Work Text:
Jaehyun wanted to strangle everyone in the ‘97 line group chat with his bare hands.
Everyone but Mingyu.
Because the one time Jaehyun reached out, the one time he tried to get a group together for a good old fashion bro session, the one time he felt a bit lonelier than usual, no one showed up but Mingyu.
Jaehyun had been sitting outside the karoake bar that they were supposed to meet up at for almost an hour, watching text after text of late cancels roll in. Even down-for-anything Yugyeom said he was busy, probably because Jackson was back in the country. Jaehyun was just about to cancel the whole thing when Mingyu came jogging up.
“Sorry I’m late!” he called out with a toothy grin. “Is everyone already inside?”
Jaehyun and Mingyu were practically strangers. They’d barely interacted in the chat, and even less in person. So seeing him now, grey sweatpants and all, was slightly jarring. He was taller than Jaehyun remembered, and tanner. He was also...bigger, more built out under his baseball tee. But that might have just been the low light working in his favor.
“Everyone is probably inside somewhere,” Jaehyun mumbled. It sounded snarkier than he meant it to be. His stomach churned a bit at the situation. He was bad at social interaction in the best of circumstances, but now he had to admit to a lightly labelled aquatance that no one had shown up to his party. “Did you not see the group chat?” He explained.
Mingyu dug his phone out from deep within the recesses of his sweatpants, a few lint fairies falling from the pocket as it emerged. “I usually keep it on silent, I guess I didn’t see...Oh.” He scrolled at full speed through the half-assed excuses the other boys had made. He nibbled a bit on his lower lip with a sharp canine.
“Yeah, so… Night’s off. Sorry you came all the way out here.”
Mingyu made a quick descision, and shook his head. “No way, man! I mean, if you want to go home, that’s okay. But just because they’re assholes doesn’t mean we can’t have a good time. I’m down, if you want to?”
Jaehyun wasn’t used to hearing Mingyu’s voice, so his slight lisp caught him off guard. It took half a second longer for him to process what the other boy was saying because his brain had processed “wow cute” instead. “Oh! Oh, that’s okay. You don’t need to hang out with me just because you feel bad. I can hang out with someone at home, there’s plenty of us. I’m sure someone must be up.” He chuckled. “I’m sure you know what that feels like.”
Mingyu giggled. “Sure, but it gets tiring after a while. Don’t you want to go to karaoke?”
“I didn’t actually want to go that much,” Jaehyun admitted. “I just thought it would be good for the group. It seemed like a good neutral choice. So it’s fine, really.”
Mingyu thought for a moment as he looked over Jaehyun slumped on the curb. He’d seen this plenty of times before from Minghao and Wonwoo, so he knew it was time to take the lead. He sat next to Jaehyun, the other’s eyes widening a bit at the sudden closeness. He took note of it before slapping his own thighs.
“This is what we’ll do then. Karaoke night is cancelled. Fuck karaoke. And fuck those guys, we don’t need them anyway. Instead, let me take you out tonight. Wherever you want to go, whatever you want to eat or do, it’s on me. We’ll have an amazing time without them. In spite of them. What do you say?”
“That’s really nice, but again, you don’t have to—”
“Nope, shut up. I’m doing it because I want to, not because I have to. Because you’ve got those pouty eyes on with all the dimples and shit, it is now required that you accompany me this evening.” Mingyu stood up and changed tactics. He held a hand out to Jaehyun, only slightly dramatic with his other hand behind his back. “Will you please join me on an adventure, Jung Jaehyun? I’ll be lonely if you don’t.”
Jaehyun looked away, but let Mingyu drag him up by the wrist. “You and Johnny should really hang out sometime,” he chuckled.
Mingyu tilted his head. “Why’s that?”
“You’re both pushy. But in a good way,” he hastily added. “I like it. I think you’d get along, I mean.”
“Thank you, I think?” Mingyu said. “So where to first?”
Jaehyun thought for a moment, dimples popping in and out as he scrunched his face. “Actually, I could really go for some barbecue. What do you say?”
Mingyu grinned. “Thought you’d never ask.”
They ended up at a place not far from the karaoke bar they were supposed to meet, and even closer to the SM dorms. It was a place Jaehyun frequented often with the other 127 members. It was a bit seedy, but the owners were a nice old couple who always kept a more secluded table reserved for the boys. Mingyu ordered a pitcher of beer as soon as they sat down.
Jaehyun was thankful for the inhibitor as they enjoyed their first meal together as friends? Acquaintances? Jaehyun still wasn’t quite sure. Thankfully, despite their awkward circumstances, Mingyu was easy to talk to. He kept the conversation going with open ended questions and a few weird ice breakers, but it felt natural to Mingyu’s nature. He was excitable, asking even more questions when Jaehyun revealed he was more into wine these days than beer. Mingyu knew little to nothing about it, so Jaehyun reveled a bit in imparting his knowledge and feeling smart. It didn’t often happen, he realized.
They both had a pleasant buzz by the end of dinner. Jaehyun could finally laugh at his embarrassing event planning failure, and Mingyu distracted him with confessions of fanboying a bit at NCT performances. Jaehyun teased him a bit for it, fascinated by Mingyu’s shy wiggly shoulders, before admitting he watched a lot of Seventeen content before his later debut.
“Thank you, Mingyu-sunbae!” he cooed as Mingyu really did front the bill, and Mingyu fumbled with his change. Jaehyun giggled as he picked up the coins. “Who the hell pays with cash, nowadays?”
“Not all of us can afford black cards, alright?” Mingyu whined. It was light and playful, but Jaehyun still felt a bit guilty. He led the way out of the restaurant, taking a sharp right with only the slightest stumble. “So where are we headed, hoobae?” Mingyu smiled. He shoved his hands deep in his pockets to avoid the temptation to steady Jaehyun by the hip.
“Convenience store!” Jaehyun called back, only a few steps ahead. “Dessert’s on me.”
“Didn’t I say I was taking you out?”
“Shut up, I’m older than you.”
Mingyu laughed. Jaehyun liked how it sounded. “First I’m your sunbae, then you’re my hyung. I’m getting whiplash.”
Jaehyun was just sober enough to stop himself from yelling “Shawty give me!” and instead yelled, “We’re here!” as he popped into the corner shop. He waved at the cashier. He was enough of a regular to know they were safe from prying eyes, but the auntie still seemed confused by his sudden friendliness.
They combed the aisles for a suitable dessert, torn between the chilly weather and the overwhelming need for ice cream. At the end of the gummies aisle, Mingyu paused and Jaehyun nearly ran into him.
“What did you find, big boy?”
Mingyu flushed a little, turning around to look at the ice cream freezer for the tenth time. “They’re just headbands,” he laughed softly.
Jaehyun peeked his head around to the end display. A gaudy variety of headbands were stacked on top of each other, from fake flowers to ears to flimsy new year’s greetings. Jaehyun grabbed one without even thinking and put it on, tapping Mingyu on the shoulder to show off his new accessory.
Mingyu’s face lit up as he turned. “A kitty!” he laughed, loud enough to distract Jaehyun from the fact that he had chosen the most embarrassing one. “Do the thing, do the thing!”
“What thing?” Jaehyun asked. He started to pull the headband off, but Mingyu stopped him with a gentle hand.
“You know, from Inkigayo!”
“Oh… You saw that?”
“Of course I did. I’ll do it if you do bro, come on!”
Jaehyun sighed, but brought his fists up as little paws anyways. He wiggled through the aegyo with a burning blush, adding his little ear shake in at the end and everything. It was weirdly automatic at this point, but no less embarrassing.
Mingyu shrieked so loud, the cashier leaned over the register to check in on them. “You actually did it!” He whooped. “None of the members ever actually do aegyo when I ask, even the younger ones.” He wiped away a fake tear. “Is this what respect feels like?”
Jaehyun flushed even redder, if it was possible. “Your turn,” he grumbled, and turned back towards the display. Mingyu reached for another set of cat ears, but Jaehyun slapped his hands. He grabbed a set of dog ears instead, reaching up unsteadily as Mingyu dipped down to receive his new crown. “These ones suit you better. Now be a good puppy!” Jaehyun commanded.
Mingyu felt a shiver go down his spine. Obviously, from the ice cream display mere inches away. He awkwardly pulled his hands up underneath his chin, and tilted his head to the side. His fake whine turned into a giant cackle as they both burst into laughter. Jaehyun fanned himself as he caught his breath.
“Okay, ice cream it is I guess,” he suggested. They both chose their favorites, and a couple extra just in case. As the cashier rang them up, he gestured vaguely to the top of their heads where the headbands still rested, now lopsided and loved. They each took theirs off for just a second to scan them and rip the labels off, before shoving them back on each other with giggles and snorts.
Somehow, they ended up in the local park on the bank of an artificial lake. The grass was freezing cold, but soft and dry. As they lay there and ate, they talked about everything and nothing. Even a few beers in, Mingyu was still an expert conversationalist and Jaehyun could see why he was so popular in the chat. Jaehyun was all around bad at communication, and admitted so to Mingyu.
“I don’t think you’re bad at it,” Mingyu said between messy slurps. “I just think you don’t like it.”
“And how is that any different?” Jaehyun breathed. He stared up at the stars in lewe of the sloppy mess Mingyu was making. He took his time in answering, apparently finishing his dessert before settling in beside Jaehyun in the grass. He kept a reasonable distance, but Jaehyun could still feel the heat radiating off his body.
“Just because you don’t like something, doesn’t mean you’re inherently bad at it. It just means that you’re less likely to do it, which means you’re out of practice. Nothing is truly inherent. You have to learn how to communicate. You have to practice it, and keep practicing. And with any practice, it’s okay to take breaks. It’s not easy, but you’re not always going to be bad at it. You just have to try.”
Jaehyun blinked. “Trying is hard,” he joked.
“You’re trying with me,” Mingyu said gently.
Jaehyun looked over at him. He quickly looked away as soon as Mingyu made eye contact, but forced himself to look again. To practice. Mingyu’s eyes sparkled against the dim street lamps, a gentle smile just barely visible in the curving shadows of his face.
“How’d you get so smart about this?” Jaehyun asked.
Mingyu’s smile grew goofy, and Jaehyun found it harder to maintain eye contact. “Most of the members are pretty introverted, believe it or not. It took a long while and a pink prison for them to actually open up.”
“Pink prison?” Jaehyun asked.
Mingyu scoffed dramatically and said, “Don’t get me started,” as he sat up.
Jaehyun joined him, looking out over the lake. It was such a still and peaceful moment, that he jumped a little when his phone vibrated. It was Johnny, checking in. He asked how the night was going, if the guys were being nice, if he would need a ride home. Jaehyun’s shoulders slumped. Johnny had hyped him up so much for organizing the night, how could he admit it was a total failure?
He didn’t get a chance to admit anything, as his phone was ripped from his hands unceremoniously. Mingyu jumped to his feet with it, holding it high above his head.
“What the hell, Mingyu? Give it back!” Jaehyun wasn’t too much shorter than him, but felt a bit silly trying to jump up and grab his phone.
“No being sad!” Mingyu pouted.
Jaehyun sighed. “What are you talking about?”
“Whatever you read made you sad, and I won’t allow it.”
“How do you know—”
“Tonight is about having fun and not giving a shit, no matter what the plan was. Fuck the plan! Don’t worry about it, and don’t worry about the chat. You can respond when you get home after having a fun night with me, and make them all jealous that they weren’t here. Okay?”
Jaehyun tried to sneak attack, but Mingyu just raised the phone even higher. “I wasn’t talking to the chat, I was talking to Johnny. He didn’t mean to make me sad or anything, he was just asking— Mingyu! Mingyu, where the hell are you going?!”
Mingyu stopped a few meters away, still holding the phone high above his head. “If you want to talk to Johnny, you’ll have to catch me!”
Jaehyun laughed. “I cannot take you seriously in those ears.”
Mingyu reached up to touch the headband, obviously forgetting that he still had them on. He grinned. “Come catch me, kitty!” He yelled, and sprinted off down the bank. Jaehyun looked around, making sure the park was empty. He couldn’t tell what was more embarrassing, a grown man chasing another grown man through the grass, or two grown men wearing animal headbands in the middle of the night. Thankfully, they had no audience. Jaehyun broke into a sprint.
Mingyu was surprisingly easy to catch up with, though Jaehyun suspected he was looking to be caught. He rounded back to their ice cream picnic spot, bobbing and weaving with surprising agility. Jaehyun finally got a hold on him after a quick fake out, wrapping his arms around Mingyu’s waist. Mingyu yelped, slipping on a wet patch of grass and taking them both tumbling to the ground.
Jaehyun’s laughs were muffled in Mingyu’s chest, even as Mingyu still wriggled to get free. Jaehyun propped himself up on a knee as he pushed Mingyu’s elbows into the ground, finally securing his target. Mingyu went motionless immediately, but Jaehyun didn’t notice as he took a second to catch his breath.
“Bad dog!” he grinned. He finally looked down at Mingyu, and gasped. As soon as he spoke, Mingyu shuddered, just barely, but enough for Jaehyun to now notice where he had put them. His supporting knee was snug against Mingyu’s crotch, probably inches from disaster when he’d first put it down. He had pitched forward to grab Mingyu’s elbows, which pushed his other leg flush against Mingyu’s.
His face went red hot in embarrassment, but something in Mingyu’s eyes pushed curiosity to the top of his priorities. The playful sparkle was gone, replaced with something darker and deeper that Jaehyun didn’t recognize. His bangs were plastered to his forehead, headband askew, and mouth still agape with heavy breaths. Jaehyun’s brain fogged over. What if… What if he called him that again?
Jaehyun was nearly blinded as the phone in Mingyu’s hand lit up with an embarrassingly bad picture of Johnny. “Shit, he’s calling me,” he mumbled. He scrambled off of Mingyu without a second thought and snatched the phone out of his hands. “Hey, hyung!”
Johnny’s voice was a tinny garble on the other line, although Mingyu didn’t think he’d be able to hear the conversation anyway. His heartbeat was pounding like kickdrums in his ears, a stormy cloud of confusion and discovery swirling around his brain. Only one image stood out clearly: Jaehyun’s cheeks lit up like two ripe peaches, his brows furrowed in mock anger, and then in something else. Mingyu had seen Jihoon’s eyes do the same thing when he was about to grab Soonyoung into a headlock, so Mingyu was a little glad they were interrupted. But also, just maybe, a little disappointed.
“Sorry Mingyu, I have to head back,” Jaehyun said, ripping Mingyu out of his thoughts.
“Oh. Okay, sure. I guess it’s pretty late.”
Jaehyun grimaced. “Sorry, Johnny got kind of angry that no one showed up and I have to make sure he doesn’t go making wild wine-fueled phone calls.”
“I showed up,” Mingyu grumbled, but Jaehyun didn’t hear him. “I’ll walk you home then, at least!” he said louder.
Jaehyun’s hands paused as he shoved ice cream wrappers into the plastic bag. “That’s okay, I’m sure it’s pretty out of the way for you, you’ve already come so far—”
“Jaehyun.” Mingyu’s voice was lower than Jaehyun thought it could go. “Just let me take you home.”
They walked in silence for a while, but it wasn’t awkward. It felt comfortable, easy. A quiet seal on their newfound friendship. The sweat from their wild chase ran cool down Jaehyun’s back, and he couldn’t hide a small shiver.
“Cold?” Mingyu asked. Jaehyun grimaced, but nodded. Mingyu put his arm out straight, but made no move to pull Jaehyun into it. “Is this okay?”
Jaehyun felt the tips of his ears burn. “Yeah,” he breathed as he stepped into Mingyu’s side, letting his long arm wrap tight around his shoulders. “Thanks for asking.” Mingyu slowed his steps just a little to move in sync with Jaehyun’s. He was like a giant furnace, and Jaehyun found himself burrowing even deeper under his jacket to seek out the welcome warmth.
He convinced himself that it was the thought of leaving that coziness that made his heart sink as they approached the dorm building. He felt his feet slow, hesitant for reasons he couldn’t describe. He didn’t get a chance to voice them though, as the front door creaked open and Johnny came bursting through. He looked between the two of them and the hand wrapped around Jaehyun’s shoulder, like he was more surprised than to see them than they were to see him.
“Oh! Mingyu! Nice to see you. I thought… I thought you said no one came, Jaehyun? I was just about to go find you and make sure you were okay. You seemed a little tipsy on the phone.”
Jaehyun felt cold air seep back into his jacket as Mingyu’s hand slid off his shoulder. “I came,” Mingyu cut in. “He was with me tonight.”
Johnny blinked. “Good! I’m glad, did you guys have a good time?” Johnny felt increasingly uncomfortable with every passing millisecond that the two didn’t answer him and instead stole fervent glances at each other. Oh. He was dad-wheel. “Well, thank you for taking him home, Mingyu. Um, Jaehyun why don’t you come inside? It’s freezing out here, I’m sure Mingyu would love to get home to his warm bed, right?”
Mingyu pursed his lips, but nodded. His eyes were angrier than Johnny would have liked, and it made Johnny cringe. Whoops, didn’t think it was like that. I am so not your enemy here, I promise .
“Bye Jaehyun,” Mingyu waved, stepping back off the stoop. “Sorry again that no one came.”
His emphasis was pointed, and dug into an already guilty feeling Jaehyun. “Bye, Mingyu. I’ll text you, I promise!”
Mingyu gave them both a small smile before shoving his hands in his pockets and turning to leave. Jaehyun watched him go, long enough for Johnny to notice. “He seems nice,” he cooed.
“He is,” Jaehyun smiled.
The flowers blooming around Jaehyun’s head were starting to get suffocating, so Johnny gave him a small pat on the back as he took off down the hall. “Some of that ice cream better be for me. And what are you wearing, are those cat ears? You guys got really drunk, didn’t you?”
“You guys got shit-faced, didn’t you?” Jeonghan laughed, pinching a dog ear before Mingyu could slap his hand away.
“We just had some beer,” Mingyu sighed.
“Then why are you so red?” Jeonghan teased. Mingyu was trying to take off his shoes and coat at record speed to avoid all of this, but Jeonghan was sneaky and ruthless.
Mingyu sighed. “Can a man go out for drinks with the guys without being interrogated about it? For once? Please?”
“Alright, touchy. Did you at least have fun?” Mingyu didn’t answer, but the goofy grin splitting across his face was more than enough to tell Jeonghan what he wanted to know.
After that, Mingyu and Jaehyun hung out constantly. It was quite the feat for two well known idols to even make room in their schedules, but it also meant a lot of home hangouts in each others dorms. Which is why when Jaehyun invited Mingyu to come over to an impromptu wine tasting, Mingyu thought nothing of it. Even if the message had a few spelling errors.
Mingyu immediately felt underdressed as Johnny answered the door in a suit, wine glass in hand.
“Mingyu!” He cried, surprised but excited. “I didn’t know you were coming over! At all, actually. Um— ”
“Jaehyun texted me,” Mingyu grumbled. Johnny’s eyes lit up in understanding, but Mingyu was still confused. “What’s going on?”
Johnny ushered him into the dorm, setting his wine glass next to several other empty ones on the counter. Mingyu’s embarrassment grew tenfold as he realized several other 127 members, similarly dressed, were lounged around the living room in various states of drunkenness. Johnny pulled Mingyu further down the hallway, shushing the other member’s confused but enthusiastic greetings.
“So we decided to have a little fancy night in,” Johnny explained as they twisted and turned past other bedrooms, “And Jaehyun and I got a bunch of wine for the members to try. But thing is, we’re really the only ones who drink it often so Jaehyun ended up finishing a lot of the glasses. I really should have taken his phone before I put him down to sleep, but—”
“Gyu!!!” Jaehyun cooed as soon as Johnny opened the door to Jaehyun’s room. “What are you doing here, baby?!”
“Baby” was new. Jaehyun this drunk, was also new. He had made it half out of his suit, still left in a rumpled button up and his boxers. Johnny clicked his tongue. “You invited him here, Jaehyun. What did I tell you about drunk texting? He came all the way here to see you, so could you at least put some pants on? Mingyu, I’m sorry about this.”
“No, no don’t be. Don’t be sorry.” If drunk texting meant getting to see Jaehyun go pink all over before shuffling into a pair of pajama pants, then there was nothing to be sorry for. “I’ll take care of him.”
Johnny struggled between his dad instincts and his matchmaker instincts. “Are you sure? He’s pretty unruly when he’s drunk.”
“I’m not that drunk! Now go away, Johnny. You’re ruining my life.”
Johnny rolled his eyes before gesturing Mingyu into the room. “Just make sure he gets some water or something,” he grumbled before shutting the door behind him.
Jaehyun shuffled over to Mingyu, grabbing at his wrists to pull him further into the room. “Ruining your life?” Mingyu teased, and Jaehyun shushed him. He flopped down onto the floor in front of a large shelf and started rustling through a collection of records. “Jaehyun, why did you text me?”
“Because I missed you. Frank Ocean or Chet Baker?
“Frank Ocean. But Jaehyun, maybe you should just rest? Johnny seemed concerned.”
“Fuck Johnny! I wanna hang out with you.” The first few notes of “Nikes” started to float out from Jaehyun’s record player. It was far too smooth and lowkey for the chaotic energy Jaehyun was giving off as he scrambled up to the bed and pulled Mingyu down to sit next to him. His pajamas pressed up against Mingyu’s jeans, but Jaehyun was too caught up into the music to care. He leaned back on his hands with his eyes closed, head swaying to the beat.
Mingyu sighed, taking in the sight for just a second before standing. Jaehyun caught him by the hand, curling his fingers around Mingyu’s. They were impossibly white against Mingyu’s tanned skin, the tips a pretty warm pink. He hoped Jaehyun couldn’t feel how clammy his own hands were. “I’m just going to get you some water,” Mingyu said gently.
Jaehyun reluctantly let his hand drop. “Don’t take too long,” Jaehyun whined. Mingyu smiled. “I won’t, baby.” It felt so natural coming from Jaehyun, but the nickname almost came out garbled because of the huge lump that rose in Mingyu’s throat. Jaehyun didn’t seem to notice, as he lay back against the bed with a huff.
Mingyu closed the door behind him and took a huge breath before heading back towards the kitchen.
“How’s our drunk baby?” Taeyong called out from the living room. Apparently, it was just a normal word around here.
“Fine, I just came to get him some water. Where are your glasses?”
“Left cupboard, middle shelf. Thank you so much for looking after him Mingyu, you’re a real sweetheart. I can see why he likes you so much.”
“Oh, we’re just friends.”
The living room erupted into protests. From what he could tell from the overlapping rants, Jaehyun hadn’t stopped talking about Mingyu since the first night they had spent together. Which was particularly impressive, considering Jaehyun rarely talked to anyone about anything. But everytime they hung out, as soon as Mingyu left, he would come out of his room in a tizzy full of “Mingyu did this, Mingyu did that, you won’t believe what he said!”
Johnny saw the gentle giant getting progressively redder, so he hushed the other guys as subtly as he could. “All were saying is that you mean a lot to him,” Johnny explained. “So thanks for helping him out of his shell.” Mingyu shrugged, hands gripped tight on a full glass as he looked down into it. Johnny chuckled. “Get back in there, dude! He’s going to go nuts if you’re gone more than a minute.”
Mingyu dashed away, reentering the bedroom to a cheering Jaehyun with his back turned.
“You’re back! Look, look what I found!” Jaehyun turned, sporting his cheap kitten headband.
Mingyu sighed and shook his head. “You need to hydrate, babe. Come here, I’ll help.”
Jaehyun plopped down on the bed as Mingyu kneeled in front of him, holding the glass to his lips. Jaehyun chugged the glass despite Mingyu’s warnings, a few rivlets dripping down onto Mingyu’s hands. Jaehyun gasped dramatically after finishing it, and Mingyu set the glass down to find some sort of towel.
“Good kitty,” he teased, giving up on the towel and grabbing his T-shirt to wipe his hand on. Jaehyun stopped him, grabbing Mingyu’s hand. Mingyu looked up at him, confused. Jaehyun’s eyes were hazy and unfocused. He pulled Mingyu’s hand to his mouth, and licked.
He pressed his tongue along a line of cold water, following it up to Mingyu’s finger before pulling the tip into his mouth. He kept it there, flat on his tongue, as he slowly looked up at Mingyu. Mingyu gasped, not quite believing what was happening. He confirmed he wasn’t dreaming as Jaehyun bit down, leaving tiny indents in Mingyu’s finger before he could pull it away.
“Ouch! Damn, Jaehyun.”
“Don’t call me that!” Jaehyun whined.
“What?”
“Call me kitty.”
Mingyu reeled. Jaehyun blinked slowly and unevenly, but stared up at Mingyu with determination. “Okay, you’re really drunk. Like really, really drunk. You need to lay down and sleep.”
“No, don’t want to!” But Jaehyun’s body betrayed him as he failed to stifle a huge yawn.
“Baby, please just—”
“No!”
“Jaehyun, come on.”
“That’s not my name!”
Mingyu sighed. What had he gotten himself into? He decided to take a chance, hoping Jaehyun was truly as drunk as he seemed. “I-is kitty sleepy?”
Jaehyun didn’t respond, and Mingyu panicked. He’d taken the joke too far. Jaehyun would never let him forget this.
“Kitty sleepy,” Jaehyun finally whispered. His ears were bright red, and he refused to look up at Mingyu. Mingyu’s heart backflipped as Jaehyun yawned again.
“Okay, um… Okay, can you lay down for me, then? I’ll tuck you in.”
Jaehyun shook his head, and Mingyu wanted to cry. He had no idea what he was doing, and prayed Jaehyun would forget this by tomorrow. “If I sleep, you’ll leave,” Jaehyun whined.
Oh. Oh. “I won’t leave you, kitty. I’ll be right here, okay? I won’t leave until you fall asleep, I promise.”
“Can you—” Jaehyun flushed even darker, chewing hard on his bottom lip.
“What do you need? Whatever you need, I’ve got you. It’s okay.”
“I want, um—” Jaehyun hid his face in his hands. “I want puppy cuddles.”
Mingyu bit down on his own knuckle to keep from screaming. “A-are you sure?” he asked as calmly as he could. “I don’t want you to regret it. You’re drunk, I don’t want to do anything you don’t like.” Jaehyun had been slowly opening up to touch as they hung out, and Mingyu had slung his arm over Jaehyun plenty of times as they watched movies on the couch together. But this was different. This was so, so different.
Jaehyun took a deep breath, and finally looked Mingyu in the face. He had a shy smile, but his eyes were clear. “I’m sure, puppy. Please?’
Mingyu pinched the bridge of his nose, but nodded. “Okay, fine. But I’m staying on the outside of the sheets. Get in, get comfortable.”
Jaehyun happily complied, rolling under his covers with sleepy glee. He turned towards the wall, shuffling in to make room for Mingyu. Mingyu tried to think of roadkill and moldy trash to kill every last inch of the heady arousal that had been growing in the pit of his stomach since he’d arrived in Jaehyun’s room. He slipped off his shoes and jacket and paused for a moment before slipping his jeans off, too. He turned the lights out, and made sure Jaehyun was fully tucked in before gingerly setting down on top of the grey comforter.
Jaehyun reached back with a flailing hand and grabbed onto Mingyu’s side. “Closer,” he whined. Mingyu shakily removed Jaehyun’s hand. “It’s okay. Please? Come closer.”
Mingyu held his breath as he shifted closer to Jaehyun, cradling him against his chest. Jaehyun was shorter than him, but wide. From this angle, Mingyu could tell their shoulders were almost the same width. He felt the muscles in Jaehyun’s arms ripple as Jaehyun pulled Mingyu’s arm around him and interlocked their fingers. Somehow, this well-built man felt tiny in Mingyu’s embrace. He was still wearing his headband, but Mingyu didn’t dare take it off.
“Good night, kitty,” he whispered.
Jaehyun squirmed happily under the covers. “Good night, puppy.”
“Mingyu. Hey, um… Mingyu? Mingyu!” Mingyu awoke with a start and a snort, vaguely registering Jaehyun laughing at him. “You’re squishing me,” he said gently.
Mingyu’s heart jumped to his throat as the events of the previous night fluttered through his head. He immediately released his admittedly tight grip on Jaehyun, but was stopped by a light hand on his arm before he got too far away.
Jaehyun rolled over, keeping his hand on Mingyu as if to anchor himself. Mingyu was sure the room might be spinning after that level of drunkenness. Mingyu’s head was spinning just wondering if Jaehyun remembered any of it.
The headband had fallen off of him long ago in the night, and Jaehyun gently placed it to the side with a smile. He pulled the sheets back and patted the bed in front of him. His eyes were clear of all inebriation, and Mingyu knew he had remembered all of it. “Come in here,” Jaehyun whispered. “I want you close to me while we, um… while we talk about this.”
“Are you sure?”
Jaehyun smiled, dimples falling heavily into his puffy, early morning cheeks. “Thank you, but I’m sure.”
Mingyu gingerly slipped his legs into the sheets, still avoiding contact as much as possible. Just in case. It was warm, warmer than he’d been all night, which was probably why he had held Jaehyun so closely. He scooted down until they were eye to eye, his toes reaching a little further past Jaehyun’s. Jaehyun grabbed his hands. They were warm, too. Everything was warm and smelled warm and smelled like Jaehyun, and it was making it hard to focus. Mingyu did not agree that this was a reasonable talking position.
“Okay, now don’t interrupt me.”
Mingyu nodded.
“First of all, I’m really sorry about last night—”
“Jaehyun, don’t—”
“I told you not to interrupt me!” Jaehyun giggled nervously. “I’m embarrassed enough as it is, please just let me get through this. I’m really sorry that I texted you when I was already shit-faced, and that you had to take care of me. That was a mistake. But…”
“But?”
“But I don’t want to think of the rest of it as a mistake. If you...know what I mean.”
“Oh, the kitty part?”
Jaehyun flushed a dark pink, curling his hands up to his face as he sighed. Mingyu’s hands were along for the ride, so he gently ran a knuckle along Jaehyun’s cheek. “Hey, it’s okay! You don’t have to be embarrassed about it.” Mingyu swallowed heavily. This was the cliff’s edge, and he needed to know if Jaehyun was willing to hold his hand as they jumped. “I’m sure you… Well, I’m sure you’ve noticed that I kind of have something similar.”
“The puppy part?”
It was Mingyu’s turn to blush. “Yeah. And so I… Did some research. And it turns out, they’re both pretty common things.”
“Wait, when did you do research?”
“You told me to cuddle you, but it wasn’t exactly easy to fall asleep with you, you know, your hair smelled good and shit and I just…” Mingyu trailed off, not entirely enjoying the sneaky grin Jaehyun had. “I had some time to myself, so I looked it up on my phone. Apparently, um… it’s called petplay? And it doesn’t have to be really kinky or sexual. Unless, that’s what you want. Which is fine! Unless you don’t want that, which is also really fine!”
Jaehyun’s sneaky grin softened slightly. “You’re much smarter than people give you credit for, did you know that?”
“Do people not think I’m smart?”
Jaehyun pushed his cheek into Mingyu’s knuckles, still absentmindedly stroking his face. “So what do you want?”
“I don’t know.” Mingyu felt Jaehyun froze, and quickly opened his hand to hold Jaehyun’s jaw to his gaze. “But I know that I like you, Jaehyun. I like you a lot.”
Jaehyun gasped, his nervous laughter bubbling up as he blinked. “That’s… Pretty gay, bro.”
“I know.”
Jaehyun bit at his lower lip. “I like you too, Mingyu. A lot. And I like it, um… I like it when you call me kitty. And I think you’re hot, and it’s hot when you say it. I just… I think it’s really hot. And I want to, um— wow, it’s really hard to say out loud sober, huh? I would… like to have sex with you?” he squeaked. “But I totally get it if that’s too fast, or that’s not what you meant.”
Mingyu tightened his grip on Jaehyun’s jaw just slightly, and felt it relax. “Baby. Do you think I would have spent hours lying awake, researching our shared kink, trying to will away my boner with every fiber of my being while you slept if I didn’t want to have sex with you?”
Jaehyun’s blush spread to his ears, but something more mischievous glinted in his eye. “How about you just kiss me first?”
Mingyu leaned in, but Jaehyun met him halfway. He surged upwards as their lips met, any remaining fog from the morning pushed to the side as sparks sang in their heads. Jaehyun’s lips were so soft, so incredibly soft that Mingyu sighed. Jaehyun took advantage, sliding his tongue along the opening of his bottom lip as Mingyu’s jaw dipped. Jaehyun’s hand came to cradle the back of Mingyu’s neck, and Mingyu keened into it as every thought was Jaehyun, Jaehyun, Jaehyun .
“Wait. Sorry, wait.” The world came crashing back into a tiny black hole at the tip of Jaehyun’s nose as he pulled away, hand pulling from Mingyu’s neck to rest on his chest.
“What’s wrong? Did I do something wrong? I’m sorry, I—”
“No!” Jaehyun said, a little surprised at his own volume. “No, you didn’t anything wrong. You’re perfect and wonderful, and I just want to make sure we’re on the same page.”
“Oh, okay… Well, I wanna do anything you want to do,” Mingyu said simply. He knew it sounded dumb, but it was all he could think of as he got a little lost in Jaehyun’s blown out pupils.
“Really? Anything?” Jaehyun chuckled. “At least tell me what you like. Give me some kind of road map, baby.”
Mingyu slid his hand over Jaehyun’s. Jaehyun’s energy had shifted into something Mingyu hadn’t ever seen before. For the first time with Jaehyun, Mingyu felt small. He closed his eyes as he spoke. “I like… I like it when you call me puppy. And I like being told what to do, and being handled, and I—” Images of cold grass and foggy breath briefly flashed through his mind, the softness of Jaehyun’s hand so different from the strength he knew it held. “I just want to make you feel good, kitty. Tell me how to make you feel good.”
Jaehyun’s hand gripped into Mingyu’s shirt as he crashed his lips into Mingyu’s, a newfound fervor in his actions. “Good puppy,” Jaehyun whispered. It was slightly hesitant, but he smiled devilishly as Mingyu whined, ducking his face as Jaehyun pulled him closer. “That’s what I wanted to hear. Have you done this before?”
Mingyu nodded. “A few times, but not… Not with the puppy thing. You?”
Jaehyun hesitated. “Yeah, a bit more than a few.”
Mingyu tried not to let the words itch at him. “I thought you didn’t like people touching you?”
Jaehyun expression was extremely soft as he brushed a few bangs away from Mingyu’s forehead. “I don’t usually, and thank you for noticing. The thing is, I get nervous when people I love touch me because those people matter to me. Those interactions count, and they’re important. I get so caught up in what the right thing to do is, what they expect, if I’m going to mess it up, that I get anxious. The other interactions— the people I slept with. They were just hookups. Just a way to get off. So, I didn’t care as much. I wasn’t as anxious."
“What about me?” Mingyu didn’t want it to sound pointed. The last thing he wanted was Jaehyun closing up again when they were already tipping over the edge.
“You matter so much to me, baby. And I want to be honest with you, I don’t… I don’t want to hold anything back with you. Is that okay? Can we do that?”
Mingyu nodded vigorously and whispered, “Yes, yes! Of course. Whatever you want to do, I’m game. I’m in.”
“Then do you mind… If I take the lead a little?”
Mingyu felt the heat in his ears drop all the way to the pit of his stomach. “Please. Please do, baby.”
Jaehyun’s demeanor shifted again, a cheeky grin pulling into his dimples again. “Please who?”
Mingyu’s voice shook. “Please, kitty.”
Jaehyun took his hand to the back of Mingyu’s head again, grip stronger there than before. He kissed him, lingering on his lips before licking into Mingyu’s mouth. Mingyu whined, shaky hands grasping at Jaehyun’s shirt to pull him closer, closer.
Mingyu yelped as Jaehyun slid on top of him in one fluid motion, not once pausing his licks and nips as he swallowed Mingyu’s sounds. He straddled Mingyu, ankles tucked behind his knees. Mingyu grabbed onto Jaehyun’s hips without thinking. He took a moment in awe of the muscle rippling underneath his palms as he spread them across Jaehyun’s back. But as soon as Jaehyun felt Mingyu’s hard-on through the few thin layers of thin cotton between them, he keened. He tipped forward into Mingyu’s neck, back arching deliciously under Mingyu’s spread hands. He whined and groaned, rolling his hips back against Mingyu’s in aching circles.
“Is that because of me, puppy?” Jaehyun whispered into Mingyu’s neck. He punctuated it with nips and sucks, nothing hard enough to show but hard enough to hurt. Mingyu nodded, but gasped as Jaehyun bit down harder before soothing the spot with tiny licks. “I can’t hear you, puppy. Speak.”
“Yes, kitty!” Mingyu gasped, and Jaehyun rewarded him with another roll of his hips. Mingyu felt like he was already so close, everything so good and all at once that it was getting hard to control himself. His grip on Jaehyun’s waist tightened.
“You said wanted to make me feel good, but it doesn’t seem like you’re doing much work.” Mingyu felt confused, almost sad that he wasn’t making his kitten happy. Jaehyun said he was taking the lead, but it didn’t mean kitty was. “Why don’t you show me what you want to do to me?”
It took Mingyu a second to process the command, but in the next instant he complied. With his grip still tight, he bucked his hips up into Jaehyun, and Jaehyun gasped. “Good puppy,” he breathed as Mingyu did it again and again, the hold on his sanity slipping.
“Kitty!” he whined, already too deep in his headspace to care about how loud he was being. He felt right, natural, where he wanted to be. And incredibly turned on. “Kitty, I want to feel you.”
Jaehyun shuddered, hands coming to rest on either side of Mingyu’s head. “You wanna be naked?” he giggled, and Mingyu nodded. Jaehyun held Mingyu’s head still, and looked deep into his eyes. He asked the question again, without a shred of playfulness this time. Mingyu nodded again. “Yes. Keep going,” he whispered.
Jaehyun flipped off of him, and Mingyu tore his boxers off at lightning speed. “Mine too, puppy,” Jaehyun hummed as he wiggled into a comfortable cradle of pillows. Mingyu removed his boxers and pajama pants all at once, and took a moment to marvel at how hard Jaehyun was, too.
Jaehyun slid his legs open and held his arms open with a smile. “Like what you see? C’mere puppy.”
Mingyu dove into Jaehyun’s embrace, peppering him with hasty, sloppy kisses. He mouthed down Jaehyun’s neck, taking note of how Jaehyun shivered and clawed at him as he paused above his Adam's apple. He yanked up Jaehyun’s already crumpled dress shirt, kissing across his impossibly pale chest before finally taking a nipple into his mouth.
Jaehyun mewed, arching up into Mingyu’s mouth. His consent came in the form of commands as he hissed, “Harder, more!” Rewarding his good puppy with petting strokes of his hair. When Mingyu bit down a little too hard, Jaehyun pulled at the hair at his nape with both hands. Mingyu groaned deep at the welcome pain, hips bucking forward.
Bare skin against skin made Mingyu truly an animal, rutting against Jaehyun with an arrhythmic staccato. Jaehyun panted, clawing at Mingyu’s back with every stroke. “Are you that desperate for me, puppy?” he hummed. “You wanna put that big cock in me so badly?”
Mingyu sobbed, too far gone to respond. Jaehyun reached between them to hold them both in one hand, and Mingyu’s hips stuttered to a stop. “Yes kitty, I want you. I want you so bad, please, please,” the words came tumbling out of Mingyu’s mouth, vision blurry with the prick of tears. Jaehyun held his jaw again, waiting until Mingyu’s eyes met his. “Please, Jaehyun, please don’t stop!”
Jaehyun’s hand kept steady time as Mingyu pushed forward, hips snapping with more force and speed in every stroke. The heat in his stomach started to knot and grow, uncontrollable now as he caged Jaehyun in with his elbows. “It’s good, good,” Jaehyun praised, his own ministrations already losing focus. “Good puppy, make me cum. Make me cum before you.”
Mingyu wrapped his own hand around Jaehyun’s, slick with sweat and eager to please. Jaehyun’s head rolled back as Mingyu took over, blanketing himself over Jaehyun. “My kitty,” he heard himself say from what sounded like miles away. Jaehyun arched and bucked as he said it, lips brushing against the shell of his ear. “My kitty, my kitty, so pretty and pink, and all mine, mine,” he chanted like a prayer as Jaehyun cried out, finally releasing over both of their hands.
Mingyu stalled as Jaehyun caught his breath, slowly returning to earth as the pleasure rolled over him. Mingyu whined, eager to please but desperate for release. Jaehyun took Mingyu in his hand, sleepily regaining control. “Good puppy, you did good. You can come now.” Mingyu buried his face in Jaehyun’s shoulder as he bucked into Jaehyun’s hand. Jaehyun pulled hard on his hair just once, and it sent him into a spiral of pleasure as he came over Jaehyun’s hand. He sobbed as Jaehyun milked him through it, stopping only when Mingyu was completely spent.
He collapsed forward, and Jaehyun let out an “oof!” as Mingyu’s full weight draped over him. He didn’t complain though, wiping his hand on the sheets before wrapping his legs around Mingyu’s middle and petting long, gentle strokes down Mingyu’s back. Mingyu nuzzled into his neck with a happy hum, hand coming up to weave itself into Jaehyun’s hair.
They almost fell asleep like that, content and warm and just a little sticky, but Jaehyun started to run out of air. Mingyu slid off to the side, but kept a long arm and a longer leg draped over Jaehyun’s thick frame.
Jaehyun cleared his throat as he stared up at the ceiling, lost in a post-coital haze. “So that was good,” he said dumbly.
Mingyu snorted, snuggling deeper into Jaehyun’s side. “That was very good, and we should definitely do that again.”
Without the cloud of sex, Jaehyun’s confidence was starting to run out again like a leaky balloon. “So, you liked the… that was okay?”
Mingyu propped his head up on an elbow to look down into Jaehyun’s eyes. “That was very okay. I liked it a lot. All of it.”
Jaehyun went shy, lifting the comforter to his chin. “Good, um… I’m glad.”
“Did you like it?”
Jaehyun grinned. “I liked it a lot. All of it.” He took a quick breath, looking away. “Especially when you called me yours.”
Mingyu laid a hand on Jaehyun’s cheek, stroking tiny lines under his eye with his thumb. “Can I call you that all the time, then?” he asked.
“Yes,” Jaehyun whispered. “Can I kiss you?”
“Yes.” Jaehyun leaned in and Mingyu met him halfway, languishing in long, gentle kisses.
“My kitty,” Mingyu murmured.
“My puppy.”
Despite Jaehyun’s whining protests, Mingyu eventually had to leave. He cleaned himself up the best he could, denying Jaehyun’s offers to use their shower.
“It would just look more suspicious,” he reasoned.
Jaehyun cocked an eyebrow. “And that look is less suspicious?”
Mingyu glanced at himself in the mirror. He was commando in his too skinny jeans after making a mess of his boxers under Jaehyun. His shirt was rumpled, hair mussed to the high heavens, and eyes just barely starting to swell. He laughed. “I doubt anyone’s awake yet anyways. Come here, baby. Can I get a kiss before I go?”
Jaehyun nodded, swooping into Mingyu’s arms with happy pecks. “Do I get to see you soon?” he asked.
Mingyu grinned a toothy grin. “Of course. The group’s gotta go for karaoke at some point.” Jaehyun punched him on the arm with little force. “I’m kidding, I’ll see if I can come over tomorrow. I promise. Bye, baby.”
Jaehyun squeezed him tight one more time. “Bye, Mingyu.”
Mingyu closed the door behind him as quietly as he could, padding through the hallway, ironically, like a cat. As he turned the corner into the main common area, however, he realized his actions were mute.
“Good morning, Mingyu,” Johnny called as he poured a large cup of coffee in the kitchen.
“Good morning, Johnny-hyung, Yuta-hyung… Everyone. All of you. Why? Why is everyone in the living room?”
Taeyong sat cross legged in a large loveseat, clutching a mug of tea. “Oh, you know. We just… woke up early.”
“We got woken up early,” Taeil snapped, not even bothering to turn from the game of Mario Kart the other members had blasting full volume on the TV.
Mingyu flushed a deep red as he turned towards the kitchen with horror in his eyes. Johnny merely shrugged, taking a painfully large sip from his cup. Yuta just grinned over a bowl of cereal and gave him a greasy wink and a thumbs up before shoveling a spoon into his mouth.
“Well, nice to see you all again, time to go die, bye forever!” Mingyu sputtered, quickly side-stepping through into the entrance way.
“Hey, I’m proud of you kids!” Johnny shouted as Mingyu fumbled to get his shoes on and escape. “Your love is beautiful and you have nothing to be ashamed of! Just go to your dorms next time!”
“Thanks, dad! Never speak to me again!” Mingyu called back, before slamming the door behind him.