Work Text:
Xu Minghao liked his job.
He was a graphic designer at Seventeen Studios, one of the many magazine companies in South Korea. He was fresh out of college, yet somehow managed to score a spot in the firm. It was a bit odd at first— being a quiet Chinese kid at a rather energetic design firm— but the rest of the company warmed up to him quickly. His head designer, Jeonghan, was particularly kind and caring and was great at teaching him, even if he teased a lot, too. Everybody was in general really great guys, easy to get along with, and people Minghao liked being around.
Except for one.
If Minghao had the chance, he would have whacked the back of Wen Junhui's head weeks ago, maybe even around when they first met. Unfortunately, the other Chinese boy was still in some unbelievable way, older than him apart from just being his senior, and Minghao was taught to respect his elders. Although again, respect didn't come easy from him when it came to Junhui, because the obnoxiously blonde haired boy was just so ridiculously immature, as if every fiber of his being was bent on annoying the hell out of Ming—
"Haohao, you're speaking your thoughts out loud again," Junhui said, feigning a look of hurt as he stood by Minghao's desk. He patted Minghao's hair a few times and continued, "I'm not out to get you, honest!"
Minghao quickly swatted the hand away, "then stop calling me Haohao!"
"Do you prefer Xiao Haohao?"
"I'd prefer nothing."
"But you're not nothing to me," Junhui replied in a sing-song voice without missing a beat.
"Jun, stop harassing Minghao," a kind voice said from beside him. Minghao thanked the heavens that he was placed next to Jisoo, who was one of the nicest guys in the studio. He would have suffered from high blood pressure if it were Junhui. Actually, the blonde male wasn't even supposed to be on the same floor as them— he was a writer, not a designer— but Junhui was always flitting around the building that on some days, nobody really reprimands him anymore.
Junhui pouted, "I'm being serious, though!"
"Take it somewhere else, Junhui," a much sterner voice said. "Specifically, your actual floor."
Again, Minghao was glad to be surrounded by such nice people who weren't increasingly annoying. The person who just spoke was Jihoon, who was great at intimidating pretty much everybody he met, but in the inside he was a real softie. However, that cold stare still worked wonders, and Junhui gave a resigned sigh soon after. Most of them knew not to mess with Jihoon before he’s had his coffee, too.
"Fineeee," Junhui whined, and again Minghao wondered how he was a year older than him.
"Good riddance," Minghao muttered under his breath, just loud enough for the two of them.
Junhui's unwavering smile meant he either didn't hear it or just didn't seem to mind, because he patted Minghao's head one more time for good measure, earning another annoyed scowl.
"See you later, Haohao!”
/
The first time Minghao met Junhui, he actually had a good impression of him.
Minghao was whisked into the building’s lunch room shortly after arriving for his first day at work. The rest of the current staff were already there, having been informed earlier on. He eyed a total of twelve other boys, and a smaller handful of girls, all of which were staring at him as he entered. He was introduced by Jeonghan to the rest of the company: the other designers, the layout artists, the photographers, the editors, and the writers.
They all introduced themselves with waves of hi’s and hello’s, with Minghao trying his best to remember all of their names and faces.
“You’re not the only Chinese around here, by the way,” Jeonghan said cheerily, pointing to someone near the corner of the room.
Even without Jeonghan’s pointing, the guy stood out immediately— tall, blonde, with golden tan skin that gave him some kind of Californian beach boy vibe. His summery look was contrasted by the thick rimmed glasses he wore and the grey cardigan that screamed hipster. He gave a quick smile when Minghao met his eyes, beckoning him closer with a hand.
Minghao glanced nervously at Jeonghan, who merely laughed.
“Go on, you’ll like him.”
With those few words of encouragement, Minghao scuffled over to where Junhui was chatting up one of the female staff writers. Minye— at least that’s the name Minghao remembered— gave him a smile and a quick greeting, before rushing off somewhere, probably to leave the two alone. He looked up at Junhui, trying his best not to look too awkward or too shy, wanting to give off a good first impression as well, when the other boy decided to speak first.
“Wow, you look like a puppy. Can you be mine?”
The good impression was immediately shattered.
From then on, and anybody can testify to this, Minghao had done his best to avoid Junhui whenever possible. Simultaneously, it seemed, Junhui had made it a personal mission to not leave Minghao alone. The thing is, Junhui proved to be much better than Minghao when it came to achieving what they wanted. Soon, it went without saying that wherever Minghao is, Junhui was sure to be. Thus started Minghao’s problem with Junhui. If it could be called a problem at all, that is.
The thing is, Junhui was definitely charming. He was absolutely infectious when it came to his positive outlook in life, which was always good to have around. He wasn’t exactly hard on the eyes, either. The artist in Minghao had to admit to staring at his good facial structure (for research purposes incase he wanted to draw, of course) and admiring the way the colour of his tan skin would shift according to the light. He was nice, too. A bit too forward for Minghao’s introvert tastes, but would never actually overstep boundaries.
Junhui was, sometimes, alright.
He’d leave small pastries or cups of coffee whenever he knew Minghao was going to be working late. On days Minghao forgets to bring his umbrella, Junhui is sure to offer him his even if he only brought one— Minghao never agreed, feeling quite bad about it despite himself, which would only lead to Junhui wistfully saying that one day he wishes to share the umbrella with Minghao, walking somewhere together. Minghao would promptly leave him right after.
Bold, obvious, but sometimes alright.
/
It took Minghao a moment to register that, if luck was on his side, he was actually not supposed to see Junhui for the rest of the day. Work ended in an hour for the designer team, given that they could always work at home for the most part, anyway. Things with the writers were a bit harder, depending on their work load. Junhui was mainly involved in the touristy bits of the magazine, stuff that showed off South Korea’s scenery and cuisine, but sometimes when given the chance he’d do movie reviews. He was also always complaining about writer’s block, which would just attack him out of the blue even after writing out two pages of an article.
Maybe that was why he was always flitting around, bored out of his mind, waiting for some writing inspiration to come through.
Usually, he worked with the photographer team consisting of Mingyu and Seokmin, both of whom usually spend their shifts outside the building and along the streets and other places, taking photos and what not. He was the only writer for the magazine’s international feature. That must also be why Junhui’s considerably lonely. Minghao knew (thanks to Junhui’s loud complaining) that he had an article due that day that he hasn’t finished yet, and that the writer’s head Wonwoo strictly said he can’t leave his office without it being done.
With that knowledge, and the small hope that the other Chinese boy actually stays on his assigned floor, Minghao figured he wouldn’t see Junhui anymore.
That was, until the magazine’s overall director, Seungcheol, called for him before he left.
“Yeah?” Minghao asked, popping into Seungcheol’s office He had longed since stopped being too formal with Seungcheol, as per his request. He wanted to be a cool boss, apparently. “Chan said you needed to see me?”
Seungcheol waved a hand for him in sit on one of the chairs in front of him, and he does so silently. The overall head of the firm wasn’t as scary as Minghao first thought him out to be. Originally, Minghao had been extremely intimidated by the dark eyes and how he seemed to be a walking sack of toned muscle. However soon, and thanks to everybody else’s comments, it was clear that if anything Seungcheol was nothing more than a big puppy, happy to lead and to help.
"So," Seungcheol started to say. "How's working around here so far?"
Minghao gave a polite smile, "it's been fun. Pretty enjoyable. Work’s not too bad.”
All he’s done so far were small illustrations for some of the articles or an online advertisement here and there. Usually, he’d make small comics for the advice section headed by Seungkwan. A few times he helped the layout team when they asked, knowing he was into that sort of thing as well. Nothing too big, not like he was ever assigned a full article to design himself or anything, anyway.
"Think you're ready for a full project?”
"What? Already?"
"Sure," Seungcheol gave a warm smile, but there was a mischievous twinkle in his eye that made Minghao fidget in his seat a little bit. "What better way to prep you up some more, right? It’s less design work and more on easing yourself into the company a little more. Get to know everybody else, form more bonds, you feel me?”
No, Minghao wanted to say. I do not feel you.
Instead he nods, wondering where Seungcheol was going since he was a designer and he said less design work, but he’ll take it if it meant he still gets pay anyway, “sure, boss.”
“We're hoping the magazine can feature something different, like giving a more personal feel to the tourist section so we can reach out to more people. So I'll be putting you up with a suitable team—“
Minghao hoped he didn't make his reaction too obvious when it came to what immediately came into his mind when he heard the words "tourist" and "team" in the same string of words. He was a Chinese tourist, technically, he’s only lived in Korea for a few years. Who else was Chinese? Junhui was Chinese. Amazing. He was close to losing all hope until he remembered Jisoo a.k.a Joshua Hong was from America, so doesn’t that make him some kind of tourist too despite being Korean? Does he count?
"Minghao?"
Minghao blinked, face impassive, ”yes, sir?"
“You’re doing the thing where you voice out your thoughts again,” Seungcheol said, chuckling.
A slight flush crept up Minghao cheeks as he mumbled an apology that Seungcheol dismissed with a wave of his hand, that sparkle in his eyes back and more suspicious than ever.
“I’ve had Chan call the rest of the team in already. They should be here soon.”
/
Minghao was unfortunately correct about his assumptions the moment Junhui entered the room. He thought he was safe for a few seconds; Jisoo had entered first, followed by Hansol and even Seungkwan— something about the Jeju boy needing some Seoul experience— and everything was nice and quiet. No sign of Junhui in sight. Until there was a loud crash by the door and an unfortunately familiar mop of blonde hair popped in.
“Sorry I’m late!” Junhui said as he entered. He spotted Minghao right after and beamed, “Haohao! Can I sit beside you?”
“No.”
“It’s the only empty seat.”
Minghao glanced around to see that the other boys had in fact, occupied the seats around and across him, but not the one beside him. Jisoo in particular took the seat next to that one, offering Minghao an apologetic smile even though he was clearly amused nonetheless. Maybe he wasn’t so nice and angelic after all. Traitors, all of them.
“It’s still a no,” Minghao said to no avail, because Junhui had decided to occupy the seat next to him, regardless. The other Chinese boy easily filled in the space between to them, throwing an arm around the back of Minghao’s chair, barely touching him. It was still enough for Minghao to lean forward as much as he can, suddenly terribly distracted by the heat the blonde was emitting. He went back to trying his best to focus as Seungcheol explained the project once more.
“I’ll be splitting you guys, so,” Seungcheol didn’t have to continue further for Minghao to figure out what he was going to say, but the Chinese boy listened anyway with a small glimmer of hope.
“China Team and Korea Team!”
The glimmer of hope was gone.
“This is the first time we’re working together!” Junhui exclaimed a bit too happily as he had decided to latch himself next to Minghao as they exited Seungcheol’s office together. The latter stared longingly at the direction Jisoo, Hansol, and Seungkwan had taken; he tried to switch the teams up a bit, but Jisoo claimed he would be lost without Hansol translating for him now and then while Seungkwan didn’t even need to defend himself and had wrapped himself around Hansol, while the other boy laughed, amused.
Junhui had attempted to do the same, but his arm only hovered around a meter away from Minghao before the latter glared at him, clearly not amused in the slightest. The older boy obediently put his arm down.
Minghao groaned, “they’re terrible. This is the worst.”
“It’ll be fun!” Junhui chirped in response, a slight skip in his step as he followed beside Minghao. “I can borrow Gyu’s camera for us, if you want. Would we need an itinerary? Do you think we could ask the others for help on that too? Which do you prefer, food trip or sight seeing?”
“Hansol’s team is already taking the sight seeing bit,” Minghao replied absentmindedly. “Seungkwan said his food loyalty will always remain with Jeju, remember?”
“So food, then? Great, I love the food here, it’s amazing. I could ask Mingyu about that too, I’m sure he knows his stuff— or maybe Soonyoung! I heard his mom owns this restaurant somewhere and—”
“Junhui,” Minghao said with an exasperated sigh after realizing they had stopped at his table, where Junhui wasn’t supposed to be. “Don’t you have that article to do?”
The blonde boy blinked a few times, and it took a few more seconds before his mouth formed an ‘o’ shape. He shot off quickly soon after, but not before cupping Minghao’s face with both hands and calling him an absolute angel for reminding him. Minghao barely had time to react and push Junhui away as the latter disappeared by himself. His cheeks were a bit flushed, as it always ended up being after Junhui’s not-so-subtle movements. Annoying.
“That was cute,” Jeonghan commented with a wicked grin, reminding Minghao of his presence on the floor. “You two finally getting along?”
Minghao huffed, wiling the blush on his cheeks to go down.
“Never.”
/
Normally, weekends were Minghao’s relaxation days. It wasn’t because he had no work— work never stops for a graphic designer, really— but more of because he didn’t have to go to the office. Not going to the office meant he didn’t have to wake up so early in the morning. There was no need for the morning hustle on the train and on the streets on the way to the office building. He could lounge around his apartment in his pajamas if he was feeling extra lazy, but the lack of the need to actually dress up was also pretty good.
It would have been great, if Junhui hadn’t decided to arrive at his doorstep just a few minutes after he woke up, barely awake even after brushing his teeth and washing his face.
“Good morning!” Junhui greeted when Minghao sleepily answered the door, all bright smiles with sunshine emitting from the blonde’s face (or maybe it was his hair).
Minghao promptly shut the door in his face, all traces of sleep gone from his system because what the hell was he doing here and how does he know where I live and I’m still in bunny pajamas. His first order of business was changing into more appropriate house clothes, throwing on a simple shirt and shorts. After deeming himself appropriate enough and then chastising himself for the need to impress because it was just Junhui, after all, Minghao finally went back to the door.
Sure enough, the blonde boy was still there when he opened the door a second time. He didn’t look tired at all (morning people, Minghao thought with slight disgust) but that wasn’t the only thing different. His usual hipster office attire was exchanged for something that actually fit his vibe, with a plain shirt and jeans, void of any cardigan in sight. He had a backpack on that made him look a bit too touristy, but that was acceptable compared to the rest of him. He wasn’t even wearing his glasses, and the change was a bit more than Minghao could take.
Junhui, for lack of a better term, looked good.
“Oh, you changed out of your pajamas!” Junhui noted, bringing Minghao back from his reverie and making him flush. “Too bad, they were pretty cute.”
“What are you doing here, Junhui?” Minghao said, making no move to let the other inside his apartment. “How do you even know where I live?”
Junhui grinned, “Seungcheol gave it to me. We’re a team, remember? I told him we could start today and he gave me the go signal and here I am!”
“You couldn’t have warned me first?”
“I texted you,” Junhui replied without missing a beat, the smile never once leaving his lips. Minghao was suddenly aware that he hadn’t charged his phone last night and thus, wasn’t able to check anything this morning. So maybe that was his fault. He was still blaming Junhui, though. “You didn’t reply, so I thought I’d surprise you instead. So, surprise? I brought you breakfast incase you haven’t eaten. We could eat together.”
The blonde boy lifted up a plastic bag as he said so, and Minghao immediately smelled food wafting from it. He had considered not letting Junhui in, but his stomach growled in protest to his thoughts. If he lets Junhui in, he wouldn’t have to deal with making himself breakfast. Plus, as far as he was concerned, this was free. Junhui was offering it to him on his own front door. Free food was always a good thing in his book.
“Nothing like classic Korean fried chicken to prep your morning up, right?” Junhui teased further, waving the bag of chicken in front of Minghao’s face.
He was only letting him in because of the food. That was it.
Minghao opened the door, stepping to the side to allow Junhui inside. The latter grinned widely as he did, politely removing his shoes as he entered and standing next to Minghao, waiting before he could advance inside further. The latter rolled his eyes at the obvious enthusiasm and made his way to the kitchen, all too aware that Wen Junhui was in his apartment and currently following behind him like an eager puppy.
“You know,” Junhui started to say, taking a seat at the kitchen counter when Minghao waved him over to it. The owner of the apartment was in the process of getting some plates and utensils for them to use, silently wondering if they would need utensils at all since it’s fried chicken after all. The blonde continued even without full attention. “This came from one of the places Jisoo suggested. It could pass as a part of our article!”
“That’s great,” Minghao said with no emotion whatsoever, taking his seat next to Junhui.
“We should take a photo.”
Minghao’s thoughts flew back to his plain home clothes and Junhui’s too-handsome attire.
“No.”
The blonde pouted, phone already halfway out of his bag when Minghao spoke. He went on to explain that he had borrowed a few more things to help make the article look nicer. Seokmin’s professional camera was one of them (Mingyu had refused to lend his in the end, stating that that camera was his baby and was never leaving his sight) along with Junhui’s own polaroid camera. It looked well used and was even decorated with tiny stickers that made Minghao scoff when he saw it.
“Not even a polaroid of this moment?” Junhui tried asking again as the younger boy began unboxing the chicken, slowly getting impatient with how hungry he was and how much Junhui was talking. “It doesn’t have to go in the magazine.”
“Where else will it go if not in the magazine?”
Junhui smiled, “I could make my own personal album! Keep the polaroids in my wallet, frame them—“
“Stop,” Minghao said with a groan, willing the oncoming blush not to appear. “You’re being too cheesy. Just shut up and eat.”
“Okay, Haohao,” he replied in that playful tone of his again; Minghao was absolutely positive he was doing so to tease him further because that was just the type of thing Junhui would do. Still, he was also sure that once he says stop, Junhui actually does listen and stop for a certain amount of time before starting things up again. He never could shut up completely.
They enjoyed the chicken in silence— awkward silence, maybe, on Minghao’s part— which was enough for him to fully immerse himself in having breakfast that wasn’t fast food or instant noodles. The chicken was definitely good. Junhui considerately got two types of chicken, one regular honey glazed and another that was spicier since he was into spicy food a lot. Minghao had to admit the spicy one was pretty good, too. It reminded him a little bit of home.
Maybe Junhui felt the same.
As if reading his mind, Junhui dropped the last spicy chicken wing onto Minghao’s plate.
“It’s good, right?” He asked with a bright smile, receiving only a small word of thanks and a nod in response. “It reminds me of the Sichuan style cooking back in Shenzhen. I ate out with Jeonghan once and ordered all the spicy dishes I could find, sometimes I forget he’s not that used to it. You are though, right?”
Minghao shrugged, swallowing a mouthful, “I guess. It’s a familiar flavour.”
“This food trip will be fun, then,” Junhui said, sincerity lacing each word. “I’m glad I’m with you.”
The younger boy didn’t answer— couldn’t, with the chicken in his mouth— and decided to keep it that way. Junhui was, as usual, so infectious that he actually wanted to smile back this time. That would have been very bad. He was supposed to continue showing dislike for Junhui. He disliked Junhui, right? He was annoying and always around even when he didn’t need to be. He pestered Minghao to no end with his nicknames and puns and small jokes. He gave the brightest smile that felt like a never ending summer. He smelled good, too.
Well.
Maybe he liked Junhui. Just a little.
Not that he’ll ever tell him.
/
Minghao had argued that he absolutely had to change clothes before they left the house. It didn’t have anything to do with looking good for Junhui, of course not, the boy really just refused to leave the house so dressed down. It wasn’t like him at all. Plus, he had bought a new pair of ripped skinny jeans he wanted to try wearing with one of his usual graphic tees. Maybe a snapback? Or just a long pair of earrings? His shoes, too—
“Haohao, you look good in anything you try on, honest,” Junhui’s voice sounded from his spot on one of the living room sofas, his amusement clear. Minghao had made the mistake of coming out of his room and asking for Junhui’s opinion a few times, but soon the stare that blonde boy gave him became too much to handle, so he settled for judging his outfit himself instead. Junhui whined a little at the lost of ‘his own personal fashion show’ as he called it, which was enough reason for Minghao not to do that again.
He emerged from his room in an outfit he deemed presentable some time later, still a bit too conscious of Junhui’s dark eyes focused on him.
“What?” Minghao asked gruffly in an attempt to hide his flustered state.
Junhui gave him a head-to-toe look before looking back up to meet his eyes, “you look really good, Minghao.”
Minghao. That was new. The usage of his actual name (for once) caught him off-guard, a fact that he wasn’t proud to admit. Too many things about today caught him off-guard and it all started because of one Wen Junhui showing up at his front door. He had to survive the rest of the day with him, too, which meant his hardships for the day were only just beginning. Ignoring his growing crush on the older and infuriating boy was fine during days where he could drown in design work, but today?
Minghao couldn’t even look at him properly now that he didn’t have glasses to shield his eyes.
“Whatever,” the brunette opted to say instead, ignoring how Junhui was still staring at him. “Where are we heading? Are we going to eat some more already? We just ate.”
“Haohao, it took you close to an hour to pick out an outfit, you know,” Junhui said with a hint of a teasing smile, glancing at a wall clock nearby. Minghao didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of checking the time as well; he was sure Junhui was correct, anyway.
“So?”
Junhui shrugged, “well, the place I picked out for lunch isn’t that far, but it’s not too near either. We have enough travel time on our hands to gain an appetite. Breakfast wasn’t that heavy, anyway.”
Minghao nodded, picking out a bag of his own to hold his own stuff as he stood by the door, “well? Let’s go.”
The blonde jumped out of his seat, the smile on his face looking permanent by this point as he stood next to Minghao. The younger boy was almost positive that if Junhui had a tail, it’ll probably be wagging at the moment. He stared at him long enough for Minghao to shoot him a glare and ask why he was staring and to wipe that silly smile off his face or else he would—
“I’m just really happy we’re going on a date.”
“A w-what?” Minghao sputtered, the supposed harsh tone of his voice softening due to his blushing face.
Junhui continued unperturbed, “a date. Just the two of us together exploring the streets and eating good food. My treat, of course. Doesn’t this sound like a date?”
It took Minghao a few minutes of processing what Junhui said and actually had to agree, silently, that it did seem too much like a date. They were dressed well, going to eat out, walk around— everything Junhui said, basically, and it was just the two of them. Of course, he wasn’t going to give Junhui the satisfaction of saying that he agreed; nor is he going to give the older, annoying boy the satisfaction that he was still going with him despite the date-like qualities. He could live with being treated to free food, though.
“It’s not a date,” Minghao said, glad his voice didn’t waver this time. “We’re here for work related responsibilities. We have an article to keep track of. That’s the only reason we’re doing this, it’s not like you actually asked me out.”
Junhui smiled, “that can be easily arranged. Go out with me, Minghao?”
Oh.
Minghao’s heart did not skip a beat. It didn’t. It definitely did not.
“No,” he said simply, heading to the door as a form of escape. His face was red, he could tell, so there was no way he was standing in front of Junhui like that. He heard a chuckle from behind him and what sounded like a soft mutter of ‘how cute’ that he tried desperately to ignore. It’s only been a few hours with him and Minghao was close to exposing himself completely; there was just no way he was allowing that.
He repeated that in his head the whole way out.
/
“What do you want to eat first?”
“The street food looks nice, we could have those as snacks.”
“Do you want beef or some seafood?”
“I have barbecue here on the list somewhere, we could have that for dinner! It’s a pretty heavy meal.”
“I know you don’t like cold noodles though, so I didn’t include that.”
“Haohao, are you going to ignore me the whole day?” Junhui asked with a hint of a whine to his voice after getting ignored by Minghao for the 5th consecutive time since they left the apartment. Minghao’s reply came in the form of a curt nod and nothing else, confirming Junhui’s complaint. He just couldn’t risk opening his mouth and saying something stupid. Frankly, that was Junhui’s job.
If he was slightly beginning to feel guilty at how sad Junhui looked, Minghao didn’t say anything either.
The older boy pouted and Minghao felt his resolve crumble.
“Do you want to have lunch already?”
Minghao sighed, guilt taking over, “anything is fine.”
Junhui perked up, glad that Minghao was finally talking to him. Minghao decided it wouldn’t hurt to look at him now, too. Maybe he could get himself to be immune to Junhui’s current good looks by indulging in it. Some part in the back of his mind was saying it was just a sorry excuse to finally admire Junhui, but he was ignoring that part firmly. Plus, he needed to be more aware of where Junhui was going so he can follow behind him. Like how Junhui was about to walk out into the road where there was a car coming his way.
Wait.
“Watch out!”
Minghao practically yelled at the top of his lungs as he pulled Junhui back, grasping his hand and tugging hard. The older boy fell back just in time as the car whizzed by, his other hand over his chest as he let out a breath of relief. Junhui turned towards Minghao, eyes wide with shock (whether it was because of the close call with the car or because Minghao held his hand, the latter didn’t know) and gratitude, along with just a tiny bit of shame.
“Thank you for saving my life,” Junhui said sincerely. Minghao was about to let go of his hand, but the elder held it firmly in his own, intertwining their fingers together and giving Minghao a cheeky smile. He brought their two hands up and continued, “I feel safer this way.”
Their fingers actually slotted together perfectly, at least in Minghao’s point of view. He was sure by this point that his cheeks were flushed, bright pink or maybe even red, now that he realized what he just did and what Junhui did right after; this was usually his cue to shake the blonde off, say something mean, glare at him or maybe scowl. But he surprised himself— and even more so, Junhui— when all he did was sigh in defeat.
“If it stops you from running around and almost getting hit by cars, why not.”
Actually, it surprised Junhui so much that the blonde stared for a good few seconds, jaw going slack.
“Unless you don’t want to,” Minghao began to say, jokingly pulling away to tease him, which seemed to snap Junhui back to focus. The older boy held his hand tighter as if he was scared Minghao really was going to pull away and gave what was probably the brightest smile the brunette has ever seen on him.
There goes ignoring his feelings, then.
/
Minghao wasn’t calling it a date.
But if it was a date, then it was a pretty good date. Junhui had, surprisingly, kept true to his word when he said he was on a mission to treat Minghao to anything they were going to eat. They had seafood for lunch, a few street food as snacks, and then ended the day with a classic Korean barbecue dinner. Minghao was silently calculating his expenses and ended up feeling just a tad bit ashamed since he was being pampered so much. Also, how much was Junhui’s salary that he could afford all of this? Shouldn’t the magazine be sponsoring their date since it was for an article anyway?
(That was the only thing that ruined the whole atmosphere, really, having to take note of some things to make sure they can include it in the article. The photos were acceptable.)
Minghao ignored how Junhui continued to hold his hand whenever they would walk around the streets. He didn’t even bother asking permission anymore; Minghao would just find his hand merged against Junhui’s own, as naturally as possible, almost as if it belonged there. The first few times it happened, Junhui actually looked pretty nervous— as if he expected Minghao to shake him off any moment now, but the younger boy never did, and soon Junhui began to do it more smoothly.
He offered to pay for when they eat dessert next, but Junhui was so happy at the idea that their day wasn’t ending yet that he insisted on paying for that, too.
Which was how Minghao found himself next to Junhui in one of those small little booths that the ice cream place had. Junhui admitted sheepishly that he didn’t expect that they would be eating dessert, so he had nothing planned and had simply dragged Minghao inside the nearest store he found. It was still good ice cream though, so no complaints. Most of their day consisted of small talk between the two of them, done in a fashion that didn’t include a teasing Junhui and an annoyed Minghao.
Overall, it was nice.
Very nice.
He may have been just slightly disappointed when Junhui began to walk the familiar trail back to his apartment. They were still holding hands, though, which probably said a lot more about their current situation than it should. Minghao didn’t have the heart to let go— nor did he find himself actually wanting to let go. The blonde’s hand was warm, the perfect remedy to how the night was getting chillier by the second.
Chillier and darker, with the foreboding sense of rain.
Junhui seemed undisturbed by it, slightly swinging their arms once he realized he can.
“I’m really happy today,” he suddenly said, looking up at the darkening sky. “Too bad it has to end.”
Minghao had to agree, but he still wasn’t saying that out loud.
They were just a few steps away from his apartment when the rain began to fall in soft drizzles, causing them to rush inside for cover.
“You should head home before it gets worse,” Minghao pointed out.
“I have my trusty umbrella with me,” Junhui replied back with a smile, already headed towards the elevators. “I’ll leave after I see you off at your apartment door. Is that okay?”
“Will you leave if I say no?”
Junhui grinned, “nope.”
Minghao rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything afterwards, silently boarding the elevator to the 8th floor. When the elevator doors opened, it was clear that the rain outside had gotten significantly stronger; he could hear it patter around the apartment’s surroundings, hitting windows that made the sounds echo. He glanced at Junhui to find him still blissfully undisturbed by everything, calmly watching Minghao fumble with his keys.
The rain was very strong.
He doubted Junhui’s umbrella could take it.
“Hey, Junhui?” Minghao asked before he could stop himself, having finally opened the door to his apartment. “The rain is pretty strong, are you sure you can make it home?”
Junhui nodded, “of course. Is my Haohao worried?”
“You might end up soaked, that’s all,” the younger boy mumbled, ignoring the little ‘my’ the other boy inserted in there, gesturing towards Junhui without really looking at him. “You have cameras in your bag, too. They might get damaged.”
“If it gets damaged, we could always go on another date and take the photos again.”
“Junhui,” Minghao warned, receiving an amused chuckle in response.
“What are you suggesting anyway, Minghao?”
It would be a rather stupid idea to ask Junhui to stay the night, he knew that, but that was what every fiber of his being said anyway. Junhui asked as if he knew what the younger boy was thinking about, his eyes bright and mischievous, almost teasing. It would have looked cocky, but there was a telltale pink tint to his cheeks that meant he was just as surprised as Minghao was and probably didn’t know what to do about it, too.
Minghao opened his apartment door a little wider, “stay the night?”
Sure enough, Junhui’s pink blush deepened as he stared at Minghao, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. He took a step forward, and the other boy thought he was heading inside the apartment already, only to end up with Junhui wrapping his arms around him. Minghao was currently being engulfed in a hug. It was nice and warm and Junhui smelled even better pressed against him.
If Minghao tried hard enough, he could probably feel Junhui’s heartbeat.
“Minghao, as much as I would love to take advantage of this situation and how cute you’re being right now,” Junhui stated, slowly releasing the brunette from the hug, but still loosely keeping his arms around his waist. “I don’t think my heart can take it.”
“What do you mean?” Minghao asked— he may have whined a little, may have pouted a little too, but he’ll deny that fact and take it to his grave.
Junhui laughed, sounding almost breathless as he did so.
“It means, my Xiao Haohao, that I will see you on Monday instead. Thank you for the offer. Maybe next time?” He asked cheekily, earning a whack on his shoulder from a flustered Minghao.
“Okay,” the younger finally agreed; he was definitely pouting by this point, mouth set in a thin line.
Only to open in shock when he felt a pair of soft lips meet his cheek.
Minghao lost all the resolve he had earlier on about hiding his feelings and not giving Junhui the satisfaction in a span of two seconds. Really, he needed a stronger sense of will, but at the moment all he could think about was burying his face into Junhui’s chest and ignoring how it was shaking because of how much the other boy was laughing. Without lifting his head up, he promptly delivered a whack against Junhui’s arm for finding the whole thing funny. It wasn’t funny, damn it, he was supposed to be annoyed by this and not blushing like a tomato.
“You’re so cute,” Junhui cooed, earning him another whack on the shoulder.
Minghao finally pulled away, lips set in a scowl that didn’t quite match how he was burning bright.
“Go drown in the rain.”
“Can I drown in your love instead?”
“Stop,” Minghao complained, feeling his face burn to the extent that he wanted to run off inside his apartment to hide. Junhui’s arms were still wrapped around his waist, though, so there was no escape. The blonde still had a smile too bright and too gorgeous to ignore, his eyes twinkling with happiness. It was a good look. He releases Minghao a few seconds later and reached for the backpack he had, taking it off and holding it out.
“I can leave the bag here, though,” Junhui explained. “You’re right about how the cameras might get damaged.”
Minghao took the bag silently, not trusting himself to say anything else.
“I’ll see you soon, then?” The blonde asked, still smiling.
“Yeah, sure, whatever,” came the half-hearted reply. “I’ll start on making the layout for the article. Send me the finished work when you can.”
Junhui saluted, “yes, sir!”
He stole one last peck on the cheek, which didn’t surprise Minghao as much as the first before he ran off to escape. Minghao sighed as he headed inside his apartment. inwardly thinking about how much of a mess the day had become but how nicely it ended. He was sure half— if not all— of the staff at Seventeen Studios were going to find out about him and Junhui when Monday came along. Whatever they were, at this point. It probably wouldn’t come as a surprise to them, though. They’ve been expecting it for weeks now.
With the rain still falling down harshly, Minghao headed over to one of the windows and looked down in time to see Junhui running with the umbrella pressed tightly against him in a sad attempt to shield him from the rain, looking like he might get blown away every few seconds.
“Idiot.”
/
Everybody hated Mondays. Minghao was no exception, but he hated this particular Monday the most. It had started with a morning rush that almost made him late for work; the effect of the weekend’s sudden monsoon caused more people to ride the train instead of risking walking on the streets. He still made it to office in time, though, and was immediately met with twin grins of mischief on Jeonghan and Jisoo’s faces.
“Well, if it isn’t Xiao Haohao,” Jeonghan teased.
Minghao groaned, “how do you guys already know?”
Jisoo offered an apologetic smile, “Junhui wouldn’t shut up about it when he arrived. He stopped by here first, you know, and looked pretty sad to see you weren’t here yet.”
Jeonghan nodded, “you might want to check up on your boyfriend, though. He’s been spreading germs everywhere.”
“Germs? Why?”
“I told you he won’t react to saying Jun was his boyfriend!” Jeonghan said triumphantly, holding his palm out to a defeated Jisoo. “Pay up!”
Minghao was about to defend himself when he felt a pair of arms snake around his shoulders, encasing him in a hug. He didn’t need to look back to know it was Junhui— who else would it be, really?— but he did anyway. The blonde boy was back in his hipster attire, thick rimmed glasses and ugly cardigan in place. The only thing ruining the whole look would be the face mask he wore that showed only his eyes. He was still smiling, though— Minghao could tell by the way his eyes were curved upward. Once he got the younger boy’s attention, he quickly let go and took a step back.
“Hi, Haohao,” he greeted, partly muffled by the mask.
“You’re sick,” Minghao commented, eyes narrowing. “Please tell me this has nothing to do with how you ran in the rain.”
Junhui offered a shrug, keeping silent. That must have meant Minghao was right then, which caused the younger boy to frown.
“This is entirely your fault,” he began to say, forgetting the presence of the two Korean boys around them. “I did say stay instead, but nooooo, you insisted on being dumb.”
Behind him, he heard Jeonghan let out a scandalized gasp.
“He asked Junhui to sleep over already?”
“Jeonghan, stop eavesdropping.”
“I can’t, they’re right there.”
“Alright, guys, enough with that and back to work,” came a strict voice. Minghao had almost forgotten Jihoon was there, too. He hadn’t seen him or did he hear from him when he arrived, but based from his judging stare he probably heard the whole thing. Sometimes it felt a lot more like he was the design head instead of Jeonghan. “Junhui, back to your floor, please. I can’t risk getting sick this week.”
Junhui nodded obediently, flittering off and disappearing without a complaint.
Minghao settled down at his desk and tuned out Jeonghan and Jisoo’s quiet little whispers. Well, more on just Jeonghan’s, really. He was about to get back to finishing the article when he saw a plastic bag resting on his table. Inside was an order of fishcakes and those fried glass noodles that he really liked when he tried it with Junhui the other day. There was a small note attached to the bag, too, and the brunette read it with a small smile.
‘ I’m sorry I can’t hang around because I’m sick so don’t miss me too much, Xiao Haohao. Here’s food. Eat more! You’re too skinny. Eat eat eat. I miss you already! Let’s go out again soon.’
“Is that food? Did he get you food?” came Jeonghan’s voice from over his shoulder, making Minghao jump and quickly stuff the note under a pile of magazines. The latter nodded, holding up the plastic bag. Jeonghan was dragged away by Jisoo before he could get a bite of anything though, with the other boy chiding him that it was Junhui’s gift to Minghao and not for him to eat. Jeonghan complained dramatically, causing the rest of the designers— even Jihoon— to laugh at him.
Mondays still sucked, but Xu Minghao liked his job and everything that came with it.