direction; he really wanted that scarf back, it seemed.
They jogged across the street to where Kibum stood, and Jinki offered an apologetic smile to his friend; he received a glare of death in return.
“Officer Choi, this is my friend, Kibum.”
Kibum wasted no time in useless sputtering, and launched instantly into an account of the incident, complete with a description of the robber's face, general appearance, and what brand of shoes he had on. He paused in the middle of his account, looking up at the officer, who stood there kind of awkwardly, tall and awkwardly, looking between Kibum and Jinki.
“Is this your first day, or something?” Kibum asked, clearly annoyed. “Shouldn't you be writing this down, or calling someone in, or maybe chasing the guy? It happened only five minutes ago, and the guy ran that way,” Kibum said, pointing in the direction. He looked at Officer Choi, one eyebrow raised.
“Oh, um. I don't have any paper?” The officer said, and he really was starting to look out of his depth; maybe it was his first day.
“Where did you find this guy, Jinki,” Kibum said, turning to his friend, “straight out of the academy? I really want my stuff back!”
Jinki was a bit confused himself now. He supposed that real cops didn't do what they did in the television shows, like leap over fences and have shoot outs in abandoned warehouses and spend ten years of their career chasing that one criminal who got away from them, but he would have expected, well, more than this from a real life policeman.
Officer Choi, one hand reaching up to rub at the back of his neck, looked first at Jinki, and then at Kibum. “I'm really, really sorry, but I think there's been a bit of a misunderstanding here,” he said, and the embarrassment was clear to see in the way he shifted from one leg to the other. “Your friend pulled me over before I could explain, but I'm not actually a cop. Uh, you should probably call this incident to the police station, so they can sort this out for you. I'm really sorry,” he added.
“But, if you're not a cop, then why the uniform?” Jinki asked, surprised. “And the badge! You have the badge, too.”
“I...” Officer (or not-Officer) Choi began, not knowing what to say.
In that same moment Kibum, who had been eyeing the pseudo officer, exclaimed, “Oh, god!”
Jinki looked between them, even more confused now, and feeling stupid; he hated when he didn't understand something.
“This is actually kind of embarrassing now, but I was on my way to work...” Not-Officer Choi said. He looked over at Kibum again, apparently getting the idea that his glare meant he was annoyed. “I'm sorry for wasting your time, really. Um, hold on.” He paused, rooted around in his pockets (and only now Jinki noticed that his trousers seemed unusually tight for an actual police officer) and pulled out a small card. He gave one each to Jinki and Kibum, the apologetic smile still on his face. “I don't know how else to make it up to you, but if you bring this to the address and tell them Minho invited you, you'll get in free. Thursday is Ladies Night.”
Jinki was staring down at the small business card, hardly taking the words in, and definitely not understanding what they meant. “Thanks!” he said, smiling politely.
“Okay, I won't hold you two up any more. I'm sorry again, and please find a real police officer.” Another awkward smile, and the not-officer gave a little wave and walked away.
“Well, that was weird,” Jinki commented, still staring at the card in his hand. It was black and on it, written in pink text, was the name: SHINING HEAVEN. In smaller text in the bottom corner was a street address and a phone number. Turning the card over Jinki saw, written in small, neat handwriting, the name: Choi Minho. “Uh,” he said, looking up at Kibum. “What's this all about?”
Kibum stared at Jinki for a moment, mouth open in disbelief, and when nothing further was forthcoming from Jinki, threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. “Jinki, could you just get a clue for once?” He huffed. “Never mind, come on, I need to report this to someone real, and I won't believe they're a real cop unless we're in a station full of real cops.”
It took fifteen minutes, and a few blocks, before Jinki pulled to a sudden stop, his eyes widening in realisation. “Kibum!” He said, reaching out to grab hold of his friend's arm, staring at him. “Oh my God, Kibum! That guy, the cop! He was a stripper!”
With a groan, Kibum smacked Jinki on the arm, before yanking him forward to continue walking. “You're the biggest idiot in the world, you know that?”
In that moment, Jinki couldn't disagree with him.
**
A few days passed, and Jinki still had hold of the little business card he'd been given. It was sitting there on his desk, half hidden by some books because he didn't want just anyone to walk in a see it - even if 'just anyone' was only ever Kibum, who had the same card. He wondered if he should accept the invitation and go. It was Thursday, and it might be fun...right? Jinki had no experience with this kind of thing, and no interest really, which was why he'd been internally debating this issue every now and then for the past few days.
Wondering into the kitchen, he found Kibum in there, rooting through their fridge. “Hey, Kibum?” Jinki said, leaning against the door frame. “Do you think we should accept that, um, guy's invitation? You know, from the other night.”
Kibum paused in his foray long enough to glance back at Jinki briefly, an eyebrow raised. “Who, the stripper?” He laughed, and turned back to what he was doing. “You seriously want to go to that. Why?”
Jinki shuffled his feet, and then reached out to grab hold of the door frame, as he nearly slipped over. Luckily, Kibum didn't see. “Uh, well, he invited us, right? Wouldn't it be rude not to go, when invited to something?”
There was a loud laugh, and Kibum finally pulled himself out of the fridge, brandishing a bottle of water in one hand. The look on his face, Jinki thought, was very much his 'oh God Jinki you are so stupid' look, the kind that always made Jinki want to hide away in shame and embarrassment for not understanding something.
Kibum looked like he was about to say something, probably something mean and mocking of Jinki, so he spoke up quickly instead. “And, he said tonight would be Ladies Night. That would be fun, wouldn't it?” Well, pretty ladies were always fun, Jinki reasoned, even if the situation, and the setting, was a bit unusual to him.
Kibum gaped at him for a moment, before firmly closing his mouth. He shook his head, before starting out of the kitchen. He patted Jinki's cheek on the way out, and smiled; one of his suspicious smiles, Jinki thought. “You're precious sometimes. Go out tonight, have fun! Take some photos for me if you can.”
“But, aren't you coming with me?” Jinki asked, staring after Kibum as he walked down the hall.
A loud, amused, bark of laughter followed, and then the firm closing of Kibum's bedroom door.
Feeling a little deflated, Jinki tried to pick himself up. “Okay, fine,” he said to himself, screwing a fist up. “I'll go! It would be rude not to. And I'll have fun! Lot's of fun, with sexy ladies.”
Kibum's voice called out from behind his bedroom door then, “I can hear you, you lunatic.”
**
Jinki glanced down at the address on the card he still kept hold of, and at the building right in front of him. It wasn't that he was lost, he couldn't be, when the name on the card was lit up brightly in front of him. He stood nervously in the queue, and looking around himself he noticed there were a lot of women also in line, which struck him as kind of strange. When it was his turn to enter he showed the bouncer the little business card. “Um, Choi Minho invited me?” He added a dazzling smile to this.
The bouncer looked Jinki over, frowning at him for a moment; he didn't know why, he was sure he at least looked great, Kibum had helped after all, but there wasn't much time to think about it because the bouncer ushered him in with a nod, and Jinki found himself pushed through into the building.
He was suddenly enveloped in soft, dark lighting and a seedy, seductive atmosphere. There were even more women inside the actual club, and Jinki was hard put to spot any other men in there. A feeling, a nagging suspicion, began to gnaw at him then. Pushing it to the side, he made his way over to the bar; he would be safe at the bar, and a drink would help, definitely. He really, really wished Kibum would have come with him. Maybe he should have stolen Kibum's card and asked Jonghyun, or Taemin...no, not Taemin, definitely not, but Jonghyun might have come along, he liked sexy ladies.
And there were many ladies, of all kinds, but they were all sitting down and walking around, and not on the stage. The gnawing deepened.
After ordering a drink, Jinki perched himself on a stool at the bar and tried not to feel very, very awkward. Maybe he should leave? Maybe Choi Minho, the not-officer, wasn't even here. Kibum, he bet, was probably laughing his ass off at Jinki's expense right now, wherever he was tonight, which wasn't here, by Jinki's side to keep him company and to talk to him.
He sipped at his drink, wondering when the show was going to start and tried to ignore some of the strange looks he seemed to be receiving from the people around him.
“It's because you look great, and sexy, and very, very attractive tonight, Lee Jinki,” he told himself quietly, trying to bolster his courage. He glanced at his watch, and wondered when he should leave.
Looking up then, Jinki spotted what looked to be another man, and his heart leapt that he wasn't the only one here who didn't also work there. And then all of his hopes and dreams were dashed and emptied, like his drink. It was Choi Minho, the not-officer. He was dressed more casually this time, not as a police officer, and Jinki couldn't help but notice how good he looked all the same, and how tall he was, he was very, very tall. How long were his legs? Long enough to make Jinki feel short, and jealous.
He came up to the bar then, standing some way away from Jinki as he ordered a drink.
Plastering a smile to his face, despite his sudden nervousness, Jinki looked over at him. “Um, hello!” He said. There was a moment, when Choi Minho looked over at him and a frown creased his face, that Jinki felt his smile fade. He ploughed on ahead, anyway, glad for the dim lighting in case he was blushing in his embarrassment. “I decided to take you up on your invitation. It's, uh, nice to see you dressed normally!” He gestured at the casual outfit, and then promptly wanted to die; why was his drink empty, he really, really need another one right about now.
And then, that blessed look of recognition crossed not-officer Choi's face. “Oh, from the other night. Yeah, hi. I'm a bit surprised to see you here, actually.” He looked Jinki over, a bemused expression on his face, and smoothly slid another drink across to him.
“Oh, really?” Jinki asked, picking up his glass and clutching tightly at it. “Why is that? You did invite us after all and I thought it would be rude...” that look didn't leave the guy's face, and Jinki desperately gulped at his drink, gasping at the sudden sting of alcohol to the back of his throat a moment later; this wasn't what he had ordered! He coughed, embarrassingly, at the sudden sting, and managed to spill a little of his drink across the bar top. He was sure, by now, that his cheeks were flaming, but Choi Minho just stood there, leaning against the counter top, watching Jinki now with an amused look on his face.
It was right about now when Jinki really could have done with the ground opening up and swallowing him, really.
Another cough, and he thought he could talk again. “Well, I mean, not that it was that kind of invitation, just, you said we'd get in for free so I thought I may as well come check it out, you know? Kibum - the friend who was with me - didn't want to come tonight though.”
“Ah, did he ever get his stuff back?” Minho stood there, leaning, tall, and sipped at his drink, and for a moment all Jinki could do was stare at his hands, those long fingers wrapped around the glass and...
He pulled his gaze away, and smiled up, awkwardly, at him. “Oh, uh, only his scarf and bag. All his cards and money were taken, but at least they got the guy.”
“That's something,” Minho said, and still there was that little smile on his face, as if he were enjoying a joke at Jinki's expense. He probably was, Jinki reasoned. “But I was more surprised that you showed up tonight, of all nights. Didn't I tell you it was Ladies Night?”
And there it was. The thing Jinki had been dreading, the truth, the thing that had escaped his notice and had been slowly dawning on him, as more and more women filled the club tonight. His ultimate embarrassment, and here it was being witnessed by this impossibly tall, impossibly good looking man. It was his finest hour, indeed, Jinki thought. And he dearly, dearly wished that Kibum had been a better friend and warned him about this, because Jinki was certain that was the reason Kibum hadn't come, but had insisted upon Jinki's going anyway. Oh, he must be howling with laughter, wherever he was.
“Um. Thursday was my only free night?” Jinki offered, because nothing else that didn't imply his own stupidity was coming to mind.
This earned him a raised eyebrow, and Jinki knew that Minho was not at all fooled, by anything he had said. Well, there went his reputation forever, and he would never be able to run into Minho ever again for the rest of his life. He smiled weakly.
Minho downed the rest of his drink, and looked at Jinki with a smile. “I have to go get ready. Watch a bit of the show, before you bolt off. It'll be a good one, tonight.” With that, Minho walked off, looking all tall and attractive and confident, and Jinki felt ridiculous, ridiculous and short. With a groan, he lowered his head to the counter, trying to hide his very existence.
The counter top was still wet with the alcohol he had spilt, and he really was very, very ready to die right then and there.
After he had done trying to hide himself whilst still in full sight of the rest of the world, and tried to mop up the alcohol from his face, Jinki pulled his phone out and sent a furious text message to Kibum; there was much fury, and many exclamation points! A moment later he received this in reply: The shoe finally dropped, huh. Have fun! Idiot~
Jinki could have throttled Kibum.
It was then that the lights dimmed further, and everyone still milling around went to find a seat, and there was a buzzing of excited chatter throughout the room. Jinki decided he liked it at the bar, right where he was, by the supply of alcohol. He should have left, he knew, he should already have just gotten up and left the club and never thought about tonight, or Minho, ever again. But he was kind of curious...
Music came blasting out then, enough to make Jinki jump in his seat. A bunch of the women shrieked in excitement. Oh God, why was he still here? Why?
A spotlight came on in the centre of the stage, illuminating a tall, masculine figure. It was Minho, and he was dressed in the cop outfit Jinki had seen him in the other night. Now that he was seeing it again, in this setting, he wondered how, how, he could have mistaken him for a real cop. The white trousers he had on looked so tight they could have been painted onto his skin, and did a good job of, uh, highlighting his assets. Jinki's eyes followed the length of Minho's legs, down to the tall, black boots, making him look taller still, if that were possible, and he was wearing a policeman's hat, pulled low over his forehead.
Jinki tried to force his gaze away, long enough to send Kibum another message: I hate you!!!!!!!!!
Kibum's reply was simply: ;)
When Jinki looked back up, the music was really going now, with some funky, sexy dance beat in the background, and Minho was moving across the stage, smoothly. He was all legs and tallness, the kind of man that made Jinki feel very, very inadequate in comparison.
Minho seemed to gaze out at the audience, a teasing little smile curving his lips, and Jinki could have sworn that, just for a moment, Minho had turned that steady, teasing gaze onto him. Jinki felt weak at the knees, and thanked all the gods that he was sitting down.
When a number of other men came out onto the stage then, spinning and dancing and gyrating to the music and the screams became louder and the clothes became less, Jinki stood up from his seat and made his way, stumbling and red-faced, to the bathrooms where he promptly called Taemin to talk about anything other than what he had just witnessed.
“Are you out at a club?” Taemin asked, when he could finally get a word in between Jinki's endless babbling. “Why did you go without me? You know I love dancing. Who's with you tonight?”
“Nnnnnnnggh,” Jinki replied, eloquently explaining the entire situation.
“Ah, are you drunk? I'll pick you up, where are you?”
At the idea of anyone else finding out about this terrible, embarrassing night, Jinki instantly came to his senses again. “No, no, I'm fine, don't worry! Not drunk at all, and I'm leaving soon anyway. I'm sorry, I'll take you with me next time I go out somewhere, okay? We'll go dancing soon. This was kind of, um, spontaneous tonight and I don't know why I came out in the first place. I'll talk to you soon, okay?”
Jinki got off the phone as quickly as could be done politely, and resisted the urge to bash his head against the wall. And then he realised, as much as he was trying to stop anyone else from finding out, because Kibum knew, all of their mutual friends would soon know, too.
He could have cried.
**
That night, after his semi-breakdown in the restrooms, Jinki had left the club as quickly as was humanly possible (or Jinki-ly possible, as was usually the case). He'd tried to avoid any more watching of the show, but just as he'd been walking back through the club again it just so happened that Minho had been front and centre stage, and...and... Jinki's cheeks flushed just at the memory. There had been almost a wall of excited screams, because in that moment, that last moment that Jinki chose to look, Minho had ripped his extremely tight trousers off, and he'd been down to just underwear, hat, and boots by then.
Jinki vowed never to think about it ever, ever again. Except sometimes, in the middle of the night, the image of Minho in underwear, hat and boots popped into his head, and wouldn't go away. He had a horribly stubborn brain sometimes, he thought.
But some time had passed since his embarrassing incident at the strip club, and though the night he had come home Kibum had laughed, long and loud, at Jinki's not knowing what Ladies Night meant, it was behind Jinki now. If only Kibum would stop making references to it.
Life was normal, work was normal, and, just like normal, Jinki found himself being dragged out, against his will, for drinks with Kibum and some other friends one evening. He never could work out just how Kibum managed to get Jinki to agree and go along to these things, especially when Jinki usually had much better plans for his own evenings, plans that usually involved himself, a bed or a couch (he wasn't fussy) and some sleep.
“Who did you say was coming along tonight?” Jinki asked, taking a last look in the mirror. They were meant to have left twenty minutes ago, but he'd spent a good portion of those twenty minutes running around like a headless chicken, not sure what to wear or what to do with his hair. He didn't much care for himself, but Kibum would be annoying if he went out looking less than the best he could manage for himself. And, well, after a long string of bad luck, Jinki wanted the confidence boost that could come with looking good, and knowing you looked good.
“Oh just a few of us, it's just a low-key evening. Taemin, Jonghyun, and I think he said he was gonna bring a friend or two? And will you hurry up, however long you spend you can't make your face look any better.”
Jinki turned from the mirror, and stuck his tongue out at Kibum, who just rolled his eyes, before dragging Jinki out of the apartment with him.
They were the last to arrive at the bar they'd agreed to meet at, which was already quite full of people so it took them a few minutes of manoeuvring through the crowd to locate their friends. There at a table sat Taemin, Jonghyun, and... no, Jinki thought, no, it couldn't be. He must be dreaming. He pinched himself, and felt nothing.
“Hey, ow!” Kibum turned and smacked Jinki on the arm, glaring at him. “Why are you pinching me?”
Jinki's face fell. “Oh, I was trying to pinch myself, and see if I was awake.”
This earned him a strange look, until Kibum noticed what it was Jinki was freaking out about, and then he let out a loud, amused laugh. “Ah, tonight is gonna be fun,” he cackled, and dragged Jinki over to the table with him, seeming to predict Jinki's sudden urge to run away and never come back.
Jonghyun smiled brightly at the sight of them, and waved them over. There were already a couple of empty glasses on the table. A general shuffling and search for more chairs ensued, and as soon as possible Jinki took the opportunity to seat himself next to Taemin, and as far away from Minho as possible. He tried to hide himself behind Taemin, as well, but Taemin was skinny and not a very good shield.
“This is my friend Minho,” Jonghyun said, pointing to the tall, handsome man who plagued Jinki's nightmares. “Minho, this is Kibum and Jinki.” Was there a knowing smile on Jonghyun's face? There was no way Kibum hadn't told him, no way.
“Ah, we've already met,” Minho said with a smile, nodding politely at both of them in greeting.
Jinki glanced over at Kibum, wondering if this was some kind of horrible prank concocted by him and Jonghyun. There was a bit of a smile on Kibum's face, he was sure.
“Oh, really?” Jonghyun looked between them and Minho. “Well, I thought I'd bring him along because he's been moping about his lack of a love life. How'd you know each other, anyway?”
Jinki stood up like a shot, accidentally upsetting the table and nearly knocking all the glasses over. “Drinks! Who wants drinks?” he asked, a bit wildly, hoping to steer them from this topic of conversation forever. “I'll go get us some more drinks.” A moment later and he rushed off towards the bar, trying to fight his way politely through the crowd.
“Oh, someone go and help him,” Kibum said. “He's going to spill everything. He's such a disaster sometimes, I don't know why we take him out anywhere.” His eyes fell on Minho, who was sitting quietly, and politely by Jonghyun, observing their antics with a bemused expression on his face. Kibum's eyes lit up, and he leaned towards Minho, a smile on his face. “Why don't you go help him? You seem reliable.”
Minho's eyes widened. “Me? Oh, sure, alright.” He stood up, and was soon lost in the crowd around the bar as well.
Jinki was trying very hard to catch the bartender's attention, and get them all something to drink, but he never seemed to look over in Jinki's general direction.
“You might have to try and be a bit more noticeable,” a voice offered from beside him, making Jinki jump in surprise.
He turned his face, nearly knocking his head into Minho's. “Oh. Oh, hello,” he offered, trying not to blush at just how close Minho's face was in that moment. What was he doing here? Why did he have to come over, with all his tall, handsome, in control-ness, and turn Jinki into a mess again.
“Hello again,” Minho said, a smile curving his lips. He used his height to his advantage, leaning over Jinki, and somehow managed to capture the bartender's attention. Jinki missed how Minho did this, because he was too busy staring up into his face.
“So, um. Um...I didn't know you knew Jonghyun?”
Minho nodded. “Yeah, we've known each other for awhile now. We worked at the same place once, and just stayed in touch afterwards.”
Jinki's eyes widened in surprise, he'd never heard about that.
Seeing the expression on his face, Minho quickly shook his head, laughing a little. “Ah, no, this was a different job. We used to work at the same supermarket.”
“Ohh,” Jinki said, drawing the sound out.
Thankfully the bartender finally deigned to turn his attention to them, and with almost perfect ease Minho ordered a round of drinks for them all, paid for them, and picked up three out of the five glasses. Jinki took the remaining two, and was secretly thankful that someone had come to help him, even if it had been Minho.
When they made their way back to the table - and Jinki was secretly relieved that he didn't spill anything - Jonghyun, Kibum and Taemin were laughing about something together, and Jinki had to force down the paranoid idea that it was at his expense.
“You seem really tense,” Minho noted, looking a little concerned, before the rest of the table could hear them.
“Oh, no, no, I'm fine,” he said, shaking his head, and offering up a smile.
Minho seemed unconvinced. “If you're worried about that night, just tell them it was my mistake, okay?” And with a smile, Minho took Jinki's glasses from his hand, and set them down on the table with the rest of the drinks, before returning to his seat.
With a drink in hand, and four other people to do the talking for him, Jinki felt better able to cope with the evening ahead. When the subject of Minho's job, and Jinki's embarrassing night, didn't crop up, even jokingly into conversation, he found himself relaxing a little more. He berated himself for thinking it was a bigger thing than it apparently was, and assuming people (Kibum) would make a big deal out of it. None of that happened. There was a lot of laughter, and a lot of chatter between Kibum and Jonghyun. Taemin would throw in a joke sometimes, and Minho would smile and laugh at everything, and occasionally add a joke, at Jonghyun's expense.
It was fun, and after another drink or two Jinki felt a warm, pleasant lightness fill his head. His worries were gone, his cares and anxieties were gone, and all he felt was an empty, hazy fuzziness. He laughed too loud at Jonghyun's jokes, and he stopped hiding his eyes and blushing, every time he caught Minho looking at him. Jinki didn't even worry that Minho kept looking at him because he was secretly laughing inside about what an idiot he was.
“Ah, Taemin, didn't you want to go dancing?” Jinki said, turning to look at his friend. His head was beginning to feel thick and heavy, and Taemin's shoulder started to look like a very comfortable place to rest it. “We should go dancing!”
“Here?” Taemin laughed, bemused. There was no dance floor, the bar was packed, and there was music but the buzz of voices and laughter was louder than the beat of whatever was playing.
“Sure!” Jinki declared, beaming brightly up into Taemin's face. “As long as there's music you can dance, right?” Taemin's shoulder really was very comfortable, solid and warm.
When Taemin looked down a moment later, it was to see Jinki with his eyes closed, snoring lightly on his shoulder. “Uh, Kibum?” He said, drawing Kibum from the conversation he was having with Jonghyun. Taemin pointed at Jinki's sleeping form. “Is this normal for him?”
Kibum rolled his eyes, and sighed loudly. “What the hell, how many drinks has he had?”
Taemin went to shrug, and then realised he couldn't, and pointed helplessly at the obscene amount of empty glasses scattered across the table. “I have no idea, some of what's there at least.”
“That's him done for the night, then. I'll take him home.”
“What,” Jonghyun said, looking crestfallen. “But the night is young! We've hardly just begun!”
Kibum pointed at Jinki, who wasn't stirring at all during this. “He's not going to make his own way home tonight.”
Minho, who had been quietly watching this whole time, spoke up then. “I'll take him home,” he offered, looking between them all.
Kibum turned, narrowing his eyes at Minho, studying his face. “Are you sure?”
He nodded, an easy smile forming on his face. “Yeah. You guys carry on with your night, I'll make sure he gets home safely. Just tell me where to take him.” Already, Minho was gathering his things together, and pulling some cash out of his pocket for the next round, leaving it in Jonghyun's care. He moved over to where Jinki still snoozed quietly on Taemin's shoulder, and in a fluid, easy, movement lifted Jinki up, wrapping an arm around him to keep him propped up.
“Text me once you've got him home,” Kibum demanded more than asked.
Minho nodded in affirmation. “Sure, enjoy your evening.” He smiled politely, and made his way through the bar, one arm around Jinki, and one of Jinki's arms slung around his neck. He was heavy with the dead weight of sleep, and even people jostling into them now and then didn't do anything to alter that.
Once he'd made their way outside, Minho didn't have to wait for long to pull a cab over, and he was grateful he didn't have to try and carry Jinki all the way back to his place. It was a little awkward, trying to get Jinki into the car when he really wasn't co-operating, or doing anything at all, but soon Jinki was settled and Minho was settled next to him. Almost instantly, Jinki's head seemed to gravitate towards the nearest shoulder, and a moment later Minho felt a warm weight settle against him. He could hear the soft sound of Jinki's breathing, feel warm breath flutter against his neck.
He really wasn't sure why he'd offered to make sure Jinki got home. Minho only really knew Jonghyun, after all. Maybe, in a strange way, he thought he was trying to make up for the obvious embarrassment he'd caused Jinki, although it wouldn't have mattered to him who was taking him home, if he was going to sleep the whole time. Minho sincerely hoped Jinki and Kibum's place had an elevator, if Jinki wasn't waking up any time soon.
They were nearly at their destination, and the cab ride was quiet. There was the soft sound of jazz coming from the radio at the front, but the driver didn't talk, Jinki of course didn't talk, and they'd turned onto a quieter street; Minho felt strangely alone.
The peace was broken, quite suddenly, but what seemed to be a cross between a sneeze, a sputter, and a snort, exploding from Jinki's face. He woke up abruptly, and looked blearily around himself, eyebrows creased together in confusion.
Minho, subtly, pulled his shoulder away.
“Ah, sleeping beauty has arisen,” he said, turning to look at Jinki, a slight smile playing on his face. As Jinki seemed to register who was in the car with him - and it took him a moment of frowning stupidly up at Minho - the effect was quite sudden, and astonishing, and a red flame crept across Jinki's cheeks. It was the look Minho was most familiar with seeing on Jinki's face, and he wondered what about him made Jinki blush so much.
“Um,” Jinki replied. Clearly, he was still not quite with the land of the living.
Minho decided to take pity on him. “You fell asleep on Taemin. They all wanted to go dancing or something, I think, so I offered to drop you off home.”
“Oh.” Jinki's face seemed to crumple into something resembling sadness, maybe, or illness, Minho couldn't quite tell, and he shifted a little further away, just in case.
“Are you feeling alright? How much did you end up drinking?” He asked, trying to gauge the possible damage.
Jinki looked up, and he really didn't seem like he was quite with it still. “Oh, no. It's just, I like dancing,” he said, sadly.
Minho couldn't hold back a quiet laugh. “Well, I don't think you'd be doing a lot of dancing in the state you're in right now.”
“I promised to take Taemin dancing.”
Minho, a bit confused because this wasn't making a lot of sense, nodded in understanding all the same. “I'm sure he'll understand.”
The cab pulled up outside Jinki and Kibum's apartment, and after paying the driver, Minho climbed easily out of the car, and moved to the other side to help Jinki. He seemed to be struggling to get the door open, and when Minho pulled it open for him Jinki nearly fell out of the door and onto the street. But for the steadying hand Minho had to Jinki's shoulder, he would have.
“Ah, thanks,” Jinki said, and another of those blushes seemed to grace his cheeks, as Minho helped pull him out of the cab in one piece. “Well, this is me.” He stared up at Minho, unsure of what to do next.
“I promised Kibum I'd get you home safely, and from all I've seen, nothing short of actually seeing you step inside your apartment can be considered 'safe'.”
It was a joke, really, but Jinki's face fell into a sad frown. “I'm not that clumsy,” he protested, even as he wobbled a little as they walked up to his building. “I don't know what Kibum's been telling you.”
Minho reached out to place a steadying hand to Jinki's arm as they climbed up the few steps to the main door. “Kibum hasn't told me anything,” he said lightly, “I meant how drunk you are. But,” and a small smile curved his lips, as he looked across at Jinki, “a drunken klutz doesn't sound very good either.”
Jinki huffed in protest, but seemed unable to find any words to defend himself with; maybe it was true.
They stood there at the doors for a minute, and Minho looked over at Jinki, who was just standing there, frowning at the doors. “Um, you have a key on you, right?” he asked, trying to prompt him into some action, he looked very much like he might just fall asleep again.
“Oh! A key, yes. Yes, I have my key, of course.” Jinki rooted around in his pockets, and a moment later brandished his door key triumphantly, a wide, stupid smile spread across his face, and aimed directly at Minho.
“Well done, now stick it in the keyhole, and push open the door.”
Even as Jinki did exactly this, he narrowed his eyes at Minho. “I might be a little bit tipsy, but I'm not stupid, Mr. Choi, and I know how to unlock a door. Your mockery is not appreciated.”
It seemed a lot of the anxiety he had seen in Jinki the whole - two? - times he'd seen him had receded for now, perhaps numbed by the alcohol, and Minho thought it was an interesting change to witness. Not the drunk part though, because Jinki couldn't get the key to fit in the lock, no matter how many times he cursed the lock or tried to coax the key into behaving for him. With a sigh Minho took the key from Jinki and unlocked the door, holding it open so they could both pass through.
“Now, which is your apartment? Once you're safely inside, my job for tonight is done.”
To Minho's relief there was an elevator, because he really didn't want to have to half-carry Jinki up any stairs. It was quiet in the small, enclosed space, just the two of them, and Jinki was so quiet that Minho might have thought he'd fallen asleep standing up.
So Jinki's voice, suddenly breaking the silence, surprised him a bit.
“Why did you invite me, that night?”
Minho turned, and found Jinki staring up into his face, his brown eyes wide and curious, if a little bleary.
“I, uh, didn't really invite you?” Minho said, awkwardly. The look on Jinki's face didn't help Minho's feeling of awkwardness, but he reminded himself that Jinki was kind of not with it right now. “I was just trying to make it up, to you and your friend for the misunderstanding.” In retrospect, he might have picked two of the least likely men to really appreciate it, and to appreciate the female strippers he thought they would come to enjoy for free. He really had been surprised, when he'd realised Jinki had come on one of his own nights on stage.
“Oh,” Jinki dropped his eyes, and Minho was sure he could see red colouring his cheeks again. “Of course, that's what I meant. Um, never mind. I'm a bit drunk, I don't know what I'm talking about.”
Minho opened his mouth, to say what, he wasn't sure, but the elevator doors slid open then, onto Jinki's floor. He followed Jinki out of the elevator and down the corridor, already pulling his phone out of his pocket ready to keep his promise to Kibum. And then he realised he didn't have Kibum's number, so he shot a text off to Jonghyun instead, asking him to pass the message on to Kibum that Jinki was alive, and well, and arrived home safely. Beyond that, it wasn't any of Minho's business.
“Thanks for getting me home,” Jinki said, standing by his apartment door. He looked up at Minho, and offered him a smile, a little wobbly, a little too big, but entirely sincere. “You didn't have to, I appreciate it. I'm sorry I spoiled your night.”
Minho waved a hand. “Don't worry. I was probably going to bail soon anyway, before Jonghyun started setting me up with anyone who walked by.”
Jinki let out a laugh, a strange, high-pitched titter, which faded off into an embarrassed chuckle when he realised how it sounded. “Okay, well, thanks again. Um, bye?”
“Night,” Minho said, unable to stop himself from smiling in return.
He waited a few moments, even after Jinki was inside, to make sure he didn't hear any sounds that might mean klutzy, drunken accidents and deaths. All seemed well.
He got a text back from Jonghyun, giving Kibum's thanks. Minho sent one back: Tell Kibum he owes me one for this!
**
"Why did I drink?" Jinki wondered, holding his head and looking the picture of pathetic.
"Because you're an idiot," Kibum supplied. He had his phone out and seemed to be texting furiously as he wandered around the apartment. "You need to build up your tolerance. How old are you? It's shameful, you need to learn to handle your drink."
Kibum's voice, Jinki decided, was very unpleasant in that moment. He was like a loud fly, with his high-pitched buzzing beating a constant irritation against the inside of his skull.
Jinki groaned. "I don't want to drink, ever again."
Kibum looked across at him, and rolled his eyes in disdain. "You're hopeless."
And yet, really, Jinki knew exactly why he had drunk a little more than usual, because the alcohol had actually settled his nerves, numbed his anxieties, and let him enjoy himself without feeling like the biggest idiot on the planet, which could sometimes hinder a good time. Of course, that hadn't actually stopped him from making an idiot of himself, and he was sorely disappointed that Minho had been the one to witness that and take him home, instead of Kibum, who would still make a mockery of him, but wasn't tall and handsome and had composure and self-control that Jinki envied.
Still, what was done was done, and maybe he wouldn't have to see Minho again.
Unfortunately for Jinki, Minho started coming along a little more regularly to some of their evenings out together, seemingly being dragged along by Jonghyun, but Minho didn't look like he minded too much and neither did anyone else. And it seemed to Jinki that the more often Minho was around, the less of an idiot he was beginning to make out of himself, which was nice. He was never going to escape his mortifying moments of wanting to die, but Jinki would take what he could get.
It was his turn to buy the drinks, and Minho had followed Jinki along to the bar. Jinki strongly suspected that it was under Kibum's orders, but he really didn't need a chaperone just to get a few drinks and take them back to the table. Well, there had been that one time...but it had only happened once!
“Is there a reason Kibum seems to think you can't be trusted with anything?” Minho asked as they stood at the bar. It wasn't so crowded tonight, but Jinki noticed that Minho still seemed to be standing quite close to him.
“Oh, he's just trying to embarrass me. Feel free to ignore everything he says. Please,” he added, glancing across at Minho, a smile on his face. “Can I ask...?” he started, and then shook his head, deciding better of it.
“Hmm? What is it?”
They'd been talking a little bit more, those nights when Minho joined them, and when Kibum managed to convince Jinki to come along, and it was definitely getting easier for Jinki now. “I was just wondering what Jonghyun meant, when he said he was bringing you out to fix your love life?” He ducked his head, a little embarrassed at asking what he thought might be too personal a question to ask.
Minho didn't seem to mind, though. He shrugged his shoulders, and looked quite calm. “He's being over dramatic. I just haven't dated for awhile, really. Nothing seems to stick, you know?” Minho was leaning easily against the counter, showing off just how long his legs really were, and Jinki felt his mouth dry up with the realisation.
“What? Then they must all be mad,” Jinki declared, speaking his thoughts without even realising. “I mean, look at you, what idiot wouldn't want to date you?” As soon as he realised what he had said - and Minho's amused smile and raised eyebrow helped this along - Jinki's cheeks flamed, and he glanced away, mumbling awkwardly. “I mean, well I mean, there's nothing wrong with you or anything!” He said, vainly trying not to sound like he was some kind of advocate for Minho's ridiculously handsome face, because he wasn't. Really.
“Thanks,” Minho said, and there was a note in his voice to match the amused smile on his face. “I've never been told that there's nothing wrong with me before.”
The teasing note in his voice made Jinki look up, and he huffed. “Don't tease me.”
“But it's so much fun.”
Jinki pouted, and nudged Minho with his hip, about the most he could bring himself to do in retaliation. “Not for me! And for that, you're paying for this round of drinks,” he declared.
Minho shrugged, “Sure, but I'm still going to tease you.”
Jinki opened his mouth to protest this, when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out, puzzled, until he read the message. It was a text from Kibum: You two look like you're having fun up there. Think you could hurry up your mating ritual and get drinks, so we can all enjoy ourselves?
Jinki sent back an angry face in retaliation, it said everything he wanted to say to Kibum, that, and he couldn't actually think of a nice, scathingly witty response.
At Minho's curious look, Jinki explained, “Kibum's asking us to hurry up.”
“Sure.”
A few moments later and they returned to the table, drinks in hand. Kibum had a very pleased looking little smirk on his face, and whilst Jinki wasn't a violent person at all, he very much wanted to throttle that expression off his friend's face.
When Jinki tore his murderous gaze away from Kibum, he found Minho looking at him, a smile on his face, and he shook his head a little, as if he could read Jinki's wishes on his face. Maybe Minho could, but whatever it was, Jinki found himself smiling back, and relaxing a little bit.
**
part two