Work Text:
It has just passed midnight when Minghao’s phone vibrates on his bedside table. He’s curled up in his favourite blanket with a steaming cup of tea next to him. He’s been flipping through a book offhandedly, but if he’s completely honest with himself, he had already been expecting to hear from Soonyoung at some point throughout the night.
It’s no secret that Soonyoung gets chatty and sociable when he’s drunk and it’s even less of a secret that he really doesn’t need too many drinks to get to the point. All of the members have gotten a call from drunken Soonyoung before, out with his friends and begging people to come join them. The fact that he more often than not leaves the scene once the person he had just been begging to show up actually does show up is one of the reason why most of them have started to just outright ignore his calls when they know he’s drinking.
Minghao however has always been quite bad at saying no to Soonyoung. His phone buzzes a few more times, a flurry of texts messages coming in at rapid speed. He picks it up and despite the fact that he already knows what to expect, he still can’t hold back the fond grin at seeing Soonyoung’s excited messages.
Youngie: XU MINGHAO!!!
Youngie: Whreee are yuuo??
Youngie: YOuh shoul,d totally come. SO much fun!!
Youngie: Pleeeeeeassseeee
Youngie: Haoooo
Youngie: Join usss. Don’t ingnore mee
Minghao presses onto Soonyoung’s contact. His messy texting is a clear indicator that a phone call will be much easier to handle than trying to get through to him via text. Just as expected he picks up on the first ring.
“Xu Minghao,” he exclaims once again in his usual fashion, much too loud for whatever place he’s currently at probably.
“Where are you?” Minghao asks, already having resigned himself to the fact that he will have to pick up Soonyoung himself tonight.
“You’re coming?” Soonyoung replies happily.
Minghao hums in agreement while he picks up his keys and wallet.
“Sweet,” Soonyoung’s grin is detectable even through the phone and it makes Minghao’s own lips tick up in amusement. “We’re at that bar. You know the one.”
“I do know a lot of bars, but I’m going to need you to tell me which one you’re at hyung.” This is exactly why he’s called instead of texting him. Soonyoung can never quite get to the point right away.
“You know the one. That one. Where we were last time, you know? The one Coups hyung took us to.”
Luckily Minghao knows what last time he’s referring to. For their last monthly meeting Seungcheol had rented out the entire bar, giving them the privacy they required these days if they planned to get full on drunk. None of them had left sober that night. Minghao himself barely remembers the events of the night except that Chan had at some point thought it a phenomenal idea to climb on top of one of the tables and give them his best Michael Jackson impression. Never one to be outdone Seungkwan had quickly joined him and they engaged in some kind of dance battle turned sloppy grinding that was stopped by Hansol before it had any chance to get even more indecent than it already was. So yeah, he knows what bar Soonyoung is talking about.
“Alright. See you in a minute,” he says before hanging up and calling a taxi to pick him up.
It’s a relatively short drive especially during the current time of night, so he makes it through the door of the bar roughly twenty minutes later.
Soonyoung and his friends are easy to spot. Once he’s had enough drinks in his system, Soonyoung loses all sense of his inside voice, shouting excitedly and gesturing wildly throughout whatever story he is currently telling. Usually Minghao would worry if someone recognizes him but the few other people left at the bar seem too far gone to be conscious of what is happening at the table next to them or maybe they just don’t care.
Soonyoung notices him as soon as he sets out towards his table. “You!” he exclaims, eyes wide, pointing his finger directly at Minghao. “T’was so much longer than a minute.”
Minghao grins at his slurred words. Soonyoung’s cheeks are flushed red from the alcohol and his eyes are glassy. He blinks slowly as if trying to force them to focus on what’s before him. Minghao knows the other man probably thinks he looks rather intimidating right now, but instead Minghao has to suppress the urge to squeeze Soonyoung’s face between his hands that he always gets when Soonyoung looks especially cute.
“Sorry hyung, they haven’t invented teleportation quite yet,” he responds and slides into the booth next to Soonyoung. He nods to Soonyoung’s friends in greeting, who look just as drunk, though perhaps a little less dazed as the man next to him. Soonyoung satisfied with his answer or maybe just his presence, slides closer and rests his head on Minghao’s shoulder. Drunk as he is, no one really questions this action and Minghao will surely not complain about having him closer.
Soonyoung orders him a drink “to get him up to speed” as he puts it. Minghao isn’t much of a drinker anymore, so he sips it slowly. Over the course of the next hour, one drink turns to two turns to three and Minghao must have developed an even higher intolerance than anticipated because he can feel the effects of the alcohol settle over him like a weighted blanket.
He gets giggly when he’s drunk. Touchy too even though he’s trying to supress the latter until they are in a less public space. He laughs along to the story one of Soonyoung’s friends is telling. Something about a girl mistaking him for gay and for some reason forty-two for the entirety of their “talking” stage and Minghao is not even sure what exactly is all that funny about it, but it is. He’s happy and everything seems a little brighter than just an hour ago. Minghao wouldn’t usually hang out so causally with people he knows but doesn’t really know. Not like he knows the members, not like he know his own friends. But tonight he doesn’t quite care that much because it’s late, he’s had a little too much to drink and Soonyoung’s warm thigh is pressed against his own and maybe that is what makes him happiest of all.
He tilts his head a little and takes him in fully. His bright laugh, the still red flushed cheeks, the few droplets of sweat gathering at his hairline and Minghao is filled with the urge of leaning over, closing the few centimetres of space between them and kissing him senseless. He wants to press tiny kisses all over his face, has the sudden inexplicable desire to bite his check. Once more he wants to squeeze his face, wants to eat him whole, wants to get out of here and take Soonyoung home.
Soonyoung, wonderful beautiful Soonyoung, seems to be able to read his mind because it’s not long after that he turns his head, meets Minghao’s gaze and asks “Home?”
Minghao nods as if in a daze. They say their goodbyes, pay their bill and head out of the bar. The cool night air is like a shock to the system and Minghao feels his head clear slightly. A shiver runs down his spine and he regrets not having taken his warm coat with him. Soonyoung noticing the slight change in Minghao’s behaviour even now, opens his coat and envelops Minghao inside of it. Minghao slings his arms around Soonyoung’s waist gratefully and rest his head on the other’s shoulder.
“I’m calling a ride. I’ve got you,” Soonyoung murmurs in his ear and he feels him fiddling around with his phone around Minghao’s back.
“I was supposed to take care of you tonight,” he responds sleepily, the hour of the night finally catching up with him.
Soonyoung laughs, his breath hitting Minghao’s ear and sending a new kind of shiver down his back. “This is a two-way street, babe. It’s fine really.” They stand wrapped up in each other’s embrace until the car arrives. Soonyoung swaying them back and forth slightly and Minghao giggling breathlessly in response. They get in the car and Minghao gives the driver the address before slumping back down into Soonyoung’s side, uncaring of who might see them in such an intimate position.
Once they are back home, they get rid of their clothes, letting them fall in a heap on the floor, a problem to be dealt with at a later point. Soonyoung falls headfirst onto the bed in nothing but his briefs. He lets out a satisfied groan and Minghao joins him just moments later, stretching out his limbs like a starfish. His hand knocks into Soonyoung’s side but he doesn’t retract it. What’s the point really? “We should probably wash up,” Minghao says with no intention of leaving this sacred space. He knows he’ll regret it tomorrow when they’ll ultimately wake up grimy and smelling of smoke and booze but this too is a problem to be dealt with at a later time.
Soonyoung groans again and Minghao understands it as the refusal that it is. “Hao?” Soonyoung asks after a while. Minghao hums sleepily. “I’m really happy you came out tonight.” It’s a testament of knowing each other for over ten years that allows Minghao to decipher the words Soonyoung mumbles into his pillow.
“Of course.”
“This was probably the last time I will have seen these guys before-“ Soonyoung pauses and turns onto his back. “Before you know.”
“Before you have to leave,” Minghao finishes the sentence for him. Suddenly much more alert he turns on his side, giving Soonyoung his full attention.
Soonyoung huffs a laugh, still amused by Minghao’s blunt nature even after all these years but there’s a hint of bitterness in it as well. “Right,” he says. “I’m scared Hao.”
The confession hangs between them and Minghao is stunned for just a moment. Soonyoung isn’t someone who complains often. He always sees the bright side, his glass is always half full and when there’s more work on offer he screams “here” like he’s incapable of exhaustion. Minghao has spent years telling the other man to stop being so hard on himself. That it’s okay to rest, despite knowing that even while he rests Soonyoung’s mind is constantly spinning. So he still gets surprised when Soonyoung becomes serious, drops the happy go lucky act and expresses his feelings in such a blatantly honest manner.
“What are you scared of?” He asks after a slight pause. Because that really is the heart of the problem isn’t it? Is it enlistment? Their career? Their fans?
“What aren’t I scared of?” Soonyoung replies ominously. After a pause he says “Missing out maybe. Seeing you guys on stage knowing I can’t be up there with you. Carats losing interest once you finish the tour and we go on hiatus. Not seeing the members regularly. Not seeing you regularly. Not sleeping in this bed regularly. You want me to go on?” His voice breaks and he breathes in deeply as if to hold back tears. The earlier happiness has vanished from his face and Minghao realizes this conversation has been long time coming.
They’ve been avoiding any kind of enlistment talk so far. Soonyoung, because he was constantly acting as if it was no big deal. Treating it as if he was going off to summer camp and not the military. Minghao knows that’s not how he really feels. He can tell from every tight smile and every breezy answer of Soonyoung’s whenever the subject is brought up. But he didn’t want to be the one to breach the conversation. Soonyoung doesn’t like being cornered. He won’t talk about what’s weighing on him until he’s ready and Minghao has tried to respect that. This plus the fact that Soonyoung might have been busier than ever preparing content, songs, music videos and everything in between for the fans while he’d be gone. Now, it seems as though Soonyoung has finally decided to let him take a glimpse into his thoughts and Minghao will treat his fears just as gently as he treats the rest of him.
“We’ll still be here when you come back. We’ll call. You’ll get time off. We’ll see each other. The fans love you and they’ll wait for your return however long it takes. You’ll be on stage again, love.” He slips in the pet name, hoping to reassure him further but Soonyoung sniffles sadly when he hears the word.
“I should be here. I should be here for you and your milestones. I should be at the V8 concert and all the other unit concerts. I should get to support you, not just stand aside and wait for you to forget me.”
He’s being dramatic. Minghao knows it and Soonyoung probably does too but the fear of missing out, of being forgotten is still real. “I wasn’t at the Howoo concert either, am I being a bad boyfriend now?”
“You had your reasons.”
“And you don’t?” Minghao returns, a burst of sudden anger climbing up his chest. “Soonyoung it’s not like you want to leave. This is not voluntary. You’re scared? Okay well, I’m furious.”
Surprised, Soonyoung takes his eyes away from the ceiling and meets Minghao’s gaze. “What?”
“There is nothing you love more than being a part of SEVENTEEN. Nothing you love more than being on stage and for them to take you away from that? To force you to play soldier? That makes me so fucking angry. But I know you’ll get through this because we’ve gotten through worse and still nothing has managed to dim your light.”
“I want you at the V8 concert,” he continues. “Fuck, you don’t know how much I want you there. I want you with us on tour as well. Every time I’ll have to hype up the crowd I’ll probably die a little inside because I know that that’s your job and that you could’ve done it a million times better. But I’ll still give it my best because you entrusted me this role and you rely on me so I’ll do it. I’ll do it until you’re back and take over again.” He means it too. It had been hard at first, raising his voice, drawing everyone’s attention to himself when he’s always preferred letting the chattier members take over the talking segments before. But Soonyoung trust him with this. He believes Minghao is capable of doing it and that in on itself is enough for him to commit himself fully to the new challenge. He might not be fully comfortable taking over Soonyoung’s role quite yet but he’s sure it’s only a matter of time until this too will become a part of him.
The tears Soonyoung had been doing his best of holding back are now flowing freely. Overcome with the desperation to be closer he pushes forward and Minghao meets him happily along the way. Their mouths press together impatient and eager. Their teeth clash and Minghao tastes Soonyoung’s tears on his tongue but it’s still everything. Because Soonyoung it everything. Minghao takes hold of Soonyoung’s face between his hands and pulls him closer. Their bodies are entwined and yet Minghao needs him closer, is sure he will never get enough of having Soonyoung wrapped entirely around him.
“I’ll wait for you. We all will,” he whispers between kisses and Soonyoung whines pitifully in response. Minghao pulls away slightly, presses his forehead against Soonyoung and repeats. “We’ll wait for you. Just like we waited for Junhui to return from filming. Like we waited for Seungcheol hyung after his injury. Like we waited for Jeonghan hyung and Seungkwan. Like you guys waited for me and Junhui when we were stuck in China. Okay?”
Soonyoung nods and Minghao presses another kiss to his mouth, slower, less hurried than just moments ago. “I don’t want you to ever worry about us, okay?” Minghao says. “I get being scared about the military and being away from everyone for so long. The fans as well I guess, but never ever worry about me. You have my whole heart Kwon Soonyoung and that’s not changing. Not ever.”
Soonyoung brings his hand up to Minghao’s face and brushes a few strands of hair that have fallen into his face behind his ear. He gazes at him fondly while softly tracing his check, his eyebrow and lastly his kiss-swollen lips. “I love you too,” Soonyoung responds. He presses another kiss to his mouth before he cuddles into Minghao’s chest. Minghao wraps his arms around him and stars drawing soothing patterns on his back.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Minghao says again.
“I know,” Soonyoung responds and this time Minghao knows he’s gotten through to him.
“Hey,” Soonyoung says after a while. Minghao turns his eyes to him in silent show of his attention. “You know that Chrome hearts jacket I have that you like?”
Startled at the sudden change of topic Minghao asks “What about it?”
“You could, like, wear it. On stage or something if you wanted to,” Soonyoung mumbles, his ears flushing red in embarrassment.
Minghao giggles brightly, interrupted only by Soonyoung’s flustered “Yah” and a slight slap to his chest. His Soonyoung is so cute, even after an emotionally challenging talk like that his mind runs off to places that Minghao can’t even imagine following in his wildest dreams. Overcome with fondness, he finally takes hold of Soonyoung and squeezes his head between his hands in a show of pure adoration. “Sure thing, jagiya,” he says teasingly, loving the way Soonyoung squirms in his hold. “I’ll bring you up with me on stage.”
Soonyoung groans but there’s a pleased grin on his face. He’s happy for now. Content.
It won’t last of course. He’ll still have to leave. And Minghao will miss him terribly. Minghao doesn’t think that this will be the last time he’ll have to reassure him either. They will have variations of this conversation a few more times but it’s alright. He’ll reassure Soonyoung as often as he’ll need to hear it. And at some point, Soonyoung will return and time might pass quicker than anticipated because time passes anyway and Minghao will still be here. With his heart full of Kwon Soonyoung.
Tonight, though, tonight he gets to sleep next to him, arms tightly wrapped around his middle. Warm, happy and in love.