Chapter Text
Chan’s sneakers hit the pavement,
thud
thud.
8:01 PM
“Shit.” He mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper. He was late again, the second time just this week. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and called the only person he knew who could save his ass from getting yelled at again.
“Hey Seungmin, can you clock me in. I’m running late again, I’ll be there soon.”
“Sure.” Seungmin said flatly.
“Thanks. I owe you.” Chan said and hung up. His sneakers still hitting the pavement, he was exhausted.
Today had been a busy day like usual: his last class had ended at 4:30, basketball practice till 6:30, debate club till 7:30, and work at 8 till 12.
Finally he saw the golden arches of the sign come into view, and then the smell of the grease hit him. McDonald’s. He didn’t love working there, but it was money, and he needed money. The debt of college was starting to build up and the only way to fix that was with money.
Once Chan had arrived to work, the first hour and a half went quick because their had been a rush of people.
Now it was dead, only two small groups of people were eating. He had just started to doze off when a familiar red haired boy had appeared in front of him.
“Where have you been? I was looking for you since I got here.” Chan questioned.
“I was cleaning the bathrooms and the freezer. Your boy is hoping for a raise, so I am trying to show extra effort when the manager is around.” Seungmin said, with a child-like grin on his face.
“Oh, would you look at the time, 10:00 PM. Time for me to get going. I have a shit ton of work to do: a three page essay and I don’t even have the thesis statement done yet.” Seungmin said with a small laugh.
“Good luck.” Chan said, flashing Seungmin a thumbs up.
The red haired boy grabbed his bag and left.
The next two hours were going to be boring. Seungmin was the only person that Chan liked working with. The other workers were all stuck up.
********
The clock finally hit 12 AM, after what felt like an eternity to Chan. He clocked out of work and grabbed his jacket. It was midnight in the middle of winter, and he had to walk back to his dorm.
He pushed open the door and the coldness hit his face. God, he hated the cold. He may have lived in Korea for years now, but he still never got used to the cold.
He started walking and put his earbuds in, looking around the quiet streets. He thought that their was some beauty to the emptiness. Chan was in his own head, when a snowball had hit him in the back. Initially he felt fearful, but when he turned around he saw a boy about his height, but smaller in frame. Minho.
“Hey asshole, why were you ignoring me?” Minho said as he walked closer to Chan .
“I didn’t hear you.” Chan smiled, he hadn’t realized how much he had missed Minho. “Were you stalking me or something?”
“No, I went to your dorm and Woojin said you worked till midnight. I thought I would come and surprise you.” Minho pulled Chan into a hug.
The warmth made Chan feel at ease. Minho’s scent was a mix between woody and flowery, it made Chan feel less tired. Their hug lasted a while in silence, just acknowledging each others presence.
“You can come back to my apartment and I can tell you about my trip to Japan if you want?” Minho asked, practically pleading.
How was Chan supposed to say no to his boyfriend who he hadn’t seen for two weeks. Especially when he looked at him lovingly, the streetlights casting a glow on him. Goddammit, Chan was tired and he had to get up at 6 AM. That was less than six hours away.
He probably should have said no. Chan had problems with saying ‘no’.
“I would love to.” Chan said, leaving a small kiss on Minho’s lips. Minho grabbed Chan’s hand and they started walking towards Minho’s apartment, holding hands like it was from some shitty romance film.
Once they had reached Minho’s apartment they had made some hot chocolate, the heat of it making them both feel more awake. They sat on Minho’s couch and talked and laughed for almost two hours. Not worrying about waking anyone up, since Minho lived alone.
Mostly Minho talked and Chan laughed. Minho talked about the dumb things he and his friends did, the dance competition they had competed in(and lost), how they almost got arrested, all the food they ate. He also mentioned how much he had missed Chan. He sat on Chan’s lap and wrapped his arms and legs around him, like a baby koala hugging its mother. He rested his head on Chan’s shoulder, his breath hot against Chan’s neck. Shortly after Minho fell asleep and Chan carried him to his bedroom. Placing Minho in his bed and under the covers, Chan decided to spend the night as it was almost 3 AM. Chan crawled into bed beside Minho and fell asleep almost instantly.